Question about streaming on the Billboard Hot 100

[metrocub777]

Hello,

I'm not sure if this was the right place to post this, but I have a question regarding the Billboard Hot 100. When was streaming airplay incorporated into the Billboard Hot 100's weekly charting formula? Which streaming apps are included in tracking streaming airplay from music apps, thank you.

[WolfSpear]

Billboard first added streaming services on the August 11, 2007 issue, and here is what was said:

"We are eager to add streaming services and on-demand data from other services too, but at present, AOL and Yahoo are the only ones that provided weekly, rather than monthly, data to BDS. As it is, that limitation still allows us to start with the two largest providers in the field." "Initially, we expect those plays to account for about 5% of the chart's total points." ... It goes on to mention that 55% of the chart points would be derived from airplay, 40% from digital song sales, 5% from streaming and 1% for retail singles sales.


Then the first Streaming Songs was created on January 26, 2013, and Billboard tell us the exact streaming services fueling it; they are: Spotify, Muve, Slacker, Rhapsody (now Napster), Rdio, Myspace, Xbox Music and Guvera.


The biggest and boldest move came on March 2, 2013 when Youtube streams were incorporated and these are the words:

"Billboard and Nielsen are adding U.S. Youtube data to their platforms, which includes an update to the methodology for the Hot 100, the pre-eminent singles chart. The Youtube data is now factored into the chart's ranking, enhancing a formula that includes Nielsen's digital download track sales and physical singles sales, as well as terrestrial radio airplay, on-demand audio streaming and online radio streaming, also tracked by Nielsen." ...Since then, this chart now incorporated Amazon Music, but I'm not sure what else may be part of the Streaming Songs panel. Also, the user-generated Youtube streams with music are no longer factored into the equation.

[iHype.]

2007 was AOL Music & Yahoo Music introduced, but it was also like less than 5% of the formula on average so it usually had almost no effect on positions. Especially by 2009/2010 those services were near death anyways, because YouTube & VEVO had taken over for streaming music videos online.

2012 was when audio streaming was added (week Justin Bieber’s Boyfriend debuted #2 with 500k+ sales). Spotify was the primary audio streaming service at the time, I believe Deezer/Rhapsody/some other defunct services may have been included too though. Apple Music/Amazon Music/Tidal/etc didn’t exist yet in 2012, but were added when they launched in later years.

VEVO/YouTube (video streams) were finally added in 2013 (week of Harlem Shake’s #1 debut).

SoundCloud & Pandora streams were then added later in 2015-2016. Pandora was a major point in programmed streams being counted.

[metrocub777]

Thank you for both of your responses.