Beck Banned From UK Charts!
 

Beck banned from the charts

New album's extra features breaks rules

Beck's new album 'The Information' has been banned from the UK chart.

The record, which was released on October 2, has fallen foul of the rules set by the Official Chart Company.

The packaging of the CD, which includes a DVD feature and stickers that allow fans to design their own artwork, has made the album illegible in Sunday's (October 8) countdown.

According to the OCC, the DVD of homemade videos for each song on the LP - plus four random sticker sets designed by artists handpicked by Beck - gives 'The Information' an "unfair advantage" over other releases.

Commenting on the ban, a spokesperson for Beck's label said they knew they risked the album being dropped by the charts, but that Beck was keen to include the extras.

They explained: "We knew before the album was released that the DVD and stickers would affect its chart eligibility, but they're both such brilliant ideas that it was never a question of us doing anything different from what Beck had planned for the release of 'The Information'."

http://www.nme.com/news/beck/24585

Whooooooo!!!!!

*clap clap*

"You made your album too interesting! You're out!"

What a rebel Beck is. He's the last all-American hero.

i'm sure he's feeling very much put out right about now

free publicity is free publicity.

this makes me want to buy his new album even more!

Too cool for charts.

Fuck the charts. In everyway possible, they're more rigged than every American election since the year 2000. Seriously, fuck the charts, look at them - they usually do a pretty decent job of representing everything that is wrong with music and the industry.

^
He's right, you know.

Charts just tell you what sold the most last week. In many cases, sales are not the crucial thing, but the amount of albums shipped by the record label is what is counted.

The charts are just a marketing tool anyway. It's ridiculous making entertainment out to be a competition. Can you judge the true worth of a piece of music by its chart placing? No, you can just judge how well it's been marketed. How do judge its true worth? In the eye, the ear and the heart of the listener. Make a chart of that, and then I'll take notice.

Peter: Oh my god, Brian, there's a message in my Alphabits. It says, 'Oooooo.'
Brian: Peter, those are Cheerios.

that's all i can say about this.

...

So when a megastar artist releases their next LP, presumably other means of gaining advantage - millions of pounds on advertising, newspaper features, enforced massive radio play, innumerable TV appearances on chatshows etc etc - will also be deemed 'unfair'?

Apart from that, I'd say that the charts shouldn't matter to an artist anyhow; all they represent is the sales in a carefully-selected number of outlets. If the charts actually represented true record sales to any degree, then the British hit parade would be full of heavy metal and punjabi music.

That's just silly, its not like Beck is the first person to put a CD/DVD combination out, even the new Bob Dylan has a CD/DVD set you can buy, and oh my god, stickers? Whoa, forget the music, I want those stickers! j/k

god, i wish i lived in the UK now.

Hahahahaa!!

Does anybody ever even read or pay attention to the charts, aside from the industry execs? Beck knows he has a large enough fan base that charts dont really affect him, so I dont think he cares.

My thoughts exactly...

And I thought the UK was more into interesting music...guess now that John Peel's gone, the bean counters are gonna take over...

i don't understand. that is so idiotic. but i'm so ecstatic at the same time

i wonder if they banned the Tool "10000 Days" cd too

Buy the album now if you're from the UK, as I'm sure they'll probably re-issue it to push units. Then you'll be able to be cool and shit and say: "I have the original release before it was banned".

Any coolness ruined, of course, by the fact that you will own a Beck album.


I kid, I kid. I kid because I love.

I doubt they'll ban it or reissue it without the extra stuff. I really dont think they care about charts as long as the record companies are getting their money.

Yes, but record companies want as much money as possible. They'll eventually probably change the packaging in every country, though. Most cool albums do as it cost too much money to contineously reproduce the same cool artwork.

Does being on the charts make more money for the record companies?

Well, yeah. Being on the charts generally means more promotion. It's what mainstream radio base their programs on.

Yeah, I see what you mean. I dont know how popular Beck is overseas, but here in the US he is one of the bigger alternative mainstream artists. I think his reputation will be enough to carry him but who knows. I still dont have the album but I am considering buying it later tonight.

Yeah. He'll definitely sell albums no matter what. But the label will try to push as many as possible considering it's Beck.

Bastards!

Beck rules just for that, basically said the british charts don't mean shit to him. More importantly, his LABEL BACKED HIM, meaning the label don't give a shit about british charts.

But really, we rule the world in music anyways.

I would not be surprised if the british press makes a big stink about it and we may see them make rule changes in what is allowed in the charts if it gets enough exposure. In other words, America pretty much dictates the standards in not only pop music, but popular culture worldwide.

Beck rules just for being banned?
1) He probably didn't think about the fact that he was going to be banned.
2) The cd blows.

Beck is one of the few artists of this, or any century, that could conceivably called a genius.