College Radio Singles Chart

May 26, 2009 5:44 AM

Is there an American College Radio singles chart?

Not necessarily singles, but individual tracks that are receiving the most airplay. There was this, but it seems long since abandoned.

To date, all I can find are Album charts.

posted by hayeled to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

I'm far from a college radio expert (its been about 6 or 7 years since I worked closely with college radio stations), but given what I know college radio is an album format and not a singles format (like commercial radio). Meaning, individual songs aren't added to playlists by the stations music directors but entire albums. So I've never seen an singles chart for college radio. But you may want to check out CMJ (www.cmj.com). They're the leader in college radio charts.
posted by tundro at 5:49 AM on May 26, 2009

Ditto on what tundro said. When I was in college radio (as recently as 2 years ago), we only charted albums, and only CMJ compiled college radio charts nationally. We kept track of the actual songs played for online playlists on our own website only.
posted by ishotjr at 7:07 AM on May 26, 2009

One other thing to notes is that at many college radio stations, the albums are there, but DJs can play whatever they want, so they may not all play the same track of the album, leading to there not being strong singles winners. It's not like with mainstream radio where they are given the track and can only play that track for x amount of months before the new single by that artist comes out.
posted by ishotjr at 7:08 AM on May 26, 2009

College Music Journal is what you are after
posted by parmanparman at 7:42 AM on May 26, 2009

New Music Weekly college radio chart

Third link from this google search.
posted by Antidisestablishmentarianist at 8:38 AM on May 26, 2009

Oops, sorry, that is an album chart, I misread the question.
posted by Antidisestablishmentarianist at 8:40 AM on May 26, 2009

Well, my old stomping ground has their playlists online, along with links to other lists (including albums.)

Perhaps not quite what you wanted, but gives you playlists as a start.

http://www.kvsc.org/
posted by fluffycreature at 9:45 AM on May 26, 2009

Just another vote that College Radio is album-based not singles-based.
posted by radioamy at 10:25 AM on May 26, 2009

it's not fun to favourite* answers you don't like, **regardless of whether they're correct. i was hoping for a bit more of yeah, here it is (link). so the fluffster gets a pale green stipe for at least thowing out some hope in the desolation

* aus
** ir
posted by hayeled at 11:24 AM on May 26, 2009