"AT40-Style" Year-End Countdowns, Post-1994
Dec 29, 2023 1:04:04 GMT -5
vince and OnWithTheCountdown like this
Post by Mike on Dec 29, 2023 1:04:04 GMT -5
A bit of an introduction to start. This thread will be an ongoing project in the vein of what I unveiled last year. That had year-end chart computations for 1993 and 1994, the two full years of the Billboard Top 40/Mainstream era. After that, AT40 of course originally shut down after January 1995.
But - what if it hadn't? What if things had gone down differently, and they'd kept going, with the Mainstream chart of record? That is what this ongoing project/thread will explore.
To that end, its inaugural installment will feature 1995. This year, and future years, will have two year-end chart versions posted. The first will always consist of the AT40 methodology - full chart runs get counted, but a song has to peak within the survey period to qualify, with allowances being made for "judgment calls" (for example, a song that peaks for multiple weeks stretching across two survey periods) when warranted. The second, will instead employ a strict survey period much like R&R used - chart points will still be counted using the AT40 formula, but the only points that get counted come from weeks within the survey period, none before or after. The time a song peaks will not be a factor in the second version, so songs that take a long time to peak may still end up ranking there if they rack up enough points before a survey period closes (or vice-versa, if they peak and then last a long time afterwards in the following survey period).
Got all that?
One other thing I will note is that in future years, Billboard's own Mainstream year-end chart is available to compare rankings with - that is, the full Top 100 (courtesy of World Radio History). 1995 has only the Top 40 currently available - apparently there was a batch of CHR Airplay Monitor issues added in the months where I hadn't been checking (anyone have an idea when these would have appeared?). Still, a Top 40 is better than nothing.
But - what if it hadn't? What if things had gone down differently, and they'd kept going, with the Mainstream chart of record? That is what this ongoing project/thread will explore.
To that end, its inaugural installment will feature 1995. This year, and future years, will have two year-end chart versions posted. The first will always consist of the AT40 methodology - full chart runs get counted, but a song has to peak within the survey period to qualify, with allowances being made for "judgment calls" (for example, a song that peaks for multiple weeks stretching across two survey periods) when warranted. The second, will instead employ a strict survey period much like R&R used - chart points will still be counted using the AT40 formula, but the only points that get counted come from weeks within the survey period, none before or after. The time a song peaks will not be a factor in the second version, so songs that take a long time to peak may still end up ranking there if they rack up enough points before a survey period closes (or vice-versa, if they peak and then last a long time afterwards in the following survey period).
Got all that?
One other thing I will note is that in future years, Billboard's own Mainstream year-end chart is available to compare rankings with - that is, the full Top 100 (courtesy of World Radio History). 1995 has only the Top 40 currently available - apparently there was a batch of CHR Airplay Monitor issues added in the months where I hadn't been checking (anyone have an idea when these would have appeared?). Still, a Top 40 is better than nothing.
