Official UK Chart to now include Video Streams
June 25th
“In the past 14 years calculating ‘The Official UK Top 40’ has become an increasingly more complicated activity. First digital download figures were added, then streams and come July 6th music video streams will also count. Cat videos backed by your favourite Beyonce tune to hit number 1?”…
Since 2004 how ‘The Official UK Chart’ is calculated has become an increasingly more complicated process. In 2004 Digital downloads were added to the traditional physical sale figure. Streaming figures were next in 2014 and in July of this year video streams will also be included in determining a singles final chart position. A move that is perhaps the biggest shake up to music video since MTV in the late 80’s.
So how is this figure calculated? And will it mean that come July 6th that ‘Luis Fonsi’s – Despacito’, and its 5.2 billion YouTube plays, will crash the UK Top 10 for a second time?
Well in regards to the latter the answer is, thankfully, an emphatic NO. Firstly only streams via official music videos will count toward a records final chart position, no user generated content. And like audio streams that calculation is tiered between paid and non-paid subscriptions. Which when you consider YouTube’s subscription service has an estimated 7 million subscribers in comparison to Spotify’s 50 million, the impact should be negligible.
- Paid for Subscription Streams (Spotify, YouTube, Apple etc) – 100 streams = 1 sale
- Non-paid streams (Spotify, YouTube, Apple etc) – 600 streams = 1 sale
(Note: Music Video streams via Spotify, Apple Music etc will also be included)
[Source BBC News & Guardian Music]
