Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is a weekly ranking of songs’ popularity in the United States, combining streaming, radio airplay, and sales data.
Billboard charts: Rankings published by Billboard that track music performance across genres, formats, and markets. The Hot 100 is Billboard’s flagship singles chart within this broader chart system.
Billboard: An American music media company that publishes charts, news, and analysis of the music industry. Billboard created the Hot 100 and continues to publish its weekly rankings.
Record chart: A ranking of recorded music based on measures such as sales, airplay, or listening activity. The Hot 100 is a national singles chart within the wider tradition of record rankings.
Billboard 200: Billboard’s weekly ranking of the most popular albums in the United States. Unlike the Hot 100’s song ranking, it measures album-level popularity.
Number-one single: A single that reaches the top position on a music chart. The Hot 100’s top position is a prominent marker of U.S. singles success.
Music streaming: The delivery of audio over the internet for playback without requiring a permanent download. Streaming activity is one of the data sources used to rank songs.
Billboard Best Sellers in Stores: A Billboard chart that ranked popular records by retail sales before the Hot 100 began. It was one of the predecessor charts consolidated into the Hot 100.
Music industry: The businesses and institutions involved in creating, distributing, promoting, and monetizing music. Chart positions influence promotion, release decisions, and perceptions of commercial success.
Rolling Stone Top 100: A weekly ranking of popular songs in the United States published by Rolling Stone. Its competing ranking uses a different methodology and provides a useful comparison.
Billboard Hot 100 record achievements: Notable records for longevity, chart entries, and peak positions on the Billboard Hot 100. The chart’s accumulated history makes its longevity and peak records cultural benchmarks.