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U.K. Chart Sales

July 09, 2004 | Music
BMG currently occupy the first three places in the singles charts in the UK. To date the sales are as follows:
1. Usher 18,971
2. Elvis Presley 14,742
3. Will Young 12,404

"That's All Right" isn't being play-listed by any national or local radio station in the UK, so sales were generated by the amazing press coverage of the anniversary last weekend. This being the case it is predicted that Elvis will enjoy a number 3 position on Sunday - the day the National chart is published, and both Usher and Young will enjoy TV appearaces in the UK over the weekend.

A special request we received from English fans:

As you know Elvis may top the British charts on sunday IF and only Elvis fans from around the world unite their efforts by ordering "That's all right" single on the HMV website! The dead line is saturday evening.
Source:Todd Slaughter

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Jim Semple wrote on July 09, 2004
I disagree with Todds comments about the amazing British press interest. Yes there has been the odd feature on the news or Richard and Jdy, but generally, there has been very little. I think sales of 14,000 in Elvis's 50th Anniversary is extremely poor in the UK. I've bought 6 copies of TAM for me and various friends and I think most others on this site have probably done the same. I have to say, had it been promoted the way it should have been, this would have been Number 1 easily.
Jim Semple wrote on July 09, 2004
Fair comment Todd but I then think the problem lies in the fact that the age groups who buy records in the charts today i.e. 14 - 20 (I'm guessing there), the vast majority will not watch any of the programmes you have stated. They are generally for the mature audience, and as you say, if its not played on radio stations, then you are really struggling. PS - I get The Sun every day, and apologies if I am wrong, but I haven't seen a single feature in their Bizarre Pop section ?!?
Jim Semple wrote on July 09, 2004
Well said Todd.
Kenneth wrote on July 10, 2004
an excellent and a very educational exchange between JIM SEMPLE & SENDTOTODD,at least for me living in Toronto ,Canada. the situation is much the same here,i think the one thing that can be said is that 'ELVIS' has done it all on his name alone and no one else but 'ELVIS' could accomplish this feat.
Brian Quinn wrote on July 09, 2004
Unless Will Young has an exceptional day on Saturday and Elvis a particularly bad day then TAR will be at least No.2. It is also worth noting that the Will Young single is priced at £1.99. Shame on you BMG!!! If it's good enough for one of your artists then it is good enough for all of them!!
cj wrote on July 09, 2004
Just bought 40 cds. Come on people, if we all do our share we can make n°1.
SendToTodd wrote on July 09, 2004
To answer Andrew's question, the figure of 25,000 are dealer orders, and the sales figures (which make up the charts) are dealers' returns, in other words the bar-code swiped sales that go through retailers' on-line tills. (As a fan club we generally don't sell singles, but for the orders we do get, we normally purchase supplies from chart shops so that these sales are reflected in the Top 50. We did just that in respect to the orders we received this week for "That's All Right"). To answer Brian's comments, an appearance on "Top of the Pops" ten years ago would mean sales of between 50-100 thousand on a Saturday. Today that figure is around 20,000 maximum particularly in the current downturn in single CD sales, and at this time of the year. A Saturday daytime telly appearance for Will Young could also add on 20,000 sales. Sadly for Elvis, there is no supportive video material for "That's All Right". To be fair, I think we were all surprised to see so many fantastic retro-features on Elvis in the British press last weekend, and it is those that triggered the initial sales, but without radio plays, and no video there is nothing to sustain the sales. It's easy to hate Will Young, Usher, and BMG, but we Elvis fans have to accept the fact that we live in a real world. Usher and Young are living acts, with promotional machines, and management budgets that wave royalities, reducing the rrp in exchange for a brighter future, and financial agendas that include tours, merchandising, albums, and sponsorship. Elvis has EPE, and I guess that Graceland would be the first to admit that their activities are minimal outside of the US. I guess you have to ask yourself, if last week William Hill the bookmakers were offering odds of say 10 -1 of Elvis making number one, would you have put say £1,000 on a bet. For BMG that bet would have been nearer £200,000 in sustained promotional and manufacturing costs to ensure a crack at the top. They chose not to, because I guess they never expected the avalance of press support last weekend. Had it been assured then no doubt they would have thrown a lot more money at the project. That's Life. But if Elvis makes TOP 5 we should all be thrilled, though number one would be heaven.
SendToTodd wrote on July 09, 2004
When I referred to the press, I mean in print. TV is broadcast media Jim. There's not been the odd feature. In the past week the has been the cover and two pages in the Independant on Sunday, The Cover and several pages in the Sunday Express, 2 pages in Sunday Times Culture magazine, 2 pages in the August edition of Word, half pages in each of the Daily Star and Star on Sunday, featutres also in The Guardian, Sunday Mail, Sunday Post, Daily Star, The Sun, Sunday Express, Daily Express (two features), London Evening Standard and around 50 regional and local titles. As for television, we start with BBC Breakfast Sunday, BBC News Sunday, ITN Sunday, BBC News 24 Sunday, ITN News Channel Sunday, ITN Morning News Monday, GMTV News Monday, BBC Breakfast News Monday, Lunchtime news ITN, ITN News Channel Monday, ITN Early Evening News, BBC News, BBC News 24, BBC 2 Newsnight Monday, BBC 10 o'clock News Monday, ITN Evening News, Channel 4 News Early Evening and late night, Channel 5 News throughout the Day, Sky News Monday throughout the day,and of course Jim, Richard & Judy. I doubt that any other media in any other country (in particular the USA) celebrated this anniversary like the Brits. The only down-side has been the lack of support by radio. 5 plays on BBC Radio 2, and none on BBC Radio 1 is not acceptable.
SendToTodd wrote on July 09, 2004
Jim, it's nothing to do with the age profile of the people who buy singles. The fault doesn't lie with BMG promotions either! I'm afraid that BBC Radio 1 is no longer a broadcaster, it is a narrowcaster. The Radio 1 playlist is 90% Urban R & B, and Hip Hop, and our local Top 40 Stations mirror their chart, so there is no room for any music outside of those parameters. Radio 1 was set up as an alternative to pirate radio, and their mandate was to play pop music, and that included pop, rock, soul, folk, R & B, country, and blues. Radio 1 is the UKs only national FM station (forget Virgin as no one listens to AM, it died in the water along with Radio Caroline). We need an alternative FM Commercial broadcaster to give today's kids more than imported gangster rap. We need a national radio station that can play wonderful pop, and rap, and blues, and soul, and rock, and oldies like Aretha, The Stones, The Beatles, Tamla, and ELVIS. It was great music, music that we lived our lives through, and part of our culture and heritage. If BMG are at fault then it's their failure of getting together with all the other record companies and starve Radio 1 of product until they change their format, because if the BBC continue with their restricted formula then not only will the single be dead, but so will pop music. For Christ sake, RingTones now have their own chart, and they make more money than all single CD sales put together.
SendToTodd wrote on July 10, 2004
IMPORTANT! Throughout this week what seemed like hundreds of our members have been ringing the British Fan Club begging to buy the 10" version of THAT'S ALL RIGHT, having been to HMV and finding that they were sold out of the collectable within their first hour of the Monday 5th release date. Dozens of others were calling boasting that they had cleaned out the stores at 9.00am buying every copy. One guy had bought 200 copies. I was speaking with the Branch Manager of our local store this moning and he told me that multiple purchases of five or more copies are more often than not classed as void puchases as far as chart sales returns are concern. They are viewed by the computer that collects the sales data with suspicion as potentially such bulk buys could be part of a "hype". So good intentions, and greed from those now selling the vinyl on eBay for as much as £150.00 a pop, could deny Elvis of a number one chart placing. If this is the case then it really is bad news.
Sean Ryan wrote on July 10, 2004
If this is true what Todd has said then its not just bad news but i think its disgusting. Surely the only reason that they are counting 5 or more copies as one sale has got to be cause its Elvis. I dont see any other fans of any act from the past to the present who would buy the same single twice to try and get it higher in the charts other than Elvis fans. These opportunities dont come around too often as far as Elvis releases are concerned so because the fans know that BMG are never gonna promote singles like they should its left up to the fans to promote Elvis and that is the only thing that is sad. BMG are a professional organisation and to say that they didnt expect this single to do as well as it has, makes me feel that they have let Elvis down concidering how much money he made them in the past. Elvis would be so proud of his fans doing this and especially proud of what Todd has done over the years.
MV wrote on July 10, 2004
I remember the bleak period from about 1984 to 'Twelfth of Never' in 95 when Elvis singles never made the top 40. Now we'll have 3 top 5 (hopefully) hits in a row.I must admit,I do watch the TOTP countdown when there's an Elvis entry.As regards no video,maybe a clip of Thats All Right from the new 68 show DVD could be provided for the chart shows?Perhaps the single would have bigger sales if the 10" vinyl version had more than 5000 copies available. Whatever,who would really have thought just 2 weeks back that this 50 year old sun recording would be such a big hit?
andrewmartinbarber wrote on July 09, 2004
i dont understand these figures, whats the other figure we were given with reference to 25,000 pre-orders, as this got to be added on?
pacer1965 wrote on July 09, 2004
I think I would be very happy if Thats all right got in the top five in the uk considering the radio stations are not playing it. Does anybody know if Asda sales count towards the charts over here in the uk?
pacer1965 wrote on July 10, 2004
So by the sounds of it no matter how many singles we buy of Thats all right Elvis has no chance of getting to number one. I was surprised they did not put the 68 special version of Thats all right on this single because then they would have been able to play that on the t.v and plus they would have been able to promote the 68 special as well.
pacer1965 wrote on July 10, 2004
Thats very bad news Todd. I tried to buy Thats all right on vinyl but it was sold out. I bought five copies of the cd single but i did get them from different music stores.
pacer1965 wrote on July 12, 2004
I agree with you Sean. If this happened with the single Thats all right maybe the same thing probably happened when they released Rubberneckin as well. It makes you wonder whos running the uk charts really. I think if they counted all the sales for Thats all right it would be number one now. Well done to all the great Elvis fans for getting this to number 3. We should all be very proud.