UK Indie Chart

The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.

History

In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered commercially attractive to those companies. By 1978, labels like Cherry Red, Rough Trade, and Mute had started up, and a support structure soon followed, including independent pressing, distribution and promotion.cite book |last=Lazell |first=Barry |title=Indie Hits 1980-1989 |year= 1997 |publisher=Cherry Red Books |isbn=0-9517206-9-4 ] These labels got bigger and bigger, and by 1980 were having top 10 hits in the UK Singles Chart. Chart success was limited, however, since the official top 40 was based on sales at large chains and ignored significant sales at the scores of independent record shops that existed. Iain McNay of Cherry Red suggested to the weekly trade paper Record Business the idea of an independent record chart to address the problem, and the first independent chart appeared in 1980, published in Record Week, and later licenced to Sounds. In 1981, compilation of the chart switched to research company MRIB. The chart served to give exposure to the independent labels and the artists on those labels. In 1985, Music Week started compiling its own indie chart, but failed to meet the authority of the original chart. Other weekly music papers also published their own charts, often compiled from single record shops. By 1990, the significance of the chart had been diluted by major record companies forming their own 'indie' labels, with independent distribution, in order to break new acts via exposure from the indie chart.cite web |url=http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/07/we_won_the_indie_wars_but_at_w.html |title=We won the indie wars - but at what price? |accessdaymonth=10 February |accessyear=2008 |author=Kitty Empire |year=2007 |month=July |work=Guardian Unlimited |publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited |quote= ]

To be included in the indie chart, a record had to be distributed independently of the corporate framework of the major record companies; the genre of music was irrelevant. Large independent distributors emerged such as Pinnacle and Spartan, and there later emerged "The Cartel", an association of regional distributors including Rough Trade, Backs, and Red Rhino.

The first weekly independent chart was published on 19 January 1980, with Spizzenergi's "Where's Captain Kirk" topping the singles chart, and Adam & the Ants' "Dirk Wears White Sox" topping the album chart.

Although the independent chart has less relevance today, The Official UK Charts Company still compiles a chart, consisting of those singles from the main chart on independent labels. [cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/indiesingles.shtml |title=Top 30 Independent Label Singles |accessdaymonth=10 February |accessyear=2008 |author= |year= |month= |work= |publisher=BBC |quote= ]

References