Bestseller (music)
Encyclopedia
A bestseller in music
is a song or album listed at or near the top of a hits list or chart such as the Billboard charts
produced by Billboard
magazine which published its first hit parade
in 1940. As with most book bestseller lists, these lists are usually based on sales to the retail sites and not actual retail sales to the public. Therefore, a strong push by distributors to get records into stores can boost the "bestseller" rating, even though the merchandise might not all be sold to the public and later returned to the wholesale supplier or "remaindered." Remaindered merchandise might later be redistributed or destroyed. Billboard also publishes various compilations of hits, such as Billboard Book of Number One Singles.
These charts differ from publications that produce rating guides based on editorial review of the artistic merits of the work, such those published by Rolling Stone
magazine and independent editors.
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
is a song or album listed at or near the top of a hits list or chart such as the Billboard charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
produced by Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine which published its first hit parade
Hit parade
A hit parade is a ranked list of the most popular recordings at a given point in time, usually determined by sales and/or airplay. The term originated in the 1930s; Billboard magazine published its first music hit parade on January 4, 1936...
in 1940. As with most book bestseller lists, these lists are usually based on sales to the retail sites and not actual retail sales to the public. Therefore, a strong push by distributors to get records into stores can boost the "bestseller" rating, even though the merchandise might not all be sold to the public and later returned to the wholesale supplier or "remaindered." Remaindered merchandise might later be redistributed or destroyed. Billboard also publishes various compilations of hits, such as Billboard Book of Number One Singles.
These charts differ from publications that produce rating guides based on editorial review of the artistic merits of the work, such those published by Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine and independent editors.
See also
- Billboard chartsBillboard chartsThe Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
- Rolling Stone Album GuideRolling Stone Album GuideThe Rolling Stone Album Guide, previously known as The Rolling Stone Record Guide, is a book that, along with its sister publication Rolling Stone magazine, contains professional reviews of popular music...
- Top FortyTop FortyThe Top Forty or Top 40 is a music industry shorthand for the currently most-popular songs in a particular genre. When used without qualification, it typically refers to the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music songs of the previous week...
- Record chartRecord chartA record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
- Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...