A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music judging by the popularity during a given period of time. Although primarily a marketing or supermarketing tool like any other sales statistic, they have become a form of popular media culture in their own right.
Record charts are compiled using a variety of criteria. These commonly include sales of records, cassettes and compact discs; amount of radio airplay; requests to radio disk jockeys; voting for songs by the radio listeners and, more recently, number of downloads and streams.
Some charts are specific to a particular musical genre and most to a particular geographical location. The most common period of time covered by a chart is one week, with the chart being printed or broadcast at the end of this time. Summary charts for years and decades are then calculated from their component weekly charts. Component charts have become an increasingly important way to measure the commercial success of individual songs.
Reviewers often describe records using round number milestones within a chart. For example, a record that peaks at number 7 may be called a "Top 10" hit, even when there is no chart limited to only the top 10 records in that particular location.
Africa Egypt IFPI
Nigeria TurnTable Top TurnTable Top 100 chart (singles chart) TurnTable Top 100 Album (albums chart)
North Africa IFPI
South Africa The Official South African Charts
Asia China Billboard China China Top 100 China Airplay/FL Music Radio China Top Chart Awards
India IMI International Top 20 Singles India Songs
Indonesia IFPI Billboard Indonesia Billboard Indonesia Top 100
Israel Media Forest Mako Hitlist
Japan Billboard Japan Billboard Japan Hot 100 Billboard Japan Hot Albums Oricon Oricon Combined Singles Chart Oricon Combined Albums Chart Oricon Singles Chart Oricon Albums Chart
Malaysia IFPI RIM Charts
Philippines IFPI Official Philippines Chart Billboard Philippines Philippine Hot 100 Top Philippine Songs Philippine Top 20 Catalog Chart
Saudi Arabia IFPI
Singapore IFPI RIAS Top Charts
South Korea Circle Chart Circle Digital Chart Circle Album Chart Circle Social Chart Melon Chart
Thailand IFPI Thailand Top 100 by JOOX
United Arab Emirates IFPI
Vietnam IFPI Billboard Vietnam Vietnam Hot 100 Top Vietnamese Songs
Europe
Continental Europe European Hot 100 Singles European Top 100 Albums
Austria Ö3 Austria Top 40
Belgium Ultratop Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) Ultratop 50 Singles (Wallonia) Ultratop 200 Albums
Bulgaria PROPHON
Croatia Croatian Airplay Radio Chart
Czech Republic Rádio – Top 100
Denmark Hitlisten
Finland The Official Finnish Charts
France Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
Germany GfK Entertainment Charts
Greece Greek IFPI singles and albums charts Billboard Greece Greek Airplay Charts
Hungary Association of Hungarian Record Companies
Iceland Félag hljómplötuframleiðenda Tónlistinn – Lög (single) Tónlistinn – Plötur (album)
Ireland Irish Recorded Music Association Irish Singles Chart Irish Downloads Chart Irish Albums Chart Irish Independent Albums Chart
Italy Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana
Netherlands GfK Netherlands Single Top 100 Album Top 100
Norway VG-lista
Poland Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry Polish music charts OLiS
Portugal Top Oficial da AFP
Romania Romanian record charts: Romanian Top 100 (1995-2012)
Slovakia Rádio – Top 100
Slovenia SloTop50
Spain Productores de Música de España
Sweden Sverigetopplistan Tio i Topp (1961-1974) Svensktoppen (1962-1982, 1985-present)
Switzerland Swiss Hitparade
Turkey Billboard Türkiye Türkçe Top 20 Türkiye Top 20 Turkish Rock Top 20 Chart
Ukraine FDR Media TopHit
United Kingdom Official Charts Company UK Singles Chart UK Singles Downloads Chart Official Audio Streaming Chart Official Vinyl Singles Chart UK Albums Chart UK Album Downloads Chart Official Albums Streaming Chart Official Record Store Chart Official Vinyl Albums Chart UK Compilation Chart The Official Big Top 40 from Global
North America Canada Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Singles Chart RPM (1964-2000) Steede Report (1975-1979) Music Canada (1977-1979) The Record (1983-2001) CHUM Chart
Mexico Mexico Airplay (singles chart) Monitor Latino (singles chart) Top 100 Mexico (albums chart)
United States Billboard Billboard charts Billboard Hot 100 (singles chart) Billboard 200 (albums chart) Cash Box (magazine) (1942-1996, 2006-present) Mediabase Radio & Records Rolling Stone charts (2019-2021) JazzWeek US Albums Chart US Singles Chart
Oceania
Australia ARIA Charts ARIA Digital Track Chart ARIA Digital Album Chart
New Zealand Recorded Music NZ Official New Zealand Music Chart
South America
Argentina Billboard Argentina Hot 100 CAPIF charts
Brazil Billboard Brasil Hot 100 Crowley Charts Top Álbuns Brasil
Colombia National-Report
Venezuela Record Report
See also
Bibliography The following books list recording artists in alphabetical order unless otherwise stated.
Australia. Kent, David. Australian Chart Book 1940–1969: the hit songs and records from thirty years of specially compiled charts. Turramurra, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book, 2005 Australia. Kent, David. Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. Turramurra, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book, 1993 Australia. Kent, David. Australian Chart Book 1993–2009: the hit singles and albums from 17 years of Australia's national charts. Turramurra, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book, 2010 Australia. Kent, David. The Australian top 20 book (1940-2006): All the top 20 singles charts covering more than 67 years. Turramurra, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book, 2007 Australia. Ryan, Gavin. Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010: Containing ARIA Chart information from their Singles, Albums and Music DVD Charts. Mt Martha, Vic.: Moonlight Publishing, 2011 Australia. Barnes, Jim and Stephen Scanes. The Book: Top 40 Research 1956-2010. Gorokan, N.S.W.: Scanes Music Research, 2011 Austria. Wittmann, Wolfgang. Österreichisches Hitlexikon. 1956-1983/84. Graz: DBV Verlag, 1984 Belgium. Collin, Robert. Het Belgisch Hitboek: 45 jaar hits in Vlaanderen: 1954-1999. Lier: Vox, 1999 Belgium. Jaspers, Sam. Ultratop 20.000 hits!: 1995-2005. Deurne (Antwerpen): Book & Media Publishing, 2006 Canada. Lwin, Nanda. The Canadian singles chart book: 1975–1996. Mississauga, Ont.: Music Data Canada, 1996 Canada. Lwin, Nanda. Top 40 hits: the essential chart guide. Mississauga, Ont.: Music Data Canada, 2000 Canada. Lwin, Nanda. Top albums: the essential chart guide. Toronto: Music Data Research, 2003 Canada. Tarling, Brian. RPM's Pop Charted Songs: From June 24, 1964 to February 10, 1990. Burnaby, B.C.: Brian Tarling, 2015 854p. Canada. Tarling, Brian. RPM's Pop Charted Tracks: Hit Songs From Across Canada: 1990 to 2000. Burnaby, B.C.: Brian Tarling, 2018 432p. Denmark. Jensen, Andrew & Jan Poulsen. Hitlisten, alt om 2.015 hits på Tjeklisten. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 2005 Finland. Pennanen, Timo. Sisältää hitin: levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Helsingissä: Otava, 2006 Finland. Lassila, Juha. Mitä suomi soittaa?: hittilistat 1954-87. Jyväskylä: Jyväskylän yliopisto, Nykykulttuurin tutkimusyksikkö, 1990 France. Habib, Elia. Muz hit .tubes: tubes, numéros 1, disques d'or, charts, 1984-2002. Rouillon: Alinéa bis éd., 2002 France. King, Alex. Hit-parade: 20 ans de tubes. Paris: Editions Pascal, 2005 France. Suiveng, Yannick. Dictionnaire des tubes en France: 1950-2010, 60 ans de hits !. Domptin: Carrefour du net, 2010 Germany. Ehnert, Günter. Hit Bilanz: deutsche Chart Singles: 1956-1980. Hamburg: Taurus Press, 1990 Germany. Ehnert, Günter. Hit Bilanz: deutsche Chart Singles: 1981-1990. Hamburg: Taurus Press, 1994 Germany. Ehnert, Günter. Hit Bilanz: deutsche Chart Singles: 1991-2000. Hamburg: Taurus Press, 2002 Germany. Ehnert, Günter. Hit Bilanz: deutsche Chart Singles: 1956-2001 CD-ROM. Hamburg: Taurus Press, 2002 Germany. Ehnert, Günter. Hit Bilanz: Singles 1956-1980 Top 10. Hamburg: Taurus Press, 1990 chronological Germany. Ehnert, Günter. Hit Bilanz: Singles 1981-2000 Top 10. Hamburg: Taurus Press, 2001 chronological Germany. Ehnert, Günter. Hit Bilanz: LP 1962-1986. Hamburg: Taurus Press, 1988 Germany. Amtage, Jörg & Matthias Müller. Alle Hits aus Deutschlands Charts 1950-2005. Berlin: ePubli, 2022 (2 vols.) Germany. 30 Jahre Single-Hitparade die Jahres-Single-Hitparaden vom 20. Dez. 1959 bis 15. Dez. 1988. Starnberg: Keller, 1989 (Supplement: 40 Jahre Single-Hitparade: Ergänzungsband 1989-1998 (2000)) Ireland. Gogan, Larry. The Larry Gogan book of Irish chart hits. Dublin: Maxwell in association with RTÉ Radio 2, 1987 Ireland. Kelly, Eddie. The complete guide to Ireland's top ten hits 1954-1979. Dublin: Original Writing, 2010 Italy. Padovano, Romy. Hit parade: classifiche, dischi, artisti dagli anni '50 ai nostri giorni. Milan: Mondadori, 1997 Italy. Salvatori, Dario. 40 anni di hit parade italiana: [le canzoni, gli interpreti, i record e le curiosità di tutte le classifiche dal 1957 a oggi]. Firenze: Tarab, 1999 Italy. Spinetoli, John Joseph. Artisti In Classifica: I Singoli: 1960-1999. Milano: Musica e dischi, 2000 Italy. Spinetoli, John Joseph. Artisti In Classifica: I Album: 1970-1996. Milano: Musica e dischi, 1997 Japan. Single Chart-Book Complete Edition 1968–2010. Tokyo: Oricon, 2012 Japan. Album Chart-Book Complete Edition 1970–2005. Tokyo: Oricon, 2006 Netherlands. Hit dossier: 1939 tot 1998: samengesteld door Johan van Slooten met medewerking van de Stichting Nederlandse top 40. Haarlem: Becht, 1998 Netherlands. Top 40-Hitdossier: 1965-2025. Just Publishers, 2025 Netherlands. Arens, Bart, Edgar Kruize and Ed Adams. Mega Top 50 presenteert: 50 jaar hitparade: zoals wekelijks uitgezonden bij de publieke omroep tussen 1963 en 2013. Houten: Spectrum, Uitgeverij Unieboek, 2013 New Zealand. Freeman, Warwick. New Zealand Top 20 Singles of the Sixties. Warkworth: Warwick Raymond Freeman, 2016 205p. New Zealand. Scapolo, Dean. The complete New Zealand music charts, 1966–2006: singles, albums, DVDs, compilations. Wellington: Maurienne House, 2007 Norway. Gilde, Torre. Den store norske hitboka: en komplett guide til populaermuikken i norge 1958-1993. Oslo: Exlex, 1994 South Africa. Kimberley, C. South Africa Chart Book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 1997 Spain. Salaverri, Fernando. Sólo éxitos: 1959-2012. Madrid: Fundación SGAE, 2015 Sweden. Hallberg, Eric. Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10/7 1962-19/8 1975. Värmdö: Drift musik, 1993 Sweden. Hallberg, Eric and Ulf Henningsson. Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök 1961-74. Stockholm: Premium, 2012 Sweden. Wendt, Wille. Topplistan: the official Swedish single & album charts 1975–1993. Stockholm: Premium, 1993 Switzerland. Hufschmid, Gusty. 33 Jahre Schweizer Hitparade — Single Charts. Starnberg: J. Keller, 2001 United Kingdom. The Virgin book of British hit singles. Volume 2. London: Virgin Books, 2010 United Kingdom. The Virgin book of Top 40 charts. London: Virgin Books, 2010 chronological United Kingdom. The Virgin book of British hit albums. London: Virgin Books, 2009 United Kingdom. Warwick, Neil et al. The complete book of the British charts: singles & albums. London: Omnibus Press, 2004 Note: The four books above have been superseded by the Betts/OCC set of books, thus: United Kingdom. Betts, Graham. The Official Charts & Hits - The Fifties. London: Official UK Charts Company, 2020