The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio

Offshore radio

Offshore radio is radio broadcasting from ships or fixed maritime structures, usually in international waters. The claimed first wireless broadcast of music and speech for the purpose of entertainment was transmitted from a Royal Naval craft, the HMS Andromeda, in 1907...

 station Radio Veronica

Radio Veronica

Radio Veronica was an offshore radio station that began broadcasting in 1960, and broadcast from offshore for over fourteen years. It was set up by independent radio, TV and household electrical retailers in the Netherlands to stimulate the sales of radio receivers by providing an alternative to...

 was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting. Joost den Draaijer was the initiator of the top 40 in the Netherlands.

History

On January 2, 1965, the first Top 40 was compiled, with its first #1 hit "I Feel Fine

I Feel Fine

"I Feel Fine" is a riff-driven rock song written by John Lennon and released in 1964 by The Beatles as the A-side of their eighth British single. The song is notable for the use of feedback on a recording for the first time by any musician...

" by The Beatles

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

. In 1974, the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40 bought the Top 40 and named it De Nederlandse Top 40. It is one of the three official charts in the Netherlands, the other two being the Single Top 100 and the Mega Top 50

Mega Top 50

The Mega Top 50 is a Dutch music chart, originally started on May 23, 1969 as the Hilversum 3 Top 30. Throughout the years, the chart has had several names and lengths:*1969 - 1974: Hilversum 3 Top 30...

. Contrary to the Single Top 100, the Top 40, like the Mega Top 50, includes airplay data.

Currently, Radio 538

Radio 538

Radio 538 is a Dutch commercial radio station aimed at young people. It has a broad format which includes Top 40, dance, R&B and recent hits...

 is airing the Dutch Top 40 on radio. Jeroen Nieuwenhuize is presenting the program every Friday afternoon from 14.00 until 18.00. The Dutch Top 40 is the 'most-listened-to' program on Dutch radio during its timeslot.

Composition

Like the Mega Top 50, the chart is a combination of single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 sales and airplay

Airplay (song)

Airplay is a term used in the radio broadcasting industry to state how frequently a song is being played on over-the-air radio stations. For example, a song which is being played several times every day would be classed as receiving a large amount of airplay...

. The more often a song gets played on the radio, the higher its place in the Top 40. As of 2003, digital download

Music download

A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...

s are also counted.

For year end chart positions: #1 position gets 40 points, #2 position gets 39 points .... #40 position get one point. This way you just count up all numbers and sort them from most points till least points.

Rules

There is a set of rules, of which some have existed since 1972, that are still maintained. Because of these rules the Top 40 has been criticised.

• Singles must remain minimal two weeks in the chart. If a single officially no longer belongs in the top 40, these are placed on #40.
• Example: Missy Elliott
  Missy Elliott
  Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
  
  's "Lose Control
  Lose Control (Missy Elliott song)
  "Lose Control" is a song by American rapper/songwriter Missy Elliott featuring singer Ciara and rapper Fatman Scoop. It was released as the lead single from Elliott's sixth studio album, The Cookbook. It contains samples from Cybotron's "Clear", Hot Streak's "Body Work" and Les Rythmes Digitales'...
  
  ": Remained two weeks on #40 in the chart, because it did not sell enough and also wasn't played enough on the radio.
• Singles noted with the superstip, may not fall down in chart position the following week. If a single in fact was to drop, it remains on the position it ended, so the following week it drops hard in chart positions.
• Recent example: Guus Meeuwis
  Guus Meeuwis
  Gustaaf Stephanus Modestus "Guus" Meeuwis is a Dutch singer and songwriter. As part of the band Vagant, he scored several hits in the Netherlands and Flanders during the '90s and first decade of the 2000s.-Biography:...
  
  ' "Ik Wil Dat Ons Land Juicht": The song entered the chart at #11 (superstip), rose up to #5 (superstip again) in its second week. The following week it was meant to drop in chart position, but remained on the #5 position. The following two weeks, it went from #5 to #39. Because of this rule, this single is the biggest fall down in the Dutch Top 40.
• Re-entry only takes place when the single re-enters within the top 30, if differently, these re-entried singles are ignored.
• Example: Racoon recently re-entered the Dutch Top 40 at #31 though with the song "Love You More".
• Singles with double A-side are noted separately in the top 40; due the (possible) different number of airplay the two songs get.
• Example: Robbie Williams
  Robbie Williams
  Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
  
  ' first single off his 2005 album Intensive Care
  Intensive Care (album)
  Intensive Care is sixth studio album by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams, released on 24 October 2005 in the United Kingdom.-Background:...
  
  was "Tripping
  Tripping (song)
  "Tripping" is a song by British pop singer Robbie Williams, it was the first single from his 2005 album Intensive Care. The single was backed with the track "Make Me Pure", also from the same album, it was sent to radio stations around the world. Williams himself calls the song "something like a...
  
  " with the B-side being "Make Me Pure
  Make Me Pure
  "Make Me Pure" is a song by British pop singer Robbie Williams, released as the second single from his album Intensive Care in late 2005. It was written by Robbie Williams, Stephen Duffy, and Chris Heath. It was first released in New Zealand and Australia only as a promotional single intended to...
  
  ". While "Tripping" topped the chart by peaking at #1, "Make Me Pure" peaked at #15 in the Top 40.

Records in the Dutch Top 40

Most successful single-artists

Artist	weeks	points
Madonna Madonna (entertainer) Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...	470	12550
Rolling Stones	448	11649
The Beatles The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...	312	9220
Golden Earring Golden Earring Golden Earring are a Dutch rock band, founded in 1961 in The Hague as the Golden Earrings . They had international chart success with the songs "Radar Love" in 1973, "Twilight Zone" in 1982, and "When the Lady Smiles" in 1984. In their home country, they had over 40 hits and made over 30 gold and...	365	9093
Michael Jackson Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...	336	8563
BZN BZN BZN was a Dutch band.-History:BZN started out as a pop-rock band in their native Volendam in 1966, playing early-Bee Gees-like harmony pop...	373	8249
The Cats The Cats The Cats were a rock band from Volendam, The Netherlands. Together with BZN, they were key figures of what came to be called the Palingsound , an umbrella for artists residing in Volendam...	335	8077
Bee Gees Bee Gees The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...	326	7625
Queen Queen (band) Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...	323	7577
U2 U2 U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...	247	7349

Most hit singles in the Top 40

Artist	singles
Cliff Richard Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....	62
BZN BZN BZN was a Dutch band.-History:BZN started out as a pop-rock band in their native Volendam in 1966, playing early-Bee Gees-like harmony pop...	54
Madonna Madonna (entertainer) Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...	52
Rolling Stones	48
Golden Earring Golden Earring Golden Earring are a Dutch rock band, founded in 1961 in The Hague as the Golden Earrings . They had international chart success with the songs "Radar Love" in 1973, "Twilight Zone" in 1982, and "When the Lady Smiles" in 1984. In their home country, they had over 40 hits and made over 30 gold and...	47
Normaal Normaal Normaal is a rock band from the Netherlands, more specifically from the Achterhoek region, and sing in the local dialect. The band started in 1975 as a reaction to disco and glamrock. They have since gained national fame, and have had more top 40 hits in the Dutch chart than any other band, despite...	42
Bee Gees Bee Gees The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...	41
Michael Jackson Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...	38
Queen Queen (band) Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...	38
U2 U2 U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...	38

• Update on July 10, 2010.

Best selling artists
(combined Single top 40 and Album top 100)

Artist	weeks	points
BZN BZN BZN was a Dutch band.-History:BZN started out as a pop-rock band in their native Volendam in 1966, playing early-Bee Gees-like harmony pop...	1106	60375
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...	1117	57200
Madonna Madonna (entertainer) Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...	1107	53994
Golden Earring Golden Earring Golden Earring are a Dutch rock band, founded in 1961 in The Hague as the Golden Earrings . They had international chart success with the songs "Radar Love" in 1973, "Twilight Zone" in 1982, and "When the Lady Smiles" in 1984. In their home country, they had over 40 hits and made over 30 gold and...	1039	53833
Queen Queen (band) Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...	1014	53647
André Hazes André Hazes André Gerardus Hazes was a Dutch singer in a genre called levenslied which is a form of emotional folk music about everyday life sung in the Dutch language. André Hazes was one of the most successful singers in this genre...	972	49412
ABBA ABBA ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...	761	46439
U2 U2 U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...	906	45913
Michael Jackson Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...	873	44240
Celine Dion Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...	775	43119

• Updated on January 1, 2004.

See also

• List of number-one hits (Netherlands)
• MegaCharts
  MegaCharts
  MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top...
  
  
• Mega Top 50
  Mega Top 50
  The Mega Top 50 is a Dutch music chart, originally started on May 23, 1969 as the Hilversum 3 Top 30. Throughout the years, the chart has had several names and lengths:*1969 - 1974: Hilversum 3 Top 30...
  
  
• Mega Single Top 100
  Mega Single Top 100
  The Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales and legal downloads and composed by MegaCharts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Dutch Top 40 and the Mega Top 50. The difference is that these charts also include airplay data.The list is...
  
  

External links

Dutch Top 40 website (contains archive from 1965 onwards) Direct link to the charts (contains archive from 1965 onwards)