Ultratop

Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organization of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.[1] Two parallel set of charts are concurrently produced and published, one on behalf of Belgium's Dutch-speaking Flanders region, and the other catering to the nation's French-speaking region of Wallonia.

Ultratop charts

The music charts produced by Ultratop organization are separated along regional-language boundaries, an unusual division that is justified by the cultural differences in Belgium. So it is that the Dutch-speaking Flanders region has one set of charts of record activity there, while the French-speaking Wallonia region has another set to measure popularity in those provinces.

The charts are broadcast on several Belgian radio stations, and on TV stations TMF in Flanders and Plug TV in Wallonia.[2]

Procedure

Ultratop creates charts based on record sales of around 500 retail outlets and legal digital downloads.[2] Currently GfK is the market observer of the charts. The chart broadcasts on Radio Contact on Saturdays from 12:00 to 14:00. The combined number of Ultratop chart listeners on the various radio or TV stations exceeds two million every week. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the charts in 2005, a jubilee book was published. It covered all 15,282 singles from 5,882 artists thus far.[2]

Prominent charts

Ultratop 50 Singles (Flemish chart)

The Flemish Ultratop 50 chart has existed since 31 March 1995.[3] Prior to 1995, the official weekly chart was the Radio 2 Top 30 (previously known as the BRT Top 30) broadcast by the Belgische Radio- en Televisieomroep (BRT) and subsequently by the Belgische Radio- en Televisieomroep Nederlandstalige Uitzendingen (BRTN) - a chart which continues to be broadcast to this day by the BRTN's successor, the Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT) (hence its alternative name, the VRT Top 30). The Ultratop 50 chart is compiled in Dutch and presented on the Belgian radio station MNM as well as on TMF Flanders television.

Ultratop 50 Singles (Walloon chart)

The Walloon Ultratop chart began in 1995 as the Ultratop 40, ranking the forty best-selling singles in the French-speaking region of Belgium.[4] On 4 September 2010, the Walloon chart was renamed Ultratop 50 as well after being increased from a 40-position into a 50-position chart.

Ultratop 200 Albums (Flemish chart)

Compiled in Dutch, it covers weekly albums sales in Belgium's Dutch-speaking Flanders region. Originally brought out as the Ultratop 50 Albums chart, it was expanded to become the Ultratop 100 Albums chart, and eventually the Ultratop 200 Albums chart.

Ultratop 200 Albums (Walloon chart)

Published in French, it covers weekly albums sales in Belgium's French-speaking Wallonia region.

Complete list of Ultratop charts

The Ultratop charts published include:

Chart name Flanders Wallonia
Ultratop 50 Singles Top 50 Top 50
Ultratop 200 Albums Top 200 Top 200
Ultratop Compilations Top 20 Top 20
Ultratop Dance Top 50 Top 50
Ultratop Urban Top 50
Ultratop Airplay Top 30 Top 30
Ultratop Alternative Albums Top 50
Back Catalogue Singles Top 50 Top 50
Dance Bubbling Under Top 20 Top 20
Albums Belges / Belgische Albums Top 40 Top 20
Mid Price Top 20 Top 20
Heatseekers Albums Top 20 Top 20
Albums Classiques / Klassiek Albums Top 20 Top 20
DVD Musicaux / Muziek-DVD Top 40 Top 10
Ultratop Vlaams Top 10
Radio 2 Vlaams Top 10
Vlaams Kids Top 5

Ultratip

In addition to the main Ultratop 50, another weekly singles chart known as Ultratip is published. Also referred to as the Tipparade, it is an indicator chart of commercially available singles, with chart positions based on a combination of sales and airplay, i.e., the number of times a song is played on the radio or television, coupled with the calculated audience size for each station, region and language.

Ultratip differs from the Ultratop charts, in that it depends on both airplay and sales, whereas Ultratop charts are based solely on sales. However, it should be noted that a song cannot chart on the Ultratip chart on airplay figures alone.[2]

Ultratip charts

Flanders Wallonia
Ultratip 100[5] Ultratip 50[6]

Records

In Flanders

Singles

Note: Ultratop's all-time singles record (at Ultratop) has been updated to combine the Ultratop data (from 1995 onwards) with the earlier official charts dating back to late 1954. Therefore the singles statistics here actually reflect a combination of charts that are successive but independent of each other.

Most top 50 singles
Longest at number 1
Longest noted overall
Other records
  • Shortest noted Number 1 hit was "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" by Artists for Haiti. It left the Ultratop 50 after 6 weeks.
  • Biggest leap to the number 1 position was for Elton John with "Candle in the Wind 1997". It jumped from the 46th position, directly to the number 1 spot in September 1997.
  • The record of most songs in the top 100 at the same moment is held by Natalia. In June 2007 she charted with 10 songs.

Albums

Most top 50 albums
Most number 1 albums
  • Helmut Lotti and Clouseau: 8
  • K3 and Marco Borsato: 7
  • U2, Michael Jackson and Samson & Gert: 6
  • Celine Dion and Madonna: 5
Longest stay in the charts (since 1995)

In Wallonia

See also

References

  1. ↑ "LINKS - Local record industry associations". IFPI. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Ultratop Belgian Charts". Ultratop.be. ULTRATOP & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  3. ↑ Archives on "Ultratop.be"
  4. ↑ "Whitney Houston avait conquis les Belges". 7 Sur 7. 12 February 2012.
  5. ↑ http://www.ultratop.be/nl/weekchart.asp?cat=st
  6. ↑ http://www.ultratop.be/fr/weekchart.asp?cat=st
  7. ↑ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". Ultratop.be. ULTRATOP & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2011-09-23.

External links

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