Spotify, Deezer and Napster audio streams to count towards Official Chart rankings for first time
The Official Singles Chart is set to include audio streams for the first time from next month, following ‘an explosion’ in streaming services including Spotify, Deezer, Napster.
The move, supported by the UK music industry, comes as the total number of weekly audio streams selected by music fans grew from 100m a week in January 2013 to up to 260 million currently.
The decision to include streams in the Official Singles Chart was made possible by the agreement of on-demand audio streaming services including Spotify, Deezer, Napster, O2 Tracks, Xbox Music, Sony's Music Unlimited and rara (powered by Omnifone) and all members of the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), which is a co-owner of the Official Charts Company, to supply weekly streaming data.
To reflect the difference in weight between streaming and purchasing, 100 streams will count as equivalent to 1 single (download or physical single) in the chart compilation process.
Official Charts Company chief executive Martin Talbot said: “Audio streaming has grown at an extraordinary rate over the past year – and the time is now right to take this important step. The UK’s Official Singles Chart is culturally among the most important and influential in the world. We have been looking at this possibility for some time and now feel comfortable that our methodology is correct and that summer 2014 is the time that we should take this step.”
He added that the move is the “latest stage” of a progression in the Official Singles Chart, which has evolved to align with consumption habits.
The first Official Singles Chart Top 40 to incorporate streams will be unveiled from 4-7pm on Sunday 6 July by BBC Radio 1, with the full Top 100 published on OfficialCharts.com at 7pm that evening.
English band Bastille, whose track Pompeii has been confirmed as the UK’s most streamed track of all time, recorded a message on YouTube about the announcement.