The Reytons claim they’re this week’s true Number One album after Official Charts Company “rejected” sales: “We have sold the most albums in the UK this week”

2 February, 2024

The Reytons' Jonny Yerrell

The Reytons have claimed that they sold the most albums in the UK this week, rather than James Arthur, after the Official Charts Company supposedly “rejected” some of their album sales.

The South Yorkshire-based band have claimed they sold 17,262 copies of their new album ‘Ballad Of A Bystander’, while Arthur shifted 16,901 copies of his new album ‘Bitter Sweet Love’, which they say should have got them the top spot on this week’s Official UK Album Chart.

However, they say they were “docked 2,200 units on a technicality following an industry complaint”, meaning that a special edition version of the album sold at a show at Sheffield’s Leadmill purportedly wasn’t counted in the album’s overall sales.

“Usually this type of sale is allowed, but not for The Reytons this week,” they wrote on X/Twitter. “We wanted to share this with you to let you know that despite not winning the trophy or officially coming first… You did it!! We have sold the most albums in UK this week!!

“We’ve had the most amazing week with you all, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE who has gone above and beyond to help us achieve the impossible! Please don’t let this ruin your night. Raise a glass and celebrate… Our validation comes from within, we won before we even started.”

In spite of this and their Number Two finish, ‘Ballad Of A Bystander’ did top this week’s Official Record Store Chart, meaning it was the most purchased album of the week in independent record stores, and has landed a a Top 5 debut on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart [via Official Charts].

In response, the Official Charts Company told NME: “The Official Charts are governed by our publicly available chart rules which are defined and agreed with the music industry. All releases are governed by the same set of rules, as standard procedure we take action regularly against releases which breach these rules, as part of our ongoing commitment to ensure that the Official Charts are reflective of genuine purchases and consumption.”

The Reytons’ previous album ‘What’s Rock And Roll?’ debuted at Number One last year in a landmark moment that saw them triumph with a self-released album over major-label artists including The Weeknd, Taylor Swift and Måneskin. 

“The mood just changed when the midweeks dropped and said we were Number One,” frontman Jonny Yerrell told NME at the time. “Everyone’s going, ‘We’re gonna do it! We’re gonna do it!’ It’s just been crazy, honestly. I never knew what to expect but now that I’m in the moment of it happening, it’s just surreal.”

He continued: “Every artist wants to have a Number One album. But when you’re talking to people like Jack Saunders on Radio 1… I’m just looking down the camera and he’s there in the studio. It’s like, ‘What the fuck?! This is real now’.”

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