The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 17 March 1997
return to news articles list
HERE
RIGGING OF POP CHARTS BLOCKED AUSTRALIA'S best-selling album and singles lists will be compiled by a new electronic system aimed at ending chart rigging by record companies. ARIA, the music industry's self-appointed governing body, has introduced ARIAnet, which records automatically the sales data from stores' cash registers each week. Each individual CD or cassette purchase from one of ARIAnet's 300 survey stores will be recorded via computer. Previously, ARIA relied on its affiliated record stores to manually fill out and fax in weekly sales. Chart hyping -- or securing a high chart position for a recording by unscrupulous means -- has long been suspected and criticised, although ARIA and record companies have furiously denied it happens. But the industry has been plagued with allegations that inducements, including holidays, white goods and televisions, have been offered to record shop staff with the job of filling out the weekly sales lists. Theoretically, ARIAnet makes chart hyping impossible because human hands never handle the figures. "It can be said that there were many ways that the chart data could have been inaccurate and had been inaccurate in the past," Jim White, ARIA's general manager, said. "But we felt and still firmly believe that there was never anything untoward taking place. "We believe that, in the past, our chart has been as accurate a record as it possibly could be, taking all circumstances into account. But, hey, those days are gone and we're very happy about that." Denis Handlin, chairman of Sony Australia as well as ARIA's chart board, was more candid. "There is no question that, in the past, some people may have been going overboard with that (chart hyping) sort of activity," Mr Handlin said. "But this new system is more accountable and real." ARIA's new clientele list includes retailing giant Target, and Kmart plans to join soon. Previously, the high stock turnover on supermarket record shelves received no accreditation in the charts. "As a supplier, we do push through a lot of music," said Gavin Kronberg, Target's national music buyer. "But it's only now that we're part of ARIAnet that the marketing departments of most music companies have suddenly realised that Target exists." As of this week, ARIAnet becomes fully operational, taking sales reports from more than 300 stores, compared with 203 under the old system. But some smaller shops were unwilling to invest the $15,000 to establish the computer hardware. Critics say the loss of those independent retailers will create a superstar-heavy chart, making it virtually impossible for fledgling outfits to penetrate the top 50.
