Preserving Music History, One Chart at a Time.

Music charts are more than weekly rankings.

They are snapshots of culture, radio, public taste and the evolution of popular music. Every chart tells the story of a particular place and moment in time. Together, they form one of the most fascinating historical records of the modern music industry.

Founded in the late 1990s, Charts Around The World is an independent international archive dedicated to preserving, documenting and sharing the history of music charts, radio broadcasting and popular music from around the world.

For more than twenty-five years, the project has grown from a small chart website into an extensive historical archive that brings together thousands of charts, radio documents, promotional music services, artist discographies and research resources covering multiple countries and decades.

Our goal is simple:

To preserve information before it disappears.

Why This Project Exists

Every year, an important part of music history is lost.
Radio playlists are deleted.
Music charts disappear from websites.
Promotional CDs are discarded.
Broadcast recordings deteriorate.
Industry publications become impossible to find.
Entire collections vanish when radio stations close or archives are discarded.
Much of this material was never intended to survive beyond its original purpose.

Yet together these documents tell the story of how music travelled across countries, how artists became international stars and how radio connected audiences long before streaming platforms existed.

Charts Around The World was created to help preserve that history.

What We Preserve

The archive continues to grow with historical material from around the world, including:

• National music charts
• Radio airplay charts
• Sales charts
• Streaming charts
• Historical radio playlists
• Syndicated radio programs
• Radio Music Services
• Promotional CDs
• Artist discographies
• Record label information
• Radio format documentation
• Music industry publications
• Historical statistics
• Broadcasting memorabilia

Every new document helps complete another piece of the global history of popular music.

Our Editorial Philosophy

Accuracy is the foundation of this project.

Whenever possible, information is verified using official publications, historical industry documents, contemporary sources and archival research.

Historical records are continually reviewed, corrected and expanded as new information becomes available.

Rather than simply collecting data, our objective is to preserve reliable historical documentation that future researchers, broadcasters, journalists and music enthusiasts can continue to use for many years.

A Living Archive

Unlike traditional websites, Charts Around The World is never truly finished.
New charts continue to be added.
Historical radio recordings are recovered.
Discographies are revised.
Additional countries are incorporated.
New collections are digitized.
Previously lost documents continue to surface.
The archive grows continuously because music history itself is constantly being rediscovered.
New historical discoveries continue to enrich the archive.

Help Preserve Music History

Around the world, thousands of collectors, broadcasters and former radio professionals preserve unique historical material.

Sometimes a forgotten cassette, an old promotional CD or a single radio playlist may be the only surviving record of an important moment in music history.

If you own historical charts, radio recordings, playlists, promotional CDs, music industry publications, photographs or any other material related to music broadcasting and chart history, we warmly invite you to collaborate with this project.

Whether your contribution consists of one chart or an entire collection, every piece helps preserve our shared musical heritage.

Together, we can ensure that these valuable historical resources remain available for future generations.

About the Founder

Charts Around The World was founded by José Araujo, a Peruvian communications professional whose career has been closely linked to radio broadcasting, music programming and chart research for more than twenty-five years.

Throughout his professional career, José has worked with some of Peru’s leading radio stations and has participated in projects involving music programming, audience research and chart documentation. He also contributed to the development of Peru’s official national music rankings through a market research company whose charts were validated by APDAYC and UNIMPRO.

His lifelong passion for international music charts, radio history and historical preservation continues to guide the evolution of Charts Around The World as an independent archival project.

The Future of the Archive

Music history never stops evolving.

Neither does this archive.

Every recovered chart, every preserved radio recording and every newly documented collection brings us one step closer to building a more complete historical record of popular music around the world.

Because preserving the past is the best way to understand the music that shaped generations.

Explore More

Continue exploring the Charts Around The World archive through our growing collection of historical resources.

📈 Historical Music Charts
Explore national, international, airplay, sales and streaming charts from around the world.

💿 Radio Music Services Archive
Discover promotional music services, radio programming resources and historical broadcasting archives.

📻 Radio Chart Shows
Explore the world’s most influential syndicated music countdown programs.

👤 Artist Biographies
Discover historical artist profiles, verified discographies and chart achievements.

🎬 YouTube Channels
Experience music history through historical countdowns, chart archives and retrospective music compilations.

🤝 Contribute
Help preserve music history by sharing historical charts, recordings, publications and archival material.