At No9 in Sweden? Lady Godiva. No7 on the UK iTunes chart? Lady Godiva. Charting in New Zealand, Canada, Spain, Ireland... all around the world after just one day.

No26 in Australia. On sale for one day and charting everywhere. The new model.

I notice the Swedish Eurovision entry Euphoria - which will win in May and become the global hit of the summer - is No5 there whilst Alex is No9.

Yesterday, a girl I know told me that she had spend £20 buying copies of Lady Godiva to try to get it to No1. Now she is fed up because it didn't even make the Top 40. I told her she is an idiot.

I know it happens, but it does paint a false picture of popularity.

Good luck to anyone who can manipulate the system, but I wonder it its worth the effort. If it was for a original song which would help take music forward then I could understand it, but, really, it's just about a few people manipulating the unthinking masses .. again.

Good for her - and point out that the Official Chart will be NEXT Sunday and hopefully Alex will be not only in the Top 40 but in the Top 20. Your friend's purchases got it to No7 on yesterday's iTunes pop chart.

Nobody should, in my opinion, buy music for any reason other than that they love it and want to hear it in all its forms, styles and shapes. And want to spread the word and get millions more to hear it.

And what is "an original song that would help take music forward"? We all have different tastes. I loved The Beatles superb Twist and Shout although it wasn't an "original song" and some might not have thought it "took music forward". But it did for me!

I'm all for encouraging people to make the music they want to make and get it to as many fans of it as they can. That's not "manipulating the system". That's simple common sense.

Anyway, this week Alex is touring the UK signing copies of CDs that fans have wanted, bought and, in many cases, cherished and hoped to get signed. What's wrong with that?

I'm sure, PH, you wouldn't want everyone only to like music you like. Or to forbid them from buying something they want to buy.

Nothing is actually wrong with any of all that. I'm sure that also happened with the 'old model', I'm just saying that if 100 people each buy 20 copies that makes it look like the song is more popular than it really is. That's simple common maths.

When my silly friend spent all her money (she's not rich) on copies of Lady Godiva, she ended having to borrow off me. I've told her that if Lady Godiva by Alex Day is in the Top20 next Sunday I'll give her the £20 myself.

Popularity in the chart is measured by the quantity of sales - wrongly, in my opinion, and as you know I want to construct the Pop-I Chart measuring popularity - for example; a song on a TV commersial that everyone starts humming. Or Susan Boyle's I Dreamed, when she sang it on X Factor before it was released.

But at present I'm afraid you're wrong PH - if someone loves a track so much that they buy all the remixes of it; that means it's popular.

JK2006 wrote:

But at present I'm afraid you're wrong PH - if someone loves a track so much that they buy all the remixes of it; that means it's popular.

It's not always so simple though. In this case, my friend doesn't particularly like the track, she just kinda got caught up in the campaign. Peer Pressure.

Yes and that brings us to the topic - should people be banned from buying things for certain reasons?

No Bieber sales from those who fancy him? (I suspect all my music sold to people who fancied me like mad).

No popularity accepted unless those who like it have good taste?

The Nazis are coming...

Don't overreact, JK.

I'm entitled to an opinion .. it's not about banning anything.

Just verifying PH - are you calling her a "silly friend" because you disagree with her taste in music or don't like her reasons for buying the remixes or simply in order to claim that "popularity" means being "popular" with people whose taste co-incides with yours or whose motivations in purchase obey your own set of rules?

JK2006 wrote:
Just verifying PH - are you calling her a "silly friend" because you disagree with her taste in music or don't like her reasons for buying the remixes or simply in order to claim that "popularity" means being "popular" with people whose taste co-incides with yours or whose motivations in purchase obey your own set of rules?


I call her 'silly' and 'stupid' because she one of my best friends (more like at sister) and I call her things out of love in ways only best friends can.

Good for you PH and I think - now the single is No9 in the Official Midweek chart - you can retitle her Sensible - she clearly knows more about the current pop scene than you do (I like Gilbert O'Sullivan too).

JK2006 wrote:
Good for you PH and I think - now the single is No9 in the Official Midweek chart - you can retitle her Sensible - she clearly knows more about the current pop scene than you do (I like Gilbert O'Sullivan too).

And don't forget, you owe her £20.

dixie wrote:
JK2006 wrote:
Good for you PH and I think - now the single is No9 in the Official Midweek chart - you can retitle her Sensible - she clearly knows more about the current pop scene than you do (I like Gilbert O'Sullivan too).

And don't forget, you owe her £20.

I don't owe anything until Sunday .. and then only if it makes the Top 20.

No.72, and dropping, on the iTunes chart, the last I heard.

But I always keep my word.