Mainstream Rock Airplay

Mainstream Rock Airplay is a music chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States. It is an administrative category that combines the "active rock" and "heritage rock" formats. The chart was launched in March 1981 as Rock Albums & Top Tracks. The name changed multiple times afterwards: first to Top Rock Tracks, then to Album Rock Tracks, then to Mainstream Rock, and finally to its current in 2021. The first number-one song on this chart was "I Can't Stand It" by Eric Clapton on March 21, 1981.

History The "Rock Albums & Top Tracks" charts were introduced in the issue of Billboard that the parent company published on March 21, 1981.Joel Whitburn. Joel Whitburn Presents Rock Tracks 1981–2008. Hal Leonard Corporation, 2008. p. 6 . The 50-slot based and 60-slot based positional charts ranked airplay on album rock type radio stations in the United States. Because album-oriented rock stations often focused on playing tracks from entire albums rather than specifically released singles, these charts were designed to measure the airplay of any and all tracks from an album, regardless of context. Rock Albums was a survey of the top albums on American rock radio, while Top Tracks listed the top individual songs being played. 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. "I Can't Stand It" was from Clapton's album Another Ticket with its single having the track "Black Rose" on its alternate side.

On September 15, 1984, the Rock Albums chart was discontinued and Top Tracks was renamed Top Rock Tracks. It reduced from a 60-song tally to 50 songs on October 20, 1984, following a major revamp to the magazine. Coinciding with an increase in its reporting panel of album rock stations in the United States, the name of the chart was changed again with the issue dated April 12, 1986, to Album Rock Tracks.

On November 23, 1991, instead of reporting panels, Billboard changed its methodology of measuring airplay by using monitored airplay as provided by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems to compile many of its charts. As a result, this data showed that many songs could spend months to over a year on the Album Rock Tracks chart. Billboard decided to drop to a 40-position chart on the week of June 27, 1992 (still its current format), and songs that fell out of the top 20 and after spending 20 weeks on the chart were moved to a new 10-position recurrent chart.

To differentiate between classic and alternative album rock radio formats, Billboard changed the name of the chart to Mainstream Rock Tracks beginning with issue dated April 13, 1996. The Mainstream Rock Tracks chart did not appear in the print edition of Billboard from its issue dated August 2, 2003, being accessible only through the magazine's subscription-based website, Billboard.biz. In late 2013, the chart was reintroduced to its primary website and magazine.

When R&R ceased publication in June 2009, Billboard incorporated its rock charts, Active Rock and Heritage Rock into its own publication. The radio station reporters of the two charts combine to make up the Mainstream Rock chart. In the United States, active rock stations concentrate on current hits over classic rock standards while heritage rock stations put a greater emphasis on classic rock with a few newer tracks mixed in. The individual Active Rock and Heritage Rock components were discontinued by Billboard at the end of November 2013, due to a growing lack of difference between the two charts.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the chart, in June 2021, Billboard released two charts ranking the top songs and artists in the history of the chart. "Touch, Peel and Stand" by Days of the New was the number-one song on the Greatest of All Time Mainstream Rock Songs and Shinedown was named the number-one artist on the ranking of Greatest of All Time Mainstream Rock Artists. The current number-one song on the chart is "Starless" by A Perfect Circle.

Chart achievements Artists Artists with the most number-one songs These are the artists with the most songs that topped the Mainstream Rock chart.

Songs Artist References 24 Shinedown 21 Three Days Grace 18 Five Finger Death Punch 16 Foo Fighters 14 Metallica 13 Van Halen Godsmack Disturbed Linkin Park Papa Roach Volbeat

Artists with the most charted songs Acts who have scored the most charted songs on the Mainstream Rock chart. Songs Artist Reference51 U2 48 Pearl Jam Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 47 Van Halen 46 John Mellencamp 44 Aerosmith 43 Metallica Foo Fighters 42 Rush 41Ozzy Osbourne Papa Roach

Artists with the most top-ten songs Songs Artist Reference36 Shinedown 35 Foo Fighters 33 Five Finger Death Punch 29 Godsmack Papa Roach 28 Disturbed Metallica Three Days Grace Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 26 Pearl Jam Seether Van Halen

Acts who have reached number one in at least three decades Four decades Source: Metallica (1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s)

Three decades Source: AC/DC (1990s, 2000s, 2020s) Aerosmith (1980s, 1990s, 2000s) Alice in Chains (1990s, 2000s, 2010s) Breaking Benjamin (2000s, 2010s, 2020s) Chevelle (2000s, 2010s, 2020s) Disturbed (2000s, 2010s, 2020s) Foo Fighters (2000s, 2010s, 2020s) Godsmack (2000s, 2010s, 2020s) Green Day (2000s, 2010s, 2020s) Linkin Park (2000s, 2010s, 2020s) Nickelback (2000s, 2010s, 2020s) The Offspring (1990s, 2010s, 2020s) Ozzy Osbourne (2000s, 2010s, 2020s) Papa Roach (2000s, 2010s, 2020s) Red Hot Chili Peppers (1990s, 2000s, 2010s) Seether (2000s, 2010s, 2020s) Shinedown (2000s, 2010s, 2020s) Staind (2000s, 2010s, 2020s) Theory of a Deadman (2000s, 2010s, 2020s) Three Days Grace (2000s, 2010s, 2020s)

Artists with the most consecutive number-one songs Songs Artist Reference13 Five Finger Death Punch 8 Shinedown 7 Disturbed 6 Papa Roach 5Godsmack Three Days Grace The Pretty Reckless

Artists with the most cumulative weeks at number one Total cumulative weeks Artist Reference106 Three Days Grace 93 Shinedown 70 Metallica 62 Foo Fighters 61 Disturbed 53 3 Doors Down 52 Nickelback50 Seether 47 Collective Soul Godsmack

Albums/Songs Albums With the Most Weeks at #1 Albums whose singles have spent at least 15 weeks at #1 on the Mainstream Rock charts Total cumulative weeks AlbumYearWeeks at #1Singles Artist Reference 33 The Better Life20009"Kryptonite" 3 Doors Down 21"Loser"3"Duck and Run"27One-X20067"Animal I Have Become"Three Days Grace13"Pain"7"Never Too Late"26Days of the New199716"Touch, Peel, and Stand"Days of the New10"The Down Town"23The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion199211"Remedy"The Black Crowes2"Sting Me"4"Thorn in My Pride"6"Hotel Illness"21Human Clay199917"Higher"Creed4"With Arms Wide Open"Life Starts Now200911"Break"Three Days Grace5"The Good Life"5"World So Cold"20Break the Cycle200120"It's Been Awhile"StaindContraband200411"Fall to Pieces"Velvet Revolver9"Slither"19Silver Side Up200113"How You Remind Me"Nickelback3"Too Bad"3"Never Again"18Hail to the King201311"Hail to the King"Avenged Sevenfold7"Shepherd of Fire"17Away From the Sun200217"When I'm Gone"3 Doors DownWhen Legends Rise20185"Bulletproof"Godsmack5"When Legends Rise"2"Under Your Scars"5"Unforgettable"American Idiot200414"Boulevard of Broken Dreams"Green Day3"Holiday"Come Clean200110"Blurry"Puddle of Mudd6"Drift and Die"1"She Hates Me"The Sound of Madness200810"Second Chance"Shinedown3"Sound of Madness"1"The Crow and the Butterfly"3"Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)"Purple19942"Vasoline"Stone Temple Pilots15"Interstate Love Song"Achtung Baby199112"Mysterious Ways"U22"One"3"Even Better than the Real Thing"16Black Gives Way to Blue20098"Check My Brain"Alice in Chains8"Your Decision"Sonic Highways201313"Something from Nothing"Foo Fighters3"Congregation"72 Seasons202311"Lux Æterna"Metallica2"72 Seasons"1"Too Far Gone?"2"Screaming Suicide"Amaryllis201212"Bully"Shinedown4"Unity"15Collective Soul19959"December"Collective Soul4"The World I Know"2"Where the River Flows"Dosage199915"Heavy"Evolution20188"Are You Ready"Disturbed3"A Reason to Fight"4"No More"Transit of Venus201213"Chalk Outline"Three Days Grace1"The High Road"1"Misery Loves My Company"

Songs with the most weeks on the chart These are the songs that have spent at least one year (52 weeks) on the Mainstream Rock chart. Number of weeks Song Artist Reference 62 "So Cold" Breaking Benjamin 56 "Cold" Crossfade "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" Fuel 55 "Headstrong" Trapt 53 "Loser" 3 Doors Down "Awake" Godsmack 52 "Wasteland" 10 Years "Paralyzer" Finger Eleven "Remedy" Seether "Life Is Beautiful" Sixx: A.M.

Songs with ten or more weeks at number one

Number of weeks Song Artist Years Reference 21 "Loser" 3 Doors Down 2000–2001 20 "It's Been Awhile" Staind 2001 17"Higher"Creed1999–2000"When I'm Gone"3 Doors Down2002–200316"Touch, Peel and Stand"Days of the New1997 15"Interstate Love Song"Stone Temple Pilots1994"Heavy"Collective Soul199914"So Far Away"Staind2003 "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"Green Day2005 "Fake It"Seether2007–2008 "Inside the Fire"Disturbed2008 13"Start Me Up"The Rolling Stones1981 "How You Remind Me"Nickelback2001"Figured You Out"2004"Pain"Three Days Grace2006–2007 "Chalk Outline"2012"Something from Nothing"Foo Fighters2014–2015 12"Mysterious Ways"U21991–1992 "Like a Stone"Audioslave2003 "Save Me"Shinedown2005–2006 "Dani California"Red Hot Chili Peppers2006"Face to the Floor"Chevelle2011–2012"Bully"Shinedown2012 11"Remedy"The Black Crowes1992 "Turn the Page"Metallica1999 "Fall to Pieces"Velvet Revolver2004 "Break"Three Days Grace2009–2010"Hail to the King"Avenged Sevenfold2013"Lux Æterna"Metallica2022–202310"Lightning Crashes"Live1995"The Down Town"Days of the New1998"Scar Tissue"Red Hot Chili Peppers1999"Blurry"Puddle of Mudd2002 "Second Chance"Shinedown 2008–2009"Country Song"Seether2011

Mainstream Rock Airplay

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