Radio Airplay 101 - Billboard Magazine

Billboard is the one industry magazine that most non-music-biz folks about; with it's colorful logo, it is probably the first industry magazine that you remember reading. It has many uses, but unfortunately, being useful to indie bands and indie labels is not one of them. You will have charted in every other chart magazine before you ever show up in Billboard. 95 percent of everything in the Billboard charts is major label, and the remaining 5 percent is major-indie (major-indies have a marketing budget of $50,000 minimum per release, and this does not include making the CD.)

Note: If you are a new artist or a new "small" indie label with your first release, you cannot compare your marketing expense to an established indie's. You have to compare your marketing expense for your ONE release to their total marketing expenses for ALL their releases since they went into business. This is because they have built up their radio / retail / press / venue marketing channels over the year, and you have not. So their radio/retail marketing dollars get put right into motion, whereas marketing efforts from a new artist/label just try to make it over the brick wall (exactly the way the first release from those established indies did when they first began.) Thus, longevity in the business is more important than song quality.

I have written other articles which cover the non-Billboard charts; those charts are much more useful to indie artists and labels. Nevertheless, due to the endless inquiries we get about Billboard, here is what it offers, insofar as song airplay charts for the United States is concerned...

TOP R&B/HIP-HOP ALBUMS: This chart gives sales results only. Sales results (especially in Billboard) are less useful to small indies than airplay charts are, since you need to make the airplay happen before the sales can really get moving. And you need to have very good sales before you ever show up in Billboard (about 1000 soundscans per week.)

HOT RAP SINGLES: Sales results only.

HOT R&B/HIP-HOP SINGLES: BDS monitored airplay results combined with sales results. Since sales are included in the results, you end up with the same problem as a sales-only chart.

HOT R&B/HIP-HOP AIRPLAY: BDS monitored airplay only. This is the first airplay-only chart in Billboard, but since the stations are all large regular-rotation BDS, this will be the last airplay chart you will show up on. It's basically major label only, with a few major-indies, and no small indies at all.

HOT R&B/HIP-HOP SINGLES SALES: Sales results only.

HOT DANCE MUSIC Section...

...CLUB PLAY: Club play only (not radio).

...MAXI-SINGLES SALES: Sales results only.

...HOT DANCE BREAKOUTS: One chart for club play, one for sales results only.

...TOP ELECTRONIC ALBUMS: Sales results only.

HOT COUNTRY SINGLES & TRACKS: BDS monitored airplay only. Mostly majors and major-indies, and a few small indies.

TOP COUNTRY SINGLES SALES: Sales results only.

TOP COUNTRY ALBUMS: Sales results only.

TOP COUNTRY CATALOG ALBUMS: Sales results only.

HOT LATIN TRACKS (overall, plus 3 variations): BDS monitored airplay only. Mostly majors, with a few indies.

TOP LATIN ALBUMS: Sales results only.

THE BILLBOARD 200: Sales results only.

TOP BLUES ALBUMS: Sales results only.

TOP REGGAE ALBUMS: Sales results only.

TOP WORLD ALBUMS: Sales results only.

TOP CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN ALBUMS: Sales results only.

TOP GOSPEL ALBUMS: Sales results only.

HEATSEEKERS: Sales results only.

TOP INDEPENDENT ALBUMS: Sales results only. A few small indies; mostly major indies.

TOP INTERNET ALBUM SALES: Sales results only.

TOP SOUNDTRACKS: Sales results only.

TOP POP CATALOG: Sales results only.

MODERN ROCK TRACKS: BDS monitored airplay only. Majors and major-indies. No small indies.

MAINSTREAM ROCK TRACKS: BDS monitored airplay only. Majors and major-indies. No small indies.

ADULT CONTEMPORARY: BDS monitored airplay only. Majors and major-indies. No small indies.

ADULT TOP 40 TRACKS: BDS monitored airplay only. Majors and major-indies. No small indies.

TOP 40 TRACKS: BDS monitored airplay only. Majors and major-indies. No small indies.

HOT 100 AIRPLAY: BDS monitored airplay only. Majors and major-indies. No small indies.

HOT 100 SINGLES SALES: Sales results only.

HOT 100: BDS monitored airplay results combined with sales results.

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