Billboard and the History of the Pop Charts

On July 27, 1940, Billboard magazine, the trade journal for the music business, started publishing a weekly list of the best-selling records across the country, under the heading of “The Billboard Music Popularity Chart.”

The “Music Popularity Chart” was presented as a “trade service feature,” intended to provide market information for the benefit of wholesalers and retailers trying to decide what to stock, radio programmers trying to figure out what to play on the air, and songwriters and producers looking for cues on styles to mimic and trends to exploit. The chart in that issue in 1940 listed ten records,

Source: Billboard and the History of the Pop Charts: Why Are Songs So Sad? | The New Republic

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