Chart Changes as Retailer Group Withdraws

By Cy Clayton

May 19, 2006

Three of the four major music retailers in Australia have withdrawn their sales figures from the Australian Record Industry Association, creating a major challenge for the accuracy of the national music chart compiler.  

Sanity, Virgin and HMV, will today stop sending their sales information to ARIA, meaning the national charts will be compiled without a major portion of sales data.

All are owned by Sydney-based entertainment media and fashion company Brazin, and together comprise 35 percent of the national music market.

The split means any CD sold in Brazin’s 300 stores would not be included in ARIA chart calculations.

ARIA issued a statement yesterday denying the move would undermine their accuracy. 

“Whilst ARIA is disappointed with Brazin’s decision, it will not impact the production or accuracy of the weekly Motorola ARIA Charts.”

ARIA said Brazin stores had only entered the calculations in recent years, while ARIA had been compiling charts since 1983. 

“ARIA will continue to have over 850 music retailers all around Australia contributing their electronic sales data direct from their point of sale systems. The Motorola ARIA charts provide the broadest representation of retailers across the country,” ARIA said.

Australian Music Retailers Association chairman Geoff Bonouvrie agreed that Brazin’s actions would not affect ARIAs capacity to accurately represent music sales.

“ARIA will still be able to get an accurate picture of what the chart represents. Around 1200 accounts contribute to the charts, and half of those are independent retailers, so the impact of the Brazin group’s withdrawal will be minimal,” he said.

Mr Bonouvrie said the most important contributor to chart compilation was independent retailers, not chains like Sanity and HMV.

“The most important information comes from independents, then chains, then discount retailers, he said.

“So if the Whitlams release a new CD, the majority of first week sales will be at independent retailers. Independents provide more representative data than chain stores, whose sales tend to be static from week to week.

The split was motivated by Brazin’s desire for more up-to-date information. ARIA charts are calculated on Sundays and reflect sales from the previous week. Sanity, Virgin and HMV stores will now compile their own in-store charts.

Brazin CEO Greg Milne told the Sunday Times the new charts would provide a more current picture of music sales.  

“Rather than a chart that will be a week old before it hits the street, we’ll have a chart that will be updated every day,” he said. 

The last ARIA charts to include data from Brazin will be released this Sunday.