Luis Panch Perez
Billboard introduced "fan packs" to allow fan bundles to count in chart positions
Billboard has updated its eligibility rules to restore some formats of merchandise bundles which will now count for chart positions.
Billboard first removed from consideration in 2020. Now, under the new rules, artists may only sell two different “fan bundle” variations, which must come with a physical copy of the album and a merch item. The merchandise and the album copies must all be available for purchase from the artist, independent of one another.
In mid-2019, the change in policy over bundles allowed Tyler, the Creator’s Igor to take the number one spot spot on the Billboard 200 over DJ Khaled’s Father of Asahd, which had been bundled with items such as energy drinks.
Last year, Kanye West’s Donda 2 was ruled ineligible for the Billboard charts due to its exclusive distribution on West’s proprietary Stem Player.
The institution now have new guidelines for “fan bundle” sales, reversing its earlier decision to disallow them from counting toward chart placement.
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