Hot 100 Airplay
The
Hot 100 Airplay is a chart released weekly by
Billboard magazine in the
United States. It measures radio airplay, and is one of the three component charts, along with the
Hot 100 Singles Sales and the
Hot Digital Songs charts, that determine the chart positions of singles on the
Billboard Hot 100.
The Hot 100 Airplay chart is a weekly chart that 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 (plays wide variety of music that is generally the most popular songs of the time) to more genre specific radio stations such as urban radio.
Per
Billboard (as of October 2005):
"988 stations, comprised of top 40, adult contemporary, R&B/hip-hop, country, rock, gospel, Latin and Christian formats, are electronically monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This data is used to compile The Billboard Hot 100."
Singles usually enter the Hot 100 Airplay chart before any other, because in most cases, they hit the airwaves first before being made commercially available online or in stores. Prior to
December 5 1998, the Hot 100 was solely compiled of songs that were commercially available. This means that songs could enter the airplay chart, but would not be eligible for the Hot 100 unless a commercial single in stores was issued. "
Don't Speak" by
No Doubt, "
Lovefool" by
The Cardigans and "
Basket Case" by
Green Day all topped the Hot 100 Airplay chart and gained large amounts of airplay, but were not allowed to enter the Hot 100, because no commercial single was issued, even though they would have probably been significant hits on the Hot 100 without the need of a commercial single.
Due to circumstances like this becoming a growing trend with major
record labels to release singles only to radio (as they felt commercial releases were a factor in decreasing album sales) many in the music industry requested that Billboard rethink its long-standing rule of "singles only" on the Hot 100. Billboard carefully weighed the pros and cons of this type of change and conducted extensive research and polls of music and recording industry insiders to assess the need for such a revamp of the chart. It was concluded that allowing airplay-only singles into the Hot 100 was the most logical choice, as the chart has always been a reflection of what songs are most popular in the United States and this new rule would present an accurate tool for those in the music industry to gauge the popularity of their "product" and to analyze marketing strategies, etc.
After
December 5,
1998, songs could chart on the Hot 100 with just airplay points. However, before they were allowed onto the Hot 100, they had to make the Top 75 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart. Songs that charted on the Hot 100, without being issued with a commercial single release were known as
album cuts. These album cuts however, were not very strong initially and did not usually chart very high; the first airplay-only single to hit number one came in June
2000 when
Aaliyah's "Try Again" spent one week at the top.
This implementation was solely responsible for the end of number one debuts. In the mid 90s, many songs were commercially released as singles after airplay was given a chance to grow to its maximum potential. This allowed songs to enter the Hot 100 at the top, a feat unheard of before 1995. Ten songs were able to do this, but after this change to the Hot 100, only four singles (all
American Idol winners) were able to debut at number one and only because airplay of their singles was too insignificant to allow them to enter the Hot 100 otherwise.
The Hot 100 is often criticised for weighing airplay more than sales. In a market where many believe sales to reflect music popularity more than airplay, this can be considered unfair.
Billboard, however, has adjusted the ratio given to sales and airplay ever since the Hot 100's inception in 1958. During periods in which singles were the main format in which people bought popular music (the 1950s and 1960s, for example), sales points were given more "weight" in Hot 100 calculation. As the singles market dwindled in the United States, it was necessary for
Billboard to adjust the sales/airplay ratio to favor airplay points, as a song that topped the Hot 100 Sales chart would sell only a few thousand copies in a week.
Highest debut
Madonna set a record in
1992 when the lead single and title track from her sixth album
Erotica debuted at #2 on the Hot 100 Airplay Chart. It is very difficult for a song to debut at a high position on the airplay chart, for many reasons. Firstly, in comparison to sales, there is no real set date for when a single hits the airwaves and it usually takes some time to grow to chart so high. Secondly, airplay itself is a pre-promotional tool so there is a lack of control over its spread of popularity. Thirdly, competition is very intense on the airplay charts as any song is eligible to chart, whereas for singles, a commercial release must be issued before it becomes eligible (at least before 1998, when "Erotica" accomplished the feat, this was the case). When Madonna's
Erotica debuted at #2 on the Hot 100 Airplay in
1992 it was a huge achievement. "Erotica" was able to gain a lot of immediate airplay due to its controversial lyrics and also from the hype surrounding the book she had released prior to the release of the single,
Sex.
Most weeks at number one
"
Iris" by the
Goo Goo Dolls topped the airplay charts for 18 weeks in
1998.
Most impressions in a week
"We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey scored 223 million impressions in the week ending
July 15 2005.
Most cumulative weeks at number one
Mariah Carey holds the record for the most weeks at number one in total with 89 weeks atop the chart.
Boyz II Men has second place with 50 weeks atop the chart.
