As it prepares to launch its premium on-demand streaming tier, Pandora has also hit a new milestone of credibility: its data will now be incorporated into Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in the US.
Streams on Pandora are now being factored in alongside other streaming services, sales and radio airplay, with the data also used for Billboard’s streaming and genre-based rankings.
“Close to 80 million music lovers listen to Pandora every month and we look forward to bringing our brands together to incorporate Pandora’s data into our charts,” said Billboard co-president John Amato.
“Pandora is now the No. 1 radio station in 87 U.S. markets and represents roughly 10 percent all radio listening,” added its boss Tim Westergren. “With the inclusion of Pandora data, the Billboard charts that have guided listeners and been so central to the music industry for decades now reflect a truer measure of a song’s popularity today.”
Billboard has been careful to stress that on-demand streaming services will be “weighted at a higher value” than programmed streaming services (like Pandora’s free tier) to ensure the charts reflect the “more active consumer interaction” on the former.
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