On this day in 1940, Billboard Magazine released its first top sales chart

In previous years, Billboard had released lists comparing music by various other metrics, including jukebox and radio plays, sheet music sales and performance in vaudeville venues. The July 27th issue  of the magazine, then called The Billboard, included a new list, titled the “National List of Best Selling Retail Records” that compared the top ten most popular songs of the week.

The Billboard list was the first to poll retail stores around the country, and was initially created as a “trade service feature” with the aim of providing retailers with popular options to stock in their stores. The inaugural list featured Tommy Dorsey at the number one spot with I’ll Never Smile Again which featured vocals from Frank Sinatra and would stay at the top spot for twelve weeks in total. Dorsey was listed again at number eight, while his older brother Jimmy appeared at number two. Glenn Miller was listed three times, at number three, five and seven, and Charlie Barnet, Kay Kyser, Mitchell Ayres and Bing Crosby rounded out the first chart.

Billboard would expand the concept in 1956 with the Billboard 200 showcasing the top selling albums for the week, and again in 1958 when they combined the idea with a radio airplay component, creating the Billboard Hot 100. The contributing factors have gotten more complex over time, with the list today being measured by radio airplay audience impressions, sales data both in retail and digital stores, and even streaming activity provided by various online platforms.

The Billbard charts have become a huge part of the music industry, and created a way for people to easily discover new and exciting music that is popular around the world. It has inspired numerous other lists, both by Billboard and other publications, for various genres, nationalities and even more opinion based lists like Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”