If you’re an artist or part of an artist team, you may want to make your Serenade Smart Format release eligible for official music charts. Before selecting “Yes” to chart eligibility in the customer portal, please read this guide carefully. It contains important information, tasks, and rules you’ll need to understand.
In which territories are Smart Formats chart eligible?
Serenade Smart Formats are currently chart-accredited in the following territories:
United Kingdom
Ireland
Australia
New Zealand
Germany
Austria
Belgium
Netherlands
What types of releases are eligible?
At present, EPs and Albums can be made chart eligible as Smart Formats.
What do I need to do before enabling chart eligibility?
Before selecting “Yes” in the customer portal, please ensure you are able to complete the steps below in the relevant territories:
Register your product with the appropriate chart body (e.g., the Official Charts Company [OCC] in the UK).
Assign a UPC (Universal Product Code) to your Smart Format. Chart bodies use this UPC to track redemptions (fan taps and registrations), which convert into chart sales.
Who is responsible for registering the UPC?
It is the responsibility of the artist team or label to:
Create a UPC for the Smart Format.
Register the UPC with the appropriate chart body.
For more information on UPCs, see [this link].
Which Smart Formats are chart eligible?
All Serenade Smart Formats on the website are chart-approved in the UK as formats in their own right, meaning they can be sold as standalone products without needing to bundle. This is except Clothing Tags, which follow bundling rules. Stickers can be standalone products if used on posters (at a 150GSM paperweight or lower) or postcards.
Note: You must still register all Serenade products with the OCC.
For other territories, you must contact the local chart body for confirmation or reach out to Serenade for guidance.
If you’re unsure whether your product qualifies, please reach out to Serenade before submission for advice on bundling rules or other restrictions.
How do I register for chart accreditation?
UK:
Register your UPC with Kantar (chartsproduct@kantar.com).
Contact the OCC (chartrules@officialcharts.com) to approve your Smart Format for chart eligibility.
Other Territories:
Contact the relevant chart body in each region for guidance.
When does a Smart Format sale count towards the charts?
Basically, it’s just like any other music format.
The charts only count sales once they’ve been fulfilled. Traditionally, this meant the delivery of a physical asset or the active download of a digital one. With Smart Formats, the purchase is considered fulfilled once the item has been tapped and accessed by a fan instead of point of sale.
Pre-orders: Smart Formats can be sold on pre-order, and all redemptions during the release week will count toward week-one chart numbers, just like traditional formats.
How does chart accreditation affect bonus content?
Here’s a general guide (covering the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand)
Important: This list is for guidance only. Always confirm final eligibility where needed with your local chart body.
Albums and EPs
To give you an idea of what (likely) is and (definitely) isn't eligible across all geographies, refer to the table below.
Eligible | Not Eligible |
Voice notes relating to the album/song (descriptive material) | Access to a listening party |
Original artwork
| Access to a Zoom call with the artist |
Liner notes | Personalised message from the artist |
Original lyric notes/sheet | Meet & Greet to upcoming show |
Inner sleeve photos | Ticket to an upcoming show |
Photos related to the album’s tour | Lifetime ticket to all future shows |
Footage from inside the studio while recording the album | Personalised video message |
Demos | Personalised text messages |
Song download | Exclusive merchandise |
Music video | Chance to win XYZ experience |
Outtakes from the music video | Chance to win XYZ content |
Live/acoustic recording of the track | Personalised performance of the song |
Album booklet | Personalised poem |
BTS content | Merchandise discount code |
Camera Roll pictures | Ticket discount code |
|
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A good rule of thumb is: if this piece of content helps tell a deeper story about the music and doesn’t have a clear market value, it’s likely to be eligible.