US record labels and others in the music industry are considering launching their own charts as an alternative to the iconic Billboard lists, according to multiple sources. The discussions come at a time when Billboard has come under fire for rumored changes in chart calculations that could include YouTube plays.
A possible move by the US music industry to create an alternative to the Billboard charts could mirror a similar effort in the UK.
The Official Charts Company was launched in 1997 by the British Phonographic Industry and the Entertainment Retailers Association. Each week, the industry run company compiles various “official” recorded music including the UK Singles Chart, the UK Albums Chart, the UK Singles Downloads Chart and the UK Album Downloads Chart, a streaming chart and genre-specific and music video charts.
The UK charts were originally created because the industry felt that existing charts from NME and others were totaled from incomplete data.
In the US, there are already alternatives to the Billboard charts, particularly a series of regular tallies by BuzzAngle Music. But sources are hinting that a chart controlled by music’s biggest players would break what some as Billboard’s ‘stranglehold’ on the industry.
MORE: Billboard Has NOT Decided To Include YouTube Plays In Chart Calculations