I have noticed that Sony/BMG have taken the relatively unusual step of paying for radio advertising of the Lorraine single 'I Feel It' released this week, for example advertising at peak times on the Capital Radio breakfast show in London. I noticed it was number 32 in the midweeks on Monday. (Not sure where it currently stands).

Would anyone like to venture an informed opinion on a) the cost of the advertising b) the benefit obtained - in terms of increased sales and increased chart position. Very interested in this.

with a closing position of 29, that's an increase of 3 places over Tuesday to Saturday so maybe an increase of 4 places over the week as a whole could be attributed to the ad campaign during the week. Not sure what that translates into in sales - about 1000 at most?

But at dinner with friends last night I expressed a GREAT TRUTH...

You're far better off as a small indie... if you've got a real hit.
If you've not got a hit, you're screwed.
And sadly a major will turn a non hit into what looks like a hit but it's not... it's just another high priority.
Takes longer to fail and costs a fortune for the inevitable to kick in.

you can add crimea to that. totally average song, overhyped radio campaign. the public do not like being told what to like

Does this mean , the song is playlisted and also advertised?
This could be two plays an hour, and if people do not like the song, it will just dig the sales deeper down.

In the US it is or at least was possible to influence the airplay charts with advertising.

The labels used exactly the portion of the song in the adverts, the computers of the chart compilers used to identify which songs were playlisted.

This type of chart rigging isn't possible in the UK?