Is Chart Track fair? (1 Viewer)

[moc]

in fairness to them they did a huge big tour, played 2 and 3 gigs a day for about a week. wish i could sell 800 cds.

 

[moc]

anthony beat me to it still wish i could sell 800 cds buh

 

[damien]

800 cds is insane!!!! fuck the charts anyway.

 

[SONYMEGADRIVE]

DID SOMEONE SAY SHARK ATTACK??!?!?

 

[Speed Racer]

Good work Alex. Thats alot of fuckin CD's, jayzus!

 

[IrishUnsigned]

God help us if Ron see's this thread
We'll all be bored to tears

*yawn*

Or "slightly more educated"?

Some people actually want to know the answers to these questions. If you don't then look away.... NOW:

Alex, in case you didn;t see my reply on Cluas, here's a repeat:

There are a couple of clarifications that need to be made here, and having been "studying" IRMA, Chart Track UK and the entire charts system for almost 18 months, I think I know how most of it works.

And, as those who know me will appreciate, I am not a fan of the system but equally I am not a fan of misundertstandings that become urban legends, and accepted truths!

First, there is not a "random" selection procedure. Effectively, Chart Track uses normal telephones to 'poll' the machines they have installed in approx 275 stores nationwide, most of which are independent stores (not in a chain, like Golden Disks). They estimate that at any week they can get approx 80% of the data back. It is in the 20% of the missing data that any 'mistakes', deliberate or otherwise, can be made.

Second, any store that sells a range of music (ie must sell current releases, to be honest), can be a chart track store. They do *not* have to be a record store (Easons, for example, sell chart CDs).

Third, if Chart Track stores told you that they sold 650+ units, yet only 250+/- were recorded, then this is *WAY* beyond the missing 20% they would normally expect to see.

My recommendation, as it was to Gigsmart last year when they were stiffed themselves, is to ask the stores to mail you a sales-list. You are entitled to know the number of units they sold for you as you are entitled to payment for them.
If their systems (ie not people, but the same machines that chart track 'polls') tell you they reported 650+ then you have a news story of National level on your hands, and I have some people who may well be interested in publicising it.
In the meantime, ask Chart Track for a per-store list of data received. They will likely refuse for data-protection etc. Then, send them an email of the list you got from each store and ask them who is 'wrong'. The trick is to try to get them to tell you which stores they didn;t get any data from, and then check the system logs at that store.

We (IrishUnsigned) have been waiting for someone since last year, to get a proveable news story out of this charts scam that goes on all the time.

Oh, and we are working on an entirely new chart so if you (any of you) have friends who work in record retailers (of any kind) and would like to contribute to the new (fair and open) charts, then tell them to get in touch with us.

And, if you're an expert in Java programming, we want to ehar from you

Alex, give me a call/mail if you want to go further with this.

In the meantime, I am going to contact the MD of Chart Track (John Pinder) and let him know, as I always do, about the 'shortcomings' of their system.

Ron, IrishUnsigned

 

[IrishUnsigned]

alex well done, thats a huge amount of cd's you's should be real proud


before you become embittered over chart track tho, just remember the days that you guys got skipped over for sales in whatever shop it was, so did everyone else (most likely), so britney probably didnt get counted too. you's should be over the moon bout what yous accomplished

You'll probably find it is not as simple as that. If you want, you can get the individual stores to call Chart Track by 10am on the Friday and "give" them then sales stats. Major players have someone who does that for them in the week of a release, to ensure ALL sales are recorded (and then some)

Ron, IrishUnsigned

 

[IrishUnsigned]

That's a good point. However Britney & Co have a major distribution deal which means their CDs are in every single shop that was selected.

This system penalizes the independents who can reach only a limited amount of shops

This said, thanks to everybody for the support!

Take it easy, A.

Makes no difference. 650+ sales should still have gotten you in the top ten, if Chart Track said it should, based on the other unit sales they had received as well, unless there was a big rush on some CDs from Tuesday to Thursdsay, which generally does not happen

Ron, IU

 

[Goodbye]

God help us if Ron see's this thread
We'll all be bored to tears

*yawn*

heh heh

 

[egg_]

Quit being such a cry-baby

Time you thought of a new insult dude. You've been wheeling this one out for a while

p.s. Congrats on the fucking incredible sales Alex

 

[THRILLHO]

Time you thought of a new insult dude. You've been wheeling this one out for a while

Twice previously, according to the search thing.
In the same thread, four months ago.
The second time was explaining my first.
And it's not like I'm using it when it isn't appropriate. As a matter of fact, I'd go so far as to say I'm not using it enough, all things considered.

 

[chutneyfarmer]

while you may have sold a load of records, i know for a fact that many customers bought numerous copies of the single in one go. HARDLY representative of what the public find "Popular". What prob happened is that when your cds were being sold, they were being sold, in group, in a single transaction instead of an individual transaction for each cd.

 

[IrishUnsigned]

while you may have sold a load of records, i know for a fact that many customers bought numerous copies of the single in one go. HARDLY representative of what the public find "Popular". What prob happened is that when your cds were being sold, they were being sold, in group, in a single transaction instead of an individual transaction for each cd.

Actually, while that *IS* what most bands do, it is not what happend here, as far as the info IU have received is concerned. There were a few multi-purchases, and these were recorded as single purchases, but not even close to the normal sales patterns you would expect to see.

It seems Morello, although they *probably* helped the sales along, didnn't manipulate their way into the charts solely.

Furthermore, what makes you think this is not what happens with every release that is important to its promoters? Why do you think there are Pluggers, Publicity agents, backhanders and scams all over the industry? Everyone is trying to get the exposure that being in the charts leads to (and the money, in the long run, that it also leads to)

The entire system is wide open to all sorts of scams and schemes (some legal, some questionable). Unfortunately, independent releases have to compete with that, without the benefit of huge marketing campaigns or large promotional budgets.

Give them (all) their due when they manage it

Ron, IrishUnsigned

 

[SONYMEGADRIVE]

this shit would never have been on thumped 3/4/5 years ago

andrew

 

[pete]

this shit would never have been on thumped 3/4/5 years ago

andrew

i have to admit that i'm somewhat bemused by the whole thing

 

[IrishUnsigned]

this shit would never have been on thumped 3/4/5 years ago

andrew

Is that cos someone would have censored it

 

[SONYMEGADRIVE]

u r a jeniouz
andrew

 

[IrishUnsigned]

u r a jeniouz
andrew

Thank you. No need for compliments

 

[the bearded lady]

who gives a flying FUCK about getting in the charts morello?
look what it did to the dudley corporation, turned them into even bigger faggot-holed pricks!!

its not too late to get an apprenticeship to fall back on you know. they're always looking for fitter-turners.

 

[IrishUnsigned]

who gives a flying FUCK about getting in the charts morello?

I guess some people just don't *like* money and exposure for their *art*