Trying to find the number one Chinese song today is a lot like searching for a needle in a haystack. You can look at the most Shazamed songs of the week in China. There, ‘You Are My Magic’ by 告五人 occupies the top slot. On the top Mandarin Daily Chart on KKBOX, ‘最後一堂課’ [Graduation] by Eric 周興哲 holds number one. How about Apple Music? The top 19 songs are by Jay Chou, then there are two JJ Lin songs, and then eight more Jay Chou songs.

Needless to say, it’s a bit difficult to figure out what the number one song is, let alone the number one Hip Hop or electronic song. So in steps Billboard, which is strategically expanding its global footprint in Asia by launching Billboard China.

In a press release, Billboard President Mike Van said, “We look forward to providing a platform for Chinese musicians to share their art and unique sound amongst a global audience.” The aim is to work closely with local partners to develop products for Chinese listeners. This includes Master Collection, which will interview musicians, producers, and top industry insiders to give their opinions on Chinese music.

Will we get a Billboard China Top 100 that is easily searchable and reliable? That remains to be seen, but a lot of people would be happy if that happened sooner rather than later.