An open letter to the BBC regarding Eurovision

[hopeful traveller]

Why don't you type it in the same size as the rest of your post then?

Because I wanted to show that I'm not ignorant whilst being humorous.

[Rhys1995]

Eggs.

[GuyBarry]

I don't understand why performers aren't required to represent their own countries anyway. Or are they now? They've changed the rules so many times I find it impossible to keep up.

On a related point, here's a quiz question: who was the most commercially successful act ever to win Eurovision? If you think it was Abba, you're mistaken.

[DrainBrain]

On a related point, here's a quiz question: who was the most commercially successful act ever to win Eurovision? If you think it was Abba, you're mistaken.

Random guess: Celine Dion?

[GuyBarry]

Correct! She represented Switzerland in 1988 - no idea why, as she's Canadian.

[hopeful traveller]

No, it's not. It's Johnny Logan (1980, 1987 - Ireland).

[tubeguru]

Prove it.

[hopeful traveller]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnNiVjJsbIQ&t=01m47s

[tubeguru]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnNiVjJsbIQ&t=01m47s

That proves nothing. She said "bigger than". That could mean anything, and I'm certain she didn't intend it to mean "more commercially-successful".

Show me the proof from record companies that Johnny Logan has made more money than Celine Dion or ABBA.

[hopeful traveller]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnNiVjJsbIQ&t=01m47s

That proves nothing. She said "bigger than". That could mean anything, and I'm certain she didn't intend it to mean "more commercially-successful".

That's how I interpreted it.

[tubeguru]

Indeed, but "bigger than" means nothing.

One Direction are quite "big" right now, but have they made more money, or sold more albums than Mark Knopfler or Roger Waters?

[GuyBarry]

Listen carefully to what she said. "In this competition, one artist is actually bigger than Abba and both Celine Dion. Bloody Johnny Logan, from Ireland. First he won in 1980, then in 1987, and then again in 1992, but this time disguised as a woman..." [I think the last bit was intended as a joke - but he did write Linda Martin's winning 1992 entry.] He's certainly the only person to have won twice as performer.

I'm willing to be corrected on who was the most commercially successful winner - I'm going on Wikipedia's list of best-selling music artists here, which puts Celine Dion at number 9 and ABBA at number 14. Johnny Logan appears nowhere on the list (unsurprisingly).

[tubeguru]

Listen carefully to what she said. "In this competition, one artist is actually bigger than Abba and both Celine Dion. Bloody Johnny Logan, from Ireland. First he won in 1980, then in 1987, and then again in 1992, but this time disguised as a woman..." [I think the last bit was intended as a joke - but he did write Linda Martin's winning 1992 entry.] He's certainly the only person to have won twice as performer.

I'm willing to be corrected on who was the most commercially successful winner - I'm going on Wikipedia's list of best-selling music artists here, which puts Celine Dion at number 9 and ABBA at number 14. Johnny Logan appears nowhere on the list (unsurprisingly).

Yes, that's the proof I was after - Celine Dion IS Eurovision's most commercially-successful artist.

But "best-selling" only implies albums/single sold, and not the actual amount of money made from them. I suspect that ABBA may have actually made more MONEY, but that's only a hunch.

[GuyBarry]

But "best-selling" only implies albums/single sold, and not the actual amount of money made from the,. I suspect that ABBA may have actually have made more MONEY, but that's only a hunch.

ABBA's certified sales are actually quite low - 55.1 million compared with 117.9 million for Celine Dion. They both appear to have claimed sales of up to 200 million, but I'm not sure how these figures are gathered.

[tubeguru]

But "best-selling" only implies albums/single sold, and not the actual amount of money made from the,. I suspect that ABBA may have actually have made more MONEY, but that's only a hunch.

ABBA's certified sales are actually quite low - 55.1 million compared with 117.9 million for Celine Dion. They both appear to have claimed sales of up to 200 million, but I'm not sure how these figures are gathered.

No, I don't think it's an exact science. There is a lot of estimating going on, I'm sure.