Bristol musician feels ‘cheated’ out of album charts position

Laura Kidd calls herself a digital polymath, but the Bristol musician was certainly not expecting to be crunching spreadsheets in the week that her latest album was released.

Pouring over sales figures is exactly what she has been doing, however, and despite by her reckoning having the twelfth biggest selling album in the UK she feels as if she has been “cheated” out of that chart position by the Official Charts Company.

The album, Exotic Monsters, released under her Penfriend moniker, instead came in at number 36 in the midweek charts.

“I’m angry because what should have been a fun high point in my music career – leading to who knows what? – has been sullied by bureaucracy,” Laura wrote in a Facebook post.

Exotic Monsters – described as “wonderfully off-piste pop” by Clash Music – has been purchased by Penfriend fans as a pre-order for the last few months, but Laura claims that chart eligible sales have not been counted properly.

The artist formerly known as She Makes War released the album on her own independent label and always keeps her fans up to date with her latest goings-on via what she calls the Correspondents’ Club, a likeminded community of music lovers.

“I spent Sunday afternoon with my label boss hat on, extrapolating all the data. Rock ’n’ roll CSV files!”

Laura says that the issue was acknowledged by the data company who check the reporting for the charts, with The Official Charts Company apologising via direct messages apologising, saying they were “working with everyone in the supply chain to ensure all album sales are included in the Official Charts”.

“We waited,” Laura wrote on Monday evening. “Everyone went quiet. And then, at 5.45pm the midweek chart was announced. The news that my pride and joy, the thing I worked on for 18 months, the album you are all enjoying so much is at #36 in the pop charts shouldn’t be bad news. But I’m angry.

“I’m angry because the voices of independently-minded music fans are not being heard. I’m angry because not one single person in the ‘supply chain’ could get it together to help straighten out someone else’s mistake.

“And I’m angry because what should have been a fun high point in my music career – leading to who knows what? – has been sullied by bureaucracy.

“This sucks. So, what can we do? I need to sit with these feelings for a while – ignoring things that are upsetting just doesn’t work, and there’s nothing wrong with feeling upset about this… it’s upsetting.

“The music I make is about so much more than a number on a chart, but it sucks to be cheated out of something like this. Would this happen to an artist on a major label? I think not.

“What can *you* do? Buy the albums by the bands you love. Ignore the billboards. Ignore the big media. People are paying to play all the time and you don’t see it. Think for yourself. Question everything.

“If I happen to make music that speaks to you, please buy it. If not, please find something you love and support the sh*& out of it.

The Official Charts Company have been contacted for comment.

Laura Kidd will feature in the next episode of the Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast. Main photo: Laura Kidd / Penfriend

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