Shining-stars charts: the emerging charts/markets
(which charts anyone must watch as 'emerging markets' in the near future):

a) Billboard Chart: For another year, Billboard Singles Chart suffers from the 'Airplay' factor. But at least for the first time after the 90's a small percentage of Digital Downloads change the chart this year. Like UK, the power of consumers changes the data and makes the chart more realistic.

The Billboard's Hot 100 list has always been the music industry's chief hit barometer, from the days of sheet music to 45 rpm records to now, when many people buy songs through services like iTunes. It's the list people cite when they talk about having a No. 1 hit - as Mario has had for 7 weeks in a row with 'Let Me Love You.'
The list was formed for years using a combination of radio airplay and retail sales. That changed in the late 1990s, when the music industry largely phased out the single as a product. Some singles were being sold at a high discount in an effort to manipulate the charts; so for the last several years the rankings have been almost totally based on radio play, said Geoff Mayfield, Billboard's director of charts.

Billboard's move is another validation of the digital marketplace that the music industry didn't accept for many years. Billboard is absolutely doing the right thing in factoring this information into the charts. It provides a much more realistic impression of the music that people are buying and listening to. This change will add more variety to a singles chart that has been dominated by hip-hop over the past few years. That's primarily because they are the most popular music styles of today, but it also reflects the habit of hip-hop radio stations of playing hits more often than, say, rock or country stations.

As of the Hot 100 chart dated February 12, 2005, Billboard introduced the Pop 100 Chart and the Pop 100 Airplay Chart. The two charts track mass-appeal mainstream hits.
The Billboard Hot 100 now tracks paid digital downloads from such websites as iTunes, Napster, Musicmatch, Rhapsody, etc. With paid digital downloads added to the airplay-sales formula of the Hot 100, many songs benefited on the charts from the change.

Also because of the digital download sales, the Hot 100 now shows many singles on the chart with gold and platinum bullets. This is the first major overhaul of the Hot 100's chart formula since December 1998. Of course until the totally replacement of idiotic 'Airplay' system by 'Paid Downloads' we still have to wait, a lot...

b) Finland: we usually say that 'Finish people are living at ice.' And so far, everyone knows about Santa Claus Village, the thousand lakes and Nokia mobile phones. For the second consecutive year the Finnish Music Industry delivered an excellent example on 'how to establish a Singles Chart' and 'how to promote efficiently your domestic artists.' Americans (US/ Canadians) inform about H.I.M., NightWish, Apocalyptica, Children Of Bodom, Kwan and so many others.
If Top40 Charts had to give an award for emerging Charts, then this goes for sure to the Finish Chart-maker. For the market size you own, you are doing commerce miracles with the Singles Chart - keep on the good work!

The best of the best national charts for 2005 (review):

| Best Charts | | Problematic Charts | | Worst Chart | | Emerging Charts/Markets |