BBC Children In Need and label Silva Screen have slammed the decision by the Official Charts Company to pull their charity release from the main albums chart.
As revealed by Music Week, Children In Need: Got It Covered was heading for No.1 in the midweeks until it was suddenly moved to the compilations chart. Jeff Lynne’s ELO is now the frontrunner in the main albums chart.
The OCC said the record – featuring covers by Jodie Whittaker, David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Luke Evans and Jim Broadbent – is a various artists album that shouldn’t have appeared in the main chart.
However, Silva Screen is calling on the OCC to reverse the decision. (Updated: Music Week has confirmed that Got It Covered has not been moved back to the main chart and will now debut in the compilations chart, set to be unveiled at 5.45pm today - Friday, November 8.)
“This is an album for charity, where all profits go to Children In Need,” said the company in a statement. “Obviously, the profile of a main chart No. 1 would have been fantastic for the fundraising effort, which remains our chief focus.
“The album was originally placed in the main chart, within and under guidance from the chart rules, and on Tuesday’s midweek was well ahead in No.1 spot. Then, as a direct result of its success, there was a vote to have it removed from the chart. Regardless, of the merits of the argument, for anyone to see this as a good outcome reflects incredibly badly on the music industry as a whole. We will continue to present our case to the OCC until midnight [November 7] to have the decision reversed, but meanwhile we would now call on all of the major labels and indeed all the label members that sit on the chart committee to contribute to the charity directly.”
For anyone to see this as a good outcome reflects incredibly badly on the music industry as a whole
Silva Screen
Simon Antrobus, chief executive of BBC Children in Need, said: “I’m deeply saddened that the industry has chosen to pull the album from the No.1 race after announcing it was well on its way to securing the top spot this week. Got It Covered is the result of an inspiring collaboration by some of the UK’s biggest stars in support of disadvantaged children and young people and this very special project has clearly captured the public’s imagination.
“It’s sad that a charity album solely for the benefit of children should be denied the chance for further promotion and celebration which inevitably would lead to more money being raised.”
In a statement the Official Charts Company said: “We understand and sympathise with Children In Need’s concerns that their album will no longer feature in the UK’s artist albums chart. The album is on course to take the No.1 spot on the compilation albums chart and be the biggest selling album of the week – which is a huge achievement, while raising money for such a deserving cause.
“Got It Covered was described to us pre-release as an artist album, but on release it was clear that it was a various artists compilation, as it is widely credited as across retail and music services. We are sorry this fact was not picked up sooner, and we are huge supporters of all the incredible and important work Children In Need do and would urge everyone to continue to go out and buy the album.”
Each of the actors handpicked a song that is significant to them and received expert guidance from producers and songwriters Guy Chambers and Jonathan Quarmby. The BBC Concert Orchestra appears on a majority of the tracks.
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