Notability
Sources
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Very few musicians are suitable for inclusion in Wikipedia.

There are millions upon millions of musicians in the world, but only a small percentage (less than a tenth of a percent) of them are appropriate for inclusion into the encyclopedia. The general rule for musicians is that there must be enough reliable, third-party information to demonstrate public interest in the individual. Musicians who satisfy at least one of the items below may merit their own Wikipedia articles, as there is likely to be a good deal of verifiable information available about them and a good deal of public interest in them. This list is not exclusionary, but rather illustrates examples of level of notability required for Wikipedia:

Notability

If a topic has received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject, it is presumed to satisfy the inclusion criteria for a stand-alone article.

A musician or ensemble (note that this includes a band, singer, rapper, orchestra, hip hop crew, DJ, musical theatre group, etc.) is notable if meeting any one of the following criteria:

  • Has been featured in multiple non-trivial published works in reliable and reputable media (excludes school newspapers, personal blogs, etc.).
  • Has had a hit on a national music chart in at least one large or medium-sized country.[୧]
  • Has had a record certified gold or higher in at least one large or medium-sized country.
  • Has released two or more albums on a major label or one of the more important indie labels (i.e. an independent label with a history of more than a few years and a roster including several notable performers).
  • Has won a major music award, such as a Choice Music Prize, Grammy Award, Juno Award or Mercury Prize.


A song or album is notable if it meets any of the following:

  • Has won a major award
  • Is an official anthem of a notable state, region, province or territory
  • Is a musical standard (e.g. a pop or jazz standard)
  • Is a folk song, hymn or Christmas carol with a documented history of more than fifty years


A note on advertising: Many Wikipedians are averse to the use of Wikipedia for advertising. In addition, using Wikipedia for advertising has been against official policy for a very long time. To this end, should your article submission read like an advertisement, it will most likely be rejected and speedily deleted.


Does your proposed article meet the notability requirements?

My proposed article is about notable music or musician(s)


My proposed article could be considered advertising (help!)


My proposed article is about possibly non-notable music or musician(s) (what can I do?)

Notes ସମ୍ପାଦନା

  1. There are, at present, no precise definitions of a "small", "medium" or "large" country in this context. However, a very limited definition of "small" will generally be used, excluding only a few of the world's smallest countries.