Top Songwriters, Producers charts to launch in the U.S.

Songwriters and producers, those brains behind the hits, the unseen sages who made the soundtrack to your life, will be recognized with their very own charts.

Billboard is expanding its suite of U.S. charts with rankings for songwriters and producers, based on weekly activity on the Billboard Hot 100 and other “Hot” genre song charts that blend data from streaming, airplay and sales.

Though Australia’s charts compilers ARIA haven’t made any such move, Billboard’s new charts should, in short time, have an Australian flavour to them.

A wave of Aussie songwriters and producers are enjoying behind-the-scenes success in the United States right now, from Sarah Aarons to Sia, Lindsay Rimes, Phil Barton, Kylie Sackley and many others, and their efforts will finally be officially tracked and recognized, on a weekly basis. They now have two new charts to aim for.

Lindsay Rimes, Kylie Minogue and Phil Barton

The Top Songwriters and Top Producers tallies, announced overnight, will debut in the industry “bible” dated June 15, and in the Billboard Bulletin email blast distributed June 13 to subscribers.

Occasionally, Billboard publishes top songwriter and producer rankings as part of its year-end chart feasts or special features, but this is the first time weekly surveys have been locked in.

According to Billboard, the charts are based on total points accrued by a songwriter or producer for each attributed song that appears on the respective charts. Also, multiple writers or producers split points for each song equally, and the dividing of points will lead to “occasional ties for some rankings.”

“We’re extremely excited to acknowledge the top creative forces behind music’s biggest hits on a weekly basis,” said Silvio Pietroluongo, Billboard senior VP of charts and data development. “A songwriter or producer’s influence and importance within the industry and beyond certainly merits recognition beyond our yearly rankings.”

Read more here.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.