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The World Top 20 A&R Chart shows who is the hottest A&R in the world today.

It is evaluated by means of a point system and is based on the official sales charts of albums and singles in USA, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic (only album), Denmark, Finland, Hungary, India (only album), Ireland, Japan (not including local acts), New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland.

The following aspects are taken into account when compiling the points from these charts:

1. The size (in value) of the album and singles market in each territory, according to the official figures of music industry organizations such as IFPI, RIAA etc. However, slight adjustments are made. Points for album chart positions in the USA are slightly less than the market size equivalent, and points for album and singles charts in the smallest territories are slightly higher. This is done to support acts that have been A&Red to cross borders and who break on a worldwide scale, as it takes more A&R power and knowledge to do this. Also, the singles markets gets slightly more points than the market value equivalent, since singles get additional value on compilations and airplay.

2. There are smaller point differences for each step further down the charts, based on an average of Sound-Scan statistics for each position on the charts.

3. The freshness of the act. An act receives the highest score on the day of their first Top 20 chart position, and from that day onwards they get less and less points for each week, until 50 months later when they stop getting points. This is done because the A&R Chart is targeted towards unbroken fresh acts, and aims to show them which A&R has the greatest potential to deal with new acts. An explanation of this follows below.

4. The points from the previous week. A percentage of the points from the previous week is added on in the following week. This is to show a more realistic chart based on long-term sales rather than extreme one-week hype, thereby giving more credits to the A&R that sells his/her act well, rather than his/her act peaking at the highest position.

5. An A&R is always credited for a breakthrough act, even though he/she is no longer their current A&R. He/she is credited for this act if it is believed that he/she developed the concept from the start. An explanation of this is given below.

Here follows the philosophy behind the World Top 20 A&R Chart. Please bear in mind that HitQuarters is directed at new, unbroken artists. Therefore, one will not find A&Rs on the chart who are responsible for hugely successful acts, if these acts were signed a long time ago. These A&Rs have failed to prove that they are still able to break acts, which requires a completely different talent and listening ability, and of course an up-to-date knowledge of the market.

We also believe that the talent required to break a new act shows the true challenges of A&Ring. Generally, it takes much greater A&R knowledge to break a new act than to maintain an old one. From an A&R point of view, an act doing his 4th album is not as interesting and does not show the true potential of an A&R.

The aim is to show an as yet unsuccessful songwriter, producer, artist or musician which A&R is most likely to give them success and has the potential to break them as a new act. For this reason, an A&R of acts with successes older than 5 years will not be credited.

The A&R chart is updated once a week and focuses, just as our recommendation system does in the HitTracker, on the breaking of new acts. The evaluation system of both the A&R chart and the HitTracker are decided by the HitQuarters Advisory Board.

The A&R Chart is based on the sales charts that were released one week before it is updated. This is to give our researchers time to locate the A&R of an act.

A monthly A&R Chart is also compiled and distributed. Please mail us if you wish to receive any of the charts. They are available for publication free of charge.

Please contact us with any comments you might have.

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The World Top 20 A&R Chart shows who is the hottest A&R in the world today.

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