Billboard Hot 100: 05/23/2020

[Myth X]

May 18, 2020 19:48:56 GMT -5 Tea-why said:

Good lord....


How Billboard Came to Its Calculations in This Week's Race For the Hot 100 No. 1

Pop fans anxiously awaited the announcement of this week's No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 today (May 18), with new singles from rapper 6ix9ine ("Gooba") and the pop star duo of Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber ("Stuck With U") likely to be in contention for the chart's top spot.

Ultimately, Billboard announced that "Stuck With U" had debuted atop this week's listing, with "Gooba" landing two spots below at No. 3 in its first week. ("Say So," last week's No. 1 from Doja Cat featuring Nicki Minaj, finished between them at No. 2.)

Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber's 'Stuck With U' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100
This was met with some controversy on social media, as 6ix9ine had taken to Instagram shortly before the chart's reveal to assert that streams of his single had been improperly discounted, and allege that the powers behind "Stuck With U" had "bought" their No. 1 through ill-gotten sales totals. (Grande, Bieber, and manager/"Stuck" co-writer Scooter Braun all later took to Instagram to deny the rapper's claims.)

In an effort towards transparency regarding the Hot 100's chart rules and tabulation process -- and the calculations that go into the determinations of its final rankings -- Billboard wanted to clear some things up regarding this week's chart, and the stats accumulated by the two singles that marked its highest debuts.

The total stream count for "Gooba": 55.3 million combined audio and video U.S. streams for “Gooba” were reported to Nielsen Music/MRC Data and Billboard for this week’s Hot 100.

6ix9ine's claims that not all of his streams were properly counted: Streaming numbers visible on audio and video data platforms do not reflect the volume included in Billboard’s chart calculations. That includes stream counts publicly viewable on platforms, or those made available to content owners (including 6ix9ine and his team) directly through a proprietary data feed or dashboard.

Each data provider provides a post-audit number to Billboard and Nielsen Music/MRC Data -- excluding streams that do not meet long-standing charting parameters, such as U.S.-based-only plays, minimum play length, excessive plays and lack of user verification. This is applied to all songs from all artists. (Billboard has reached out to YouTube for further comment about their play statistics for "Gooba.")

The 30 million streams that 6ix9ine said Billboard counted matches the included chart total for all video plays. That number is more than double any single-week video stream total for any song so far this year.

The discrepancy between YouTube's visible play count for "Gooba" (over 180 million) and the number of streams Billboard counted for the song this week (55.3 million): Counts for a video on its YouTube page are for global plays, and absent any other auditing filters mentioned above. Billboard counts only U.S.-based plays for its charts.

The Hot 100 forecast 6ix9ine referenced in his Instagram video: The chart forecast referenced was not created nor provided by Billboard to the industry. Those with access to sales, streaming and radio data from various sources often create their own chart models and update them at their own frequency. Billboard does not distribute any Hot 100 ranking forecast to labels, management or artists.

The late 24-hour sales spike for "Stuck With U" alleged by 6ix9ine in the video: “Stuck With U” was available to purchase through the week as a digital download, as well as in various physical format/digital download combinations through Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber’s webstores. The sales spike is likely referring to sales on Thursday, May 14 -- the final day of the tracking week -- when signed “Stuck With U” singles were put up for sale in Grande and Bieber’s webstores.

A signed single or album is an accepted form of sales available to any artist and has been noted repeatedly within Billboard chart stories when such items have impacted the Hot 100. 6ix9ine, meanwhile, released a non-signed CD single/digital download on the last day of the tracking week via his webstore.

As noted in this week’s story announcing the results on the latest Hot 100, “Stuck With U” sold 108,000 in the tracking week ending May 14 and “Gooba” sold 24,000, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.

6ix9ine's claims that "six credit cards" were responsible for a hefty percentage of the "Stuck With U" sales: Billboard and Nielsen Music/MRC Data conducts audits on all sales reported with access to purchase-level detail, and works with data partners to recognize excessive bulk purchases and remove those units from the final sales total. All titles this week, as in every week, were put under the same scrutiny. (Billboard has reached out to Fame House/Bravado, retailer and reporter of director-to-consumer sales, for further comment about the sales data provided for "Stuck With U.")

6ix9ine's claims that Billboard would not "disclose" information about data when asked: Billboard and Nielsen Music/MRC Data were open and forthright with all information pertaining to “Gooba” with 6ix9ine’s team. That includes explaining the Hot 100 methodology and how the final ranking and chart points for “Gooba” were calculated. Billboard and Nielsen Music/MRC Data cannot, however, provide granular detail on a title to anyone but its content owner.

How the Hot 100's multi-metric calculations are tabulated, and how it led to this week's results: The Hot 100 has a locked-in methodology, updated at least once a year, with each metric divided by a certain number, which results in an average chart ratio whereby streams are the most heavily weighted factor, followed next by radio airplay and then sales. Each song has its own ratio breakdown based on its specific activity, which contributes to the overall chart average each week .

Overall, “Stuck With U” drew 28.1 million U.S. streams, 26.3 million in radio airplay audience and 108,000 sold in the tracking week. “Gooba” had 55.3 million U.S. streams, 172,000 in radio airplay audience and 24,000 sold.

Those sums resulted in the songs’ respective rankings on this week’s Hot 100.

They didn't even say how many of those streams were from youtube. They make it sound like if all those 55.3 million streams were from youtube

Too much talking for nothing

[Caviar]

whew chil...

[Deleted]

6ix9ine went from beefing with YG and Chief Keef to beefing with Billboard and Scooter Braun.

[Naos]

Has anyone ever been more salty for not hitting #1?

[kanimal]

What is Billboard even talking about? The issue is the discrepancy between the official US number YouTube published on its chart ... and the number of streams Billboard counted. No one, not even 6ix9ine in his wacky rant, is saying that the entire 180 million global streams should have counted for the US-based Hot 100.

And what is this comment:

(Billboard has reached out to YouTube for further comment about their play statistics for "Gooba.")

Is Billboard trying to say it didn't do any of its own auditing / YouTube submitted a different number than it reported on its own chart page?

[Mayman]

What is there to expose?? Y'all acting like they're being shady and s**t when they didn't do anything wrong.

[annoymous1]

Billboard is doing damage control when have they ever did a article like this. If he keeps talking he'll talk his way of being the first artist banned from charting on Billboard.

[Golden Bluebird]

May 18, 2020 20:12:32 GMT -5 Naos said:

Has anyone ever been more salty for not hitting #1?

He's got some competition from Nicki and DJ Khaled who both got blocked by Travis Scott and Tyler, the Creator respectively in the album chart. There was also Bieber's desperate attempt at getting to #1 over Roddy Ricch earlier this year, but that didn't result in the same kind of meltdown we see from those three artists as he did congratulate Roddy Ricch once "The Box" won against him.

[𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕖𝕓𝕤]

May 18, 2020 20:06:05 GMT -5 @johnathanthegod said:

6ix9ine went from beefing with YG and Chief Keef to beefing with Billboard and Scooter Braun.

Swiftie streaming party for “Gooba” incoming

Then, BAM - “Cruel Summer (feat. 6ix9ine)”

[mikeymonster]

I took a class last year at college on radio taught by a Billboard-employee and an iHeartRadio exec, it has and still has been proven that 85-90% of people still consume music through radio and learn of new music through radio.

I'm so tired of seeing the "radio should be lowered" comments. The blend of streaming, radio and sales is what makes the Hot 100 unique and worthwhile.

[tuna]

May 18, 2020 20:12:32 GMT -5 Naos said:

Has anyone ever been more salty for not hitting #1?

DJ Khaled

[tuna]

May 18, 2020 20:23:01 GMT -5 𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕖𝕓𝕤 said:

May 18, 2020 20:06:05 GMT -5 @johnathanthegod said:

6ix9ine went from beefing with YG and Chief Keef to beefing with Billboard and Scooter Braun.

Swiftie streaming party for “Gooba” incoming

Then, BAM - “Cruel Summer (feat. 6ix9ine)”

who would win in a battle between Cruel Summer ft. 6ix9ine and Memories ft. DaBaby

[lurker2]

Circles feat. Gunna

[moonlite]

I personally don't really have a problem with radio or how much its weighed. Just please get rid of the damn bundles

[lazer]

I did not think through the comment I posted, but I do agree that bundles should be completely erased.

[kimberly]

May 18, 2020 20:13:53 GMT -5 kanimal said:

What is Billboard even talking about? The issue is the discrepancy between the official US number YouTube published on its chart ... and the number of streams Billboard counted. No one, not even 6ix9ine in his wacky rant, is saying that the entire 180 million global streams should have counted for the US-based Hot 100.

And what is this comment:

(Billboard has reached out to YouTube for further comment about their play statistics for "Gooba.")

Is Billboard trying to say it didn't do any of its own auditing / YouTube submitted a different number than it reported on its own chart page?

your answer is right here but you just chose not to read it I guess:

Each data provider provides a post-audit number to Billboard and Nielsen Music/MRC Data -- excluding streams that do not meet long-standing charting parameters, such as U.S.-based-only plays, minimum play length, excessive plays and lack of user verification. This is applied to all songs from all artists. (Billboard has reached out to YouTube for further comment about their play statistics for "Gooba.")

The 30 million streams that 6ix9ine said Billboard counted matches the included chart total for all video plays. That number is more than double any single-week video stream total for any song so far this year.

YouTube reported 30 million streams post-audit.

[annoymous1]

Circles w/ Gunna
Post will sing Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh (it's the Gunna remix) Gunna Raps , Post Sings, Post and Gunna sing the chorus, Gunna Raps, Post Sings, repeats the chorus, Gunna Adlibs, repeats the chorus with additional Adlibs.

[Naos]

Why do people want to get rid of bundles?

[mzumii]

Can somebody make a mix of Gunna on Circles, I actually wanna hear how it would sound lmaoooo

[Xander]

Travis Scott is back to #1 on Apple Music w/ highest in the room. Longevity>>>

[kanimal]

May 18, 2020 20:40:17 GMT -5 kimberly said:

May 18, 2020 20:13:53 GMT -5 kanimal said:

What is Billboard even talking about? The issue is the discrepancy between the official US number YouTube published on its chart ... and the number of streams Billboard counted. No one, not even 6ix9ine in his wacky rant, is saying that the entire 180 million global streams should have counted for the US-based Hot 100.

And what is this comment:

Is Billboard trying to say it didn't do any of its own auditing / YouTube submitted a different number than it reported on its own chart page?

your answer is right here but you just chose not to read it I guess:

Each data provider provides a post-audit number to Billboard and Nielsen Music/MRC Data -- excluding streams that do not meet long-standing charting parameters, such as U.S.-based-only plays, minimum play length, excessive plays and lack of user verification. This is applied to all songs from all artists. (Billboard has reached out to YouTube for further comment about their play statistics for "Gooba.")

The 30 million streams that 6ix9ine said Billboard counted matches the included chart total for all video plays. That number is more than double any single-week video stream total for any song so far this year.

YouTube reported 30 million streams post-audit.

LOL, I was specifically referring to that aspect of the article, which is an intriguing assertion. It's suggesting that YouTube reviews the data before posting on its verified YouTube Charts page - yet then further audits the data before reporting it to Billboard. The prevailing assumption whenever we've see these discrepancies - be it YouTube differences, or the iTunes bot situations - has been that Billboard is running its own audit on the data provided by the digital services.

If YouTube, iTunes, etc are further auditing their own numbers before sending them to Billboard, then why do they publish bad data on their own charts?

[Deleted]

Post Malone: “Seasons change and our love went cold, feed the flame cause we can’t let go”

Gunna: “ I have a daughter, I'm buying her baby Birkin (Baby Birkin) Fucked her good and got her legs hurtin' (Yeah)”

[annoymous1]

^I don't listen to a lot of gunna so it was hard for me to figure out what he rap about but it seems it.

[kimberly]

May 18, 2020 20:50:16 GMT -5 kanimal said:

May 18, 2020 20:40:17 GMT -5 kimberly said:

your answer is right here but you just chose not to read it I guess:

YouTube reported 30 million streams post-audit.

LOL, I was specifically referring to that aspect of the article, which is an intriguing assertion. It's suggesting that YouTube reviews the data before posting on its verified YouTube Charts page - yet then further audits the data before reporting it to Billboard. The prevailing assumption whenever we've see these discrepancies - be it YouTube differences, or the iTunes bot situations - has been that Billboard is running its own audit on the data provided by the digital services.

If YouTube, iTunes, etc are further auditing their own numbers before sending them to Billboard, then why do they publish bad data on their own charts?

they don't publish "bad data," they publish data that doesn't meet Billboard's criteria. Billboard checks for excessive streaming, user verification, and a certain time limit a song must be played—I believe 30 seconds. For YouTube, most of these things don't matter as much, because the higher numbers are actually a better look for them. they might be counting replays as new views, or not checking the accounts viewing the videos as strictly.

[shayonce]

As for video views, the number 6ix9ine racked up for the week ending May 14 is unusually high for songs near the top of the charts. Among the top five tracks Alpha Data saw during the first week of “GOOBA,” video accounted for 60% of his streams, while the other four songs were is a more typical 80% audio/20% video ratio. On the Rolling Stone top songs chart, which flows from Alpha Data, updated numbers are expected imminently. (Both Rolling Stone and Alpha Data are owned by Penske Media Crop., the parent company of Variety.)

“From a pattern perspective, it’s an aberration,” says one data-savvy source of the metrics, pointing to Roddy Ricch’s “The Box” at 70% audio/30% video as the largest video consumption debut since Alpha Data started tracking music in 2015. “Clearly this was a concerted effort to impact the charts. He was juicing and juicing.”

Another source contends that YouTube saw six times the normal amount of bot activity for “GOOBA” and that the video view counts are currently being investigated by Google, YouTube’s parent company. A spokesperson for Create Music Group denies this, telling Variety, “Unequivocally, they did not use a bot farm to juice video views” on “GOOBA.” Another high-ranking label insider is also skeptical, crediting the YouTube algorithm for being “the most sophisticated” in the music industry.

In a statement, a Google rep adds: “YouTube takes abuse of our systems, such as attempts to artificially inflate video viewcounts, very seriously, and takes action against known abusers, including termination of their YouTube accounts. YouTube continues to employ proprietary technology to prevent the artificial inflation of a video’s view count by spam bots, malware and other means and the data we provide for the charts reflects this process.”

variety.com/2020/music/news/6ix9ine-ariana-grande-billboard-chart-feud-1234609142/

[Deleted]

May 18, 2020 20:54:40 GMT -5 annoymous1 said:

^I don't listen to a lot of gunna so it was hard for me to figure out what he rap about but it seems it.

He raps about having sex with his baby daughter.

[atg]

May 18, 2020 20:12:32 GMT -5 Naos said:

Has anyone ever been more salty for not hitting #1?

Nicki/Khaled

But even they both have #1s now (it’s weird to say that)

[Raccoon]

May 18, 2020 20:23:01 GMT -5 𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕖𝕓𝕤 said:

May 18, 2020 20:06:05 GMT -5 @johnathanthegod said:

6ix9ine went from beefing with YG and Chief Keef to beefing with Billboard and Scooter Braun.

Swiftie streaming party for “Gooba” incoming

Then, BAM - “Cruel Summer (feat. 6ix9ine)”

AGAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAH

[𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕖𝕓𝕤]

May 18, 2020 21:26:22 GMT -5 @johnathanthegod said:

May 18, 2020 20:54:40 GMT -5 annoymous1 said:

^I don't listen to a lot of gunna so it was hard for me to figure out what he rap about but it seems it.

He raps about having sex with his baby daughter.

Um what the actual fuck

[kanimal]

May 18, 2020 21:06:48 GMT -5 kimberly said:

May 18, 2020 20:50:16 GMT -5 kanimal said:

LOL, I was specifically referring to that aspect of the article, which is an intriguing assertion. It's suggesting that YouTube reviews the data before posting on its verified YouTube Charts page - yet then further audits the data before reporting it to Billboard. The prevailing assumption whenever we've see these discrepancies - be it YouTube differences, or the iTunes bot situations - has been that Billboard is running its own audit on the data provided by the digital services.

If YouTube, iTunes, etc are further auditing their own numbers before sending them to Billboard, then why do they publish bad data on their own charts?

they don't publish "bad data," they publish data that doesn't meet Billboard's criteria. Billboard checks for excessive streaming, user verification, and a certain time limit a song must be played—I believe 30 seconds. For YouTube, most of these things don't matter as much, because the higher numbers are actually a better look for them. they might be counting replays as new views, or not checking the accounts viewing the videos as strictly.

In its press release about removing paid advertising views from its charts, YouTube expressed a desire to "align with the policies of official charting companies such as Billboard and Nielsen."

So I'm just really interested to know which Billboard policies and anomalies YouTube is able to measure yet chooses not to address on its own charts. I know you mentioned the different criteria referenced in the Billboard article, but there's no indication that YouTube Charts counts bots or people who just keep hitting refresh every two seconds (and I'm positive the latter doesn't even work on the public view counter, let alone the verified charts). So what are the auditing discrepancies that seem to affect certain videos - including various hip-hop examples from this year, as noted elsewhere in the thread - to a disproportionate extent?