Gnarls Barkley Track Makes History
Crazy by Gnarls Barkley has made pop history as the UK’s first number one song based on download sales alone. Until this month, download sales could only count towards a chart position if the song could also be bought in shops. But under new rules, downloads can be counted as long as physical copies go on sale the following week.
The song has been downloaded more than 31,000 times on all internet sites, a spokesman for HMV said. Crazy knocked last week’s top track So Sick, by Ne-Yo, off the top spot. Gennaro Castaldo, spokesman for retailer HMV, stated, “This not only represents a watershed in how the charts are compiled, but shows that legal downloads have come of age. It probably will be one of the summer’s hits.”
The duo behind Gnarls Barkley consists of US producer Danger Mouse (real name Brian Burton) and hip-hop artist Cee-Lo. In 2004, Danger Mouse gained notoriety by mashing the Beatles’ White Album and rapper Jay Z’s Black Album to create The Grey Album. It was a sensation.
The Future: This is huge! Crazy has been nothing short of a sensation in the UK and this feat is just another indication that the current music industry model is not long for the world. The Recording Industry Association of America has just released data that store sales have fallen another 8%. Will continued download phenoms like Crazy put the final nail in the coffin? Stay tuned.
