UK Singles Chart
Overview
The UK Singles Chart is a weekly record chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. The chart week runs from Friday to Thursday with the chart-date given as the following Thursday.
History
The UK Singles Chart was first compiled in 1952. The idea for a UK singles chart came from Percy Dickins of New Musical Express (NME), who wanted to devise a method of tracking the popularity of records in the UK. He achieved this by telephoning a sample of around 20 shops asking for a list of the 10 best-selling songs. These results were then aggregated to produce a Top 12 chart published in NME on 14 November 1952.
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Compilation
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart is a Top 200, though the OCC website contains the Top 100 only. The chart week runs from 00.01 Friday to midnight Thursday, with most new releases being released on a Friday. The chart is compiled using sales of downloads, CDs and vinyl, and streams, with the most recent addition being video streams.
Eligibility
For a single to be eligible for inclusion in the UK Singles Chart, it must be available for purchase in one or more of the following eligible formats: digital download, vinyl, CD, and cassette. Additionally, the single must be available for streaming on either a free-to-access or a subscription-based platform.
Chart performance and sales
The performance of a single on the UK Singles Chart is often seen as an important measure of its success. The chart is broadcast on BBC Radio 1, often presented by the Radio 1 Chart Show. The top 40 singles and the top 200 downloads are also published on the OCC's official website.