The UK Albums Chart is a weekly record chart based on album sales from Friday to Thursday in the United Kingdom (the chart week ran from Sunday to Saturday until 2015). It listed only physical album sales until 2007, after which it has also included albums sold digitally, and from March 2015, includes streamed tracks. The chart is currently compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the UK music industry, and each week's new number one is first announced on Friday evenings (Sunday evenings until July 2015) by BBC Radio 1 on their weekly chart show.
The album chart was first published by Record Mirror on 28 July 1956—the album at number one that week was Songs for Swingin' Lovers! by Frank Sinatra. As of 24 November 2013[update], 1,000 different albums have reached the top of the chart; 11 artists have topped the chart with nine or more different albums. The most successful act is The Beatles, who have reached number one with fifteen records and spent 174 weeks at the top, longer than any other artist.Elvis Presley is the most successful solo artist with 13 number-one albums in the UK.
The following artists have been credited on at least nine different number one albums, as recognised by the OCC. Appearances on compilation albums featuring various artists are not included.