UK Top 40 changes welcomed by Virgin Megastores

Virgin Megastores has welcomed changes to the Official UK Singles Chart which come into effect next week.

The most dramatic change to the charts is the lifting of rules which have meant that downloads have only been included in the Official Singles Chart if a physical format of the song is also made available.

With the lifting of this rule, any currently available download will technically be eligible for the Official Singles Chart - and that includes album tracks and golden oldies.

The relaxed rules are also expected to herald the return of the EP, as singles are now allowed to contain up to four tracks lasting up to 25 minutes compared with the current limit of three tracks and 20 minutes.

Virgin Megastores marketing and e-commerce director Steve Kincaid said: "The singles market has changed dramatically over the last few years and with growth of digital track sales as part of that mix, it is important that the charts move with the times and reflect that."

"The only thing consumers are really interested in is the music, so whether they choose to buy it as a download, a CD, vinyl or any other format, their purchase still reflects how popular a song is and that demand should be met"

Downloads have already helped double the size of the UK singles market in just three years from 32m in 2004 to 65m in 2006. In the same period, the downloads market has risen from 5m to 50m, while sales of physical singles have halved.