Oricon Combined Singles Chart

SKE48's "Stand by You" topped the first Oricon Combined Singles Chart in December 2018.

The Oricon Combined Singles Chart (Japanese: オリコン合算シングルランキング, Hepburn: Orikon Gassan Shinguru Rankingu) is a record chart released weekly by Oricon—a major provider of information on the Japanese music industry. First published on December 24, 2018, it ranks the top fifty singles in Japan based on an album-equivalent unit system factoring physical CD sales, digital downloads, and streaming. It competes with the Billboard Japan Hot 100.

Until 2015, Oricon only released charts based on physical CD sales. In the 2010s, this chart was largely dominated by idol groups such as AKB48, who had many customers purchasing their singles for bundled goods instead of the songs. The lack of accuracy in what songs received the most listens resulted in Oricon losing popularity to Billboard Japan's multi-factored charts. Oricon established the Digital Singles Chart in 2016, which only counted digital downloads. Alongside a streaming-only and the Combined Albums Charts, the Combined Singles Chart was subsequently launched in 2018.

History

2000s–2017: background

In the 2010s, the Oricon Singles Chart lost popularity to the Billboard Japan Hot 100. Since Oricon's chart only accounted for CD sales, groups like AKB48 (pictured) topped the chart by selling many copies, even if the songs were not the most listened-to. The Combined Singles Chart was subsequently established.

Before 2015, Oricon only published singles and albums charts based on physical CD sales. Comparatively to other countries, Japan's physical music industry has dominated over digital sales even in the 2000s.[1] In 2009, the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) reported that the production of CDs accounted to a total worth of 249 billion yen, in comparison to 91 billion from digital distribution; however, the digital figures were gradually growing.[2][3] Though CD singles were still more popular, the rise of digital music downloads and chaku-uta (ringtones) spurred discussion at Oricon to create a chart combining the different sales methods, which proved unfruitful. Oricon CEO Sōkō Koike told Asahi: "For distributions charts, we have no choice but to rely on announcements from the labels. Since we can't set up measures for independent verification like we do at records stores, its difficult to create a combined chart".[4]

In the latter half of the 2010s, the relevance for multi-factors charts rose when idol group AKB48 began to consistently hold the top spots of Oricon's chart with singles that were sold as bundles with event tickets.[5][6] The top four positions on Oricon's 2017 year-end chart were all taken by AKB48, something that was not reflected in other rankings such as that of the download site RecoChoku, which gave the top spots to "Koi" by Gen Hoshino and "Hanabi" by Mr. Children.[3] According to music journalist Sōichirō Matsutani, Oricon's lack of accuracy in ranking what songs actually received the most listens caused a downfall in their popularity among media outlets, who began to prefer the multi-factored reports of Billboard Japan and their Hot 100 chart.[5] Fellow journalist Tomonori Shiba wrote that customers who purchase CD singles for bundled bonuses had become an obvious part of the Japanese music market, and found that hit songs were not synonymous with selling the most copies, culminating in the Oricon Singles Chart failing to fulfill its purpose.[6]

Back in 2015, CEO Koike reiterated that Oricon would not add digital factors into the Singles Chart. He argued that such a formula would not be of "societal interest" when artists like Johnny & Associates groups have policies to not release songs digitally, but said that they would continue to experiment.[7] In 2016—the year after—Oricon launched a download-only albums chart called the Digital Albums Chart, separate from the main ranking, which was followed by the Digital Singles Chart the next year.[8][9]

2018–present: establishment and milestones

Asahi reported in January 2018 that Oricon intended to launch their first combined chart.[3] Alongside a streaming-only component chart, the Combined Albums and Singles Charts were officially announced on August 29, 2018, and were set to combine CD sales, digital downloads, and streams.[10] The first issue of the Oricon Combined Singles Chart was published on December 24, 2018; the inaugural number one was "Stand by You" by SKE48, a sister group to AKB48.[11] In March 2019, AKB48's "Jiwaru Days" became the first single to chart with over 100,000 points. Upon the entry of Kenshi Yonezu's "M87" in January 2024, one hundred singles have reached the milestone.[12] In September 2021, "Yoru ni Kakeru" by the duo Yoasobi became the first song to chart with over 200,000 points; only two months after, "Pretender" by Official Hige Dandism became the second single to reach the milestone.[13]

Methodology

The Oricon Combined Singles Chart weekly compiles the top fifty albums in Japan based on Monday-to-Sunday CD single sales, digital downloads, and streams. It uses an album-equivalent unit system, where to earn one point a single must receive: one CD single sale; one download of a single itself; or 300 streams. Downloads of songs included on a single are added together; the result after dividing this number by 2.5 are added as points.[14]

As of August 2024, numbers for digital downloads are taken from iTunes, Amazon Music, the official Oricon store, RecoChoku-owned services, Avex's Mu-mo, Music.jp, and Mora. Streaming statistics are adapted from Apple Music, Amazon, AWA, Au Smartpass, KKBox, Spotify, Tower Records Music, YouTube and YouTube Music, Line Music, and Rakuten Music. CD sales are reported from various record stores, rental stores, electronics stores, convenience stores, and online shopping sites.[14]

Number-ones by year

List of year-end number ones on the Oricon Combined Singles Chart
Year Album Artist Ref.
2019 "Sustainable" AKB48 [15]
2020 "Imitation Rain" / "D.D."[a] SixTones and Snow Man [16]
2021 "Butter" BTS [17]
2022 "Ichizu" / "Sakayume"[a] King Gnu [18]
2023 "Idol" Yoasobi [19]

a. ^ Double A-sided single

References

  1. ^ "Market Intelligence — Japan Music Market". International Trade Administration (ITA). March 31, 2023. Archived from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  2. ^ "Statistics Trend — RIAJ Yearbook 2010" (PDF). Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). December 2, 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "オリコンがランキング改革 CD売り上げでは流行追えず" [CD Sales Struggles to Keep Up With Trends: Oricon Introduces Change to Rankings]. The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). January 30, 2018. Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  4. ^ "配信シングル急成長、格付け異変" [Rapid Growth in Digital Distribution of Singles Causes Anomalies in Rankings]. The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). March 8, 2008. Archived from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Matsutani, Sōichirō (December 27, 2020). "紅白落選も必然だった…AKB48が急速に「オワコン化」してしまった4つの理由" [AKB48 Has Fallen Out of Kōhaku — Four Reaons Why the Group Became 'Obsolete']. Bunshun Online. Archived from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Shiba, Tomonori (September 21, 2018). "オリコンチャートが今冬ストリーミングを合算。日本の音楽市場はどうなる?" [Oricon Will Introduce a Combined Chart with Streaming This Winter. What Happens to the Japanese Music Industry?]. Cinra. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  7. ^ "オリコン50年「ランキングに不純物は入れたくない」" [Oricon's 50th Year: "We Do Not Wish to Add Uncertainty Into the Rankings"]. The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). May 5, 2015. Archived from the original on June 4, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  8. ^ "オリコン 新ランキング発表 アルバムDL数を集計…初回首位は宇多田ヒカル" [New Oricon Chart Ranks Albums Downloads — Hikaru Utada Claims Inaugural No. 1] (in Japanese). Oricon. November 9, 2016. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  9. ^ "【オリコン】新ランキング発表 シングル単曲DL数を集計…宇多田ヒカルが首位" [(Oricon) New Chart — Hikaru Utada Claims Top Spot with Single Track Download Points] (in Japanese). Oricon. December 19, 2017. Archived from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  10. ^ "オリコン、合算ランキングおよびストリーミングランキングを12月より開始" [From December, Oricon Will Release Combined Albums/Singles and Streaming Singles Charts] (in Japanese). Oricon. August 29, 2018. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  11. ^ "SKE48、松井珠理奈の復活作が第1回合算シングルランキング1位に" [SKE48 Takes Number One on Combined Singles Chart with First Release to Bring Back Jurina Matsui] (in Japanese). Oricon. December 19, 2018. Archived from the original on December 19, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  12. ^ "米津玄師「M八七」、オリコン史上100作品目となる100万ポイント達成【オリコンランキング】" [Kenshi Yonezu's "M87" Becomes 100th Work on the Combined Singles Chart to Enter With Over 100,000 Points (Oricon Ranking)] (in Japanese). Oricon. January 26, 2024. Archived from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  13. ^ "Official髭男dism「Pretender」 史上2作目の「合算シングル累積」200万ポイント突破【オリコンランキング】" [Official Hige Dandism's "Pretender" Becomes Second Single to Rank with Over 200,000 Points on Combined Singles] (in Japanese). Oricon. November 5, 2021. Archived from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "オリコン合算ランキングの集計方法について" [Methodology for the Oricon Combined Charts] (in Japanese). Oricon. n.d. Archived from the original on October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  15. ^ "【オリコン年間ランキング 2019】嵐が18年ぶり200億円超えで総合首位、米津玄師、あいみょん、髭男がデジタルシーンを席巻" [(Oricon Year-End Chart 2019) Arashi Surpasses ￥200 Billion in Profits for First Time in 18 Years and Tops Combined Charts; Kenshi Yonezu, Aimyon, and Official Hige Dandism Capture the Digital Scene] (in Japanese). Oricon. December 23, 2019. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  16. ^ "【オリコン年間ランキング2020】嵐、総合で通算9度目の首位獲得" [(Oricon Year-End Chart 2020) Arashi Takes First Place Overall for Ninth Year in a Row] (in Japanese). Oricon. December 25, 2020. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  17. ^ "【オリコン年間ランキング2021】BTS、年間アーティストセールストータル1位 海外アーティストで初の快挙" [(Oricon Annual Ranking 2021) BTS Tops Total Artist Sales for the Year, the First Foreign Artist to Achieve This Feat] (in Japanese). Oricon. December 25, 2020. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  18. ^ "【オリコン年間ランキング2022】King & Prince、今年度唯一のミリオン達成で自身初の「シングル」首位 Snow Man初の「アルバム」1位" [(Oricon Year-End Chart 2022) King & Prince Achieves the Year's Only Million Single; Snow Man Takes Their First Place in Albums] (in Japanese). Oricon. December 22, 2022. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  19. ^ "【オリコン年間ランキング2023】King & Prince、「シングル」「アルバム」ともにミリオン達成で「音楽」3ジャンルで首位 YOASOBI「アイドル」が3冠" [(Oricon Year-End Chart 2023) King & Prince Tops Three Music Genre Charts with Million Selling Single and Album; Yoasobi's "Idol" Tops Three Charts] (in Japanese). Oricon. December 20, 2023. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2024.