Pop Airplay
Introduction '''Pop Airplay''' (also called  '''Mainstream Top 40''', '''Pop Songs''', and '''Top 40/CHR''') is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the United States. The rankings are based on radio airplay detections as measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems (Nielsen BDS), a subsidiary of the U.S.' leading marketing research company. Consumer researchers, Nielsen Audio (formerly ''Arbitron''), refers to the format as contemporary hit radio (CHR).The current number-one song on the chart is "Agora Hills" by Doja Cat.
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. American Top 40 with Shadoe Stevens used this chart for their show from January 1993 to January 1995.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. The first number-one song on the chart was "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men.
Chart criteria There are forty positions on this chart. Songs are ranked based on its total number of spins per week. This is calculated by electronically monitoring Mainstream Top 40 radio stations across the U.S. 24 hours a day, seven days a week by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems.Songs receiving the greatest growth receive a "bullet", although there are tracks that also get bullets if the loss in detections doesn't exceed the percentage of downtime from a monitored station. "Airpower" awards are issued to songs that appear on the top 20 of both the airplay and audience chart for the first time, while the "greatest gainer" award is given to song with the largest increase in detections. A song with six or more spins in its first week is awarded an "airplay add". If two songs are tied in spins in the same week, the one with the biggest increase that week ranks higher.Since the introduction of the chart until 2005, songs below No. 20 were moved to recurrent after 26 weeks on the chart. Beginning the chart week of December 3, 2005, songs below No. 20 were moved to recurrent after 20 weeks on the chart. Since the chart dated December 4, 2010, songs below No. 15 are moved to recurrent after 20 weeks on the chartWhereas the Pop Airplay 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.Source:
All-time achievements In 2012, for the 20th anniversary of the chart, Billboard compiled a ranking of the 100 best-performing songs on the chart over the 20 years, along with the best-performing artists. "Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls ranked as the #1 song on that list. In 2017, Billboard revised the rankings, including the methodologies for how they are calculated. "Another Night" by Real McCoy was the new #1 song, while the previous #1 song, "Iris", dropped to #8.Rihanna ranked as the top artist on both all-time charts. Shown below are the top 10 songs and the top 10 artists from the most recent chart.===Top 10 Pop Songs of all time (1992–2017)===RankSingleYear releasedArtist(s)Peak and duration"Another Night"Real McCoy#1 for 6 weeks"Smooth"Santana featuring Rob Thomas#1 for 8 weeks"Hanging by a Moment"Lifehouse#2 for 12 weeks"Apologize"Timbaland featuring OneRepublic#1 for 8 weeks"How You Remind Me"Nickelback#1 for 10 weeks"Here Without You"3 Doors Down#1 for 6 weeks"Don't Speak"No Doubt#1 for 10 weeks"Iris"Goo Goo Dolls#1 for 4 weeks"Closer"The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey#1 for 11 weeks"I Love You Always Forever"Donna Lewis#1 for 11 weeksSource:===Top 10 Pop Songs artists of all time (1992–2017)===RankArtistRihannaPinkMaroon 5Katy PerryJustin TimberlakeBritney SpearsTaylor SwiftKelly ClarksonMariah CareyBruno MarsSource:
Song records ===Most weeks at number one===Number of  weeksArtistSongYear(s)Source14Ace of Base"The Sign"199413The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber"Stay"202111Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men"One Sweet Day"1995–96Donna Lewis"I Love You Always Forever"1996Natalie Imbruglia"Torn"1998Nelly featuring Tim McGraw"Over and Over"2004–05The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey"Closer"201610Dionne Farris"I Know"1995No Doubt"Don't Speak"1996–97Céline Dion"My Heart Will Go On"1998'N Sync"Bye Bye Bye"2000Nickelback"How You Remind Me"2001–02Mariah Carey"We Belong Together"2005Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell"Blurred Lines"2013Post Malone"Circles"2019–20Miley Cyrus"Flowers"2023Taylor Swift"Cruel Summer"===Most weeks in the top 10===Number of  weeksArtistSongYear(s)SourceRema and Selena Gomez"Calm Down"2023–24Harry Styles"As It Was"2022–23The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber"Stay"2021–22The Weeknd"Blinding Lights"2020Post Malone"Circles"2019–20The Weeknd"Die for You"2022–2332Harry Styles"Adore You"2020Lil Nas X"Thats What I Want"2021–22Dua Lipa"Levitating"2020–2129Metro Boomin, the Weeknd, and 21 Savage"Creepin'"2023Miley Cyrus"Flowers"Miguel"Sure Thing"===Most weeks on the chart===Number of  weeksArtistSongYear*Source69Rema and Selena Gomez"Calm Down"202463Harry Styles"As It Was"202360The Weeknd"Blinding Lights"202154Glass Animals"Heat Waves"202250The Weeknd"Die for You"202348The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber"Stay"202247Lewis Capaldi"Before You Go"202045Dua Lipa"New Rules"2018Khalid and Normani"Love Lies"2019Benny Blanco, Halsey, and Khalid"Eastside" Post Malone"Circles"2020 Harry Styles"Adore You"Lil Nas X"Thats What I Want"2022Year when the songs ended their respective chart runs.Prior to 2018, the song with the most weeks on the chart was "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain, which spent 41 weeks on the chart in 1998.This record run held for almost two decades, but has been surpassed many times since then. Radio stations having more data points, such as streaming, to increase their accuracy at measuring what radio listeners want to hear, have made longer runs more commonplace.===Highest debut===Debut  PositionArtistSongDebut DateSourceNo. 12Mariah Carey"Dreamlover"August 14, 1993Taylor Swift"Shake It Off"September 6, 2014No. 13Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar"Bad Blood"June 6, 2015No. 14Lady Gaga"Born This Way"February 26, 2011Justin Timberlake featuring Jay-Z"Suit & Tie"February 2, 2013No. 16Madonna"Frozen"March 7, 1998Britney Spears"Hold It Against Me"January 29, 2011Miley Cyrus"Flowers"January 28, 2023NSYNC"Better Place"October 14, 2023Dua Lipa"Houdini"November 25, 2023===Longest climbs to number one===Week reached  number oneArtistSongDate reached  number oneSource37th weekLewis Capaldi"Before You Go"September 26, 2020 32nd weekGlass Animals"Heat Waves"January 29, 202231st weekBenny Blanco, Halsey and Khalid "Eastside"March 2, 2019 28th weekTrevor Daniel"Falling"July 25, 2020Rema and Selena Gomez"Calm Down"May 13, 202327th weekDua Lipa featuring DaBaby"Levitating"June 19, 2021 26th weekAlessia Cara"Here"February 6, 2016 25th weekCeeLo Green"Forget You"April 16, 2011 Demi Lovato"Give Your Heart a Break"September 15, 2012 24th weekAlessia Cara"Scars to Your Beautiful"February 4, 2017 Khalid and Normani"Love Lies"September 22, 2018 The Weeknd"Die for You"February 11, 2023 ===Longest climbs to the top 10===Week reached  top 10ArtistSongDate reached top 10SourceLauv"I Like Me Better"June 23, 2018Edwin McCain"I'll Be"October 17, 199827th weekMAX featuring Gnash"Lights Down Low"February 3, 2018Lewis Capaldi"Before You Go"July 18, 2020AJR"Bang! "December 12, 202025th weekMKTO"Classic"July 12, 2014Daya"Sit Still, Look Pretty"October 15, 2016Jon Bellion"All Time Low"March 11, 2017
Artist records Taylor Swift holds the record for most number-one singles with 12, spanning over 14 years between her first and last hit. With 47 weeks at number-one, Katy Perry holds the record for having spent the most weeks at the summit. ===Artists with the most number-one singles=== Number of singles  Artist  Source12  Taylor Swift  11  Rihanna  Katy Perry   Maroon 5  10  Justin Bieber  9  Bruno Mars    Pink   Ariana Grande     Justin Timberlake  7  Beyonce   Lady Gaga   Doja Cat  ===Artists with the most cumulative weeks at number one=== Number of weeks  Artist  Source   Katy Perry     Mariah Carey      Taylor Swift      Maroon 5     Justin Bieber  32  Pink   Rihanna     Ace of Base  28 Ariana Grande     Bruno Mars  ===Artists with the most top 10 singles=== Number of singles  Artist  Source   Rihanna   23  Taylor Swift   22  Maroon 5   20  Justin Bieber   Ariana Grande   19  Pink  18   Justin Timberlake   17   Mariah Carey   Katy Perry   Bruno Mars  ===Artists with the most entries=== Number of entries  Artist  Source   Rihanna     Nicki Minaj     Taylor Swift     Justin Bieber     Chris Brown     Drake   Pitbull     Britney Spears  32  Lil Wayne   Justin Timberlake   Ariana Grande  ===Simultaneously occupying the top two positions===* '''Mariah Carey:''' December 9, 1995# "One Sweet Day" ''(with Boyz II Men)''# "Fantasy"* '''OutKast:''' January 31 - February 7, 2004# "Hey Ya!" # "The Way You Move" ''(featuring Sleepy Brown)''* '''Pharrell Williams:''' July 27 - August 3, 2013# "Blurred Lines" ''(Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell)''# "Get Lucky" ''(Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams)''*'''Iggy Azalea:''' June 28 - July 12, 2014# "Fancy" ''(featuring Charli XCX)''# "Problem" ''(Ariana Grande featuring Iggy Azalea)''*'''Halsey:''' February 23 - March 9, 2019# "Without Me"# "Eastside" ''(with Benny Blanco and Khalid)''*'''Ariana Grande:''' February 20, 2021# "34+35"# "Positions"*'''Olivia Rodrigo:''' August 7–28, 2021# "Good 4 U"# "Deja Vu"*'''Doja Cat:''' October 15–22, 2022# "I Like You (A Happier Song)" ''(Post Malone featuring Doja Cat)''# "Vegas"Source:===Simultaneously three or more songs in the top 10===* '''Ariana Grande:''' May 15–22, 2021** "Positions"** "34+35"** "POV"* '''Doja Cat:''' October 23–30, 2021** "Kiss Me More" ''(featuring SZA)''** "You Right" ''(with The Weeknd)''** "Need to Know"* '''Harry Styles:''' October 15–29, 2022** "As It Was"** "Late Night Talking"** "Music for a Sushi Restaurant"Source:===Self-replacement at number one===*Mariah Carey — "Fantasy" → "One Sweet Day" (Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men) (December 9, 1995)*OutKast — "Hey Ya!" → "The Way You Move" (OutKast featuring Sleepy Brown) (February 14, 2004)*Iggy Azalea — "Fancy" (Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX) → "Problem" (Ariana Grande featuring Iggy Azalea) (July 12, 2014) †*Halsey — "Without Me" → "Eastside" (Benny Blanco, Halsey and Khalid) (March 2, 2019)*Ariana Grande — "Positions" → "34+35" (February 13, 2021) ††*Doja Cat — "I Like You (A Happier Song)" (Post Malone featuring Doja Cat) → "Vegas" (October 22, 2022)† Iggy Azalea is the only act in Mainstream Top 40 history to replace herself at number one with her first two chart entries.†† Ariana Grande became the first artist to succeed herself at number one as the only act credited on both tracks.Source:===Additional artist achievements===Lady Gaga is the only musical artist in history to have her first six singles all reach the number-one position on this chart. *Lady Gaga is the only artist to have her first six singles reach No. 1. *JoJo became the youngest (13) solo artist to have a number-one single on the chart with "Leave (Get Out)". *Rihanna is the youngest (22) artist to attain at least seven No. 1 singles on the chart. *Justin Bieber became the youngest (26) male artist to attain at least seven No. 1 singles on the chart with "Intentions" (featuring Quavo). *Kate Bush broke the record for the oldest song to have ever charted on the Mainstream Top 40 chart with "Running Up That Hill", originally released in 1985.It charted in 2022 after its use in the fourth season of ''Stranger Things''. The previous record holder was Empire of the Sun, whose song "Walking on a Dream", originally released in 2008, charted in 2016 after its use in a Honda commercial.
Album records ===Most number-one singles from an album=== Number of Singles  Artist  Album  Year (s)  Source   Katy Perry  ''Teenage Dream''  2010-12     Taylor Swift  ''1989''  2014-15   4   Justin Timberlake ''FutureSex/LoveSounds''  2006-07   Lady Gaga  ''The Fame''  2009  3  Ace of Base  ''The Sign''  1993-94   Alanis Morissette  ''Jagged Little Pill''  1996   Avril Lavigne  ''Let Go''  2002-03   Maroon 5  ''Overexposed''  2012-13   Justin Bieber  ''Purpose''  2015-16   Selena Gomez  ''Revival''  2015-16   Dua Lipa  ''Future Nostalgia''  2020-21   Lil Nas X  ''Montero''  2021-22   Doja Cat  ''Planet Her''  2021-22
References
External links * Pop Airplay on Billboard.com