It’s long been a bugbear for labels, but now sales of albums at live concerts in the UK will be counted towards the market’s Official Albums Chart.
The Official Charts Company has announced that it has a new system of collecting sales data from live venues, called Lightning Live.
It is ‘designed to support labels and artists using their shows to reach out to fans, aside from traditional retail’.
The firm said that Lightning Live had been road-tested at gigs throughout the UK over the past six months.
“THIS MOVE FURTHER UNDERLINES OUR STRATEGY TO ENSURE THE OFFICIAL CHARTS REFLECT AND RESPOND TO CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR.”
OMAR MASKATIYA, OFFICIAL CHARTS COMPANY
Official Charts Company chief operating officer Omar Maskatiya said: “The launch of Lightning Live follows approaches from both independent and major labels, who are increasingly using live events as a route to get their products to fans and new audiences.
“We strive constantly to ensure that the Official Charts reflects and responds to consumer behaviour and this move, following just a few months after the integration of streams, further underlines this strategy.”
The Official Charts Company began folding streaming data into the Official Albums Chart in March.
