Abstract
It is well known that certain forms of popular music today have an enormous international audience. In the heyday of the Beatles their records could probably be heard in any part of the world. But it is equally obvious that there are several competing trends in popular music, and their popularity varies from one country to another. However, except for references to rock and roll and similar forms of banality that have triggered riots in Indonesia (Hood 1963:310), musicologists have evaded the study of these problems. In the absence of scientific studies the best source material on popular music is provided by music industry periodicals such as Billboard and Cash Box in the United States, New Musical Express and Record Retailer and Music Industry News in England, and Musikmarkt in the German Federal Republic. Many such publications publish weekly or monthly listings of ten or more currently best selling records. Record sales are certainly not a reliable indicator of musical tastes. In many countries young people and urban residents are heavily over-represented among record buyers. In addition, Top Ten lists tend to obscure the fact that there may be types of music which enjoy steady sales but never become best sellers.
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