The Rolling Stone charts tabulated the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States. Chart data was powered by analytics firm Alpha Data (formerly BuzzAngle Music) and results were published on the website of pop culture magazine Rolling Stone, both of which are properties of the United States-based Penske Media Corporation. The Rolling Stone charts competed with the Billboard charts, which are powered by Nielsen SoundScan and published by Billboard magazine. The Rolling Stone charts were differentiated by their emphasis in streaming media and daily updates while still publishing a weekly final version on the Monday following the Friday-to-Thursday tracking week. They were announced on May 7, 2019, and were expected to launch on May 13, but were ultimately launched on July 2. The charts were discontinued at the end of October 2021 after the October 21 issue, with Billboard having become a sister PMC publication to Rolling Stone in the last part of 2020, thus making the Rolling Stone charts internally duplicative and superfluous. Background Since Billboard began publishing its first ranked record charts in 1940, the Billboard charts have been considered the standard in gauging the popularity of music in the United States. Throughout the 20th century, several competitors came and went, including charts published in Cash Box (1952–96), Record World (1954–82) and Radio & Records (1973–2009). Over time, incomplete distinctions between album sales, album shipments, digital downloads, and streaming media have been sources of criticism regarding the charts' validities. Rolling Stone first announced it would be launching a group of record charts on May 7, 2019. The scheduled launch date for the project was announced by the magazine as May 13, 2019. It was included in the announcement that the charts would be powered by information supplied by data analytics company Alpha Data, previously known as "BuzzAngle Music" prior to their rebranding on May 13, 2019. Alpha Data is owned by the parent company of Rolling Stone, Penske Media Corporation, which had fully acquired the magazine at the start of 2019. On May 11, it was announced that the public launch would be delayed indefinitely and the project would remain in private beta, citing intentions to "optimize with industry partners" and "fully ensure smoothness" of the project. The record charts served as a competitor to the Billboard charts, which have been published by New York City-based magazine Billboard since 1958. Additionally, Alpha Data serves