YouTube, one of the biggest music streaming platforms in the world, will no longer submit data to Billboard for its U.S. music charts starting early next year.
Lyor Cohen, YouTube’s Global Head of Music, announced the decision in a statement shared Wednesday, Dec. 17. In the post, he called Billboard’s chart formula “outdated” and claimed it “undervalued” the “massive fan engagement on YouTube.” YouTube said it will no longer submit its data after Jan. 16, 2026.
As Cohen explained, YouTube’s main gripe with the Billboard charts is the way it “weights subscription-supported streams higher than ad-supported” streams. Cohen said this “doesn’t reflect how fans engage with music today and ignores the massive engagement from fans who don’t have a subscription.”
A spokesperson for Billboard said in a statement, “There are so many ways a fan can support an artist they love. Each has a specific place in the music ecosystem. Billboard strives to measure that activity appropriately; balanced by various factors including consumer access, revenue analysis, data validation, and industry guidance. It is our hope that YouTube reconsiders and joins Billboard in recognizing the reach and popularity of artists on all music platforms and in celebrating their achievements though the power of fans and how they interact with the music that they love.”
YouTube’s decision came one day after Billboard announced changes of its own to its chart methodology, which did shrink the discrepancy between subscription and free streams. Under the old methodology, the ratio between paid streams and free streams was 1:3; so, for the Billboard 200 Albums chart, one album “unit” was equal to 1,250 subscription streams, and 3,750 ad-supported streams. The new ratio, which Billboard said was based on “analysis of streaming revenue,” was shrunk to 1:2.5
Billboard’s new methodology is set to go into effect with charts dated Jan. 17 (which will cover data from Jan. 2 through 8). the 1:2.5 ratio will be effective for the Billboard 200, the Billboard Hot 100, and genre album charts, and streaming and song consumption charts.
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But for YouTube, Billboard’s ratio change was far from enough. Cohen argued that every stream, whether paid or ad-supported, should be “counted fairly and equally… because every fan matters and every play should count.” Cohen also noted that YouTube would continue to track “what music is making waves” on the platform with its own set of charts.
YouTube data has been incorporated into Billboard charts for over a decade. As Music Business Worldwide notes, data from the platform was first included on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 2013. It started contributing data to the Billboard 200 in January 2020.
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“After a decade-long partnership and extensive discussions, [Billboard is] unwilling to make meaningful changes,” Cohen said, adding: “We are committed to achieving equitable representation across the charts and hopefully can work with Billboard to return to theirs.”
(Billboard and Rolling Stone are both owned by the same parent company, Penske Media Corporation.)
