EMI UK won’t anymore release singles for the artists who have sold fewer than 80,000 copies of their latest singles. “Britain’s biggest record company is planning to stop paying some its most popular performers for releasing the traditional single in a move that is likely to be copied throughout the industry”, says The Sunday Times.

One of the artists mentioned in the article is Roxette. However, Roxette is not alone: other artists who have not reached the 80,000 limit include the two Spice Girls Mel C and Mel G, Cher, Will Smith, B*Witched and the grand-old of rock’n’roll, The Rolling Stones.

The reason for this all is of course money. “Industry analysts say that most [record companies] lose money, and the total loss to the industry from competing in the British charts is estimated at 60m GBP each year.”

• The Sunday Times article