Adult Alternative Airplay
Adult Alternative Airplay (also known as Triple A or Triple A Airplay, and formerly Adult Alternative Songs and Triple A Songs) is a record chart currently published by Billboard that ranks the most popular songs on adult album alternative radio stations. The 40-position[1] chart is formulated based on each song's weekly radio spins, as measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems.[2] The earliest incarnation of the chart was first published on January 20, 1996,[3] as a feature in Billboard sister publication Airplay Monitor. In 2006, Airplay Monitor ceased publication after Billboard parent company VNU Media's acquisition of rival radio trade magazine Radio & Records,[4] which then subsequently incorporated Airplay Monitor's Nielsen-based Triple A chart.[5][6]
Billboard itself began publishing the Triple A chart in the issue dated July 5, 2008, through their Billboard.biz website,[7] appropriating the same airplay data as Radio & Records.[5] Radio & Records closed in June 2009, leaving Billboard as the sole publisher of the chart.[8] In February 2014, the chart's reporting panel was expanded from 23 to 32 stations, including non-commercial reporters for the first time.[9]
Following a re-design of their website, Billboard officially incorporated the history of the Airplay Monitor/Nielsen chart from 1996 to 2008 into their Adult Alternative Songs chart. The Billboard website and its official chart archive now show the first Adult Alternative Songs chart as having been published on January 20, 1996, with "The World I Know" by Collective Soul as its first number one single.[10] Radio And Records first charted their Adult Alternative chart in the September 22, 1995, issue. It was a 30 position chart, and "Til I Hear It from You" by the Gin Blossoms was the first number one. The current number-one song on the chart is "Step Into Your Power by Ray LaMontagne.[11]
Chart achievements
- U2 (14)
- Coldplay (13)
- Dave Matthews Band (11)
- Jack Johnson (11)[14]
- John Mayer (8)[15]
- Death Cab for Cutie (8)[16]
- The Black Keys (8)[17]
- Sheryl Crow (7)
- Counting Crows (7)
- R.E.M. (7)
- Florence + the Machine (6)[18]
- The Lumineers (6)[19]
- Nathaniel Rateliff (6)
- Artists with most top 10 songs:
- U2 (27)
- Dave Matthews Band (24)
- Coldplay (23)
- Jack Johnson (19)
- John Mayer (19)
- Counting Crows (15)
- Sheryl Crow (14)
- Beck (14)
- R.E.M. (13)
- The Black Keys (12)
- Mumford & Sons (12)
- Nathaniel Rateliff (12)
- Most weeks at number one:
- 16 weeks
- "Beautiful Day" – U2 (2000–01)[20]
- 15 weeks
- "Clocks" – Coldplay (2003)[20]
- "Waste a Moment" – Kings of Leon (2016–17)[21][22]
- 14 weeks
- "One Headlight" – The Wallflowers (1996)[22]
- "3AM" – Matchbox Twenty (1997)[22]
- "Bent" – Matchbox Twenty (2000)[22]
- "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" – Train (2001)[22]
- "Rolling in the Deep" – Adele (2011)[23]
- 13 weeks
- "Smooth - Santana featuring Rob Thomas (1999)[24]
- "Just Breathe" – Pearl Jam (2010)[25]
- "Somebody That I Used to Know" – Gotye featuring Kimbra (2012)[26]
- "Upside Down" - Jack Johnson (2006)[27]
- 12 weeks
- "Funny the Way It Is" – Dave Matthews Band (2009)[28]
- "Dreams" – Beck (2015)[29]
- 11 weeks
- "Hold On" - KT Tunstall (2007)[30]
- "Viva la Vida" – Coldplay (2008)[31]
- "You and Your Heart" – Jack Johnson (2010)[25]
- "I Will Wait" – Mumford & Sons (2012)[26]
- "Ophelia" – The Lumineers (2016)[21]
- "Feel It Still" – Portugal. The Man (2017)[32]
- 10 weeks
- "Building a Mystery" - Sarah McLachlan (1997)[33]
- "Soul Meets Body" - Death Cab For Cutie (2005)[34]
- "Good People" - Jack Johnson (2006)
- "If I Had Eyes" – Jack Johnson (2008)[31]
- "Fugitive" – David Gray (2010)[28]
- "Fever" – The Black Keys (2014)[35]
- "Budapest" – George Ezra (2014–15)[35][29]
- "Guiding Light" – Mumford & Sons (2018–19)[36]
- "Too Sweet" – Hozier (2024)[37]
See also
- List of Radio & Records number-one adult alternative singles of the 1990s
- List of Billboard number-one adult alternative singles of the 2000s
- List of Billboard number-one adult alternative singles of the 2010s
- List of Billboard number-one adult alternative singles of the 2020s
References
- ^ Rutherford, Kevin (November 21, 2017). "Nothing More Scores First Billboard Chart-Topper With 'Go to War'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
- ^ "Triple A". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
- ^ Trust, Gary (July 17, 2012). "Triple A Radio Breaking Rookie Stars". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
- ^ "VNU To Acquire Radio & Records". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. July 6, 2006. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
- ^ a b Shipley, Al (October 9, 2008). "'Billboard' Breaks Down, Dials Up Triple-A". Idolator. Spin Media. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
- ^ Tucker, Ken (September 21, 2006). "Nielsen BDS Expands Service". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
- ^ Mayfield, Geoff (July 12, 2008). "Billboard's Charts Get Makeover; Price Matters". Billboard. Vol. 120, no. 28. Prometheus Global Media. p. 37. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
- ^ Trust, Gary (June 10, 2009). "Chart Beat: Pink, Black Eyed Peas, Shinedown". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
- ^ a b Trust, Gary (February 21, 2014). "Billboard's Triple A Chart Gets a Makeover". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
- ^ "Adult Alternative Songs: January 20, 1996". Billboard. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
- ^ "Adult Alternative Airplay". Billboard. August 31, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
- ^ Rutherford, Kevin (July 15, 2020). "Milky Chance & Jack Johnson's 'Don't Let Me Down' Tops Adult Alternative Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
- ^ "Milky Chance & Jack Johnson's 'Don't Let Me Down' Tops Adult Alternative Songs | Billboard". Billboard. 2020-07-15. Archived from the original on 2020-07-15. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ "Jack Johnson Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "John Mayer Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ "Death Cab For Cutie". Billboard. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "The Black Keys". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ "Florence + the Machine". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
- ^ "The Lumineers". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
- ^ a b Trust, Gary (July 22, 2009). "Chart Beat Wednesday: Coldplay, Kings Of Leon, Billy Currington". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
- ^ a b "Adult Alternative Songs – 2016 Archive". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Rutherford, Kevin (January 25, 2017). "Kings of Leon's 'Waste a Moment' Ties for Second-Longest No. 1 Run on Adult Alternative Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
- ^ "Adult Alternative Songs – 2011 Archive". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ "Adult Alternative Airplay Chart". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 28 November 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ a b "Adult Alternative Songs – 2010 Archive". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ a b "Adult Alternative Songs – 2012 Archive". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ "Jack Johnson Upside Down Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
- ^ a b "Adult Alternative Songs – 2009 Archive". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ a b "Adult Alternative Songs – 2015 Archive". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- ^ "KT Tunstall". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
- ^ a b "Adult Alternative Songs – 2008 Archive". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ "Adult Alternative Songs – 2017 Archive". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ^ "Sarah McLachlan". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
- ^ "Death Cab For Cutie". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
- ^ a b "Adult Alternative Songs – 2014 Archive". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
- ^ "Mumford & Sons - Guiding Light - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
- ^ "Hozier - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
External links
- Adult Alternative Songs at Billboard