Delivering analytical data solutions for the music industry

Specialising in the comprehensive compilation of music consumption data, spanning everything from independent retail sales to global streaming figures.

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Collaborating with Industry Leaders
IFPI Norway
ERA
Official charts
ZPAV
Kantar
01 / About us

Our Heritage

Ranger Charts is an independent private company based in Central England specialising in the compilation of physical, digital and streaming data for the recorded music industry. From its 1993 origins in UK retail barcode terminals, the company launched OSCAR in 1995, a bespoke EPOS solution for the complex universe of music retail. Using its collaborative platform, Ultimate, Ranger then started producing official music charts, expanding from Finland in 2009 across the Nordics, the Baltics, and Poland.
30+
Years in the industry
90+
Years of combined technical experience
8
Countries of operation
02 / Our journey

Milestones of Innovation

A journey of continuous development. Trace our progress from early retail hardware innovation to our current position as a leading chart compiler.

Explore our history
1985

The Genesis of Portable Computing

Co-founded by entrepreneurs David Hampson and David Viewing, Ranger’s original mission was to pioneer portable computing for commercial, scientific, and military applications.

1993

The Barcode Revolution

The Ranger team developed a pioneering technical strategy, successfully deploying over 2,000 barcode scanning terminals across music retail stores in the U.K.

1995

Bespoke Innovation: The OSCAR System

Invited by the UK chart organisation to develop a dedicated EPOS system for the music industry, Ranger launched ‘OSCAR’, a unique system built to handle the industry's vast repertoire and need for seamless processing.

2008

The Finnish Collaboration

Recognised for our retail expertise, Ranger was invited to propose a solution to capture sales from physical retailers for the Finnish National record charts.

2009

Official Chart Provider: Finland

IFPI Finland, the national group of IFPI in the country, selected Ranger’s ‘Ultimate’ chart system to provide the official Top 40 charts, marking our first major appointment as a national chart provider.

2011

A Streaming Milestone

Ultimate became the first automated chart system in the world to include streaming data, revolutionising how music consumption was measured.

2011

Nordic Expansion

Ranger was appointed as the official chart provider for Norway, further solidifying our presence in the Nordic region.

2016

Expanding the Reach

Ranger was appointed as the official streaming chart provider for Iceland.

2017

Baltic Expansion

Ranger was appointed as the official streaming chart provider for Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. With this addition, Ranger established itself as one of the world’s top three chart compilers.

2019

UK Independent Partnership

Re-appointed by Kantar, the UK chart compiler for the Official Charts Company, to capture real-time sales data from more than 100 independent retail stores in the U.K.

2023

Poland & Multi-Media Integration

Appointed by ZPAV to produce Poland’s music charts, integrating Streaming into the Charts for the first time.

2025

Next-Gen Automation: Sierra

The launch of Sierra, a new tool designed to automate the collection of music sales data from independent record stores and online retailers worldwide.

03 / Software platform

From information to understanding

Ultimate is our flagship cloud-based platform, designed to unify fragmented data from physical, digital, and streaming sources into a single, verifiable source of truth. By automating complex calculations, it empowers national trade organisations to produce authentic music charts with absolute confidence.

Explore the platform ↗
PROCESSING OVERVIEWILLUSTRATIVE WORKFLOW
From complex data to clear insights
Multi-source dataINCOMING INFORMATION
✳
Processing & analysisConsolidating complex information
WORKFLOW
01Data consolidation✓
02Validation & structuring✓
03Data transformation✓
04Advanced analytics✓
05Intelligence & reporting✓
Performance insightsClear, comparable results
RESULTS
PositionAlbumGenrePerformanceTrend
01AAlbum APop↑ 3
02BAlbum BDance↑ 1
03CAlbum CR&B↓ 2
04DAlbum DRock↑ 2
Conceptual illustration · Fictional values · Not live data
04 / Our solutions

Purpose-Built for the Music Industry

Explore all solutions ↗
Sierra - Software

Automated Data Collection

Our next-generation solution for real-time data collection from independent record stores and online retailers. Sierra streamlines the capture of over-the-counter and mail-order sales into a single, automated workflow.

MoBar - Hardware

Plug & Play Data Capture

A high-performance scanner designed for independent retailers. It offers seamless, real-time data transmission via mobile networks, providing instant sales updates without the need for complex wiring or broadband connections.

Oscar - Software

Specialist EPOS System

An established point-of-sale solution tailored for independent music retail. Featuring a daily-updated catalogue of millions of titles, it provides retailers with deep product information and robust stock control.