The state of independents has at last been addressed by OCC's shake-up.

Editorial Paul Williams

IF YOU THOUGHT THE ISSUE OF sorting out MPs' expenses was a nightmare it feels like a walk in the park compared to the years of debates trying to establish some independent sales charts that have any real value.

It is therefore with a sigh of relief and praise to the Official Charts Company, AIM and the BPI that this ridiculously long-running saga has finally been brought to a halt by the planned launch later this month of not only new independent singles and albums charts but breakers charts for both markets.

The existing independent charts are a mess. They are illogical in how they are compiled by excluding some key independent labels, while they have not moved with the times in that they are still based solely on sales from selected physical independent stores rather than taking into account all outlets, including digital ones. Indeed, so few outlets are currently involved that the number 10 indie single a week ago registered just 47 unit sales.

A good illustration of the present charts' bizarre make-up is that, because qualification is determined by whether a label's distributor is independent, not the label itself, Ministry of Sound releases are barred because major operator Arvato distributes them. Going the other way, major-label releases with independent distribution can presently qualify.

Finally, though, some sense will be brought to these charts by making the qualification criteria based on the ownership status of the label, not the distributor. This will change the charts from being what, since the demise of Pinnacle, have largely become the PIAS charts and they will now truly represent the diversity of the independent market.

In these times when the recorded music market is heavily concentrated on the four majors, the importance of ...