Billboard Magazine Classic Game Charts

[NovaXpress]

I just remembered that during the classic days Billboard magazine published a Top 20 sales chart for console video games.

 

If we could find some back issues, that would answer a lot of questions. Sales figures, release dates, lots of good classic trivia. Any ideas on where we could find them?

[Dolt]

I'd expect that a major metropolitan library system or business library might have 'em on microfiche. I work near the Science and Business library in NYC; if I get a chance, I'll go over there at lunch one of these days and take a look to see if they have it.

[+Random Terrain]

No other interest in this thread? We should keep this thing alive until someone shows up with the Billboard magazine info (just in case Dolt doesn't find anything).

[sku_u]

I just remembered that during the classic days Billboard magazine published a Top 20 sales chart for console video games.

 

If we could find some back issues' date=' that would answer a lot of questions. Sales figures, release dates, lots of good classic trivia. Any ideas on where we could find them?[/quote']

 

There's a library near where I work that I know has back issues of Billboard Magazines. I used them to help track some ancient arcade amusements I was trying to find information on. I can try to check in September when I'm back at work.

 

If anyone lives in NYC, the New York Public Library near Grand Central in all likelihood has every issue catalogued.

[homerwannabee]

I definetly would like to have access to those old billboard archives. It would give a truer rarity to some games out there.

[sku_u]

I definetly would like to have access to those old billboard archives. It would give a truer rarity to some games out there.

 

Don't expect a definitive be all end all answer, these lists will at best provide some subtle clues, if any. That is if they really exist. I didn't know Billboard continued to keep these lists after the 50s.

[Dolt]

I'll go take a look this afternoon at the Science and Business library. The person above was talking about the Main Branch of the NYPL (My wife is a librarian and used to work for NYPL until she managed to get a much safer gig in the suburbs...not every NYPL branch is in as nice a neighborhood as the main branch!). If they don't have it, the NYPL Performing Arts library at Lincoln Center probably will. It's a cool place to visit--they have an Oscar in the middle of it that you can look at upclose.

Additionally, I emailed a friend who is an editor at Billboard (I *knew* this writing career would come in handy someday ) to ask if they have an available archive that I might be able to dig through. I suspect I wouldn't be allowed since I don't work there, but it never hurts to ask.

[Dolt]

OK, I wasted about 90 minutes at the S&B library today, getting sent from one desk to the next by clueless people. Most of their Billboard collection is on microfiche but the collection is incomplete and they don't know which years they have have. You have to request the sheets and then 20 minutes for them to be delivered to you, so I had to fill out multiple requests (one at a time no less) for 1981, 1982, etc., since I don't know when the chart began or ended. They discovered that MAYBE they didn't have them--they might be out in use. I had to wait 20 minutes each time to learn that. Then I was referred to the Performing Arts library which is on the other side of NYC about 40 blocks north--which may or may not have those years.

I guess I'll call them next week to find out if they have those years there before I go up there, but if they're as clueless as the chuckleheads I dealt with today, I expect I'll have to go up there and find out the hard way.

[homerwannabee]

I brought this up to see if there has been any site created that actually has access to the Billboard top 20 video game chart.