Country Music Hit Chart

From LoveToKnow Music

The country music hit chart tracks the most popular country tracks, week by week. There is not just one country music hit chart, though, and each has different methods for determining popularity, so no two hits charts looks the same.

There are several variations on country music charts

Understanding The Country Music Hit Chart System

In the U.S., the gold standard music chart is the Billboard chart. In addition to doing the Hot 100 chart for mainstream popular music, Billboard also has charts dedicated to several subgenres of music, including country music. The system for compiling the charts is complicated. It involves a combination of:

Nielson Soundscan Reports – Every time a piece of music with a UPC code is sold, it is reported to the Nielson Soundscan system. This system gives Billboard a record of album sales – though it does have its flaws. Releases without UPC codes are not counted at all, and even albums with UPC codes are only tracked if they are scanned at the time of sale. Many people believe that part of the reason the charts are so heavily weighted in the favor of major labels is because many indie and DIY releases do not have UPC codes and so are not being counted.

Radio Plays – Radio plays are tracked using a system called Broadcast Data System (BDS). BDS lets Billboard figure out which singles are getting the most plays and are on the most playlists. This data is then weighted based on listenership of specific stations (using Arbitron numbers). So, plays on a big city station, such as a New York City radio station, are worth more than plays on a station in a small town, simply because more people are listening. For the country music charts, radio play is an important determining factor as to whether a song that is selling a lot of copies and getting a lot plays ends up on the country charts or main charts. If the song is taking off on country music radio only, it ends up on country charts. If it is getting a lot of plays on Top 40/pop stations, it is considered “crossover” and may end up on the Hot 100 instead. This is also how a song may reach number 1 on the country charts and number 52 on the Hot 100.

Digital Sales – Since 2005, Billboard has counted digital sales (such as iTunes sales) in their charts.

Various country music magazines, video channels and radio programs have their own charts. The methodologies these charts use vary from chart to chart. Some are completely reliant on votes by fans, other are based on formulas sampling things like sales, plays and fan requests. These charts frequently differ from the results shown on the Billboard country chart and often where you will find independent country artists succeeding in greater numbers. Examples include Chart Country and the American Countdown Chart, which is much like Billboard in that it has a main chart and country chart.

Where to Find Country Music Hit Chart Listings

If you can’t find a radio station doing a country music hit chart rundown in your area, the internet is a great place to keep up with the latest charts. Here are some places online to check out:

Billboard Country Chart – The Billboard country chart website lets you not only check out the charts but also hear snippets of chart hits, examine old charts and read interviews and analysis of trends in country music.

Country Music Countdown – This chart compiled by Country Music Television (CMT) includes video plays in the calculations of their charts.

Bob Kingsley’s Country Music Top 40 – This nationally syndicated chart show can be checked online. There are also features on artists and interviews featured on the site.