Number ones are now perceived by many as irrelevant one-week wonders, and singles sales as a whole have dropped 41% in the last 12 months. According to Paul Williams of Music Week magazine, the excitement waned when singles began automatically to enter the chart at No 1 - landed there by ad vance radio play and mailshots to fans - rather than start low and gradually climb. Of the 156 No 1s this century, only three did not debut at the top. "It's all about scheduling now. It's much easier for the business to line up what's going to be No 1 - you know from the schedules, 'Oh, that'll be No 1, and next week that'll be No 1'. In the past, you could never predict - it was all up to the fans." Meanwhile, it is safe to assume that we will see a lot more of (Elvis) in the next year or two, before some of his biggest hits go out of copyright. BMG's 50-year copyright on classics such as Heartbreak Hotel, Hound Dog, and Blue Suede Shoes expires in 2006, when any label will be entitled to release them without paying BMG a penny.