BeckвЂ™s new album has been banned from qualifying for the UK albums chart

05 October 2006

BeckвЂ™s new album has been banned from qualifying for the UK albums chart after breaching strict rules on product giveaways.

The Information, which was released on Monday by Polydor, was expected to be a Top 20 entry on this coming SundayвЂ™s artist albums chart, but the record company has been told by the Official Charts Company it will not figure because of what Polydor describe as its вЂњpackaging innovationsвЂќ.

The album, which has been heavily advertised on TV, contains an accompanying DVD and stickers allowing buyers of the album to - in the record companyвЂ™s words - вЂњcreate their own customised coversвЂќ. This has made it eligible for the chart.

A record company statement criticised the decision, noting, вЂњIronically, the DVD of homemade videos for every song on The Information and the four random sticker sets designed by artists handpicked by Beck have been construed by the OCC as an 'unfair advantage', rather than what they actually are: unique and forward-thinking additional facets that expand the album experience beyond the purchase of a plastic disc.вЂќ

The OCC's chart director Omar Maskatiya says the chart rules do not allow for stickers to be given away as gifts. "(Polydor) did come to us and said 'Would this be eligible?' and we said 'Under the current rules, no'," he adds.

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