Music industry titan Irving Azoff is weighing in on YouTube and Billboard‘s ongoing dispute over chart metrics, commending the music trade for keeping with its current policies while encouraging the rest of the music business to stand up to the video service and demand it pay music creators more.
Azoff’s letter comes several months after YouTube had announced in December that it would be yanking its data from the Billboard charts, arguing the publication doesn’t put enough weight on free streams in its calculations for sales units. YouTube Music head Lyor Cohen argued that the weighting toward paid streams “doesn’t reflect how fans engage with music today and ignores the massive engagement from fans who don’t have a subscription.”
“YouTube pays music creators — artists and songwriters — less than any other comparable digital service and should not have influence over the Billboard charts,” Azoff wrote in the letter shared on Friday. “When YouTube starts paying artists and songwriters on par with other music services, then its streams can be counted the same as Apple, Spotify, etc. Until then, we should all be happy to let YouTube take its toys and go home.”
A rep for YouTube didn’t immediately reply to request for comment.
This isn’t the first time Azoff has called out YouTube over its payments to musicians; back in November, he penned a Billboard column where he claimed the service was “bullying” the music business along with other parts of Hollywood.
“I just want to lay out the facts and be clear: YouTube pays the least for music, full stop. They always have and always will unless someone stands up to them,” Azoff said. “They’ll throw up smoke screens and tempt you to look the other way, but let’s not be fooled.”
YouTube pulled its data from Billboard’s charts effective Jan. 16. At the core of the service’s dispute with Billboard is how much weight should be given to free music streams. Billboard argues that streams from paying music subscribers should account for more weight on the charts than a free stream, while YouTube says fan engagement equals out a stream’s worth. Others in the industry have weighed in. Spotify head of music Charlie Hellman advocated for paid streams, arguing that those who pay for their music show ” greater level of fan intent” and therefore should be weighted higher.
In his letter, Azoff called YouTube’s move to pull its data “another attempt by YouTube to increase its leverage over artists, songwriters, and rightsholders.”
“We should all support Billboard in standing up for artists and songwriters by not giving in to YouTube’s clear attempt to control the charts,” Azoff wrote. “And when YouTube pulls these shenanigans again, the industry needs to stand up and not allow YouTube to deepen its power over artists. If YouTube chooses not to participate in Billboard’s charts unless it sets the rules in its favor, that’s fine by me. Until YouTube starts paying artists and songwriters more, I say good riddance — we’re all better off without them.”
Read Azoff’s full letter below.
When you least expect it, expect it! That’s what I love about our business: someone always surprises you. I have been waiting to see who’s willing to stand up to the bully that is YouTube, and kudos to Billboard for doing just that.
A few months ago, I wrote a Billboard Guest Column detailing how YouTube is using its market power to coerce everyone for its own financial gain. When faced with the strength and tyranical tactics of YouTube, many companies can’t fight back. Imagine my surprise and delight when Billboard actually took a stand against YouTube and did not give in to their unreasonable demands!
Last December, YouTube threw a tantrum and threatened that if Billboard did not count free and paid streams equally for chart purposes, YouTube would pull all its data from the Billboard charts. Guess what??? Billboard refused to give in and did not let YouTube dictate the rules and control the Billboard charts.
I applaud Billboard for being willing to stand up! YouTube pays music creators – artists and songwriters – less than any other comparable digital service and should not have influence over the Billboard charts. When YouTube starts paying artists and songwriters on par with other music services, then its streams can be counted the same as Apple, Spotify, etc. Until then, we should all be happy to let YouTube take its toys and go home.
Since 2018, Billboard has correctly counted paid streams more heavily than free streams when determining chart position. It makes sense, because Billboard’s charts are supposed to be a measure of commercial success.
Despite this, it appears that Billboard had agreed to place more weight on YouTube’s free streams to try to convince them to stay; that makes no sense to me, but my guess is that Billboard was most likely trying to appease GoogleGoliath. Apparently, that concession wasn’t enough to satisfy YouTube. YouTube continued to demand that Billboard make no distinction between free and paid streams on the charts. This “our way or the highway” behavior is what we’ve seen from YouTube time and time again.
Why does YouTube care about the Billboard charts? It seems like this is another attempt by YouTube to increase its leverage over artists, songwriters, and rightsholders. If YouTube controls the charts, my guess is they think it will make them even more powerful. And then, guess what? In the next round of negotiations with labels and publishers, YouTube will continue to use its power to try to lower rates they pay again. YouTube already pays less than the other streaming platforms, and it could get even worse for all of us.
We should all support Billboard in standing up for artists and songwriters by not giving in to YouTube’s clear attempt to control the charts. And when YouTube pulls these shenanigans again, the industry needs to stand up and not allow YouTube to deepen its power over artists. If YouTube chooses not to participate in Billboard’s charts unless it sets the rules in its favor, that’s fine by me. Until YouTube starts paying artists and songwriters more, I say good riddance – we’re all better off without them.