this is one of them posts, look you see, that might be of the mildest of mild interest to someone or no one out there, or perhaps not. either way it was of some interest to me that i observed this, and as far as i know this is still my blog so i guess i get to say what goes on here.
for some reason - i think perhaps it was in relation to checking their theoretical guesses on the weather but i cannot recall specifically that far back - this morning i had a look at the "official" album chart on the BBC website or, if you like, the website of the BBC. on that note, i have yet to be presented with a convincing "unofficial" chart by anyone.
most of the chart was of little or no consequential interest to be, but the re-entry down at number 28 caught my eye somewhat.
indeed, that is the celebrated Rio album off of the celebrated and apparently English rock band Duran Duran back in the charts. not at all bad for a 33 year old album which has, for most of those 33 years, sold staggeringly well indeed. and so it should, for it is celebrated with good reason. other than the title track, it's the one that Hungry Like The Wolf is off of.
what interested me was that i bought my 2nd or 3rd, possibly 4th, copy of the album during the week that this re-entered the charts. why would i do such a thing? because that Google Play shop thing waved it at me for 99p. and when i say "it", it was the album and seven or so alternate, labelled "US", mixes of key tracks on the record.
just how many copies - digital downloads or otherwise - a record has to sell in order to chart is a debatable and flexible thing. one week could see an album sell a few hundred copies and make the top ten; other weeks a recording which sold thousands could fail to chart. it's all competition, contest and that sort of thing i suppose.
going on the very specific version of Rio listed as charting -the (Collectors Edition) i bought - shows an interesting model. in this era when "new" music no longer sells, is the model going to be throwing classic albums, made at a time when effort and talent were both required and used in making music, out at 99p or even £1.99 a go?
it pretty much makes sense to me, with me being outside of the music industry. an album like Rio, and indeed that first Bruce Dickinson voiced Iron Maiden album i bough for the same fee last week, have made their money back - and a hefty profit - several times over. costs of selling it again via virtual, "digital" channels are next to nothing. and i, someone who is partially educated and thus capable of transforming my CD collection into one that plays on an iPod or similar, have shown a willingness to purchase a "bargain" download of something that i already have a few times over.
allowing the better informed kids of today - and doddering older types - to purchase classic albums from the 60s to the 90s at next to nothing prices would clean up the charts too. get rid of all this disposable rubbish and just have quality in the charts, man.
anyway, as i said, it kind of interested me, although i suspect my purchase and possibly this blog post shall amount to little beyond a bit of market research for both them that do the google and the record industry.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment