There has been more than two million legal downloads sold in the U.K since January this year. Artists are rushing to release singles in hopes of getting the number one spot for the first time in history. They include Westlife, Sugababes, Muse, Goldie Lookin' Chain, Faithless, Jet and Snow Patrol. DJ Scott Mills speaking on Radio Five Live said, "What we have found - especially with Radio 1 listeners who are aged primarily 15 to 24 - is that young fans of bands like Snow Patrol and Starsailor live with computers every day of their lives. Downloading music is not alien to them. It is just another way of buying music."
James Gillespie, of The Official UK Charts Company, is hoping that the charts will boost singles and album sales. He said "It is going to be the first time that UK music consumers can see which is the most popular download track. In the US it has really got people excited by music again. The physical market of CDs and DVDs have actually increased over there and we are confident the same will happen here.". Peter Jamieson, chairman of the British Phonographic Industry, said "1 September will go down as an historic date in the history of the UK recording industry. The launch of the Official UK Download Chart will provide a real promotional focus for the emerging download market and will serve to drive consumer interest even higher."
Source:
BBC News
Written by: James Delahunty @ 1 Sep 2004 3:44
