Charts: The data behind the hit rankings

Charts: The data behind the hit rankings

Luminate receives direct sales, streaming and airplay figures from over 500 providers worldwide. We validate chart-eligible activity, apply equivalent formulas and create the industry’s most widely-referenced music charts.


The Billboard charts are built with Luminate data every week. But CONNECT subscribers get much more than the final weekly rankings. Go to Charts to analyze chart activity in detail.


Open Charts from the CONNECT sidebar menu.


The Charts feature compiles Billboard and Luminate charts in a searchable database. Each chart includes a customizable grid view with activity breakouts, week-over-week metrics and options to sort, filter and export data.

Chart frequency

Most charts cover one week at a time. An industry-standard chart week starts on Friday and ends the following Thursday. Final charts from the last completed chart week appear in CONNECT on Mondays.


Charts labeled Daily or Forecast are “building charts” that refresh each day with new cumulative totals for the current week. Charts not labeled Daily or Forecast are published weekly.


Publication delays and alerts

Sometimes, we hold publication of weekly charts due to data verification issues or processing delays. When this happens, we’ll email subscribers beforehand, usually by Sunday evening, and post an alert in CONNECT.


The best place to check for updates on delayed charts is directly in the CONNECT platform. Once we resolve the issue(s), we publish validated charts as soon as possible and post a follow-up alert in CONNECT to confirm release. 



 



Back to User Guide 

Charts home

The Charts landing page always displays a pinned preview (first 5 entries) of the top two suggested charts for your location. Click FULL CHART > at top right to see the entire chart.

Change Location to update pinned charts
Global charts: Location:Worldwide

Set Location to Worldwide to see the Global Billboard 200 and Global 200 Excl. U.S. charts at the top of the page.  


Hits of the World: Choose a country

Select a country from the Location dropdown to see a Billboard Hits of the World or Global Songs chart, if available.


All global charts (i.e. everything outside the U.S. and Canada) are ranked by Stream Equivalent units. 

Why can't I change the Time Frame?

The Charts home page only displays a snapshot of current charts, which reflect the previous week’s consumption. To see past weeks, open a specific chart.




Scroll down to browse the charts database or search for a chart. 


Explore charts 

Start typing in the Search bar to filter results by chart title or keyword (ex. "Latin," "Daily").



Song and Album charts for your selected location are listed in rows below. Apply Chart Owner or Genre filters to narrow both categories. 
Chart Owner

Choose whether to include Billboard and/or Luminate charts.




Billboard sales and streaming charts are governed by Billboard’s eligibility rules and published via their official channels. 

Luminate charts offer additional insight into activity types, genres and metrics not ranked by Billboard. In some cases, they expand on a Billboard chart. For example, the Luminate Hits chart uses the Hot 100 Song Equivalent formula, but with daily updates, no release age limitations and a depth of 200 songs.


Genre
Select Billboard or Luminate, then choose one or more genres and subgenres from the checklist to narrow chart results.

Billboard and Luminate genres are slightly different. If you’ve selected Chart Owner:Billboard, the available Genre Database options will default to Billboard; same goes for selecting Luminate. 



Some higher-level genre categories may comprise multiple genre charts (ex. Country, Bluegrass and Folk). 

Click APPLY CHANGES and close the Genre menu to see filtered chart results.



All available charts are displayed as thumbnail-style chart cards that list the title, owner, genre and last published date. 
Browse chart cards
Song and Album charts are listed in separate rows.

Page from side to side (carousel style) to see all charts within your parameters for location, chart owner and genre. 




 




View chart details 

Click any chart card to open a full chart. The topmost section shows a chart description, most recent publication date and key metadata.

Chart metadata
Owner
Billboard or Luminate

Chart Type
Type of metric used to create the chart ranking. We rank by:
  1. Consumption: Weighted album or song equivalent units 
  2. Airplay: Unweighted Airplay Spins or Airplay Audience totals 
  3. Sales: Unweighted total units sold.
Refer to the Chart types section below for more details. 

Genre 
If applicable. 

Published date
Date of most recent release. Daily charts are updated each day throughout the week. Weekly charts are (usually) published the Monday after the chart week ends. Daily or weekly charts may be delayed and/or republished at any time throughout the week. Chart publication dates reflect the latest updated version. 


Change Time Frame to see past charts
Most charts open to the most recent published edition. For weekly charts, this covers the last full chart week. For daily charts, this covers the week in progress up to the date of publication listed at top right. 

Open Time Frame in the top menu bar to navigate to a past chart by date or by week number. You can only view one chart/one week at a time. 

Past versions of daily and forecast charts can only be viewed in weekly increments. These capture their end-of-week "final form," i.e. the last version that ran during the week. It's not possible to "step back" through day-by-day building charts.


Below, chart entries appear to the left as a scrollable list of condensed preview rows.


On the upper right, an expansion pane lists weekly chart history for any entry, including weeks on the chart, highest (Peak) position and lowest position. Use < and > to browse past chart positions. Chart History can only be viewed for one entry at a time. (By default, it opens on position #1). Click any other chart row to see history for that entry instad. 
Search and filter chart entries
Start typing in the search bar to filter any chart by title, artist or imprint. Results will appear with ranking numbers preserved.

Clear the search bar to return to the full chart ranking.

Expand chart grids
Condensed charts only list one figure: the total units used for ranking (album equivalent sales, streams, etc). This is always displayed in the leftmost data column.

Click Expand to see a full chart grid with more detailed metrics.
Expanded chart grids break out the components that make up the total ranking figure: weighted streams, on-demand streams, total song sales, etc. These are listed in columns to the right of the total. 


Refer to the Chart types section below for more detailed explanations of these figures.


Filter and customize columns
Adjust grid view options from the menu bar to the right.

Choose Filters, Columns or Metrics to filter the chart by genre, add/remove columns and customize the data shown. 





Different charts use different ranking criteria. Chart grids for various chart types may include more or fewer metrics and breakouts.

See below for how to read each type of chart grid. 





Chart types

All charts in CONNECT are based on streams, sales and/or Airplay metrics that meet Billboard’s eligibility criteria. Charts that incorporate streaming use official streams only (i.e. not UGC). 


Charts may be ranked by equivalent (weighted) or total (unweighted) units. 



Song charts 

Most song charts use a variation of the Song Equivalent or Stream Equivalent ratio. Refer to those here.

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 (U.S.) and Billboard Canadian Hot 100 rank Song Equivalent units with Billboard recurrent rules applied. 


A full Hot 100 chart grid does not list component metrics. It includes only one column: the Song Equivalent total.





Other "Hot" charts

The Bubbling Under Hot 100 (U.S.) ranks the top 25 songs that have not yet reached the Hot 100 according to the same criteria..


Genre-specific “Hot” charts may be subject to different recurrent rules.




Luminate Hits
The Luminate Hits weekly chart ranks Song Equivalent units with no recurrent rules. It provides a comprehensive breakdown of the metrics that make up a Song Equivalent.

Luminate Hits - Daily is a day-by-day building version of the above.


Due to the level of detail, even the expanded version of a Luminate Hits chart grid won’t display all columns at once. Scroll from side to side or open the Columns menu at right to remove component metrics from the grid.


From left to right:

Song Equivalent = Total Song Equivalent figure used to rank the chart

Song Sales = Total digital song sales, unweighted 

Audio Streams = Total audio streams, unweighted

Video Streams =  Total video streams, unweighted

Single Sales = Total physical single sales, unweighted

Airplay Audience = Total Airplay Audience, unweighted

Song Equivalent/Streams = Weighted audio streams + video streams

Song Equivalent/Audio Streams = Weighted audio streams

Song Equivalent/Video Streams = Weighted video streams

Song Equivalent/Song Sales = Weighted digital song sales (same as unweighted digital song sales)

Song Equivalent/Airplay = Weighted Airplay Audience total

Premium Streams = Total premium streams, unweighted

Ad-Supported Streams = Total ad-supported streams, unweighted

Song Equivalent/Premium Streams = Weighted premium streams

Song Equivalent/Ad-Supported Streams = Weighted ad-supported streams


Total Song Equivalent = sum of weighted components*


*and unweighted single sales


All streams on a Luminate Hits chart comprise both on-demand and programmed activity.



Top 200 Songs

The Luminate Top 200 Songs chart is a streaming-focused song consumption chart ranked on an alternate Song Equivalent ratio with no physical single sales, Airplay or Programmed activity included. 


Scroll from side to side or open the Columns menu at right to remove component metrics from the Song Equivalent grid.



From left to right:

Song Equivalent = Total Song Equivalent figure used to rank the chart

Song Equivalent/Streams = Weighted on-demand audio streams + video streams

Song Equivalent/Song Sales = Weighted digital song sales (same as unweighted digital song sales)

Premium Streams = Total on-demand premium streams, unweighted

Ad-Supported Streams = Total on-demand ad-supported streams, unweighted

Audio Streams = Total on-demand audio streams, unweighted

Video Streams =  Total on-demand video streams, unweighted

Song Sales = Total digital song sales, unweighted 

Song Equivalent/Audio Streams = Weighted on-demand audio streams

Song Equivalent/Video Streams = Weighted on-demand video streams

Song Equivalent/Premium Streams = Weighted on-demand premium streams

Song Equivalent/Ad-Supported Streams = Weighted on-demand ad-supported streams


Total Song Equivalent = sum of weighted components



All streams on a Top 200 Songs chart are on-demand only, not programmed. 


Daily/Forecast song charts
Daily and Forecast charts are day-by-bay building charts published throughout the current week. 

Luminate Hits - Daily
Luminate [Genre] Hits - Daily
Luminate Canadian Hits - Daily
Luminate Top 200 Songs - Daily
Luminate Top 200 Songs - Forecast
Luminate Canadian Top 200 Songs - Daily
Luminate Canadian Top 200 Songs - Forecast

Daily charts are simply cumulative daily totals. Total and component metrics increase gradually throughout the week as we add new days of data.

Forecast charts start out the same as daily charts, but at midweek we begin applying a 7-day logic to daily totals to account for potential missing data. By the end of the week, a Forecast chart should more closely approximate the final published version.

Billboard does not publish daily charts. All daily and forecast versions of Billboard charts are proxies created by Luminate to support daily tracking during the chart week. They do not present official rankings and may not match final weekly charts published by Billboard.


 

Album charts

Album consumption charts use a variation of the Album Equivalent ratio to rank entries, though some album charts are ranked on pure sales figures.

Billboard 200

The Billboard 200 and Billboard Canadian Albums charts are ranked on Album Equivalents. 


The Total figure in the leftmost column indicates the number of Album Equivalent units for the week. Other columns list the weighted and unweighted component metrics that go into an Album Equivalent.

From left to right:

Total = Total Album Equivalent figure used to rank the chart

Album Sales = Total product sales, unweighted 

Song Sales = Total digital song sales, unweighted 

Audio Streams = Total on-demand audio streams, unweighted

Video Streams =  Total on-demand video streams, unweighted

Streams (Album Equivalent) = Weighted on-demand audio streams + video streams

Song Sales (Album Equivalent) = Weighted digital song sales 


Total Album Equivalent = sum of album sales + weighted components



Billboard 200 - Daily/Forecast
Daily and Forecast versions of Billboard 200 charts present day-by-day cumulative totals throughout the week.

At the end of the week, modeled indie sales figures are added to CONNECT and reflected in both Daily and Forecast charts. The final version of a Daily or Forecast album chart, usually published by Saturday, reflects the adjusted total sales figure from the end of the week. 

Billboard does not publish daily charts. All daily and forecast versions of Billboard charts are proxies created by Luminate to support daily tracking during the chart week. They do not present official rankings and may not match final weekly charts published by Billboard.

Top Albums by genre

Top [Genre] Albums charts are ranked on Album Equivalents and filtered by genre. These are only published weekly.


Examples:



Album Sales charts
Top [Format] Albums charts are ranked on unweighted Product Sales with various filters applied for Format, Release Age, Store Strata, etc. 


 






Export charts

Click at top right to export any chart as a CSV or Excel file. 


You can only view or export one chart at a time. 
Get historical charts
Find past versions of any chart by changing the Time Frame to a different chart week.


Chart export file names

CONNECT automatically generates file names for exports. They include the chart title (usually combining Genre/chart owner/location + ranking type), chart time frame, and an automatically generated unique timestamp.

            Chart title_WK[YYYY][WW]_[timestamp]      


A CSV export of the Country & Folk On-Demand Streaming chart for Week 37 of 2024 looks like this:

Country_&_Folk_On-Demand_Streaming_WK202437_1726777911244.csv


A U.K. hits chart for the same week exported to Excel looks like this:

Global_Hits_United_Kingdom_WK202437_1726874093966.xlsx


 



Chart FAQs

Why can’t I change the Time Frame? 

The Charts home page displays current chart previews only. To see past weeks, open a specific chart.



Why can’t I select a custom date range? 

Charts cover one week at a time. Set Time Frame to a different week to see a past week’s chart. 


To combine multiple chart weeks or replicate a chart not found in our database, build a custom Ranking Report. Note that Ranking Reports may not apply the same exclusions as a given chart. But a Release Group Ranking based on Product Sales (for example) can be an effective proxy for an album sales chart. 



Are these the same charts published by Billboard?

Charts labeled “Billboard” are the official Billboard charts. Those charts are also published on Billboard.com and in Billboard magazine. The Billboard-published versions display the same rankings, but without the detailed metrics and activity breakouts visible in CONNECT.



Does CONNECT get the charts early? 

As a rule, yes. Billboard traditionally releases final charts for the previous week on Tuesdays, but CONNECT publishes them on Mondays. (We also publish Daily and Forecast charts for the week in progress with day-by-day cumulative totals). 


Sometimes, Luminate and Billboard delay releasing the charts until we can validate or finish processing the data.



How can I tell whether a chart is an official Billboard chart?

Official Billboard charts show Chart Owner: Billboard and a Billboard logo in the top Details section or in the chart preview card. Non-Billboard charts list the chart owner as Luminate. 



Why are some charts Luminate charts instead of Billboard charts? 

We generate Luminate charts for daily song consumption, plus some genres and Airplay Formats not covered by official Billboard charts. Some Luminate charts show deeper rankings and more breakouts than the Billboard versions.



How can I see the Billboard Global 200 charts?

CONNECT hosts official Billboard Global 200 and Global 200 Excl. U.S. charts. On the Charts home page, set Location to Worldwide to see a preview of both global charts. Click VIEW FULL CHART to open either one. 



How can I see the Billboard Hits of the World charts?

CONNECT hosts either official Billboard Hits of the World charts or Luminate Global charts for most countries. To see country-level charts, set Location to any available country from the top menu bar. The current Billboard or Luminate song chart for that country will automatically appear.



Why don’t you host every country-level Billboard chart?

In some countries, Billboard charts are published by a local Billboard licensee, who may incorporate additional data and apply different methodology. When this happens, we generate a Luminate version of that chart in CONNECT using our Stream Equivalent ratios. 


Select a country from the Location menu to pull up that country’s chart. The Chart Owner label designates whether it’s a Billboard or Luminate chart.



How do you calculate global charts?

The Billboard Global 200, Global 200 Excl. U.S. and official Hits of the World charts are song charts. These charts rank songs based on Stream Equivalent activity. 


Our Stream Equivalent ratios convert streams and song sales into premium stream units. Exact ratios vary among global charts to capture worldwide and country-level consumption patterns. Read more here. 










More to know 

Methodology 101: How Luminate collects, models and measures music data

Equivalent weighting: Measuring music consumption

About Genres: How Luminate classifies music






    • Related Articles

    • About the Charts: Eligibility guidelines and review process

      Luminate is the most comprehensive global provider of data and analytics to the entertainment industry. In addition to our suite of productivity tools, we power the Billboard Charts, the industry-standard measurement of music consumption. The CONNECT ...

    • Charts: Streaming film and TV rankings

      Luminate uses a viewership modeling formula to create film and TV streaming charts based on weekly minutes watched. Go to Charts to see the latest rankings and browse past weeks. Navigation Open Charts in the SV(M) sidebar menu and choose Movies or ...

    • Data Controls: Activity Types, Breakout Views and filters

      Dashboards generate dynamic charts, graphs and grids based on your selections for Location, Time Frame and Activity Type. These can always be set from the top menu bar. Beyond these three essential settings, CONNECT offers an array of tools to ...

    • Reporting sales and streaming: Become a data provider

      Luminate receives verified music consumption data directly from thousands of reporting partners across the industry and around the world. Our data partners help us maintain CONNECT as a source of trusted, essential information for the entertainment ...

    • Worldwide and country-level data: List of available countries

      Go to Data Sources to see country-level provider availability in-app. CONNECT ingests consumption data from over 250 countries and territories around the world. Our worldwide consumption figures reflect the global aggregate. In addition, we break out ...

    • Popular Articles

    • Quickstart Guide: Set up CONNECT in minutes

      Whether you’re a new user or already have a Luminate account, here’s how to log in, access the CONNECT platform and start uncovering music insights. Back to Getting Started Quickstart steps If you already have a Luminate account for something else, ...

    • Troubleshooting login and access issues

      Locked out of your Luminate account? Can’t log in to CONNECT? Getting a mysterious error message? Our Support team can help — but first, try our troubleshooting tips. See below for common login problems and our recommended solutions. Back to Getting ...

    • Troubleshooting guide: Quick fixes to common problems

      If you’ve hit a CONNECT roadblock—access issues, error messages, apparent bugs—don’t despair! There could be a simple solution. Use this guide to narrow down the problem and/or make it easier to explain to Client Support. First, review our best ...

    • Methodology 101: How Luminate collects, models and measures music data

      Luminate tracks music consumption activity. We do this by ingesting reported activity from thousands of data sources. We use that data to construct and maintain a musical entity database. This allows us to attach metadata and activity to artists, ...

    • Glossary: Acronyms, key terms and definitions

      Key terms and acronyms used in CONNECT. Back to Terms and Concepts Back to How It Works A ATD Activity to Date Combined total activity, starting from the earliest year for which CONNECT has complete data and ending with the selected time frame. ATD ...