Shindig Chart Guide
How the Shindig Chart Works: Rules, Voting and How to Win
The Shindig Chart is the weekly Top 50 for independent music, published every week by Shindig Music. It blends what listeners love with the ear of our editorial team, so a great song can rise on merit, not on marketing budget.
What the Shindig Chart is
Every track on the chart has already been selected for Music Spotlight, the section where our team shares the best new independent releases we discover. Once a song is in Spotlight, it can be voted on and ranked. The chart shows the fifty strongest tracks of the week, with arrows that reveal which songs climbed and which ones slipped since the previous edition.
How voting works
Anyone can vote without an account. Press the heart on a track in the chart or on its Music Spotlight page. Each browser can support two different tracks per weekly edition. You can take a vote back, but the slot you used stays counted until the next Monday, which keeps the chart fair and stops repeated voting.
How the score is calculated
Every track receives a total score out of 100, built from two equal halves.
Audience votes, up to 50 points. The most voted track of the week earns the full 50. Every other track earns points in proportion to its votes. A song with half the votes of the leader earns 25 points.
Shindig team judgment, up to 50 points. Our editors score each track on songwriting, production, originality, performance and overall impact.
Total score. Audience points plus team points decide the ranking. When two tracks finish level, the one with more audience points ranks higher.
Weekly editions
A new edition opens every Monday at midnight, New York time. Votes start from zero and every voter gets two fresh choices. When a week closes its results are frozen and saved in the chart archive, so past rankings never change.
How to win the Shindig Chart
The winner is the track with the highest total score when the week ends. The best way to get there is simple: release strong music, then invite your listeners to vote for it on Shindig Music. Share your Spotlight page with fans, post it on your social channels and remind people that a new edition begins every Monday. Votes count, and so does quality, because half of every score comes from our team.
Each weekly winner receives a dedicated feature article on Shindig Music, listed under Chart Winners, and a permanent place in the chart archive.
How to get your song on the chart
Submit your release through our Submit Your Music page. Songs chosen for Music Spotlight join the chart automatically, at no cost.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Shindig Chart?
The Shindig Chart is a weekly Top 50 of independent tracks published by Shindig Music at shindigmusic.net. Every song on the chart is selected first for Music Spotlight, our hand picked discovery section.
How do I vote?
Press the heart on any track in the Shindig Chart or in Music Spotlight. Each browser can support two different tracks per week. You can remove a vote, but a slot you already used stays used until the next edition.
How is the score calculated?
Each track receives a total score out of 100. Up to 50 points come from audience votes, measured against the most voted track of the week. Up to 50 points come from the Shindig Music editorial team.
When does a new chart start?
A new edition begins every Monday at midnight, New York time. Weekly votes start fresh and every voter gets two new choices.
How does a track win?
The track with the highest total score when the week closes wins. If two tracks have the same total, the one with more audience points ranks higher.
How can my song enter the chart?
Submit your music to Shindig Music. Tracks chosen for Music Spotlight become eligible for the weekly chart automatically.