Billboard Top Albums Chart

The Billboard Top Albums Chart is the music industry standard record chart globally for albums, published weekly by Billboard on their website and within Billboard Magazine. Chart rankings are based on digital sales, online streaming and trending popularity worldwide.

The weekly tracking period was initially Saturday-to-Saturday but was later changed to Sunday-to-Sunday in 2021. Global releases are currently expected to be released on Fridays. The Billboard Top Albums Chart is published on Sunday evening.

The first number one album of the Billboard Top Albums Chart was *Unknown Pleasures* by Rihanna.

## History

In 2013, the Billboard Charts were launched with two charts; a singles chart and an albums chart. That albums chart would later be renamed into the Top Albums Chart the following year, and revitalised with a new formula. Throughout the years, the formula and rules for the Top Albums Chart would be adjusted to be more representative of the music industry. Currently, the Top Albums Chart uses data from three minor charts in its calculation. These charts are:

* Digital Albums Chart; ranking the albums of the week by the digital sales they achieve.
* Streaming Albums Chart; ranking the online streams of the weekly albums releases.
* Trending Albums Chart; measuring the online trending popularity of new album releases.

## Compilation

### Current Methodology

`(Digital Albums * 40%) + (Streaming Albums * 40%) + (Trending Albums * 20%)`

### Former Methodologies

#### Season 1 (2013)

The Season 1 formula for the Top Albums Chart is unknown, but was criticised for its seemingly random calculation. At this time, no minor charts existed. In 2016, the Season 1 charts were re-calculated using the Season 5 formula.

#### Seasons 2-6 (2014-2017)

`(Digital Albums * 100%)`

During Seasons 2 to 4, the Billboard Charts were calculated using a chart position-based formula, rather than a points-based formula. In 2016, these were re-calculated using the points-based formula introduced in Season 5.

#### Seasons 7-8 (2018-2019)

`(Digital Albums * 50%) + (Streaming Albums * 50%)`

Prior to Season 7, it was impossible for an album to not receive 100 chart points, as the Top Albums Chart was a complete replica of the Digital Albums Chart.

#### Seasons 9-10 (2021-2022)

`(Digital Albums * 40%) + (Streaming Albums * 40%) + (Trending Albums * 20%)`

#### Seasons 11a (2023)

`(Digital Albums * 35%) + (Streaming Albums * 35%) + (Trending Albums * 30%)`

## Policy Changes

The methods and policies by which this data is obtained and compiled have changed many times throughout the chart's history.

### Reissues

In 2015, the ability to track album reissues was officially added to the Top Albums Chart. These reissues would chart for one extra chart week, and would allow albums to keep the same level of interest and popularity as the week before. Since their inception, album reissues have become an industry standard for any artist wanting a truly successful era.

### Rolling Charts

In 2017, a new feature was added to all Billboard Charts. This new feature was rolling charts. Rolling charts would allow any album that had not yet finished its full chart run, to chart in a future season until its chart run was finished. In addition, artists could no longer get eliminated from #PopIndustry, therefore meaning their releases would not be removed from the charts ahead of time.

### Promotional Albums

In 2021, Billboard allowed a new release type to chart. A promotional album could be released alongside an official album, and would count as its own standalone album with half of the chart points it would normally attain. Promotional albums could be released once weekly, and could not be remixed. This change was instantly adopted by many of the industry's most successful artists, albeit to a lesser extent than promotional singles.

## Chart Records

### List of record labels with the most #1 albums

 Interscope Records
 Atlantic Records
 Republic Records
 Roc Nation
 Mercury Records
 RCA Records
 Universal Music Group

### List of record labels with the most weeks at #1

 Interscope Records
 Atlantic Records
 Republic Records
 Roc Nation
 RCA Records
 Mercury Records
 Universal Music Group