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Re: [ARSCLIST] Billboard Charts
----- Original Message -----
From: "Andrew Brown" <brown135@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Billboard magazine began "charting the hits" starting with the October 12,
> 1935 issue. This was planned as a feature within a new section entitled
> "Weekly Music Notes." Below the headline "10 Best Records," the
explanation
> was given that these charts represented "ten 'best sellers' for automatic
> phonograph operators reported this week by record firms. These weekly
> reports enable the operator to check on the very latest hits. Due to the
> rush in starting the music department, the list is naturally incomplete
this
> week." The lists were grouped by label (10 best sellers for Bluebird, 10
> best on Brunswick, etc) and divided under separate "Chicago List" and "New
> York" lists.
>
> My question is: was this the earliest known attempt to "chart" the best
> selling records, or do earlier examples exist, e.g. in magazines like
> Talking Machine World?
>
I think this was discussed on 78-L quite a while back...and it was decided
that this was the first North American list of best-selling phonograph
records. There may have been some short-lived similar lists in the UK.
Note that TMW and other phonograph industry journals listed new releases
(which Rust used extensively) but NOT best-selling discs; also, early
musical "best-sellers" were judged more on sheet music sales.
Steven C. Barr