Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Nielsen SoundScan counted actual till receipts instead of shop estimates. The figure is taken from Billboard, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a music fact?

Yes. It sits on the Music shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Barcode scanners replaced phone reports in 1991

Nielsen SoundScan counted actual till receipts instead of shop estimates Before 1991, Billboard's album chart relied on reports phoned in by selected retailers, which were easy to game. SoundScan read barcodes at the point of sale and produced a hard count each week. Country and rap records, undercounted by the old system, entered the charts far higher once real sales were visible. It sits in Mondo's music collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Billboard

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Tags: charts, sales, data

Barcode scanners replaced phone reports in 1991: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Nielsen SoundScan counted actual till receipts instead of shop estimates. The figure is taken from Billboard, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a music fact?: Yes. It sits on the Music shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.