Song downloads from music games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero could soon make the top 40 chart, according to the man in charge, threatening the biggest shake up of how singles sales are calculated since downloads were recognised.
We heard recently that The Official UK Charts Company, which is responsible for compiling the list of Michael Jackson songs and nothing else people are buying at the moment, could factor in tracks streamed over the likes of Spotify. But now it seems its looking at including DLC tracks from the likes of Rock Band.
According to Omar Maskatiya, chart director at the chart counter, “We have been in discussion with record labels and the various games companies that host games which allow users to download master recording versions of artist tracks. In theory they could be eligible to be combined with downloads of the same tracks that take place from the wide range of digital retailing services that currently make up our chart panel.”
Some 70million tracks for Rock Band and Guitar Hero have been downloaded, so if included would certainly change the face of the chart. The real question is, do Rock Band classics reflect what people are listening to? Aren’t they often songs people have already purchased in some format? That’s something the Chart will have to think about before the plan is introduced, likely before “the end of this year”.
Out TBC | £TBC | Official UK Charts Company (Via MCV)
This just goes to show you the ever-growing popularity of music-based video games. IMO, they should have done this a long time ago.
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