Record Business

Record Business
Front page of Music Week, 6 November 1978
The front page of the 6 November 1978 issue of Record Business.
CategoriesBusiness
FrequencyWeekly
PublisherRecord Business Publications Ltd.
Founded1978; 47 years ago (1978)
First issueMarch 20, 1978; 46 years ago (1978-03-20)
Final issueFebruary 14, 1983; 41 years ago (1983-02-14)
CountryUnited Kingdom
Based inLondon
LanguageEnglish
ISSN0144-0691
OCLC1065310893

Record Business was a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a weekly print magazine between 1978 and 1983. It was published by Record Business Publications Ltd.

History

Record Business was launched on 20 March 1978 as a weekly trade publication for the UK record industry and a rival of Music Week. It was established by the former Music Week editor Brian Mulligan, with backing from the head of the British printing company Garrod and Lofthouse, Norman Garrod.[1] An announcement of a new trade publication, with the provisional title Record Dealer, was made as early as November 1977,[2] although Mulligan retained his position with Music Week until January 1978.[3]

The magazine compiled its own top 100 singles chart to rival the singles charts produced by the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) and Gallup (for Radio & Record News).[1] The majority of the magazine's top 100 was calculated using both sales and airplay data, whereas the top 30 was based purely on sales, obtained from 350 outlets.[1][4] In response to the launching of the Record Business and Radio & Record News charts, the BMRB extended their top 50 chart to a top 75 in May 1978.[5]

Record Business subsequently extended their singles chart three times, providing a "Ones to Watch" section from 31 July 1978 for positions 101 to 120,[6] then extending it up to position 130 from 9 February 1981,[7] and then up to position 150 from 1 February 1982.[8]

Record Business also compiled their Airplay Guide chart, which was the first in the UK to provide a "proper evaluation of radio action".[9] Other charts included a top 60 album chart, introduced in June 1978,[10] and a Disco Chart, introduced in October 1978, which at the time was the UK's only sales-based chart for the genre.[11] In January 1980, Record Business also started publishing the first independent singles and albums charts, compiled by Barry Lazell.[12]

Record Business published its final issue on 14 February 1983, after which it was absorbed into Music Week.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c "International: 4 sales charts vie for industry okay as hype charges simmer". Billboard. Vol. 90, no. 11. Billboard Publications, Inc. 18 March 1978. p. 73. ISSN 0006-2510.
  2. ^ "Mulligan quits Music Week". Radio & Record News. Needletime Music Limited. 22 November 1977. p. 4. OCLC 751718688.
  3. ^ "Burbeck appointed MW editor". Music Week. Music Week Limited. 7 January 1978. p. 1. ISSN 0265-1548.
  4. ^ "The Singles Chart 61–100". Record Business. Vol. 1, no. 3. Record Business Publications Ltd. 3 April 1978. p. 34. ISSN 0144-0691.
  5. ^ "Official Charts History: The 70s". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  6. ^ "The Singles Chart – Ones to Watch". Record Business. Vol. 1, no. 20. Record Business Publications Ltd. 31 July 1978. p. 30. ISSN 0144-0691.
  7. ^ "Singles Top 100 – Ones to Watch". Record Business. Vol. 3, no. 45. Record Business Publications Ltd. 9 February 1981. p. 11. ISSN 0144-0691.
  8. ^ "Top 100 Singles – Bubbling Under Singles 101–150". Record Business. Vol. 4, no. 44. Record Business Publications Ltd. 1 February 1982. p. 7. ISSN 0144-0691.
  9. ^ a b "Who are the losers?". Record Business. Vol. 5, no. 43. Record Business Publications Ltd. 14 February 1983. p. 1. ISSN 0144-0691.
  10. ^ "The Album Chart Top 60". Record Business. Vol. 1, no. 14. Record Business Publications Ltd. 19 June 1978. p. 13. ISSN 0144-0691.
  11. ^ "The Disco Chart". Record Business. Vol. 1, no. 30. Record Business Publications Ltd. 9 October 1978. p. 31. ISSN 0144-0691.
  12. ^ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie hits : 1980–1989 : the complete U.K. independent charts (singles & albums). London: Cherry Red. ISBN 978-0-9517206-9-1. OCLC 38292499.