TOTP boss: singles chart is a racket
The man behind Top Of The Pops has launched an astonishing attack on the official singles chart on which the show is based.
Chris Cowey, executive producer and director of Britain's longest running music show, has accused record firms of manipulating the charts with mass marketing techniques.
Many singles make it into the top 10 not because they are the best, he said, but because they are backed by slick marketing methods. As a result, he said, the system is "dysfunctional", has lost credibility and needs immediate reform.
Mr Cowey, credited with restoring the show as Britain's most popular music programme since he took over five years ago, told the Financial Times: "Top of the Pops is successful in spite of the chart rather than because of it.
"The chart is controlled by record companies. Most of the top 10 singles are there because of clever marketing practices, not because they are popular."
It was necessary, he said, to reform the singles chart, which is administered by the Official UK Charts Company, in order to restore its credibility. The industry has been awash with bands manufactured and marketed by key record companies over the past decade.
As well as the Spice Girls, these include Liberty, Hear'Say and the most recent stars of Pop Idol, Gareth Gates and Will Young.
During the Sixties and Seventies, record labels were frequently accused of bribing retailers to exaggerate sales. The system is now computerised but many companies use promotional techniques such as tactical discounts to enhance sales.
According to Mr Cowey, the only way to eliminate the problem would be to overhaul the charts system so that it is based on the value of sales rather than their number.
The amount of airtime given to a track on radio or television should also be a factor in compiling the chart, he said.
While the Official UK Charts Company says it does not currently have plans to reform its system, it is piloting a way of including digital downloads of music into the way the chart is compiled.
Chart director Omar Maskatiya said: "Five years from now, digital delivery will be significant enough to be included in the data that makes the charts."
