Just another number one?

If you are suddenly flummoxed or are desperately attempting to recall what your favourite song was twelve months ago, you are certainly not in the minority. Easter weekend simply does not add anything to the feel of contention between artists: there is no rush, no extra promotion. Number one on the 24th will be akin to every other number one of the year.

Why should the Easter music chart not gain as much attention then?

Firstly, the charts are based on a commercial consumer market. This means that the success of any artist has a great deal to do with their promotion techniques, anticipation for a new song from the artist, or a new or unique sound that fills a chart gap. There has to be a base for mainstream success for the song to gain any chart basis. Over the Christmas period, there is a significant increase in promotional material over all media: web, radio, TV, print, billboards etc. With this increased focus on upcoming releases, there is a step up in competition. Further, there is increased reason for sale: no longer is it about personal wants, but there are gift choices to be made and singles are a great way to gauge the sound of an album. Unfortunately, Easter releases, whilst popular, do not generate the same momentum of trade.

Commercialisation has its influence then. Nowhere has this become more evident than in our second consideration. ‘The X Factor’ series has popularised the talent show into a media frenzy that sees the population obsessed with the (largely) pitiful attempts of a few to reach international success. Chief amongst the reasons to watch is the entertainment value more than any of the actual singing: bickering judges, outrageous contestants and awful performances from supposed superstars are guaranteed Monday morning gossip. After so religiously following the show for 12-14 weeks, why not download a cover single that will ultimately be forgot before too long? TV here makes an obvious choice for the downloader.

Besides, even without this edge, the Easter number one has never had great popularity. Christmas singles are plentiful and well-known: we all wish it could be Christmas every day, just to be rocking around the Christmas tree, whilst those bells are ringing out for Christmas day and Mariah belts out something about Christmas love. We sing along instantly: there are so many different catchy releases that are re-downloaded and re-enter the charts year on year. There simply isn’t an Easter alternative.

Taking into consideration the factors of theme and market then, it appears that this Easter has a unique exception to the unseasonable releases. Lady Gaga’s ‘Judas’ leaked last week and has caused controversy as a shameful popularity stunt, ripping off Christian doctrine. The song compares a difficult love relationship to the betrayal of Judas - and how far we should still forgive. Personally, it appears to me that Lady Gaga and her production team have been quite shrewd: they filled the market void.

However, it appears that rather than add heavy promotion campaigns or bring out an Easter themed number, the holiday is largely left as any other time in the music industry. In fact, festival line ups seem to generate more chart buzz than the Easter number one. And for all Gaga’s efforts, she remains only a contender in the midweek updates at number 7. LMFAO are currently set to remain at the top with their club dance smash ‘Party Rock Anthem’: but by April 2012, will you be aware that it was the Easter number one contender just one year previous?

To answer my earlier question, Easter number one 2010 was taken by Scouting For Girls with ‘This Ain’t A Love Song’. Previous years saw Calvin Harris’ ‘I’m Not Alone’ and Estelle’s ‘American Boy’, both amongst the biggest selling singles of their respective years.

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