View source for Billboard Hot 100

{{Short description|American song chart}}
{{Redirect|Hot 100}}
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[[File:Billboard Hot 100 logo (2025 March design).png|thumb|The current ''Billboard'' Hot 100 logo|240x240px]]

The '''''Billboard'' Hot 100''', also known as simply the '''Hot 100''', is the [[music industry]] standard [[record chart]] in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and [[Music download|digital]]), [[online streaming]], and [[radio airplay]] in the U.S.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=May 1, 2018|title=Billboard Finalizes Changes to How Streams Are Weighted for Billboard Hot 100 & Billboard 200|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8427967/billboard-changes-streaming-weighting-hot-100-billboard-200|access-date=August 4, 2021|magazine=Billboard|archive-date=January 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129082928/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8427967/billboard-changes-streaming-weighting-hot-100-billboard-200|url-status=live}}</ref>

A new chart is compiled and released online to the public by ''Billboard''{{'}}s website on Tuesdays but post-dated to the following Saturday, when the printed magazine first reaches newsstands.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=January 23, 2013 |title=Billboard Charts Legend |url=https://www.billboard.com/billboard-charts-legend/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=January 27, 2023 |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031031911/https://www.billboard.com/p/billboard-charts-legend |url-status=live }}</ref> The weekly tracking period for sales is currently Friday–Thursday, after being changed in July 2015. It was initially Monday–Sunday when [[Nielsen Holdings PLC|Nielsen]] started tracking sales in 1991. This tracking period also applies to compiling online streaming data. Radio airplay is readily available on a real-time basis, unlike sales figures and streaming, but is also tracked on the same Friday–Thursday cycle, effective with the chart dated July 17, 2021.<ref name="Radio Airplay Friday to Thursday">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9599515/bts-butter-number-one-seventh-week-hot-100/|title=BTS' 'Butter' Leads Hot 100 for Seventh Week, Lil Nas X's 'Montero' Returns to Top Five|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|last=Trust|first=Gary|date=July 12, 2021|access-date=July 12, 2021|archive-date=July 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712172956/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9599515/bts-butter-number-one-seventh-week-hot-100/|url-status=live}}</ref> Previously, radio was tracked Monday–Sunday and, before July 2015, Wednesday–Tuesday.<ref name="tracking">{{cite magazine|date=June 24, 2015|title=Billboard to Alter Chart Tracking Week for Global Release Date|magazine=Billboard|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/billboard-alter-chart-tracking-week-global-release-date/|access-date=June 24, 2015|archive-date=July 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150720083618/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6605842/billboard-alter-chart-tracking-week-global-release-date|url-status=live}}</ref>

The first number-one song of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 was "[[Poor Little Fool]]" by [[Ricky Nelson]], on August 4, 1958.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.umgcatalog.com/news/ricky-nelson-rules-first-ever-hot-100-poor-little-fool|title = Ricky Nelson Rules First-Ever Hot 100 with 'Poor Little Fool'|date = August 4, 2019|access-date = August 3, 2021|archive-date = August 3, 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210803223404/https://www.umgcatalog.com/news/ricky-nelson-rules-first-ever-hot-100-poor-little-fool|url-status = live}}</ref> As of the issue for the week ending on November 22, 2025, the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 has had 1,184 different number-one entries. The current number-one song on the chart is "[[The Fate of Ophelia]]" by [[Taylor Swift]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-hot-100-the-fate-of-ophelia-six-weeks/|title=Taylor Swift's 'The Fate of Ophelia' Rules Hot 100 for Sixth Week, Sombr Scores First Top 10 With 'Back to Friends'|last=Trust|first=Gary|magazine=Billboard|date=November 18, 2025|access-date=November 18, 2025}}</ref>

== History ==
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The first chart published by ''Billboard'' was "Last Week's Ten Best Sellers Among the Popular Songs", a list of best-selling sheet music, in July 1913. Other charts listed popular song performances in theatres and recitals. In 1928, "Popular Numbers Featured by Famous Singers and Leaders" appeared, which added radio performances to in-person performances. On January 4, 1936, Billboard magazine published "Ten Best Records for Week Ending", which listed the 10 top selling records of three leading record companies, as reported by the companies themselves. In October 1938, a review list, "The Week's Best Records", was retitled "The Billboard Record Buying Guide" by incorporating airplay and sheet music sales, which would eventually become the first trade survey of record popularity.<ref name="chart history">{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XCMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT149 |title=The Chart in Evolution: A Chronicle |magazine=Billboard |page=RS-110 |date=May 21, 1977 |access-date=November 1, 2022 |archive-date=November 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101111027/https://books.google.com/books?id=XCMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT149 |url-status=live }}</ref> This led to the full-page "Billboard Music Popularity Chart" for the week ending July 20, 1940, and published in the July 27 issue, with lists covering jukebox play, retail sales, sheet music sales, and radio play. Listed were 10 songs of the national "Best Selling Retail Records", which was the fore-runner of today's pop chart, with "[[I'll Never Smile Again]]" by [[Tommy Dorsey]] its first number one.<ref name="retail records">{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/40s/1940/Billboard-1940-07-27.pdf |title=Billboard Music Popularity Chart |page=11 |magazine=Billboard |date=July 27, 1940 |access-date=November 12, 2022 |archive-date=August 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818125047/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/40s/1940/Billboard-1940-07-27.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Starting on March 24, 1945, ''Billboard''{{'}}s lead popularity chart was the ''Honor Roll of Hits''. This chart ranked the most popular songs regardless of performer (it combined different versions of the same song by different artists) based on record and sheet sales, disk jockey, and jukebox performances as determined by ''Billboard''{{'}}s weekly nationwide survey.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=April 24, 1954|title=Billboard Honor Roll of Hits Represents Culmination of Disk's Life on the Charts|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/50s/1954/Billboard%201954-04-24.pdf|magazine=Billboard|pages=34|access-date=September 18, 2019|archive-date=June 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610051235/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/50s/1954/Billboard%201954-04-24.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> At the start of the rock era in 1955, there were three charts that measured songs by individual metrics:<ref name="NPR">{{cite news|last1=Molanphy|first1=Chris|title=How The Hot 100 Became America's Hit Barometer|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2013/08/16/207879695/how-the-hot-100-became-americas-hit-barometer|access-date=March 14, 2018|work=All Things Considered|publisher=NPR|date=August 1, 2013|archive-date=August 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803093057/http://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2013/08/16/207879695/how-the-hot-100-became-americas-hit-barometer|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''Best Sellers in Stores'' was the best seller chart first established in July 1940. This chart ranked the biggest selling singles in retail stores, as reported by merchants surveyed throughout the country (20 to 50 positions).
* ''Most Played by Jockeys'' was ''Billboard''{{'}}s original airplay chart. It ranked the most played songs on United States radio stations, as reported by radio DJs and radio stations (20 to 25 positions).
* ''Most Played in Jukeboxes'' ranked the most played songs in [[jukebox]]es across the United States (20 positions). This was one of the main outlets of measuring song popularity with the younger generation of music listeners, as many radio stations resisted adding [[rock and roll]] music to their playlists for many years.

''Billboard''{{'}}s primary chart among these was the ''Best Sellers in Stores'' chart, and the magazine refers to that when discussing a song's performance before the creation of the Hot 100.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Chart Beat Chat |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/60472/chart-beat-chat|magazine=Billboard|access-date=July 15, 2020|date=December 2, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928024313/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/60472/chart-beat-chat|archive-date=September 28, 2015|quote=The main chart was Best Sellers in Stores, and that's the list Billboard uses as THE pre-Hot 100 chart.}}</ref> In its issue of November 12, 1955, ''Billboard'' published '''The Top 100''' for the first time (for the survey weeks ending October 26 and November 2).<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Top 100 for survey week ending November 2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yCEEAAAAMBAJ&q=top+100+sides |magazine=Billboard |access-date=July 22, 2023 |date=November 12, 1956 |archive-date=July 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722174258/https://books.google.com/books?id=yCEEAAAAMBAJ&q=top+100+sides |url-status=live }}</ref> ''The Top 100'' combined all aspects of a single's performance (sales, airplay and jukebox activity), based on a point system that typically gave sales (purchases) more weight than radio airplay. The first No. 1 in that chart was "[[Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (song)|Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing]]" by [[The Four Aces]].<ref name="chart history"/> The ''Best Sellers in Stores'', ''Most Played by Jockeys'' and ''Most Played in Jukeboxes'' charts continued to be published concurrently with the new ''Top 100'' chart.

On June 17, 1957, ''Billboard'' discontinued the ''Most Played in Jukeboxes'' chart, as the popularity of jukeboxes waned and radio stations incorporated more and more rock-oriented music into their playlists. The week of July 28, 1958, had the final ''Most Played by Jockeys'' and ''Top 100'' charts, both of which had [[Perez Prado]]'s instrumental version of "[[Patricia (Perez Prado song)|Patricia]]" ascending to the top.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Bvm2rnwUDIC&pg=PA879 |title=The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 9th Edition |first=Joel |last=Whitburn |date=2012 |isbn=9780307985125 |publisher=Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed |page=879 |access-date=November 10, 2022 |archive-date=November 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110160037/https://books.google.com/books?id=1Bvm2rnwUDIC&pg=PA879 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On August 4, 1958, ''Billboard'' premiered one main all-genre singles chart: the ''Hot 100'', with "[[Poor Little Fool]]" by [[Ricky Nelson]] its first No. 1.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Hot 100 55th Anniversary: Every No. 1 Song (1958–2013) |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/hot-100-55th-anniversary-every-no-1-song-1958-2013/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 26, 2021 |date=August 2, 2013 |archive-date=December 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211226144301/https://www.billboard.com/pro/hot-100-55th-anniversary-every-no-1-song-1958-2013/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1958-08-02/ |title=Billboard Hot 100 |magazine=Billboard |date=August 4, 1958 }}</ref> The Hot 100 quickly became the industry standard and ''Billboard'' discontinued the ''Best Sellers In Stores'' chart on October 13, 1958.

The Hot 100 was created by journalists Tom Noonan, [[Paul Ackerman]], and [[Seymour Stein]]; Stein did not recall who chose the name.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Gary|last=Trust|title=Seymour Stein on His Billboard Beginning & How the Hot 100 Was Born on Aug. 4, 1958|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/hot-100-co-creator-seymour-stein-interview/|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=August 4, 2021|access-date=October 1, 2022|url-access=subscription|quote=Tom [Noonan] could have come up with the name. I certainly did not. It might have been one of the reporters, or Paul Ackerman. I just don't remember.|archive-date=October 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002004233/https://www.billboard.com/pro/hot-100-co-creator-seymour-stein-interview/|url-status=live}}<!-- original Aug 4 2015 interview no longer on Billboard website; transcription here: https://news.yahoo.com/hot-100-co-creator-seymour-stein-billboard-beginning-194541894.html --></ref>

The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is still the standard by which a song's popularity is measured in the United States. The Hot 100 is ranked by radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen BDS, sales data compiled by [[Nielsen Soundscan]] (both at retail and digitally) and streaming activity provided by online music sources.<ref name="NPR"/>

There are several component charts that contribute to the overall calculation of the Hot 100. They are:
* [[Radio Songs (chart)|Radio Songs]]: ''(per Billboard)'' approximately 1,000 stations, "composed of [[adult contemporary]], [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]], [[hip hop]], [[Country music|country]], [[Rock music|rock]], [[Gospel music|gospel]], [[Latin music (genre)|Latin]] and [[Christian music|Christian]] formats, digitally monitored twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Charts are ranked by number of gross audience impressions, computed by cross-referencing exact times of radio airplay with [[Arbitron]] listener data."
* [[Digital Song Sales]]: Digital sales are tracked by Nielsen SoundScan and are included as part of a title's sales points.
* [[Streaming Songs]]: a collaboration between ''Billboard'', Nielsen SoundScan and [[National Association of Recording Merchandisers]] which measures the top streamed radio songs, on-demand songs and videos on leading online music services.
* [[Hot Singles Sales]] (1984–2017): [[single (music)|physical single]] sales were tracked by Nielsen SoundScan.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"
|+ ''Billboard'' Hot 100 component charts
|-
! scope="col" | Period
! scope="col" | [[Radio Songs (chart)|Radio Songs]]<br>{{nobold|([[Airplay|song airplay]])}}
! scope="col" | [[Hot Singles Sales]]<br>{{nobold|([[Record sales|physical single sales]])}}
! scope="col" | [[Digital Song Sales]]<br>{{nobold|([[Music download|song downloads]])}}
! scope="col" | [[Streaming Songs]]<br>{{nobold|([[Music streaming service|song streams]])}}
|-
| 1984–2005 || {{active}} || {{active}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}}
|-
| 2005–2013 || {{active}} || {{active}} || {{active}} || {{n/a}}
|-
| 2013–2017 || {{active}} || {{active}} || {{active}} || {{active}}
|-
| 2017–present || {{active}} || {{n/a|Defunct}} || {{active}} || {{active}}
|}

== Compilation ==
The tracking week for sales, streaming and airplay begins on Friday and ends on Thursday (airplay used to have a tracking week from Monday to Sunday, but effective with the chart dated July 17, 2021, the week was adjusted to align with the other two metrics<ref name="Radio Airplay Friday to Thursday"/>). A new chart is compiled and officially released to the public by ''Billboard'' on Tuesday. Each chart is post-dated with the "week-ending" issue date four days after the charts are refreshed online (i.e., the following Saturday).<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/billboard-chart-magazine-dates-release-week-change/|title=Billboard Chart & Magazine Dates Now to Align Closer to Release Week|magazine=Billboard|date=December 19, 2017|access-date=January 1, 2018|archive-date=April 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413064413/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8071011/billboard-chart-magazine-dates-release-week-change|url-status=live}}</ref> For example:
* Friday, January 1 – tracking-week begins for sales, streaming and airplay
* Thursday, January 7 – tracking-week ends for sales, streaming and airplay
* Tuesday, January 12 – new chart released, with issue post-dated Saturday, January 16

== Policy changes ==
The methods and policies by which this data is obtained and compiled have changed many times throughout the chart's history.

Although the advent of a singles music chart spawned chart historians and chart-watchers and greatly affected [[popular culture|pop culture]] and produced countless bits of trivia, the main purpose of the Hot 100 is to aid those within the music industry: to reflect the popularity of the "product" (the singles, the albums, etc.) and to track the trends of the buying public. ''Billboard'' has (many times) changed its methodology and policies to give the most precise and accurate reflection of what is popular. A very basic example of this would be the ratio given to sales and airplay. During the Hot 100's early history, singles were the leading way by which people bought music. At times, when singles sales were robust, more weight was given to a song's retail points than to its radio airplay.

=== Double-sided singles ===
''Billboard'' has also changed its Hot 100 policy regarding "two-sided singles" several times. The pre-Hot 100 chart "Best Sellers in Stores" listed popular A- and-B-sides together, with the side that was played most often (based on its other charts) listed first. One of these was [[Elvis Presley]]'s "Don't Be Cruel" / "Hound Dog". During the Presley single's chart run, top billing was switched back and forth between the two sides several times. But on the concurrent "Most Played in Juke Boxes", "Most Played by Jockeys" and the "Top 100", the two songs were listed separately, as was true of all songs. With the initiation of the Hot 100 in 1958, A- and-B-sides charted separately, as they had on the former Top 100.

Starting with the Hot 100 chart for the week ending November 29, 1969, this rule was altered; if both sides received significant airplay, they were listed together. This started to become a moot point by 1972, as most major record labels solidified a trend they had started in the 1960s by putting the same song on both sides of the singles provided to radio.

More complex issues began to arise as the typical A- and-B-side format of singles gave way to [[12 inch singles]] and maxi-singles, many of which contained more than one B-side. Further problems arose when, in several cases, a B-side would eventually overtake the A-side in popularity, thus prompting record labels to release a new single, featuring the former B-side as the A-side, along with a "new" B-side.

The inclusion of album cuts on the Hot 100 put the double-sided hit issues to rest permanently.

=== Album cuts ===
As many Hot 100 chart policies have been modified over the years, one rule remained constant for over four decades: songs were not eligible to enter the Hot 100 unless they were available to purchase as a single. This was discontinued on December 5, 1998, when the Hot 100 changed from being a "singles" chart to a "songs" chart.<ref name="NPR"/> During the 1990s, a growing trend in the music industry was to promote songs to radio without ever releasing them as singles. It was claimed by major record labels that singles were cannibalizing album sales, so they were slowly phased out.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Leeds |first=Jeff |date=February 24, 2001 |title=Record Industry Says Napster Hurt Sales |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-feb-24-fi-29694-story.html |access-date=June 3, 2024 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times }}</ref> During this period, accusations began to fly of chart manipulation as labels would hold off on releasing a single until airplay was at its absolute peak, thus prompting a top ten or, in some cases, a number-one debut. In many cases, a label would delete a single from its catalog after only one week, thus allowing the song to enter the Hot 100, make a high debut and then slowly decline in position as the one-time production of the retail single sold out.

It was during this period that several popular mainstream hits never charted on the Hot 100, or charted well after their airplay had declined. During the period that they were not released as singles, the songs were not eligible to chart. Many of these songs dominated the [[Radio Songs (chart)|Hot 100 Airplay]] chart for extended periods of time:
* 1995 [[The Rembrandts]]: "[[I'll Be There for You (The Rembrandts song)|I'll Be There for You]]" (number one for eight weeks)
* 1996 [[No Doubt]]: "[[Don't Speak]]" (number one for 16 weeks)
* 1997 [[Sugar Ray]] featuring [[Super Cat]]: "[[Fly (Sugar Ray song)|Fly]]" (number one for six weeks)
* 1997 [[Will Smith]]: "[[Men in Black (song)|Men in Black]]" (number one for four weeks)
* 1997 [[The Cardigans]]: "[[Lovefool]]" (number two for eight weeks)
* 1998 [[Natalie Imbruglia]]: "[[Torn (Ednaswap song)#Natalie Imbruglia version|Torn]]" (number one for 11 weeks)
* 1998 [[Goo Goo Dolls]]: "[[Iris (Goo Goo Dolls song)|Iris]]" (number one for 18 weeks)

As debate and conflicts occurred more and more often, ''Billboard'' finally answered the requests of music industry artists and insiders to include airplay-only songs (or "album cuts") in the Hot 100, while the retail component was reduced from 40% to 25%.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LgoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA129 |pages=3, 129 |title=A New Hot 100 Reflects Changes in Music Business |magazine=Billboard |date=December 5, 1998 |access-date=August 30, 2023 |archive-date=August 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830211836/https://books.google.com/books?id=LgoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA129 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== EPs ===
[[Extended play]] (EP) releases were listed by ''Billboard'' on the Hot 100 and in pre-Hot 100 charts (Top 100) until the mid-to-late 1960s. With the growing popularity of albums, it was decided to move EPs (which typically contain four to six tracks) from the Hot 100 to the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], where they are included to this day.

=== Digital downloads, online streaming and bundles ===
Since February 12, 2005, the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 tracks paid digital downloads from such internet services as [[iTunes Store|iTunes]], [[Musicmatch]], and [[Rhapsody (online music service)|Rhapsody]]. ''Billboard'' initially started tracking downloads in 2003 with the [[Hot Digital Tracks]] chart. However, these downloads did not count towards the Hot 100 and that chart (as opposed to [[Hot Digital Songs]]) counted each version of a song separately. This was the first major overhaul of the Hot 100's chart formula since December 1998.

The change in methodology has shaken up the chart considerably, with some songs debuting on the chart strictly with robust online sales and others making drastic leaps. In recent years, several songs have been able to achieve 80-to-90 position jumps in a single week as their digital components were made available at online music stores. Since 2006, the all-time record for the biggest single-week upward movement was broken nine times.

In the issue dated August 11, 2007, ''Billboard'' began incorporating weekly data from [[streaming media]] and on-demand services into the Hot 100. The first two major companies to provide their statistics to Nielsen BDS on a weekly basis were [[AOL]] Music and [[Yahoo! Music]].<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Geoff |last=Mayfield |title=Billboard Hot 100 To Include Digital Streams |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1050326/billboard-hot-100-to-include-digital-streams |magazine=Billboard |date=August 4, 2007 |access-date=July 30, 2007 |archive-date=June 14, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614022316/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1050326/billboard-hot-100-to-include-digital-streams |url-status=live }}</ref> On March 24, 2012, Billboard premiered its On-Demand Songs chart, which ranks web radio streams from services such as [[Spotify]], as well as on-demand audio titles.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/502020/hot-100-impacted-by-new-on-demand-songs-chart|magazine=Billboard|title=Hot 100 Impacted by New On-Demand Songs Chart|first=Gary|last=Trust|date=March 14, 2012|access-date=March 14, 2012|archive-date=March 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323231310/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/502020/hot-100-impacted-by-new-on-demand-songs-chart|url-status=live}}</ref> Its data was then incorporated into the equation that compiles the Hot 100, and this was expanded to a broader [[Streaming Songs]] chart in January 2013.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1510640/new-danceelectronic-songs-chart-launches-with-william-britney-at-no-1|magazine=Billboard|title=New Dance/Electronic Songs Chart Launches With Will.i.am & Britney at No. 1|first=Silvio|last=Pietroluongo|date=January 17, 2013|access-date=February 19, 2012|archive-date=November 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110034638/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1510640/new-danceelectronic-songs-chart-launches-with-william-britney-at-no-1|url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2013, U.S. views for a song on [[YouTube]] were added to the Hot 100 formula. "[[Harlem Shake (song)|Harlem Shake]]" was the first song to reach number one after the changes were made.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sisario|first=Ben|title=What's Billboard's No. 1? Now YouTube Has a Say|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/arts/music/billboard-makes-youtube-part-of-hot-100-formula.html|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=February 20, 2013|date=February 20, 2013|archive-date=March 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322101647/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/arts/music/billboard-makes-youtube-part-of-hot-100-formula.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In July 2020, ''Billboard'' announced that they would no longer allow sales of physical/digital bundles to be reported as digital sales. This refers to songs being bought along with [[merchandising|merchandise]], either from an artists website or through another vendor. The magazine stated that this was a tactic generally used by certain artists to boost their chart positions. Instead, such physical releases are now only counted when they are shipped to the consumer, rendering the tactic "ineffectual".<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/9417842/billboard-new-chart-rules-no-more-merch-ticket-bundles|title=Billboard Announces New Chart Rules: No More Merch & Ticket Bundles|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|last=Eggertsen|first=Chris|date=July 13, 2020|access-date=July 16, 2020|archive-date=July 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713233156/https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/9417842/billboard-new-chart-rules-no-more-merch-ticket-bundles|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Remixes ===
A growing trend early in the first decade of the 21st century was to issue a song as a "remix" that was so different in structure and lyrical content from its original version that it was essentially a whole new song. Under normal circumstances, airplay points from a song's album version, "radio" mix or [[dance music]] remix, etc. were all combined and factored into the song's performance on the Hot 100, as the structure, lyrics and melody remained intact. Criticisms began when songs were being completely re-recorded to the point that they no longer resembled the original recording. The first such example of this scenario is [[Jennifer Lopez]]'s "[[I'm Real (Jennifer Lopez song)|I'm Real]]". Originally entering the Hot 100 in its album version, a "remix" was issued in the midst of its chart run that featured rapper [[Ja Rule]]. This new version proved to be more popular than the album version and the track was propelled to number one.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

To address this issue, ''Billboard'' now separates airplay points from a song's original version and its remix, if the remix is determined to be a "new song". Since administering this new chart rule, several songs have charted twice, normally credited as "Part 1" and "Part 2". The remix rule is still in place.

=== Recurrents ===
''Billboard'', in an effort to allow the chart to remain as current as possible and to give representation to new and developing artists and tracks, has (since 1991) removed titles that have reached certain criteria regarding its current rank and number of weeks on the chart. Recurrent criteria have been modified several times and (from 2015 up until October 25, 2025), a song was permanently moved to "recurrent status" if it had spent 20 weeks on the Hot 100 and fallen below position number 50. Additionally, descending songs were removed from the chart if ranking below number 25 after 52 weeks.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/adele-tops-hot-100-fourth-week-justin-bieber-alessia-cara/|magazine=Billboard|title=Adele Tops Hot 100 for Fourth Week; Justin Bieber, Alessia Cara Hit Top 10|first=Gary|last=Trust|date=November 23, 2015|access-date=November 23, 2015|archive-date=November 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151124143342/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6770427/adele-tops-hot-100-fourth-week-justin-bieber-alessia-cara|url-status=live}}</ref> Exceptions were made to re-releases and sudden resurgence in popularity of tracks that had taken a very long time to gain mainstream success. These rare cases are still handled on a case-by-case basis and ultimately determined by ''Billboard''{{'}}s chart managers and staff. Older songs were allowed to re-enter the Hot 100 provided they charted higher than number 50.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Zellner |first1=Xander |title=Every Song to Re-Enter the Billboard Hot 100 in the Top 10 |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/billboard-hot-100-top-10-re-entries/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=April 30, 2024 |date=December 1, 2022}}</ref> Christmas songs in particular started to become a regular presence on the Hot 100 each December since the relaxation of recurrent rules in 2015, culminating in [[Mariah Carey]]'s 1994 recording "[[All I Want for Christmas Is You]]" reaching No. 1 on the chart in December 2019.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Wish Come True: Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' Hits No. 1 on Hot 100 After 25-Year Wait |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8546418/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-number-one |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 17, 2019 |archive-date=December 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216180915/https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8546418/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-number-one |url-status=live }}</ref>

Stricter changes were made to the recurrent rules, however, effective with the chart dated October 25, 2025, the start of the 2026 chart year for ''Billboard''. While songs that fall below the top 50 with at least 20 weeks still go recurrent, if they are not making any gains in points, ''Billboard'' instituted new tiers for recurrency for the top 25 and top 50, introducing ones for the top 10 and top 5. Songs that fall below the top 25 and have at least 26 weeks (previously 52 weeks) go recurrent; those that fall below the top 10 with at least 52 weeks, as well as those that fall below the top five with at least 78 weeks, under the new rule, also go recurrent. Songs that are still gaining below those markers will be eligible to remain on the Hot 100 on a case-by-case basis. Plus, holiday songs will qualify to return above No. 50 regardless of total chart weeks, and then be subject to the rules noted above upon their descents. The same applies for newly-surging non-holiday catalog songs, with those without significant chart history eligible to debut at any rank, as considered individually.<ref name=Hot100Ophelia/>

This new recurrent rule was enacted due to the takeover of streaming, as the Hot 100 started reflecting repeat listening more than ever before, as well as radio stations keeping popular songs in heavy rotation for longer than ever before, as reflected in ''Billboard''{{'}}s airplay charts. That shift resulted in charts to move considerably slower than in the past. Upon this change in late 2025, ''Billboard'' informed that especially in recent years, songs have logged some of the longest Hot 100 runs to date, led by [[Teddy Swims]]' "[[Lose Control (Teddy Swims song)|Lose Control]]", which left the October 25 chart after a record 112-week stay.<ref name=Hot100Ophelia>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-hot-100-fate-of-ophelia-number-one-second-week/|title=Taylor Swift's 'The Fate of Ophelia' Tops Billboard Hot 100 for Second Week|last=Trust|first=Gary|magazine=Billboard|date=October 20, 2025|access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref>

=== Adjustment of tracking week ===
''Billboard'' altered its tracking-week for sales, streaming and radio airplay in order to conform to a new Global Release Date, which now falls on Fridays in all major-market territories (United States product was formerly released on Tuesdays before June 2015). This modified tracking schedule took effect in the issue dated July 25, 2015.<ref name="tracking"/>

== Year-end charts ==
''Billboard''{{'}}s "chart year" runs from the first week of December to the final week in November. This altered calendar allows for ''Billboard'' to calculate [[Billboard Year-End|year-end charts]] and release them in time for its final print issue in the last week of December.

Before Nielsen SoundScan, year-end singles charts were calculated by an inverse-point system based solely on a song's performance on the Hot 100 (for example, a song would be given one point for a week spent at position 100, two points for a week spent at position 99 and so forth, up to 100 points for each week spent at number one). Other factors including the total weeks a song spent on the chart and at its peak position were calculated into its year-end total.

After ''Billboard'' began obtaining sales and airplay information from Nielsen SoundScan, the year-end charts are now calculated by a very straightforward cumulative total of yearlong sales, streaming, and airplay points. This gives a more accurate picture of any given year's most popular tracks, as the points accrued by one song during its week at number one in March might be less than those accrued by another song reaching number three in January. Songs at the peak of their popularity at the time of the November/December chart-year cutoff many times end up ranked on the following year's chart as well, as their cumulative points are split between the two chart-years, but often are ranked lower than they would have been had the peak occurred in a single year.

== Use in media ==
The Hot 100 served for many years as the data source for the weekly radio countdown show ''[[American Top 40]]''. This relationship ended on November 30, 1991, as ''American Top 40'' started using the [[Billboard Hot 100 Airplay|airplay-only side of the Hot 100]] (then called '''Top 40 Radio Monitor'''). The ongoing splintering of [[Contemporary hit radio|Top 40 radio]] in the early 1990s led stations to lean into specific formats, meaning that practically no station would play the wide array of genres that typically composed each weekly Hot 100 chart.

An artist or band's ability to have hits in the Hot 100 across multiple decades is recognized as a sign of longevity and being able to adapt to changing musical styles. Only five artists had a Hot 100 Top 40 hit in each of the four decades from the 1980s through the 2010s: [[Michael Jackson]], [[Madonna]], [["Weird Al" Yankovic]], [[U2]], and [[Kenny G]].<ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8542554/kenny-g-top-40-hits-four-decades-kanye-west-use-this-gospel | title = Thanks to Kanye, Kenny G Is Just the Fifth Act With Hot 100 Top 40 Hits in Each of the Last Four Decades | first = Gary | last = Trust | date = November 4, 2019 | access-date = November 6, 2019 | magazine = [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | archive-date = November 12, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191112131002/https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8542554/kenny-g-top-40-hits-four-decades-kanye-west-use-this-gospel | url-status = live }}</ref> [[Mariah Carey]] is the first artist to have a number-one single in four different decades.<ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8547157/mariah-carey-number-one-hot-100-four-decades-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you | title = Mariah Carey Becomes First Artist at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 in Four Decades, Thanks to 'All I Want for Christmas' | first = Gary | last = Trust | date = December 30, 2019 | access-date = December 30, 2019 | magazine = [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | archive-date = December 31, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191231213359/https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8547157/mariah-carey-number-one-hot-100-four-decades-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you | url-status = live }}</ref>

[[Pop2K|SiriusXM Pop2K]] uses the Hot 100 charts for the 2000s for the "Pop2Kountdown", where radio personality Rich Davis plays the top 30 songs on the Hot 100 from that specific week in a specific year from the 2000s. [['90s on 9]] also does a similar countdown show called the "Back in the Day Replay Countdown" hosted by [[Downtown Julie Brown]]; however, this focuses on the Hot 100 charts from the 1990s.

== Similar charts ==
A new chart, the [[Pop 100]], was created by ''Billboard'' in February 2005 to answer criticism that the Hot 100 at the time was too dominated by hip hop and R&B. It was discontinued in June 2009 due to the charts becoming increasingly similar.

The [[Canadian Hot 100]] was launched June 16, 2007. Like the Hot 100 chart, it uses sales and airplay tracking compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and [[Broadcast Data Systems]].<ref>{{cite magazine | title = Billboard Launches Canadian Hot 100 Chart | url = http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1051685/billboard-launches-canadian-hot-100-chart | magazine = Billboard | date = June 7, 2007 | access-date = June 4, 2010 | archive-date = May 19, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170519122810/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1051685/billboard-launches-canadian-hot-100-chart | url-status = live }}</ref>

The [[Billboard Japan Hot 100|''Billboard'' Japan Hot 100]] was launched in the issue dated May 31, 2008, using the same methodologies as the Hot 100 charts for the U.S. and Canada, using sales and airplay data from SoundScan Japan and radio tracking service Plantech.<ref>{{cite magazine | first = Gary | last = Trust | title = Billboard Japan Hot 100 Finds Global Audience | url = http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1045309/billboard-japan-hot-100-finds-global-audience | magazine = Billboard | date = May 21, 2008 | access-date = June 4, 2010 | archive-date = June 23, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130623023528/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1045309/billboard-japan-hot-100-finds-global-audience | url-status = live }}</ref>

The Vietnamese edition of Hot 100, [[Billboard Vietnam Hot 100|''Billboard'' Vietnam Hot 100]], was launched on January 14, 2022.<ref>{{cite magazine | title = Billboard Vietnam Hot 100 | url = https://billboardvn.vn/billboard-vietnam-hot-100/ | magazine = Billboard | date = January 20, 2022 | access-date = January 19, 2022 | archive-date = May 5, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230505051239/https://billboardvn.vn/billboard-vietnam-hot-100/ | url-status = dead }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{cols|colwidth=22em}}
* ''[[American Top 40]]''
* [[Bestseller (music)|Bestseller]]
* [[Billboard charts|''Billboard'' charts]]
* [[Billboard Global 200|''Billboard'' Global 200]]
* [[Billboard Music Awards|''Billboard'' Music Awards]]
* [[Chart-topper]]
* [[List of artists who reached number one in the United States]]
* [[List of best-selling music artists]]
* [[List of Billboard Hot 100 chart achievements and milestones|List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart achievements and milestones]]
* [[List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of the 2020s|List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles of the 2020s]]
* [[List of Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles|List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top-ten singles]]
* [[Lists of Billboard number-one singles|Lists of ''Billboard'' number-one singles]]
* [[Single certifications]]
* [[Rolling Stone Top 100|''Rolling Stone'' Top 100]]

{{colend}}

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== References ==
{{Refbegin}}
* [[Fred Bronson|Bronson, Fred]]. ''Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, 5th Edition'' ({{ISBN|0-8230-7677-6}})
* Feldman, Christopher G. ''The Billboard Book of No. 2 Singles'' ({{ISBN|0-8230-7695-4}})
* [[Joel Whitburn|Whitburn, Joel]]. ''Top Pop Singles 1955–2008, 12 Edition'' ({{ISBN|0-89820-180-2}})
* [[Joel Whitburn|Whitburn, Joel]]. ''The Billboard Pop Charts, 1955–1959'' ({{ISBN|0-89820-092-X}})
* [[Joel Whitburn|Whitburn, Joel]]. ''The Billboard Hot 100 Charts: The Sixties'' ({{ISBN|0-89820-074-1}})
* [[Joel Whitburn|Whitburn, Joel]]. ''The Billboard Hot 100 Charts: The Seventies'' ({{ISBN|0-89820-076-8}})
* [[Joel Whitburn|Whitburn, Joel]]. ''The Billboard Hot 100 Charts: The Eighties'' ({{ISBN|0-89820-079-2}})
* [[Joel Whitburn|Whitburn, Joel]]. ''The Billboard Hot 100 Charts: The Nineties'' ({{ISBN|0-89820-137-3}})
{{Refend}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite news |first=Tom |last=Breihan |title=The Number Ones |date=2018–2024 |work=Stereogum}} – retrospective reviews of every song to top the ''Billboard'' Hot 100

== External links ==
* {{Official website|http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100}}

{{Number-one singles in the United States}}
{{USTop10s}}
{{Billboard charts}}
{{Music industry}}
{{Hot 100 year-end charts}}

[[Category:Billboard charts|Hot 100]]
[[Category:Top lists]]
[[Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles| ]]
[[Category:1958 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:1958 introductions]]