- Wham! and Sam Ryder vie
- Christmas chart competition intensifies
- LadBaby skips 2023 contest
Wham!, Sam Ryder, and Mariah Carey are engaged in one of the most competitive confrontations on the Christmas charts in recent history as they vie for the top spot this year.
Streaming and sales ceased to be considered on Thursday, the day before the Christmas chart is unveiled on Friday evening.
Leading the way is the 1984 classic Last Christmas by Wham!. While the most recent release is You’re Christmas To Me by Ryder.
Ryder’s composition isn’t on Apple or Spotify, but Amazon users who ask Alexa for holiday music may hear it.
The Christmas chart contest “feels considerably more exciting than it has in a few years,” according to Official Charts Company CEO Martin Talbot.
Talbot stated that “the field is considerably more open” this year.
“LadBaby has dominated the charts for the past five years, and I believe that by the time it debuted at number one on Christmas Day last year, audiences were eager to see something a little bit different.
There are the usual charity records driven by ordinary people who simply want to raise money for good causes, in addition to one or two truly intriguing releases, such as Sam Ryder, and the classics that are making a comeback in the listings.
The former runner-up at the Eurovision Song Contest has been diligently endeavoring to garner support for his single.
Ryder stated that while he could see why some individuals would consider “all new Christmas songs to be utter nonsense,” he drew inspiration for his compositions from holiday classics by Stevie Wonder, Darlene Love, and The Darkness.
The singer exclaimed, “We’ve completed 26 performances in the last six days, exerting every effort to ensure that this Christmas miracle comes true because it’s not every day that you find yourself in a chart race against the mighty Wham!”
However, while utmost reverence is paid to those legendary figures, there is invariably scope for emerging artists and novel musical compositions, as well as endeavors to introduce fresh Christmas music.
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The chart is constructed using sales and streams from the week preceding Thursday night at midnight.
Media Formats and Christmas Chart Strategies
Wham! and The Pogues have reissued their respective compositions on vinyl, whereas Ryder’s single is exclusively available on CD. In the chart formula, physical sales hold greater weight than streams.
Additionally, streams of more recent songs bear more weight. This gives Ryder and Sheeran/Sir Elton a greater opportunity to contend with traditional holiday tunes.
In addition, the position of a track on the Christmas playlists of streaming services can have an impact.
Ryder’s composition isn’t on Apple or Spotify, but Amazon users who ask Alexa for holiday music may hear it.
Talbot claims that playlists significantly impact Christmas music charts.
In the case of a Christmas number-one contest, generating sales through downloads or physical releases is crucial. It’s essential to avoid relying solely on streaming.
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