The Billboard Tropical Airplay chart ranks the best-performing tropical songs of the United States. Published by Billboard magazine, the data are compiled by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems based collectively on each single's weekly airplay.
The Tropical Songs or Tropical Airplay chart is a record chart published on Billboard magazine established in 1994. The first number-one song to be published on the chart was "Quien Eres Tu" by Luis Enrique. It features Latin music information from tropical music such as salsa, merengue, bachata, reggaeton, cumbia and vallenato. This chart features only singles or tracks and like most Billboard charts, is based on Airplay; the radio charts are compiled using information tracked by from Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems (BDS), which electronically monitors radio stations in more than 140 markets across the United States. The audience charts cross-reference BDS data with listener information compiled by the Arbitron ratings system to determine the approximate number of audience impressions made for plays in each daypart. The chart was usually posted weekly until the introduction of the Latin Rhythm Airplay Chart in 2005 where it was posted every other week. As of August 2009, the Latin Tropical Airplay is now posted weekly on the Billboard website. On January 21, 2017, Billboard updated the methodology for the Tropical Songs chart to exclude songs that do not fit in the tropical music category. In addition, the chart now covers the top 25 songs on the chart as opposed to 40.
Billboard is an American entertainment media brand owned by the Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group, a division of Eldridge Industries. It publishes pieces involving news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style, and is also known for its music charts, including the Hot 100 and Billboard 200, tracking the most popular songs and albums in different genres. It also hosts events, owns a publishing firm, and operates several TV shows.
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems, better known as BDS, is a service that tracks monitored radio, television and internet airplay of songs based on the number of spins and detections. The service, which is a subsidiary of Nielsen Corporation provides the basis for Nielsen Media publication Billboard in the United States, while in Canada, BDS helps determine the Canadian BDS Airplay Chart and the Canadian Hot 100 chart, which is published by Jam! and in the website for Canadian Music Network, in determining their radio airplay music charts and determines the chart movement in Billboard's Hot 100 chart when combined with single sales from Nielsen SoundScan. From August 2006 to its final June 2009 publication, BDS also provided chart data for R&R after Nielsen acquired the trade. On September 10, 2009, the website Radio-Info.com struck a partnership with Nielsen BDS to provide radio airplay charts and related data for over 20 formats.
