Anghami enhances platform with more dynamic charts update

Anghami has announced an update to its charts as it continues to enhance the platform for its 70+m users. It has upgraded its music charts algorithm to better reflect which tracks are most popular.

With more than 70+m songs, Anghami’s charts are the main reference point for music consumption in the MENA region. The company has now upgraded its algorithm to ensure users and artists are kept up to date with the ever-changing streaming scene.

Commenting on the update, Elie Habib, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Anghami, said: “As we maintain our regional leadership in streaming technology, it’s important that we maintain transparency and keep our users up to date with exactly how our charts work and crucially, with what’s going on in the industry. We also realise how important these charts are as they affect artists’ careers and people’s listening choices every day, and so we want to ensure they’re not open to fraud or malicious attempts to manipulate listening figures.”

The existing chart-generating algorithm had strict fraud checks built-in that sometimes mistook a user enjoying a song on repeat for fraudulent activity. The new iteration is still able to detect fraud accurately while accounting for people playing a song on repeat all day long. It also takes into account those older tracks that suddenly resurface on social media and become popular again – not just the newest and latest song.

Habib added: “After hearing from artists across the region, from local and international music labels, and from loyal fans, with the help of our world-class engineering and data science teams, we’ve re-implemented our charts using the latest technology. Issued daily every morning, they’re now based on total plays of the previous day, not on unique users, and capped at 100 plays per user. There is also no difference between an old song from back in the day or a brand-new track that’s just come out; all are treated equally regardless of the release date.”