Nielsen have announced they’ll begin integrating music streaming figures into a number of Billboard’s genre-based album charts.

Starting early next year Nielsen will combine album sales, track equivalent sales and streaming equivalent sales for 19 of Billboard‘s genre charts. This isn’t just a recognition of streaming’s importance in modern music consumption but also gives a chance to artists, like Chance the Rapper, who are streaming exclusive make it onto the charts.

Billboard are planning to start the chart integration at the end of January/start of February next year. Streaming equivalent sales measure how many album sales the tracks and overall albums streams would equal in comparison. Here are the list of charts which will be gaining streaming sales integration:

  • Top Country Albums
  • Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
  • Top R&B Albums
  • Top Rap Albums
  • Top Latin Albums
  • Latin Pop Albums
  • Regional Mexican Albums
  • Tropical Albums
  • Latin Rhythm Albums
  • Top Rock Albums
  • Alternative Rock Albums
  • Hard Rock Albums
  • Americana/Folk Albums
  • Top Dance/Electronic Albums
  • Christian/Gospel Albums
  • Top Gospel Albums
  • Top Christian Albums
  • Top Catalog Albums
  • Holiday Albums

Billboard say the new album charts based on consumption will include catalog titles for the first time, aligning it with the Billboard 200 chart and providing a more accurate ranking for genre charts. From now on Billboard’s main charts will all be based on consumption across sales and streaming figures whilst options to view a sales-only chart will still be available.

Streaming figures had already been integrated into Billboard’s main top 200 chart but now all their charts will work from the same system for better accuracy. It’s not just online publications that are recognising streaming’s impact on music performance as some countries primary charts are integrating streaming figures into their national charts, like France did earlier this year.