FYI : NZ's Music Charts
Posted: Sun May 1, 2005 10:43 am

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The History of the Official New Zealand Music Charts

The Official New Zealand Music Chart is 30 years old this week (May 2, 2005). It’s an interesting road it has travelled.

Ranking popular songs in order started in America with Billboard magazine with the first charts measuring the sales of sheet music.

New Zealand’s first music survey dates back to 1946, when the 'Life Buoy' (later Lever) Hit Parade began on radio and continued until the late 1950s. The 'Life Buoy' – named after a popular range of soap – was a Top 8 countdown selected by radio programming staff.

In the 1960s, Hawke’s Bay radio station 2ZC (later Bay City Radio and now Classic Hits) is purported to have complied the first Top 20.

In 1966, the first chart selected by the public was introduced. The NZ Top 20 was complied from public voting and published in The Listener each week. In some ways it was similar to the phone-in, text surveys of today, albeit not as immediate.

By 1970 voting was replaced by measuring record sales and the chart became known as the Pop-o-meter. Both charts were run by the NZBC and measured the popularity of singles only.

The New Zealand Federation Of Phonographic Industries (NZFPI) first mooted a National Sales Chart in 1973, primarily as a sales tool.

It was to be a further two years before the Heylen Research Centre won the contract to compile the first chart. On 2 May 1975 the New Zealand Top 40 listed the 40 biggest selling singles and albums of the week.
In 1977 the NZFPI took chart compilation in-house and Record Publications Ltd was formed.

The following year the NZFPI became the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand, thus RIANZ was born. In 1979 the Top 40 was extended and became a Top 50.

During the mid 80s the Kuhtze Countdown began on radio based on airplay rather than sales. This concept continued into the 90s as the Shake 30 and the Powerjam.

Radio industry magazine the Median Strip had been publishing radio station playlists from the mid 1990s, so it seemed logical to go the next step and compile airplay charts.

Thus the Radioscope 100 and various format airplay charts came into being.

The first major chart change in 20 years happened in 1999 when radio airplay became a factor in compiling the singles chart.

The biggest change since the charts began in 1975 happened last year on 19 April when compilation of the chart moved from RIANZ to the independent company Media Sauce Ltd.

From then on, sales were collected electronically and were available virtually at the end of each sales period rather than a week later.

At the same time the Top 50 reverted to a Top 40 and two new categories were added, a Heatseekers chart for upcoming releases and a DVD chart to reflect the new format.

Back in 1975, the first chart was numbered 1 with Bob Dylan earning the distinction of having the first #1 album with 'Blood On The Tracks'. Frankie Valli’s 'My Eyes Adored You' was the first #1 single on the new NZFPI survey.

Kiwi chart facts: The history behind the hits
with thanks to Andrew Miller

THE HITS THAT MISSED: There have been 30 Kiwi albums debut at #1 but only 10 singles have managed to be #1 out of the box. In fact of the 24 local #1 albums since 2000, all but three have started their chart run at the top – Hayley Westenra’s self titled debut hit the top in its second week as did duo Adeaze. Goldenhorse however took nearly two years to achieve the feat with 'Riverhead'.

FOREVER SINGLE: Margaret Urlich has had three #1 singles. They are, as a soloist ('Escaping'), as a member of Peking Man ('Room That Echoes') and as part of When The Cat's Away ('Melting Pot'). All three were on the CBS label. But she's never had a #1 album.

GETTING CROWDED: Neil Finn has had more #1s in NZ than any other local act – a total of nine albums and four singles. Two solo #1 albums and one solo single, three albums and two singles with Crowded House and four albums and one single as part of Split Enz.

FOUR HITS: Split Enz is New Zealand’s most successful Albums chart band landing four #1 albums. Meanwhile The Exponents are the most prolific hit single makers having racked up more than anyone else – 18 in total (nine as the Dance Exponents and nine as simply the Exponents) .Crowded House is close with 17, with Split Enz racking up an even dozen.

RE-BRANDED: The re-renamed Shihad had two #1 albums under both of their monikers. The first, 'The General Electric', as Shihad, the second the self titled 'Pacifier'. Now the band has re-branded as Shihad, it has already scored its biggest hit single (Alive #5 earlier this year) and the guys should be set for the top again when the new set’s released.

QUESTION: What do Hayley Westenra, Bic Runga, Stellar*, The Exponents, The Feelers and Salmonella Dub have in common?
ANSWER: They've all had two #1 albums apiece in New Zealand.

LONELY FOUR: There have been just four Kiwi greatest hits compilations to make #1 here. 'Recurring Dream' by Crowded House, 'Enz Of An Era' by Split Enz, 'Once Bitten, Twice Bitten' by the Exponents and 'Listen: The Very Best Of Herbs'.

INSTRUMENTAL: We've had four instrumental local #1 albums-sets by Martin Winch (guitar), Carl Doy (piano), Brian Smith (sax) and the NZSO (New Zealand Symphony Orchestra)

THE LONGEST RUN: The longest chart run by any local album is the 101 weeks Bic Runga’s 'Beautiful Collision' racked up in 2003-4. Bic’s no stranger to longevity – her debut set 'Drive' spent 64 weeks on the Albums chart.

MULTI-TALENTED: Che Fu has had #1 singles as a soloist, in collaboration with DLT and as part of Supergroove – 'Without A Doubt'/'Machine Talk', 'Chains' and 'Can’t Get Enough' respectively. As well, he's had #1 albums both as a soloist and as a band member – 'The Navigator' and Supergroove’s 'Traction'.

ABSOLUTELY COOL: Dave Dobbyn's DD Smash has the distinction of having the first album to debut at #1 here. It was 'Cool Bananas' in 1982.

THE DOUBLE: Scribe is the only local to top both the Singles and Albums Charts simultaneously. It happened in November 2003 when 'The Crusader' debuted at #1 while 'Stand Up'/'Not Many' continued its record #1 run.

PURE: Interestingly it was Hayley Westenra’s 'Pure' Scribe deposed for a week in the middle of its record-breaking run atop of the Albums list.

SPECIFICALLY: There've been two doubled sided #1 singles by Kiwis. Scribe's 'Stand Up'/'Not Many' and the lesser known 'Without A Doubt'/' Machine Talk' from Che Fu’s debut album '2 B Spacific'.

TOP HALF: Scribe's 'Stand Up'/'Not Many' is the only Kiwi #1 to rack up double figures on top of the singles chart with a total of 12 weeks – half of its 24 week chart run.

SOLO BAND: Dave Dobbyn's had #1 albums as a soloist and as a member of a band. The 'Islander' solo and 'Cool Bananas' as the leader of D D Smash. As well he scored a #1 single 'Slice Of Heaven' when he teamed with Herbs. Then there are his early hits with Th’ Dudes and his Concert album with Tim Finn and Bic Runga.

THREESOME: Deep Obsession and Scribe share the record as locals with the most #1s on the RIANZ Charts – three a piece. Deep Obsession – 'The One And Only', 'Lost In Love' and 'Cold'. Scribe – 'Stand Up'/'Not Many', 'Dreaming' and 'Stop The Music' (with P-Money).

ON TARGET: Tex Pistol (aka former Dude Ian Morris) has the distinction of having the last #1 seven-inch vinyl single pressed in New Zealand when 'The Game Of Love' hit #1 in mid 1987.

HE AIN’T HEAVY: Four sets of siblings have sung together on #1 singles. Brothers Tim and Neil Finn on Split Enz' 1980 #1 'I Got You'; brother and sister Pat and Margaret Urlich on 'Peking Man's Room That Echoes'; Rikki Morris and Tex Pistol (brother Ian) on 'Nobody Else' and brothers Nainz and Viiz Tupa’i – the duo Adeaze – on last year’s #1 'Getting Stronger'.

RE: FYI : NZ's Music Charts
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 2:54 pm

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All Charts are compiled based on both physical and digital singles sales from music retailers throughout the country.

To be eligible for the New Zealand Artist Singles and Album Charts, the music has to be made by New Zealanders. "Made" means "performed or recorded" and "New Zealander" means "New Zealand citizen or resident".

RadioScope collects the raw retail and streaming data on which The New Zealand Music Chart is based.

CERTIFICATIONS

Gold and Platinum certifications are awarded on the basis of over-the-counter retail sales and streaming data.

The qualifying numbers are:

Gold

Singles - 15,000
Albums - 7,500
DVD - 2,500

Platinum

Singles - 30,000
Albums - 15,000
DVD - 5,000

Website: http://nztop40.co.nz/

RE: FYI : NZ's Music Charts
Posted: Sat May 14, 2016 2:40 pm

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Official NZ Music Charts to include audio streams
Dated 6 November 2014

http://www.muzic.net.nz/news/4417/official-nz-music-charts-to-include-audio-streams.html