18/07/2003: "Scene Unheard" gets into the charts... just.:Ron

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The Charts released today show "Scene Unheard" just scraping into the compilation charts at no.25 and I suppose we should be happy.

We're not.

Having spoken to a list of the retailers and to the English organisation responsible for compiling the Charts, we're confused and suspiscious.

From speaking to the stores, we believe that four stores between them recorded 45+35+65+35 sales. That totals 180. We have the info direct from the machines in the stores. That's without any of the other stores who we were not exactly concentrating on.

Chart-Track UK said that their system recorded 128 sales from all stores nationwide with a discrepancy rate of up to 20%.

Somewhere there is a problem and there appears to be questions to be asked. It is not such a big deal with a compilation like this but charting a single for a band is huge news and financially important. Indeed, the Gigsmart crew got a call from HMV UK when they charted their compilation at No.6 last week, to order some for the major retailers through RMG.

I - we - have always been suspiscious of the way things are done, but I have to be honest, I can't find anywhere to point the finger. Chart-Track UK have been very helpful in trying to pin down the discrepancy but to no avail as yet. I can't accept that it is just an accident that the sales reported were underestimated by approximately a third.

We are waiting to hear back from Chart-Track who, for confidentiality reasons, cannot disclose data from individual shops. However, since we have the information from the stores themselves, and since this is something that financially affects 18 bands, I think there is a way we can get the data - through the data protection act if necessary, with the permission of the relevant stores, of course.

We have also advised Gigsmart to ask the stores who sold their CD to give a printout of recorded sales for the last two weeks. There's no reason why they shouldn't. Gigsmart were told that their first week's sales were (nationwide) 325, but feel that they were more like 450+. That could have made them Top 3, instead of Top 10.

Hopefully, we can build on the relative success of getting into the Charts at all, and go on to climb. That's assuming you all buy the thing. I know the availability has been patchy in parts of the Country. That's what happens when you are doing it on your own and have to rely on other people's transport! It should be out and about everywhere this week, and if you are buying it online, please do so through www.roadrecs.com, who have a chart registration.

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