Music Publishing: Chart Toppers

The Music Publishing recaps for the Songwriters' Hall of Fame special are year-to-date standings, from the Dec. 4, 2004, issue—the beginning of the chart year—through the May 14, 2005, issue.

Recaps for The Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts are compiled using a combination of gross audience impressions monitored by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems along with sales of paid music downloads and retail stores sales as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. Recaps for the Hot Country Songs, Hot Latin Songs, Hot Christian Songs and Hot Christian Adult Contemporary are based on gross audience impressions from Nielsen BDS.

Titles receive credit for airplay (and sales where applicable) accumulated during each week they appear on the pertinent chart.

In cases where more than one songwriter wrote a particular song, points are divided equally between the composers. Publisher and publishing corporation points are likewise split evenly. Publishing corporations receive 100% of the point values compiled by any publisher in which the parent company holds at least 50% equity. Publishing corporations also receive 25% of the point value built by publishers that they administer but do not own.

The recaps were compiled by Anthony Colombo with assistance from Hot 100 chart manager Silvio Pietroluongo, country and Christian charts manager Wade Jessen, Latin charts manager Ricardo Companioni and associate chart production manager Alex Vitoulis.