Tarkan Deluxe: Tarkan Top for 4th Week Running

Posted by Steffan Matrak from Moscow, Russia

In the 28th week of the official airplay charts, Tarkan has retained the top spot for a 4th week in a row with his first digital single from 10.

According to official figures, the king of hearts looks secure on his throne, but after only a week in the top spot of major music station Kral's alternative airplay chart, Tarkan has slipped to second place.

UPDATE: Tarkan top for 5th week in a row >>

With independent monitor figures showing Tarkan top for airplay by a large margin share, and Kral's own figures showing his single the highest selling for another week, a slip to second position is arguably not a correct reflection of the figures.

What is Happening at Music Station Kral?

Ever since the single's release, Kral's chart has been slow to reflect official figures, prompting speculations of manipulation of airplay.

On the release of 10, Kral station exec Mehmet Akbay had said on his own radio show that by an executive decision they were not going to call Tarkan a megastar anymore, but the king of pop instead.

Mehmet Akbay: "Tarkan no longer a megastar"

What sounds like a compliment at first gains a different meaning when compounded with an interview by the same exec whose leading questions made Sıla Gençoğlu give a media sound-byte that she didn't like Tarkan's "sound".

It cannot be a coincidence, either, that the artist who has topped Kral's chart this week, Hande Yener has been trolling Tarkan on her social media accounts for weeks in a bid to promote her own album's release. This now gives her "fake news" campaign on Twitter ammunition, even though she has failed to make the top spot in Turkish airplay official figures.

UPDATES: Yener drops out of official airplay top 3 >>
Kral head manipulates chart to get Yener interview >>
Tarkan's wedding present for Akbay >>
Akbay heads digitisation of Kral TV >>

On the surface, music station Kral and Tarkan's music label DMC are owned by two different media conglomerates - Doğuş Holding (Kral) and Doğan Holding (DMC) - but the holding companies are more partners than rivals. They own the majority of the mass media outlets, as well as partner on major energy contracts from the government.

Kral has faced huge criticism in the past for its alleged biased support of DMC artists. Now with Tarkan's initial three album contract up for renewal, is this a subtle way of trying to persuade Tarkan to stay on at DMC? Or a way to woo another singer under its ticket from a rival company?

Whatever the reason, major music Kral's own chart is abusing its reputation as a trusted source, and Tarkan Deluxe will be watching.

In a recent editorial for Tarkan Deluxe, Mark Mayhey had written that Tarkan's current label was failing to promote Tarkan sufficiently due to its limited global reach, and that criticisms of over promotion were "ridiculous".

The megastar's album remains highest selling in its fourth week of release.

Chart Listings for "Yolla" (July 2017)