Download-Only Song Hits Top 40 in UK

Chris Anderson's Long Tail blog notes a BBC story that the British band Koopa "could become the first unsigned group to land a UK top 40 hit thanks to new chart rules. Chart rules were changed at the start of January to count all digital single sales, even if there is no CD version."

Two other interesting points from the BBC article:

• These guys are no overnight sensation. They've been together for seven years, and they've played about 500 gigs in the past 3 years. No doubt some MySpace-only band without the chops to play live, or whose music couldn't be reproduced live, will hit the charts soon (there are bands that got signed to a label after conquering MySpace, but Koopa has done it without label help). But Koopa's success shows how critical building a live following can be. (By the way, I've got nothing against music that can't be played live. After all, that's one reason the Beatles quit the road, so they could make something like Sgt. Pepper.)

• Just as the band is making do without a label, its fans are probably bypassing online stores and buying the song with their cell phones, paying £1.50 to send a text message and receive a code to download the song on a computer. "The average 16-year-old doesn't have a credit card but they've got a mobile phone," the manager explains.