I read this article on bbc.co.uk about "Retailers and record labels who are campaigning for a charts overhaul to boost flagging sales of the CD single".
Now obviously the answer could be: why bother? I like the single format. Or I have done in the past as per one of my old blog entries: Give Me A Single Reason.
By the end, though, I thought it was a bit of a sham. Not good value, and often not collectable but just the only way of getting exclusive tracks. That is what has driven a lot of the 7" growth in the market IMHO. Fans of Embrace needing to buy 3 formats (2 of them vinyl) to get all tracks.
So I would rather they didn't bother doing that as it is a rip-off and, frankly, annoying to fans who want to listen through a computer / ipod or whatever.
If they want to save the physical single, then I think the chart people or whoever should allow more inventive packages (if it is just about the music as they say then they should just go on radioplay). BUT, by allowing this they should have consistency of tracks across the formats.
So, a CD may have the title track, and three live tracks. On vinyl, you would have to buy the same tracks on 12" (or 2 x 7" but why do that when you can fit on one 12" - oh yes, because 2 units are shifted instead of one so the rules better ay that you can only sell the 2 x 7" as a one unit package).
This would open up a USB with the same tracks, or a DVD single with the video and the video performances of the band. (And by the way, the only reason the USB singles were a success was because they released about 1000 of them which were all snapped up by collectors / profiteers who then sold them on ebay. Yes, I have both the USB singles by Keane and the one by The Fratellis. What a sucker I am).
Now that would not annoy me but encourage me to buy the physical (digital) format without thinking that I am missing out on any classic tracks that are on vinyl only.
Go on Universal, you know it makes sense.
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