Released at 8am on 17 November, a new version of the Band Aid single Do They Know It’s Christmas? has shifted more than 206,000 copies, according to the Official Charts Company, making it the fastest-selling single of 2014.
The new sales figures look to surpass the success of previous Band Aid recordings, with the 1984 original selling approximately 200,000 copies in its first two days in release, while Band Aid 20’s 2004 release sold a total of 297,000 in its full first week. The original single sold 3.7m copies in the UK, making it the biggest-selling single ever at the time.
“Band Aid 30 reflects all that is great about the British public and the British music scene,” Martin Talbot of the Official Charts Company said. “Everyone expected a strong start from Sir Bob Geldof and his team, but they have outperformed expectations with a truly exceptional first day’s sales, which has put [the track] on course to being a record-setter once more in 2014.”
Pre-orders for the Band Aid 30 single – with reworked lyrics and a new lineup of vocalists and vloggers – had reached more than £1m within minutes of its TV premiere on The X Factor. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today, organiser Sir Bob Geldof said: “It’s gone manic. That’s the digital age. We promoted the single on X Factor, Simon Cowell gave us five minutes of the show last night. Within four or five minutes of leaving the show we had a million quid. That’s extraordinary.”
Despite the vast commercial success of the single, proceeds of which will aid the Ebola crisis in west Africa, some artists have criticised Band Aid. Fuse ODG has since claimed that he turned down the opportunity to appear on the track after its lyrics were “not in line” with the positive message of the New Africa movement the Afrobeat star supports. “After some consideration, I spoke with Geldof and informed him I would be unable to attend the studio session,” he wrote on Twitter. “Sir Bob Geldof respectfully acknowledged my decision. #ThisIsNewAfrica #TINA.”
Damon Albarn, who has also been sceptical of the impact of the song, suggested there are problems with charities “that suddenly balloon out of nothing and then create a media frenzy”, and implied that giving money creates another problem. “All those people who are making that … go to Africa, experience it,” Albarn told Channel 4 News. “Feel that sense of magic, and maybe have a different attitude to life when you come back.”
• Stars arrive for Band Aid 30 – in pictures
• Band Aid: in defence of its legacy
