Changing Times

At the end of 2010, Billboard announced that it would start a social media chart to keep track of how recording artists were doing on social sites. The chart was dubbed the Social 50. On February 21st 2013, Billboard unveiled it's YouTube chart.

In the early 1990s, Billboard changed the name of the R&B chart to the Rap/Hip Hop & R&B chart. Back then I thought that this somehow was making the statement that R&B was on it's way out... hmmmm. So, when they announced their social media chart I was certain that something was going to run afoul. Surprisingly, the chart was pretty much what I thought it might be, which is a reflection of the top major label recording artists

The new YouTube chart represents exactly those same artists, albeit not necessarily in the same order. I think both the Social 50 and the YouTube charts are great ways for Billboard to stay in line with the growing changes brought about by the digital age.

However, I was a little disappointed. While I knew what these charts would look like, I was kind of hoping that I would find music from artists that I had never heard of, with music that was so diverse that I would be compelled to check out those charts to hear what was, really new. As it is, both of these charts represent more of the same from the same handful of artists. Most of them have been present for about the last 10 or 15 yrs, though their sound has remained relatively the same as when they started.

There is so much more music on YouTube then what you will find on the new YouTube chart. While it is a good barometer for measuring how songs on the top 40 are doing, you're not going to see that great new band or artist that you found, anywhere near it. At least Billboard is keeping up with the changing times