CBAA launches National Community Radio Airplay Charts

The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) has launched a new weekly snapshot of Australian music being played on community radio across the country, tracking airplay across all community stations.

The Community Radio Airplay Charts will be available on amrap.org.au, replacing the current amrap.org.au download charts and offering artists and industry professionals fresh insights into which acts are resonating with audiences and where.

This announcement came on the second day of the 2025 CBAA Conference in Hobart.

Under the new system, the impact of community radio on the discovery and support of local music will be quantified using Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology.

This new tool showcases Australian music supported by community radio, highlights the value of amrap.org.au as a platform for discovery, provides fresh promotional opportunities for local artists, labels and teams and recognises the essential role that community broadcasters play in Australia’s music ecosystem.

CBAA Music Director Andrew Khedoori says “We have countless stories from Australian artists about the impact community radio has had on their music. At last, the value of community radio is no longer anecdotal and there for everyone to see.”

The influence of community radio is evident in recent data. Between October 2024 and May 2025, AMRAP reported 250,000 plays of Australian music on community radio.

In the December 2024 Community Radio Listener Survey, 60% of respondents reported feeling more connected to their local music scene through community radio.

How the charts work:

National Top 20 Chart:

All tracks uploaded and available via amrap.org.au are eligible to chart.

A weekly, all-genre ranking of the 20 most-played Australian tracks, updated and published every Friday at 10.00 am AEST

Genre-Specific Charts:

Supplementary charts breaking down airplay across genres, including:

Pop

Indie/Alternative

Rock & Metal

Hip Hop & R&B

Country / Blues / Roots

Electronic / Dance

Each chart entry includes: This Week’s Position (TW), Last Week (LW), Artist Name, Track Title, Highest Position (HP), and Weeks in Chart (TI).

Eligibility Criteria:

Only tracks uploaded to amrap.org.au from 1 November 2024 onwards are eligible for airplay monitoring. Songs can chart for up to 12 weeks before becoming recurrent. Tracks older than 12 months will be excluded from November 2025.

Broadcasters can preview each track with a built-in play button, and download broadcast-ready files straight from the chart page.

Charts are calculated using a play cap of 25 spins per station, ensuring tracks need support from multiple broadcasters to chart. This promotes a wider variety of Australian music and reflects genuine nationwide appeal.

amrap.org.au airplay tracking is made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation and APRA AMCOS.