Mainstream Top 40

History

The chart debuted in Billboard Magazine in its issued date October 3, 1992, with the introduction of two Top 40 airplay charts, Mainstream and Rhythm-Crossover. Both Top 40 charts measured "actual monitored airplay" from data compiled by Broadcast Data Systems (BDS). The Top 40/Mainstream chart was compiled from airplay on radio stations playing a wide variety of music, while the Top 40/Rhythm-Crossover chart was made up from airplay on stations playing more dance and R&B music. Both charts were "born of then-new BDS electronic monitoring technology" as a more objective and precise way of measuring airplay on radio stations. This data was also used as the airplay component for Hot 100 tabulations.

Top 40/Mainstream was published in the print edition of Billboard from its debut in October 1992 through May 1995, when both Top 40 charts were moved exclusively to Airplay Monitor, a secondary chart publication by Billboard. They returned to the print edition in the August 2, 2003, issue.

Chart criteria

Songs on the chart are ranked by the total number of spins detected per week. Songs which gain plays or remain flat from the previous week will receive a bullet. A song will also receive a bullet if its percentage loss in plays does not exceed the percentage of monitored station downtime for the format. If two songs are tied in total plays, the song with the larger increase in plays is placed first.

Since the introduction of the chart until 2005, songs below No. 20 were moved to recurrent after 26 weeks on the chart. In the chart week of December 3, 2005, songs below No. 20 were moved to recurrent after 20 weeks on the chart. Since the issue dated December 4, 2010, songs older than 20 weeks on the chart are moved to recurrent after they drop below No. 15.

This chart was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart. Whereas the Top 40 Mainstream and Pop 100 Airplay charts both measured the airplay of songs played on Mainstream stations playing pop-oriented music, the Pop 100 Airplay (like the Hot 100 Airplay) measured airplay based on statistical impressions, while the Top 40 Mainstream chart used the number of total detections.

Highest debut

No. 12: Mariah Carey - "Dreamlover" (August 14, 1993), Taylor Swift - "Shake It Off" (September 6, 2014) No. 13: Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar - "Bad Blood" (June 6, 2015) No. 14: Lady Gaga - "Born This Way" (February 26, 2011), Justin Timberlake featuring Jay-Z - "Suit & Tie" (February 2, 2013) No. 16: Madonna - "Frozen" (March 7, 1998), Britney Spears - "Hold It Against Me" (January 29, 2011) No. 18: Taylor Swift - "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" (September 1, 2012), Maroon 5 - "Maps" (July 5, 2014)

Most weeks at number one

14 weeks

Ace of Base – "The Sign" (1994)

11 weeks

Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men – "One Sweet Day" (1995–1996)

Donna Lewis – "I Love You Always Forever" (1996)

Natalie Imbruglia – "Torn" (1998)

Nelly featuring Tim McGraw – "Over and Over" (2004–2005)

The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey – "Closer" (2016)

10 weeks

Dionne Farris – "I Know" (1995)

No Doubt – "Don't Speak" (1996–1997)

Céline Dion – "My Heart Will Go On" (1998)

'N Sync – "Bye Bye Bye" (2000)

Nickelback – "How You Remind Me" (2001–2002)

Mariah Carey – "We Belong Together" (2005)

Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell - "Blurred Lines" (2013)

9 weeks

Whitney Houston – "I Will Always Love You" (1992–1993)

Janet Jackson – "That's the Way Love Goes" (1993)

Ace of Base – "All That She Wants" (1993)

Seal – "Kiss from a Rose" (1995)

Chumbawamba – "Tubthumping" (1997–1998)

Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mýa and Pink – "Lady Marmalade" (2001)

OutKast – "Hey Ya!" (2003–2004)

Leona Lewis – "Bleeding Love" (2008)

Source:

Most weeks on the chart

41 weeks – Edwin McCain — "I'll Be" (1998)

39 weeks – Real McCoy — "Another Night" (1995), Goo Goo Dolls — "Iris" (1999), Goo Goo Dolls — "Slide" (1999)

38 weeks – Santana ft. Rob Thomas — "Smooth" (2000), P!nk — "U + Ur Hand" (2007)

36 weeks – Third Eye Blind — "Semi-Charmed Life" (1998), Eagle-Eye Cherry — "Save Tonight" (1999), Vertical Horizon — "Everything You Want" (2000), Lifehouse — "Hanging by a Moment" (2001)

Longest climbs to number one

26th week – Alessia Cara — "Here" (2016)

25th week – CeeLo Green — "Forget You" (2011), Demi Lovato — "Give Your Heart a Break" (2012)

24th week – Alessia Cara — "Scars to Your Beautiful" (2017)

23rd week – P!nk — "U + Ur Hand" (2007), Ellie Goulding — "Lights" (2012), Shawn Mendes — "Stitches" (2015)

Longest climbs to the top 10

25th week – MKTO — "Classic" (2014), Daya — "Sit Still, Look Pretty" (2016), Jon Bellion — "All Time Low" (2017)

22nd week – Imagine Dragons — "It's Time" (2013), The Neighbourhood — "Sweater Weather" (2014)

20th week – CeeLo Green — "Forget You" (2011), Ed Sheeran — "The A Team" (2013), Daya — "Hide Away" (2016)

Highest weekly plays

Below are listed the 10 songs with the most weekly plays under Billboard's then panel. The panel is regularly updated, with stations being added or removed sometimes even weekly, and often expanded, thus the spins record is broken quite frequently.

Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar - "Bad Blood" (17,474)

Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth - "See You Again" (17,356)

The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey - "Closer" (17,298)

Ed Sheeran - "Shape of You" (17,266)

Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars - "Uptown Funk!" (17,236)

Justin Bieber - "Sorry" (16,997)

The Weeknd - "Can't Feel My Face" (16,988)

Taylor Swift - "Wildest Dreams" (16,924)

Sia featuring Sean Paul - "Cheap Thrills" (16,905)

Ellie Goulding - "Love Me Like You Do" (16,903)

Artists with the most number-one singles

11 - Rihanna, Katy Perry

9 - Pink, Maroon 5

8 - Justin Timberlake

7 - Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift

6 - Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey

Artists with the most cumulative weeks at number-one

Katy Perry (47)

Mariah Carey (45)

P!nk, Rihanna, Maroon 5 (32)

Ace of Base (29)

Taylor Swift (27)

Justin Timberlake (26)

Christina Aguilera (25)

Bruno Mars (24)

Boyz II Men, Nelly, Beyoncé (23)

Source:

Artists with the most top 10 singles

Rihanna (29)

Pink (18)

Justin Timberlake (18)

Mariah Carey (17)

Usher (16)

Maroon 5 (16)

Katy Perry (16)

Britney Spears (15)

Madonna (14)

Christina Aguilera (14)

Nelly (14)

Bruno Mars (14)

Source:

Artists with the most entries

Rihanna (43)

Britney Spears (36)

Chris Brown (34)

Mariah Carey (31)

Pitbull (30)

Nicki Minaj (30)

Source:

Additional artist achievements

Lady Gaga is the only artist to have her first six singles reach No. 1.

As of 2011, Britney Spears holds the record for the longest span between No. 1s at 12 years, seven months and four days between her first No.1 and her latest.

Katy Perry's Teenage Dream is the first and only album to have 6 singles top the chart.

JoJo at age 13, became the youngest solo artist to have a number-one single on the chart with "Leave (Get Out)".

Three acts have replaced themselves at No. 1: Mariah Carey, OutKast and Iggy Azalea - with Azalea being the only one to do so with her first two chart entries.

Most number-one singles from an album

Teenage Dream by Katy Perry, 6 (2010–12)

1989 by Taylor Swift, 5 (2014–15)

FutureSex/LoveSounds by Justin Timberlake, 4 (2006–07)

The Fame by Lady Gaga, 4 (2009)

The Sign by Ace of Base, 3 (1993–94)

Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette, 3 (1996)

Let Go by Avril Lavigne, 3 (2002–03)

Overexposed by Maroon 5, 3 (2012–13)

Purpose by Justin Bieber, 3 (2015–16)

Revival by Selena Gomez, 3 (2015–16)

Source:

Use in countdown shows

From January 9, 1993 up until its last first-run show on January 28, 1995, American Top 40 used this chart as its main source after having used the Hot 100 Airplay chart since 1991.