Methodology

How it's counted

Only what happened during the week counts. Each platform shows a lifetime total; we read it when the week closes and subtract last week's reading. A song with ten million lifetime plays and a quiet week falls below a new song everyone played this week.

The formula

Points = (Paid × 1.5) + (Free × 1.0) + (YouTube × 0.8) + (TikTok × 0.5)

• Spotify

  Paid streams

  Premium listening counts for more.

  × 1.5

• Audiomack

  Free streams

  Where most of the North listens.

  × 1.0

• YouTube

  Official uploads

  Verified music and lyric videos only. Re-uploads don't count.

  × 0.8

• TikTok

  Sound velocity

  (new videos × 10) + (sound views ÷ 1,000) on the official sound.

  × 0.5

Where the numbers come from

• AudiomackRead from the song's public page every week
• YouTubeRead from the official video's public page every week
• SpotifyRead from the song's public page when Spotify allows it; otherwise entered from the artist's own report
• TikTokEntered each week from the official sound's page

A song's first week in the system only sets its starting count; it can chart from the week after.

Top Artists

Every artist credited on a charting song earns points from it: lead artists get all of the song's points, featured artists get 50%. An artist's total is the sum across all their songs on the chart.

Worked example

Sample No. 1: Zuciyata — Hauwa Kabir feat. Deeyah Kano. Tracked Fri 9 Oct – Thu 15 Oct.

Questions people ask

When does the chart come out?

The tracking week runs Friday 00:00 to Thursday 23:59 WAT. Once the week closes and the numbers are reviewed, the new chart is published — there's no fixed drop time while we're in our first weeks.

Why did a huge song not chart?

Only what happened during the week counts. A song with millions of lifetime plays but a quiet week scores lower than a new song everyone played this week.

Do re-uploads and fan videos count?

No. YouTube counts come from verified official music and lyric videos only, and TikTok counts come from the official sound.

Why does Spotify count for more than Audiomack?

Paid streams are weighted × 1.5 because a premium play costs the listener money. Free streams on Audiomack count × 1.0, YouTube views × 0.8 and TikTok velocity × 0.5.

How does an artist get on the chart?

Chart admins add artists and their songs, then link each song's official pages on the four platforms. From there the weekly counts are read automatically.