Wikipedia:Record charts

This guideline provides guidance about the suitability of music charts for inclusion in Wikipedia articles, both in article prose and in the standard tables of charts. It does not provide specifics of formatting tables, which is the subject of Manual of Style/Record charts.

Suitable charts
A chart is normally considered suitable for inclusion if it meets all of the following characteristics:
 * 1) It is published by a recognized reliable source. This includes any IFPI affiliate, Billboard magazine, or any organization with the support of Nielsen SoundScan. Recognized national measurement firms, such as Crowley Broadcast Analysis for Brazil or Monitor Latino for Latin America, are legitimate sources of charts.
 * 2) It covers sales or broadcast outlets from multiple sources.
 * 3) It is static, that is, the data in the chart cannot change. This excludes dynamic "all-time" charts, such as the ones published by Hung Medien.

Single-vendor/single-network charts
Charts which rank material from a single vendor or network are generally unsuitable for inclusion in articles. They should never be placed in discography tables or tables of charts. They may occasionally be mentioned in article prose if special circumstances warrant it. "Special circumstances" include notable controversies alleging chart manipulation, or cases where eligibility requirements prevented standard charts from recognizing the sales. This would include, for example, the noted resurgence of Michael Jackson related sales at the time of his death, when many chart rules prevented any of his album sales from being credited towards a chart position. Similarly, some charts representing the home country of the artist or composer (this can mean country of origin, country of residence, official nationality or any country where the artist or composer has lived for a substantial part of their lives) or releases with a strong link to the country in question (e.g. Eurovision entries), can be included if no other suitable charts can be located.

Note, however, that while single-network charts do not satisfy the charting criterion, some network charts may fulfill other NMUSIC criteria instead. For example, CBC Radio 2's Radio 2 Top 20 chart in Canada is not considered a pass of the charting criterion, but does constitute a pass of NMUSIC #11 as proof that the artist has been placed in rotation nationally by a major radio or music television network. Do not use this chart to support statements about specific chart positions or weeks-on, do not create or maintain "List of number-one hits on the Radio 2 Top 20" articles, and do not include it in discography listings as a record chart — use the chart solely to support statements about airplay on R2.

Dependent ("component") charts
Charts are frequently related to one another mathematically. For example, the Billboard Hot 100 is derived by weighting positions on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay, the Billboard Hot 100 Sales and Digital Songs, and the Billboard Hot 100 Streaming Songs. This means that in the vast majority of cases, any song that charts on the Billboard Hot 100 can be presumed to have charted on the other charts, and specifically mentioning the position will simply clutter an article. In unusual cases, the subordinate chart can be mentioned: take, for example, a single which had no airplay because of objectionable content, but still charted extremely high on the composite chart due to sales. This would be unusual enough to potentially warrant mention.

Examples of dependent/component/mathematically related charts:
 *  Billboard Hot 100 Airplay – related to Billboard Hot 100
 *  Billboard Hot 100 Sales charts – related to Billboard Hot 100
 *  Billboard Hot 100 Streaming Songs – related to Billboard Hot 100

Certifications
Certifications should be sourced directly to certifying agencies, most of which provide a searchable database. When such a database is not available, other reliable sources may be used, but they must directly state that the certifying agency has granted the certification. Many popular press articles will contain statements such as "... has gone gold ..." or "... has gone platinum ..." based on a sales figure, when, in fact, the certifying agency has not yet verified those sales and granted a certification.

Chart trajectories
A song/album's chart trajectory should not be included in an article as this constitutes an indiscriminate collection of information. Chart trajectories may be mentioned in the article text when there is sufficient reason to do so (for example, a song debuted at number 100, became a sleeper hit and peaked at number 1). Key facts, some examples being the debut position, number of weeks spent at peak position, and/or number of weeks in total on the chart may be mentioned within the article text, but should not be included as routine data for all charts.

Charts with more than 200 positions
In general, chart positions over 200 should not be listed, as this usually represents a minor amount of sales and is considered excessive detail. This applies to any chart, be it single or album, weekly, yearly, decade or all-time.

Deprecated charts

 * Amazon: Charts pertaining to only one specific retailer should not be used.
 * America's Music Charts: This chart's article was deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart with dubious methodology.
 * ARC Weekly Top 40: This chart's article was deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart with dubious methodology.
 * Argentina Top 40: This chart's article was deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart with dubious methodology.
 * Argentina Singles Top 100 from charly1300.com. Per the chart description ...otros factores que cada semana varían y se modifican en el Ranking. Los datos que proporcionamos no son 100% verificables (Other factors that vary from week to week modify the rankings. The data is not 100% verifiable).
 * Argentina Top 100 at argentinatop100.com.ar. Anonymous chart, with no explanation of methodology or source. Singles chart appears to be a one-week old copy of the chart from charly1300.com.
 * Note: a valid Argentine albums chart exists at capif.org.ar and a singles chart at billboard.com.ar.
 * Australia Country Tracks Top 30: This chart has been determined as a non-notable chart with dubious methodology; see Talk:2009 in country music.
 * Note: The Australian Country Albums chart is published by ARIA and therefore acceptable for use. Australia does not seem to have a valid country singles chart.
 * (Australia) hot100au.com: See hot100au.com/about/. This is an iTunes chart. See iTunes listed below.
 * Beatport: Charts pertaining to only one specific retailer should not be used.
 * The Big Top 40 Show Chart primarily based on iTunes data.
 * Brazil Hot 100/Hot100Brasil: This chart's article was deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart with dubious methodology.
 * Note: the chart archive in this PDF file is a mirror of Brazil Hot 100.
 * Note: see for a discussion of the Hot 100 Airplay chart from Billboard Brasil which, if properly sourced, is acceptable.
 * Brazilian Singles Chart from allcharts.org is a mirror of Brazil Hot 100's "Hot 100 Songs and Tracks".
 * Bulgarian National Top 40: This chart's article was deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart with dubious methodology.
 * Note: the chart at αCharts.us is a mirror of the Bulgarian National Top 40.
 * Note: A legitimate Bulgarian chart is located at http://www.prophon.org/display.php
 * Canadian Country Albums published by Jam!/Canoe. Chart positions are not archived and therefore impossible to verify.
 * Charts Around the World: Reproduces information that can be found on other reliable sources or sources whose origins are unknown. See discussion.
 * Chile Hot 100: This chart's article was deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart with dubious methodology.
 * Chilean Singles Chart from Americatop100.com. This chart was deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart with dubious methodology.
 * Colombia Top 100 from Americatop100.com. This charts was deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart with dubious methodology.
 * Creative Disc. The chart was deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart.
 * Croatian Airplay Chart. The chart was deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart.
 * Croatian Singles Chart at ehot50.blog.hr : blog sourced chart.
 * Croatian Singles Chart at www.soundguardian.com. No apparent notability. Validation of this chart compared to the airplay charts it claims to aggregate does not validate the chart.
 * Cyprus Super Radio Chart This chart is a radio chart and it has not received an official status.
 * Euro 200/APC-stats: This chart's article was deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart with dubious methodology.
 * Note: the following charts are known to be mirrors of these charts:
 * Portugal Singles Top 50 at αCharts.us
 * Italian Albums Top 50 at αCharts.us
 * Italian Singles Top 50 at αCharts.us
 * Note: a valid Portuguese albums chart, based on AC Nielsen data, can be found at www.audiogest.pt.
 * Note: valid Italian albums and singles charts, can be found at www.fimi.it
 * FDR Charts This chart's article was deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart.
 * Greek Hot 75,Greek Dance, Greek Hype, Greek Pop, Greek Rock, Greek R&B & Latin, Greek Radio1 DJs: These charts from www.radio1.gr are all single network charts.
 * Hungary Editor's Choice Top 40 at MAHASZ. The Editors' Choice Top 40 should not be used: this is a critic's list, not a reflection of sales or airplay.
 * Indonesian Top 50: see "Creative Disc".
 * Infodisc.fr : For singles (and albums before 1985 at http://www.infodisc.fr/Album_Historique.php), site uses various sources to recreate, through their own methodology, fictional chart positions.
 * ISMAIV. The chart was deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart.
 * Italian Singles at αCharts.us: see Euro 200/APC-stats.
 * Israeli Singles Chart at www.charts.co.il, http://www.glgltz.co.il/, http://pizmonet.co.il/ or https://90s.co.il/israel-number1. These charts are all single network charts, and incorporate user voting.
 * iTunes: Charts pertaining to only one specific retailer should not be used.
 * Latin Areschart: This chart's article was deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart with dubious methodology.
 * Latvian Airplay Top, Latvian Singles Chart This chart's article was deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart with dubious methodology.
 * LCC Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and other Lithuania Charts Company charts: This chart's article was deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart with dubious methodology.
 * Lithuanian Airplay Chart: This chart's article were deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart with dubious methodology.
 * Lithuanian Top 40 from music.lt. This chart is based on membership voting, and does not reflect verifiable sales or airplay.
 * Los 40 Principales. Single network chart documenting playlist frequency on the same network.
 * México Top 100 from Americatop100.com. This chart was deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart with dubious methodology.
 * Mu-Mo: Charts pertaining to only one specific retailer should not be used.
 * MYX Hit Chart, MYX Daily Top 10, Pinoy MYX Countdown: These charts were deleted by deletion discussion as non-notable charts with dubious methodology.
 * Odyssey Albums Chart: Single vendor charts should not be used.
 * Polish National Top 50: This chart's article was deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart with dubious methodology.
 * Note: a valid Polish albums chart can be found at olis.onyx.pl.
 * Portuguese Singles at αCharts.us: see Euro 200/APC-stats.
 * Radio Disney: Charts from countdown shows should not be used as they are not derived from verifiable sales and/or airplay totals. Now defunct.
 * Recochoku: Charts pertaining to only one specific retailer should not be used.
 * Record Land: Charts pertaining to only one specific retailer should not be used.
 * Rolling Stone Top 200 Albums: Chart allows albums to chart prior to release based solely on song streams and sales. See: discussion.
 * Serbian Pop Top Lista: "TOP 50 SRBIJA" chart at poptoplista.com. Rankings are apparently combinations of radio airplay in Serbia with votes of Web site visitors.
 * Spanish Singles Chart on allcharts.org. This is a mirror of Los 40 Principales, which is listed above.
 * Spotify: Charts pertaining to only one specific retailer should not be used.
 * TikTok Billboard Top 50. Charts pertaining to data from one website should not be used. See WP:SINGLENETWORK.
 * Tokio Hot 100 Single network airplay chart.
 * Top Latino: This chart's article was deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart with dubious methodology.
 * Ukraine: see FDR Charts above.
 * United States Billboard Twitter Real-Time charts: See WP:SINGLENETWORK.
 * United World Chart, Global Top 40 Albums, Media Traffic: This chart's article was deleted by deletion discussion as a non-notable chart with dubious methodology. This chart is also used to compile the data for the winners of the World Music Awards, which as of 2021 have been on a seven-year hiatus.
 * ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks Countdowns (VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown, TeenNick Top 10 and CMT Hot Twenty, among others): Both the CMT and VH1 programs (the VH1 program ended in December 2015) formerly used a mix of network airplay and radio popularity with some minor viewer feedback to compile their lists, but now only depend entirely on viewer text messaging and internet voting to compile their lists and encourage multiple votes, along with a limited pool of videos chosen by viewers to fill the list. TeenNick's countdown was subject to the same issues, along with producer and host input (the host, Nick Cannon, had a full executive role with the network and has used the network to promote his produced acts in the past) to influence how the videos chart; it ended in 2018, leaving CMT Hot Twenty as the only active program among the three.
 * Vietnamese YanTV We10: A music chart which is published by YanTV and based on viewer's choice.
 * Worf Music Awards: Probably non-existent award, mass-added to various artist pages at one point. See deleted by deletion discussion.
 * World Albums Top 40/World Singles Top 40: These listings on acharts.us are mirrors of the United World Chart.

Websites to avoid

 * americatop100.com – Sourcing for these charts is indeterminate.
 * Charly1300.com – Reproduces some data available from Recommended charts. Other available chart information is of unsystematic or uncertain origin.
 * Chartblue.com – Indeterminate methodology.
 * chartdata.org – Reproduces some data available from Recommended charts. Other available chart information is of unsystematic or uncertain origin. Also applies to their Twitter account.
 * chartmasters.org – Falls under WP:SPS, and there's no indication of where the figures are from.
 * chartsaroundtheworld.com – Reproduces information that can be found on other reliable sources or sources whose origins are unknown. See discussion.
 * hitparadeitalia.it – Hobbyist web site, uses various sources to recreate, through his own methodology, fictional national charts.
 * kworb.net – Mostly compiles airplay data from Mediabase along with normalized popularity values for tracks in the iTunes Store; in particular, the sales estimates page should not be cited under any circumstance, as the provided figures on the page are merely estimated and are not based on official data.
 * Madonna-charts.com – Fan site, indeterminate methodology.
 * Mariah-charts.com – Fan site, indeterminate methodology.
 * mediatraffic.de – Unclear methodology, unknown sourcing.
 * Oldtimemusic.com — Supposedly reproduces some Billboard charts, but its accuracy has been questioned (see discussion).
 * slokylie.com – Fan site, indeterminate methodology.
 * top40-charts.com – Unclear methodology, unknown sourcing.
 * Tsort.info/music/ – In general, reproduces information available directly from sources listed in Recommended charts. Exceptions appear to be sourced from single-station airplay or single-vendor sales figures.
 * twitter.com/chartnews – In general, reproduces information available directly from sources listed in Recommended charts. Sales figures appear to be obtained from a mixture of reliable and unreliable sources, including mediatraffic.de; in some cases, provided sales figures do not match those from recommended sources provided concurrently.
 * uk-charts.top-source.info, www.uk-charts.co.uk – Hobbyist web site, indeterminate sourcing and methodology.
 * UKchartsplus.co.uk – In general, reproduces information available directly from sources listed in Recommended charts. Uncertain methodology as to annual figures, which do not match recommended sources.
 * worldmusicawards.com – Although this is an actual (sometimes) televised awards show (with an admittedly shaky history), the articles found under the "News" section of its official website should not be cited, as the text of these articles is copied verbatim from mediatraffic.de, including the dubious sales data.

Recommended charts
The following charts are recommended for use, although some archives of these charts are specifically deprecated. These are charts which are believed to meet all requirements for inclusion, and have reliable, licensed archives of positions which allow for stable and reliable referencing.

Many reliable charts are not included on this list, primarily due to archiving problems. The Romanian Top 100, for example, appears to be a reliable chart, but no stable searchable archive is available. These charts can be included so long as care is taken in providing a reliable source for the information.

If only the latest version of a chart is published online, please add it to Record charts/List. The list is archived to the Wayback Machine at least twice every week.

Acceptable charts
The following charts are acceptable and are deemed as reliable sources for use. However these charts do not have a searchable database or are archived by the website. In order to prevent WP:LINKROT, the source must be manually archived using the Internet Archive or another similar service.