The Official Charts Company has announced a number of changes that will adjust the way in which the UK Charts are compiled.
As of July, music video streams from YouTube and major music streaming services will count towards a song’s position in the UK Singles Charts.
In a complete overhaul for the Official Charts Company’s internal rules, the first chart to take video streams in account will be published on 6 July.
This is the first time that music video plays have counted towards an official UK Chart Company rating since they were launched in August 1969.
Forty percent of all music streaming in the UK came from YouTube in 2017, with hugely successful videos like Dua Lipa’s New Rules and Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You accounting for a majority proportion of free streams.
These new changes mean from 6 July, listeners will see their music video streams count in the UK single charts alongside downloads, physical purchases and music streaming.
The changes however, will not affect the official UK album charts.
Another overhaul for the UK Charts sees the formula for calculating ‘stream to sale’ ratios tweaked for free and paid users of major streaming services.
Song currently require 150 streams to earn a sale, as counted by the UK Charts.
Under the new system, 100 streams from a paid user will equate to a single sale, and free users will have to make 600 plays of a song to register a sale.
Explaining the incentive behind these changes, Martin Talbot, chief executive of the Official Charts Company, said: ‘The way that music fans are consuming music is changing by the month. We recognise there are younger fans who maybe don't have access to credit cards, or low-income music fans who can't afford a subscription but will still listen on legitimate, ad-funded streaming services.’
These changes to video streaming were first discussed back in 2014 but were originally discarded due to concerns over royalty payments and data clarity from YouTube.
This comes after YouTube launches its own dedicated music streaming service and the Official Charts Company announces streams from this service will be counted in UK Charts.
As of July, music video streams from YouTube and major music streaming services will count towards a song’s position in the UK Singles Charts.
In a complete overhaul for the Official Charts Company’s internal rules, the first chart to take video streams in account will be published on 6 July.
This is the first time that music video plays have counted towards an official UK Chart Company rating since they were launched in August 1969.
Forty percent of all music streaming in the UK came from YouTube in 2017, with hugely successful videos like Dua Lipa’s New Rules and Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You accounting for a majority proportion of free streams.
These new changes mean from 6 July, listeners will see their music video streams count in the UK single charts alongside downloads, physical purchases and music streaming.
The changes however, will not affect the official UK album charts.
Another overhaul for the UK Charts sees the formula for calculating ‘stream to sale’ ratios tweaked for free and paid users of major streaming services.
Song currently require 150 streams to earn a sale, as counted by the UK Charts.
Under the new system, 100 streams from a paid user will equate to a single sale, and free users will have to make 600 plays of a song to register a sale.
Explaining the incentive behind these changes, Martin Talbot, chief executive of the Official Charts Company, said: ‘The way that music fans are consuming music is changing by the month. We recognise there are younger fans who maybe don't have access to credit cards, or low-income music fans who can't afford a subscription but will still listen on legitimate, ad-funded streaming services.’
These changes to video streaming were first discussed back in 2014 but were originally discarded due to concerns over royalty payments and data clarity from YouTube.
This comes after YouTube launches its own dedicated music streaming service and the Official Charts Company announces streams from this service will be counted in UK Charts.
