YouTube says it will quickly cease offering information to Billboard for inclusion within the US charts, ending a partnership that has lasted greater than a decade.
The choice, introduced at this time (December 17) by Lyor Cohen, YouTube’s World Head of Music, comes simply in the future after Billboard revealed modifications to its chart methodology that may truly slim the weighting hole between paid and ad-supported streams.
Underneath Billboard’s present method for the Billboard 200, one album ‘unit’ equals 1,250 paid/subscription streams or 3,750 ad-supported streams — a 1:3 ratio.
Billboard’s new methodology, introduced yesterday (December 16), tightens that ratio to 1:2.5, with one album unit now equalling 1,000 paid streams or 2,500 ad-supported streams. (The identical ratio change is being utilized to the Scorching 100.)
In different phrases: paid streams will nonetheless be weighted extra favorably than ad-supported performs, however by a smaller margin than earlier than.
But in an announcement at this time, Lyor Cohen mentioned the modifications don’t go far sufficient. YouTube desires all streams to be counted equally on Billboard’s charts – no matter whether or not they come from paid subscriptions or ad-supported providers.
“Billboard makes use of an outdated method that weights subscription-supported streams increased than ad-supported,” Cohen mentioned in an announcement.
“This doesn’t mirror how followers have interaction with music at this time and ignores the large engagement from followers who don’t have a subscription.”
Cohen added: “We consider each fan issues and each play ought to depend equally, due to this fact after January 16, YouTube information will not be delivered or factored into the US Billboard charts.”
That January 16 date is deliberate: the brand new Billboard streaming methodology takes impact with charts dated January 17, 2026 (protecting information from January 2-8).
Added Cohen: “Streaming is the first approach individuals expertise music, making up 84% of US recorded music income.
“We’re merely asking that each stream is counted pretty and equally, whether or not it’s subscription-based or ad-supported—as a result of each fan issues and each play ought to depend.”
YouTube was first included within the Billboard Scorching 100 in February 2013, and was later added to the Billboard 200 album chart in January 2020.
“After a decade-long partnership and intensive discussions, [Billboard] are unwilling to make significant modifications,” Cohen mentioned. “We’re dedicated to attaining equitable illustration throughout the charts and hopefully can work with Billboard to return to theirs.”
2018: Billboard suggestions the scales towards paid
The query of the best way to weight several types of streams has been contested since Billboard first launched tiered streaming values in 2018.
Previous to that change, all streams — whether or not from paid providers like Apple Music or ad-supported platforms like YouTube — have been counted equally.
In a 2017 interview with MBW, Apple‘s Jimmy Iovine argued that having YouTube streams depend equally alongside paid-for music on Billboard’s Scorching 100 deprived artists.
Iovine was unequivocal about his view that paid streams ought to carry extra weight on business charts. “I’ll put it this fashion: individuals who pay for subscriptions must be advantaged,” he mentioned. “The labels owe it to their clients.”
He added: “An important factor for labels is to make the paid providers compelling and entertaining. And don’t make free providers nearly as good because the paid providers. Is that not apparent?!“
When the 2018 modifications have been applied, paid subscription streams have been weighted extra closely than ad-supported streams on each charts.
On the Scorching 100, paid streams got full level worth, ad-supported streams two-thirds, and programmed streams half. On the Billboard 200, it took 3 times as many ad-supported streams (3,750) as paid streams (1,250) to equal one album unit.
Latest information exhibits that the US recorded music business’s general streaming income efficiency in 2024 was dragged down by payouts from on-demand, ad-supported music providers, together with YouTube and Spotify‘s ‘freemium’ tier.
Mixed, these platforms noticed their income contribution to the recorded music business decline within the US final 12 months, down 1.8% YoY to $1.83 billion.
In the meantime, on-demand paid subscription platforms contributed $11.685 billion to recorded music rightsholders, up 4.6% YoY.
The disparity in income per stream between paid and free tiers is on the coronary heart of the controversy.
As Iovine put it in 2017: “The very fact is that ‘free’ in music streaming is so technically good and ubiquitous that it’s stunting the expansion of paid streaming. Two issues need to occur: free has to change into harder or restricted, and the paid providers need to get higher.”
Cohen’s announcement represents a reversal from 2019, when he welcomed YouTube’s inclusion within the Billboard 200, calling it a “crucial second in making the chart a extra correct illustration of what individuals are listening to.”
At the moment, Cohen mentioned: “Genres like Latin, hip-hop and digital, which persistently dominate the YouTube charts, will now be correctly acknowledged for his or her reputation. That is one other nice step in bringing YouTube and the business collectively.”
YouTube reported in October that it paid greater than $8 billion to the music business in the course of the 12 months from July 2024 to June 2025, protecting income from each promoting and subscriptions on the Google-owned platform.
In his assertion at this time (December 17), Cohen directed followers to YouTube’s personal charts as an alternative choice to Billboard’s lists.
“If you happen to’re inquisitive about what music is making waves on YouTube, you possibly can go to our charts,” he mentioned.
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