In a rapidly changing music landscape, SA Chart Pulse is redefining how South Africa measures musical success. By combining data from radio, Shazam, YouTube, and streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer, it offers a unified view of what the nation is truly listening to — across devices, formats, and moments. We sat down with the creator to unpack the idea behind the chart, its impact, and how artists can use it strategically.
What was the moment or insight that made you realise that Mzansi needed a chart like SA Chart Pulse?
It clicked for me on an ordinary day. I heard a track on the radio while driving, replayed it on YouTube once I got to the office, then searched for it again on Spotify — where it was in the Top 100. That whole journey — radio → YouTube → streaming, across my phone, TV, laptop, and car — made me realise how people actually consume music: multi-platform, multi-device, and in different moments.
A single chart, like any platform’s Top 100, is too narrow to tell that story. SA Chart Pulse was born from that insight — to bring radio, Shazam, YouTube, and streaming into one honest view of what the country is truly moving to.
Your chart isn’t just about streaming — which platform(s) do you think are underrated in influence, and why?
Shazam shows where and when people are engaging — in a club, a bar, a taxi, or at home. When someone takes out their phone to ID a song, that’s intent you can’t fake. Those spikes often predict tomorrow’s radio rotation.
Radio, especially community and vernacular stations, remains our widest cultural amplifier. Daytime spins build sing-along familiarity across provinces and age groups.
YouTube, including Shorts and Smart TV listening, captures the visual and living-room side of music, dance clips, performances, and reaction videos that audio-only platforms miss.
Spotify and Deezer aren’t underrated, but some behaviours on them are: saves, playlist adds, repeat plays, and follows. Those metrics show whether you’re building real fans, not just borrowing reach from playlists.
Bottom line: SA Chart Pulse includes all these signals, but never reduces success to one platform’s chart. Together, they show when a record has escaped the algorithm bubble and become common property.
In the early weeks of data, which artist or track surprised you most for cross-platform momentum — someone that wouldn’t be obvious from streaming alone?
A good example was Shandesh with her track “Passport.” On Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube, she wasn’t one of the biggest names, but she received heavy rotation on commercial radio and a flood of Shazam lookups, which pushed her high up our cross-platform chart.
This perfectly illustrates why SA Chart Pulse exists: it measures performance across Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Shazam, Deezer, and SA radio to capture real cultural impact, not just streaming stats.
How should independent artists use the Pulse Score as a strategic tool — beyond chasing a number?
Treat the Pulse Score as a compass, not a trophy. It combines performance across platforms to reflect how music actually spreads. For independent artists, that breadth is powerful:
If Shazam activity spikes but streams stay low, people are searching but not saving. Fix your metadata, push pre-saves, or drop a visualiser.
Use regional data like radio ads and Shazam heat maps to plan gigs or collaborations where your music’s catching fire.
Align your radio service, video release, and short-form content to convert “hearing” → “searching” → “watching” → “saving.”
Focus on momentum, not rank. Sustained week-on-week growth signals real traction — more valuable than a one-week spike.
The Pulse Score rewards cross-platform consistency, so gaming on one channel won’t work. Focus on authentic engagement everywhere.
In short: use Pulse to decide what to do next, not just to celebrate what you’ve done.
What’s your hope for how SA Chart Pulse will shift the conversation around “success” in Mzansi’s music ecosystem over the next 2–3 years?
My hope is that SA Chart Pulse will broaden the definition of winning in South African music. The chart is a cross-platform barometer — drawing on radio, Shazam, YouTube, and streaming data, to reflect how people actually experience music.
Over the next few years, I’d like to see three key shifts:
Success is measured by breadth, not just depth. Songs that move on the radio and Shazam, even with modest streams, will finally be visible.
A more inclusive narrative. Equal weighting across formats gives genres like gospel, amapiano, gqom, and K-pop a credible benchmark.
Focus on sustained momentum. The Pulse Score favours artists building week-on-week engagement — connecting with listeners in clubs, cars, Reels, and gym playlists, over viral one-offs.
If SA Chart Pulse can shift the focus this way, we’ll be celebrating music that truly moves people across Mzansi, not just songs that spike on one platform.