Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 (Template:Nl icon: Nederlandse Top 40) is a weekly music chart, which first started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the pirate radio channel Veronica first introduced it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the pirate radio channel was forced to stop. Joost van 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" of The Beatles becoming the #1 hit in the Netherlands. Due its huge succes, 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 up the Top 40 and named it De Nederlandse Top 40.
Currently, Radio 538 is presenting the Dutch Top 40 on as well the radio as on television, on TMF, a popular Dutch music channel.
Compilation
Stip
Every song that moves up 3 or more places than it was before, gets a stip. When a song is noted in the top 10 and moves up 5 of more places, it gets a superstip. Also when a song enters the chart higher than the #30 positions or moves up more than 10 places in the chart, it gets a superstip.
Examples:
- A song enters the chart at #26: superstip.
- A song moves from #25 to #9: superstip.
- A song enters the chart at #34: nothing happens.
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 also counts.
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 are a number of dubious rules, of which some exist since 1972, that needs to be maintained:
- 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 - Lose Control: Remained two weeks on #40 in the chart, because it did not sell enough and aslo 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.
Example: Britney Spears - Do Somethin': In its fourth week, its position was #16. The following week it rose up to #6 (superstip). The following week it was meant to drop in places, but remained on the #6 position. The following two weeks, it went from #6 to #16 and from there it dropped 22 places to #38.
- Re-entry only takes place when the re-enters within the top 30, if differently, these re-entried singles are ignored.
- Singles with double A-side are noted separately in the top 40; due the (possible) different number of airplay the two songs get.
Records in the Dutch Top 40
Most succesful single-artists:
- Rolling Stones, 442 weeks, 11515 points
- Madonna, 407 weeks, 9967 points
- The Beatles, 312 weeks, 92220 points
- Golden Earring, 365 weeks, 9001 points
- Michael Jackson, 336 weeks, 8305 points
- BZN, 369 weeks, 8191 ppoints
- Cats, 335 weeks, 8036 ppoints
- Bee Gees, 326 weeks, 7591 points
- Queen, 323 weeks, 7577 points
- ABBA, 247 weeks, 6657 points
Artist with most hitsingles in the Top 40:
- BZN, 53
- Golden Earring, 46
- Rolling Stones, 46
- Madonna, 45
- Normaal, 42
- Bee Gees, 41
- Michael Jackson, 38
- Queen, 38
- Cats, 36
- Andre van Duin, 34
Best selling artists; combined Single top 40 and Album top 100:
- BZN, 1106 weeks, 60375 points
- The Rolling Stones, 1117 weeks, 57200 points
- Madonna, 1107 weeks, 53994 points
- Golden Earring, 1039 weeks, 53833 points
- Queen, 1014 weeks, 53647 points
- André Hazes, 972 weeks, 49412 points
- ABBA, 761 weeks, 46439 points
- U2, 906 weeks, 45913 points
- Michael Jackson, 873 weeks, 44240 points
- Celine Dion, 775 weeks, 43119 points