Rolling Stone Rolls Out Charts
• Back in May we first reported that Rolling Stone was planning to enter the chart business. After several weeks of delays, the venerable music publication formally introduced Rolling Stone Charts, described as “an interactive set of music charts that update on a daily basis and offer an impartial, in-depth and in-the-moment view of the biggest songs, albums and artists in music.”
According to the press release, “The RS Charts are powered by our independent analytics company Alpha Data, formerly known as BuzzAngle Music, which collects and processes data from dozens of major suppliers. All five of these charts auto-populate in almost real-time on a daily basis, with finalized overviews available at the end of each week. Our aim is to reflect the true impact of music, celebrate the artists most deserving of attention, and better define what it really means to be No. 1.”
The five charts under the Rolling Stone banner are:
1) THE ROLLING STONE TOP 100 SONGS — tracks streams across the major music-streaming providers as well as digital and physical purchases. It does not count passive listening, such as plays on terrestrial or digital radio.
2) THE ROLLING STONE TOP 200 ALBUMS — ranks consumption using physical and digital album sales, song sales and audio streams, updated daily and finalized on Monday.
3) THE ROLLING STONE ARTISTS 500 — tracks the most in-demand artists of the week by audio streams — does not include passive listening in its measurement. Updated daily.
4) THE ROLLING STONE TRENDING 25 –ranks new songs that are seeing the greatest gains in popularity each week, measured by percentage growth in audio streams. Only includes songs released in the last 12 months. Data populates on a daily basis, and the chart is finalized with an official snapshot once a week.
5) THE ROLLING STONE BREAKTHROUGH 25 — highlights rising artists who are appearing on the charts for the very first time. It measures audience demand by audio streams and does not include passive listening. Only artists who have not appeared in the Artist 500 chart before are eligible.
As the release goes on to state, “Virtually every metric in entertainment is reported on a fixed weekly basis, which is out of date with actual consumer trends. Rolling Stone Charts counter this reporting with daily updates, as well as user-friendly functionality and unprecedented transparency. We offer deeper, more granular insights into music than what’s ever been available to the public — and focus on the metrics most reflective of current listening habits as well.” For a deeper look at how RS put its charts together, visit the methodology tab on any individual chart page, or General Methodology.
