Billboard announces new chart rules, putting an end to ticket and merch bundles

The US chart compiler adjusts its rules around ticket and merch bundles, often used to boost album sales.

Billboard has announced changes to its chart rules for the Billboard 200 albums chart, Hot 100 singles chart, and other album and song charts.

The US chart compiler has changed how sales are counted with regards to album bundles (albums that come with merchandise and concert tickets purchases), and instant download sales attached to purchases of physical albums that are delivered at a later date.

When consumers are buying merchandise or gig tickets, they will now have to select to "opt in" the album as part of the purchase. Bundles where the album is included as part of a "baked-in, single price option" will no longer be counted towards the charts.

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Physical product purchases will be counted when they are shipped to the consumer.

Similarly, Billboard will no longer count digital single downloads that are offered in place of physical products that are posted out at a later date. This rule will impact the Hot 100 singles chart, where acts often use it to boost their chart placement.

A recent example of this is Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber's charity single Stuck With You, where a physical release was available to buy during its first week. Another is Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You, where pre-ordered physical copies of the single counted towards its first ever stint at Number 1 last year, and were mailed out at a later date.

According to Billboard, the rule changes are the result of concerns that the charts "do not reflect the conscious purchasing intentions of consumers”, and to “level the playing field for all artists”.

A start date for the new chart rules has yet to be announced.

MORE: The Official UK Singles and Albums Chart rules

Saint Perth

15th July 2020

RADIO+STREAMING+DIGITAL DOWNLOAD are main factors to debut high on HOT 100!! Its being unfair to other artist that working too hard to create a great music but FAIL to chart. Just like (Alicia Keys, Meghan, Tinashe, Jojo, Ava Max etc.) cant believe there song didnt make a debut on chart while some other UNKNOWN Rap/Hip Hop artist make a chart debut weird right??? Id like to see BILLBOARD HOT 100 chart be like in 20s Era where all different Genre is in the same chart. Hoping for this great changes.

JoeNak

14th July 2020

Radio should be removed from their counting.

etin

19th July 2020

Not radio. Streaming must remove

BleeUK

14th July 2020

yeah this rule, isn't really going to make to much of a different the charts (as streaming is not fair for all artist and certain gentre), we need more physical single sales in charts like years ago in UK Singles like before 2014 and before 2007 where it was just a single charts than album or promo cuts, everywhere really not great setup, as least physical/download shows people care and pay for their track, when you pay for a member ship like spotify, you paying for all the songs, which lets face you will never ever listen to all of the 20M+ songs ever in your life, you would never listen to a million, and i think this system needs to change per track like 5 times free spins than you pay like 35p for that track to spin your favorite forever, audio streaming is mad, and out of hand, in the UK singles now is terrible for singles and about playlist streaming in our charts (Share), which is by mainly by major record labels, (Alt from radio airplay/but Playlist share) and ACR/SCR ratios/react Streaming points .