How Well Do You Know the Billboard Hot 100 Chart?

Overview: Billboard Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming in the United States.

History: The first chart published by Billboard was "Last Week's Ten Best Sellers Among the Popular Songs" in July 1913. The first number-one song of the Billboard Hot 100 was "Poor Little Fool" by Ricky Nelson, on August 4, 1958. The Hot 100 quickly became the industry standard and Billboard discontinued the Best Sellers In Stores chart on October 13, 1958.

Methodology: The tracking week for sales, streaming and airplay begins on Friday and ends on Thursday. A new chart is compiled and officially released to the public by Billboard on Tuesday. Each chart is post-dated with the "week-ending" issue date four days after the charts are refreshed online.

Policy changes: The methods and policies by which data is obtained and compiled have changed many times throughout the chart's history. Although officially all three charts had equal "weight" in terms of their importance, Billboard retrospectively considers the Best Sellers in Stores chart when referencing a song's performance before the creation of the Hot 100.

Double-sided singles: Billboard has changed its Hot 100 policy regarding "two-sided singles" several times. Starting with the Hot 100 chart for the week ending November 29, 1969, if both sides received significant airplay, they were listed together.

Album cuts: As many Hot 100 chart policies have been modified over the years, one rule always remained constant: songs were not eligible to enter the Hot 100 unless they were available to purchase as a single. However, on December 5, 1998, the Hot 100 changed from being a "singles" chart to a "songs" chart.

EPs: Extended play (EP) releases were listed by Billboard on the Hot 100 and in pre-Hot 100 charts (Top 100) until the mid-to-late 1960s. With the growing popularity of albums, it was decided to move EPs from the Hot 100 to the Billboard 200, where they are included to this day.

Digital downloads, online streaming, and bundles: Since February 12, 2005, the Billboard Hot 100 tracks paid digital downloads from such internet services as iTunes, Musicmatch, and Rhapsody. In the issue dated August 11, 2007, Billboard began incorporating weekly data from streaming media and on-demand services into the Hot 100.

Remixes: Billboard now separates airplay points from a song's original version and its remix, if the remix is determined to be a "new song".

Recurrents: Billboard, in an effort to allow the chart to remain as current as possible and to give representation to new and developing artists and tracks, has removed titles that have reached certain criteria regarding its current rank and number of weeks on the chart since 1991.Overview of Billboard Hot 100 Chart

• The Billboard Hot 100 Chart ranks the most popular songs in the United States based on sales, radio airplay, and streaming activity.
• The chart was first published in 1958 and has become the industry standard for measuring the success of a song.
• The chart is updated every week and is widely followed by music fans, industry professionals, and artists.
• In addition to the Hot 100, Billboard also publishes charts for various genres of music, including country, rock, and Latin.
• The Hot 100 has undergone several changes over the years, including alterations to the tracking week and the inclusion of streaming data.
• Billboard's chart year runs from the first week of December to the final week in November, allowing for year-end charts to be calculated and released.
• The Hot 100 has been used as the data source for the weekly radio countdown show American Top 40, though this relationship ended in 1991.
• The ability to have hits on the Hot 100 across multiple decades is seen as a sign of longevity and adaptability.
• Similar charts to the Hot 100 exist in Canada, Japan, and Vietnam.
• Billboard has also created other charts, such as the Pop 100, which was discontinued in 2009 due to similarities with the Hot 100.
• Christmas songs have become a regular presence on the Hot 100 each December, with Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" reaching number one in 2019.
• The Hot 100 is determined on a case-by-case basis, and the chart managers and staff ultimately decide which songs are eligible.