Hit Makers: How to Join the List and How to Fall Off

Midwest Tape boasts over 25 music standing order plans. Our most popular plan is the Hit Makers plan, which consists of upcoming albums expected to become major hits by popular artists. But how do we predict this? How do artists become Hit Makers? And how do they get the boot?

Welcome to the Hit Makers Club

The Hit Makers plan consists of upcoming releases from artists who have a previous album that has been certified Gold, Platinum, or Multiplatinum in the past five years by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Artists receive Gold certification after 500,000 record sales, Platinum after one million, and multiplatinum after two million. These honors are based on domestic—not worldwide—sales, and an artist has to achieve certification within three years of his or her album’s release. Thus, any albums released before March 2008 that just reached Gold status would not be included in our Hit Makers plan because the album is now more than three years old.

Below are some examples of current Hit Makers:

• Gold: Snoop Dogg, OneRepublic, Radiohead
• Platinum: Bob Seger, Paramore, Usher
• Multiplatinum: Coldplay, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift

Off the List!

Once an artist joins the Hit Makers Club, he or she isn’t guaranteed a space forever. If an artist fails to produce another certified album within five years of their previous certified release, then that artist will get the boot from the Hit Makers plan.

Below are some examples of once certified artists no longer Hit Makers:

• The Pussycat Dolls—Platinum until 01/26/2011
• Diana Krall—Gold until 02/26/2011
• Bo Bice—Gold until 02/02/2011

Insider’s Pass to the Club

Interested in turning your library into a Hit Makers Club? Sign up for our Hit Makers standing order plan, and every two weeks you’ll receive a cart loaded with upcoming releases from certified Hit Makers.

You can decide whether you want to receive albums from all Gold, Platinum, and Multiplatinum artists, just Platinum and Multiplatinum, or only Multiplatinum. Additionally, you can set your cart quantity at any amount and adjust titles and quantities any time. In summary, the plan (like all of our standing order plans) is super flexible and there’s absolutely no obligation to order.

To learn more about or sign up for our Hit Makers plan, contact Chris Shope at 800.875.2785 or cshope@midwesttapes.com. You can also view our Music CD Customized Standing Order brochure and our Hit Makers list.