I don't know how long this has been posted at Mediatraffic, but this officially how they do the album chart. Its not all exact retail sales as we had thought.
"Chart Methodologies
Album-Chart
THE TOP-SELLING ALBUMS ACCORDING TO GLOBAL SALES DATA AND NATIONAL ALBUM-CHARTS
OFFICIAL NATIONAL CHARTS FROM USA, JAPAN, UNITED KINGDOM, GERMANY, AND FRANCE WITH REAL SALES DATA
OFFICIAL NATIONAL CHARTS FROM CANADA, AUSTRALIA, ITALY, SPAIN, BRAZIL, MEXICO, NETHERLANDS, SWITZERLAND, BELGIUM, SOUTH AFRICA, SWEDEN, AUSTRIA, NORWAY, DENMARK, FINLAND, IRELAND, ARGENTINA, CHILE, COLOMBIA, VENEZUELA, NEW ZEALAND, MALAYSIA, POLAND, PORTUGAL, HUNGARY, CZECH REPUBLIC, SLOVAKIA, GREECE, AND SOUTH KOREA ARE WEIGHTED TO THE SIZE OF ITS MARKETS ACCORDING TO THE LATEST IFPI-STATISTICS
(EXCEPTION: ALBUMS WITH HUGH SALES IN THESE COUNTRIES ARE WEIGHTED HIGHER)"
It appears that the only soundscan type info they use comes from USA, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, and France. For the rest of the world, they use a formula based on chart position and the size of the country/market.
I still think they are somewhat accurate, but its not quite the precise source we thought it was. Still, when compared to certifications of various albums around the world, I think they have done a better job with their estimates than any other chart I have seen.
"Chart Methodologies
Album-Chart
THE TOP-SELLING ALBUMS ACCORDING TO GLOBAL SALES DATA AND NATIONAL ALBUM-CHARTS
OFFICIAL NATIONAL CHARTS FROM USA, JAPAN, UNITED KINGDOM, GERMANY, AND FRANCE WITH REAL SALES DATA
OFFICIAL NATIONAL CHARTS FROM CANADA, AUSTRALIA, ITALY, SPAIN, BRAZIL, MEXICO, NETHERLANDS, SWITZERLAND, BELGIUM, SOUTH AFRICA, SWEDEN, AUSTRIA, NORWAY, DENMARK, FINLAND, IRELAND, ARGENTINA, CHILE, COLOMBIA, VENEZUELA, NEW ZEALAND, MALAYSIA, POLAND, PORTUGAL, HUNGARY, CZECH REPUBLIC, SLOVAKIA, GREECE, AND SOUTH KOREA ARE WEIGHTED TO THE SIZE OF ITS MARKETS ACCORDING TO THE LATEST IFPI-STATISTICS
(EXCEPTION: ALBUMS WITH HUGH SALES IN THESE COUNTRIES ARE WEIGHTED HIGHER)"
It appears that the only soundscan type info they use comes from USA, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, and France. For the rest of the world, they use a formula based on chart position and the size of the country/market.
I still think they are somewhat accurate, but its not quite the precise source we thought it was. Still, when compared to certifications of various albums around the world, I think they have done a better job with their estimates than any other chart I have seen.