Editorial policy

Where the countdowns come from

Each of the 597 countdowns in the archive comes from a source we can point to: the station’s own website or broadcast, a published chart, an archived copy of the station’s page on the Internet Archive, a reference work, or a listener who recorded or kept the list. The source is recorded with every countdown added since 2026 and shown on the countdown’s page. We do not invent, estimate or “fill in” countdowns: when positions are missing from a source, the page says so and lists them on the wanted page so they can be found.

How lists are checked

Before a countdown is published, its artist and song names are matched against the archive. Spelling variants are only merged when the same artist also has the same song, so two different acts with similar names are never combined. New artists and songs are reviewed by an editor. Release years, albums and artist details (country, years active, links) come from MusicBrainz and Wikidata, open databases maintained by the music community, and are only accepted when they agree with the countdown data (a song cannot be released after it first charted).

How the rankings are made

The year, decade and all-time rankings are calculated, not voted on by us. Every chart position earns points by a fixed formula, and the points are added up across stations. The full method, including which lists count and how formats are kept apart, is on the methodology page. Rankings made from members’ own lists and polls are always kept separate from radio rankings and labelled as member rankings.

Corrections

Mistakes happen, especially in lists transcribed from old broadcasts. Every song, artist and countdown page has a “Suggest a correction” link. Corrections are reviewed by an editor, checked against the source, and applied to the page and every ranking it affects. Significant additions are listed on what’s new. You can also write to us through the contact page.

Articles and data stories

Chart figures in our articles are pulled live from the archive rather than typed by hand, so a story stays correct as countdowns are added. Opinions in articles are the author’s and are presented as such.

Independence and advertising

RockLists is supported by advertising and by affiliate links to music stores. Advertisers and stores have no influence on which countdowns are published, how songs are ranked, or what articles say. Ads are always labelled “Advertisement” and are kept separate from the chart data. Affiliate links are marked as such.

Member content

Members can publish their own ranked lists and vote in polls. Member content is clearly labelled with the member’s name, follows the community guidelines, and never changes the radio rankings.

Who runs RockLists

RockLists has been online since 2004 and is published by Capital Business Services Group, LLC. Contact details are on the contact page.