billboard book of top 40 hits 10th
Printed From: Top 40 Music on CD
Category: Top 40 Music On Compact Disc
Forum Name: Chat Board
Forum Description: Chat away but please observe the chat board rules
URL: https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=8110
Printed Date: 29 April 2025 at 1:15am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.07 - https://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: billboard book of top 40 hits 10th
Posted By: edtop40
Subject: billboard book of top 40 hits 10th
Date Posted: 20 May 2014 at 10:28am
|
does anyone know when or if there will be a 10th edition of
'the billboard book of top 40 hits' coming out soon.....the last one i have is the 9th edition which runs through mid 2009....they usually have one out every 4 or 5 years....the 8th edition ran through the end of 2003.....i tried calling the publisher, crown books/random house in new york a few times and left messages, but typically, no one calls you back.....any direction would be welcomed... ------------- edtop40 |
Replies:
Posted By: Paul Haney
Date Posted: 20 May 2014 at 2:46pm
| Ed, there are no plans for a 10th edition and I doubt there will ever be one. You'd be better off to buy our Top Pop Singles book which covers 1955-2012 and is currently on sale for $59.95. |
Posted By: JMD1961
Date Posted: 20 May 2014 at 2:53pm
|
Sad to hear about that, though I've had problems with
this book since the early '90s. I know I'm being anal about this, but I just have an issue with a book that claims to document "Top 40" music, but ignores the actual "Top 40" charts. But that brings up another question I've had, Paul. Do you know if there's any plans at all to collect data from Billboard's Mainstream & Rhythmic Top 40 charts? I've been doing my own research of the mainstream one, and I think others might be interested to see the number of titles that charted in that chart's top 40 that didn't on the Hot 100. There have even been a couple that didn't chart on the Hot 100 or Bubbling Under charts at all. Any plans? |
Posted By: aaronk
Date Posted: 20 May 2014 at 6:25pm
|
The current Pop Annual does indicate "AIR" next to songs that made
the Hot 100 Airplay chart but not the Hot 100. I would LOVE to get a book with the Rhythmic chart info. Heck, I'll buy two copies if it ever comes out. ------------- Aaron Kannowski http://www.uptownsound.com" rel="nofollow - Uptown Sound http://www.919thepeak.com" rel="nofollow - 91.9 The Peak - Classic Hip Hop |
Posted By: JMD1961
Date Posted: 20 May 2014 at 7:18pm
|
Yes. And that's a big plus, as it gives songs like No
Doubt's "Don't Speak" the attention it deserves. But I was talking about songs that were clear Top 40 radio hits that are not listed in the Top 40 hits book because they didn't get that high on the Hot 100 charts. How often did it happen? Well, in 1993 alone, I found 24 titles that made the Mainstream Top 40 chart that are not listed in the Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. That's why I'd like a separate book that collected the data from Billboard's two "Top 40" charts. And yes, I'd buy both in a heartbeat. |
Posted By: Paul Haney
Date Posted: 21 May 2014 at 5:07am
| I'd love to see a book on the Mainstream & Rhythmic Top 40 charts too. In fact, it's the only charts that we don't do a book for that I still actually get the charts for and paste-up in our in-house research books every week. The big problem I see with this is that those charts (as they are now) didn't start until 1992 and, quite frankly, there is just not much interest from our customers for much past the 1980s. What I think is more likely is that we'd do a book covering the Radio & Records charts, which would surely cover all of those "missing" Top 40 hits and much more. I'm also trying to float a possible book on the Gavin Report charts as those go all the way back to 1958 (R&R didn't start until 1973) and I've NEVER seen even a whiff of research done on those charts anywhere. With the recent success of our Cash Box and Record World books I'd say we're now more open than ever for new book options in the future. |
Posted By: 80smusicfreak
Date Posted: 21 May 2014 at 7:15am
Fantastic - so after 20+ years, I can FINALLY look forward to an R&B/Hip-Hop annual, based on the Billboard charts, Paul??? :-) |
Paul Haney wrote:Posted By: Paul Haney
Date Posted: 21 May 2014 at 7:43am
Don't hold your breath. The problem with that one is that the Country Annual we published way back in 1998 didn't sell very well at all. Our regular Country books always sell better than the R&B books, so it stands to reason that an R&B Annual wouldn't sell what the Country Annual (poorly) sold. I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but that's the reality of the situation. |
Posted By: budaniel
Date Posted: 21 May 2014 at 7:53am
| I'm still waiting for a second, updated edition of the Dance charts book. I wore that thing OUT. |
Posted By: Paul Haney
Date Posted: 21 May 2014 at 10:20am
Sorry, but that one is also a no-go at this time. We actually stopped researching that chart after that first edition came out. |
Posted By: Smokin' TomGary
Date Posted: 21 May 2014 at 3:49pm
|
Speaking from experience of being an Associate Editor of an engineering handbook there are realities in publishing that must be faced. First, specialty books such as the ones referenced and the one I contributed to will never appear on the New York Times best seller list. Not due to lack of quality, but lack of quantity. Publishers want to sell as many copies as possible; it's business.
There is the author's time to research the material. Any fees to Billboard for use of their data (I don't know if, in fact, there are any). Entering the gathered data into a specific format for publication. The publisher has their costs. Shipping books to stores. Lastly, all concerned parties want to be paid; it's business. By the time all the costs are added up the book becomes quite expensive. Now consider how much information is freely available online. When examined from a business perspective it becomes more obvious why such publications are no longer available. I, too, have enjoyed these publications over the years. Times change. Radio stations don't publish their Top 40 list. We don't go down to the record store to buy the latest 45's. Like the (sad) lyrics from the Fifth Dimension's "Ashes To Ashes" Long Tall Sally and Tin Pan Alley have seen their dying day. Amos and Andy and nickel candy have fallen to the gun. Sorry to be so bleak, just offering a perspective from someone who has been down the road, albeit in a different topic. |
Posted By: JMD1961
Date Posted: 21 May 2014 at 4:49pm
Yes, that would indeed catch the majority of those hits, and I can guarantee you at least one sale if you do that book. I've thoroughly enjoyed both my Cash Box and Record World books. |
Posted By: edtop40
Date Posted: 21 May 2014 at 7:22pm
|
since the likelihood of the 10th edition of 'the billboard
book of top 40 hits' ever being issued is low, i'm currently creating an addendum to the 9th addition in the same format, text, style and feel as the 9th edition....it will basically be a running addendum which i will update and post each weeks changes.....if anyone would like a copy, please feel free to let me know and i will send one.....i'll need to check with pat if i can set a link to the file.....stay tuned!! ------------- edtop40 |
Posted By: Brian W.
Date Posted: 21 May 2014 at 10:32pm
Why? Everything that would be in a 10th edition is already contained in "Top Pop Singles." It's in the same format as the "Top 40" books, listed by artist -- it just includes the entire Top 100 instead of just the Top 40. |
Posted By: aaronk
Date Posted: 21 May 2014 at 10:45pm
Does this also mean that after your current consumer base is long gone (in retirement homes or six-feet under), there really is no more interest in chart books? If so, that blows my mind. I do realize that younger generations likely get their info from the Internet more often than buying books, so I'd like to think that it's simply the medium rather than a lack of interest. ------------- Aaron Kannowski http://www.uptownsound.com" rel="nofollow - Uptown Sound http://www.919thepeak.com" rel="nofollow - 91.9 The Peak - Classic Hip Hop |
Posted By: Paul Haney
Date Posted: 22 May 2014 at 2:01am
Well Aaron, I certainly hope that our current customer base has a lot of years left in them yet! Also, I'm pretty sure that they let folks have books in retirement homes...but seriously, I don't know how many younger folks even follow the charts anymore. I'm 48 years-old and I always felt like I was on the younger-end of the chart fanatic spectrum. I hope I'm wrong and that there's a new generation of chart watchers coming up, but I don't see a ton of evidence to support it (at least not in the numbers that grew-up in the heyday of Top 40 radio). |
Posted By: EdisonLite
Date Posted: 22 May 2014 at 5:24am
| That is an interesting question/observation. I've always checked out the weekly Billboard Hot 100 since the '70s, when I first discovered it. I imagine many other posters on this board have done (or did) the same thing since their teenage years, whenever that may be. For me, that meant looking at the physical hard copy, whether it be in stores or the many years I had my own subscription (which was roughly $300 annually). I'd like to think there are as many people now checking out Billboard's Hot 100 every week, albeit for free, online, since a consumer no longer has to pay to look at this chart. So the question is ... are there any many teenage/young chart nuts now as there were decades ago? |
Posted By: jebsib
Date Posted: 22 May 2014 at 5:27am
|
Paul, do you still research peak positions of the Hot 100 Airplay chart? The
last time I recall seeing that data was as supplementary info for each applicable post-1984 title in the 2002 Top Pop Singles book. What with the varying and confusing ways they get songs on to the Hot 100 these days, the raw airplay stats might be interesting to include. |
Posted By: edtop40
Date Posted: 22 May 2014 at 5:35am
|
brian.....some of us like only the top 40 info and do not
care for the songs that peaked below #40.....having all that extra clutter is not what i'm looking for......i understand physical books are becoming less popular because of the internet, but having the data in a spreadsheet form works for me.....which is what i'm working on....and if someone wants to print it and attach it to their 9th edition book, that's partially why i'm doing it..... ------------- edtop40 |
Posted By: Paul C
Date Posted: 22 May 2014 at 5:44am
| I still have my first edition of the Top 40 book that I purchased in 1984 (Holy smokes, that was 30 years ago!!). It was 510 pages, and the price tag is still on it: $14.95. |
Posted By: jebsib
Date Posted: 22 May 2014 at 5:55am
|
EdisonLite, I think there are far more chart nuts these days; The internet has
unified them. Wednesdays are explosive on many different chart message board forum sites. That's the day BB releases preliminary Hot 100 info. The thing that I find interesting, though, is that it seems to have become a very gay-centric pastime. Just general observation from several keys sites (including Billboard's - when it still let users log win and post): Discussions focus on diva wars, and tend to dry up when rock and country acts dominate. |
Posted By: Paul Haney
Date Posted: 22 May 2014 at 6:06am
Nope. Had to give that up about 10 years ago when we had some serious staff cut-backs. In addition to working on the new books (the Cash Box and Record World books have been especially labor-intensive), I also have to keep up with the major weekly charts as well as several other duties around the office, including printing off internet orders, helping to answer the phone, filing, etc. Only so many hours in the day. |
Posted By: jebsib
Date Posted: 22 May 2014 at 6:25am
|
Gotcha. Oh well.... like you said, only so much time in a day.
Again, thank you SO Much for all your awesome work over the years; you and your team have brought so much pleasure to so many people. Here's to many more years! |
Posted By: torcan
Date Posted: 23 May 2014 at 12:52pm
Do you think that's because the charts just aren't that interesting anymore? Songs are spending forever on the charts and many weeks go by where there's little movement in the top 10. Plus, album cuts can chart high and drop off a week or so later, so it's not as if a new 45 was speeding towards the top 10 that would be the next big hit. What even is a single these days anyway? You can't buy them except for download, and I have no interest in that. Plus, for most of us older folks on here (51), most of today's music is crap. There are a few needles in the haystack, but I can count on one hand the number of current CDs or LPs I buy in a given year. Most of what I get are older songs on 45 from record shows and online retailers. Having said that, I still look at Billboard's Hot 100 online every week to keep up with what's on top. I stopped subscribing over 10 years ago. It was more fun following the charts during the '70s and '80s. The last Top Pop Singles book I bought was the 1999 edition, but I'm thinking of updating soon. I liked the Cashbox book! |
Posted By: aaronk
Date Posted: 23 May 2014 at 1:21pm
I can certainly understand that "older folks" would not find today's charts interesting, because they don't like the songs on the chart. I'm still interested in the charts, though, and I still listen to a lot of current music. (It's my job, but I also enjoy the music that is out today.) I still wonder if allmusic.com, Wikipedia, popradiotop20.com, etc., were not available (or not free), would the younger generations be more interested in Whitburn books? ------------- Aaron Kannowski http://www.uptownsound.com" rel="nofollow - Uptown Sound http://www.919thepeak.com" rel="nofollow - 91.9 The Peak - Classic Hip Hop |
Posted By: aaronk
Date Posted: 23 May 2014 at 1:29pm
Ha! Yes, I do, too! But it doesn't make your job any easier to sell books, because your current consumer base, as you stated, has no interest in newer charts. How many times can you re-hash or update the old charts to make a profitable book? Surely, that's the reason you've turned to researching Cash Box and Record World, but before long, you'll likely run out of non-Billboard, pre-1990s material to publish. Then what? Oh, and I agree with others who have said that I LOVE what you and Record Research are doing to publish all of the chart information. For guys like us, your books are the music equivalent of the Bible. ------------- Aaron Kannowski http://www.uptownsound.com" rel="nofollow - Uptown Sound http://www.919thepeak.com" rel="nofollow - 91.9 The Peak - Classic Hip Hop |
Posted By: Paul Haney
Date Posted: 23 May 2014 at 1:41pm
|
Very interesting discussion here. Joel has told me several times that when he first started following the charts, he thought he was the only one really interested. When he published the first Record Research book he really had no idea how many other chart fanatics were actually out there and he was pleasantly surprised when orders started coming in from all over the world.
I know when I was growing up a few of my friends were somewhat interested, but I was the only one that was actually listening to AT40 every week, compiling my own chart stats and checking out back issues of Billboard at my local library. Even when I got into radio during college, there were very few of us that would actually sit down and discuss the charts. I do check out some of the current chart discussion sites, but it seems like the same core group posting each and every week. |
Posted By: aaronk
Date Posted: 23 May 2014 at 2:20pm
Boy, that sounds a lot like this discussion site :) ------------- Aaron Kannowski http://www.uptownsound.com" rel="nofollow - Uptown Sound http://www.919thepeak.com" rel="nofollow - 91.9 The Peak - Classic Hip Hop |