In association with MusicWeek
The Noughties
The Noughties would become a period of transformation for the singles market and the Official Singles Chart alike. But first, changes were afoot for the company behind the chart: previously called Chart Information Network, and then Music Industry Chart Services, the company was renamed the Official Charts Company. “We should call it what it says on the tin,” commented then-board member Pete Waterman. The industry as a whole was
already trying to align itself with the new world of digital music. It would take until 2004 before a legitimate download offer was presented to the British music- buying public on any significant scale, the year starting with the launch of
MyCokeMusic.com (tying in with a deal to sponsor the Official Singles Chart). iTunes Music Store followed in the summer – the Official Download Chart arriving in September that year, topped by Westlife’s Flying Without Wings. The initial volumes of downloads in 2004 helped lift singles sales in that year, up to 32.3m from the all-time-low of 30.9m sales in 2003 – a reversal in fortune which would result in singles sales exploding to reach 152.7m in 2009. In April 2005, the first Official Singles Chart to combine physical sales with downloads was published. Retail voiced initial concerns that downloading would take sales and foot traffic away from traditional music shops, but
Best-selling record of the decade: Will Young, Anything Is Possible /Evergreen (2002)
Joe McElderry won X Factor, but failed to stop Rage Against The Machine beating him to the Christmas No.1 position in 2009
after much debate within the industry, a compromise was reached – that digital singles would be allowed to chart, as long as a physical release followed the next week at the latest. As a result of the change, Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy became the first track to top the Official Singles Chart on download sales alone in April 2006, holding at the Official Number 1 spot for nine weeks. It wasn’t until January 2007 that music downloads were fully integrated into the charts,
however, when tracks became eligible regardless of whether or not they had a physical release. The move saw the UK Singles Chart edge towards more of a ‘songs’ chart as the evolution of music consumption became evermore apparent. The first No.1 song never to
see a physical release in the UK was Leona Lewis’ Run on the Syco label. It was the 11th song to reach the coveted spot on download figures alone, but was released physically overseas.
The second track to top the UK Singles Chart without ever touching a record store shelf benefitted from a little Christmas rebellion and a lot of activity around a grass roots Facebook campaign. As a result, it grabbed a stunning spot in musical history: in 2009, Rage Against The Machine’s Killing In The Name Of became the first single to hit Number 1 off the back of an anti- X Factor campaign. The song pipped the Syco show’s winner Joe McElderry to Christmas No.1, and was the first song to reach the pinnacle of the charts on downloads alone without being a new release. The news came just a year
after fans of Jeff Buckley took the artist’s Hallelujah to No.2 in the Christmas chart - one place behind the more radio-friendly version sung by X Factor’s Alexandra Burke. The new download-friendly
chart rules have also had an impact for unsigned acts: Alex Day became the first artist without a record deal to break into the Top 5 when his song Forever Yours hit No.4 in the 2011 Christmas chart.
THE ‘TEENS’ - ADELE AND K-POP WIN THE BRITISH NATION’S AFFECTIONS
In the two years following the Noughties, one name has dominated headlines, sales figures and charts all over the world. Adele’s 21 has sold over 25 million copies globally, breaking multiple records in the process. The album’s second single Someone Like You hit the top of the Official UK Singles Chart on February 26,
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2011 and stayed there for four weeks, before being knocked off by Nicole Scherzinger’s Don’t Hold Your Breath - only to return to the top for another week on April 2, 2011. 2012 has seen a so-called
‘K-Pop’ track top the UK Singles Chart for the first time in its history. South Korean artist Psy scored a
viral hit with Gangnam Style thanks to a solid beat and a silly video. The song was streamed, parodied and applauded around the world before debuting in the UK at No.196 on September 1, 2012. By the end of the month, Gangnam Style had shot to the top spot after seeing an average sales increase of 20% every day.
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