Foamy
February 20th, 2013, 09:21 PM
Source (http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1549388/baauers-harlem-shake-debuts-atop-revamped-hot-100)
The viral sensation soars in at No. 1, aided by the addition of YouTube streaming data to the chart's methodology. Rihanna and Drake, meanwhile, rocket to the top 10
The Billboard Hot 100 undergoes a major shakeup this week, as YouTube streaming data joins the chart's methodology. Fittingly, "Harlem Shake," the viral smash from Brooklyn producer Baauer, roars onto the ranking at No. 1.
Hot 100: Billboard and Nielsen Add YouTube Video Streaming
As announced today, Billboard and Nielsen have revealed that U.S. YouTube video streaming data has been added to multiple platforms, which includes an update to the formula for the five-decade-old Hot 100. YouTube streaming data is now factored into the chart, enhancing a recipe that includes digital download track sales (and physical singles sales), as tracked by Nielsen SoundScan, as well as terrestrial radio airplay, on-demand audio streaming, and online radio streaming, as tracked by Nielsen BDS.
"Shake" becomes just the 21st song (of 1,023 No. 1s dating to the chart's 1958 launch) to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100. Even more notably, it's the first song to start at the summit by an artist essentially unknown prior to charting. Of the prior 20 No. 1 debuts, three were by artists making their first Hot 100 appearances, but all – Clay Aiken, Fantasia and Carrie Underwood – had built familiarity via months of weekly TV exposure on Fox's "American Idol" (2002-05). Lauryn Hill also sent her solo debut "Doo Wop (That Thing)" to a No. 1 beginning in 1998, but she was, by then, known for fronting R&B act the Fugees.
Baauer (born Harry Rodrigues) has taken advantage of the digital era (and the Hot 100's formula revision) to quickly make his hit the most popular song in the country. The track has surged thanks to the suddenly wildly popular "Harlem Shake" meme. (Its concept: a 30-second video begins with a person dancing to the song alone for 15 seconds, while other people appear unaware of the movement. Then, all participants join in for the clip's second half.) Fueled by the song's audio as a backing track, "Shake" debuts on the BDS-based Streaming Songs chart with an astounding 103 million weekly streams. The title does not appear on On-Demand Songs as only 309,000 of its streams stem from the online subscription services that contribute to that chart.
While "Shake" was released commercially last June, it didn't begin to sell significantly until last week, thanks to the track’s viral momentum, when it moved 18,000 (up from less than 1,000 the week before), according to SoundScan. This week, it blasts onto the Digital Songs chart at No. 3 with 262,000 downloads sold (up 1,359%).
The one element largely missing so far from the success of "Shake" is radio airplay. (Released on the independent Mad Decent label, it does not boast major label promotional backing). In the Hot 100's Feb. 13-19 BDS tracking week, the song registered just 2 million audience impressions, garnering plays on 112 of the 1,235 stations monitored for the Hot 100. Latin pop-formatted WVOZ San Juan, P.R., leads all reporters with 25 plays for "Shake" last week, followed by dance KNHC Seattle. Still, the airplay is up sharply from the previous week, when the song logged a mere two spins nationally.
Harlem Shake is in the history books because of YouTube.
The viral sensation soars in at No. 1, aided by the addition of YouTube streaming data to the chart's methodology. Rihanna and Drake, meanwhile, rocket to the top 10
The Billboard Hot 100 undergoes a major shakeup this week, as YouTube streaming data joins the chart's methodology. Fittingly, "Harlem Shake," the viral smash from Brooklyn producer Baauer, roars onto the ranking at No. 1.
Hot 100: Billboard and Nielsen Add YouTube Video Streaming
As announced today, Billboard and Nielsen have revealed that U.S. YouTube video streaming data has been added to multiple platforms, which includes an update to the formula for the five-decade-old Hot 100. YouTube streaming data is now factored into the chart, enhancing a recipe that includes digital download track sales (and physical singles sales), as tracked by Nielsen SoundScan, as well as terrestrial radio airplay, on-demand audio streaming, and online radio streaming, as tracked by Nielsen BDS.
"Shake" becomes just the 21st song (of 1,023 No. 1s dating to the chart's 1958 launch) to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100. Even more notably, it's the first song to start at the summit by an artist essentially unknown prior to charting. Of the prior 20 No. 1 debuts, three were by artists making their first Hot 100 appearances, but all – Clay Aiken, Fantasia and Carrie Underwood – had built familiarity via months of weekly TV exposure on Fox's "American Idol" (2002-05). Lauryn Hill also sent her solo debut "Doo Wop (That Thing)" to a No. 1 beginning in 1998, but she was, by then, known for fronting R&B act the Fugees.
Baauer (born Harry Rodrigues) has taken advantage of the digital era (and the Hot 100's formula revision) to quickly make his hit the most popular song in the country. The track has surged thanks to the suddenly wildly popular "Harlem Shake" meme. (Its concept: a 30-second video begins with a person dancing to the song alone for 15 seconds, while other people appear unaware of the movement. Then, all participants join in for the clip's second half.) Fueled by the song's audio as a backing track, "Shake" debuts on the BDS-based Streaming Songs chart with an astounding 103 million weekly streams. The title does not appear on On-Demand Songs as only 309,000 of its streams stem from the online subscription services that contribute to that chart.
While "Shake" was released commercially last June, it didn't begin to sell significantly until last week, thanks to the track’s viral momentum, when it moved 18,000 (up from less than 1,000 the week before), according to SoundScan. This week, it blasts onto the Digital Songs chart at No. 3 with 262,000 downloads sold (up 1,359%).
The one element largely missing so far from the success of "Shake" is radio airplay. (Released on the independent Mad Decent label, it does not boast major label promotional backing). In the Hot 100's Feb. 13-19 BDS tracking week, the song registered just 2 million audience impressions, garnering plays on 112 of the 1,235 stations monitored for the Hot 100. Latin pop-formatted WVOZ San Juan, P.R., leads all reporters with 25 plays for "Shake" last week, followed by dance KNHC Seattle. Still, the airplay is up sharply from the previous week, when the song logged a mere two spins nationally.
Harlem Shake is in the history books because of YouTube.