English

Aghani (aghani.org) presents aggregated rankings of Arabic digital music content using publicly available data retrieved via the YouTube Data API v3
(https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3). Rankings reflect collective attention within defined time windows, not individual preferences or recommendations. Results are non-personalized, data-driven, and non-editorial.

1. Content Scope, Eligibility & Validation

Aghani ranks publicly accessible Arabic-language music content on YouTube.

To be included, content must meet all of the following at the time of data collection:

• Categorized on YouTube as Music
• Represents an official music release (official music video, official audio, or artist-approved upload)
• Contains Arabic language in the title and/or audio
• Has non-zero likes
• Has non-zero comments

Automated validation processes are applied to:

• Remove duplicates and re-uploads
• Filter spam, compilations, and non-original content
• Detect and exclude artificial or manipulated engagement

Content failing any eligibility or validation rule is excluded.

2. Data Sources & Metrics

All rankings are derived exclusively from public YouTube metadata obtained via the YouTube Data API v3.

Metrics used include:

• Views
• Likes
• Comments
• Publish date
• Category
• Regional and language signals

Metrics requiring creator-only or private analytics access are not used. Rankings do not accept paid inclusion.

3. Geographic Scope, Language Signals & Regional Weighting (MENA)

• Only views originating from Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries are counted.
• Regional attribution is based on YouTube country signals, with Arabic language indicators (titles, metadata, and audio context) used as supporting signals.
• Rankings favor songs that trend across multiple Arab countries.
• Songs viewed in a larger number of MENA countries score higher than songs with views concentrated in a single country.

This approach prioritizes regional breadth and cross-country resonance over localized virality and measures Arabic music performance within the Arab world, not global popularity alone.

4. Scoring & Ranking Method

• Each eligible entry receives a composite score calculated by combining views, likes, and comments.
• Final rank is assigned after summing these engagement signals into a single score.
• Rankings are ordered strictly by the computed score.
• No editorial ordering, manual adjustment, personalization, or paid prioritization is applied.

5. Release Timing & Ranking Windows

Monthly Rankings

• Eligibility windows run from the 1st through the 25th of each month.
• Songs released after the 25th are excluded and rolled into the following month.
• Ranking snapshots are taken on the 1st day of each month for the previous month’s eligible window.

Annual Rankings

• Annual rankings use fixed calendar-year windows.
• December releases are excluded from the current year and rolled into the following year.
• Annual snapshots are taken on January 1st for the previous year’s eligible window.

Once a ranking period closes, results remain unchanged until the next update cycle to ensure stability and comparability.

6. Platform Use & Playback

• aghani.org uses the official YouTube embedded player.
• Video content is streamed directly from YouTube and is not hosted on aghani.org.
• View counts, advertisements, and playback behavior are governed entirely by YouTube’s platform rules and policies.

7. Governance & Editorial Policy

• Methodology updates or corrections are applied prospectively only.
• Material changes are disclosed when relevant.
• Historical rankings are not retroactively modified.
• No manual promotion or suppression.
• No paid inclusion.
• Rankings reflect data only.