FAQ

CORPORATE FAQs

QUESTIONS

1. Who compiles the weekly music and video charts?

2. I thought the company was called Chart Information Network or CIN or Gallup?

3. How are the Official UK Charts compiled?

4. How many singles and albums are sold each week?

5. Why are there so many Chart Rules?

6. Where can I hear or see the Official UK Charts?

7. What other Official UK Charts exist other than the single and album charts?

8. Are downloads eligible for the Official Charts?

9. How many sales are needed for certified Gold/Silver/Platinum status?

ANSWERS

Q1. Who compiles the weekly music charts?

A. The Official Charts are compiled and overseen by The Official UK Charts Company - a joint venture between the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) and ERA (Entertainment Retailers Association - formerly BARD).

The Official UK Charts Company was established by the music industry to regulate and control the Chart compilation process and to ensure that the Charts represent an accurate assessment of popularity.

The Official Uk Charts Company is also responsible for compiling the Official Video Charts.

Q2. I thought the company was called Chart Information Network or CIN or Gallup?

A. The Official UK Charts Company used to be called Chart Information Network (CIN). The company was rebranded on 1st October 2001 to better reflect its core business.

The research organisation Gallup compiled the Official Charts from January 1983 until January 1994.

Q3. How are the Official UK Charts compiled?

A. The Official UK Charts Company uses a sophisticated computer system that takes retail sales information from any UK store selling in excess of 100 pieces of audio or video per week (excluding garages and mail order clubs).

Over 6,200 retailers (including all the major high street chains, approximately 600 independent stores and all major internet retailers) are linked to a central computer that reads the barcodes of every item as it is sold. These contributing outlets create the 'Universe' or 'Charts panel'.

The Official Chart returning stores cover 99% of the singles market, 95% of albums and 85% of the video market. Advanced weighting methodology is used to arrive at the total number of units sold. A number of security checks to detect sales irregularities are in place to ensure the Charts are a true reflection of the UK's most popular records.

The information is collected from Sunday to Saturday and the Official Chart is finalised between the close of business on Saturday for noon the following day. The first reveal of each new Official Chart is from 4pm on Sundays on BBC Radio 1.

Q4. How many singles and albums are sold each week?

A. Sales of singles and albums vary from year to year and from month to month. On average 1m singles and 3m albums are sold each week.

As a rough average of the past decade, a Number One record has sold approximately 133,000 copies per week. Sales of 25,000 have been sufficient to reach the Top 10 - particularly during early January when sales are traditionally lower.

Q5. Why are there so many Chart Rules?

A. A code of conduct - the 'Chart Rules' - exists to govern eligibility for all the Official Charts. The Rules are designed to prevent unfair advantage being gained by one single or album over another. The basic rules are concerned with format ie the number of tracks on a single or album, their playing time and packaging.

Any record company is free to release music in any format and at any length but formats that fail to meet the Official Chart rules are simply excluded from the Official Charts.

The Chart Rules are developed and monitored by the Chart Supervisory Committee consisting of representatives from the BPI and ERA

(The full list of Chart Rules can be viewed on this website)

Q6. Where can I hear or see the Official UK Charts?

A. Historically, the Official Singles Chart has always been released through the BBC before other media. You can hear the Official Charts on Radio One's Top Forty Show every Sunday. The Charts are revealed simultaneously through the Radio One website.

Other ways of accessing the Official Charts include: Music Week, Billboard, The Sun, Daily Mirror, Daily Star, The Guardian, The Times, Q Magazine, yahoo.co.uk and many others. See 'Licensing' in the 'Company Info' section.

Q7. What other Official UK Charts exist other than the single and album charts?

A. The Official UK Charts Company compiles a wide range of Specialist or Genre Charts reflecting the wide musical tastes of consumers, including R&B, country, rock, indie, dance, classical, video and spoken word releases etc.

These Official Charts are compiled from selected specialist shops in order to give an accurate reflection of the popularity of the product within its particular genre group.

Q8. Are downloads eligible for the Official Charts?

A. YES!

On September 1st 2004, The Official UK Charts Company launched the first ever Official UK Download Chart - 'Flying Without Wings (Live)' by WESTLIFE was the first number one.

Legitimate downloads ARE eligible for the Official UK Singles Chart and the first 'all-new' chart which included downloads was released on Sunday 17th April 2005. Tony Christie & Peter Kay's "(Is This The Way To) Amarillo" was the first chart-topper of the integrated chart.

Digital album downloads were integrated in to The Official UK Albums Chart alongside physical CD albums on Sunday 9th April 2006. The first Number One album of the integrated Official UK Album Chart was Morrissey with "Ringleader of the Tormentors".

Since Monday 15 January 2007, all download tracks have been eligible for the Official Singles Chart irrespective of whether a physical version is available.

In the Chart announced by BBC Radio 1 on Sunday 21 January 2007, the only 'oldie' to re-enter the Charts was Billie's "Honey To The Bee" which peaked at #17. The only conceivable reason for this track to re-enter the Chart so many years after its release was due to BBC Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles encouraging his listeners to buy it.

Q9. How many sales are needed for certified Gold/Silver/Platinum status?

A. BPI certified awards measure the British recording industry’s weekly singles & albums sales to UK retailers.

Certification Levels for singles are: Silver 200,000 / Gold 400,000 / Platinum 600,000

Certification Levels for albums are: Silver 60,000 / Gold 100,000 / Platinum 300,000

BPI certified awards were originally introduced in April 1973 to measure the performance of individual records based on sales to the trade each week.

Qualification for albums was initially on the basis of revenue received by manufacturers, and in January 1978 the BPI abolished the old monetary system for albums and replaced it with a unit system.

This brought album awards into line with singles and also with other countries where qualification levels are based on unit sales.

Multi-platinum awards, introduced in February 1987, are any multiple of the platinum level, e.g. album quadruple platinum status = 1.2m.