kingofskiffle

Those on the Record Research mailing list will have got the below email today. I think this is looking like the end is nigh, sadly, but they are looking for investors. So if you have deep pockets... The email: If you’re like us, the black and white print on our pages evoke memories associated with melodies from your life’s soundtrack. Producing these pages has never been just a job for us. It’s a labor of love. For more than a half century, Joel Whitburn’s Record Research has created the data trusted by history buffs and music preservationists worldwide. We’ve self-published 174 research books, authored the Billboard Top 40 Hits book series which spawned Billboard Books, created the Billboard Hits series of music books with Hal Leonard, and initiated and produced 125 separate Billboard Top Hits music compilations with Rhino Records. We’ve weathered bad economies, the rise and fall of multiple recording configurations, record labels, and music industry magazines, the coming and going of weekly Top 40 countdowns, the upheaval of radio, the advent of streaming, the wholescale shift of data from print to internet, and so on. What began as a one-man hobby in the mid-1960s, became a thriving small business. By the early 1990s, we employed a healthy staff able to field a variety of projects. Downturns in the music industry eventually affected our business. We cut back on projects, then on staff through attrition. Enter the 2000s and everything about how music was discovered and enjoyed changed. Extensive market research narrowed radio playlists diminishing the number of stations that played the whole Top 40 (or even the Top 10). Streaming algorithms introduced new music. And only a handful of record shops kept their doors open. Gone were the days when a collector would check out the chart posted in the shop for new releases, so fewer and fewer music lovers developed a heart for the charts. As our customer base aged, so did their enthusiasm for new music and its stats. Sales of new editions declined. We introduced our online database, the MusicVault. But its time and expense outpaced customer involvement. Despite increasing demands on our remaining staff of four -- Joel, Kim, Paul and Brent, we soldiered on. And then Fran’s accident in 2017. Kim became her primary caregiver, cutting into her RR workload; Brent assisted Joel with daily chores. Still, we kept going through COVID, boosted by music fans spending more time with their collections and craving info from our books. But, the resulting shutdowns and supply-chain issues eventually sent our production costs soaring. On more than a few occasions, Joel mulled that it was time to close up shop. In the three years since Joel’s passing, followed by Fran’s, Record Research has published three books, further streamlined, and wished Brent the best on his retirement after 47 years as a Record Researcher. Kim and Paul, the last two standing, have been fielding a lot of questions from our readers. And, so that we are not further inundated, here are our best answers to the most common queries. Where is the Billboard Hot 100 Charts: 2010-2019 book? It most likely will not be published. In early 2023, Kim created a one-page format for the chart which covered two and then three pages over the decade in Billboard’s print issue. We intended to reverse engineer the chart from our weekly positions data and Paul was set to proof. However, delayed permissions and rising production costs made it unattainable. Will you publish new editions of ….? Not likely. The current costs associated with creating, printing, storing, packaging, and shipping are too heavy; the books would incur an even higher price tag, which is insurmountable in this climate of declining interest. Don’t wait to buy a book that we’ve had in stock for years. It’s disconcerting to hear customers demand, “You have to reprint that book! I was waiting for it to go on sale and now you don’t have it! And you expect me to pay over $300 for a used copy on eBay?” No, we don’t. Buy in-stock books now. Will future books be released as print-on-demand? Again, it’s not likely due to time and expense involved. Can I buy PDFs or spreadsheets of your work? No, reports generated by our custom-designed database require edits when transferred to PDF. The database does not readily lend itself to the creation of spreadsheets. Will there be further eBook versions of your print work? This remains to be seen as the two of us are doing all we can. Will you be bringing your database online (like you did with the MusicVault)? See answer above. Since Joel’s passing, is there still interest in maintaining Record Research? Kim and Paul are deeply proud of the unique work they’ve done. Kim has been behind the scenes of Record Research her whole life, beginning in her crib next to Joel in 1965 — when he began his research with a pack of index cards and the “Hot 100” chart of 8/4/58 — to her first after-school job at age 11, to coming aboard in a professional capacity in 1987. Paul, a lifelong, serious chart enthusiast, made the move from a radio career and signed on as a Record Researcher in 1992. We maintain that ours have been the most stalwart of hearts for the charts, absorbing losses in an effort to keep creating and delivering our music history facts and stats to you. What’s next? Record Research has a tremendous database, stock on several titles, and strong support from music lovers worldwide, like you, for which we are immensely grateful. To move forward and initiate new projects requires an influx of capital from those with deep pockets who concurrently have a desire to take up the mantle and enjoy the myriad of possibilities awash within our goldmine of data. If not, it looks as if the days of this mom ‘n pop shop are numbered. Only serious endeavors with the means to build on this work will be entertained at info@recordresearch.com. Please direct all other inquiries or encouragement to comment@recordresearch.com. In the meantime, don’t miss out on your chance to keep our lights burning for a bit longer and build your library for less!

I've just made available the new book the decade series of the 1990's - but this time as a Top 200. This already existed as a Top 100, but no has been re-made as a Top 200. This contains the Gallup data from 1990-5 Feb 1994 (with sales data and all starred out position shown) and then from then on we list the Compressed Top 200. A special section at the back lists the Uncompressed chart data, derived from Hit Music and lists the charts as they listed them (which is not entirely correct as you will see when you read the volume notes). The ChartBook WebsiteUK Singles Decade SeriesOver the years I have created various books which cover the main UK Singles chart, broken down by decade. Each of these books are available below, together with details of their content. Contents E…[URL="https://usercontent.one/wp/www.thechartbook.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Decade_1990_Gallup200_Advert.pdf?media=1740600311"]You can see the Sample pages here.[/URL] The book is simply huge, clocking in at almost 8,000 pages, and a file size of 90Mb, so I do hope that it does not cause any issues for readers. If it does, then I will have to split the book into two volumes. It costs £20 because of the size.

Sorry for the delayed reply - had issues logging into the forum since the re-make. The book is being made and I've just had a Quick Look through for Graham to do some checks. It should be out quite soon.

Thousands.... it all depends of course on what you consider a typo and whether it's one that was intentional. Sometimes an act will be mis-typed - an act in 1992 called Sole was credited as Soul. Catalogue numbers where sometimes mis-typed with the Z becoming a 2 I've just been adding the 1992 Gallup Top 200's to the database and you get 2 or three per month where the chart title is a little off form the record title it should be.

Due to exclusion rules at the time for 76-100, it's actually correct for 76-100. The records moving up are 62-75, with a different record at 75. The correct chart is as printed in Music Week. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pnr1fk5kbk8g...iyxsu1&dl=0

That's actually a printing error in both the book and the OCC database. The original chart was correct. What happened is that some sales of one format were accidentally separated out. This happened at some stage after 1995 and before 2001, when the files where sent to ChartsPlus. I noticed and queried and the OCC database now seems to have bene updated. If you look further down the chart you will see a new entry at 61 that week, thus 10 THE GIFT OF CHRISTMAS CHILDLINERS LONDON LONCD376 61 THE GIFT OF CHRISTMAS CHILDLINERS LONDON LOCDP376 The lower entry should be combined, which is enough sales to increase the 10 to a 9 position. This is correct in the Graham Betts chart book as he utilised Music Week as printed, which was correct. I had hoped the OCC website would be updated when they updated it recently. Clearly not.... Their website has many errors and should not be relied upon.

I have just issued another new chart book to add to the UK Chart collection. This one covers the weekly charts for the Top 40 from 1952-18 July 2024, and updates the old Guiness and Virgin Top 40 Charts books, long since out of print (although I do still find the odd copy in bookshops). https://www.thechartbook.co.uk/2024/07/14/u...-top-40-charts/ Full details of the 2,114 page £20 volume are on the website as well as a sample. It's by far my largest book yet, and one I hope you will consider adding to your collection.

Well it's difficult to separate out Wales and Scotland :) It's a way of being distinct from America.

I'm writing this on behalf of poster kobyhadrian, form another forum. He has asked me to see if anybody here knows anything in relation to a query he is looking into. He is trying to find if there might be any books or dedicated research by anybody into the careers of the following artists... with SPECIFIC regard to their record sales in Great Britain. From the 50s: Guy Mitchell/Mario Lanza/Jo Stafford From the 50s/60s: Everly Brothers/Connie Francis And lastly, from the 60s: Rolling Stones. Any bits of information that you would have - or ideas as to where to locate such - would be greatly appreciated, as these people/acts who all were major record sellers in the UK.

FLASH SALE! I've decided to celebrate the end of Winter with my first flash sale on the website. Virtually all the books currently on sake are included, with a couple of items not included. This is a fantastic time to increase your collection or pick up the missing volume you have always wanted! What's The Offer? The offer is that you purchase one book and get a second absolutely free! The book bought must be of equal or greater value than the book being requested as free. The only exclusions are forthcoming books - such as 1973 Billboard 85 Years Series volume or later volumes and the Billboard 85 Years Subscription. How does it work? Select the book you want and purchase. At checkout you should be able to send me a note and in that note tell me the volume you want as your free gift. Example: Purchase the 1950 Billboard Decade Series (for £25) and type in the box at checkout that you want to purchase the 1960 Billboard Decade as your free gift (That's also £25, and so included). Head to http://www.thechartbook.co.uk and happy spending!

The Budget Album chart is presented each week in ChartsPlus as a Top 50. Prior to 2003 it was a Top 10, bi-weekly in Music Week. It is based on sales and streaming, to an extent today, but of lower value - hence Budget - albums.

It is currently being produced. I would imagine a few weeks.

I think it is mid 2010 that ChartsPlus begins to print in the charts as a separate entity. Prior, from about 2003, they were alongside the Top 200. If you go here https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/scott...rt/20050515/41/ for example the chart is printed in order, but without the positions printed. Some of the charts above are not ones present some time before, in the previous iteration of the OCC database. Under that version I did save the weekly charts that exist from 1994-2017, so 1, 196 weekly charts are presented in the link below. https://www.dropbox.com/s/w2275bw3ze0z64c/S...ingles.zip?dl=0

AI is brilliant at code writing if you check it afterwards. I used it to write a set of mock exam answers and gave it to my class and asked them to find the problems. I think it got one answer right. I wanted them to understand that whilst it can do some things it is a tool and no more and does not replace human thought.

Thank god for that. Now can we all please get behind a campaign to get a good Christmas song to number one now that Mariah and Wham both had a chance? What would be your favourite not Christmas number one? I’d like to see White Christmas by Bing at the top just cos it would be fun.