Nielsen Sound Scan

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 In addition to monitoring radio airplay, online streaming and music consumer behavior, Nielsen is the authority in tracking what music people are buying both in-store and digitally. Nielsen compiles data from more than 39,000 retail outlets globally, to help record labels, publishers, artists, artist management and performance rights organizations understand what albums, singles and music videos people are buying, and where they’re buying them.

On a weekly basis, Nielsen collects point-of-sale (POS) data in 19 countries across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Oceania. In the U.S. and Canada, physical and digital titles from venues, mass merchants, retail chains, independent record stores and digital download providers can be viewed by UPC, ISRC, artist, market, retailer type or genre. In Europe and Oceania, digital track and song sales are available in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.

For more than two decades, Nielsen’s sales tools have been a trusted and vital resource for companies that want a full picture of music sales, overall market performance and artist activity. Nielsen’s data serves as a major source for the Billboard charts and is widely cited by numerous publications and broadcasters as the standard for music industry measurement.

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What We Measure