When is a stream not a stream? Billboard, which publishes the definitive album and song charts for the U.S. music industry, has had to ask itself that odd question in the last few months. After facing pressure and criticism from subscription music-streaming services, the trade publication announced last October that it would revamp its chart formulas, which it populates with data from
This article originally appeared on www.rollingstone.com: Music’s New Chart Rules Care — a Lot — About Whether You’re Paying to Listen