U.K. SINGLES CHART GETS A SECOND SHAKE-UP

The U.K.’s Official Singles Chart is set to undergo another change in July to ensure that tracks from blockbuster albums don’t dominate the Top 40 on release. From July, three songs from one artist will be allowed entry, according to Record of the Day. Will it help keep the chart fluid and relevant?

Cries for a rule revision became louder after all 16 tracks from Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Atlantic) were in the Top 20 on release week in March, five of which filled the Top 5. The following week, Sheeran tracks made up the entire Top 10 bar one. Later in the month, Drake had 12 songs in the Top 40 after the release of playlist More Life (Island). The official details will reportedly arrive next week.

After a furor last year over the lack of movement in the U.K. Singles Chart, the Official Charts Company changed the streaming conversion rate in January to 150 streams=one sale, an increase of 50% over the previous 100=1 formula. It has made a marked difference: this time last year, there had been just four new entries that charted straight into the Top 10. This year there have been 24, although seven of those were from Sheeran’s ÷.