Billboard screws over real R&B artists with new rule change…

Written by Toya
Posted October 11, 2012 at 6:57 pm

Billboard has truly stepped on some toes today, especially with changes to its Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. As a result, the new Billboard methodology changes make the genre charts absolutely meaningless. This is because the new rules that impact genre chart positions are too heavily influenced by Pop airplay, rather than R&B airplay. They made changes to the Country and Latin charts as well but since this blog puts more focus into the R&B portion, this is what we will look at.

In addition to radio airplay data, digital download sales and streaming data (tracked by Nielsen BDS from such services as Spotify, Muve, Slacker, Rhapsody, Rdio and Xbox Music) will also be taken into consideration for chart positioning. What will be seen as a welcoming move is the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart being separated into two different charts – R&B Songs and Rap Songs. Their reasoning is that the new R&B Songs chart will only focus on pure R&B acts such as Frank Ocean, Anthony Hamilton and John Legend to name a few.

BUT NOT REALLY. AND HERE’S WHY:

Rihanna’s ‘Diamonds’ (a widely considered pop song) has taken the top spot for the first R&B chart published today. Last week, it was #66 on what was the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Rihanna’s new single is NOT popular on R&B radio but because it is “aided by crossover pop airplay”, the song gets top billing on that chart. As a result, hardcore R&B acts like Brandy will find it more difficult to score a #1 song.

And since we’re on the subject of Brandy, her latest single ‘Put It Down’ was #3 on last week’s R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Prior to Rihanna’s Pop hit topping the R&B chart, Brandy unfortunately drops from #3 to #16 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and debuts at #7 on this new R&B Songs chart. The biggest farce about this scenario is that Brandy is placed six spots below Rihanna who last week wasn’t even inside the top 50.

This is horrible news not just for Brandy, but for hardcore R&B artists in general. It will mean they will struggle to get a #1 song in their own territory just so that Justin Bieber and Adele can reign over them. A laughable example of this is Psy’s dance-pop smash ‘Gangnam Style’ scoring the #1 slot on the Rap Songs tally. Like, REALLY? WTF.

Filed under: Billboard charts

Miles

The r&b/hip hop station in my cd plays Rihanna Diamonds all the time. It has elements of r&b and pop as well. So I think it’s fair that it tops the r&b charts
Lily GaGa

Good news…hip hop and R&B are dead.
90s wasnt my era….artist like Mariah, 50cents, Lil Waybe, Jay-z got the advantage those day.

RIP!
BeyNo1

You are just a racist, bitch!
http://www.twitter.com/LolaAM Lola

Diamonds is as R&B as a Katy Perry track. This new method is killing R&B even more.

I’m not even even going to touch on the pop Internet hit Gangnam topping the Rap charts.

What a fucking insult.
Dan

I’m furious about this move…poor Tamia, Melanie Fiona, Kelly Price, Antonhy Hamilton, Ledisi, Elle Varner, and the list goes on…
http://www.twitter.com/thatsuperstar Thatsuperstar

WOW this is pretty effed up!
xedos

the problem is they’re not enough RNB radio station they all sold out to the white business who turn them into pop or other format . look at Kiss 98 in New York in the 80′s 90′s that that was the urban station in New York . Everyone listen to Red alert. no it bough up by ESPN to become a sport station thats one more lost for RNB.. Black ppl don’t buy music and RNB artist don’t have large fan base to to request or stream enough to move up the charts. basically they’re fuck
Dark_KING

To be honest with you this seems like they did this just to give rihanna an #1 on a chart.I feel real bad for Ashanti,Vivian Green,Tamia,Brandy,Monica,Ciara,Kelly Price,Anthony Hamilton,Jill Scott,Etc.

Is gone be hard 4 real r&b artist this year.
Miles

I don’t understand. shouldn’t this help r&b and rap artist. This week Frank Ocean & Earl Sweatshirt finally charted with Super Rich Kids. and Both of Kendrick Lamar’s songs The Recipe and Swimming Pools jump really high up the charts. and a lot of other real r&b and hiphop songs appeared on the charts now. this seems to be benefiting to me
NGB

I was wondering why Rihanna had the number 1 song on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts when I checked earlier today. That also explains how Brandy dropped from #3 to #16

They are really trying to add the final nail to R&B’s coffin.
tae

Dont feel bad for ciara & k.rowland they can actually benefit from this now. There urban songs always do great on itunes the 1st week which will ensure them top 10/20 debuts on the urban charts instead of slowly moving up the charts.
ladyrt23

i’ve always felt that the R&B and Rap charts should be separate. unfortunately, artists like Rihanna who are considered pop/r&b will reign when they have music released. even nicki minaj who wears three hats (rap/pop/r&B).
Rap

diamonds was rising on urban airplay hadrcore, though. it would have been top 20 this week for sure.
Staystrong

What are the record companies and Billboard trying to pull? Then, Kesha is on the cover of VIBE? What the hell is going on? Rihanna, no disrespect to her, is not R&B with Diamonds. It was mostly played on pop stations. So, why is it #1 on the R&B charts? Just to give Rihanna a boost in sales? I mean c’mon, is this how music is going to work now? Screw over real artists and consumers who want REAL MUSIC not just EDM b.s. I don’t get the aesthetic of what is happening. There needs to be a massive overhaul of the industry. Fast.
Sheldon Taylor

Its a sign of the times. Not an orchestrated ploy. Brick and mortar radio stations continue to be the barometer for tracking sales figures.
25 yrs ago R/B songs that charted in the R/B top 10 usually went pop Top 40 resulting in R/B songs being considered across the board hits. 20 yrs ago Soundscan was added to the chart process by tracking 1st week sales of artists with whoever having the biggest sales usually went #1 pop automatically no matter what genre they came from (NWA had the first #1 pop album in the Soundscan era). Now with the decline of R/B radio stations and physical product sold we are in a new era. As always R/B is fractured into diffrent kinds depending on age demographic. Because the youth demographic are driving sales and airplay, Veteran artists are not has well represented due to minimal outlets resulting in minimal repesentation. The thought of Brandy’s limited representation on the charts is humorous and tragic but it has been the way of R/B. In the 80s and 90s young acts drove veteran artists off the charts and the same thing is happeneing now including limited public platforms for R/B artists.

Billboard screws over real R&B artists with new rule change…

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