How does the Big Top 40 Chart work?

 

The Big Top 40 Show is powered by iTunes, but what does that actually mean?

 

Well, it means that every time you click to download a song from iTunes, Apple track your purchase and use it to produce a list of the fastest selling songs of the moment.

 

We use this data to build the Big Top 40 and because this data is live and compiled in real-time, it means that the Big Top 40 chart is always changing and updating right up until the moment when we lock down the top 10 on a Sunday evening.

 

Chart positions 40 to 11 are compiled using a mix of iTunes sales data and radio airplay, the top ten songs is purely complied from live iTunes sales data. This means that while the show is on air, you can download your favourite songs and influence the top 10.

 

You can always see what the hottest songs of the moment are by checking out the "Live iTunes Top 10" box on our homepage.

 

http://www.bigtop40.com/

Wow, that was the latest Top 10 update. :lol:

this chart is a travesty, I am actually hoping something gets #1 next sunday instead of WLTO and that in this chart it's #1 this sunday so it gets it wrong the first time they do it.

 

You might aswell just look on itunes.

Edited June 12, 200916 yr by Steve69

Souns a bit pointless does it not?

It's complete bollocks!

how often does itunes update? as surley something could move up from 10-7 inbetween 10 being aired and them getting to playing number 7?

If I remember correctly, they lock it in at 4pm, so whatever is in the top ten at 4pm is in at the end. They then do the top 10 at about 6pm, and only the positions could change...

The may be exactly the same. :D

Then we get the 4pm Top 10 again at 6:15

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QUOTE(Dave B @ Jun 13 2009, 12:52 PM) 2610345[/snapback]

They may be exactly the same. :D

Then we get the 4pm Top 10 again at 6:15

It`s very likely! I shall be fasinated to see how the 11 - 40 is shaped against it...#11 will amost certainly be Pokerface, as was on Hit40uk for the last 2 weeks! It is indeed nuts!

I don't see why anyone would want to sit and listen to the iTunes Top 40 songs for 3 hours :wacko:

I don't see why anyone would want to sit and listen to the iTunes Top 40 songs for 3 hours :wacko:

 

I do! That would be incredible, with no presenters or anything, or maybe someone would just say the names and titles. Sadly though, this is going to be a complete balls-up of a chart that's neither one thing nor the other...

So could someone correct me if I'm wrong is this chart done by having 11-40 made up of itunes sales and airplay and the top 10 is the top 10 on itunes at 4pm without airplay?

Edited June 13, 200916 yr by JakeyShake

No, it's the top 10 at whenever they reach it from iTunes without airplay, but they announce the top 10 as it is at 4pm then tell people to download the songs they like and change the chart = make lots of money for Apple.

Hmm I think I understand...it all seems pretty silly imo

Agreed :lol:

I don't know why people are so anti this chart - I know 11-40 are still going to be like it was with hit40uk but if this gets young people interested in the charts and buying singles legitmately then I'm all for it.

 

Like it or not, this could have big implications for the official chart as well.

 

They couldn't have picked a better week to start it - looks like David Guetta will be no1 with Pixie Lott no1 on Radio 1 - the Big Top 40 can thus claim they are more up to date!

That`s the general idea, anyway. Remember the early "Kid" at the controls on the Network Chart? He used to say "The Network Chart is compiled late on Friday, to bring you the fastest chart in Britain...Weeks ahead of the snail!" The snail was Radio One...unfortunately, it was only the case for 3 years (1984-1987). But it did force a change of New Chart day, for Radio One.

 

It`s likely that 11-40 will be slightly better than the dire Hit40uk airplay factor, on the other point...with iTunes being more ahead, so that might improve it, a tiny bit.

30 minutes in... loved the exciting intro, like the hosts - very professional and giving info about the songs etc.

 

They are playing the top 10 either "as it stands right now" or "of the week" - they don't seem to be able to make their minds up. But it seems it must be sales of the week as a whole because they are claiming David Guetta is number 5 - he's #1 on iTunes right now.

 

But the "locked down" top 10 is only going to be the current iTunes chart which is based on downloads over the last 24 hours I believe.

 

So really it seems they are cheating a bit - when David Guetta is #1 later they're going to say we've moved him up from #5 but in reality he was #1 at 4pm too.

 

Oh well - important to remember this is a chart for casual music fans anyway, not chart purists. So I guess it kinda works as a format.

 

Number 40 record started at 4.30 so it'll be interesting to see if they either edit songs down like they did with the "current" top 10 or they'll skip loads altogether.

I must admit this buggers the top 10 album chart they used to post on the Hit40UK prior to the chart.

Over all this chart was pretty well presented, and Rich and Kat did their research well. Although the Chart was a travesty. Starting at 4pm, by playing the full week`s sales top 10 from iTunes...then kidding us, it had changed no end by 5 O`Clock. It hadn`t really because at 5, they started to refer to the Live hourly iTunes Top 10.

 

Even more confusing Paparazzi had appeared at 21, then miraculously moved into the top 10, by 6pm. Where as Kasabian had disappeared altogether with "Fire". They missed out 4 songs, but did get 36 into 115 minutes. We were all confused, and it made our heads spin! What a total made up chart it turned out to be! They answered an email concerning Kasabian, by saying that they were at 11, with everything else moving down a place. This is nonsense in itself, because 11 - 40 based on Airplay/iTunes sales, and the combination would not have put Kasabian at #11. They would have appeared somewhere between 13 & 21. Complete Rubbish.