Music News - Kiwis Set Album Chart Record
Hayley Westenra's 'Pure' debuted at #1 on the Album Charts this week
30 July 2003 - 0 Comments
For the first time in the history of the charts, local artists have taken out four of the top five spots on the New Zealand albums chart.
Hayley Westenra debuts at #1 with her new album Pure, edging Bic Runga's Beautiful Collision into second place a week after the elder songstress celebrated 52 weeks in and a new record for the most weeks at #1 by any Kiwi album.
Recent tourists Coldplay take out #3 but the record-breaking local trend continues at #4 with the debut of Dawn Raid/Universal rapper Mareko's White Sunday album and recent chart-toppers Elemeno P at #5. In all, 12 local albums appear in the Top 50.
The big finish does not come as a total surprise, retailers indicating early in the week that sales were booming. It reflects both the culmination of some anticipated new releases hitting stores but also a wider change in the music-buying public's support for NZ music.
"Universal are thrilled," says MD Adam Holt, as you'd expect, having three of the four albums on their books.
"We had a good sense that these four records were going to be up there after the first few days of sales on the Mareko and Haley records.
"There has been a growing demand for NZ music over the last three years and this week's chart underlines that growth. To get two local albums debuting at #1 (Hayley and Elemeno P) within three weeks is fantastic for us.
"For Universal and Dawn Raid this has come from a lot of hard work. For all the artists, this is a stepping stone to international success."
Beautiful Collision, meanwhile, is now just short of 100,000 units here (96k to be precise), says Sony boss Michael Glading.
"That is quite a phenomenon, particularly in such a depressed market. With Bic's album, sell-through has been stronger in the past month than at any time since the album was released!
"That's a little hard to explain, but is clearly linked to the fact that we have now had three huge songs at radio, and have just released a fourth, Be All And End All."
At the end of the day does chart success really mean anything though?
"Chart success does help 'sell' the album internationally," says Glading.
"In Bic's case, last week we celebrated one full year on the chart - that was a great story for us to
send around the world. It certainly gives overseas companies some confidence in the fact that it IS a great album.
"Our International President Rick Dobbis has always been a fan - and he has used this NZ chart success story to stimulate the European territories that are about to release Beautiful Collision, the UK, France, Germany and Holland in particular."
Most Viewed Artists
Latest Galleries
NZ Top 10 Singles
- APT.
ROSÉ And Bruno Mars - DIE WITH A SMILE
Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars - BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Billie Eilish - TASTE
Sabrina Carpenter - I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
Gracie Abrams - ESPRESSO
Sabrina Carpenter - SAILOR SONG
Gigi Perez - LOSE CONTROL
Teddy Swims - A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
Shaboozey - GOOD LUCK, BABE!
Chappell Roan
More Content on muzic.net.nz
Google Site Search
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report A Problem
There are currently no comments for this article. Please log in to add new comments.