Words: Kieran Webber | Header Image: Phoebe Lauren
Starting January 3rd 2020 YouTube Plays Will Be Incorporated
Today Billboard announced that YouTube plays will now be added to their calculations for the Billboard 200 Albums Chart. The change will be put into effect January 3rd 2020. According to The New York Times, the company will also be including Apple Music, TIDAL and VEVO counts. However, “user-generated content” such as memes or parodies will not be included in the calculation.
It was only a matter of time before older platforms would have to bow down to new media. According to Midia Research, via The Times YouTube is considered the most popular streaming platform. The research claims that 55% of online streams come through YouTube. While other platforms share 37% of the market.
YouTube’s dominance hasn’t come without controversy though. Artists such as Trent Rezner and Thom York have been extremely vocal against the streaming platform owned by Google. Rezner claims the platform is “built on the backs of free, stolen content”. Whilst York compared the YouTube to “Nazi Germany”.
Either way it could be a great way to include more underground artists when these top 200 are calculated. It may open the doors to less funded creatives with a strong fanbase to push through the glass ceiling.
Source: https://pitchfork.com/news/youtube-plays-will-now-count-toward-the-billboard-album-charts/