Charter: Hot 100 number ones – a study

Fun fact: over the course of the 41 weeks in the year, so far, only ten tracks have made the number 1 spot in our Hot 100, which means that a number one has an average lifespan of 4 weeks.

EMI’s only entry here is also the most successful – and, as it stands, our current #1. Katy Perry’s Roar is the longest-running track in the top spot, with a total of 8 weeks amassed. Close runners here are obviously Avicii’s Wake Me Up, Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines and Pink’s Just Give Me A Reason which all held the top spot for at least six weeks. This leaves the remaining six entries with just 11 weeks between them.

Throughout the year I’ve been surprised by Universal’s crazy lead in the Market Share of the Hot 100; at times they’ve held over 50%, but when looking purely at #1 Hot 100 entries, the divide between Sony and Universal doesn’t seem so large. When you view their achievements side-by-side it does kind of come out looking like a two horse race. Inertia and Warner barely get a mention and Warner specifically wouldn’t even get a nod if it weren’t for Macklemore holding 2 #1’s this year with Can’t Hold Us and Same Love. This single is technically an independent release as well, with Warner handling the distribution.

I have to say, the Hot 100 chart is my week’s work and the results of this comparison surprise me. It’s refreshing to take a step back every so often and look at the big picture.

For more detail, you can view our full charts information here.