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Billboard is the official music chart in the United States. How an artist charts on Billboard determines the album’s/song’s popularity, and opens up more opportunities for that artist in various other areas. Weekly sales and streams charts are monitored on a Friday-to-Thursday cycle. 

 

Updates for top 10 on the main charts Billboard 200 (album) and Hot 100 (song) can be posted as early as Sundays, but the full chart updates on Tuesdays. 

 

Key Charts we will focus on during this guide will be:

 

  • Billboard 200 - a chart reflecting the top 200 albums being sold and streamed in the United States

 

  • Billboard Hot 100 - a chart reflecting the top 100 songs being sold and streamed in the United States

 

  • Worldwide Digital Songs Sales Chart - a chart of the most downloaded songs (iTunes, Amazon Music, Qobuz, 7digital) in the United States

 

  • World Albums Chart - a chart for international albums being sold and streamed in the United States

 

  • Billboard Global 200 - a chart reflecting the top songs in 200 countries around the world. There are two versions of this chart, one including the United States and one excluding the United States

 

  • *Billboard Hot Trending Songs - a chart reflecting the most discussed songs on Twitter

 

Even though the charts are different, they all work on the same concept except for Billboard Hot Trending Songs. They calculate the number of streams, radio play, then sales in that order during a one week period. Starting on Fridays 12:00 AM Eastern Standard Time to Thursdays 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time.

 

Ways to Increase Billboard Score
Lesson 1: Streaming

 

Billboard Streaming Guide

 

According to Billboard, streaming remains the most dominant factor on Billboard charts, followed by radio airplay and digital sales, in descending order of significance. 9 times out of 10, if an artist has poor streams during the tracking period, that artist will not chart.

 

Streaming Platforms

 

  • Apple Music*

  • Amazon Music

  • Tidal 

  • Deezer

  • Spotify 

  • Qobuz

  • YouTube

  • Pandora

 

* Artists who have high stream counts on Apple Music tend to chart better on Billboard, so if you have an Apple Music subscription, use that.

 

  1. Please listen to the song as organically as you can. 

  • DO NOT USE BOTS OR VPNS AS THESE WILL NOT BE COUNTED. 

  • If you are using playlists to stream, add other songs from the album or previous releases and other artists. 

  • Do not mute, and do not keep at a low volume.

  1. Paid Subscriptions are weighted more heavily than free subscriptions. All platforms offer a free trial for first time subscribers. 1250 premium streams = 1 album sold.

  2. Stream from any official playlist (like K-pop ON! on Spotify) that the song is added to, especially on platforms like Spotify, as this will move the song into their Viral 50 chart.

 

Premium User Tips

 

  • Make sure you are logged in

  • Prioritize title tracks 

  • Do not mute the song

  • Keep volume at least 50% (you can use headphones)

  • Use only one account per device

  • Do not repeat or pause the song

  • Create or use a playlist

  • Share and like the song/playlist 

  • Only use one account per device

 

While streaming, please make sure to Shazam! Shazam has become a tool that record labels and radio stations use to measure a song's popularity. The more Shazams = the more people who liked the song enough to identify it.

 

Hosting/joining streaming parties on apps like Renaissance and StationHead is a great way to gain a lot of streams at once. You can host small parties with friends or join a fanbase.

 

* LTYStreamTeam will host streaming parties every Thursday and Saturday on StationHead. For more details, follow @LTYStreamTeam

 

If you need a specific guide on how to stream on a certain platform, check out @ltymusicdata on twitter. 

 

Assignment 

 

  1. Subscribe to a streaming platform like Apple Music or Spotify if you haven’t already. 

  • Apple Music offers a free 1 month subscription for new users.

  • Spotify offers a free 3 month Premium subscription for users who haven’t already tried Premium, but the offer ends on May 16, 2023.

  1. Make a playlist for streaming.

  2. Join one Stationhead Streaming party held this week for streaming practice


 

Ways to Increase Billboard Score
Lesson 2: Buying (physical/digital)

 

Physical Album Buying Guide

 

Billboard is the official music chart in the United States, so in order for a physical album to be counted for Billboard, it has to be Billboard Certified. If you buy an album in the United States from a store that isn’t, the album will not count! 

 

Where to Buy Physical Albums?

 

  • US Retailers (Target, Walmart, Barnes & Noble). This usually only happens when a Western label is involved, like Capitol/Virgin. If they aren’t involved in distribution, the album will not be sold in these stores. 

  • Amazon (If you buy here IT MUST BE FROM SM OR NCT OFFICIAL ACCOUNT. 3rd party sales may or may not be Billboard certified) 

  • SMGlobal Shop

  • NCT 127 Official Store (if available)

  • Local Kpop stores like Choice Music or Music Plaza who are Billboard certified.

 

NOT ALL KPOP STORES IN THE UNITED STATES ARE BILLBOARD CERTIFIED!

 

  • If you are unsure where to buy, always buy from SM Global Shop. If you are in the United States or Puerto Rico, all sales from SMGlobalShop are Billboard and Haneto Certified. 

 

BILLBOARD COUNTS AN ALBUM AS A SALE AFTER IT HAS BEEN SHIPPED!

 

  • Pre-order your albums to guarantee they will be available before the album release date. 

  • Do not mix preorders, it could affect shipping time.

 

 


 

You can only buy 4 physical albums at a time, or Billboard will count it as a bulk purchase!
 

  • If you want to buy more than 4, split your purchases.

 

Digital Album Buying Guide

 

Where to Buy Digital Albums/Songs?

 

  • iTunes 

  • Amazon Music

  • Qobuz

  • 7digital

 

iTunes Tips

 

  • You can only buy 1 song/album using the same email/Apple account per week!

  • You can only make 3 email/Apple accounts per household (it is based on billing address).

  • 10 digital song sales = 1 album

  • You can use iTunes gift cards to buy on your account, but you cannot gift songs.

  • After purchasing the song or album, make sure to remove/hide them from your library. This will insure your streams count when you stream.

 

Assignment

 

  1. Pre-order 4 albums from SMGlobal Shop when they become available

  2. Have at least one Apple ID ready for iTunes

  3. Pre-save the album on a purchasing/streaming platform so you will be up to date when the album is released. 


 

Ways to Increase Billboard Score 

Lesson 3: Billboard for International Fans
(Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Hot Trending Songs)

 

Billboard has 2 International Charts: 

 

  • Billboard Global 200 - a chart reflecting the top songs in 200 countries around the world. There are two versions of this chart, one including the United States and one excluding the United States

  • Billboard Hot Trending Songs - a chart reflecting the most discussed songs on Twitter

 

Billboard Global 200 Guide

 

Billboard Global 200 ranks the top songs based on streaming and/or sales activity worldwide.

 

This chart is not only for US residents - it uses data from over 200 territories around the world so every fan can contribute to this chart!

 

Billboard Tracking Period

Fridays 00:01 (GMA-5) to Thursdays 23:59 (GMA-5) = 1 week

 

So yes, you can contribute to the Billboard Global 200 Chart, but you still have to follow the Billboard tracking period! Billboard updates their full charts on Tuesdays. 

 

There are two versions of this chart. One including the United States and one without: 

 

 

 

Ways to increase Billboard Global 200 score? 

 

Buying songs on platforms of your choice 

 

  • iTunes 

  • Amazon Music

  • Qobuz

  • 7digital


 

iTunes Tips

 

  • You can only buy 1 song/album using the same email/Apple account per week!

  • You can only make 3 email/Apple accounts per household (it is based on billing address).

  • 10 digital song sales = 1 album

  • You can use iTunes gift cards to buy on your account, but you cannot gift songs.

  • After purchasing the song, make sure to remove/hide them from your library. This will insure your streams count when you stream!

 

Streaming the song on platforms of your choice

 

  • Apple Music

  • Amazon Music

  • Tidal 

  • Deezer

  • Spotify 

  • Qobuz

  • YouTube

  • Pandora

 

You can also join streaming parties/activities if your specific region is hosting, too!

 

If you are from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Mexico, Peru, United Kingdom, United States, Thailand, Philippines, India, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, or South Korea: 


 

Billboard Hot Trending Songs Guide

 

Billboard Hot Trending Songs is a weekly recap of the most discussed songs on Twitter globally. The link is a real-time version of the chart - viewable over either the last 24 hours or the past seven days.

© 2035 by TaeyongsKeeper. 

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