Streaming to count towards albums chart

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Streaming to count towards albums chart, OCC announcement made

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Suedehead2 View member profile	11th February 2015, 08:34 PM Post #1
BuzzJack Legend Joined: 13 April 2007 Posts: 36,674 User: 3,272	The OCC are trailing an imminent announcement on the albums chart to take effect from 1 March. The obvious guess is that streaming is to be included That will presumably mean that, if somebody streams a whole album, that will no longer contribute 1/100th of a sale to each track.


JosephBoone View member profile	11th February 2015, 08:37 PM Post #2
you never forget your first time... Pronouns: he/him Joined: 19 April 2011 Posts: 121,737 User: 13,530	Oh dear god no


Liam.k. View member profile	11th February 2015, 08:37 PM Post #3
BuzzJack Idol Joined: 8 December 2010 Posts: 50,978 User: 12,472	I was reading about this on UKMIX as someone was worried about Madonna's album missing out on #1 due to the streaming points Ed and Sam would get. Spotify has a list of their most streamed albums so it obviously can be decided what counts as an album stream. Good decision really - firstly, anything to boost album sales, even though there won't be anywhere near as much effect as there is for the singles.


T Boy View member profile	11th February 2015, 08:38 PM Post #4
Radical Pink Troll Joined: 11 March 2006 Posts: 26,603 User: 177	I fail to see how this will make much of a difference tbh.


AcerBen View member profile	11th February 2015, 08:39 PM Post #5
BuzzJack Gold Member Joined: 18 May 2007 Posts: 3,628 User: 3,429	Yeah, has to be done. I hear the rules are a little complicated though!


JosephBoone View member profile	11th February 2015, 08:40 PM Post #6
you never forget your first time... Pronouns: he/him Joined: 19 April 2011 Posts: 121,737 User: 13,530	We can look at the Billboard 200 to see why this is such a bad idea (in my opinion of course). Mark Ronson's album is being boosted hugely by Uptown Funk's sales and streams, but in all honesty, very few care enough to buy the album itself and it's being artificially boosted. The album chart imo should remain a sales chart, especially as the lines are so blurred as to what is and isn't an album. I imagine Spotify's top albums list is just based on the total streams for its tracks?


Brer View member profile	11th February 2015, 08:41 PM Post #7
is my brain across your walls? Joined: 14 February 2009 Posts: 115,078 User: 8,300	Oh ~


UltraCruelSummer View member profile	11th February 2015, 08:42 PM Post #8
It's a cruel summer. Joined: 26 May 2014 Posts: 35,256 User: 20,947	Ew no It is nice seeing a lot of artists on the album chart who would struggle to ever make the singles chart. And if streams are boosting albums because of one big song, it is basically a 2nd singles chart with a few extra tracks added.


Ethan View member profile	11th February 2015, 08:43 PM Post #9
3:23 Joined: 18 January 2008 Posts: 10,781 User: 5,269	Album sales are at such alarmingly low ebb, I’m guessing this is being rolled out ahead of schedule to shore up the market. Sensible decision IMO!


AcerBen View member profile	11th February 2015, 08:43 PM Post #10
BuzzJack Gold Member Joined: 18 May 2007 Posts: 3,628 User: 3,429	I hope you have to listen to a certain number of songs from the album for it to count. How does it work on Billboard?


365 View member profile	11th February 2015, 08:43 PM Post #11
BuzzJack Legend Joined: 11 October 2013 Posts: 31,028 User: 19,931	It's so much more complicated than streaming songs. What if somebody listens to 11/12 songs on an album or if they skip two? Makes no sense. It will of course help the much needed increase in album sales but the top two albums on Spotify are Ed and Sam. It'll be so hard to get passed them. If it's brought in it should be much more than 100 streams of an album for a sale, in my opinion. This post has been edited by Joe.: 11th February 2015, 08:45 PM


Brer View member profile	11th February 2015, 08:45 PM Post #12
is my brain across your walls? Joined: 14 February 2009 Posts: 115,078 User: 8,300	Surely not even the biggest streaming advocates can act as if redefining album sales to include streaming constitutes increasing album sales?


Liаm View member profile	11th February 2015, 08:46 PM Post #13
Brown cow, stunning! Joined: 7 December 2009 Posts: 67,176 User: 10,139	Because we totally need a boost for Sam Smith Ed boosts are always fine because I still love x. The US chart is such a mess though, Mark Ronson is a good example. One massive hit can really boost an album from its streams when people don't actually care enough to buy it. As long as they don't do that individual track sales thing that the Billboard 200 does.


danG View member profile	11th February 2015, 08:48 PM Post #14
🔥🚀🔥 Joined: 30 August 2010 Posts: 74,573 User: 11,746	I guess with how low album sales have got it was gonna happen sooner or later, not looking forward to the likes of Ed Sheeran/Sam Smith being #1 for ages because they have popular singles though.


JosephBoone View member profile	11th February 2015, 08:49 PM Post #15
you never forget your first time... Pronouns: he/him Joined: 19 April 2011 Posts: 121,737 User: 13,530	This was posted on UKMix, and was seemingly on The Mirror's site but isn't available when I click the link on Google now. The 1st March date matches up anyway so here it is: QUOTE Spotify and Google Play to be included in UK charts after streaming DOUBLES in 2014 17:42, 10 February 2015 By Simon Cable The Official Charts Company chief executive Martin Talbot says the move was designed to compile “the most accurate, reliable and up-to-date charts” Popular: Services such as Spotify streamed 15bn songs in 2014 Albums played on streaming services such as Spotify and Google Play are to be included in the UK charts for the first time in its 59-year history. The weekly album chart is currently based on physical and digital sales. But music streaming in the UK has doubled over the past 12 months with almost 15bn songs streamed in 2014. The Official Charts Company chief executive Martin Talbot says the move was designed to compile “the most accurate, reliable and up-to-date charts”. He added: “In 2015 that means reflecting the popularity of streaming, alongside downloads, vinyl and – still the most popular album format – the CD. “This is a timely change for the Official Albums Chart, coming as it does just over a year before its 60th anniversary. "In those six decades, the chart has showcased the greatest musical artworks of all time – from The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, to Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Adele’s 21, right up to the latest sets by Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran and George Ezra. “The album is one of the most important art-forms of the past 50 years and this change will ensure that the Official Albums Chart maintains its position as the pre-eminent showcase of the album as a body of work.” The first chart to include streams will be published on Sunday 1st March – the first chart after The Brits on February 25. Streaming services including Napster, Music Unlimited and Xbox Music commonly charge subscribers a monthly fee to listen to unlimited tunes, although users aren’t able to download or own the songs. Ed Sheeran’s X album has been streamed more than 200m times while Sam Smith’s In The Lonely Hour has had more than 140m streamings. The UK singles charts updated to this system last July. Only audio streams will be recorded and not video streams on services such as YouTube. Album streams will be counted by compiling the data from the 12 most-streamed tracks from each album. The top two most-streamed songs will be rounded down to the average of the next ten, with all songs being added together and then divided by 1,000. The overall number will then be added to the physical and digital sales of the album. Each track will have to be played for 30 seconds before it counts as one stream and only ten plays will be counted per user, per day to stop fans from deliberately cheating the system. The 1,000 ratio is used to reflect the broad difference in value between a track stream and the price paid for an album. Chart bosses say this method will ensure hit singles do not ‘skew’ the performance of a parent album. The Official Albums Chart has reflected the UK’s biggest albums every week since the first chart was published by Record Mirror 59 years ago. On that occasion, in 1956, Frank Sinatra’s Songs For Swinging Lovers was the first number one album. I think I get it seems kinda complicated but at least they're recognising that a hit single doesn't necessarily mean a hit album! (bear in mind this could be a load of crap but we'll see)


Brer View member profile	11th February 2015, 08:52 PM Post #16
is my brain across your walls? Joined: 14 February 2009 Posts: 115,078 User: 8,300	If true that is at least much more sensible an application than Billboard's and should stop the album chart just becoming a mirror of the singles chart in low sales week.


Liam.k. View member profile	11th February 2015, 08:54 PM Post #17
BuzzJack Idol Joined: 8 December 2010 Posts: 50,978 User: 12,472	Yeah, that seems like a fair enough approach. The OCC seem to be much better than Billboard when it comes to streaming, like not including YouTube video views.


MrIndependent View member profile	11th February 2015, 08:55 PM Post #18
BuzzJack Enthusiast Joined: 29 August 2009 Posts: 820 User: 9,520	As long as there is a sales-only chart and Music Week and the OCC still publish the totals of pure sales (Billboard and Soundscan have stopped doing this), I'm fine with this decision because album sales are shockingly low and I fail to see how they will improve in the coming years. The album-buying business is not so good, but the music business, in which streaming is becoming a huge part of, is better than ever, and I feel like it's only right that this is reflected in the charts.


danG View member profile	11th February 2015, 08:56 PM Post #19
🔥🚀🔥 Joined: 30 August 2010 Posts: 74,573 User: 11,746	here's an idea of which albums to expect to get boosts~ the current top 10 albums on Spotify (desktop) 1. Ed Sheeran - x [how surprising!!1] 2. Sam Smith - In The Lonely Hour 3. Sia - 1000 Forms Of Fear 4. Hozier - Hozier 5. Mark Ronson - Uptown Special 6. Maroon 5 - V 7. Calvin Harris - Motion 8. Meghan Trainor - Title 9. George Ezra - Wanted On Voyage 10. Beyoncé - BEYONCÉ


AcerBen View member profile	11th February 2015, 08:57 PM Post #20
BuzzJack Gold Member Joined: 18 May 2007 Posts: 3,628 User: 3,429	Oh that's actually quite clever. So really it's judged on how popular the non-singles are.