How to search our database

The database at the heart of OfficialCharts.com is probably the most comprehensive chart resource on the web – here is how to make the most of what it has to offer.
 

When it came to rebuilding OfficialCharts.com, we also wanted to rebuild and extend the database which sits at its heart – which is no mean feat when it was already an unrivalled resource of UK chart data.

As well as adding new charts (with more to come over the coming months), we also designed it with additional data presentation mechanics in mind too. The site now incorporates dedicated pages for 50,000-plus artists, 88,000 singles and 79,000 albums spanning eight decades - covering singles, albums, streams, dance, rock, alternative, Americana, Punjabi, classical, folk, Asian, Christian, music released on independent labels and through independent record shops, plus video industry charts, covering DVD, Blu-Ray, and a range of genres. Of course, as each week passes these archives expand as more data is collected.

Of course the challenge created by offering so much additional content is finding an easy way in. We have tried our very best to create an offer which is both great to look at and easy to use. So, how do you access this wealth of chart data? 

Searching the database

There are several ways to get straight into the database.

The mini magnifying glass at the top right of every page takes you right to its heart, offering the ability to search for any artist, song, album or news article by typing in what you're looking for. From here, you can also request any chart by date and chart type.

You will be offered suggested results for every query you make, including the many variations on the key word you type in. If you ask for a specific artist and select that option, you will see all of the titles featuring that artist – for instance, searching Ed Sheeran will bring up a page overview of all of his collaborations, not just his solo releases.

Likewise, if you type “Love”, you will be offered a listing of every chart title with the word “Love” in it – if you type “Love Is All Around”, you will receive a more specific, bespoke search result.

You can also access the archive using the search box in the right-hand navigation column of every page. This allows you to access any chart in the database, by entering a date and chart type from the drop-down menu.

Searching for the charts

To view the many charts available to you, the “Charts” link on the top navigation bar will take you directly to the main Charts hub, where all of the charts on the site are collected under a range of different headings, including Singles, Albums, Vinyl, End Of Year, Dance, Rock, Independent, International, Country/Roots, Film & TV, among others.

Once you are looking at a chart, you can scroll backwards and forward in history using the arrows, or by typing in the date for any week the chart is available for. In addition, a handy drop down allows you to instantly move to a new chart, from any of the 60+ available on OfficialCharts.com. Instant gratification, at the click of a mouse.

On charts themselves you will see details on this week’s position, last week, peak position and weeks on chart – a play button also allows you to hear 30 seconds of every track or album. Click on the (i) button and you can view deeper details for the title, including weeks in the Top 10, 20, 40, 75 and 100, catalogue number, first charting date, peak chart positions, and a full chart run for the track or album. Click on any point in the chart run and you can switch directly through to the chart in question.

We have an extra special added benefit too... Previously, these chart runs and deep chart facts were only available for the Official Singles Chart and Official Albums Chart – but on the revamped Official Charts this functionality is offered for all of the charts available week-on-week. This means over 60 extra charts, from Americana to Afrobeats, Sales to Streaming, Christian to Classical, Punjabi to Prog, Independent to Asian and across all of our Film & TV charts. This has been added in direct response to user requests – we hope you like this new wealth of information!

Searching for singles and albums

Across the site, we have introduced brand new hub pages for all the songs and albums which feature on our charts. These are accessible from the charts themselves (by clicking on the name of any single or album), from the search bars around the chart, and also by visiting the Songs & Albums hub page, which is accessible from the top navigation bar.

Each song or album hub page includes a full chart run history for the release, again offered across all of charts we offer. The only limitation is the length of the history, but the vast majority of our specialist charts go back to 1994. That’s a minimum of almost 30 years for pretty much every chart. Enjoy. 

Across our chart and products database, all of the data is interwoven – all of the artists, singles and albums titles which feature in any of our charts are cross-linked to each other, so that you can navigate from, e.g., the Official Albums Chart, by clicking on any title, any artist, through to their own hub page, through to other charts, different artist pages, other singles pages... Be careful, it can be addictive and an easy way to pass several hours without realising.

Searching for your favourite artist

Every single act who has ever claimed a position in Official Singles, Albums or any other specialist chart, has their own artist hub page on OfficialCharts.com - that's a grand total of more than 50,000 dedicated artist hubs.

There are a number of ways to find these artist pages. To start with, you can click on any blue artist name in a chart or listing or use any of the site-wide search boxes. You can also click on the Artists button on the top navigation, which will offer you a random selection of some of the most searched-for artists on OfficialCharts.com.

When you search, start typing the beginning of your chosen artist’s name for the best results. If there are multiple options for your selection (which is likely, given the thousands of artists in our database), you may be offered an interim list to choose from – but click through and you will find your chosen artist page.

Here you will find an overview of your favourite artist’s performance in any of our charts; a full listing of their hit singles and albums, the ability to dig down into Chart Facts just like on the charts and the title histories, and also the key facts on their chart career – number of Number 1s, Top 10s, Top 40s and Top 100s, plus weeks at 1, Top 10, Top 40, and Top 100.

Searching for your favourite news stories

You can find any stories on our website relating to specific artists or general subjects, by using the “Artist, Song, Album, News” search box accessible from the top right magnifying glass, or at the top of the News page accessible by clicking “News” from the top navigation.

Type any news theme (for instance “Eurovision” or “Brits”) in here and any stories in our news channel tagged with these key words will be returned for you. You will also notice that every time you search for an artist, the news on that artist will also be returned too.

Visit the News section via the top navigation and you will also see that this has been organised into a range of different channels, via clickable tags and a dropdown menu (including Number 1 Award, Interviews, Million Sellers and Xmas No 1, among others) to help simplify your journey around the site.

As we have outlined, the wealth of data offered on the site poses a challenge in helping you find your way around it all, to create a site which is both beautiful and functional.

If you have any feedback or comments, please feel free to message us on feedback@officialcharts.com with any thoughts. We will do what we can to respond.