YouTube to resume sharing streaming data with Billboard in 2027

The disagreement began in December 2025, when YouTube said it would stop providing data, arguing that Billboard’s formula favored paid subscriptions and undervalued fans who listened free with ads. Lyor Cohen, YouTube’s global head of music, criticized the approach in a blog post, saying it failed to reflect how people listen and overlooking substantial engagement from non-subscribers. He also wrote that streaming accounted for 84% of U.S. recorded music revenue.

Under Billboard’s previous formula, 1,000 paid streams counted the same as 2,500 ad-supported streams. The updated formula narrows that gap: 1,000 paid streams will now equal 1,500 ad-supported streams when calculating album consumption units. Paid listening still carries greater weight, but ad-supported plays will have a larger effect on chart positions.

YouTube’s data could affect artists who draw audiences through music videos, live performances, lyric videos and other platform content, including independent musicians and artists with large international fan bases. Its return will also give Billboard a more complete picture of listening and music discovery, after the platform’s streams were excluded from its calculations.