Where does CONNECT get all that data? How do you calculate chart rankings? Why is this specific release type eligible or not eligible? What’s an Equivalent?
We’re happy to take questions about our methodology, data collection procedures and analytical approach. FAQs are sorted by topic below.
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Luminate tracks data related to music consumption: all the different ways people listen to music. CONNECT defines main consumption activities: Streams, Product Sales, Song Sales and Airplay.
We also maintain a library of metadata for artists, products and recordings, which we use to build and organize the CONNECT database.
Luminate is an independent third-party data tracking and analytics provider. As an industry standard source for music consumption data, we receive verified sales and streaming figures directly from the major labels, retailers and streaming DSPs every day. We also receive data from partnerships with other measurement organizations (i.e. Mediabase, StreetPulse) and databases.
The CONNECT platform authenticates, ingests, aggregates and visualizes the data.
See Data sources for more.
Songs must be registered with us at the Recording level with individual ISRCs. Albums must be registered at the Product level with ICPNs. Learn more about Recording and Product registration here.
ISRC and ICPN data helps us build database entries for Songs, Releases and Release Groups; we then use metadata to group music by genre and attach titles to the correct artists.
CONNECT tracks musical entities using alphanumeric identifiers including Luminate IDs, ISRCs and ICPNs. ISRCs are attached to song recordings; ICPNs comprise all product barcodes; ISNIs are unique identifiers for musical artists. These universal codes help identify and differentiate musical entities across the industry.
Read more about identifiers here.
Register songs and artists with Music Data Enrichment (Quansic) to receive an official ISRC (Recording) or ISNI (Artist) identifier. You can register one entity at a time.
Usually, artist information comes to us from our data partners. We use this data to create Artist Dashboards. Sometimes, we don’t receive enough metadata to generate a complete Dashboard.
We accept submissions for individual artists via our Artist Registration Form. Be sure to include all required ID codes and metadata.
Performers listed as Main Artist(s) for an item have 100% of consumption activity for that item tracked on their Dashboards. We attribute collaborations to both (or all) credited Main Artists equally. (Yes, this means consumption is “double-counted” a.k.a. attributed to both artists at once).
When possible, we also track collaborations as a unit. Sometimes, we don't get enough metadata to create a collaboration Dashboard. We are working on enhanced logic to identify collaborations and expect this to improve over time.
Not at this time. Only the Main Artist(s) on a song have activity for that song tracked on Dashboards. We plan to attribute fractional (<100%) consumption activity to Featured and Remix artists in the future.
For individual performers, Country of Origin = their place of birth. For bands/musical groups, Country of Origin = location where the group was founded/formed.
Activity to Date (ATD) starts 1/1/2014 in the U.S. and Canada and includes Streams, Song Sales and Product Sales.
Worldwide ATD starts with Week 1 of 2019 and includes Streams and Song Sales only.
Yes, but not immediately. We have legacy U.S. consumption data from before 2014; we’ll add it to CONNECT in the future. For now, we can pull limited U.S. and Canada data from 2004-2014 by request (and within reason). Email help@luminatedata.com to request historical consumption data; a team member will get in touch to discuss further.
CONNECT displays country-level data for over 60 countries. Complete worldwide data comprises 250+ countries, but not all data can be displayed at the country level.
We add countries when we’re able to track streaming and song sales from a minimum number of providers that meet our requirements.
We report country-level data when certain requirements have been met. We need regularly reported, verifiable data from within that country from a minimum number of providers that can attribute and segment Streams and Song Sales.
If we get limited data from a country via a major global provider, it may still be included in Worldwide totals.
See countries listed by data availability here.
Within the app, use the Location dropdown or Data Controls menu to browse the countries for which we have consumption data. You can also export some location data in grid form.
Sometimes, we do not receive enough data that meets our requirements during a particular time period. Providers may be temporarily unavailable, submit incomplete data or stop reporting within a country.
When this happens, we don’t report country-level data for the affected date(s). Some provider data may still be included in Worldwide totals, but you may see a gap or trend break for a specific location.
This issue is uncommon starting in 2022. Most country-level data beginning in Week 1 of 2022 is complete and continuous.
Luminate receives audio streaming data (both on-demand and programmed) as well as digital song sales directly from major providers in the U.S, Canada and worldwide. These include Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Pandora, SoundCloud, Melon and many more.
See Streaming data providers for details and a sample list.
Luminate receives on-demand video streaming data directly from major providers in the U.S, Canada and worldwide, including YouTube, Spotify and Vevo.
See Streaming data providers for details and a sample list.
Yes. We track streaming activity for official audio and video content as well as UGC (user-generated content). Total streams include Official and UGC streaming. We do not exclude UGC.
See Activity Types:Creation Category for details.
Creation Category filtering on Dashboards (via Data Controls) is available for some account types. However, we do not permit Creation Category filtering for all users. Talk to your Luminate account representative to discuss UGC breakout options.
UGC streams (Song UGC / Non-Song UGC) are not eligible for Billboard charting. Only Official streams count towards the Billboard charts. However, certain Luminate (non-Billboard) charts may include UGC streams. Eligibility rules and weighting can vary between charts.
We receive sales figures directly from thousands of retail data providers in the U.S. and Canada.
See Active retailers for details and a sample list.
No. Product sales are only reported within the U.S. and Canada.
If you set your location to a different country or to Worldwide, CONNECT will display Song Sales, Streams, and/or Stream Equivalent metrics only.
Our data collection methods account for the majority of music retail. We get direct sales data (online and storefront) from the largest retailers; aggregated independent retail data comes to us via our partnership with StreetPulse. Many independent stores also report to us directly.
Some indie retail activity (local chains, individual stores, online sellers) is not reported to Luminate. In the past, we used weighting to estimate this remainder. Starting in 2024, our data scientists developed a mathematical model to calculate missing retail figures more accurately; independent retail totals in CONNECT now include modeled data.
We’ve applied the new indie retail model to sales data beginning in Week 1 of 2024. Retail data through the end of 2023 still incorporates the older weighting formula. We have no plans to restate indie modeled data from before 2024.
Indie modeling is applied weekly and added to Independent totals at the end of each chart week.
Daily Product Sales for the week in progress (Current Week/Building Week) are unweighted; they do not include indie modeled figures. You may see a bump in independent sales figures for the previous chart week after weekly data processing has been completed.
We get direct venue sales data via our partnership with atVenu.
Negative song sale values are not a bug. It’s not unusual for an artist, song or album to display negative song sales in the week(s) immediately following an album release.
Some DSPs permit users who purchased songs digitally before an album’s release to buy the remainder of the album later (“Complete My Album”). When the full album becomes available, those individual songs are automatically “returned” to the DSP, which can offset the cost of the user’s digital album purchase.
In CONNECT, we track this action as one product sale—but to avoid double-counting song sales, those “returned” songs are subtracted from Song Sale totals. If enough listeners choose to complete their album purchases on release date, overall Song Sales can turn negative.
Yes. Physical and online retailers as well as streaming DSPs can apply to become Luminate data providers. You must meet our minimum qualifications, perform a test data share and execute a Provider Agreement with Luminate.
Review provider requirements and start your application here.
Yes. CONNECT tracks two radio metrics: Airplay Spins and Airplay Audience.
Future platform updates will add Airplay charts, Metro Radio Streaming Reports and Airplay-related filters.
Luminate receives Airplay data from two sources: Mediabase and MediaMonitors. Mediabase reports Airplay consumption metrics and metadata; MediaMonitors provides additional metadata.
Mediabase uses audio recognition technology to detect when a song is being broadcast on a radio station. They monitor stations across the U.S. and Canada.
Airplay Audience = the number of people that heard a song on the radio in a given time frame. The audience for one spin is calculated based on market and time of day; a spin at noon in a large market draws a smaller audience than a spin at midnight in a small market.
BDS (formerly Nielsen BDS) was a unit of Luminate Data that tracked Airplay until 2022. Like Mediabase, BDS used digital pattern recognition technology to detect spins and calculated audience based on market and time of day.
In 2022, we replaced BDS with Mediabase as our Airplay data partner. However, we did not restate historical Airplay data. Pre-2022 Airplay data was originally reported by BDS.
Yes, for some charts. Certain Hot 100 charts incorporate weighted Airplay spins. The Billboard Radio Songs chart is based on Airplay Audience. In addition, designated Airplay format charts rank radio performance by drawing data from select stations (format panels).
We track Airplay Spins and Airplay Audience in the U.S. and Canada—sometimes literally. Airplay activity is attached to an originating radio station and assigned to a market based on the station’s ZIP code. But some stations near the U.S.-Canada border can be heard in both countries (in markets like Buffalo, Detroit, Toronto, etc).
To account for this on the Airplay charts, several U.S. and Canada format panels include stations from both countries. Even if you don’t filter by format, Airplay data usually includes some cross-border activity.
On Dashboards, Activity by Location allows you to view the remainder of total consumption from “the other side”—the handful of stations physically located across the border that are still tracked with that country’s Airplay activity.
Yes. SiriusXM satellite radio stations are tracked by Mediabase and included in our Airplay consumption data. Some stations in our format panels are XM stations.
SiriusXM app activity is tracked separately (as Programmed / Premium streaming). SiriusXM app streaming is reported in the U.S. only.
Billboard maintains official Airplay format panels. These are representative lists of radio stations from across the U.S. and Canada that broadcast in a particular format. We track song performance on the stations in these panels for format and genre-specific Airplay charts. In addition, Luminate maintains a few format panels for stations and formats not included in Billboard Airplay charts.
See all Billboard and Luminate format panels here.
No. Airplay Spins and Airplay Audience figures at the format level won’t add up to unfiltered Airplay totals. This is because some radio stations are included in more than one format panel; summing all format-level activity would overcount activity from those stations. The sum of all rows in Activity by Format is almost always higher than the total Airplay consumption.
Yes. Submit music for Airplay tracking using the Mediabase New Music Registration form. You’ll need an ISRC, required metadata and an audio file for each track.
We use Interactive to define a Service Type within Streams. The three Service Type breakouts are On-Demand, Programmed and Interactive.
Interactive streams are audio streams from interactive (gaming) platforms that allow users to choose their own music and engage with songs as part of a musical gameplay experience. Interactive streams can be ad-supported or premium.
Unlike traditional on-demand audio streaming services, Interactive providers:
Carry a limited selection of songs
Don’t offer full-length albums to stream
Allow users to participate in or engage with music in-game
Ex. Competitive rhythm games
Ex. Musical gameplay experiences such as Fortnite Festival and Featured Rotation
Ex. RPGs that permit simulation of singing, dancing or playing along with a track
When a user selects a track for a musical gameplay experience, that action = one Interactive stream.
Premium Interactive streams indicate that a player purchased the track; Ad-Supported Interactive streams come from users that did not purchase the track.
We launched Interactive data in partnership with Epic Games, the gaming studio behind Fortnite. Epic shares interactive on-demand streaming data directly with Luminate.
Epic reports Interactive streaming from Fortnite Festival (Main Stage and Battle Stage) as well as Featured Rotation streaming.
No. Interactive streaming must occur within a musical gameplay experience (see definition above). We do not currently track streaming activity within Jam Sessions or Music Moments.
We may add more types of Interactive consumption data in the future.
Yes. We receive worldwide Interactive consumption data from Epic. You can see Interactive streams for 60+ countries with viewable data in CONNECT.
Worldwide Interactive (ATD) tracking began Week 14 of 2025.
No. Interactive activity is currently filtered out in the default Dashboard view. You’ll need to manually select the Interactive Service Type to include the data on a Dashboard.
Set Activity Type:Streams and Breakout View:Service Type.
Open the Data Controls menu, go to Activity Options > Streams > Service Type, and check the box to see Interactive data alongside On-Demand and Programmed.
No. Billboard chart calculations do not include Interactive streams at this time.
Not yet. We’ll add Interactive data to the Music API in the future.
Genres listed on CONNECT Dashboards are Luminate genres.
Usually, Luminate is the default selection for genre filtering as well. Some features, like Analysis, Charts and Report Builder, allow for toggling between Billboard and Luminate genre lists.
Many entities have more than one applicable genre. But there can be only one designated Main genre. We try to be as granular and specific as possible in assigning Main genres.
Go to MORE DETAILS > to see all genres (Main Genre and others) for a Dashboard entry.
Genre lists are hierarchical. A Core genre is a broad category, like Pop or Rock, that includes multiple genres and subgenres. Some Core genres don’t have extra segmentation, like Blues or Children.
Sometimes, a Billboard Core genre contains multiple genres while the Luminate version does not—or vice versa. For example, Luminate segments Classical into different genres but doesn’t break out Jazz; Billboard does the reverse.
It should go without saying that any lower-level genre or subgenre still falls within the highest-level Core genre that applies.
No. The Main Genre for an artist, song or album is simply the genre (or subgenre) that best applies. This means that sometimes, the Main genre that makes the most sense is K-Pop (as opposed to the Core genre Pop), Indie Rock (versus Rock) or Reggaeton (versus Latin).
Go to MORE DETAILS > to see all genres (Main Genre and others) for a Dashboard entry.
Streams, album sales and song sales are not equal measures of value or performance. Equivalent ratios convert sales and streaming figures into “like” units, called equivalents, that can be compared and ranked.
Luminate uses Album Equivalent, Stream Equivalent and Song Equivalent ratios to measure combined performance and rank items on the Billboard charts.
Read about our equivalents here.
Our equivalent formulas and contributing data are maintained by Luminate in close collaboration with Billboard.
The equivalent ratios reflect music consumption patterns and audience behaviors in today’s market. Some charts apply different weighting formulas to more accurately depict consumption in other countries or for different genres and formats.
Yes, we use limited modeling.
Equivalents are straightforward mathematical formulas that convert various numbers of streams, downloads and sales into single units. Most of our equivalent figures are based on directly reported data, with no modeling needed.
However, not all stores report sales to Luminate. So we use a model to account for missing data in the independent retail sector. Within Product Sales, the independent store numbers that make up a portion of retail sales are partially modeled.
Album Equivalents are units that represent physical album sales. An Album Equivalent figure is a count of product sales (actual) plus digital song sales (weighted) and streams (weighted). We use Album Equivalents as a performance metric in the U.S. and Canada.
Stream Equivalents are units that represent premium streams. We arrive at Stream Equivalent figures by applying different coefficients to premium streams, ad-supported streams and song sales, then adding them up. We use Stream Equivalents for global charts, as a worldwide metric and at the country level outside the U.S. and Canada.
Read more about Equivalents here.
Song Equivalents help us equate streams and song sales to single sales. Singles were once commonly distributed in physical form (ex. 7-inch vinyl 45s, mini CDs). We now use Song Equivalent formulas to calculate Hot 100 song charts.
Luminate provides the data and the equivalent calculations used to create Billboard chart rankings. Inclusions on Billboard charts are subject to Billboard’s eligibility rules.
Different equivalents apply to different chart types. But an Album Equivalent ratio equates 1,250 premium streams or 3,750 ad-supported streams to 1 album sale.
The Billboard 200 chart is based on Album Equivalents.
By becoming a hit. That is, by gaining a high ranking based on total consumption figures (provided it meets eligibility criteria).
There is no editorial factor in chart rankings; we only report the data.
Review Billboard chart eligibility rules, policies and exclusions here.
ISRC, ICPN, ISNI: External IDs and product codes
Troubleshooting music registration and reporting
Data corrections: Report metadata errors
Glossary: Acronyms, key terms and definitions
Read next: About Genres: How Luminate classifies music