TurnTable charts explained: how Nigeria’s official music chart works
TurnTable charts are where most “No. 1 in Nigeria” claims now come from. The Official Nigeria Top 100, published weekly by TurnTable, ranks songs by combining streaming and radio play in Nigeria, with paid streams counting for more than free ones. This guide explains how TurnTable charts work: the formula, the tracking week, the chart rules and how they compare with Billboard and single-platform charts. Current as of September 2026.
By Editorial Team
The short answer
- What: TurnTable’s Official Nigeria Top 100 is a weekly songs chart for Nigeria, launched on 11 July 2022. TurnTable also publishes album, artist, producer, streaming, airplay and genre charts.
- The formula: 50% streaming and 50% airplay, according to TurnTable’s published methodology.
- Stream weighting: a paid stream counts 1.0 point, a freemium stream 0.75, a YouTube video stream 0.66 and other ad-supported streams 0.5.
- Airplay: radio data comes from Radiomonitor, a British radio-tracking company.
- Tracking week: Friday to Thursday, to match the global Friday release day.
How TurnTable charts started
TurnTable began with separate charts in 2020. Its methodology page gives the timeline:
- 9 July 2020: the Top Airplay Chart, ranking songs on Nigerian radio using Radiomonitor data.
- 13 July 2020: the Top Streaming Chart, combining Audiomack, Boomplay and YouTube.
- 7 September 2020: the TV Top Songs chart. It was discontinued in December 2022, and Ayra Starr’s “Rush” was its last No. 1.
- 11 November 2020: the TurnTable Top 50, which TurnTable calls Nigeria’s first aggregate chart, combining streaming, radio and TV.
- 11 July 2022: the Nigeria Top 100 replaced it as the flagship chart. Asake’s “Peace Be Unto You (PBUY)” was the first No. 1, according to Wikipedia’s chart history.
Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer data were added in 2022, ahead of the Top 100 launch, Wikipedia notes.
How TurnTable charts calculate the Top 100
The chart has two halves. Streaming makes up half of a song’s score and airplay the other half.
Within streaming, TurnTable gives different values to different kinds of play. In 2022 it said this reflected both how Nigerians listen and how much artists are paid by each option:
| Stream type | Example services (2022 methodology) | Points per play |
|---|---|---|
| Paid subscription | Apple Music | 1.0 |
| Freemium | Spotify | 0.75 |
| Ad-supported video | YouTube | 0.66 |
| Ad-supported audio | Boomplay, Audiomack | 0.5 |
On airplay, TurnTable says its radio chart combines spins (plays) and impacts (audience), and its reports quote a song’s “radio reach” or impressions rather than a simple play count. TurnTable’s 2022 methodology listed “radio and TV”. Since the TV chart closed in December 2022, its chart write-ups describe airplay as radio. We have not found a published update to the weightings since the 2023 rule change below. TurnTable does not publish exactly how it converts weighted streams and radio reach into chart points.
A real example
In the chart TurnTable reported on 23 September 2026, FOLA’s “it’s over” with Bella Shmurda and Zlatan debuted at No. 1. It had 2.70 million on-demand streams (No. 1 on the streaming chart) and 72.02 million in radio reach (No. 1 on radio), TurnTable reported. Rema’s “Oh No” debuted at No. 2 with 2.59 million streams (No. 2 on streaming) and 64.9 million radio impressions (No. 3 on radio).
The same report shows how competitive 2026 has been. “it’s over” is FOLA’s fourth No. 1 of the year, and only Asake has more in 2026, with five. Davido’s “B4 B4” with Mayorkun and FOLA had led for six weeks before slipping to No. 3.
When we checked the TurnTable website on 1 October 2026, Seyi Vibez held most of the top 10, led by “Volume”. Kizz Daniel’s “Owo Oluwa”, featuring Young Jonn, was also in the top 10.
The chart rules
TurnTable’s methodology sets out several policies:
- Remixes: the original and remix are combined into one entry. If the structure, lyrics and melody change, the remix charts separately as “Pt 2”.
- Album tracks: songs that were never released as singles can chart.
- Bundling: handled case by case.
- Recurrent rule: since July 2023, a song leaves the chart if it has spent 25 weeks on it and falls below No. 50, or 52 weeks and falls below No. 25, according to a TurnTable update. This keeps the chart current.
- Oversight: an advisory board of music industry figures can recommend methodology changes, and outside chart managers help decide which songs qualify for each genre chart.
Genre charts cover Afro-Pop, Afro-R&B, Street-Pop, Hip-Hop/Rap, Gospel, Alternative and Traditional music. There is also a Bubbling Under chart for the next 25 songs. Our guide to Afrobeats, Afropop and related genres explains the labels.
TurnTable charts vs Billboard
The approach will be familiar if you have read how Billboard charts work. Both weight paid streams above free ones and both track Friday to Thursday. There are differences:
- Sales: the Billboard Hot 100 includes sales; the Nigeria Top 100 is streaming plus airplay only.
- YouTube: YouTube stopped supplying data to US Billboard charts in January 2026 over the weighting of free streams. TurnTable’s methodology still lists YouTube video streams, at 0.66 points.
- Scope: TurnTable measures activity in Nigeria only. Billboard’s US charts measure the United States, and its global charts cover the world.
Single-platform charts
Streaming services publish their own Nigeria charts too; Spotify’s include a Daily Top 50. They are useful but measure one service only. Spotify says more than 80% of the tracks on its Nigeria Daily Top 50 come from local artists, Music Ally reported. A song that tops one app may not top the combined chart. For how those streams turn into money, see how Spotify royalties work.
Chart success is also separate from awards: the Headies awards use fan votes and an industry panel, not chart points.
What to watch
New charts arrive weekly. Watch for big Friday releases, which get a full tracking week, and for any TurnTable methodology updates. More in Music and Afrobeats.
Sources
- TurnTable Charts: Methodology and policies for the Nigeria Top 100
- TurnTable Charts: New recurrent rules (11 July 2023)
- TurnTable Charts: FOLA’s “it’s over” debuts at No. 1 (23 September 2026)
- TurnTable Charts: Official charts (TV chart note)
- Wikipedia: TurnTable Top 100 Songs
- Music Ally: Spotify reveals Nigeria payouts (18 March 2026)
Featured image: Photo: Mensah Memories / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
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