---
title: "Sign O’ The Times: Billboard Adds Online Streaming Data to Charts"
date: 2007-08-03
author: "Richard MacManus"
categories:
  - name: "ReadWriteWeb"
    url: "/category/readwriteweb.md"
tags:
  - name: "2007"
    url: "/tag/2007.md"
---

# Sign O’ The Times: Billboard Adds Online Streaming Data to Charts

![](https://web.archive.org/web/20120302143745im_/http://rww.readwriteweb.netdna-cdn.com/images/billboard_logo.gif)Interesting news tidbit today that Billboard is adding online music streaming to its ‘algorithm’ for compiling the Weekly Billboard Top 100. As a Gen X person who grew up listening to the weekly American Top 40 (by Casey Kasem and then Shadoe Stevens), this struck a chord with me. According to [the press release](https://web.archive.org/web/20120302143745/http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2007/8/emw544461.htm), in the new Billboard Hot 100 formula, radio audience will average about 55% of the chart’s total points, digital sales will account for about 40%, and streaming media will determine 5%. In a further sign of the times, physical singles – “in line with the music industry’s retreat from that product over the past decade” – will account for less than 1% of the chart’s new formula.

Specifically, the 5% will be streamed and on-demand music data from [AOL Music](https://web.archive.org/web/20120302143745/http://www.music.aol.com/) and [Yahoo! Music](https://web.archive.org/web/20120302143745/http://music.yahoo.com/). They are also looking to include other sources, such as Rhapsody. According to Billboard, digital delivery began playing an important role in the chart’s composition in February 2005 – when they factored in the sale of digital tracks, “as measured by Nielsen SoundScan from a comprehensive panel of online merchants.”

![](https://web.archive.org/web/20120302143745im_/http://rww.readwriteweb.netdna-cdn.com/images/At40.jpg)An even better sign of the times will occur when radio audience drops below digital sales and streaming, which I think isn’t too far off. Radio audience will always mean the charts will be middle-of-the-road (think Michael Bolton) and biased (who knows what deals are done behind the scenes), whereas the online medium brings with it much better measurement of what music people are *really* tuning into. It will still be open to gaming – you only need to look at some prominent blogs to realise that the page view model is being swindled big time. Even so, I am looking forward to the day when online music accounts for 60-70% of the Billboard charts. Perhaps I might even tune back into The Top 40 at that point 😉 Nowadays I hardly ever listen to radio – it’s all last.fm and my iPod. You guessed it, the 5%.

[Via PaidContent.org](https://web.archive.org/web/20120302143745/http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-billboard-expands-hot-100-chart-to-include-streaming-media-data/)



*Originally published on ReadWriteWeb ([archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20020204040018/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/billboard_adds_online_music_streaming_to_charts.php))*