Record Retailer

{{Short description|British music trade newspaper}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}

{{italic title}}

Record Retailer was the only music trade newspaper for the UK record industry.{{cite book |title=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EREEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3|date=20 August 1966|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|pages=3–|issn=0006-2510}} It was founded in August 1959 as a monthly newspaper covering both labels and dealers. Its founding editor was Roy Parker (who died on 27 December 1964).{{cite book|author1=Simon Frith|author2=Matt Brennan|author3=Martin Cloonan, Emma Webster|title=The History of Live Music in Britain, Volume I: 1950–1967: From Dance Hall to the 100 Club|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zoK1CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA151|date=9 March 2016|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-02887-1|pages=151–}} The title changed to Record Retailer and Music Industry News shortly after launch.

With its issue of 10 March 1960,{{cite book|author=Mark Lewisohn|title=The Beatles - All These Years: Volume One: Tune In|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1aBfMee_xUEC&pg=PT683|date=10 October 2013|publisher=Little, Brown Book Group|isbn=978-1-4055-2730-9|pages=683–}} Record Retailer became a weekly magazine and started a chart showing the top 50 records in sales.{{cite web|title=Key Dates in the History of the Official UK Charts|url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/company_history.php|publisher=The Official Charts Company|access-date=15 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080110032725/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/company_history.php|archive-date=10 January 2008}} For the period until February 1969, when a standardised UK chart was established with the British Market Research Bureau, the Official Charts Company recognises the listings compiled by Record Retailer as representing the official national chart.

On 5 October 1967 the title reverted to Record Retailer and in January 1971 became Record & Tape Retailer.{{cite book|title=British Hit Singles and Albums|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eSI5AQAAIAAJ|year=2005|publisher=Guinness| isbn=9781904994008 }} The publication was relaunched on 18 March 1972 as Music Week.{{cite book|author=Peter Mills|title=Media and Popular Music|url=https://archive.org/details/mediapopularmusi0000mill|url-access=registration|date=16 May 2012|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|isbn=978-0-7486-3156-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/mediapopularmusi0000mill/page/47 47]–}}