Wikipedia:Notability (music)

See also

Musicians or ensembles (this category includes bands, singers, rappers, orchestras, DJs, musical theatre groups, instrumentalists, etc.) may be notable if they meet at least one of the following criteria.

Note that regardless of what notability criterion is being claimed, the claim must be properly verified by

1. Has been the subject of multiple, non-trivial, published works appearing in sources that are
   independent of the musician or ensemble itself.^{[note 1]}
   • This criterion includes published works in all forms, such as newspaper articles, books, magazine articles, online versions of print media, and television documentaries[note 2] except for the following:
     • Any reprints of press releases, other publications where the musician or ensemble talks about themselves, and all advertising that mentions the musician or ensemble, including manufacturers' advertising.^{[note 3]}
     • Articles in a school or university newspaper (or similar), in most cases.
2. Has had a single or album on any country's
   national music chart
   .
3. Has had a record
   certified gold
   or higher in at least one country.
4. Has received non-trivial coverage in independent reliable sources of an international concert tour, or a national concert tour in at least one sovereign country.^{[note 4]}
5. Has released two or more albums on a
   major record label
   or on one of the more important indie labels (i.e., an independent label with a history of more than a few years, and with a roster of performers, many of whom are independently notable).
6. Is an ensemble that contains two or more independently notable musicians, or is a musician who has been a reasonably prominent member of two or more independently notable ensembles.^{[note 5]} This should be adapted appropriately for musical genre; for example, having performed two lead roles at major opera houses. Note that this criterion needs to be interpreted with caution, as there have been instances where this criterion was cited in a circular manner to create a self-fulfilling notability loop (e.g., musicians who were "notable" only for having been in two bands, of which one or both were "notable" only because those musicians had been in them.)
7. Has become one of the most prominent representatives of a notable style or the most prominent of the local scene of a city; note that the subject must still meet all ordinary Wikipedia standards, including
   verifiability
   .
8. Has won or been nominated for a major music award, such as a
   Juno, Mercury, Choice or Grammis
   award. Note that this requires the person or band to have been the direct recipient of a nomination in their own name, and is not passed by playing as a session musician on an album whose award citation was not specifically for that person's own contributions.
9. Has won first, second, or third place in a major music competition.
10. Has performed music for a work of media that is notable, such as a theme for a network television show, performance in a television show or notable film, inclusion on a notable compilation album. (But if this is the only claim, it is probably more appropriate to have a mention in the main article and
    notability guideline on subjects notable only for one event
    , for further clarifications).
11. Has been placed in rotation nationally by a major radio or music television network.
12. Has been a featured subject of a substantial broadcast segment across a national radio or television network.

Individual members, reality television performers

1. Members of notable bands are redirected to the band's article, not given individual articles, unless they have demonstrated individual notability.
2. Singers and musicians who are only notable for participating in a reality television series may be redirected to an article about the series, until they have demonstrated that they are independently notable.

Composers, songwriters, librettists or lyricists, may be notable if they meet at least one of the following criteria:

1. Has credit for writing or co-writing either lyrics or music for a notable composition.
2. Has written musical theatre of some sort (e.g., musicals, operas) that was performed in a notable theatre that had a reasonable run, as such things are judged in their particular situation, context, and time.
3. Has had a work used as the basis for a later composition by a songwriter, composer, or lyricist who meets the above criteria.
4. Has written a composition that has won (or in some cases been given a second or other place) in a major music competition not established expressly for newcomers.
5. Has been listed as a major influence or teacher of a composer, songwriter, or lyricist that meets the above criteria.
6. Appears at reasonable length in standard reference books on their genre of music.

Where possible, composers or lyricists with insufficient verifiable material to warrant a reasonably detailed article should be merged into the article about their work. When a composer or lyricist is known for multiple works, such a merger may not be possible.

Composers and performers outside mass media traditions may be notable if they meet at least one of the following criteria:

1. Is frequently covered in publications devoted to a notable music sub-culture.
2. Has composed a number of notable melodies, tunes, or standards used in a notable music genre.
3. Is cited in reliable sources as being influential in style, technique, repertory, or teaching for a particular music genre.
4. Is cited by reliable sources as having established a tradition or school in a particular music genre.
5. Has been listed as a significant musical influence on musicians or composers who meet the above criteria.

All articles on albums or other recordings should meet the basic criteria at the

Specific to recordings, a recording may be notable if it meets at least one of these criteria:

1. The recording has been the subject of multiple, non-trivial, published works appearing in sources that are
   independent from
   the musician or ensemble who created it.
   • This criterion includes published works in all forms, such as newspaper articles, books, magazine articles, online versions of print media, and television documentaries^{[note 2]} except for the following:
     • Any reprints of press releases, other publications where the musician or ensemble talks about the recording, and all advertising that mentions the recording, including manufacturers' advertising.
     • Articles in a school or university newspaper (or similar), in most cases.
2. The recording has appeared on any country's
   national music chart
   .
3. The recording has been
   certified gold
   or higher in at least one country.
4. The recording has won or been nominated for a major music award, such as a
   Juno, Mercury, Choice or Grammis
   award.
5. The recording was performed in a medium that is notable, e.g., a theme for a network television show, performance in a television show or notable film, inclusion on a notable compilation album, etc. (But if this is the only claim, it is probably more appropriate to have a mention in the main article and
   redirect
   to that article).
6. The recording was in
   rotation
   nationally by a major radio or music television network.
7. The recording has been a featured subject of a substantial broadcast segment across a national radio or television network.

A single requires its own notability, and that notability is

Unreleased material

Unreleased material (including demos, mixtapes, bootlegs, promo-only recordings, and related items) is only notable if it has

A currently unreleased album with an unconfirmed future release date may qualify for an article if there is sufficient verifiable and properly referenced information about it. For example, Guns N' Roses' 2008 album Chinese Democracy had an article as early as 2004 because it was already receiving a very large volume of reliable coverage about its development. That pre-existing article thus only needed minor modifications when the album was finally released.

A cancelled album like Street King Immortal by 50 Cent can qualify for an article due to reliable media coverage of its development as well as its cancellation by the record label. Other instances in which an artist merely began working on a new album that was cancelled, left incomplete, or transformed into a different project – before it had a confirmed release date, title, and track listing as confirmed by reliable sources – would not qualify for an album article and can be described in the musician's biography.

Future material

An article about a near-future but not yet released album qualifies for inclusion if critical information about that album has been confirmed in

For high-profile artists, information about an upcoming album could be confirmed months in advance, and the date at which an article for that album becomes viable is not directly related to its eventual release date.

A future album whose article is titled "(Artist)'s Next Album" or the like, and consists solely of blog or fan forum speculation about possible titles, or songs that might be on the album, is a violation of Wikipedia's

Songs and singles are probably notable if they have been the subject

1. Has been ranked on
   national or significant music or sales charts
   . (Note again that this indicates only that a song may be notable, not that it is notable.)
2. Has won one or more significant awards or honors, such as a
   Juno, Mercury, Choice or Grammis
   award.
3. Has been independently released as a recording by several notable artists, bands, or groups.

Notable covers are eligible for standalone articles, provided that the article on the cover can be reasonably-detailed based on facts independent of the original.

• Note 1: Songs that do not rise to notability for an independent article should redirect to another relevant article, such as for the songwriter, a prominent album or for the artist who prominently performed the song.
• Note 2: Sources should always be added for any lore, history or passed-on secondary content. Wikiversity and Wikibooks have different policies and may be more appropriate venues for this type of content.

Concert tours are probably notable if they have received significant coverage in multiple independent reliable sources. Such coverage might show notability in terms of artistic approach, financial success, relationship to audience, or other such terms. Sources that merely establish that a tour happened are not sufficient to demonstrate notability. Tours that cannot be sufficiently referenced in

A good online source for recordings is the AllMusic search engine. To find ownership information on song texts copyrighted in the US, the ASCAP ACE Title Search and BMI Repertoire Search utilities are invaluable. When looking in depth, a search on Google books or Internet Archive items may turn something up. For material that has captured the attention of academics, a search on Google scholar or Internet Archive scholar may work.

An experienced editor also provides a guide on ensuring that articles meet criteria.

Wikipedia should not have a separate article on a person, band, or musical work that does not meet the criteria of either this guideline or the general notability guideline, or any subject, despite meeting the rules of thumb described above, for which editors ultimately cannot locate

Information about such subjects may be included in other ways in Wikipedia, provided that certain conditions are met. Material about a musician, group, or work that does not qualify for a separate, stand-alone article can be

• has the
  appropriate level
  of detail and significance for that article;
• avoids self-promotion
  ;
• includes information that can be
  independent sources
  .

For example, material about individual members of a musical group is normally