Mainstream Rock (chart)

Mainstream Rock is a music chart in Billboard magazine which ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock.

History

The Rock Albums & Top Tracks charts were introduced in the March 21, 1981, issue of Billboard. The 50- and 60-position charts ranked airplay on album rock radio stations. Because album-oriented rock stations focused on playing tracks from albums rather than specifically released singles, these charts were designed to measure the airplay of any and all tracks from an album. Rock Albums combined airplay from all tracks from a particular album to come up with the top albums, while Top Tracks listed the top individual songs being played on rock radio. Mike Harrison of Billboard explained that when major artists release albums, more than one song from the album can become popular at the same time. The first number-one song on the Top Tracks chart was "I Can't Stand It" by Eric Clapton.

Mainstream rock

Mainstream rock is an umbrella term describing commercially successful rock music. In some parts of the world it is also used as a radio format.

Radio format

Mainstream rock stations play commercially successful classic rock or modern rock focusing on the 1970s through to present day.

Mainstream rock is a successor to the widespread album-oriented rock (AOR) format created in the 1970s. However, mainstream rock can be used as a modern lean of classic rock if the playlist has to cut back some active rock artists and songs due to ratings and popularity issues. To this day there are a select few that adapt more newer songs while keeping the classics involved, while some may consist of playing all 30 years worth of classics others might adopt the 1960s and make it blended in.

As of 2013, some examples of mainstream rock stations in terrestrial radio include: KSHE/St. Louis, MO, KCLB/Palm Springs, CA, KEGL/Dallas, TX, KRXQ/Sacramento, CA, KISS/San Antonio, TX, KDKB/Phoenix, AZ, KBER/Salt Lake City, UT, WDVE/Pittsburgh, PA, WHQG/Milwaukee, WI, WFYV-FM/Jacksonville, FL, CJAY/Calgary, Alberta, KZRR/Albuquerque, NM, KEZO/Omaha, NE, WHJY/Providence, RI, KICT/Wichita, KS, KMOD/ Tulsa, OK, KTUX/Shreveport, LA, KZEL/Eugene, OR, WIYY/Baltimore, MD, and CHOM-FM/Montreal, QC. Most have a very long heritage that dates back to the 1970s as AOR stations, which is why several trades like Billboard and R&R will refer these stations as "Heritage Rock".