What Is SoundScan and How Is It Used?

SoundScan, a tracking platform owned and operated by Nielsen, allows artists to get a close and detailed look at how their music's sales are performing on a week by week basis in both retail and non-traditional marketplaces.________________________________Guest Post by Ta'Rikah Jones of Symphonic BlogHave you ever wanted to dive into the sales data from your releases to see how they perform on a weekly basis in retail and non-traditional outlets?That’s where SoundScan steps into the picture.SoundScan is a name that you’ll want to get familiar with working in this industry.

So, what exactly is SoundScan?

SoundScan is a tracking platform owned and operated by Nielsen. It is a method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada.Data is collected weekly and made available every Wednesday to subscribers, which include record companies, publishing firms, music retailers, independent promoters, film and TV companies, and artist managers.In order to have a chance at making the Billboard music charts, any release must be registered with SoundScan using UPC number (for the whole album) and ISRC codes (for the individual tracks). Without registration, the sales figures will not be counted, and will remain invisible to the system.