⭐ Last Updated: February 8, 2024 UTC. Created by p1hdata. Take out with credit.
<aside> <img src="/icons/info-alternate_gray.svg" alt="/icons/info-alternate_gray.svg" width="40px" /> This is a general guide to understanding Billboard’s charts and charting rules. Billboard charts rank the most popular music and artists weekly based on streams, sales, radio airplay — or a combination of these. There are 250+ Billboard charts, including year-end, global and country-specific charts in the United States, South Korea, Japan, Canada, and other countries. Radio Guide
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Streaming Platforms for Billboard
Premium vs. Ad-Supported Streams
Physical Album Purchasing Guide
Charts Overview — information about different Billboard charts
| Topic / Question | Important Reminders |
|---|---|
| Tracking Week | Friday (12AM ET) — Thursday (11:59PM ET) [excluding Japan charts] |
| When are full charts released? | Tuesdays (ET). Top 10 on Billboard 200 + Hot 100 is released earlier |
| Premium vs. Free (Ads) Streams — Do both count for charts? | Yes, both Premium + Free on-demand streams count. Premium streams have higher weights = takes less streams to equal 1 song/album sale. Start a Free Premium trial |
| Billboard Streaming Platforms | Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal, FLO, etc. — Full List |
| Digital Sales Rule | Buy only 1 copy of a release per customer (lifetime limt) — Rules |
| Does gifting on iTunes count on Billboard? | No |
| Where Can I Buy Digitally? | iTunes, Amazon Music (Digital downloads store), Artist Store (if available), Qobuz, 7Digital |
| Physical Sales Rule | Buy up to 4 copies of an album version per customer. Can ONLY have 4 copies of an album in cart at checkout OR on receipt (offline stores) — Rules |
| Where Can I Buy Physicals? | In-Country retailers. Ex. ONLY U.S. retailers will count on U.S. Billboard (album is directly sold + shipped FROM the U.S.). Third party in-country retailers do not count |
| Are there Global Charts for all P1ece? | Yes — Billboard Global 200 + Billboard Global Excl. U.S. Streams + Digital sales from P1ece worldwide count for these charts |
| Can I use VPN to buy or stream? | No. Any sales or streams using VPN or other fraudulent methods will not count |
<aside> <img src="/icons/info-alternate_gray.svg" alt="/icons/info-alternate_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Click HERE to download all Billboard Guides in Full Resolution.
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TEA = Track Equivalent Albums. 10 song sales from an album = 1 album unit
SEA = Streaming Equivalent Albums. Premium or Free streams from an album = 1 album unit
<aside> <img src="/icons/info-alternate_gray.svg" alt="/icons/info-alternate_gray.svg" width="40px" /> SEA: the number of Premium or Free streams required for 1 album unit varies by chart. Premium streams are always weighted more = less streams to make 1 album unit.
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Pure Sales = Direct purchase of an album or single (either digital or physical) where Purchases to Sales recorded are a 1:1 ratio
SPS = Sales Plus Streaming. Refers to ‘units’ = pure sales, TEA, SEA combined
D2C = Direct-To-Consumer sales. An example in music are artist stores that sell music/merch
UPC vs. ISRC