charts discussion HDD: Tidal manipulating chart for Meek Mill; 3rd time.

[iHype.]

Quote

Sources inside Billboard confirm that the publication is planning to count in-front-of-the-paywall Tidal streams of Meek Mill's Winners & Losers in the album’s chart total—and the potential chart ramifications are already seismic. Billboard staffers are apoplectic over the lack of leadership at the top of the publication and the refusal to address the most naked example of chart manipulation in recent memory.

These free streams generate no revenue and thus equate to free goods, thus making them ineligible for chart inclusion. Also, the presence of the album in front of the paywall opens the way for unlimited use of bots to drive up streaming totals, unencumbered by accounts or logins.

 

 

http://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=307661

Not even lower Billboard staff being angry 

 

TIDAL should no longer be counted for Nielsen at this point. I hope they take real action.

 

For those confused>

 

1 hour ago, iHype. said:

https://listen.tidal.com/album/76384491

You don't even need an account to stream the album, which is why they are saying the streams shouldn't count. They can literally use spam bots to go on the page and play all the songs on loop.

 

There is also no revenue generated by those streams. Streams on Spotify even for free generate revenue. The sole purpose of the streams are to inflate a charting position in a close race.

 

[Hector]

Cancel Tidal altogether, everything about them is fraudulent.  

[T-Swizz]

Cancel Tidal. (2)

[LustSpell]

So Tidal's gonna screw over Lana. Someone shut them down already  

[elemonated]

Can Billboard just not count Tidal anymore. It's becoming embarrassing.

[TaylorNation]

Is this what they all agreed to when they dramatically signed that contract on the live stream?  

[hud]

dd; they're shameless

[franklin]

They're really shameless in their scam  

[jezebelvictoria]

Tidal is going to end getting cancelled from counting towards the charts. 

[Kuroi]

They are calling out Tidal but I want to know if Apple Music or spotify are doing the same ?

[Blue Rose]

Apple Music trial streams count, why not Tidal? 

And since when does HDD have sources inside Billboard?  

[alexanderao]

The funny thing is that Meek Mill is not even affiliated with TIDAL. He wasn't part of the group of artists that went to that ridiculous launch event and he never did exclusives with them. He's essentially taking advantage of them to get a #1.

 

This is unacceptable behavior and there should be clear and severe repercussions. I agree that TIDAL streams shouldn't count for Nielsen anymore.

[SebaMonster]

People are still streaming it, so when it comes to popularity it's still fair.

 

If Meek goes #1 it's because he had the most popular album.

[Obsession]

The skullduggery

[iamvladd]

nnnnn

 

 

[rihsus]

a failed and travesty service

 

[Green]

I knew Tidal would help Meek (?) with their fishy streams. Poor Lana  

[Blue Rose]

Just now, alexanderao said:

The funny thing is that Meek Mill is not even affiliated with TIDAL. He wasn't part of the group of artists that went to that ridiculous launch event and he never did exclusives with them. He's essentially taking advantage of them to get a #1.

 

This is unacceptable behavior and there should be clear and severe repercussions. I agree that TIDAL streams shouldn't count for Nielsen anymore.

Don't you find it suspect that only HDD (a website who is in bed with Apple Music) reports these "anomalies" 

And it's important to note that HDD didn't report any of Spotify recent legal troubles. 

HDD hates Tidal. We need another source.

[Kassi]

So basically they're streaming the album for free....like Spotify?

 

I don't see the issue. 

[iHype.]

6 minutes ago, Superpower said:

Apple Music trial streams count, why not Tidal? 

And since when does HDD have sources inside Billboard?  

They're saying streams like this:

https://listen.tidal.com/album/76384491

Where you don't even need an account, you just go on the page and click play shouldn't count. It's basically like YouTube streams and can easily be faked with bots going to the page.

 

Nothing like that has ever been done on Apple Music & Spotify, where an account wasn't needed and you could stream an entire album free without an account by visiting a page. They don't even get any revenue from it. It's done for the sole purpose to inflate streams and cheat the chart, hence the only 2 times it's been done is during DJ Khaled & Meek Mill's album release weeks where they were projected in a close race for #1.

 

[Blue Rose]

Just now, Sunshine. said:

So basically they're streaming the album for free....like Spotify?

 

No. Spotify has ads when you use it for free.

So they are streaming it like Apple Music 3 months trial. 

[alexanderao]

Just now, Superpower said:

Don't you find it suspect that only HDD (a website who is in bed with Apple Music) reports these "anomalies" 

And it's important to note that HDD didn't report any of Spotify recent legal troubles. 

HDD hates Tidal. We need another source.

HDD is one of the most respected music industry trade publications there is.

 

[elemonated]

HDD is the only one who ever posts about this. I think they are salty at Tidal. 

[umich]

Jay Z needs to STOP.

[Kassi]

Just now, Superpower said:

No. Spotify has ads when you use it for free.

So they are streaming it like Apple Music 3 months trial. 

I mean, even then, the principle is that you don't pay anything for the streams is there.

 

So I don't see the issue. Tidals not really coming with some nefarious scheme that the other streaming services don't already use (as you mentioned with Apple Music and I Spotify).