It is the eleventh month of 2024, and most music albums have already been released. While the audience is impatiently waiting for the rest of the musical masterpieces to hear before New Year’s Eve – the Billboard list is filling up. Some artists and their albums have become the undisputed rulers of this and similar music charts. And have you ever wondered how an album gets to Number 1? Here is how it works.
TOP Music Charts: Reality or Good Marketing?
When talking about music, Top music charts are an inevitable thing. One of the main parameters when it comes to music hits is the famous Billboard List. Of course, this list also has special categories, such as hit singles or albums – so today’s artists are always trying to get as high as possible on the ladder. Even though it is already common that the highest places on the list belong to the biggest names in the music industry – we can still see debutants more and more often. So how is that possible, and how do you get to be number 1 on the charts? Some people believe that the debutantes on Top charts like Billboard do not reflect the real situation – but are just someone’s marketing venture. Although there is some truth in that claim – we still cannot fully agree with it. Therefore, we’ll try to, at least partially, clarify some things.
What’s the Secret Of Having a No. 1 Album – Monopoly Or Talent And Effort?
Although some claim that today the music business has become a training ground for monopoly – we cannot say that it is entirely the truth. Even though we know some artists constantly hold the top positions on the charts – we still have to give them credit. Artists like Madonna or Beyoncé have already taken their roots on the Billboard list – but that doesn’t mean that some new young artists don’t have the same chance. You just have to use it well, as, for example, Taylor Swift. She made music history by becoming the first artist to win all ten first places on the Billboard Hot 100. All ten songs come from her album Midnights, which was released on 21 of October and which breaks all records. OK, we’re not going to say Swift is a new artist – because all the success took years of hard work. However, as she claims, when she started her music career – she needed a lot of will and persistence. We would also add a lot of knowledge about how to make a hit album that will take place as no.1 on the charts.
Making a Hit No1 Album: How to Do It?
Today, performers can reach high positions on the top charts in different ways. That is not surprising if we consider the fact that today most artists release singles – and collect views on streaming services such as YouTube. In addition, there are services like Mp3Juice, where you can play and listen to new music releases. But if someone wants their album to reach number 1 – here are things to pay attention to.
● The Perfect Production
Production is very important today if you want to have an album that will take you to number 1. So many music artists with average vocal capabilities and quality managed to overtake their competition. Also, many talented music performers went unnoticed with their songs or albums. A good production and a good producer are sometimes half the job done on this road. However, you mustn’t rely only on that. You must also offer quality to your audience – otherwise, your success will be short-term.
● Target Group
You need to know which target group you are addressing with your music. The fact is that teenagers and young people are the largest part of the population that consumes music. However, you need to know who the people who will buy your album are. Undisputed hit album makers like the famous Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Beyoncé – knew how to reach the essence. So they made music that not only everyone would listen to – but also everyone would buy.
● Planning and Good Timing
Great music artists know how significant good timing is for a hit album. It is clear that if it’s a compilation of love songs – the time around February and Valentine’s Day is the ideal time to release the album. Those who today are part of the machinery that produces music hits like on a factory line – know that summer is the perfect time for something like this. The timing is good, for example, when albums are released around New Year’s and Christmas holidays, but it can also be risky. Namely, this is the season when many artists release their albums, so for some – it can be counterproductive.
● Repeating Choruses?!
Believe it or not, songs dominated by repetition seem to be the most relevant today. Today’s biggest hits include the repetition of some words in the refrain or in the other parts of the song – which remains in the brains of the listeners. Therefore, such songs very quickly become ultra-planetary hits – and the albums of such performers record good sales. Although it may sound crazy to many – the facts have proven it in practice.
● Streaming Services
We must not underestimate the influence of the media and the Internet, which offer us streaming services. They may (or may not) be a good indicator of how successful a song or an entire album will be. However, contemporary musicians rely to a great extent on this parameter – because according to the number of views and comments, they can better estimate the pulse of the audience.
The Bottom Line
If there was a universal recipe for making hit music albums – probably everyone would use it. However, some ingredients from that recipe are known to us – and we have pointed them out to you. For the other ingredients, you need to work hard to find the unique formula that will take you to No. 1 on the music album charts.
