This past week, Billboard introduced its new On-Demand Singles Chart and announced that its data is being incorporated into the Hot 100. Streaming from programs such as Spotify and Rhapsody has clearly been impacting the industry, but should this really count towards the chart?

Well there’s a few ways to look at this. For one, when compared to sales (which moved from records, to CDs, to digital downloads), it doesn’t make much sense. Instead of making an effort to purchase something particular, you just have to click and listen. In that case, why don’ YouTube plays factor in? On the other side, radio play, which has been a significant part of the Hot 100 for decades, is hardly an interactive addition. It’s well known how much payola and DJ bias plays into what we hear on the radio. At least with streaming, people actually get to pick what they listen to. Which is exactly why Billboard is making the right move here.

For better or worse, Spotify (for example) is really the new direction of the music industry. Music is more a la carte than it’s ever been. Sure, it’s not necessarily the best case scenario for artists, labels, songwriters, producers, etc., but for listeners, this is ideal. All you have to do is pay a flat rate, search, click, and listen. There may be some ads, poor selections, in addition to some other kinks, but remember, up until last year, iTunes didn’t even have the BEATLES catalogue. So it’s only going to grow and fix any problems. It’s not even just Spotify. Rhapsody, Slacker, Rdio, and several others have brought streaming to the forefront. With smartphones becoming the norm, iPods (and other music players) now featuring internet capabilities, and tablets adding a new dynamic to the electronic world, there’s no denying how convenient this is.

However, as far as the Billboard chart is concerned, this is either going to skew things completely, or hardly make a difference. How many people would rather go and listen to a song to try it out, verses actually buy it. The most popular songs might not actually have a fighting chance against the tracks with the most buzz. On a positive side though, artists with obsessive fans who drive iTunes sales through the roof when a new song comes out (Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber,) will be more weeded out. Although, these fans are certainly capable of streaming the tracks all day long just to up the chart position. Regardless, this is the present state of music. Streaming is how more and more people are going about listening to their music. Sales are still strong, radio play will always factor in, but now with this new dynamic, the Billboard Hot 100 is going to be more accurate than ever.