Music sales are tracked by a variety of companies and organizations.
Album sales are a significant barometer of commercial success. There are, however, different organizations that track these sales and some are considered more "official" than others. There are also a variety of tracking companies that keep up with album sales for specific reasons. In order to get a reasonable idea of actual sales numbers, you have to pay attention to several sources as there is not a single "official" tracking company.
Instructions
1. Follow general sales numbers on a weekly and annual basis through magazines that cater to the music industry. One popular source is "Billboard" magazine, which bills itself as "the music industry's premiere news source." A six month subscription to "Billboard" begins at $75 (as of 2010). Other magazines providing this information include "Rolling Stone" and genre-specific publications like "The Source."
2. Utilize Nielsen's SoundScan application, which is intended to "track music and music-video product sales as well as radio-station music plays." As of 2010, the SoundScan sales numbers are considered the standard for the industry.
SoundScan's website has music rankings and additional information, including up-to-date sales figures, is available upon request. Nielsen charges for these services according to the needs of each client.
3. Check the data acquired by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the group that issues gold and platinum records for commercially successful recordings. According to the RIAA, its figures come "directly from the major music companies." While this is considered an official number, the RIAA says it only accounts for "about 85 percent of the music sold in the U.S."
