Dutch Top 40

Hans Breukhoven and Lex Harding celebrating a printed edition of the Dutch Top 40 in 2005

The Dutch Top 40 (Dutch: Nederlandse Top 40) is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the pirate radio channel Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the pirate radio channel was forced to stop. Joost den Draaijer was the initiator of the top 40 in the Netherlands. The chart is similar to the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.

History

On January 2, 1965, the first Top 40 was compiled, with "I Feel Fine" by The Beatles becoming the first #1 hit in the Netherlands. Due to its huge success, many similar charts as the Nationale Hitparade ("National Hitparade"), Mega Top 100 and the Hilversum Top 30 were created. In 1974, the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40 bought the Top 40 and named it De Nederlandse Top 40.

Currently, Radio 538 is airing the Dutch Top 40 on radio. Jeroen Nieuwenhuize is presenting the program every Friday afternoon from 14.00 until 18.00. The Dutch Top 40 is the 'most-listened-to' program on Dutch radio during its timeslot.

Compilation

Stip

Every song that moves up 3 or more places than it was before, gets a stip ('dot'). When a song is noted in the top 10 and moves up 5 or more places, it gets a superstip ('super dot'). Also when a song enters the chart higher than the #25 positions or moves up more than 10 places in the chart, it gets a superstip.

Examples:

• A song enters the chart at #30 up and till at #26: stip.
• A song enters the chart at #25 or higher: superstip.

• A song moves from #25 to #9: superstip.
• A song moves from #15 to #10: superstip
• A song moves from #35 to #25: superstip.
• A song moves from #40 to #25: superstip.

• A song moves from #15 to #11: stip.
• A song moves from #25 to #17: stip.
• A song moves from #40 to #26: stip.
• A song moves from #40 to #30: stip.
• Any move between #40 and #31: nothing happens.

• A song enters the chart at #34: nothing happens. Entering below 30: nothing happens.
• A song moves from #15 to #14: nothing happens. Outside the top 10, a song must at least move three places to get stip and 10 to get superstip. This is only the case when a song moves to #25 or higher -or when it's already above #25- and it then moves 10 places.

• A song moves from #11 to #10: stip. Any move to and within the top 10 makes at least stip.

Composition

Like the Mega Top 50, the chart is a combination of single sales and airplay. The more often a song gets played on the radio, the higher its place in the Top 40. As of 2003, digital downloads are also counted.

For year end chart positions: #1 position gets 40 points, #2 position gets 39 points .... #40 position get one point. This way you just count up all numbers and sort them from most points till least points.

Rules

There is a set of rules, of which some have existed since 1972, that are still maintained. Because of these rules the Top 40 has been criticised.

• Singles must remain minimal two weeks in the chart. If a single officially no longer belongs in the top 40, these are placed on #40.

• Example: Missy Elliott's "Lose Control": Remained two weeks on #40 in the chart, because it did not sell enough and also wasn't played enough on the radio.

• Singles noted with the superstip, may not fall down in chart position the following week. If a single in fact was to drop, it remains on the position it ended, so the following week it drops hard in chart positions.

• Recent example: Guus Meeuwis' "Ik Wil Dat Ons Land Juicht": The song entered the chart at #11 (superstip), rose up to #5 (superstip again) in its second week. The following week it was meant to drop in chart position, but remained on the #5 position. The following two weeks, it went from #5 to #39.

• Re-entry only takes place when the single re-enters within the top 30, if differently, these re-entried singles are ignored.

• Example: Racoon recently re-entered the Dutch Top 40 at #31 though with the song "Love You More".

• Singles with double A-side are noted separately in the top 40; due the (possible) different number of airplay the two songs get.

• Example: Robbie Williams' first single off his 2005 album Intensive Care was Tripping with the B-side being Make Me Pure. While "Tripping" topped the chart by peaking at #1, "Make Me Pure" peaked at #15 in the Top 40.

Records in the Dutch Top 40

Most successful single-artists

Artist	weeks	points
Madonna	470	11827
Rolling Stones	448	11649
The Beatles	312	9222
Golden Earring	365	9001
Michael Jackson	336	8305
BZN	373	8275
The Cats	335	8036
Bee Gees	326	7591
Queen	323	7577
ABBA	247	6657

Most hit singles in the Top 40

Artist	singles
BZN	55
Madonna	53
Rolling Stones	49
Golden Earring	46
Normaal	42
Bee Gees	41
U2	39
Michael Jackson	38
Queen	38
The Cats	36

• Update on July 15, 2008.

Best selling artists
(combined Single top 40 and Album top 100)

Artist	weeks	points
BZN	1106	60375
The Rolling Stones	1117	57200
Madonna	1107	53994
Golden Earring	1039	53833
Queen	1014	53647
André Hazes	972	49412
ABBA	761	46439
U2	906	45913
Michael Jackson	873	44240
Celine Dion	775	43119

• Updated on January 1, 2004.

See also

• MegaCharts
• Mega Top 50
• Mega Single Top 100

External links

• Template:Nl icon Dutch Top 40 website (contains archive from 1965 onwards)
• Template:Nl icon Direct link to the charts(contains archive from 1965 onwards)