US album chart revamped to include streaming

The Billboard chart, the benchmark for US music sales, will next week start to include streaming in its measurements to reflect the rapid growth of services such as Spotify.

Billboard magazine, which produces the weekly charts with tracking company Nielsen SoundScan, described the move on Nov 19 as the biggest overhaul in its methodology since 1991, an era when CDs were replacing cassettes.

The change indicates that the music industry is expecting a permanent role for streaming services despite the objections of a number of musicians - most famously current chart-topper Taylor Swift, who pulled her music from Spotify and complained of unfair compensation to artists.