Downloads of singles surge, now reflected on British charts

Downloads on the Charts – from NY Times

Starting tomorrow, songs downloaded from the Internet will be able to compete for the No. 1 single spot on the 54-year-old British pop chart, Reuters reported. Up to now, download sales were included in compiling the weekly chart only a week before an actual CD single went on sale and for two weeks after it stopped appearing in stores. The Official UK Charts Company said the change reflected the fact that downloads now far outstrip over-the-counter sales in Britain. Over all, singles sales in Britain have risen to more than 65 million last year from 32 million in 2004, thanks to almost 52 million download purchases.