Billboard

History

Billboard was first published in 1894 as Billboard Advertising, and served as a trade publication for the bill posting industry. A few years after its launch, the magazine began covering outdoor amusement activities, which at the time were commonly advertised on billboards.

It wasn't until the 1930s and the advent of the jukebox, however, that Billboard began publishing its soon-to-be trademark music charts. By 1961, the publication was completely centralized around the music industry. Decades later, the rise of digital and mobile entertainment inspired Billboard to branch out into charting all digital and mobile music content beginning in 2005.

Billboard Charts

The most notable feature of the Billboard publication is its weekly charts dedicated to ranking music popularity. Billboard currently publishes over 100 charts per week. Featured among these charts are the highly regarded Hot 100, the Billboard 200 and the Hot 100 Airplay charts.

Billboard also features charts sorted by genre, such as the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and by media type, such as with their Hot Digital Songs chart.

Billboard Music Awards

The Billboard Music Awards is one of the "Big Three" U.S. music award shows along with the American Music Awards and the Grammy Awards. The ceremony had taken place each December from 1990 through 2006—the 2007 awards were canceled due to contractual issues with FOX. Award winners are chosen based on the artists' popularity according to Billboard's year-end charts. Honors are given in every major genre for top album, artist and single of the year.