Hot 100 Airplay (Radio Songs)
The Radio Songs chart (previously named Hot 100 Airplay)[1] is released weekly by Billboard magazine and measures the airplay of songs being played on radio stations throughout the United States across all musical genres. It is one of the three components, along with sales (both physical and the digital) and streaming activity, that determine the chart positions of songs on the Billboard Hot 100.
History
Radio airplay has always been one of the component charts of the Hot 100. Prior to the establishment of the Hot 100, Billboard published a radio airplay chart, a singles sales chart and a jukebox play chart, the last of which was discontinued in 1959 as jukeboxes lost their popularity. During the 1960s and 1970s, Billboard continued to collect airplay data as a component of the Hot 100 but did not make the chart public.[2]
The airplay-only chart in its current form debuted as a 30-position chart on October 20, 1984. It was expanded to 40 positions on May 31, 1986, and to 75 positions on December 8, 1990.[3]
Chart data collection
Each week, the Radio Songs chart ranks the 100 songs with the most airplay points (frequently referred to as audience impressions, which is a calculation of the number of times a song is played and the audience size of the station playing the tune). A song can pick up an airplay point every time it is selected to be played on specific radio stations that Billboard monitors. Radio stations across the board are used, from Top 40 Mainstream (which plays a wide variety of music that is generally the most popular songs of the time) to more genre-specific radio stations such as urban radio and country music. Paid plays of a song or treatment as bumper music do not count as an impression.
During the early years of the chart, only airplay data from top 40 radio stations were compiled to generate the chart. Effective from issue dated July 17, 1993, adult contemporary stations were added to the panel, followed by modern rock few months later. However, beginning in December 1998, the chart profile expanded to include airplay data from radio stations of other formats such as R&B, rock and country. To preserve the notion of the former chart, the Top 40 Tracks chart (now defunct) was introduced at the same time.
Per Billboard (as of October 2011):
"1,214 stations, encompassing pop, adult, rock, country, R&B/hip-hop, Christian, gospel, dance, jazz and Latin formats, are electronically monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by Nielsen Broadcast Data System. This data is used to compile the Billboard Hot 100."
The radio airplay data was collected on a Wednesday to Tuesday weekly cycle, but since July 2015, this has been changed to a Monday to Sunday cycle.[4]
Song records
Highest debut
No. 2
No. 4
- Mariah Carey featuring Trey Lorenz – "I'll Be There" (May 30, 1992)[6]
- Janet Jackson – "That's the Way Love Goes" (May 1, 1993)[7]
No. 6
- Lady Gaga – "Born This Way" (February 26, 2011)[8]
No. 8
No. 9
- Janet Jackson – "All for You" (March 17, 2001)[10]
Most weeks at number one
Weeks | Artist | Song | Year(s) | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|
19 | The Weeknd | "Blinding Lights" | 2020 | [11] |
18 | Goo Goo Dolls | "Iris" | 1998 | [11] |
16 | No Doubt | "Don't Speak" | 1996–1997 | [11] |
Mariah Carey | "We Belong Together" | 2005 | [11] | |
Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B | "Girls Like You" | 2018 | [11] | |
14 | Céline Dion | "Because You Loved Me" | 1996 | [11] |
Alicia Keys | "No One" | 2007–2008 | [11] | |
Panic! at the Disco | "High Hopes" | 2018–2019 | [11] |
Highest audience peaks
- 228.9 million, "Blurred Lines", Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell, August 31, 2013[12]
- 225.9 million, "Happy", Pharrell Williams, April 12, 2014[13]
- 212.1 million, "We Belong Together", Mariah Carey, July 9, 2005
- 196.3 million, "Irreplaceable", Beyoncé, January 20, 2007
- 196.0 million, "All of Me", John Legend, May 10, 2014[14]
- 192.5 million, "No One", Alicia Keys, December 22, 2007
- 189.8 million, "Uptown Funk", Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, March 14, 2015[15]
- 189.6 million, "Let Me Love You", Mario, February 5, 2005
- 185.0 million, "Shape of You", Ed Sheeran, April 29, 2017[16]
- 175.6 million, "Gold Digger", Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx, October 22, 2005
Listed here are airplay peaks by song. Even if a song has registered enough impressions to be listed during multiple weeks, it is only listed once.
- Source: [17]
Artist records
Most number one singles after BDS-based chart's December 1990 inception
Number of Singles | Artist | Source |
---|---|---|
Rihanna | [18] | |
Mariah Carey | [18] | |
Bruno Mars | [18] | |
Usher | [18] | |
Katy Perry | [18] | |
Maroon 5 | [18] | |
Ludacris | [19] | |
Kanye West | [19] | |
Taylor Swift | [19] | |
Beyoncé | [19] |
Most cumulative weeks at number one
Weeks | Artist | Source |
---|---|---|
91 | Mariah Carey | [20] |
72 | Rihanna | [21] |
50 | Usher | [22] |
Boyz II Men | [23] | |
Bruno Mars | [24] | |
49 | Maroon 5 | [25] |
37 | Beyoncé | [26] |
Most consecutive number one singles
- 5 (tie) – Katy Perry ("California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Firework", "E.T.", "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)")
- 5 (tie) – Rihanna ("Rude Boy", "Love the Way You Lie", "Only Girl (In the World)", "What's My Name?", "S&M")
Source:[27]
Most top 10 songs
Number of Songs | Artist | Source |
---|---|---|
Rihanna | [28] | |
Mariah Carey | [28] | |
Drake | [29] | |
Lil Wayne | [28] | |
Beyoncé | [30] | |
Jay-Z | [28] | |
Ludacris | [28] | |
P!nk | [28] | |
T-Pain | [28] | |
Usher | [28] | |
Maroon 5 | [31] |
Self-replacement at number one
- Boyz II Men – "On Bended Knee" replaced "I'll Make Love to You" (December 1994)[32]
- Mariah Carey – "One Sweet Day" replaced "Fantasy" (December 1995)[33]
- Nelly – "Dilemma" replaced "Hot in Herre" (August 2002)[34]
- Usher – "Confessions Part II" replaced "Burn", which replaced "Yeah!" (May, July 2004)[35][36]
- Mariah Carey – "Shake It Off" replaced "We Belong Together" (September 2005)[37]
- T.I. – "Live Your Life" replaced "Whatever You Like" (November 2008)[38]
- Rihanna – "What's My Name?" replaced "Only Girl (In the World)" (January 2011)[39]
- The Weeknd – "The Hills" replaced "Can't Feel My Face" (October 2015)[40]
- Justin Bieber – "Love Yourself" replaced "Sorry" (February 2016)[41]
- Cardi B – "Girls Like You" replaced "I Like It" (August 2018)[42]
References
- Trust, Gary (2014-01-08). "Pitbull, Ke$ha Take 'Timber' to Top of Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
- Molanphy, Chris (1 August 2013). "How The Hot 100 Became America's Hit Barometer". All Things Considered. NPR. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
- Whitburn, Joel (2009). Top Pop Singles (12th ed.). Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 11. ISBN 0-89820-180-2.
- Billboard Staff (2015-06-24). "Billboard to Alter Chart Tracking Week for Global Release Date". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-06-24.
- "Radio Songs | Week of October 17, 1992". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- "Radio Songs | Week of May 30, 1992". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- "Radio Songs | Week of May 1, 1993". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- "Radio Songs | Week of February 26, 2011". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- "Radio Songs | Week of September 9, 1995". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- "Radio Songs | Week of March 17, 2001". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- "Juice WRLD & The Weeknd's 'Smile' Debuts in Hot 100's Top 10, Lewis Capaldi's 'Before You Go' Rises to No. 10". Billboard. August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- "Robin Thicke No. 1, Katy Perry No. 2 On Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
- "Pharrell Williams' 'Happy' Holds Atop Hot 100; DJ Snake & Lil Jon Hit Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- "Pharrell Williams Tops Hot 100 For 10th Week, Iggy Azalea Vaults Into Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
- "Pitbull & Ne-Yo Enter Hot 100 Top 10; Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars No. 1 Again". Billboard.
- "Ed Sheeran Tops Hot 100 for 12th Week, as Harry Styles Starts at No. 4". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
- "Ask Billboard: Katy Perry, Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga". Billboard. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- Trust, Gary (February 3, 2020). "Roddy Ricch's 'The Box' Tops Billboard Hot 100 for Fourth Week, Dua Lipa's 'Don't Start Now' Hits Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- Trust, Gary (March 12, 2018). "Bruno Mars Passes Usher for Most Radio Songs No. 1s Among Males, Thanks to 'Finesse' With Cardi B". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
- "Mariah Carey Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- "Rihanna Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- "Usher Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- "Boyz II Men Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- "Bruno Mars Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- "Maroon 5 Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
- "Beyoncé Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- "LMFAO Keeps Katy Perry At Bay Atop Hot 100". Billboard. August 10, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- Trust, Gary (15 May 2018). "Drake Earns 20th Radio Songs Top 10 With 'Nice for What,' Tying Lil Wayne For Most Among Males". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- Trust, Gary (4 May 2020). "Travis Scott & Kid Cudi's 'The Scotts' Debuts at No. 1 on Hot 100, Megan Thee Stallion's 'Savage' Soars to Top Five". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- Trust, Gary (26 May 2020). "Megan Thee Stallion & Beyonce's 'Savage' Surges to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- Trust, Gary (18 November 2019). "Lewis Capaldi's 'Someone You Loved' Tops Hot 100 For Third Week, Tying Capitol Records Mark Held Since 1963". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- "Radio Songs | Week of December 3, 1994". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
- "Radio Songs | Week of December 9, 1995". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
- "Radio Songs | Week of August 17, 2002". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
- "Radio Songs | Week of May 22, 2004". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
- "Radio Songs | Week of July 17, 2004". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
- "Radio Songs | Week of September 17, 2005". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
- "Radio Songs | Week of November 29, 2008". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
- "Radio Songs | Week of January 1, 2011". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
- "Radio Songs | Week of October 10, 2015". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
- "Radio Songs | Week of February 27, 2016". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
- "Radio Songs | Week of August 4, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2018.