The popular music singles that are recorded by the British record industry are organized by The Official UK Charts Company.  The data records start recording on Sundays, and then the following Saturday, the chart is published in Music Week magazine.  The chart is also published online on the web page called Yahoo! Music UK.  The site was formerly called ‘Dotmusic’.  The 6,500 retail shops in the UK provide the data to the chart company.  Online music stores, such as iTunes, also contribute their music data.  The USA records airplay data as well, but the airplay statistics in the UK are not recorded on the UK Singles Chart.  Many of the new singles are put on the shelves in shops on Mondays.

The chart consists of the top 200 songs as well as album sales and music downloads.  The Top 75 is usually thought of as the official chart.  However, only 40 of those listed will be available to the public.  The Top 200 Singles list, as well as the list for the Top 200 Artist Albums, are published in the ChartsPlus newsletter every Wednesday.  As of January 13 of 2008, there were 1,067 songs that had made it onto the UK Singles Chart. Many have questioned the accurate counts of the charts from the 1950s, through the 1980s.  During this time, sales were recorded manually.  However, the lists are enforced by the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles.  The list was then taken over by The Official UK Charts Company.  The latest song to hit the number one spot on the UK chart is “Now You’re Gone” by the group Basshunter.

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The music charts located in Australia are called the ARIA charts.  ARIA spells out Australian Recording Industry Association.  The charts record the most popular singles or albums that are sold or played in Australia.  ARIA began by organizing all of their most popular artist’s songs as of 1988.  Prior to 1988, the charts were called the ‘Kent Music Report’, which was later named the Australian Music Report.  The Australian report was later ended in 1999.

The ARIA charts are reported every Sunday night after 6 pm on the chart web page.  The printed version is released on Mondays.  Each report is listed according to data compared to the Monday of the week before.  The charts are organized from data that is collected from specific music retailers around Australia.  ‘Bricks and Mortar’ are the retailers who provide the information to ARIA.  The ‘Top 40 Digital Track’ and the ‘Top 100 Singles’ charts include statistics from specific online stores such as iTunes and BigPond music.  The charts began using data from online stores from October 8, 2006.  The Australian radio station ‘NOVA’ use the charts for their singles countdown special on their show.

As of 2006, the music retail stores associated with the ‘Brazin’ company that include Virgin and Sanity label music, as well as DVDs, would not provide data to ARIA charts.  However, five months later, the Brazin company changed their mind and decided to provide ARIA charts with sales statistics.  They reunited with ARIA charts on November 26, 2006.

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Billboard has been providing a list of the most popular songs for centuries.  The company uses a system called the Nielsen Soundscan that tracks the sale of singles, albums, videos, and DVDs.  The system works by registering when a product is purchased at a retail store.  However, the store has to use the Soundscan system in order for the purchase to be recorded.  Along with Soundscan, Billboard also tracks radio airplay by using a system called Broadcast Data Systems.  Each song that is played on the air has a “fingerprint” that allows the Data System to track when it is played.  Radio stations all over the world add up each musical fingerprint detection and calculate the airplay points.  Statistics for the airplay detection include how many people listened to the song and at what time of day was it listened to.

When Billboard was first made popular, a song had to be widely available to consumers as a single for it to be considered Billboard chart music.  During this time, Billboard did not use any data calculation systems.  Instead, they obtained their records from radio stations and stores who had to manually record when an album or single was sold or heard.  The country genre was the first to use the song detection scan in 1990.  They were soon followed by the R&B genre in 1991.  Before 1995, a song was allowed to make the charts if the sales were based solely on airplay.  After 1995, a single was not allowed to make the charts unless it had airplay points and sale revenue.  Because of this factor, there were several tracks that could be listed as number one.

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A music chart is also referred to as a record chart. Music charts are a successful way of ranking songs that are based on popularity during a certain amount of time. Several record charts that are popular are the Hit Parade, Hot 100, and the Top 40. The charts were first made as a marketing tool; however, they quickly expanded into a type of media culture. If a song is listed on a music chart, then it is said to be a very successful song.

Music charts are organized using specific strategies. The recording of sales for records, cassettes, CDs, DVDs, and videos are the basic statistics. Radio airplay is also recorded as well as the requests that disk jockeys receive and the number of current music downloads from the computer. There are several charts online where listeners can vote for specific songs to be placed on the charts.

Several charts are specifically for a type of music genre or a specific region. Most charts are organized on a one-week time limit. The charts from each month are then combined into one chart to be kept for an annual count. The charts are a popular way of calculating the success of individual songs to make sure that the artist receives credit. Songs are recorded using numbers that are usually rounded off to the highest number. If a song is close to being ranked a number 7, then it will be considered a “Top 10” hit. By rounding off the number it allows other songs to be considered in the Top 10 as well.

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Alicia Keys has been the leader on the Billboard chart music list for the past few months.  Her new single “As I Am” is the reason for her latest success.  Keys, who is only 27 years old, presents a personality full of wisdom.  Her music is filled with her “old soul” style of experience.  The songs that she plays have been said to melt the heart of any person.  The song, “Songs in A Minor”, was the song that first placed her on the charts.  The song was also her debut that she produced under the Clive Davis J Records label.  There are many genres in the song such as R&B, hip-hop, classical, and jazz.

The first day that her album was on the shelves, there were 50,000 copies sold.  The revenue did not end there.  During the week that the album was released, similar statistics were recorded.  Alicia Keys was a mystery to all.  No one had ever heard of her before, and with her jaw dropping first song, many people were eager to know more.  People in Alicia’s life first realized her talent when she was a choir major at the Professional Performance Arts School in Manhattan.  While attending the school, she obtained vocal advice from a teacher.  At age 16, Keys graduated from the school and enrolled in Columbia University.  However, Keys quickly realized that music was still calling her name, and she eventually left Columbia.  In 1998, she was signed with Arista Records.  Clive Davis, the man who helped produce her debut song, was an employee at Arista when she was signed.  He left the company, made his own label, and Alicia followed him, which brings us now to her current success.

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Mary J. Blige has recently been listed on the Billboard’s Top 200 list for her song “Growing Pains”. Mary J. has been one of the top R&B artists since 1992. Her first debut was “What’s the 411?” Not only were her fans amazed by her mix of R&B and unique rap sound, but critics were surprisingly impressed as well. Mary J. writes and sings about things that are important to her or have played a significant part in her life. Her top chart music does not contain poetic words, but the songs are the story of her life. Mary J. had a very difficult childhood while growing up in New York.

Mary J. has matured greatly since the beginning of her career. She has evolved from having blonde hair and combat boots, to a successful businesswoman in designer clothes. Either way, girls all across the world have turned to her music to heal their wounds. Mary was first discovered when Uptown Records heard a tape of her singing karaoke. She was signed and her urban sound has been popular ever since. Sean P. Diddy Combs has been her mentor ever since the debut of her first album. Combs also helped her to write and produce the songs on the album. Mary has been compared to Chaka Khan and Aretha Franklin. Her second album, “Mary”, was just as successful as the first. Artists such as Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Lauryn Hill contributed material to the album. Her latest songs about peace, pain, and harmony have touched the souls of many.

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Similar to the Billboard charts, the Hit Parade is also a list of songs that are categorized by popularity during a certain time period.  The term ‘hit parade’ was first introduced in the 1930s when broadcast stations played the popular program called ‘Your Hit Parade’.  The program was on the radio and television for many years.  Songs were originally submitted to the public in a sheet music form.  Artists were encouraged to get the word out about their song by using different formats such as chart music lists.

The music chart list was an organized list of a single, released by an artist, not an actual album.  In the early years, songs were reproduced by multiple artists.  Popular radio stations were required to release the work from local talent artists and, because the time space was limited, the music charts became useful.  Songs that were produced by multiple artists were not well liked by fans.  An artist covering a song was considered to be another way for them to compete for placement on the charts or to compete for airplay.

Apparently, ‘Your Hit Parade’ was almost canceled when singer Snooky Lanson tried to reproduce “Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley.  The program was taken off the air in 1959 but the term Hit Parade is still used.  The Hit Parade lists all of the songs that are most popular during the recent production.  The term Hit Parade was introduced to the public again during the early 1970s with the production of an automatic music format by the Drake Chenault Company.  The program was presented on many radio stations.

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