Billboard Hot 100
The first chart published by Billboard magazine appeared in July 1913 under the title Last Week's Ten Best Sellers Among the Popular Songs. This list tracked best-selling sheet music rather than recorded sound. By the 4th of January 1936, the publication had shifted to a new format called Ten Best Records for Week Ending. That entry listed the top ten selling records from three major record companies as reported directly by those companies themselves. The evolution continued into October 1938 when The Week's Best Records became The Billboard Record Buying Guide. This iteration incorporated airplay and sheet music sales into its calculations. A full-page Billboard Music Popularity Chart emerged on the 27th of July 1940 with lists covering jukebox play, retail sales, sheet music sales, and radio play. Tommy Dorsey held the number one spot on that initial national Best Selling Retail Records list with I'll Never Smile Again. Starting the 24th of March 1945, Billboards lead popularity chart was known as the Honor Roll of Hits. This chart ranked popular songs regardless of performer based on record and sheet sales plus disk jockey and jukebox performances determined by weekly nationwide surveys. At the start of the rock era in 1955, three distinct charts measured individual song metrics separately. Best Sellers in Stores tracked biggest selling singles in retail stores across the country. Most Played by Jockeys ranked the most played songs on United States radio stations as reported by DJs. Most Played in Jukeboxes counted the most played songs in jukeboxes throughout the nation. On the 12th of November 1955, Billboard published The Top 100 for the first time covering survey weeks ending October 26 and November 2. The Top 100 combined all aspects of a single's performance using a point system that typically gave sales more weight than radio airplay. Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing by The Four Aces became the first No. 1 in that chart. On the 17th of June 1957, Billboard discontinued the Most Played in Jukeboxes chart as jukebox popularity waned. The week of the 28th of July 1958 had the final Most Played by Jockeys and Top 100 charts with Perez Prado's Patricia ascending to the top. On the 4th of August 1958, Billboard premiered one main all-genre singles chart called the Hot 100. Poor Little Fool by Ricky Nelson was its first number one song. The Hot 100 quickly became the industry standard and Billboard discontinued the Best Sellers In Stores chart on the 13th of October 1958.
Chart rankings are based on sales data compiled by Nielsen SoundScan including both retail and digital formats. Online streaming activity is provided by online music sources such as AOL Music and Yahoo! Music. Radio airplay audience impressions are measured by Nielsen BDS across approximately 1,000 stations. These stations include adult contemporary, R&B, hip hop, country, rock, gospel, Latin and Christian formats. Charts are ranked by number of gross audience impressions computed by cross-referencing exact times of radio airplay with Arbitron listener data. Digital Song Sales are tracked by Nielsen SoundScan and included as part of a title's sales points. A collaboration between Billboard, Nielsen SoundScan and National Association of Recording Merchandisers measures the top streamed songs. This Streaming Songs category covers on-demand songs and videos on leading online music services. Since the 12th of February 2005, the Billboard Hot 100 tracks paid digital downloads from internet services like iTunes, Musicmatch, and Rhapsody. Billboard initially started tracking downloads in 2003 with the Hot Digital Tracks chart but those did not count toward the main Hot 100. In the issue dated the 11th of August 2007, Billboard began incorporating weekly data from streaming media and on-demand services into the Hot 100. On the 24th of March 2012, Billboard premiered its On-Demand Songs chart ranking web radio streams from Spotify and other audio titles. Its data was then incorporated into the equation that compiles the Hot 100. U.S. views for a song on YouTube were added to the Hot 100 formula in February 2013. Harlem Shake became the first song to reach number one after these changes were made. The current number-one song on the chart is I Just Might by Bruno Mars as of the 31st of January 2026.
Billboard has changed its Hot 100 policy regarding two-sided singles several times throughout history. During Elvis Presley's chart run, top billing switched back and forth between Don't Be Cruel and Hound Dog multiple times. With the initiation of the Hot 100 in 1958, A- and B-sides charted separately as they had on the former Top 100. Starting with the Hot 100 chart for the week ending the 29th of November 1969, this rule was altered if both sides received significant airplay. They were listed together beginning that specific date. This started to become moot by 1972 when most major record labels solidified a trend from the 1960s. Labels put the same song on both sides of the singles provided to radio stations. More complex issues arose as the typical A- and B-side format gave way to 12 inch singles containing more than one B-side. Problems emerged when a B-side would eventually overtake the A-side in popularity prompting labels to release new singles featuring the former B-side. The inclusion of album cuts on the Hot 100 put double-sided hit issues to rest permanently. One rule remained constant for over four decades until the 5th of December 1998 when songs were not eligible unless available to purchase as a single. That restriction ended when the Hot 100 changed from being a singles chart to a songs chart. During the 1990s, a growing trend promoted songs to radio without ever releasing them as physical singles. Major record labels claimed singles were cannibalizing album sales so they slowly phased out those releases. Accusations began flying of chart manipulation as labels held off on releasing a single until airplay peaked. In many cases, a label deleted a single from its catalog after only one week allowing it to enter the Hot 100 then decline. Songs like I'll Be There for You by The Rembrandts dominated the Hot 100 Airplay chart for eight weeks in 1995 without charting on the main list initially. Don't Speak by No Doubt reached number one for sixteen weeks in 1996 while Fly by Sugar Ray topped the airplay chart for six weeks in 1997. Billboard finally answered requests to include airplay-only songs or album cuts in the Hot 100 while reducing retail component weight from 40% to 25%. Extended play releases were listed on the Hot 100 and pre-Hot 100 charts until the mid-to-late 1960s before moving to the Billboard 200.
The tracking week for sales, streaming and airplay begins on Friday and ends on Thursday under current rules. A new chart is compiled and officially released to the public by Billboard on Tuesday each week. Each chart is post-dated with the week-ending issue date four days after the charts are refreshed online falling on Saturday. For example, a tracking period starting Friday January 1 ends Thursday January 7 with the new chart released Tuesday January 12 and post-dated Saturday January 16. The modified tracking schedule took effect in the issue dated the 25th of July 2015 following changes to conform to a new Global Release Date. United States product was formerly released on Tuesdays before June 2015 when global release dates shifted to Fridays. Radio airplay used to have a tracking week from Monday to Sunday but effective with the chart dated the 17th of July 2021, the week adjusted to align with other metrics. Previously radio was tracked Monday to Sunday and before July 2015 it ran Wednesday through Tuesday. This tracking period also applies to the compilation of online streaming data alongside sales figures. Nielsen started tracking sales using the Monday-to-Sunday cycle in 1991 before shifting to the Friday-through-Thursday model later. Airplay is readily available in real time unlike sales figures and streaming yet follows the same Friday-to-Thursday cycle now.
The Hot 100 served as data source for weekly radio countdown show American Top 40 for many years before ending the 30th of November 1991. That relationship ended when American Top 40 started using airplay-only side called Top 40 Radio Monitor instead. Ongoing splintering of Top 40 radio in early 1990s led stations to lean into specific formats meaning practically no station played wide genre arrays. An artist or band's ability to have hits across multiple decades recognized as sign of longevity and adaptation to changing styles. Only five artists had Hot 100 Top 40 hit in each four decades from 1980s through 2010s including Michael Jackson, Madonna, Weird Al Yankovic, U2, and Kenny G. Mariah Carey became first artist with number-one single in four different decades. SiriusXM Pop2K uses Hot 100 charts for 2000s on Pop2Kountdown where Rich Davis plays top 30 songs from that week in specific year. '90s on 9 hosts Back in the Day Replay Countdown focusing on Hot 100 charts from 1990s hosted by Downtown Julie Brown. A new chart called Pop 100 created February 2005 answered criticism that Hot 100 dominated by hip hop and R&B at time. It discontinued June 2009 due to charts becoming increasingly similar over time. The Canadian Hot 100 launched the 16th of June 2007 using sales and airplay tracking compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and Broadcast Data Systems. Billboard Japan Hot 100 launched the 31st of May 2008 using same methodologies as U.S. and Canada charts with data from SoundScan Japan and Plantech radio service. Vietnamese edition of Hot 100 known as Billboard Vietnam Hot 100 launched the 14th of January 2022 following global expansion efforts.
Up Next
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When did the Billboard Hot 100 first launch and what was its inaugural number one song?
The Billboard Hot 100 premiered on the 4th of August 1958 with Poor Little Fool by Ricky Nelson as its first number one song. This chart replaced previous separate metrics to become a single all-genre singles chart for the industry.
How does the current Billboard Hot 100 calculate rankings using sales streaming and airplay data?
Chart rankings rely on sales data from Nielsen SoundScan including retail and digital formats alongside online streaming activity from sources like AOL Music and Yahoo! Music. Radio airplay audience impressions are measured by Nielsen BDS across approximately 1,000 stations and computed by cross-referencing exact times of radio airplay with Arbitron listener data.
What changes occurred in the Billboard Hot 100 tracking week schedule starting July 2015 and July 2021?
The modified tracking schedule took effect in the issue dated the 25th of July 2015 following changes to conform to a new Global Release Date shifting United States product release from Tuesdays to Fridays. Radio airplay adjusted to align with other metrics effective with the chart dated the 17th of July 2021 changing the tracking period from Monday to Sunday to Friday through Thursday.
Which artists achieved Hot 100 Top 40 hits in four different decades from the 1980s through the 2010s?
Only five artists had Hot 100 Top 40 hits in each four decades from the 1980s through the 2010s including Michael Jackson Madonna Weird Al Yankovic U2 and Kenny G. Mariah Carey became the first artist with a number-one single in four different decades.
When did international versions like the Canadian Hot 100 and Billboard Vietnam Hot 100 launch using Nielsen SoundScan data?
The Canadian Hot 100 launched on the 16th of June 2007 using sales and airplay tracking compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and Broadcast Data Systems. The Vietnamese edition known as Billboard Vietnam Hot 100 launched on the 14th of January 2022 following global expansion efforts.