Project proposal

library(tidyverse)

billboard_df <- read.csv("data/billboard.csv")

Dataset

rows <- nrow(billboard_df)
cols <- ncol(billboard_df)

Dataset - Billboard Hot 100 Number Ones

This dataset is originally from Billboard, who charts music data weekly based on sales, streaming, and radio broadcasting. From there it was curated by TidyTuesday as one of 2025’s weekly datasets. The user Jen Richmond was the specific curator for this dataset.

Current dimensions: [1177 rows, 105 columns]

We chose this dataset as our group members all have fond relationships with music, and we wish to explore the trends of the music industry because of this. Using this as an opportunity to engage with a media platform we all are passionate about will increase our committment to results throughout this project. The analysis we execute will also expand our individual understandings of music trends, benefitting us in the process.

Questions

Question 1: Has it become easier or harder to dominate the Hot 100 over time?

Question 2: Do certain genres last longer on the chart than others?

Analysis plan

For Question 1, we plan on using the included ‘date’, ‘weeks_at_number_one’, ‘non_consecutive’, ‘song’, and ‘artist’ variables. We will also create a ‘year’ variable derived from ‘date’ to ease the process of grouping songs by era. With these variables (key variables being ‘weeks_at_number_one’, ‘non_consecutive’, and ‘year’), we will be able to identify if today’s songs tend to persist on the Top 100 for longer or shorter periods of time than songs in the past. Analyzing the by-year average of song lifetime on the Top 100 and comparing them to each other will give us the information necessary to answer this question.

For Question 2, we plan on using the included ‘date’, ‘weeks_at_number_one’, ‘cdr_genre’, ‘cdr_style’, ‘song’, and ‘artist’ variables. With these variables (key variables being ‘weeks_at_number_one’ and ‘cdr_genre’), we will be able to identify if certain genres trend more frequently on the Top 100 chart. Analyzing independent genres by the average number of weeks their songs hold on the Top 100 will give us the information necessary to answer this question.