MUSIC BOX

I’m guessing most of you will have had turkey sandwiches the last few days, have hung up the red shirt you bring out once a year and are now planning to get fit and diet in the New Year.

I would like to send out huge congratulations to everybody who worked hard to ensure others had a great time on Sunday – this includes barmen, waiters, chefs, taxi drivers and DJs (of course I had to get that one in). 

But the festive party train doesn’t stop here, in fact it gains momentum – because of course New Years Eve is fast approaching and I can say I am looking forward to entertaining you this year.

It is true to say that 2011 has been a difficult year for most people, not just here but around the world too, and the music industry has had some great bands break-up during the last 12 months – The Streets, Dead or Alive, The White Stripes, R.E.M., Faithless and Westlife.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel because some bands reformed this year too – Black Sabbath, The Stone Roses, The Darkness, Lighthouse Family (oh dear…) and STEPS (oh dear, oh dear…). Well, look on the bright side, 2012 looks like it’s going to be a bumper year.

So it’s traditional for most newspapers to do a review of the last year so I’ll join in and mention some of the biggest selling singles of 2011:
LMFAO – Party Rock Anthem
Adele – Someone Like You
Matt Cardle – When We Collide
Jessie J – Price Tag
Ed Sheeran – The A Team
Katy Perry – Last Friday Night (TGIF)
Maroon 5 ft Christina Aguilera – Moves Like Jagger

But the biggest selling artist in the UK charts in 2011 is Rihanna with nearly 3.2 million tracks sold. Don’t be fooled by the media speculation that downloading is killing music – single and album sales are up and hitting record numbers. This can be shown by the UK’s Christmas Number 1 single Wherever You Are by The Military Wives Choir feat Gareth Malone, which sold nearly 600,000 copies.

Let me wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year, and let me leave you with this thought:
“Confidence is that awesome feeling you have just before you fully understand the situation!”.