Ed Sheeran’s New Single Looks Like It’s A Flop — But Don’t Judge It Just Yet

Ed Sheeran’s new album Play won’t be released for months. The singer-songwriter has scheduled the full-length to drop in September, meaning he has the entire summer to dominate the charts, streaming platforms, and radio airwaves with catchy tunes. The forthcoming set brings him back to the top 40 sound that has made him one of the most successful musicians in that space of all time, and he’s on the hunt for more massive hits.

Sheeran recently moved on from lead cut “Azizam” and shared the nostalgic “Old Phone.” The tune debuts on two charts in the United Kingdom this week, though, in very low positions. That doesn’t suggest the track isn’t successful — actually, when context is applied, it seems to say exactly the opposite, even though some may see these rankings as disappointing.

Ed Sheeran’s Low Starting Position

“Old Phone” launches on the Official Singles Downloads chart at No. 87 this week. It comes in even lower on the Official Singles Sales list at No. 90.

While those positions are far from impressive — especially for someone as successful as Sheeran, and certainly in the U.K., where he remains one of the most famous artists in the business — some more information is needed to explain why they may actually be rather impressive.

Fridays are for New Music

The vast majority of albums and songs are released on Friday morning. That’s when, in most markets, the official tracking week for charts begins. Musicians want a full seven days to rack up streams, sales, and radio attention in order to make their projects and tunes into hits, so they compete with one another on Fridays.

Some musicians, however, in an effort to grab media attention before the far-too-packed Fridays, will release music on Thursday. While that does undercut an initial tracking week — sometimes giving artists just a few hours in which to collect streams and sales — there are other benefits.

Sheeran dropped “Old Phone” midday on Thursday, May 1. That means that in just a few hours, the tune managed to still become one of the bestselling in the U.K. That type of performance is reserved only for the biggest names in the music industry, as most artists really need those full seven days in order to appear anywhere on the charts.

The Future of Ed Sheeran’s “Old Phone”

When the Official Charts Company refreshes its rankings in a few days, there’s a good chance that “Old Phone” will become a certified smash. It will certainly rocket up both the Official Singles Sales and Official Singles Downloads rankings, where this time around it adds to Sheeran’s growing list of favorites. He’s now collected at least 79 hits on both tallies. The tune will also likely reach a number of other rankings, including those dedicated to streaming activity and the all-consumption Official Singles chart.

As “Old Phone” gets off to a slow start, “Azizam” — the lead single from Play — is performing very well. After a month on the charts, it’s still living inside the top 10 on all four lists on which it appears. This frame, it holds at No. 2 on the Official Singles Downloads ranking, its highest position.