Billboard Will Stop Counting Artist's Website Sales Towards Hot 100

AUSTIN, TEXAS – MARCH 19: Audience members interact with a giant Billboard logo at Samsung Galaxy + Billboard during 2022 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Waterloo Park on March 19, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Hutton Supancic/Getty Images for SXSW)

Billboard has confirmed that it will no longer count digitally downloaded singles from the artist’s own website towards its total sales for the Hot 100.

The decision was announced yesterday and has taken effect today. This means that the Hot 100 revealed next week will be the last one where website sales will count towards overall sales.

While the decision’s biggest victims are predominately K-Pop acts like BTS, there is one hip-hop artist who has relied on the website sales tactic more than anyone else, Nicki Minaj.

Also starting today, bundles will be reintroduced to the Billboard 200 formula. As long as a bundle provides fans with a physical copy of the album they’re purchasing it will count.

Do you pay attention to the music charts? Why, or why not?

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