Cashbox (magazine)

Cashbox was a music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and now continues as Cashbox Magazine, an online magazine with weekly charts and occasional special print issues.[1]

Cashbox
CategoriesMusic industry, trade magazine
First issueJuly 1942 (1942-07) (original version)
2006 (2006) (revived Internet-only version)
Final issueNovember 16, 1996 (1996-11-16) (original version)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Websitecashboxmagazine.com
ISSN0008-7289

History

Cashbox is one of several magazines that publish record charts in the United States. Its most prominent competitors are Billboard and Record World (known as Music Vendor prior to April 1964). Unlike Billboard, Cashbox combines all currently available recordings of a song into one chart position with artist and label information shown for each version, alphabetized by label. Originally, no indication of which version was the biggest seller was given, but from October 25, 1952, a star was placed next to the names of the most important artists. Cash Box also printed shorter jukebox charts that included specific artist data beginning in Spring 1950. Separate charts were presented for jukebox popularity, record sales and radio airplay. This was similar to Billboard's methodology prior to August 1958, when Billboard debuted its "Hot 100", which attempted to combine all measures of popularity into one all-encompassing chart. In addition, Cash Box published chart data for specific genres, such as country music and R&B music. In 1960, Cash Box discontinued its R&B chart after the March 5 issue; it was reinstated in the December 17 issue due to popular demand. The chart was originally dropped because it became dominated by pop records.[2]

Cash Box was reinvented as the online-only Cashbox Magazine in 2006, with the consent and cooperation of the family of George Albert, the late president and publisher of the original edition. Cashbox has occasionally issued special print editions. As of April 2015, Cashbox Magazine has added the following music charts: Roots Music, Bluegrass Singles, Bluegrass Gospel Singles, Beach Music Top 40, Roadhouse Blues and Boogie Top 40, Country Christian Top 100 Singles and Southern Gospel Singles. The online magazine also relaunched the Looking Ahead Charts on March 1, 2015, covering all genres of music. The Cashbox Top 100 has been expanded to the Top 200. All chart data for the main Cashbox charts is provided by Digital Radio Tracker.

The current leadership of Cashbox includes Ed Russell, Doug Stroud, Harold Miller, Christopher Elrod, John Hook, Tommy Smith, David Bowling, Randy Price, Father Jim Drucker, and Lee Vyborny. Featured columnists include Jim Rose and nationally syndicated music columnist Jerry Osborne. The Cashbox legal advisor is Mike Duncan. Sandy Graham is the owner, Editor in Chief and CEO of Cashbox Canada, an independent music trade in Toronto, Canada. Shane and Robert Bartosh control the Roots data. Bruce Elrod is the owner and remains the registered agent for Cashbox. Cashbox is now operated from Ridgeway, South Carolina.[3]

In 2013, Joel Whitburn's Record Research Inc. published a history of the Cash Box singles chart data covering October 1952 through the 1996 demise of the original magazine. Randy Price maintains the original Cash Box data for the online archives.

The Swem Library at The College of William and Mary[4] maintains the archive of the original print editions of Cash Box magazine.

The Chicago blues band the Cash Box Kings credit the magazine for their name.

References
  1. "Cashbox Magazine". cashboxmagazine.com. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  2. "R&B Chart Returns" (PDF). Cash Box: 38. December 17, 1960.
  3. "BBB Accredited Business Review for Cashbox Magazine, Inc".
  4. "Cash Box". digitalarchive.wm.edu. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
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