This Python script fetches and displays the current top songs or albums based on purchases from the iTunes Store. Users can select a category and the number of entries to view, with rankings clearly labeled to reflect purchase trends as of the check date.
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#!/usr/bin/env python3
# iTunes Top Purchases Scraper
# Purpose: Fetches and displays the current top songs or albums based on purchases from the iTunes Store.
# Note: This script shows purchase-based rankings, not streaming data.
import requests
from datetime import datetime
# Define categories with their display names and RSS feed paths
categories = {
1: {'name': 'Top Songs (Purchases)', 'path': 'topsongs'},
2: {'name': 'Top Albums (Purchases)', 'path': 'topalbums'}
}
def main():
"""Main function to run the iTunes Top Purchases Scraper."""
# Inform the user that the data reflects purchases, not streaming
print("Welcome! This script shows top songs or albums based on purchases from the iTunes Store (not streaming data).")
# Display category options
print("\nSelect a category:")
for key, value in categories.items():
print(f"{key}. {value['name']}")
# Get and validate category choice
choice_input = input("Enter the number of your choice: ")
try:
choice = int(choice_input)
if choice not in categories:
raise ValueError
except ValueError:
print("Invalid choice. Please run the script again and enter 1 or 2.")
return
category = categories[choice]
category_name = category['name']
# Get and validate number of entries
limit_input = input("Enter the number of entries to display (1-100, default 10): ")
if limit_input.strip() == "":
limit = 10
else:
try:
limit = int(limit_input)
if limit < 1 or limit > 100:
print("Limit must be between 1 and 100. Using default of 10.")
limit = 10
except ValueError:
print("Invalid input. Using default of 10.")
limit = 10
# Construct the RSS feed URL
url = f"https://itunes.apple.com/us/rss/{category['path']}/limit={limit}/json"
# Record the current date and time
check_date = datetime.now().strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
# Fetch data from the iTunes RSS feed
try:
response = requests.get(url)
response.raise_for_status()
data = response.json()
except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
print(f"Error fetching data: {e}")
return
# Extract entries from the JSON response
feed = data.get('feed', {})
entries = feed.get('entry', [])
if not entries:
print("No data available for this category.")
return
# Display the results
print(f"\n{category_name} as of {check_date}")
print(f"{'Rank':<5} {'Name':<50} {'Artist':<30}")
print("-" * 85)
for i, entry in enumerate(entries, start=1):
name = entry.get('im:name', {}).get('label', 'N/A')
artist = entry.get('im:artist', {}).get('label', 'N/A')
print(f"{i:<5} {name:<50} {artist:<30}")
if __name__ == '__main__':
main()