Indian Music Industry debuts first-ever International Top 20 Singles Chart

Mumbai: The Indian Music Industry (IMI) in affiliation with the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) introduced its first ever international music chart on June 21.

On Monday, IMI launched the first ever weekly ‘IMI International Top 20 Singles Chart’. IMI is the apex body representing the Indian Music Industry, and is an affiliate of IFPI, a registered member’s organisation that represents the interests of the global music industry worldwide.

“The introduction of the IMI International Top 20 Singles Chart is a great milestone for music in India and is an important step in the development of further charts to capture the full extent of India’s unique music culture and the vibrant and growing music industry in the market,” said Lewin Morrison, head of Global Charts and Certifications, IFPI.

The IMI chart is the first official music chart for the Indian music market, representing the Indian music market, like the Billboard Charts.

The charts would be updated by BMAT alongside IFPI, the official chart compilers for 22 countries.

“The charts which are formulated using streaming figures of international singles are compiled by global music technology leaders BMAT will be updated weekly on Mondays by sundown. Every week from Friday to Thursday BMAT aggregates and consolidates the data from three leading international DSPs (Digital Service Providers) in the country – Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. The Top 20 chart is reviewed by the IMI Charts committee comprised of experts from record labels such as Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Times Music, and Warner Music Group,” IMI stated in a press release.

The criteria for charting would be based on Audio Streams, Video Streams, RBT Sales and Physical Album Sales on India’s top three streaming platforms— Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music.

In the first edition of the charts released on June 21, boyband BTS’ single, ‘Butter’, reigned supreme, followed by Dua Lipa’s ‘Levitating’ and Lil Nas X’s ‘Montero’.

Click here to view the complete chart.

“I am delighted to launch the International Charts - an inaugural consumer-centric foray by IMI, which is largely a recorded music trade body. The charts represent what consumers in India are listening to. Globally charts are an effective search and discovery tool, I expect the same to happen in India. Given our country’s socio-eco-cultural diversity, the charts roll out will be in phases. Phase two will see the launch of regional charts in two Indian regional languages. Once we get the operations and formulae right, we plan to launch the IMI NATIONAL CHARTS - our endeavour to highlight the music consumers in India enjoy - on a weekly basis,” Blaine Fernandes, CEO and President, IMI

Various Indian music labels like Sony Music Entertainment, Times Music, and the Warner Music Group have commended the act, celebrating the launch of India’s official international chart.

“Sony Music India is delighted at the launch of the first ever official Indian Music Industry charts. This is a landmark moment as music listeners can now get unbiased International Music Charts which are based on actual consumption data across leading streaming service providers.

This will pave the way for growth of global music amongst Indian fans with significantly higher engagement and also put India firmly on the Global Music map!” said Rajat Kakar, Managing Director India, Sony Music Entertainment.