RPM: Music industry charts
RPM was an English-language weekly trade magazine that tracked the Canadian music industry from 1964 to 2000. Walt Grealis and Stan Klees started the magazine as a four-page newsletter, and it eventually grew to a full-size glossy magazine. Over 10,000 of its charts have been fully digitized and can be searched by keyword, date, and chart type—from country hits to top singles.
On this page
Search tips
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In one of the top boxes, enter keywords such as
- artist’s name
- song title
-
Optional:
- For Date, enter a specific date or a range of dates
- For Chart, filter by type of chart or music genre
About the publication
RPM was a major force in the Canadian music industry. It contained record charts as well as articles and industry news.
Complete print copies of RPM are described in our library catalogue, Aurora. See below for available issues.
There are several records because of small changes to the title or publishing details.
| Issues | Dates | Link to Aurora record |
|---|---|---|
| Vol. 1, no. 11 – Vol. 4, no. 14 | May 4, 1964–November 29, 1965 | RPM, Records Promotion Music |
| Vol. 4, no. 15 – Vol. 8, no. 26 | December 6, 1965–February 24, 1968 | RPM Music Weekly |
| Vol. 9, no. 1 – Vol. 33, no. 26 | March 2, 1968–September 27, 1980 | RPM Weekly |
| Vol. 34, no. 1 – Vol. 34, no. 6 | October 11, 1980–December 20, 1980 | RPM Magazine |
| Vol. 34, no. 7 – Vol. 58, no. 14 | January 24, 1981–October 16, 1993 | RPM Weekly (Vol. 42, 1985 – Vol. 44, 1986 on microfilm) |
| Vol. 58, no. 15 – Vol. 61, no. 1 | October 23, 1993–February 6, 1995 | RPM Chart Weekly |
| Vol. 61, no. 2 – Vol. 71, no. 27 | February 13, 1995–November 13, 2000 | RPM |
Other places to look
These magazines also published Canadian music charts in at least some issues:
- Billboard. 1963–2014. [Cincinnati, Ohio]: [Billboard Pub. Co.].
- Country Chart Yearbook. 1996. Mississauga, ON: Music Data Canada.
- The Record. 1981–1999. Toronto: D. Farrell.
There are also several books that compile various charts:
- Lwin, Nanda. 1998. Canada’s Top 1000 Singles, 1975–1998: One Thousand of the Biggest Hits of the Past Two Decades. Mississauga, Ont.: Music Data Canada.
- Lwin, Nanda. 1996. The Canadian Singles Chart Book: 1975–1996. Mississauga, Ont.: Music Data Canada.
- Lwin, Nanda. 2002. “The Essential ... Chart Yearbook.”
- Lwin, Nanda. 1994-1996. “The Record ... Chart Almanac.”
- Lwin, Nanda. 2000. Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Mississauga, Ont.: Music Data Canada.
- Lwin, Nanda. 2003. Top Albums: The Essential Chart Guide. Toronto: Music Data Research.
- Lyttle, Brendan J. 1978. A Chartology of Canadian Popular Music: January 1965 to December 1976. [Toronto]: [RPM Music Publications].
Access the publication
For charts that are digitized
Use Collection search to access searchable digitized copies.
For charts that are not digitized
There are also print versions of the charts. You will need to request a copy from Copy Services or consult the print copy magazines on site in Ottawa. To find the reference, see the chart above.
To consult items on site, you will need a user card number and an Aurora account. Delivery time can be between two hours and a few weeks, depending on the location and condition of the issue you would like to see.
If you cannot visit us in person, you may want to hire a researcher to consult the directories for you.
If you have any other questions about the magazine or music charts, please don’t hesitate to ask a reference question.
Related links
- RPM Magazine (Canada) (external site – in English only)