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Dr. Malik · Feb 21, 2013

The Billboard Hot 100 undergoes a major shakeup this week, as YouTube streaming data joins the chart's methodology. Fittingly, "Harlem Shake," the viral smash from Brooklyn producer Baauer, roars onto the ranking at No. 1.

As announced today, Billboard and Nielsen have revealed that U.S. YouTube video streaming data has been added to multiple platforms, which includes an update to the formula for the five-decade-old Hot 100. YouTube streaming data is now factored into the chart, enhancing a recipe that includes digital download track sales (and physical singles sales), as tracked by Nielsen SoundScan, as well as terrestrial radio airplay, on-demand audio streaming, and online radio streaming, as tracked by Nielsen BDS.

As "Shake" takes over atop the Hot 100 (and Dance/Electronic Songs, where it leaps from No. 12), it dethrones Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Thrift Shop," featuring Wanz, after a four-week reign. Showing just how strong "Shake" is in streaming, "Shop" registered an impressive 10.1 million streams in the chart's tracking week (dipping 1-2 on Streaming Songs), but the figure is clearly exponentially lower than the 103 million for "Shake." "Shake," in fact, leads the Hot 100 with three-and-a-half times the overall chart points total of "Shop."

sales of 262,000 downloads. That sales sum alone, good for a No. 3 ranking on Hot Digital Songs, would have placed the track within the top 15 on the Hot 100 without the inclusion of YouTube streams into the calculation.

[x]

So now songs that go viral on YouTube or garner lots of views have a chance of impacting the Hot 100

and example of the new formula

#01 on Hot 100
BAAUER - Harlem Shake:
2.124 AI (radio play)
262k sales

#02 on Hot 100
4. MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS Thrift Shop f/Wanz:
154.384 (+ 1.221) AI (radio play)
412k sales

so it looks like radio's weight was lowered

PSY and Rebecca Black missed their chance.

Davey Cakes · Feb 21, 2013

Even less reason to care about the Hot 100.

jtb · Feb 21, 2013

seems like it defeats the whole point of the hot 100, but I never really got what the billboard stuff measured anyways

MIMIC · Feb 21, 2013

Gangnam Style stalls at No. 2
Harlem Shake DEBUTS at No. 1

Battle of the virals

Phire Phox · Feb 21, 2013

jtb said:
seems like it defeats the whole point of the hot 100, but I never really got what the billboard stuff measured anyways

how so? the purpose of the hot 100 is to determine the most popular songs in the country. In this day and age, YouTube and the net are one of the primary ways people listen to music.

Cipherr · Feb 21, 2013

Phire Phox said:
how so? the purpose of the hot 100 is to determine the most popular songs in the country. In this day and age, YouTube and the net are one of the primary ways people listen to music.

Yep, this makes perfect sense tbh. I think they even measure some of the new age radio services dont they? The streaming ones. Rdio and all that.

cory64 · Feb 21, 2013

Intent is fine, execution is atrocious since it includes any video on YouTube that includes an authorized use of a song (regardless of length), and it's weighted too heavily:

cory64 said:
Streaming 103 million /325 = 316,923
Radio 2 million /7500 = 267
OD 309k /125 = 2,472
Sales 262k /12 = 21,833
Harlem Shake total = 341,495

Thrift Shop:
Streaming 10.1 million/325 = 31,077
Radio 111 million/7500 = 14,800
OD 2 million/125 = 16,000
Sales 412k/12 = 34,333
Thrift Shop total = 96,210

Wafflecakes · Feb 21, 2013

Cipherr said:
Yep, this makes perfect sense tbh. I think they even measure some of the new age radio services dont they? The streaming ones. Rdio and all that.

Yes its Radio, Sales, Streaming, and Youtube.

I think it was a necessary change.

border · Feb 21, 2013

It hardly seems fair that a song can rocket to #1 based on a bunch of 35 second clips. If they were tracking views of a legitimate music video that's fine, but just because a song is included in a bunch of corny meme-clips doesn't really mean it should rule the chart.

It's the meme that's actually popular - not the song itself.

entremet · Feb 21, 2013

Makes sense. The old way was way outdated. People listen to radio?

royalan · Feb 21, 2013

Posted in PopGAF.

Ultimately, I think this is a silly move and part of me thinks (WANTS to think) that it won't last long.

I mean, there are so many factors when it comes to what makes a Youtube video popular, and a LOT of them don't have shit to do with the actual song that's playing. And, frankly, I don't want to see any #1s clocked by the latest boyband of the moment because their videos rake in millions of views from horny preteen girls who want to see cute boys act dopey and homoerotic and couldn't give a shit about the song (sorry Waffle/Marius).

I think this could make things more confusing and unfair in the long run.

Also, I feel like Billboard is screwing over the Hot 100 AND radio with this move. Radio is already one big, homogenic mess. Imagine what it's going to be like when artists, producers, and labels start prioritizing the type of music that typically accompanies a viral video. It's going to be the EDM craze x100.

Ken Masters · Feb 21, 2013

Haven't YouTube music video hits been proven to be inflated by major labels?

This is so stupid

Delusibeta · Feb 21, 2013

cory64 said:
Intent is fine, execution is atrocious since it includes any video on YouTube that includes an authorized use of a song (regardless of length), and it's weighted too heavily:

LOL, that's embarrassing. Streaming should be weaker than radio, as it currently is 27 and a bit YouTube streams is worth one legal purchase, which is blatant bollocks. That's going to need hitting with the nerf bat immediately. Until YouTube streams are divided by at least 15,000, all of the Hot 100 charts are invalid.

tj hazuki · Feb 21, 2013

This screws unestablished artists so much.

Wafflecakes · Feb 21, 2013

Ken Masters said:
Haven't YouTube music video hits been proven to be inflated by major labels?

This is so stupid

They have gotten better at removing those.

They also can track what country they come from so it will be limited to US views.

Delio · Feb 21, 2013

royalan said:
Posted in PopGAF.

Ultimately, I think this is a silly move and part of me thinks (WANTS to think) that it won't last long.

I mean, there are so many factors when it comes to what makes a Youtube video popular, and a LOT of them don't have shit to do with the actual song that's playing. And, frankly, I don't want to see any #1s clocked by the latest boyband of the moment because their videos rake in millions of views from horny preteen girls who want to see cute boys act dopey and homoerotic and couldn't give a shit about the song (sorry Waffle/Marius).

I think this could make things more confusing and unfair in the long run.

Also, I feel like Billboard is screwing over the Hot 100 AND radio with this move. Radio is already one big, homogenic mess. Imagine what it's going to be like when artists, producers, and labels start prioritizing the type of music that typically accompanies a viral video. It's going to be the EDM craze x100.

At me being ignored in that boyband fan shade. Im so not relevant ;_;

Wafflecakes · Feb 21, 2013

Delio said:
At me being ignored in that boyband fan shade. Im so not relevant ;_;

Its ok hun. We have not forgotten you.

Though you really should post more <3

Delio · Feb 21, 2013

Wafflecakes said:
Its ok hun. We have not forgotten you.

Though you really should post more <3

Im really like Niall then. The forgotten member of the band ;_;

The Faceless Master · Feb 21, 2013

jtb said:
seems like it defeats the whole point of the hot 100, but I never really got what the billboard stuff measured anyways

seems like they finally gained some more relevance to me...

goldenticket · Feb 21, 2013

The Faceless Master said:
seems like they finally gained some more relevance to me...

yeah same here. i think this is a step in the right direction

Dr. Malik · Feb 21, 2013

From the editor of Billboard

The new #Hot100 has a target chart ratio of sales (35-45%), airplay (30-40%) and streaming (20-30%). These change based on platform volume.

So you can see, on a typical week, @YouTube streams are part of a 20-35% slice that also includes spotify, rdio, Vevo (thru YouTube) etc.

The YouTube data--like all #Hot100 data--is US only. YouTube de-spams for bots & data irregularities, and we do too, as on all data sources.

We happened to launch @youtube data on a week when @baauer was having a truly, singularly historic run on YouTube. It dwarfed PSY peaks.

I'm glad the chart finally reflects a phenomenon like the #HarlemShake properly. Its scale is scary huge.

Wafflecakes · Feb 21, 2013

They shouldn't have debuted the new formula on the same week as a phenomenon. Seems an awful lot like rigging the system.

Other than that. I am fine with the %'s he posted. They seem fair.

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