Today, we’re sharing some important changes made to YouTube Music Charts, the go-to destination to see what’s popular, what’s rising and trending both locally and globally on YouTube, and updates to how we determine videos that are eligible for 24-hour record debuts on YouTube.
YouTube Music Charts have become an indispensable source for the industry and the most accurate place for measuring the popularity of music listening behavior happening on the world’s largest music platform. In an effort to provide more transparency to the industry and align with the policies of official charting companies such as Billboard and Nielsen, we are no longer counting paid advertising views on YouTube in the YouTube Music Charts calculation. Artists will now be ranked based on view counts from organic plays.
Over the last few years, fans, artists, and their teams have touted the number of views a video receives on YouTube within the first 24 hours as the definitive representation of its instant cultural impact. It’s a great honor and one we take very seriously. As we look to maintain consistency and credibility across our platform, we’ve made some necessary revisions to our methodology for reporting 24-hour record debuts.
Our goal is to ensure YouTube remains a place where all artists are accurately recognized and celebrated for achieving success and milestones. Videos eligible for YouTube’s 24-hour record debuts are those with the highest views from organic sources within the first 24 hours of the video’s public release. This includes direct links to the video, search results, external sites that embed the video and YouTube features like the homepage, watch next and Trending. Video advertising is an effective way to reach specific audiences with a song debut, but paid advertising views on YouTube will no longer be considered when looking at a 24-hour record debut. The changes will not impact YouTube’s existing 24-hour record debut holders.
Staying true to YouTube’s overall mission of giving everyone a voice and showing them the world, we want to celebrate all artist achievements on YouTube as determined by their global fans. It’s the artists and fans that have made YouTube the best and most accurate measure of the world’s listening tastes, and we intend on keeping it that way.
Additional information on how YouTube Music Charts are calculated can be found here and additional details about YouTube Views and ads can be found here.
Looking to check out the top most-played songs this week on YouTube, the most-viewed music videos, or see what’s trending? We’ve got you covered! Fans can now easily access YouTube Charts as playlists that will appear on users’ home screens or by search. It’s ALL here and easy to find, watch and listen to what’s popular, rising and trending both locally and globally — all within YouTube Music.
Every country — all 29 markets — will get five charts playlists: three specific to their country and two global lists. Fans can also add their favorite charts to their library so they can stay up-to-date on what’s trending on the platform.
YouTube Charts are the go-to destination to see what music is hot on YouTube and now include the following within YouTube Music:
The Top Songs chart combines the number of views of a song on YouTube (including the official music video, official song used in user-generated content and lyric videos). The Top Songs chart is updated weekly on Sunday at 12 p.m. PST. Each country will get both a global and country-specific version of this chart. This week, the U.S. list is topped by “thank u, next,” followed by Travis Scott’s “SICKO MODE (feat Drake)” and Halsey’s “Without Me.”
The Top Music Videos chart goes beyond the song and gives fans the chance to dive into the most viewed official music videos on the platform. Top Videos is updated weekly on Sunday at 12 p.m. PST. Each country will get both a global and country-specific version of this chart. This week, the U.S. list is topped by the same two tracks as the songs list, with Nicki Minaj at #3 with “Good Form ft. Lil Wayne.”
The new Trending chart is updated multiple times a day to provide a unique, real-time view of the hottest new music fans are enjoying in a specific country. The Trending chart is YouTube’s first dedicated external signal of the most-viewed new music on the platform, providing an instant snapshot of what is driving music culture. Ariana Grande completes her clean sweep in the U.S. this week, with XXXTENTACION’s “Guardian angel” and Kodak Black’s “Calling My Spirit” rounding out the top 3.
The charts, currently topped globally by Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next,” are the most accurate reflection of what’s happening in music culture and based purely on the number of views from more than 1 billion global music fans on YouTube each month. Full details about how YouTube charts are calculated can be found here.
Elliott Breece, Product Manager at YouTube Music, recently listened to “If It Isn’t Love”
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