Why releasing an album in January can guarantee top spot

London: January, which is known as the dead month in the music industry, has now become the best time for artists to clinch the top spot as sales of just 30,000 albums can typically secure a No 1 - one third of the figure usually required in other months.

According to The Independent, this has resulted in niche indie artists including White Lies and The View sailing to the top of the charts at the beginning of recent years. It was the Arctic Monkeys who first set the music industry alight in January with their 2006 debut album ‘Whatever You Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’, the Daily Mail reported. The Sheffield outfit sold an incredible 360,000 copies and transformed the perception of January as a musical wasteland. Adele, who is one of the most popular singers at present, has made a habit of January releases for her albums. Her debut album, 19, was launched in the last week of January 2008 and the follow-up, 21, in the first month of last year - selling 200,000 copies in one week. U.S. breakthrough artist Lana Del Rey is also hoping to follow in her footsteps by unveiling her highly anticipated debut album in the last week of this month. But she will have to face a tough competition from international superstars Bruno Mars and Adele as well as London indie band The Maccabees, who are expecting to grab a first chart-topper with their third album released on Wednesday. Producers have caught on to the fact that releasing an album in the ‘dead month’ can be a smart move, with the media and music fans eager to hear something new. “Traditionally you would have a six-week barren period after Christmas with nothing going on,” John Hirst from HMV, said. “But when no one’s released a record for two months the public’s appetite is for something new. It’s easier to get media attention and positive reviews so an album can over-perform,” he added. ANI