eli5: What does it mean to have a number one song on a music chart and does it even matter?

Question

I feel like almost everyday there is a different artist going “number 1” and saying they have a number one song or album all while not having the most streamed song or album for that week in that category. It’s just confusing to see so many number 1’s and not know who’s actually at the top per category.

In: 6

Answer 1

Billboard magazine makes a list of top selling songs by genre according to sales. Their Hot 100 list is a list of the best selling songs for each particular week. Some songs chart for multiple weeks at number 1, but every week there is a new list of songs. That makes a lot of number 1 singles.