the Glastonbury sales effect

[eFestivals]

2nd July 2013

Official Charts Company data released today by the BPI, the body representing UK record labels, shows that the big winners from this weekends best-ever Glastonbury include Mumford & Sons, who have seen sales of both their albums rise strongly following Sunday nights broadcast. Demand for Arctic Monkeys catalogue and Rolling Stones greatest hits compilations has also picked up sharply to propel both bands up this weeks best seller lists following their headline performances on Friday and Saturday respectively.

According to this mornings Official Charts Company sales data, Mumford & Sons, who closed the festival on Sunday night, are now in the frame to battle it out for the Number 1 this weekend. The bands 2012 second album, Babel saw combined sales for Sunday and Monday rise +384% when compared to the same period a week ago, and so far this week is the UKs best-selling album. The bands 2009 debut album, Sigh No More, is also back in the Top 10, surging 29 places from no.37 to no. 8 following a similar 360% lift in sales. Chances are that sales of both albums will level off over the course of the week as new releases and other titles vie for a top 10 spot, but the sharp rise in demand underlines the huge popularity of Glastonbury and its growing reach over music consumers in fact nearly 50% of this weeks Top 40 albums (19 titles) are by acts which performed at the iconic festival this weekend.

With so many of us now using mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets to discover and enjoy our favourite music, a high profile event or broadcast can have an almost immediate effect on sales and on the charts, while specialist chains and local stores can also expect to benefit from increased demand for CDs and vinyl as fans respond to the ensuing media coverage.

Another act to benefit greatly from this years Glasto effect are the Arctic Monkeys, whove seen their four studio albums all come back into the current top 100. The bands 2006 debut, Whatever People Say I Am, Thats What Im Not, has seen one of the most pronounced lifts a dramatic 8,431% increase against the Sunday/Monday period a week ago. As result, the album rose to no. 32 in the charts last week (from a position of no.180 the week before that) and based on the Sunday/Monday just gone has now lifted a further seventeen places to no. 15 in the Official UK Charts at present. Sales of the bands 2007 follow-up Favourite Worst Nightmare (+5,477% - no.62 to no.34), Suck It And See (+4,552% - 84 to 40) and Humbug (+6,056% - 131 to 75) all reinforce this trend.

The much-anticipated Glastonbury debut from The Rolling Stones has, as expected, had a notable effect on sales of their two main hits compilations: Grrr is up +334% on the same period last week, making it the 17th most purchased title over the past couple of days (lifting from a position of no.49 in last weeks chart), whilst sales of Jump Back: The Best of the Rolling Stones have risen +112% (from no.93 to no.70 in terms of chart position).

Bastilles Bad Blood and Rudimentals Home are also set to return to the Top 10 off the back of their storming Glastonbury performances, but Chase & Status, who headlined the Other Stage on Saturday night, are this weeks highest climber, soaring 136 places to no.36 with No More Idols. Jake Bugg looks likely to remain in the top 5 in the Official Charts, but has seen a very healthy gain in terms of actual sales, with demand of his self-titled debut album up +253.3% on last week.

Meanwhile, Nile Rodgers newly released Greatest Hits package, The Chic Organization - Up All Night, looks set to debut at Number 1 on the Official Compilation Albums Chart this week. The 25 track best of features some of his biggest hits with Chic including Le Freak, Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah) and Everybody Dance - as well as his work with the likes of Diana Ross (Upside Down), Sister Sledge (We Are Family), Carly Simon (Why?) and Debbie Harry (Backfired), among others.

The Glastonbury effect is also having an effect on the Official Singles charts. Mumford & Sons currently have seven tracks in the Official Singles Chart Top 200 with I Will Wait rising from no.57 last week to no.29 presently. The Arctic Monkeys have six in the Top 200, as do Chase & Status. Kenny Rogers has five - his 1978 hit The Gambler is currently at no.69.

Gennaro Castaldo of UK record labels body, the BPI, comments: We know that high profile awards shows, such as the BRITs, and music festivals can have a huge galvanising effect on artist sales, but in recent years the Glasto effect seems to have become even more pronounced, particularly now that so many more of us can use our mobile devices to gain instant access to our favourite tracks and albums.

[Pinhead]

Which is why any fee a band gets payed at Glasto should always be negotiated in the context of a post-festival rise in their music sales.