Christian P. Pewitt Blogs: Why Do Streams Count As Sales On Billboard Charts? "There is no consumption," says Digital Music Veteran

Friday, January 27, 2017

Why Do Streams Count As Sales On Billboard Charts? "There is no consumption," says Digital Music Veteran

This week Billboard and Nielsen added streaming to their genre charts, and digital music veteran Jim Griffin is asking why. He's held top digital posts at Warner Music, Cherry Lane and Geffen. Congress, the Copyright Royalty Board and United Nations have all called on him to testify. So when Jim questions something, we listen.

Commenting on our story Billboard Finally Adds Streaming To All Genre Charts, industry veteran Jim Griffin of OneHouse wrote:

"How is streaming counted as consumption?

Is supply decremented in any way?

I do support the notion that this is a service metric, but there is no consumption, supply not decremented at all.

Only time is being consumed, and this is on the part of the listener, not the supplier.

Odd rhetoric, this. Why complain? Because it is yet another sign that we cling to the old vine of product and consumers. We need to move on and think in new ways."