Getting a Number 1 Hit with a Facebook campaign

So, Ultravox didn’t make it to Number 1 in the UK top 40 singles charts with their single “Vienna”.  The song didn’t even reach the top 100. Did anyone think it might, especially as the song is nearly 30 years old? Well, a lot of people did, especially those people who were involved in the “Vienna for Number 1″ Facebook campaign. Lots of people downloaded the track during “campaign week”, and it actually reached Number 1 in the Play.com download charts. Quite an achievement then! So, why didn’t a song that had not one, but two, Facebook campaigns, plus support from groups on Myspace and other social networks, get into the charts?

I’m guessing here, but it looks like the whole “Facebook campaign for a number 1″ isn’t worth anything without the backing of the traditional media, whether it’s the national printed press, national radio, tv, and anywhere else that the music-buying public hear about pop music. Rage Against the Machine made it to number 1 at Christmas because their campaign took on the might of Simon Cowell and Sony BMG and generated a lot of interest in the wider media. It generated a life outside Facebook. It probably helped too that Rage Against the Machine were stablemates of Cowell’s company.

So, if you’re looking to start a Facebook campaign to get to Number 1, get the media on your side. Generate some interest outside of Facebook and get the music-buying public on your side. David versus Goliath. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not having a pop at the Ultravox campaign. I was part of that campaign and hopefully did something to spread the word. I’m glad to be part of the campaign and wish it had worked out better.

If someone would like to get my track “Dubcrazy” to Number 1 with a Facebook campaign, well I’m afraid you can’t as it’s not for sale on any download site linked to the UK charts. However, you could always start a campaign to get my remix for Pitch Black’s Rude Mechanicals (“mistrust remix”) to Number 1. It’s available from all major download stores and even got into the top 30 airplay charts in New Zealand. Now that certainly would be David against Goliath!