When did the first music chart begin and why?
The origin of music charts dates back to a time when Billboard Advertising first emerged in Cincinnati in 1894. This initiative aimed to cover the rising advertising and bill-posting industry during the era of mass commercialism. As Billboard expanded its reach to New York, Chicago, San Francisco, London, and Paris, it provided listings of various events and entertainment news.
Fast forward to June 1913, Billboard published its very first chart that documented the sales of sheet music. This listing, titled “Last Week’s Ten Best Sellers Among The Popular Songs,” unveiled its inaugural number one hit with James V Monaco and Joseph McCarthy’s renowned track ‘You Made Me Love You (I Didn’t Want to Do It),’ as popularized by Al Jolson in the Broadway production The Honeymoon Express. Over the next 15 years, another chart, Popular Numbers Featured by Famous Singers and Leaders, emerged to compile both radio and on-stage performances for their weekly countdown of successful songs.
By the time rock and roll was in full swing, Billboard underwent several changes in 1958. It revamped or discontinued three different chart rankings and officially introduced the Hot 100, which remains the gold standard in American singles charting today. The debut number one on this revamped chart was Ricky Nelson’s ‘Poor Little Fool,’ setting a template that the world would come to follow as popular music made its mark globally.
The concept of music charts has evolved over time, shaping the way people engage with and consume music. For many, the UK’s Official Charts, conceived by New Musical Express (NME) advertising manager Percy Dickins in 1952, hold historical significance. By directly reaching out to record stores and compiling sales data, NME unveiled its top 12, with Al Martino’s emotional ballad ‘Here in My Heart’ claiming the chart’s first number one spot. Subsequently, other publications like Record Mirror and Melody Maker followed suit, launching their own chart features in the years that followed.
While the landscape of music consumption has changed with the rise of platforms like TikTok and streaming services, the enduring appeal of singles remains prevalent in today’s music industry. Despite the shift in focus from chart-topping singles, legacy chart publishers continue to diligently collect sales and streaming data. Various countries, from Nigeria’s TurnTable Top 100 Songs to Iceland’s Félag hljómplötuframleiðenda, look to the examples set by the UK and America to inform their own music industry’s singles rankings.
In essence, the history of music charts underscores their significance in the music industry’s evolution. From their humble beginnings in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to their enduring influence in the digital age, music charts have shaped how audiences engage with and appreciate popular music across the globe.