The Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA) recently launched the countries first Official South African Charts (TOCSA) which is based on streaming data.
RiSA, a national member of IFPI, will aggregate streaming data from Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer at BMAT’s Barcelona HQ office.
The Chart runs from Friday to Thursday, and it includes (digital streaming data of) the weekly Top 100 Local SA tracks; at least one of the credited artiste is a South African. It also features the weekly Top 200; accounts for all tracks (local or international) streamed in South Africa.
The Charts algorithm puts more relevance on subscription streams than on ad-funded streams. At the moment, there are no track exclusion policies and Accelerated Decline method in place.
Sean Watson, the Chairperson of RiSA, said: “We are incredibly excited to be launching such a pioneering platform for the South African music industry and audiences, across different genres.
“This represents a significant milestone and a much-needed step up to aligning with popular forms of music consumption for the local music industry.
Added Nhlanhla Sibisi, the CEO of RiSA: “We have a robust music industry in our country, and our people have a natural thirst for music. We have also seen an undeniable shift in how people consume music in the past few years, with more and more audiences making use of streaming services than before. We are thus excited to put in place an offering that not only recognises that but is set to help drive the growth of our industry.”
Sibisi continued: “We understand the competitive nature of the digital streaming space and that consumers are spoiled for choice with access to local and international music charts as well as digital streaming apps.
“Our intention is to provide all South African music enthusiasts and general consumers with a platform that they can ‘own’ and one that reflects their own relationship with local and international music and their consumption patterns, irrespective of their taste in music.
“We also plan to consistently develop TOCSA platform and tailor it to accommodate our constantly changing consumer needs.”
Frances Moore, CEO of IFPI said: “The launch of The Official South African Music Charts is a great milestone for music in South Africa and for the development of the industry across the continent.
“The charts will provide music fans, artists, and record labels with a window into music streaming in one of the world’s most vibrant and dynamic markets.
“IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) would like to congratulate its national member organisation RiSA, the company members and the contributing streaming platforms for this important achievement.”
