| 1950s in music in the UK |
| Events |
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An album is defined by the Official Charts Company (OCC) as being a type of music release that features more than four tracks and lasts longer than 25 minutes; [1] from July 1956, sales of albums in the United Kingdom were monitored by music magazine Record Mirror . From November 1958, album sales were also compiled by music magazine Melody Maker . [2] The biggest-selling album of the 1950s was the original soundtrack to the movie South Pacific .
| No.[ citation needed ] | Album | Artist | Record label [lower-alpha 1] | Year [lower-alpha 1] | Chart peak [lower-alpha 1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Pacific | Original soundtrack | RCA Victor | 1958 | 1 |
| 2 | My Fair Lady | Original Broadway cast | Philips | 1958 | 1 |
| 3 | Oklahoma! | Original soundtrack | Capitol | 1956 | 1 |
| 4 | Songs for Swingin' Lovers! | Frank Sinatra | Capitol | 1956 | 1 |
| 5 | West Side Story | Original Broadway cast | Columbia | 1957 | 3 |
| 6 | Showcase | Lonnie Donegan | Pye Nixa | 1956 | 2 |
| 7 | Come Dance with Me! | Frank Sinatra | Capitol | 1959 | 2 |
| 8 | Elvis' Golden Records | Elvis Presley | Parlophone | 1958 | 2 |
| 9 | My Fair Lady | Original London cast | 1959 | ||
| 10 | The King and I | Original soundtrack | Capitol | 1956 | 1 |
The UK Singles Downloads Chart is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the music industry. Since July 2015, the chart week runs from Friday to Thursday, with the chart date given as the following Thursday.
The Official Charts Company, also referred to as Official Charts is a British inter-professional organisation that compiles various "official" record charts in a number of European territories.
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-selling singles in the United Kingdom, based upon physical sales, paid-for downloads and streaming. The Official Chart, broadcast on BBC Radio 1 and MTV, is the UK music industry's recognised official measure of singles and albums popularity because it is the most comprehensive research panel of its kind, today surveying over 15,000 retailers and digital services daily, capturing 99.9% of all singles consumed in Britain across the week, and over 98% of albums. To be eligible for the chart, a single is currently defined by the Official Charts Company (OCC) as either a 'single bundle' having no more than four tracks and not lasting longer than 25 minutes or one digital audio track not longer than 15 minutes with a minimum sale price of 40 pence. The rules have changed many times as technology has developed, the most notable being the inclusion of digital downloads in 2005 and streaming in July 2014.
The Official Classical Singles Chart was a record chart based on downloads and streaming of classical music in the United Kingdom. Each week's chart was compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) and was first published on Monday afternoon on their official website. The chart ran for 140 weeks from 2012 to 2015, during which time a total of 23 singles by 22 artists reached number one. The most successful artist was the Italian pianist Ludovico Einaudi, who topped the chart with three singles for a total of 54 weeks, while the most successful record label was Decca Records, which spent 89 weeks at number one with six singles. Einaudi's track "I Giorni" from his album of the same name spent 51 weeks at number one, longer than any other single. In January 2013, following the release of Einaudi's album In a Time Lapse, singles by the pianist accounted for 13 of the Top 20 on the Official Classical Singles Chart. Martin Talbot, managing director of the OCC, described him as one of the chart's "biggest and most consistent stars".
The UK Album Downloads Chart is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the music industry. Since July 2015, the chart week runs from Friday to Thursday, with the chart date given as the following Thursday. The chart was introduced in April 2006 to coincide with the OCC's decision to include sales of album downloads in the UK Albums Chart. The first album to top the download chart was This New Day by Embrace.