Online music streaming services, including Spotify and We7, will have their own top 100 chart starting from this Monday (May 14th).
The new rankings have been created by the Official Charts Company with the support of the Entertainment Retailers Association and record label organisation The BPI, to reflect the new way in which consumers listen to music.
From next Monday The Official Streaming Chart will rank the top 100 songs each week using data from both ad-funded and subscription services in the UK.
The Official Streaming Chart will be compiled using services Spotify, We7, Napster, Deezer, Zune and ChartsNow, and be published every week in trade title, Music Week and online at www.officialcharts.com.
The Official Charts Company says 2.6 billion songs were streamed in the UK last year. Now those tracks will receive the recognition music fans think they deserve.
Managing director Martin Talbot hailed the move as a “coming-of-age moment” for the music industry. “For the first time, from next week, we will have transparency on exactly what they are listening to on these new services.”
A chart constructed entirely from streamed music choices should provide for interesting results. British artist Ed Sheeran is reportedly the most streamed artist of 2012, followed by Lana Del Ray and DJ David Guetta. Gotye’s ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ is the most streamed track.
The popularity of online music streaming services has gained momentum over the last 12 months with the Official Charts Company estimating that 2.6 billion audio streams were delivered in the UK last year.
The top ten most streamed artists of 2012 so far are:
1 Ed Sheeran
2 Lana Del Rey
3 David Guetta
4 Rihanna
5 Coldplay
6 Gotye
7 Jessie J
8 Emeli Sande
9 Florence And The Machine
10 Drake
