This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (February 2012)

Billboard Year-End charts are a cumulative measure of a single or album's performance in the United States, based upon the Billboard magazine charts during any given chart year. Billboard's "chart year" runs from the first week of December to the final week in November. This altered calendar allows for Billboard to calculate year-end charts and release them in time for its final print issue on the last week of December. Prior to incorporating chart data from Nielsen SoundScan (from 1991), year-end charts were calculated by an inverse-point system based solely on a title's performance (for example a single appearing on the Billboard Hot 100 would be given one point for a week spent at position 100, two points for a week spent at position ninety-nine, and so forth, up to 100 points for each week spent at number one). Other factors including the total weeks a song spent on the chart and at its peak position were calculated into its year-end total. The same method was used for albums based on the Billboard 200, and songs appearing on the other charts (e.g., Hot Country Singles).

After Billboard began obtaining sales and airplay information from Nielsen SoundScan and Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems, the year-end charts are now calculated by a very straightforward cumulative total of yearlong sales (or sales and airplay) points. This gives a more accurate picture of any given year’s most popular titles, as an entry that hypothetically spent nine weeks at number one in March could possibly have earned fewer cumulative points than one spending six weeks at number three in January. Due to this methodology, albums at the peak of their popularity at the time of the November/December chart-year cutoff many times end up ranked lower than one would expect on a year-end tally, yet are ranked on the following year's chart as well, as their cumulative points are split between the two chart years.

Sometimes, the best-selling album of the year of Billboard is different than best-selling album of the year of Nielsen SoundScan, because Billboard calculates the year from December to November and Nielsen calculates the year from January to December.

[edit] Billboard year-end number ones

Pop

Singles: Best Sellers in Stores ('40s-1958), Billboard Hot 100 (1958-present)

Albums: Best-Selling Popular Albums (1955-1956), Best-Selling Pop Albums (1956-1957), Best-Selling Pop LPs (1957-1959), Top LPs (1963-1972), Top LPs & Tapes (1972-1984), Top 200 Albums (1984), Top Pop Albums (1985-1991), The Billboard 200 Top Albums (1991-1992), Billboard 200 (1992-present).

Between 1959 and 1963 the chart was divided in a stereo chart and a mono chart and were named Best-Selling Stereophonic LPs and Best-Selling Monophonic LPs (1959-1960), Stereo Action Charts and Mono Action Charts (1960-1961), Action Albums—Stereophonic and Action Albums—Monophonic (1961) and Top LPs—Stereo and Top LPs—Monaural (1961-1963).

R&B / Soul / Hip-hop

Singles: Hot Soul Singles, Hot Black Singles, Hot R&B Singles, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Note: Billboard did not publish a singles chart for R&B songs from late 1963 through early 1965.)

Albums: Top Soul Albums, Top Black Albums, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums

Country

Singles: Hot Country Singles, Hot Country Singles & Tracks, Hot Country Songs

Albums: Top Country Albums

See also[link]

• Best-selling albums by year in the United States

References[link]

Sources[link]

• Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002 (ISBN 0-89820-155-1)
• Joel Whitburn Presents the Billboard Albums, 6th edition, (ISBN 0-89820-166-7)
• Additional information obtained can be verified within Billboard's online archive services and print editions of the magazine.