"Business as usual" for Chart-Track, says MD

Chart-Track's managing director, John Pinder, has said it's "business as usual" for the charts specialist but changes are on the horizon, following the company's acquisition by GfK International.

"We're still the same team of people here, we've still got ELSPA on the board, we're still contracted with ELSPA. So initially it's very much business as usual," Pinder told GamesIndustry.biz.

"Our clients, in the short term, probably won't notice any difference but the purpose was really to put something in place for the future. I think most clients will be looking for some kind of standard European information service... it seems to make sense to us to put something in place for the long term where we'll try and provide some kind of European service."

When asked if this meant that Chart-Track would see its services blended with GfK's, Pinder responded: "It's just too early to say, we've not go that far down the road in terms of databases and integration... it's more of an ambition than a practical path at the moment."

Pinder further confirmed that the Chart-Track would remain a subscription-based service and that the ELSPA contracts would remain in place. Pinder denied that the company would raise its prices, saying: "No, we won't."

The MD further explained the deal with GfK would help the company collate online sales and sales through digital download channels.

"There's more and more international players in these markets and I think accessing data internationally should become easier as part of a larger multi-national corporation," he said.