UKChartsPlus
UKChartsPlus is an independent British weekly publication that records and analyzes official UK music-chart data.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
UKChartsPlus is an independent weekly newsletter and chart-information publication focused on the recorded-music market in the United Kingdom. It was first issued in September 2001 under the name ChartsPlus, shortly after Hit Music, a sister publication of Music Week, ended publication in May of that year. Unlike its predecessor, the new publication was established independently of Music Week and obtained chart information through direct licensing from the Official Charts Company and other chart providers. The publication was created to provide a detailed, authoritative record of British music-chart performance. Its original coverage included the UK Singles Chart and UK Albums Chart through position 200, the Compilation Albums Chart through position 50, a New Entries Spotlight covering new singles entering the top 200, and year-to-date rankings for albums and singles. This level of depth made the publication particularly useful to record companies, chart researchers, collectors, music journalists, radio professionals, and readers interested in positions below the ranges commonly reproduced in general media. Over time, ChartsPlus expanded beyond its initial core listings. Its coverage came to include British Phonographic Industry silver, gold, and platinum awards; forecasts concerning the prospects of forthcoming releases; budget-album rankings; radio and television airplay charts; download and streaming charts; regional Scottish and Welsh rankings; and genre-oriented lists covering indie, dance, rock, metal, and R&B music. Some of these listings were exclusive to the publication. It became notable for publishing the UK singles and albums positions below 75, as well as compilation-album positions below 40, areas that were not consistently available elsewhere. Production changed hands in 2008. Musiqware Ltd., formerly known as IQware Ltd., stopped producing ChartsPlus in October 2008, with issue 371, dated 4 October 2008, being the final issue of that run. The publication returned under new ownership in December 2008, when the first issue of the revived series was released as issue 383, dated 27 December 2008. Issues 372 to 382 were subsequently produced retrospectively between January and March 2009, preserving continuity in the issue sequence. A major redesign followed with issue 463, dated 10 July 2010. At that point the publication adopted the title UKChartsPlus, introduced a new cover and colour scheme, added a hyperlinked index, expanded its chart portfolio, and introduced singles and albums indexes showing the chart positions of entries across the publication's different lists. Its later coverage included artist albums, download songs and albums, audio streaming, compilation and budget albums, vinyl albums, genre charts, Scottish and Welsh charts, year-to-date rankings, radio airplay, television airplay, and the Big Top 40. The publication also carried new-entry features, sales-award information, airplay awards, and occasional specialist charts devoted to subjects such as Michael Jackson, the Beatles, football songs, and Christmas recordings. UKChartsPlus has offered both full and express subscription formats. The full service provides the broadest chart coverage, while the express version presents a reduced selection, including shorter download and year-to-date tables and excluding some specialist charts and indexes. Individual back issues and grouped quarterly or annual sets have also been available. The publication's identity rests on data depth, continuity, and archival usefulness rather than on artist management, record production, or conventional music journalism.
History
UKChartsPlus originated in the British music-trade publishing environment created by the demand for detailed, regularly updated chart information. Its immediate predecessor was Hit Music, a sister publication of Music Week that ceased in May 2001. ChartsPlus was established independently and released its first issue in September 2001. It licensed chart data directly from the Official Charts Company and from other relevant chart providers, distinguishing it from an informal fan-maintained chart archive. The original publication aimed to document the UK singles and albums markets beyond the shorter rankings commonly circulated in newspapers, radio programming, and general music coverage. Its initial tables extended to number 200 for singles and albums and to number 50 for compilation albums. It also included a new-entries feature and year-to-date lists, giving readers both weekly movement and cumulative performance context. Its editorial scope broadened over the following years. Alongside the principal singles and albums charts, the publication added BPI silver, gold, and platinum awards, release-performance predictions, budget-album rankings, airplay information, download charts, and regional Scottish and Welsh listings. It also developed genre-specific charts for indie, dance, rock, metal, and R&B music. The breadth of these tables, and its willingness to publish lower chart positions, gave it a specialist archival role. It was especially distinctive for carrying singles and albums positions below 75 and compilation-album positions below 40. The first major interruption came in October 2008, when Musiqware Ltd., previously named IQware Ltd., ceased production. Issue 371, dated 4 October 2008, was the last issue of that production period. The title was revived under new ownership in December 2008, beginning with issue 383 on 27 December. To address the gap in the sequence, issues 372 through 382 were released retrospectively between January and March 2009. The publication underwent a substantial redesign in July 2010. Issue 463, dated 10 July, adopted the UKChartsPlus name and introduced a new cover, colour scheme, hyperlinked index, additional charts, and expanded tables. Singles and albums indexes were added to show how individual releases performed across the different chart categories carried by the publication. This relaunch established the visual and editorial identity associated with UKChartsPlus rather than the earlier ChartsPlus title. The later chart portfolio included artist albums, download songs and albums, audio streaming, compilation albums, budget albums, vinyl albums, dance, R&B, rock and metal, indie, and indie-breakers charts. It also carried Scottish and Welsh top 75 lists, year-to-date singles and albums rankings, radio and television airplay charts, and the Big Top 40. Airplay data initially involved NMC and later Radio Monitor, while the Big Top 40 was associated with Global Radio. Recurring editorial features included New Entries Spotlight sections, BPI sales awards, airplay awards, and the publication's own singles and albums indexes. Occasional themed charts covered artists or subjects such as Michael Jackson, the Beatles, football songs, and Christmas songs. UKChartsPlus has also operated as a subscription and archive service. A full subscription provides the broadest range of charts, while an express version offers a more limited selection, including shorter download and year-to-date tables and omitting some specialist charts, indexes, and airplay features. Back issues have been made available individually and in grouped quarterly or annual packages. Its continuing significance is as a specialist reference source that preserves granular information about British chart performance across formats, genres, regions, and distribution channels.
- 2017
Singles table is reduced to the top 100
[1]From issue 829, dated 15 July 2017, the principal singles listing is reduced from 200 positions to 100 following a change in the Official Charts Company's compilation practices.
- 2014
Audio streaming chart is added
[1]A top 100 audio streaming chart begins with issue 672, dated 12 July 2014.
- 2013
Airplay data source changes
[1]The publication's airplay listings move from NMC data to Radio Monitor data, with corresponding changes to airplay chart and award descriptions.
- 2010
ChartsPlus becomes UKChartsPlus
[1]Issue 463 introduces the UKChartsPlus name, redesigned presentation, expanded charts, and cross-chart indexes.
- 2008
Production ends under Musiqware
[1]Musiqware Ltd. ends the existing production run with issue 371, dated 4 October 2008.
- 2008
Publication is relaunched
[1]A new owner revives the publication in December with issue 383; issues 372 to 382 are later issued retrospectively.
- 2001
ChartsPlus is first published
[1]The first issue appears in September 2001 as an independent weekly publication covering extended UK singles, albums, and compilation charts.
Products and positioning
An independent, data-intensive reference publication for detailed UK music-chart information, particularly chart positions and specialist rankings that receive limited coverage in mainstream chart reporting.
Music-chart publication · 2001
Weekly UKChartsPlus newsletter
The core weekly publication reports UK music-chart results and related market information. It combines principal singles and albums tables with specialist rankings, new-entry commentary, year-to-date tables, sales awards, and indexes. Its distinguishing characteristic is the amount of detail supplied below the chart positions most often reproduced by mainstream outlets.
Official music charts · 2001
UK Singles and Albums Charts
The publication's central offering consists of weekly UK singles and albums rankings derived from Official Charts Company data. The original format extended both charts to position 200; the singles listing was later reduced to the top 100 after the Official Charts Company stopped compiling positions 101 to 200 under a revised chart rule.
Digital music charts
Download and streaming charts
UKChartsPlus has carried download-song and download-album rankings and later added a top 100 audio-streaming chart. These tables document the transition of UK music consumption from physical formats toward digital sales and on-demand listening.
Specialist music charts
Format and genre charts
Specialist listings cover vinyl albums, dance, R&B, rock and metal, indie, and indie-breakers singles and albums. They provide narrower views of market performance than the main UK charts and are part of the publication's reference-oriented identity.
Regional music charts
Regional Scottish and Welsh charts
The publication presents Scottish and Welsh singles and albums top 75s in relation to the main UK listings, giving readers a regional perspective on national chart performance.
Chart research features
Chart indexes and New Entries Spotlight
The Singles Index and Albums Index track entries across the publication's various charts, while the New Entries Spotlight highlights new singles and albums entering the covered rankings. Together these features make the publication useful for tracing release histories and cross-format performance.
Information services
Subscription and back-issue services
UKChartsPlus has offered full and express subscriptions as well as individual and grouped back issues. The express service provides a narrower set of tables, while the full service includes the widest chart, index, and specialist-feature coverage.
Brand decisions
2017
Reduction of the principal singles chart to 100 positionsGeneration changeBackground
The Official Charts Company stopped compiling singles positions 101 to 200 after introducing a rule limiting the number of tracks from a single album that could appear in one weekly chart.
Action taken
Beginning with issue 829, UKChartsPlus changed its main singles table from a top 200 to a top 100.
Aftermath
The change aligned the publication's main singles coverage with the reduced underlying data supplied by the official chart compiler.
2010
Rebranding and expansion as UKChartsPlusStrategyBackground
The publication sought to establish a renewed identity after its 2008 ownership and production transition.
Action taken
Issue 463 introduced the UKChartsPlus name, a redesigned cover and colour scheme, a hyperlinked index, additional charts, expanded listings, and singles and albums indexes.
Aftermath
The relaunch consolidated the publication's role as a broad specialist reference source for UK chart data.
2008
Revival under new ownershipStrategyBackground
Production of ChartsPlus stopped under Musiqware Ltd. in October 2008, creating a gap in the publication's regular run.
Action taken
A new owner relaunched the publication in December 2008 and later supplied retrospective issues to complete the sequence.
Aftermath
The title continued and subsequently underwent a major rebranding and redesign as UKChartsPlus.
Recent events
- 2017
Singles coverage is reduced from the top 200 to the top 100[1]
Other
From issue 829, dated 15 July 2017, UKChartsPlus listed the top 100 singles after the Official Charts Company stopped compiling positions 101 to 200 under a rule limiting the number of tracks from one album that could appear in a weekly singles chart.
- 2010
Publication is relaunched as UKChartsPlus[1]
Product launch
Issue 463 introduced the UKChartsPlus name, a redesigned presentation, expanded chart coverage, and indexes tracking singles and albums across the publication's listings.
- 2008
Musiqware ends production of ChartsPlus[1]
Other
Musiqware Ltd., previously known as IQware Ltd., ended its production of ChartsPlus in October 2008 with issue 371.
- 2008
ChartsPlus returns under new ownership[1]
Other
The publication was relaunched in December 2008 under new ownership, beginning with issue 383. Earlier missing issue numbers were later issued retrospectively.
- 2001
ChartsPlus begins publication as an independent UK chart newsletter[1]
Other
The first issue was published in September 2001, following the closure of Hit Music earlier that year. The publication initially focused on extended UK singles, albums, and compilation charts.
Sources1 sources
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