Billboard Charts
BILLBOARD TRACKING WEEK
KOREAN STANDARD TIME (KST)
Saturday 13:00 (1pm) to Friday 12:59PM KST
Album chart based on streams + digital / physical album sales in the United States
• 1 physical/digital album sale = 10 track sales = 1,250 premium streams = 3,750 free streams
EASTERN STANDARD TIME (EST)
Friday 12AM EST to Thursday 11:59PM EST
Singles chart based on streams and digital sales globally
• 1 track sale = 200 premium streams = 900 free streams
THE WEEK’S MOST POPULAR CURRENT SONGS ACROSS ALL GENRES, RANKED BY STREAMING ACTIVITY FROM DIGITAL MUSIC SOURCES TRACKED BY LUMINATE, RADIO AIRPLAY AUDIENCE IMPRESSIONS AS MEASURED BY LUMINATE AND SALES DATA AS COMPILED BY LUMINATE.
Singles chart based on streams and digital sales globally except USA
• 1 track sale = 250 premium streams = 1,125 free streams
Artist chart based on combined Hot 100, Billboard 200, and Social 50 chart performance.
Charts are refreshed every Tuesday on Billboard.com. (During weeks with Monday holidays, charts will update on Wednesday instead.)
The top 100 songs are featured on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, which is a Billboard subscription-based service. Both charts calculate worldwide streams and download sales​.
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BILLBOARD
​Billboard is a record chart mainly in the United States and Japan that ranks the most popular music weekly based on either streams, sales, radio plays, or all three. Billboard also has global and other country charts. Billboard charting is objective evidence of an artist's audience. They have long been a who’s-who of all the biggest names in music.
Longevity is Key, While the first week is the most crucial and with the strongest tracking, the following weeks are equally important. Entering the chart is one thing; staying long inside the chart is another.
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GENERAL GUIDELINES
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Before making any purchase, make sure to read the guide first in order to make sure your purchases count.
• 1 physical album = 1 digital album = 10 digital tracks
If you can still buy a physical copy (max 4 per transaction) from your local record store such as Target, please do!
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If buying on iTunes:
• Limit your buying to 1 copy/card per week.
• Buy the title track first, then buy/complete the album. If you can’t complete the album, buy as many individual tracks as you can.
• Do not gift the song directly using iTunes, as it does not count on Billboard.
• If using iTunes + Apple Music, “delete downloads” on Apple Music after buying so your streams count.
• Do not use VPN! When buying or streaming, use of a VPN invalidates your purchase/stream.
• If you have already purchased the album/songs before, you cannot repurchase them. What you can do is create another Apple ID and use the same card (that you have used in the past tracking period) again once that week.
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR STREAMING FOR BILLBOARD
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• Use PREMIUM ACCOUNTS or PREMIUM FREE TRIALS.
• ACT HUMAN. Avoid Bot Like Behavior. Interact with the platform.
• DO NOT MUTE PLATFORMS. Volume at least 50%. Use headphones or PC Sound Mixer to control Volume.
• DO NOT LOOP PLAYLISTS; Pandora is the ONLY exception.
​• DO NOT SHUFFLE PLAYLISTS.
• DO NOT USE VPN.
• ALWAYS LIKE ALBUM & SONGS ON EVERY PLATFORM.
• SHARE DIRECTLY FROM THE PLATFORM TO HELP TREND.
These are general guidelines for streaming. For detailed, platform-specific guides, you can find more information for each platform below.
• Spotify
• YouTube
• YouTube Music
• Apple Music
• Amazon Music
• Pandora
• Deezer
• Audiomack
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR DIGITAL PURCHASES FOR BILLBOARD
• Stray Kids Shop, Qobuz, Amazon, 7digital
• Limit buying to 1 copy / account / platform PER EMAIL!
• Make sure to download the song/album until it says “0 (zero).”
• Your purchase will only count on Billboard once you have downloaded it.
• If you would like to buy more than 1, make sure to use another account with a different email if you can change payment methods.
• Recommended that you buy from different platforms.
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​Notes:
• SKZ Shop and iTunes are the most recommended platform.
• Unique purchases remove the risk of sales getting filtered out. It is highly recommended, especially if buying multiple copies, that you have your friends/family purchase on your behalf.
• As much as possible, make your identity unique every time. Do not use the same details/email/account, especially if buying multiple times on a single platform. It is recommended that you buy from different platforms.
PHYSICAL PURCHASING BASIC GUIDELINES
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• Limit your purchase to 4 albums max per transaction.
• If buying more than 4, split the transaction. It's recommended to buy from other stores or use different accounts and cards/payment methods.
• Make sure the store you are ordering from counts on Billboard.
• Make sure the album is the USA version.
• Your album will count on Billboard upon shipment, not when ordered.
• Must be shipped to a USA or PR address.
​Offline buying (Target, Walmart, etc.)
• Limit your purchase to 4 albums max per transaction.
• Please buy the album in-store to strengthen first-week sales.
• Cash-basis payment is recommended if doing multiple transactions.
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ONLINE STORES
• Stray Kids Shop
• Music Plaza
• Amazon - be careful and look to be sure it's being shipped and sold directly from Amazon and not a 3rd party or it won't count.
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PHYSICAL STORES THAT ALSO HAVE ONLINE OPTIONS
• Barnes & Noble
• Target
• Walmart - when purchasing online from Walmart be careful and look to be sure it's being shipped and sold directly from Walmart and not a 3rd party or it won't count.