Our chart is designed to show the true popularity of music in Zimbabwe using a clear, transparent, and easy-to-understand system. We do not depend on one app or one group of listeners. Instead, we combine information from the platforms that Zimbabweans use every day.
Each week, we collect the Top 100 charts from the main music platforms available in Zimbabwe. These are YouTube, Boomplay, Apple Music, Audiomack, and iTunes. Because these platforms are not used equally across the country, we do not treat them the same. Each platform is given a weight based on how widely it is used by Zimbabwean listeners. A platform with more local listeners carries more influence, while one with fewer users carries less. This keeps the chart fair and balanced.
For every platform, we check where each song is ranked. A song earns points based on its position on that platform. A higher position earns more points than a lower one. Those points are then adjusted using the platform’s weight. This means a number one song on a heavily used platform counts more than a number one song on a smaller platform.
If a song does not appear on any of the listed platforms during the week, it earns zero points and does not appear on the Zimbabwe Hot 100.
After checking all platforms, we add together all the points a song has earned. The final total score is what determines the song’s position on the Zimbabwe Hot 100.
For example, if Jah Prayzah’s Ruzhowa is ranked number one on YouTube, it earns the highest possible points for that position, influenced by YouTube’s forty five percent share of the chart’s weighting. If the same song also appears on other platforms such as Apple Music, Boomplay, Audiomack, or iTunes, it earns additional points from each of them based on their respective weights. All these points are added together to decide where the song sits on the chart.
This approach ensures that the Zimbabwe Hot 100 reflects what people across the country are actually listening to, not just what is popular on one app.
Spotify?
You may wonder why Spotify is not included. The reason is simple. Spotify does not publish a Zimbabwe-specific Top 100 chart based on local listening data. We only use platforms that provide Zimbabwe-focused rankings.
Every seven days, all the data is updated, and the entire chart is refreshed. This keeps the Zimbabwe Hot 100 current, fair, and in line with what is truly being played across the country right now.
Votes
We are also beta testing the voting section of the chart. At this stage, voting does not yet affect the final rankings. Once we consistently reach at least five thousand verified votes in a single chart week, listener votes will be introduced as a weighted score in the chart calculation. This number is important to make sure voting represents a broad national voice and not a small or organised group. We encourage readers to take part by voting on WhatsApp and helping us reach that target, because fan participation will play a direct role in shaping the future of the Zimbabwe Hot 100.