Marty Erlichman, manager: Years ago, you'd go to William B. Williams, and if he liked it, he played it, you had a No. 1. Everybody that I read about now that has No. 1 records, they're out there working it.
Barbra Streisand: When I did Jimmy Fallon, it was 50 years since I'd done The Tonight Show. It was scary. I know that people want to hear me sing if they buy my records, but otherwise I have no idea if a small audience is going to respond. I never take that for granted.
Billboard 2014 Year in Music: See All of Our Coverage Here!
Rob Stringer, chairman/CEO, Columbia Records: The strategy was simple: We pushed Barbra and Marty, and they pushed us. We brought Barbra's fan base into the digital age.
Streisand: It's kind of a blast. I was thrilled to see how many people tweeted, Instagrammed or Facebooked my album. And now I've used it to promote awareness for women's heart disease.
Rewinding the Charts: 34 Years Ago, Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb Hit No. 1
Stringer: Every time she did something, we enlarged it. She said to me, "This better be No. 1."
Streisand: It's very meaningful. It means I've stood the test of time. I'm proud of myself. I never really said that before. I like being up there with the big boys. I'm up there with Elvis and The Beatles with the RIAA records [for the most gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums]. That means a lot, that I'm still there. "I'm Still Here" -- just like the great Stephen Sondheim song.
2014's No. 1's: J Balvin & Farruko | Idina Menzel & the 'Frozen' Soundtrack | Tove Lo, Kiesza, & Nick Jonas | Taylor Swift | Barbra Streisand | Weird Al Yankovic | Ed Sheeran & Charli XCX | Nicki Minaj | 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Soundtrack | Enrique Iglesias | Kacey Musgraves | Santana | Sam Smith | Iggy Azalea | Jason Derulo | Meghan Trainor, Nico & Vinz
This article first appeared in the Dec. 20 issue of Billboard.
