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Hot Country Songs




This 60-position chart lists the most popular Country Music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales. Currently, the chart does not count Digital Download s towards chart tabulation (although singles that are only available as downloads do chart if they receive enough airplay).


HISTORY

''Billboard'' began compiling the popularity of country songs with its January 8 , 1944 issue. However, only the genre's most popular Jukebox selections were tabulated, with the chart titled "Most Played Juke Box Folk Records." The chart length was not standardized; a given week had anywhere from two to eight positions.

For approximately ten years, from 1948-1958, ''Billboard'' used several charts to measure the popularity of a given song. These included:
  • The "best sellers" chart – started May 15 , 1948 as "Best Selling Retail Folk Records." This chart had anywhere from 10-20 positions during its ten-year life, with the number of positions varying each week.

  • A "jockeys" chart – started December 10 , 1949 as "Country & Western Records Most Played By Folk Disk Jockeys." This chart had anywhere from eight to 15 positions, varying from week to week.


The names of each chart changed slightly during each chart's life. The "jukebox" chart – which by 1956 was known as "Most Played C&W in Juke Boxes" – ended on June 17 , 1957 . The "best sellers" and "jockeys" charts continued until October 13 , 1958 .

Starting with the , a system which electronically monitors radio airplay of songs. Four weeks later, on February 17, the chart was retitled "Hot Country Singles & Tracks." Beginning with the January 13, 2001 issue, the chart was cut from 75 to 60 positions to reduce the number of album cuts that were reaching the charts; and effective April 30 , 2005 the chart was renamed "Hot Country Songs".

Currently, '' American Country Countdown '' with Kix Brooks is the only syndicated countdown show to use this chart; the show plays back the top 40 singles/tracks on it for each week.


CHART POLICIES


As with the Billboard Hot 100 and most other ''Billboard'' charts, the Hot Country Songs chart features a rule for when a song enters Recurrent Rotation . Starting with the chart week of December 2 , 2006 , a song is declared recurrent on the country charts if it meets the following criteria:
  • It has been on the charts for more than twenty weeks;

  • It is not gaining in Spin s or audience impressions; and

  • It is lower than #10 in rank for either spins or audience.

  • Exceptions are sometimes made in special cases, such as a marginal decrease in audience. If a special holiday single is released, it may only enter the chart once.



FURTHER READING

  • Whitburn, Joel. "Top Country Songs 1944-2005 - 6th Edition." 2006.



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