Is A YouTube Click Really Worth It?
Updated: 3:09pm UK, Friday 22 February 2013
With the US singles chart including YouTube views for the first time, music industry insider Steve Redmond asks whether we can expect a similar change to the UK charts.
What are music charts for? - that's the issue thrown into relief by Billboard's historic decision to include YouTube views in the formula it uses to create its Hot 100 chart.
In truth the charts have always had a number of functions. On the one hand they represent an historical record of success in music, on the other - since broadcasters often base programming decisions on charts, giving more airplay to high-charting records - they can also help create further success.
On a business level, the data behind the charts is an important source of market research and analysis.
That's why the Official Charts Company - a joint venture between the Entertainment Retailers Association and the record companies trade association, the BPI - is such an important organisation in the UK.
In the US, Billboard has traditionally relied on more than just sales data for its chart. Radio play has always been a factor.
The UK has always taken a more purist approach, relying solely on sales data. Partly this because we wanted to avoid a small number of radio programmers exercising undue influence over the charts.
Partly it was about simplicity and clarity - Avicii vs Nicky Romero's I Could Be The One is Number One this week because it sold more copies than any other single last week.
The Official Singles Chart is like a weekly general election of Pop, with music fans casting their votes by putting their hands in their pockets and parting with their hard-earned cash.
There are strong arguments in favour of preserving that simplicity. It is worth noting that the UK's Official Singles Chart is far more famous and influential in the UK than Billboard's Hot 100 is in the US.
There is also no indication that the time-honoured sales-based formula is harming sales. Singles sales - predominantly downloads these days - are currently at an all-time high. Nearly 190m were sold last year.
Adding in different kinds of data - such as Spotify streams or YouTube plays - will inevitably make the charts less transparent, and also poses real issues about the methodology. Should a brief click on a YouTube video really count as much as a 99p download? And if not, how many YouTube views should it take - 10? 100? 1,000? - and who's to decide.
The temptation will be to avoid making a decision on the basis that it's just too complicated. But the fact is that the way people are consuming music is changing rapidly. We live in a multichannel world in which music fans are consuming and expressing their preference for music in a host of different ways.
The danger for all charts is that, if they fail to keep up, they may lose their relevance. Do not expect this issue to go away.
:: Steve Redmond is an advisor to a number of organisations in the music industry including the Entertainment Retailers Association.
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