The Official UK Charts Company
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.
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.
*
OCC Information pack*
The Official UK Charts Company website
