20 Years Of Max Martin Dominating The Charts

Has there ever been a songwriter/producer as prolific at pop music as Max Martin? He's co-written a mind-bending number of pop hits over the last 20 years or so that have helped break most of the pop stars that dominate the charts.

 Check out this partial list, and keep in mind that most were #1's.

Katy Perry: "Not N Cold," "Teenage Dream," "I Kissed A Girl," "California Gurls," "E.T.," "Part Of Me," "Roar"

Pink: "Please Don't Leave Me," "So What," "I Don't Believe You"

Kelly Clarkson: "Since U Been Gone," "My Life Would Suck Without You"

Taylor Swift: "We Are Never Getting Back Together," "Shake It Off," "Blank Space"

Britney Spears: "Oops, I Did It Again," "Baby One More Time," "3," "Hold It Against Me"

Christina Aguilera: "My Body"

Maroon 5: "One More Night"

Celine Dion: "That's The Way It Is"

Jesse J: "Domino"

Arianna Grande: "Problem"

Backstreet Boys: "I Want It That Way"

The interesting thing about Max Martin (real name Karl Martin Sandberg) is that his background was as the frontman for a glam-metal band called It's Alive, and he's mostly self-taught when it comes to production and recording.

Martin isn't the only Swede that's hit the charts hard though. ABBA was a huge hit-maker in the 70s, Ace of Base for a brief period in the early 90s, and frequent Martin collaborator Shellback has written and produced hits with Usher, Adam Lambert, Katy Perry, Cher Lloyd, Kesha and One Direction among others separate from Martin.

Those Swedes know how to craft a pop tune.

Tips From Dr. Luke

Dr. Luke is one of the hottest producers around today, with hits under his belt from such big-sellers as Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Ke$ha ("Tik Tok" was the longest running #1 by a female artist since 1977), Kelly Clarkson, Pink and Flo Rida. You may think that some of the music he makes is very pop and commercial, but he's great at what he does and his work is very well crafted.

Dr. Luke's is insight is definitely worth checking out. Here he shows how he layers sounds to come up with a kick sound right for the track, and how he places it on the grid of the song.

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Britney Spears Real Vocals

Here's a great example of how someone with real talent can get warped by the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. Below you'll hear the real vocals of Britney Spears during her tour.

You're going to listen and say, "How is it that this girl got so far in the business?", but I urge you to keep an open mind. After you listen to the atrociousness of the first video, go to the second and have a listen, especially from about 1:00 onward.

This girl has some pipes! Or at least had them. It's hard to tell what her current vocal state really is with the so-called songs she now records being so unchallenging. Plus, when your fans care more about how you look and dance than how sound, the Brit has no reason to push herself.

I'm not a fan of Britney, especially of her music, and I don't want to be seen as an apologist for her. I don't believe for a single moment that she'll ever produce any kind of music that will last beyond a year, but I do think it's a real shame when someone lets any real talent they have waste away.

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Follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Don't forget to check out my Music 3.0 blog for tips and tricks on navigating the music business.

50 Top Selling Albums of 2008

Here are the global top 50 best selling albums for 2008, according to MusicWeek.

1 Coldplay Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends - EMI Music

2 AC/DC Black Ice - Sony Music

3 Various Artists Mamma Mia! The Movie Soundtrack  - Universal Music

4 Duffy Rockferry - Universal Music

5 Metallica Death Magnetic - Warner Music/Universal Music

6 Leona Lewis Spirit - Sony Music

7 Amy Winehouse Back To Black - Universal Music

8 Various Artists High School Musical 3: Senior Year  - Walt Disney Records/Universal Music/EMI Music

9 Lil Wayne Tha Carter III - Universal Music

10 Rihanna Good Girl Gone Bad - Universal Music

11 Madonna Hard Candy - Warner Music

12 Beyonce I Am... Sasha Fierce - Sony Music

13 P!nk Funhouse - Sony Music

14 Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy  - Universal Music

15 Britney Spears Circus - Sony Music

16 Jack Johnson Sleep Through The Static - Universal Music

17 Il Divo The Promise - Sony Music

18 Taylor Swift Fearless - Big Machine/Universal Music

19 Jonas Brothers A Little Bit Longer - Hollywood Records/Universal Music

20 Various Artists Camp Rock - OST Walt Disney Records/Universal Music/EMI Music

21 Kings Of Leon Only By The Night - Sony Music

22 Nickelback Dark Horse - Warner Music/EMI Music

23 Miley Cyrus Breakout - Walt Disney Records/Universal Music

24 Kid Rock Rock N Roll Jesus - Warner Music

25 Enya And Winter Came - Warner Music

26 Mariah Carey E=MC2 - Universal Music

27 Take That The Circus - Universal Music

28 The Killers Day & Age - Universal Music

29 Usher Here I Stand - Sony Music

30 T.I. Paper Trail - Warner Music

31 Kanye West 808’s & Heartbreak - Universal Music

32 Michael Jackson Thriller (25th Anniversary Edition) - Sony Music

33 Katy Perry One Of The Boys - EMI Music

34 Exile Exile Ballad Best - Avex Marketing Inc.

35 Ne-Yo Year Of The Gentleman - Universal Music

36 Amy Macdonald This Is The Life - Universal Music

37 Abba Gold  - Universal Music

38 Namie Amuro Best Fiction - Avex Marketing Inc.

39 Jonas Brothers Jonas Brothers  - Hollywood Records/Universal Music

40 Seal Soul  - Warner Music

41 Sugarland Love On The Inside - Universal Music

42 Celine Dion My Love Essential Collection  - Sony Music

43 Exile Exile Catchy Best  - Avex Marketing Inc.

44 Dido Safe Trip Home - Sony Music

45 Taylor Swift Taylor Swift  -Big Machine/Universal Music

46 Chris Brown Exclusive - Sony Music

47 Twilight Twilight - OST Warner Music

48 Jason Mraz We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. - Warner Music

49 OneRepublic Dreaming Out Loud - Universal Music

50 Various Artists Now Thats What I Call Music Vol. 71 - EMI Music

After looking at this list, a few observations come to mind:

1) Despite everything we hear about the Internet age and the new artist, if you're not on a major label you're not going to be a big seller.

2) Female artists dominated the charts, with 17 entries.

3) Rap and Hip-Hop, while still a presence, was down from previous years.

4) 15 albums were from artists who've had careers of at least 10 years.

5) Only 3 entries were from country music, and two of those from Taylor Swift.

6) There were four "Various Artists" compilations.

7) For better or for worse, Abba is alive and well, years after they've actively stopped making records. Like them or not, it's a testament to great songwriting and production.