Since January 3, 2020, Billboard implemented changes to the measurement system to determine the positions in its music rankings. The famous Billboard chart ranks the best-selling singles by popularity, helping to promote the music industry since 1936. However, the streaming media forced the charts to rethink the system they used to generate their chart.

BILLBOARD AND STREAMING.

The Billboard 200 ranking weekly ranks the most popular albums of the week in the United States, based on multi-metric consumption, which is measured in units equivalent to albums. These units take into account album sales, song equivalents on an album (TEA) and streaming equivalents on an album (SEA).

Formerly the ranking was based on the number of CDs, vinyl or cassettes that fans bought in stores. Clearly, the massive use of new technologies forced changes in how the industry measures the commercial success of music.

THE ROLE OF YOUTUBE AND SUBSCRIPTION SYSTEMS.

Billboard struggled with its weekly measurements. With the rise of streaming platforms (some with paid subscriptions, others free), and record companies finding ways to take advantage of the system (for example, including free downloads of records in the sale of merchandise or with tickets to concerts) it was seen forced to change the rules. In fact, one of the biggest problems was validating YouTube's role as the dominant platform for online music consumption, generally denigrated by major labels for their low royalty rates.

According to Midia Research, YouTube accounts for 55% of all online music streams. Other free streaming systems combined only reach 37% of views.

BILLBOARD HOT 100

One of the most popular music charts is the Hot 100, released by Billboard on a weekly basis. The positioning of the songs released every Friday depends a lot on the amount of streaming on music services like Spotify.

But in reality it is a more complex framework.

Being a benchmark for music, Billboard is crucial when it comes to music. The question about its operation works as follows. The business adapts to technology that not only works through radio, as before, but also involves streaming, consumption and even interactions on social networks. Information partners are Nielsen Music, Next Big Sound, Twitter, Shazam, and Lyrics Find. For that reason, the charts work only for the United States. That is, every time you buy, download or listen to a song on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music or Amazon Music, that action is scanned by the aforementioned companies so that at the beginning of each week the lists department publishes the results on its website official or on your Instagram, Facebook or Twitter profile.

To carry it out, it is important to know about the Digital Transmission System. Its name makes it sound complicated, but it is simply the fingerprint that each song or album records over time. In fact, it is fun to listen to music. However, the people in charge of the Hot 100 do mathematical work that, in the long run, represents prizes for those who have sold the most throughout the year. It is for that reason that the industry seeks to permanently promote debut singles.

In fact, the calculations for the positioning cause controversy in the music industry. For that reason, the same Billboard page has added the following in its article: "The Hot 100 has a locked methodology, updated at least once a year, with each metric divided by a certain number, resulting in a relationship average graph by which broadcasts are the most weighted factor, followed by radio broadcasts and then sales. "