Official Charts Company
The year 1969 marked the start of a new era for British music tracking when the British Market Research Bureau began compiling data for what would become the official UK charts. Before that moment, various newspapers and magazines produced their own less comprehensive lists, with New Musical Express launching its first singles chart in 1952. The British Market Research Bureau operated until 1983, when Gallup took over the responsibility of gathering sales figures from retailers across the country. In 1990, three organizations joined forces to create Chart Information Network: the BBC, the British Association of Record Dealers, and the publishers of Music Week trade magazine. This entity became the compiler of official UK charts starting that same year and has maintained that role continuously since 1994 under different names. On the 5th of September 2008, the organization officially rebranded itself as the Official Charts Company while introducing a fresh logo design. Later iterations dropped the word 'Company' entirely, leaving just 'Official Charts' as the public-facing brand name. The company now operates as a private limited by shares jointly owned by two major industry bodies: the British Phonographic Industry and the Entertainment Retailers Association.
Kantar market researchers gather sales information directly from retail outlets throughout the United Kingdom to build each weekly chart. The system aims to capture data from any retailer selling more than one hundred chart items during a single week. Current methodology claims coverage of ninety-nine percent of the singles market and ninety-five percent of the album market in Britain. These numbers come from combining downloads, physical media purchases, and streaming metrics into unified totals published every Friday night. The chart week runs from Friday through Thursday for music releases, though video formats like DVDs and Blu-rays still follow a Sunday-to-Saturday cycle. Since May 2012, audio streams from services including Spotify, Deezer, Blinkbox Music, and Napster contribute to the new Official Streaming Chart Top 100. This chart ranks both ad-funded and subscription-based listening sessions in a format first created by the organization. Genre-specific lists such as the Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40 or the Asian Music Chart Top 40 rely on the same underlying data collection infrastructure. The Scottish Albums Chart Top 100 appears alongside listings for Ireland and Billboard's Hot 100, reflecting how regional sales trends fit within national totals.
In mid-2017, the company changed its calculation method for the Top 40 to better reflect rising music streaming habits across the country. Before January 2017, one hundred streams counted as equal to one single sale, but that ratio shifted to one hundred fifty streams per sale starting that month. By June 2017, additional rules kicked in where tracks declining for three consecutive weeks after ten weeks on the chart would see their stream-to-sale ratio jump to three hundred to one. These changes aimed to prevent older songs from staying on charts indefinitely through heavy streaming alone. In 2022, Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill faced these exact rules after appearing in Stranger Things season four. Her track had been a top-three hit thirty-seven years earlier yet needed twice the streams of Harry Styles' As It Was to earn equivalent sales points despite being the most downloaded song overall. The organization granted a manual reset to acknowledge the revival's success while maintaining integrity in the system. Earlier adjustments included launching the UK's first modern vinyl record chart in April 2015 following seven consecutive years of sector growth. A three-track rule now limits how many singles by the same artist can appear within the Top 100 to ensure variety.
In 2017, the company signed a five-year agreement with the Irish Recorded Music Association to compile Ireland's official singles and albums charts. This deal extended their reach beyond British borders into neighboring territories where local industry bodies requested professional chart compilation services. December 2020 saw another major expansion when they took over French music chart contracts from German firm GfK for Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. The transition became effective the 1st of January 2021, bringing France under the same data collection umbrella as the United Kingdom and Ireland. Wales receives similar treatment through subscription newsletters like UKChartsPlus which publish the Official UK Top 100 Welsh Singles and Albums Charts alongside Scottish listings. These regional efforts mirror how Scotland tracks its album performance separately before merging back into national totals. The organization also maintains industry-only lists such as the UK Budget Album Chart excluding low-price items from main rankings. Video formats including DVDs and Blu-rays remain tracked using Sunday-to-Saturday cycles even while music adopts Friday-to-Thursday windows. All these international and domestic expansions rely on the same core infrastructure built since 1969.
Five representatives from record companies sit alongside five retailers on the Chart Supervisory Committee that decides all rule changes for the organization. Major label corporations WMG, Sony Music, and UMG provide record company voices while BMG Rights Management and PIAS Group represent large independent labels. Retailers contribute their own panel members to ensure balanced decision-making power between creators and sellers. This committee meets approximately four times each year to discuss adjustments ranging from physical format updates to chart ratio modifications known as ACR and SCR. Any proposed change must pass through this body before implementation affects public charts or industry reports. The structure exists because the company operates jointly under ownership by both the British Phonographic Industry and the Entertainment Retailers Association. Representatives vote on matters like streaming ratios, genre-specific list creation, and manual resets granted during exceptional circumstances. Their decisions shape how data gets calculated and published weekly across multiple territories including Ireland and France. The system ensures no single entity controls the entire process without oversight from opposing industry sectors.
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Common questions
When did the British Market Research Bureau start compiling data for the official UK charts?
The British Market Research Bureau began compiling data for what would become the official UK charts in 1969. This organization operated until 1983 when Gallup took over the responsibility of gathering sales figures from retailers across the country.
What date did the Official Charts Company officially rebrand itself under its current name?
On the 5th of September 2008, the organization officially rebranded itself as the Official Charts Company while introducing a fresh logo design. Later iterations dropped the word Company entirely leaving just Official Charts as the public-facing brand name.
How many streams count as equal to one single sale on the Official Charts Company Top 40 since May 2017?
Starting in January 2017, one hundred fifty streams count as equal to one single sale on the Official Charts Company Top 40. By June 2017 additional rules kicked in where tracks declining for three consecutive weeks after ten weeks on the chart see their stream-to-sale ratio jump to three hundred to one.
Which countries does the Official Charts Company compile music charts for besides the United Kingdom?
In 2017 the company signed an agreement with the Irish Recorded Music Association to compile Ireland's official singles and albums charts. The transition became effective the 1st of January 2021 when they took over French music chart contracts from German firm GfK for Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
Who sits on the Chart Supervisory Committee that decides all rule changes for the Official Charts Company?
Five representatives from record companies sit alongside five retailers on the Chart Supervisory Committee that decides all rule changes for the organization. Major label corporations WMG Sony Music and UMG provide record company voices while BMG Rights Management and PIAS Group represent large independent labels.