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\n\tOn Wednesday, YouTube<\/a> announced<\/a> that it will stop sharing streaming<\/a> data with Billboard<\/em> for its U.S. music charts<\/a> starting next year, citing what they describe as an \u201coutdated\u201d system that weighs streams from paid subscribers more favorably than those from ad-supported users. Lyor Cohen, YouTube\u2019s Global Head of Music, said the system \u201cdoesn\u2019t reflect how fans engage with music today and ignores the massive engagement from fans who don\u2019t have a subscription.\u201d The move came after Billboard<\/em> announced plans to calibrate its metrics to better balance the weight of paid streams versus ad-supported. For YouTube, which says it will continue to track its own streaming metrics, the move was too little too late.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tIn a statement, a representative for Billboard <\/em>said they hoped YouTube would reconsider the move. <\/em>\u201cIt is our hope that YouTube reconsiders and joins Billboard<\/em> in recognizing the reach and popularity of artists on all music platforms and in celebrating their achievements through the power of fans and how they interact with the music that they love.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe machinations behind Billboard<\/em>\u2019s chart calculations have been a perennial source of controversy in the music industry. Already this year, the brand has introduced other changes to its charts, as artists have done everything from bundling concert merch and re-releasing deluxe editions of albums in order to game the system. (Billboard <\/em>and Rolling Stone<\/em> are both owned by the same parent company, Penske Media Corporation.)<\/p>\n \n\tOne major implication of Billboard<\/em>\u2019s latest change has to do with the status of hip-hop<\/a> on the charts. Earlier this year, a torrent of discourse was set off as news broke that, for the first time in decades, there were no hip-hop songs<\/a> in the Top 40 of the publication\u2019s Hot 100 chart. In the wake of the industry-spanning rap feud<\/a> of 2024, and with controversies around snitching and incarceration, many came to the conclusion that rap\u2019s influence in popular culture was waning. Others suggested that the genre was simply returning to its more subcultural roots.\u00a0<\/p>\n