The Australian Recording Industry Association’s ARIA Charts celebrated its 30^th anniversary on Wednesday.

The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) was launched on July 10, 1983, during the time Michael Jackson ruled the world with his influential and powerful album Thriller. However, it wasn’t until June 1988 when the ARIA charts become the country’s official music chart surpassing Kent Music Report. 

Over the 30 years of collating sales of single and albums from record stores each week, statistics released by the ARIA board found Madonna remains the queen of pop and has been for the past three decades, spending the most time, in the No.1 spot on the singles charts for 38 weeks. Coming in equal with Kylie with the most No.1 singles (10). Despite Madonna’s success in ruling the charts, U2 still managed to dominate the queen of pop, taking out the title for most amount of No.1 albums in Australia with 11, followed by Madonna with 10, Jimmy Barnes with 9 and John Farnham with 8. 

Rapper Coolio’s famous No.1 single ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ remains at the top spot, becoming the longest running No.1 single, ruling the charts for 13 weeks. While Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ was able to come in behind, spending 12 weeks on the charts in the top spot.

Despite the ARIA charts being predominantly ruled by global artists, Australians do appreciate local talent. Some of the great leading artists coming out of Australia include Gotye, Savage Garden, Kylie Minogue and John Farnham, just a few who have all managed to conquer the charts here and overseas. Gotye’s smash hit ‘Somebody I Used To Know’ become number one on the U.S charts and in other parts of the country. The ‘Somebody I Used To Know’ singer is the first Australia artist to reach number one on the U.S charts singles since Olivia Newton John’s hit song’Physical’ in 1982.

ARIA chairman Denis Handlin stated on Wednesday, “The history of the singles and albums captured by the ARIA charts not only represents brilliant recorded music, but also the soundtrack to our lives,”.