How to Include Merchandise with a Physical Album and Have It Count Towards the Billboard Charts
This guide outlines how to design, package, and secure approval for your music boxed set, ensuring its sales are recognized on the Billboard charts.
Note: To ensure compliance and eligibility, please see the full set of rules that are available in Luminate's Knowledge Base. Access requires a Music Connect account.
Defining a Boxed Set
A "boxed set" is a branded package containing music, merchandise, and memorabilia. Check out these examples for ideas.
- Carrie Underwood's Box Set: Contains an album and a t-shirt.
- Lana Del Rey's Box Set: Goes beyond the album, with extras like patches and litho prints.
- Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destruction Box Set: A creative box set, complete with Vinyl, CDs, unreleased music, pins, rings, tattoos, and much more.
How to Create Your Boxed Set
Follow these steps to create your own box set:
- Determine what you want to include in your boxed set.
- Contact the Billboard / Luminate Data (formerly MRC/SoundScan) team at least 4 weeks before your release date.
To create your packaging, here are some providers that offer customizable boxes:
- Emenac Packaging offers a wide variety of custom packaging and printing solutions.
- UPrinting can provide smaller quantities at affordable rates with plenty of customization.
- Packola has no minimum on custom orders and their boxes are made from recycled material and sustainably sourced.
Comply with Billboard's Regulations
Before finalizing your boxed set, ensure that it aligns with Billboard's regulations for boxed sets. Some points to consider (but not limited to):
- Items must be packaged in one complete shrink wrapped branded boxed package.
- The box that contains the items cannot be the shipping container.
- Individual items must be secured in their own compartment/slot.
- The box must have visible branding that represents the album or artist.
- The box set must have its own UPC, separate from any other versions or variants.
- The sale of the box set counts as one physical album sale.
- The box set must be made available for purchase by brick & mortar retailers .
- All box sets must be submitted to Billboard and Luminate Data (formerly MRC/SoundScan) 4 weeks in advance of street/release date for approval.
Submit for Approval
Once your boxed set is complete and meets all guidelines, you can submit it for approval using the submission form below.
Note: Please include high resolution images of what will be contained in the box or boxes, how they are branded, how the items are secured in the box, how the box itself is branded, etc.