Hot 100 Airplay (Radio Songs) - Strength of Airplay

Strength of Airplay

Singles usually enter the Hot 100 Airplay chart before any other, because in most cases, they hit the airwaves before being made commercially available online or in stores. Prior to December 5, 1998, the Hot 100 was solely compiled of songs that were commercially available. This means that songs could enter the airplay chart, but would not be eligible for the Hot 100 unless a commercial single in stores was issued. In the 1990s, "Don't Speak" by No Doubt, "Lovefool" by The Cardigans, "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia, and "When I Come Around" by Green Day all did well on this chart, but were not allowed to enter the Hot 100, because no commercial single was issued, even though they would have probably been significant hits on the Hot 100 without the need of a commercial single.

Due to circumstances like this becoming a growing trend with major record labels to release singles only to radio (as they felt commercial releases were a factor in decreasing album sales) many in the music industry requested that Billboard rethink its long-standing rule of "singles only" on the Hot 100. Billboard carefully weighed the pros and cons of this type of change and conducted extensive research and polls of music and recording industry insiders to assess the need for such a revamp of the chart. It was concluded that allowing airplay-only singles into the Hot 100 was the most logical choice, as the chart has always been a reflection of what songs are most popular in the United States and this new rule would present an accurate tool for those in the music industry to gauge the popularity of their "product" and to analyze marketing strategies, etc.