Last modified on Thu 15 Apr 2021 11.03 EDT
The UK album chart is weighted heavily in favour of musicians whose fans actually buy their albums â rightly so, you could argue, given how hard it is for artists to make money these days. One sale of an LP, CD or download is equivalent to 1,000 streams, meaning that if an artist gets their ducks in a row â pre-order campaign, enticing vinyl editions, merchandise bundles â they can gatecrash the Top 5 off the back of fan purchases, as the cult likes of Dry Cleaning, Thunder and RJ Thompson have found in recent weeks.
While She Sleeps: Sleeps Society album cover
Rap and hip-hop now account for over 20% of the singles market voice-online.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from voice-online.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
While physical sales held up as HMV and indie retailers moved operations online, there are hopes for a boost to the market this week as Covid restrictions are eased on non-essential retail. Read on for the full story.
Taylor Swiftâs re-recorded album on course to top UK chart
The album was recorded following a high-profile row over the ownership of her master recordings
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Taylor Swiftâs re-recording of her album Fearless is on course to top the UK album chart.
The album, titled Fearless (Taylorâs Version), was recorded following a high-profile row over the ownership of her master recordings with prominent talent manager Scooter Braun.
1. It s Not Unusual (1965)
Streams: 13.7 million It s hard to imagine anyone else being able to pull this song off, but Tom originally reocorded it as a demo for Sandie Shaw, who suggested he release it himself, impressed by his vocal take. It was the first of three Number 1s for Tom, topping the Official Chart despite the BBC initially refusing to play it because of his sexy image.
2. Delilah (1968)
Streams: 8.8 million This karaoke favourite is brilliantly dark - the lyrics tell the story of a man who wants to murder his wife for her infidelity. It s Tom at his most ridiculous which, in case you were unclear at this point, is when he s at his best. It reached Number 2 in the UK, pipped to the post by The Beatles Lady Madonna.