“Jukebox favourites from decades past can now rub shoulders with acts that haven’t even secured record contracts, such is the power of internet communities and buying music online,” says Lee Taylor, music profiler at DT Productions. “This has led to a slowing down of the charts overall, as songs do not ‘drop off’ the radar by being removed from sale in record shops. Instead, songs can be slow burners, taking weeks or even months to move up and down the charts.” It is also now possible to influence the charts – Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles recently put this to the test, by recommending that listeners download a certain track from the past – Billy Piper’s Honey to the Bee. As a result, this song re-charted at number17! “I believe that the new chart system is a fairer indication of what people really want to listen to. This renewed interest in the charts and the vast back catalogue of music that can now be considered for entry into them, makes our job at DT even more interesting,” says Simon Davis, DT director. “We literally hand-pick the songs we believe reflect the nation’s and the location’s taste. And we are the only supplier of music, which is licensed by The Official Charts Company. In association with Sound Leisure, we have developed the range of Top of the Pops branded jukeboxes with The Official Charts Package music updates, which have become market leaders in the UK. “We believe that what is happening in the singles charts will give pub jukeboxes even more of a boost, as customers can search to find a classic track’s original charting position, or marvel that a recent internet download from MySpace is already available for play in their local pub. We hope that one day jukebox play of songs will also count towards chart position,” he adds.

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