[citation needed] Billboard cites the following definition for use on their Top Independent Albums chart: "For Billboard charting purposes, defining an independent album is done on a title level and based on its distribution.
Note that this definition does not exclude record labels owned by other large corporations from being classified as independent: for example, Billboard considered Disney Music Group to be an independent label for over a decade, despite being part of The Walt Disney Company, the largest media and entertainment conglomerate in the world.
Some of the independently released albums to have topped the Billboard 200, such as the Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden (2007), Radiohead's In Rainbows (2008), Pearl Jam's Backspacer (2009), Frank Ocean's Blonde (2016) and Kanye West's collaborative album with Ty Dolla Sign, Vultures 1 (2024) are from former major label acts who had developed strong and established fanbases from their time being signed to a major label.
As of the chart dated July 18, 2020, labels that are independently owned and control their masters, but which are distributed directly through one of the "Big Three" record companies (as opposed to a major label within one of the aforementioned companies), would be eligible for Top Independent Albums.
It should additionally be noted that the greatest selling individual album of all time[5] (the Offspring's Smash) was not a Billboard Hot 200 #1 hit, but peaked at #4.