SONGWRITING/ THE WRITE WAY

Hear is a taste of Chapter 8 of my new book: The Ugly Truth of the Music Business / A Survivors Guide.

Chapter 8

SONG WRITING/ The Write Way

Songwriting is the Genesis of the music business.  Nothing could happen in this industry without the Songwriter.  There would be no record labels, publishers, managers, or for that fact the music industry would not exist. 

I have been a publisher and writer for over 20+ years and this topic is very dear to my heart.  I was very fortunate to have signed a publishing deal very early in my career.  During my years as a writer and publisher in Nashville I had the opportunity to write with some of the best writers in the world as well as some of the worst; both were of equal value.  I found that knowing what not to do is just as important as learning what to do.  It’s like playing in a band; knowing when not to play is just as important as knowing when to play.  The same goes for the songwriting business.  I can’t emphasize how important it is to understand the business side of this craft.  If you are not armed with the proper knowledge of this business you are doomed to what I call “Parasitical Rhythms”.  It’s like the attack of the southern mosquito, they will suck the blood out of you if you're not armed with some repellant.  In this case your repellant is knowledge.

I am blessed to be the President and Founder of AMP (THE ASSOCIATION OF MUSIC PROFESSIONALS).  AMP is a Professional membership association that trains, educates and mentors those with an interest in the music industry.  This fast growing Association was born out of the desire to protect songwriters from the snakes and landmines of this treacherous business.  We will be covering the do’s, don'ts and better nots.  As with everything we teach at AMP we always begin with preparation, and this is no different.

Preparation -- readiness -softening approach to dissonance.

I encourage you to write, write, and write.  While simultaneously learning the business side, if you don’t your chances of getting eaten by the 3 headed parasitacyclops is certain to happen.

GONE FISHING

GONE FISHING

Welcome to Monday morning. I thought I would start my week off with a little different approach than normal. Normally I will begin with a blog about something that is music business minded.  It is very easy for us to forget the most important tool of all, and that is: feeding our state of mind, body and spiritual center.  What is your first thought as you begin your week? I bet you can relate to some of these.

How am I going to accomplish all the tasks I need to do this week? It's overwhelming. 

I don't know if I'm capable of doing all that is required of me.

I don't want to go to work.

Will I make enough money to meet my needs.

Oh no, I have to deal with him again.

Boy I dread that meeting.

I'm going to let him or her have it!

Rush hour *(^*&^%#

Is it Friday yet?

Well , we all have these random thoughts and more.  You're not alone.  What are some of yours?

It is very common to start the day with a host of thoughts that are trying to steal your joy.  This is where the work begins for your week.  The way you start your week could very well be the way you end it. 

Are we victims of our thoughts?  Do you allow your thoughts to hold you captive?  Do your thoughts control your attitude?  Does fear keep you from your dream, or does your dream keep you from your fear?

Here's an idea; let's take our thoughts back.  Wouldn't it be great if we could control our thoughts, instead of allowing our thoughts to control us?  Well, you can if you're willing to do the work.

I have to work extra hard to keep my thoughts at bay.  I begin my day the night before.  When I was a kid my Dad would take me fishing.  This was one of the most enjoyable and exciting things I remember as a child.  This was the cats meow.  When I lay down at night, I begin working on the next day.  I remember those times going fishing with my Dad, and the anticipation of the next day, and what is was like.  I could hardly sleep.  I begin my mindset with the memories of those times and look forward to going fishing the next day.  I can't wait to threw my line in the water and see what I'm going to catch.  That's how I begin by day, that is, after I hit my knees and pray.  I'm just saying it takes work and planning to succeed in this challenging business.  I will promise you this, it's worth it.

Remember your part of the music business.  Invest in yourself, as much as you invest in the stuff, and you will be amazed at the ROI-- Return on your investment.

THE DIGITAL CROSSROADS

BRINGING IN THE NEW

Here is a sample from Chapter 7 of my new book coming out soon, The Ugly Truth of the Music Business / Survivors Guide.  We will be touching on all things digital relating to our business.

The Digital Crossroads is here.  We are crossing a bridge into a new and exciting era of opportunities in the music industry.  This is a world where everything is happening at breakneck speeds, a world where yesterday’s news was this morning, and an environment where understanding technology is not an option but a requirement.  

The digital bridge is the connector to your future.  In the past you’re connecting sinews such as mega marketing dollars, the good old boys network; including record labels, publishers, radio, distributors, etc.  Today the bridge to your future is the World Wide Web and all it compasses.

TRANSFORMATIONAL INNOVATION - That's a cool tag.  What does it mean?  "Relating to or involving transformation or transformations."  Ok then!  Did you get that?  How about innovation?  a new method, idea, product, etc... While these definitions are clear, precise, and simple, TRANSFORMATIONAL INNOVATION is probably the most difficult task at hand right now for the music industry.  You have the record labels scrambling to hold on to their piece of the sky, while the Indies are eating their piece of the cake, while the Digital download industry is chewing their cud, and radio is losing ground but holding on.  I know this is a lot of mixed metaphors, I'm just saying.  It's kind of like watching a fish flop around in the bottom of the boat after you just caught him.  What is going on?

I spend a lot of my days doing research and speaking with music industry folk.  I have found there are as many opinions as people as to where the music industry is going.  I will say this.  The industry is transforming and innovation will lead the way.  We're just not sure where yet.  Although, there is some clarity beginning to surface, the future is beginning to look very favorable on the Artist/writer side of the equation.  For that I am very thankful. 

WHERE DID THE MUSIC INDUSTRY GO WRONG

Here is an unedited excerpt from chapter 6 of my new book coming out soon. Read it - think about it- answer the question at the end. I would love to hear your thoughts.

STRUCTURE OF AN INTERDEPENDENT LABEL

STRUCTURE –

1.   Something built or erected

2.   System of parts

3.   Way that parts link or function

4.   Part of an organism 

Something built or erected:

As we begin to build an interdependent label we must first get rid of the idea, that the old way of thinking, that everything must be our idea, and ours alone, is void.  We need to switch to a Collaborative Building Ethic.

Collaborative Building Ethic – This is a process characterized by building on your ideas, along with other ideas, one idea sparking another, increasing the strength of the foundation of your original idea, thus the beginning of building a stronger and richer foundation.

   System of parts:

What if you purchased a new car with all the cool options available, but the one option you didn’t get was the transmission?  You could sit there, blast your state of the art audio system, watch a DVD, accelerate the engine, recline in your luxury seats and chill.  The only problem is, without a transmission you would not be able to go anywhere.  In other words you must have all of the parts for your machine to function properly.

Way that parts link or function:

OK, lets say you now have all the parts for our brand new fancy car.  We got a brand new transmission and we’re ready to go. So, you reach down into your pocket, pull out the keys, and stick them into the gas tank.  You’re shocked, what happened? This is a brand new car, and you scream in total shock, why want it start?  You’re immediately enraged and your ready to take it back to the dealer and give him a piece of your mind.  It’s the same thing in the music business.  You must understand how all the parts work together in order to understand the sum of the part you play.  You don’t have to be an expert in every area, but you must have a general understanding of all the pieces.  Do your homework.

Part of an organism – system of interdependent parts:

It is key that you understand how being a part of a living organism applies to being a part of the music world.  If you cut your heart out you will surely die.  If you severed your legs you could not walk.  Need I go on?  The biggest misnomer I have witnessed in this industry is how so many people have severed themselves from the body in the name of success.  How did we become so blind in an industry that claims to be based on creativity passion and love?  I will leave this up to you to answer.

WHY INDEPENDENT LABELS ARE OLD SCHOOL/ INDEPENDENT VERSES INTERDEPENDENT

The talk on the street is, this is the day of the independent record label.  I say that has got to change too.  The paradigm of independent labels has to change, or we will be working from an old model that was created out of a necessity that was driven by the Major Record labels of the past.  The old model was one of greed, win/ lose and a parasitical profit structure paid for and sponsored by the creative community.  It's time to start anew with an interdependent attitude and a rally for change.  It's not going to be easy, or fast, however, we can do it together.

I spent many years in the music business in Nashville and I can tell you with certainty it was dog eat dog.  Everyone was suspicious of everyone one else and living in an atmosphere of fear.  The mentality was one of lack not abundance.  We believe there is plenty for everyone and if we live that together there will be even more to go around and shared.  I personally can't live in the old way of doing things mentality anymore.

So where does it start?  It starts with you and everyone around you.  We are working on a new model of doing business, and creating an interdependent environment working structure.  There is not enough time to share all we're doing in this blog.  My objective for now is to plant a seed in hope that you will ponder this idea and begin to apply it in your new way of thinking, and share it with the community.

INTERDEPENDENT -- interdependent |ˌintərdiˈpendənt|adjective(of two or more people or things) dependent on each other : the increasingly global nature of human society, with interdependent economies.

REMEMBER THIS IS AN ACTION VERB

PUT IT INTO ACTION AND WATCH IT GROW!

Is this really true... Take a break you deserve it.

It's Friday yeah!     Lighten up!  Chill out!!!! Don't take yourself so serious

A group of 15-year old guys discussed where they should meet for dinner. It was agreed they should meet at the Dairy Queen next to the Ocean View restaurant because they only had $6.00 between them and Jannie Johnson, that cute girl in Social Studies, lives on that street and they might see her and they can ride their bikes there.

Ten years later, the group of 25-year-old guys discussed where they should meet for dinner. It was agreed they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the beer was cheap, they had free snacks, the band was good, there was no cover and there were lots of cute girls.

Ten years later, at 35 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. It was agreed they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the booze was good, it was right near the gym and if they went late enough, there wouldn’t be too many whiny little kids.

Ten years later, at 45 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. It was agreed they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the martinis were big, and the waitresses had nice boobs and wore tight pants.

Ten years later, at 55 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. It was agreed they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the prices were reasonable, the wine list was good and fish is good for your cholesterol.

Ten years later, at 65 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. It was agreed they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the lighting was good and they have an early bird special.

Ten years later, at 75 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. It was agreed they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the food was not too spicy, and the restaurant was handicapped accessible.

Ten years later, at 85 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. It was agreed they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because they had never been there before.

HOW DO WE TAKE BACK THE MUSIC BUSINESS

Here is an excerpt from my new book coming out soon:

One of the most frequently recurring questions is, are the major record labels going away, probably not.  Ask yourself these questions; should the majors go away, will they be of value in the future, should they continue to have the power they have always had, is there a way for us to all exist in the same space in a benefit to benefit Co – existence?

 There are lots of newbies as well as old-bies who would say, get the gallows ready, and hang them all.  Let’s take a look at that way of thinking through our new glasses.  A world of no competition would be called a monopoly. Monopolies breed greed, greed breeds bondage, bondage robs you of your freedom, while lack of freedom steals your creativity.  Do you see where I’m going with this?  The labels had their day and a grand old day it was.  From a nostalgic kind of hate love romance point of view, I hope to see them around for a long time.  They are going through a change that is propagated by demand, a forced recovery from bad habits.  They will have to change, or they will truly go the way of the dinosaur.  The new paradigm for this industry must be: the pie is big enough for us all.  If we could all rally around the idea, the design, that if the music business would work together to serve the art of music, it’s artist, as well as the fans, then the pie would be bigger and sweeter for all of us.  Have you heard the acronym for EGO – EDGING GOD OUT? Here’s a new one for you ECO – EDGING CENTER OUT. ECO/ ECOLOGY – The natural balance of the music business has become contaminated with the unnatural balance from the EGO system, and has evolved into an egocentric, selfish, self-centered driven industry.

The questions we need to ask here are, how do we put the ART back into Art, take the EGO out of ECO and balance things out?  While this altruistic view reeks of idealism, there is plenty of room for improvement, and a definite need to bring things back to the center.  We do that simply by beginning with one person at a time.  There are no theories needed here, you can put Darwin back to sleep.

Music partner Co-alignments needed/mobile websites

AMP is in the process of migrating all its services to a massive association membership platform.  Due to the size of this undertaking we are going to be looking for partners to join with us in this new and exciting premier professional association.

If you have an interest being apart of a progressive organization hit us back. This is not an employment opportunity.  We are looking for professional Co -- Alignments.

One of our service offerings is mobile websites. For a very limited time, and limited amount of people we are going to offer a basic mobile website for the price of $ 150 dollars.  This is an unprecedented offering.  Get yours while they last.  To see an example of our work at AMP, go to Riley Music, on your phone.  Riley is an Artist on Elton John's Rocket Music label.  Whether you desire a site or not you need to check this incredible talent out.  Hit me back at gradyshuman@gmail.com

This is an edit from earlier.  Just to be clear.  We absolutely are not looking for money.  We are looking for Organizations, Companies, individuals that may have educational or products that we can Co-- align with.  Those with an interest in serving the music community as a whole.  Thanks and sorry for any confusion.

1. Google has a separate index for mobile content.

Not only do they have a separate index for mobile content, but also it is fairly empty. Your site will pop up at the top of the heap.

2. Your regular website is not going to cut it.

There is a fundamental design difference between a regular website and a mobile website.

On a mobile phone, there is a very limited amount of screen space. If you have ever had to side scroll to view something on a website, you realize how much of an inconvenience it is. This is magnified on a mobile device. Even with the ability to turn the device lengthwise, the resolution is still extremely small.

You need to make it as convenient for your searchers as possible.

T3. 1/5 of Americans access the mobile web each day.

This percentage is increasing every year. If you’re not representing yourself on the mobile web, your competition surely will take up the opportunity.

4. Mobile web will overtake the desktop within 5 years.

Not only will the mobile web inevitably overtake the desktop, but also usage and adoption is growing at a much faster rate than the desktop did. An article in the New york Times quoted that 76% of searchers will be using a mobile device within the next 5 years

In the future, the vast majority of visitors to your website will be on a mobile device.

5. $1.6 billion purchased from mobile devices in 2009.

This is likely the most exciting and sought after information about the mobile web. If millions of people are using the mobile web, but they are not buying anything, most commercial websites would not bother establishing a mobile presence.

As you can see, purchasing from mobile devices is already in the billions.

Studies show that buyers do not have as much confidence in purchasing from a mobile device as they do from their PCs, but both comfort levels and the amount being spent is increasing.

Users went through the same hesitation when the Internet was just becoming popular, and now most people do not hesitate when buying something online from their PC.

You can rest assure that the same thing will happen with the mobile web.

6. 93% of U.S. adults own a cell phone.

Not all cell phones have Internet access capabilities, but that is currently the trend. Smart phones are not the only ones with access to the web. Standard phones are coming out with Qwerty keywords and website browsers seemingly every single month.

It is safe to say that in the near future, all phones will have some form of online access, whether it is being used or not.

7. 5% of the top 500 online retailers have a mobile website/iPhone app.

I was rather surprised by how low this number is. But then again, this means great things for the rest of us who are not in the top 500 online retailers.

I am willing to bet that one of the biggest reasons that you’re not ranking as high as you would like is because your competitors are doing a better job than you are in some shape or form.

Which means that if you’re reading this, chances are fairly high that you are already a step ahead of your competition.

8. Mobile advertising spending will surpass $6.5 billion in 2012.

Ad spend is a great indicator for the current status of an industry. If someone is willing to spend their hard earned money putting their products in front of users on the mobile web, you can assume there is a pretty good reason for it.

Furthermore, if they continue to spend more year after year, that indicates that the previous years investment paid off. And that is exactly how mobile advertising is trending across the board.

9. Users average 13 hours online per week, up from 7 in 2002.

As online usage increases regardless of the device used, accessibility is going to be the next lever to increase online usage.

A desktop or laptop used to be the only way to access the Internet, but now with Internet enabled mobile phones the Internet has truly become mobile. It is now simply a matter of service availability from your mobile phone network provider such as AT&T and Verizon.

10. There are an estimated 2 billion cell phones worldwide.

Not only are there a lot of cell phones worldwide, but they seem to outlast their owners and are passed down to another owner. There are great recycling and refurbishing programs that use old cell phones as emergency dialers or resell them at discounted rates.

As you can see, the mobile web is clearly trending up and has a lot of room to grow. If the mobile web were a stock, now would be the time to buy. It is the closest thing to a sure bet as you can get.

WRESTLING WITH THE MUSIC GIANTS

Here is an excerpt from my new book coming out soon!

Chapter 4

WRESTLING WITH THE GIANTS

You're 160 pounds, and you're in the ring with a 480 pound sumo wrestler; what you gonna do?  He’s thrown you to the mat, and getting ready to pounce on you, and turn you into a pancake; what you gonna do?  All you can do at this point is get some syrup, because you're lunch.  Sometimes that’s just the way it feels when you’re tackling the monster competition that’s out there.   Those days are gone.  The Sumo is beginning to look like an underweight hog on slaughter day.

In this chapter we’re going to focus on changing our paradigm on the way we think about our competition.  What if I were to tell you there is no competition?  You would probably say, he’s lost his last marble; and that may, or may not be true.  The reality is, there is plenty of healthy competition out there; you just have to change the way you view it; and that’s exactly what we plan on helping you do.  We are going to give you a new pair of glasses to view your competition through.

Let’s first take a look at what you use to see when you were looking at this giant.  Here is a blog I posted on evolutionofasong.blogspot.com

Major record labels versus Independent

Posted by Grady Shuman

Record Label Share

Old Man, take a look at my life.

Let's digress for a moment.  Looking back at 2004, the global value of the record industry was 16.5 billion dollars.  Today it is 6.4 billion.   Were the labels on airplane mode, was their thinking on mute?  How did this happen?  I bet they know now what they wish they had seen then.  It's got to hurt.  The amazing thing is they still believe their own junk; or do they?  It's hard to tell.  They seem to continue to ride their dinosaurs. Oh well!

We at AMP believe their loss is our gain.  Who is "our"?  All of us independents! We are going to Rally together and become a major label, the likes of which no one has ever seen.  As we pool our network of information together, and unite to bring our music to the world, the dinosaur will become nothing more than a fossil and a distant memory.  Come join us at AMP, as we create this new business model.

Click on join to become a part of the AMP TEAM 

Comparison of Record Label Share within the Market between 2006 and 2008
	2006	2008
Universal	31.5	37.1
Sony	21.2	20.1
EMI	17.9	13.7
Warner	11.9	11.4
Ministry of Sound	2.2	3.6
Demon	1.2	1.7
Domino	1	0.4

Worldwide there are two different types of record labels majors and independents. There are only four majors: Universal, Sony, EMI and Warner Music, the majors operate worldwide in all/most territories. Independents operate in all different ways depending on their size, money (investible) and repertoire. Below is a detailed  analysis to show the difference between the to types of labels.

	Strength	Weakness	Opportunities	Threats
Major	Own distribution and publishing companies. Access to international distribution. Can influence radio play lists and provide a diverse range of genres. Business and musical. Able to add value to products and finance with no struggles	Unable to adapt as quickly as an interdependent. Declining sales result in low ones. Arrogance Lack of vision	Had the ability to take control of the online distribution industry. Lost. Identity in their position in the market. Living in the past. Not willing to change	The web Digital distribution Stuck in old school business model. Independents
Independent	Can adapt to changes in the industry quickly developing new business models to work well in the present industry. Flexible in decision-making.	Limited power to sign acts. Lack of resources. Need added value to make radio play lists. Less money to invest in acts and marketing. Distributed by the majors. Most indies cater for a certain genre or market.	Bands more inclined to sign to Indies as they allow artists to develop. Increase demand for music on behalf of the consumer.	A major often buys independents that dominate a market. The economic down turn and the state of the music industry is having an effect upon the birth of new and existing labels.

MUSIC SURVIVORS GUIDE

Here is an excerpt from my upcoming book. I would love to hear your comments.

CHAPTER 2

CHASING THE DREAM / WHAT IS THE MUSIC BUSINESS

What is the music business; OR ANOTHER QUESTION COULD BE ASKED, What was the music business?

In this chapter we are going to take a look at the past, the present, and the future of the music business.  This is the beginning of your Due Diligence - appropriate carefulness.  Have you ever been for a walk in the forest in the South, in the summertime?  As a child you are taught to cautiously watch every step you take, and keep a vigilant eye out for snakes.  There are snakes in the south that are very venomous and can cause you severe harm.  Welcome to the music business.

Our goal is to help protect you against these venomous varmints. Look at this book as a survival guide, and you will need a snakebite kit, or two along the way.  We will be providing you with the paramount information you will need to navigate this treacherous terrain.

Let’s begin with a little history of the proverbial sinking of the Titanic, or if you would record labels.

RECORD LABELS WHERE'S THE BEEF?

I often speak to professional groups as well as local craft associations.  I'm frequently asked, are the labels really hurting?  The answer is a definitive yes!  Going back to 2004 sales where approximately 36 to 40 billion globally, from 2009 to 2012 they have plummeted from 14.5 billion to 6.3 billion, and it's not going to get any better.

Here's the good news!  The money is still being spent, and your share is waiting, if you’re willing to do the work.  The Digital age is here!  The biggest reason the record labels have lost so much, simply put, is their arrogance. They got complacent, and thought the gravy train would never end. Well it did, and they’re paying dearly

THE UGLY TRUTH OF THE MUSIC BUSINESS/ A SURVIVORS GUIDE

Here is an excerpt from my new book coming out soon.

1.   START WITH A PLAN

There are two things that will destroy your career before you get started.

1.   LACK OF PASSION

2.   NO PLAN

Lack of passion is like setting out on a 100-mile trip with only enough gas to get you 10 miles.  You will choke down, sputter and come to a stop.  Believe me, I have seen many start this trip with half a tank and wind up giving up.  Now is the time to dig deep and do some serious soul searching, and ask yourself, do I have enough gas for this trip?

NO PLAN –

Having no plan, I hate to think about it, and as elementary as it sounds, more people than not take off without one.  Not having a plan is what I like to call the WHACK – O - DOODLE method. Don’t you think it’s whacked out to head somewhere without knowing where you're going; so do I.

Steve Covey says in his book, The Seven Habits Of Highly Successful people, to start with the end in mind.  This is a great approach for many reasons. Visualization is inherent in having a dream.  If you can’t see yourself there, then there is a good chance, neither will anyone else.

FIND YOUR NICHE–

Niche – suitable place, specialized market – synonyms Place -Position – Slot-

There are many specialized fields within the music industry.  Most people are only proficient in only a few.  Find out where your passion lies and it will lead you to your Niche.  Don’t try to be something you’re not gifted for, it just won't work, and remember there’s only one you.  Always be true to yourself.

A hundred years ago when I was working in Nashville, AKA Music City, one of my responsibilities was to interview potential Artists.  I had a couple of questions I would ask that would overpoweringly determine whether we would work with someone or not.  The first question was, whom do you sound like. During that time the guys would commonly say, George Straight, or the fillies would say, Martina McBride.  WRONG! You see there is already a George and a Martina.  You see, we were not looking for twins.  Question 2 I would ask would be, How long are you willing to pursue your dream?  Some would give it a time limit.  There is no time limit on passion, you either have it or not.  This was a deal breaker.  The right answer was as long as it takes.  Just the other day I was at a jazz open mike night.  An older gentleman who appeared to be in his eighties sitting in a wheel chair rolled up to the stage, the host handed him a mike and he began to sing.  Although you could hear the age in his voice, the passion was louder.  Now guys and fillies that old crooner was the picture of success.  So find your NICHE and don’t give up!

fun music stuff

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. No cleanup reason has been specified. Please help improve this article if you can. (December 2009)

Since the inception of the UK Singles Chart in 1952 there have been various records to break, including most chart toppers, longest run at number one, biggest selling single etc. All the records have changed hands over the years, some more than others and many have certain reasons as to why the records have been held by a certain act. Here are some of the most important records held by acts in the UK at the moment:

Contents   [hide]  1 Most number ones 2 Most combined weeks at number one on the UK singles charts 3 Longest run at number one 4 Number-ones by two or more different artists 5 Most successful debuts 6 Biggest selling single 7 Posthumous number ones 8 Lowest selling number one 9 Self replacement at number one 10 Fastest selling single 11 Biggest selling single not to top the chart 12 Downloads 12.1 Number one singles on downloads alone 12.2 Digital downloads 13 Most weeks on UK Singles Chart by decade 13.1 1950s 13.2 1960s 13.3 1970s 13.4 1980s 13.5 1990s 13.6 All-time total weeks on chart (15 Nov 1952 – 31 December 1999) 13.7 Top chart acts per year by total weeks on chart 14 Age records 14.1 Youngest to... 14.2 Oldest to... 15 Other records 15.1 General 15.2 Most hits without reaching... 15.3 Weeks on chart by individual singles 15.4 Singles which were first to reach chart milestones 15.5 Most singles in a year 15.6 Album with most original Number-one hits 15.7 Album that spent the most time at Number one 15.8 Biggest drop out of the top ten 15.9 Singles to have stalled at Number 2 twice 15.10 First to... 16 See also 17 References