YouTube to pull music data from Billboard’s charts because it doesn’t like its ranking formula

YouTube is pulling its information from Billboard for usage successful the publisher’s industry-leading U.S. euphony charts. The determination is successful effect to a caller change Billboard made to its ranking formula, which continues to adhd much value to paid, on-demand streaming compared with ad-supported, escaped streaming.

Billboard justified its determination to set its age-old look by saying that the alteration volition “better bespeak an summation successful streaming gross and changing user behaviors.”

In different words, streaming present matters much than buying albums oregon songs, truthful it wants its charts to bespeak that.

However, YouTube doesn’t similar the caller look due to the fact that it doesn’t privation determination to beryllium overmuch — if immoderate — differentiation betwixt escaped and paid streams, particularly if the changes are meant to bespeak however consumers contiguous are enjoying music.

“Billboard uses an outdated look that weights subscription-supported streams higher than ad-supported. This doesn’t bespeak however fans prosecute with euphony contiguous and ignores the monolithic engagement from fans who don’t person a subscription,” a YouTube blog station published connected Wednesday explains. “Streaming is the superior mode radical acquisition music, making up 84% of U.S. recorded euphony revenue.”

“We’re simply asking that each watercourse is counted reasonably and equally, whether it is subscription-based oregon ad-supported—because each instrumentality matters and each play should count,” the station notes.

The ranking changes volition beryllium reflected starting with the charts published connected January 17, which volition see information from January 2-8, 2026. This volition interaction the Billboard 200 lists and genre-based medium charts. In addition, the ratio betwixt paid/subscription and ad-supported on-demand streaming tiers volition beryllium adjusted to 2.5:1 for the Billboard Hot 100, Billboard said.

To protestation the caller formula, YouTube said it volition nary longer supply information to Billboard aft January 16, 2026.

Here’s what that alteration means successful practice: Under the revised calculation, Billboard said it volition instrumentality 33.3% less ad-supported on-demand streams of songs from an album, and 20% less paid/subscription on-demand streams of songs from an album, to adjacent an medium unit. In short, it volition instrumentality less streams than earlier for an medium to ascent the charts. This is simply a triumph for streaming successful wide but not needfully for YouTube.

Here’s why. At present, the look Billboard uses defines an medium portion (the modular measurement for illustration rankings) arsenic 1 medium sale. It counts 10 idiosyncratic songs from an medium arsenic 1 medium depletion unit, arsenic well.

On the streaming side, it presently says an medium portion equals 3,750 ad-supported streams — similar YouTube’s — oregon 1,250 paid/subscription authoritative audio and video streams.

After the changes, those figures volition beryllium adjusted, truthful it volition instrumentality 2,500 ad-supported streams oregon 1,000 paid/subscription streams to number arsenic 1 medium unit. This means paid streams number 2.5x arsenic overmuch arsenic ad-supported streams. While that’s little of a spread than the existent 3:1 ratio, it’s inactive not what YouTube would similar seeing here. The institution is fundamentally doing what companies bash successful failed negotiations similar this: it’s taking its shot and going home.

Of course, by not cooperating with Billboard, YouTube’s euphony information won’t beryllium considered successful illustration rankings, which could pb labels and artists to deprioritize publishing their euphony connected YouTube. That’s not a bully semipermanent strategy for YouTube arsenic an important subordinate successful the streaming euphony era. That’s wherefore this determination should beryllium viewed arsenic the dialog maneuver it is.

“We are committed to achieving equitable practice crossed the charts and hopefully tin enactment with Billboard to instrumentality to theirs,” YouTube’s announcement concludes.