The UK pop charts are set to follow their US counterparts in including not just download sales but also streaming data in compiling positions
George Ergatoudis, head of music at BBC Radio 1, has said that the station will soon include streaming data when compiling the top 40 charts.
The charts are currently decided by sales of digital downloads (plus a tiny amount of physical copies), but the number of plays on services like Spotify will also be taken into account. 7.4bn songs were streamed in the UK last year, according to the BPI.
The plans were announced by Ergatoudis at an industry event last night, tweeting to confirm it and saying that other services as well as Spotify will be included in the data. It will effectively merge data from two charts from the Official Charts Company – one for streaming, and one for sales – but the weighting of each in determining the chart positions isn't yet clear.
The move brings the UK in line with the US, where streaming data has been incorporated into the Billboard Hot 100 ever since 2007, with the likes of AOL Music first being collated. The charts have since included the next generation of streaming services as each were launched, with the standalone Streaming Songs chart launched in January last year (which also influences Hot 100 standings).
Billboard also includes radio airplay, and YouTube plays of songs, including those outside the official accounts of each artist - meaning that spoofs and viral takes on songs, from Harlem Shake to Wrecking Ball, can help send a song to the top of the charts. It's not clear whether Radio 1 or the Official Charts Company are similarly planning to include YouTube data. Reported by guardian.co.uk 1 day ago.
George Ergatoudis, head of music at BBC Radio 1, has said that the station will soon include streaming data when compiling the top 40 charts.
The charts are currently decided by sales of digital downloads (plus a tiny amount of physical copies), but the number of plays on services like Spotify will also be taken into account. 7.4bn songs were streamed in the UK last year, according to the BPI.
The plans were announced by Ergatoudis at an industry event last night, tweeting to confirm it and saying that other services as well as Spotify will be included in the data. It will effectively merge data from two charts from the Official Charts Company – one for streaming, and one for sales – but the weighting of each in determining the chart positions isn't yet clear.
The move brings the UK in line with the US, where streaming data has been incorporated into the Billboard Hot 100 ever since 2007, with the likes of AOL Music first being collated. The charts have since included the next generation of streaming services as each were launched, with the standalone Streaming Songs chart launched in January last year (which also influences Hot 100 standings).
Billboard also includes radio airplay, and YouTube plays of songs, including those outside the official accounts of each artist - meaning that spoofs and viral takes on songs, from Harlem Shake to Wrecking Ball, can help send a song to the top of the charts. It's not clear whether Radio 1 or the Official Charts Company are similarly planning to include YouTube data. Reported by guardian.co.uk 1 day ago.