On Dec. 17, 2025, YouTube announced that it would no longer provide streaming data to Billboard charts. A month later, the act came into effect in protest against the change in Billboard’s charting system.

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Since early 2013, music streamed on YouTube have continuously contributed to Billboard charts. These streams were weighed equally as those from paid services until 2018, when tiered streaming values were introduced. Since then, the amount of ad-supported streams necessary to count as one album consumption unit has grown to more than three times the amount of paid streams necessary.

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Following this trend, Billboard reported that their charts would begin to rely more on paid or subscription streams rather than ad-supported streams. Shortly after, YouTube addressed the impending change in a blog article written by Cohen.

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“[The Billboard formula] doesn’t reflect how fans engage with music today and ignores the massive engagement from fans who don’t have a subscription,” Cohen wrote. “[YouTube is] simply asking that every stream is counted fairly and equally, whether it is subscription-based or ad-supported—because every fan matters and every play should count.”

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While the withdrawal of YouTube streams appears to damage Billboard’s revenue, original alterations in streaming values result from a lack of profit, as seen in comparisons made by Full Stop Management CEO Irving Azoff.

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“YouTube recently touted that it paid artists $8 billion over the past year,” Azoff wrote. “During the same period, Spotify generated roughly $18 billion in revenue and paid about $12 billion to music rights holders.”

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Similar protests have occurred in past years. Some claim that paid-for music should be advantaged due to direct customer input. Likewise, responses mirroring YouTube’s have surfaced: calls for every listener’s stream to count the same. The ongoing debate fluctuates amongst involved companies.

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Parts of the music industry that have relied heavily on YouTube streams—such as Korean-pop—now face new hurdles. However, as listeners turn away from ad-supported services like YouTube, charts inevitably follow suit. Companies seeking to maximize profit have brought about resulting changes.