What do the different acronyms mean?
Acronyms, Terms, and Definitions:
- Ad Supported Streams = Streams from a DSP that offer a free service
- Airplay Chart Week = Monday → Sunday
- ATD = Activity to Date
- Audience = Number of people that heard a Spin on terrestrial/satellite radio (measured by first quarter hour)
- Building Week = The current week, up to date, for which daily data is included (all providers may not be reported)
- Catalog music = More than 18 months since release date
- % CHG = Percentage change from LW to TW
- CMA = Census Metropolitan Area (Canada)
- Core Genre = 1:1 each song has 1 core genre in our systems
- Current music = Less than 18 months since release date
- Daily Data = Always two days behind
- DMA - Designated Market Area
- DSP = Digital Service Provider (i.e. Spotify, Tidal)
- EAN = European Article Number. The European version of an UPC code and is 1 digit (13) longer.
- Equivalents = The number of audio/video streams that equal 1 album unit.
- Genre = Billboard genre assigned to a song
- Core Genre is 1:1 - each song has 1 core genre in our systems
- Genre is a Billboard classification. S song can have multiple genres to chart in multiple areas (example: Taylor Swift charts on both Pop and Country charts, so she has two genres assigned)
- ISRC = International Standard Recording Code, the unique identifier assigned to a recording
- LP = Last Period (Last chart week)
- LW = Last Week
- On-Demand Streams = From DSPs providing an interactive experience (user chooses what they listen to)
- Premium Streaming = Streaming from DSPs with a paid subscription model
- Programmed Streams = From DSPs that don't provide an interactive experience (content is pushed to consumer)
- Release Date = Song/Album date of release
- RTD = Release to Date (used in sales chart)
- Sales & Consumption Chart Week = Friday → Thursday
- Weekly data will be... “Week Ending [Thursday date]”
- SEA = Streaming Equivalent Albums
- SES = Stream Equivalent Songs
- Spin = A play on satellite or terrestrial radio
- TEA = Track Equivalent Albums (10 digital tracks = 1 album unit)
- Total Activity = Sales + Streaming = Video
- TP = This Period (This chart week)
- TW = This Week
- UPC = Universal Product Code, a 12 digit code assigned to LPs, EPs, or singles and represent the entire product.
- YTD = Year to Date
- WTD TP = Week to Date This Period
To learn more about what each acronym is and what they can tell you, bring any questions you have to a training session. Feel free to sign up for one of our Music Connect Office Hours here. Office Hours are Thursdays at 3pm US Eastern Standard Time.
Related Articles
How can I assign the correct Genre to a song?
When registering, please select the genre that most closely matches the genre of your song/album. However, Billboard makes all final decisions on genre flagging.
Music Connect Charts Tour
This is the third video in our Music Connect Quickstart Guide. This video covers the various charts within Music Connect and how to use them! You can find videos 1 and 2 of the Music Connect Quickstart Guide below: Music Connect Home Page Tour Music ...
How is Luminate different from other music data providers?
Luminate is the industry standard source measurement platform for music consumption tracking sales, streams, downloads, audience impressions, and airplay. Only Luminate aggregates data directly from all the major DSPs/streaming providers, over 2,000 ...
How can my artist be separated if they have the same name as an artist already in your system?
The Client Support team will work with the Reference Data Group to devise a parenthetical to add to the artist listing at the album and track levels so the titles are moved into a different listing. The parenthetical will typically note one of the ...
Music Connect Welcome Guide
Welcome to Music Connect, your guide to the world of music consumption data. Music Connect provides a holistic view of the music industry, where you have the ability to deep dive into datasets to uncover insightful metrics, identify trends and track ...