Vinyl Group is pleased to share that Serenade has been named by Billboard as one of only seven currently approved vendors and manufacturers globally whose Smart Media Albums will be eligible to count towards Billboard’s US album charts.

Beginning with the 2-8 October 2026 tracking week, eligible Smart Media Albums produced by Serenade will count as one full album sale on Billboard’s album sales charts, and as 0.5 equivalent album units on Billboard’s album consumption charts.

The change marks a major milestone for Serenade, opening chart eligibility in the world’s largest recorded music market and significantly expanding the commercial opportunity for its Smart Formats product.

Smart Media Albums are physical music products that unlock digital album content through technologies such as NFC and QR codes. Alongside the music itself, products can incorporate exclusive digital content including video, photography, lyrics and liner notes, as well as physical collectibles such as cards, stickers and posters.

Billboard has introduced the format following an expansion of Luminate’s music consumption data to include Smart Media Album sales, recognising the continued evolution of how fans buy, collect and engage with music.

Serenade is one of just seven companies currently approved by Billboard for chart-eligible Smart Media Albums, alongside IYK, KiTbetter, Totem, WeVerse, Yoto and ZATAP.

For Vinyl Group, US chart accreditation considerably increases the addressable opportunity for Serenade by allowing artists and labels to use its products as part of chart-focused release campaigns in the United States.

Vinyl Group CEO Josh Simons said:

“US chart eligibility is a huge milestone for Serenade. Billboard and Luminate recognising Smart Media Albums validates a category Serenade has been building for years, and being named as one of only seven approved providers globally puts us in an incredibly strong position.

“Most importantly, it means the artists and labels we work with can now use Serenade products as part of their Billboard chart campaigns. The US is the world’s largest recorded music market, so this significantly expands the commercial opportunity ahead of us.”

Billboard’s announcement can be read in full here.