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Before the inauguration of the download chart, only sales of physical formats—such as [[CD single|CD]], [[gramophone record|vinyl]] and [[cassette tape]]—contributed towards a single's position on the UK music charts. From the late 1990s onwards, these sales began to significantly decline.<ref name="Youngs">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4433071.stm|title=How downloads will change the chart|last=Youngs|first=Ian|date=12 April 2005|publisher=[[BBC News]]|location=London|archiveurl=http://wayback.archive.org/web/20070109050155/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4433071.stm|archivedate=9 January 2007|deadurl=no|accessdate=26 May 2012}}</ref> By the start of 2004, they had dropped to their lowest level in over 35 years, with singles needing to sell only 35,000 copies to reach number one.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/music/newsid_3452000/3452399.stm|title=Single sales drop to all-time low|date=2 February 2004|publisher=[[Newsround]]|location=London|archiveurl=http://wayback.archive.org/web/20060530110457/http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/music/newsid_3452000/3452399.stm|archivedate=30 May 2006|deadurl=no|accessdate=26 May 2005}}</ref> One year later, a limited edition re-release of "[[One Night (song)|One Night]]" / "[[I Got Stung]]" by [[Elvis Presley]] topped the chart with 22,000 copies, making it the lowest selling number-one single at that time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/music/news/article_3598.php/Elvis_Takes_Record_But_With_Few_Records|title=Elvis Takes Record But With Few Records|last=Wray|first=James|date=16 January 2005|publisher=[[Monsters and Critics]]|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/60Q3LTHak|archivedate=24 July 2011|deadurl=no|accessdate=26 May 2012}}</ref> Conversely, the music download market was growing considerably: during the same 2004–05 period, sales of downloads grew by 743%, and overtook physical sales in December 2004.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Schott|first1=Ben|authorlink1=Ben Schott|last2=Cock-Starkey|first2=Claire|editor1-first=Ben|editor1-last=Schott|editor1-link=Ben_Schott|title=[[Schott's Almanac|Schott's Almanac 2006]]|chapter-url=http://books.google.com/books?id=mL04HAAACAAJ|accessdate=26 May 2011|edition=1st|year=2005|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]]|location=London|isbn=978-07-47-58307-3|oclc=62292696|page=129|chapter=Chapter V. Music & Cinema}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4155385.stm|title=Downloads overtake single sales|date=7 January 2005|publisher=[[BBC News]]|location=London|archiveurl=http://wayback.archive.org/web/20100111094057/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4155385.stm|archivedate=11 January 2010|deadurl=no|accessdate=26 May 2012}}</ref> The following year, the UK's online music revenue reached {{€|42.1 million|link=yes}}.<ref name="Schott 2008">{{Cite book|last1=Schott|first1=Ben|authorlink1=Ben Schott|last2=Cock-Starkey|first2=Claire|editor1-first=Ben|editor1-last=Schott|editor1-link=Ben_Schott|title=[[Schott's Almanac|Schott's Almanac 2008]]|chapter-url=http://books.google.com/books?id=nTeNFYI_t5wC|accessdate=11 April 2012|edition=1st|year=2007|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]]|location=London|isbn=978-07-47-58469-8|oclc=271877788|page=142|chapter=Chapter V. Music & Cinema}}</ref>
As a result of this growth, the OCC were commissioned in 2004 to compile a new music chart based solely on the UK's download sales, which was initially sponsored by [[Coca-Cola]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3253872.stm|title=Coca Cola to sponsor pop charts|date=1 December 2003|publisher=[[BBC News]]|location=London|archiveurl=http://wayback.archive.org/web/20040730080512/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3253872.stm|archivedate=30 July 2007|deadurl=no|accessdate=26 May 2012}}</ref> A "sample" download chart was trialled for 10 weeks, with the first number one being "[[Bam Thwok]]" by American rock band [[Pixies]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/377/official-downloads-chart-to-be-launched|title=Official downloads chart to be launched in UK|first=Stuart|last=Miles|date=28 June 2004|publisher=[[Pocket-lint]]|archiveurl=http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120210041911/http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/377/official-downloads-chart-to-be-launched|archivedate=10 February 2012|deadurl=no|accessdate=27 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/06/28/download_chart_lives/|title=Pixies top UK download chart|last=Oates|first=John|date=28 June 2004|publisher=[[The Register]]|archiveurl=http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120520080729/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/06/28/download_chart_lives/|archivedate=20 May 2012|deadurl=no|accessdate=26 May 2013}}</ref> After this ten-week period, the UK Official Download Chart was launched on 1 September 2004, with Irish boy band [[Westlife]] achieving the first official number one.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3617020.stm|title=Westlife top first download chart|date=1 September 2004|publisher=[[BBC News]]|location=London|archiveurl=http://wayback.archive.org/web/20090104000035/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3617020.stm|archivedate=4 January 2009|deadurl=no|accessdate=26 May 2012}}</ref> The group topped the chart with a live version of their 1999 single "[[Flying Without Wings]]", a move that UK chart commentator [[James Masterton]] branded a "stunt".<ref name=Masterton>{{
Sales of downloaded singles were finally incorporated into the UK Singles Chart on 17 April 2005,<ref name="Youngs"/> intitially on the condition that physical copies were available to buy at the same time.<ref name="Youngs"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://theofficialcharts.com/docs/Digital%20Download%20Factsheet_Jan_2007.pdf|title=Digital Download Factsheet|year=2007|publisher=[[
The single with the longest stay on the Downloads Chart is "[[Crazy (Gnarls Barkley song)|Crazy]]" by [[Gnarls Barkley]], which stayed the top spot for 11 weeks. On the week end 26 December 2009, "[[Killing in the Name]]" by [[Rage Against the Machine]] became the fastest-selling download of all time.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Sexton|first=Paul|date=21 December 2009|title=Rage Against the Machine Beats 'X Factor' to U.K. Xmas No. 1|journal=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|location=[[New York City]]|publisher=[[Prometheus Global Media|Prometheus]]|editor1-first=Danyel|editor1-last=Smith|editor1-link=Danyel Smith|issn=0006-2510|oclc=3695401|accessdate=26 May 2013|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/266349/rage-against-the-machine-beats-x-factor-to-uk-xmas-no-1|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6GuPfau2p|archivedate=26 May 2013|deadurl=no}}</ref> As of 9 September 2014, "[[Happy (Pharrell Williams song)|Happy]]" by [[Pharrell Williams]] is the most downloaded song in UK music download history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/pharrells-happy-now-the-uks-most-downloaded-track-of-all-time-3108/|title=Pharrell's Happy now the UK's most downloaded track of all time|last=Copsey|first=Rob|date=9 September 2014|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|accessdate=20 January 2015}}</ref>
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