Music Publishing News Roundup 11.25.14: Billboard Chart Changes, Azoff vs. YouTube & More

Billboard album sales will now incorporate streaming and digital sales data. The Nielsen entertainment company has developed an algorithm that tracks not only album sales but streams and single track downloads. This change in the Billboard 200 charts is very crucial for artists that may not be selling albums in their entirety but still getting millions of streams and selling single tracks. It will be equating 10 digital track sales from an album to one equivalent album sale, and 1,500 song streams from an album to one equivalent album sale. The updated chart will premiere Thanksgiving week.

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Irving Azoff has threatened YouTube after the company failed to remove songs requested by performing rights organization, Global Music Rights. GMR has signed up about 42 writers who have collectively published around 20,000 songs. Despite claims that YouTube had not completed all of the licensing necessary, the site has decided not to remove songs composed by popular musicians such as The Eagles, Pharrell Williams, and John Lennon, and as a result is being warned of the risks of "defiance."

ASCAP presented its 2014 Centennial Awards to Joan Baez, Garth Brooks, Billy Joel, Stephen Sondheim, and Stevie Wonder on November 17th at their historic 100th anniversary party in New York City. Hosted by ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams, the event featured the Centennial Award recipients as well as special guests who performed in tribute to the honorees. It marked the first-ever fundraiser benefiting the ASCAP Foundation and its music education, talent development, and humanitarian activities.