The Official UK Charts Company

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Part of a series of articles on British Music

BPI • OCC Charts Singles Chart (#1s; Records) Album Chart (#1s) Download Chart (#1s)
Awards Brit Awards • Mercury Prize
Periods Pre-1950 • 1950s & 60s 1970s • 1980s 1990s - Present
Origins England • Scotland • Wales (Northern) Ireland • Caribbean
Genres Classical • Britpop • Hip-hop Opera • Rock • Jazz
Other links Bands • Festivals • Venues
Timeline 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 2006 • (full list)
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The Official UK Charts Company (OCC), previously called the Chart Information Network (CIN) compiles various "official" UK record charts, including the UK Singles Chart, the UK Albums Chart, and the UK Official Download Chart, as well as genre-specific and music video charts. The OCC produces its charts by gathering and combining sales data from retailers, who it claims cover 99% of the singles market and 95% of the album market, and aims to collect data from any retailer who sells more than 100 chart items per week. The OCC is operated jointly by the British Phonographic Industry and the British Association of Record Dealers.

All of the OCC's charts are published weekly on Sundays, and cover sales for the preceding week, Sunday to Saturday.

[edit] History of UK music charts

Since 1 July 1998, CIN and then OCC have compiled the official charts. Prior to this date, the charts were produced by a succession of market research companies, beginning with the British Market Research Bureau in 1969, and later by Gallup and Millward Brown. Before the production of the "official" charts, various less comprehensive charts were produced, most notably by the NME, which began its chart in 1952; some of these older charts (including NME's earliest singles charts) are now part of the official OCC canon.