Billboard Adds Pandora To Chart Data

Slowly, the Nielsen Billboard charts are evolving to reflect how people actually consume music in 2017. The latest data to be added comes from Pandora.

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Billboard is adding streams from Pandora to its highly valued Hot 100 chart. Pandora streams will also impact other streaming-based charts, and Hot 100 formula-based genre rankings including Hot Country Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot Latin Songs, Hot Rock Songs, Hot Dance/Electronic Songs and others.

Pandora data will be incorporated into the Billboard charts and revealed on Billboard.com on Tuesday, January 31 (for charts dated February 11).

Immediate Chart Impact

The addition of Pandora data positively impacted nearly 40 titles on the Billboard Hot 100, including nine songs that improve in rank by five or more places if compared to the chart absent of Pandora data. Among the titles showing such marked improvement thanks to Pandora plays are Rihanna's "Sex With Me," Bebe Rexha's "I Got You," Jason Aldean's "Any Ol' Barstool," and "Chill Bill" by Rob $tone featuring J. Davi$ and Spooks. The latter track is among Pandora's top 10 most-streamed songs of the week, which helps it place more than 10 spots higher on the Hot 100 had Pandora data not been added.

In addition, two songs enter the Hot 100 thanks to Pandora's influence; Lady Gaga's "Million Reasons," which re-enters the list, and newcomer Callum Scott who makes his first Hot 100 appearance with "Dancing On My Own."

Next Big Sound 

"Next Big Sound has been a data partner of Billboard's since 2010 with the introduction of the Social 50 chart," said Alex White, Head of Next Big Sound at Pandora. "Based on our years of data expertise across social and streaming sources, we know the staggering volume of Pandora data that has not been counted. We project that the Pandora data will have material impact on the chart positions. I am excited that the Hot 100 will now include the enormous number of spins on Pandora."

Pandora joins other programmed music streaming services as Billboard chart contributors, including Slacker, Google Radio, Napster and AOL Radio, among others, as well as on-demand subscription services including Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon and SoundCloud, and video on-demand platforms YouTube (including Vevo on YouTube) and VidZone.

Note that the latter on-demand streaming services are weighted at a higher value on weekly charts than programmed streaming services, reflecting their more active consumer interaction.