To ensure that releases qualify for the Official Charts, every releasing label needs to ensure that their releases comply with the chart rules for both physical and digital formats. If your release does not adhere to the chart rules, it will not be eligible for any of the published charts, although the Official Charts Company will still track sales of the product providing it has been registered correctly.
For full details, download the chart rules below. Or for further advice on your releases’ chart rule compliance, email the Official Charts Company's chart rules expert Nadya Jones.
Eligibility
It is also important that you understand which charts your releases are eligible for. The Official Charts Company complies a large number of charts, across a range of genres and sectors – all of the top selling singles, albums and downloads are coded according to their relevant genres, in line with criteria laid down by Official Charts. In addition, the key eligibility issues you need to be aware of surrounding the main charts are:
Singles charts
Both physical and/or digital releases are eligible for the Official Singles Chart from release. This is under the proviso that your release meets all of the Chart Rules.
Download Official UK Single Chart Rules - PDF
Singles download chart
Digital tracks are eligible for the Official Download Songs Chart from release. Even if a digital track is eligible for inclusion in the Official Singles Chart, it can still appear in its own right in the Official Download Songs Chart. In addition, alternative digital tracks on a Digital Singles Bundle can also appear independently in the Official Singles Download Chart.
Album charts
Digital and physical album formats can be linked and count towards the Official Artist Albums and the Official Compilation Albums Charts from release. An Album Bundle without a physical component is eligible to appear in its own right in the Official Album Download Chart from release. Once again, this is only if all formats meet the chart rules.
Download Official UK Album Chart Rules - PDF
Download Official UK Classical Allbum Chart Rules - PDF
Album download charts
Digital Album Bundles are eligible to be linked with the sales of the physical album formats. An Album Bundle without a physical component is eligible to appear in its own right in this chart, as well as in the Official Album Download Chart, from releases.
Video charts
Video titles are eligible for the Combined Video Chart, as well as the applicable format charts e.g. VHS or DVD charts. In addition Video Genre Charts and an Interactive DVD chart are also produced.
