Hit record

A hit record is a recording (either a single or an album) that becomes very popular, through large sales of copies, repeated airplay on the radio. or presence in the media. One aspect usually promotes one or more of the others.

The Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Eagles and Michael Jackson all had many hit records. They are among the biggest-selling musical acts of all time. Not every recording artist has a hit record. Many artists and groups lose their recording contracts, if their records do not become hits.

Not all hit records feature music. Some spoken word records also become hits, including comedy recordings. Bill Cosby, George Carlin, and Cheech & Chong are comedians who have all had hit records. A recording of speeches by the late American President John F. Kennedy became one of the biggest-selling albums of the 1960s.