YouTube has stopped submitting music streaming data for Billboard rankings.

 

YouTube has announced that it will stop providing data to Billboard, which was previously used to calculate weekly rankings of top songs in the United States. This data submission will take effect from January 16th.

Billboard recently announced a change to its ranking formula, giving more weight to streaming from paid accounts than to free, ad-supported accounts at a ratio of 2.5:1, a shift from equal weight previously. Billboard argues that this method better reflects music monetization through streaming and current listening behavior.

However, YouTube disagrees, arguing that Billboard's formula is outdated and doesn't reflect how "most" people listen to music today, primarily through free accounts. They also point out that music streaming is currently the primary source of revenue for the music industry, accounting for 84% in the US, and therefore all streams should be counted equally. YouTube states that weekly rankings calculated using its own methodology can be found at charts.youtube.com.

This change means that YouTube streams will no longer affect Billboard rankings. This may force artists and record labels to adjust their YouTube release strategies, and it remains to be seen which approach will have a greater impact.