Indies plan assault on UK singles chart

A UK independent record label boss has warned that indies may this week launch an assault on the UK singles chart to prove that it is not secure following the incorporation of downloads into sales figures. The plan is simply to download specific songs as many times as possible to improve their chart position - an armchair version of the old "send out the manager to buy every copy in HMV" ploy.

Gut Records supremo, Guy Holmes, told the BBC: "I know of two different labels who are considering buying records online because they believe it's the only way they can teach the chart people that the security of the chart is no longer there. The people who have instigated the chart have failed dismally in their responsibilities to make and keep our charts secure and to stop people with large amounts of money being able to take advantage of it."

The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) has already said it would monitor the chart "very, very carefully" in the lead-up to this weekend's first "integrated" Top 40. OCC rep James Gillespie asserted: "It's very important that the chart isn't open to corruption, isn't open to being hyped." He added: "We're very confident that [the security system] is going to ensure that the singles chart remains the most accurate barometer of people's music tastes."

The Beeb notes that said security system will keep an eye out for "the same credit card or mobile phone numbers buying multiple copies of the same song". ®

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