Merch and ticket bundles will not be considered in Billboard's charts

Yesterday (13 July), Billboard announced changes to its Billboard 200, Hot 100, and other album and song charts.

The announcement aims to rectify how sales are counted in the charts, as merch bundles are sold to boost physical sales and chart positions on releases.

Billboard revealed that the chart rules will be altered, "Now, Billboard -- in an acknowledgement that those measures have fallen short of the intended goal of accurately reflecting consumer intent -- has decided to eliminate the practice of counting albums bundled with merchandise and concert tickets on its album and song charts altogether."

The updated rules also state that all album bundles "must be promoted as an add-on to those purchases" in order to be counted in the charts.

Digital downloads that are bundled with physical copies of albums will also be eliminated from the counting process of Billboard's charts, "thereby eliminating the practice of "spontaneous" non-manufactured items being used to influence first-week chart rankings. Under the new rules, only when the physical item -- ostensibly what the consumer is buying -- is shipped will it be counted in Billboard’s official tallies."

The chart magazine hopes that the new rules will "better ensure that Billboard chart rankings more accurately reflect the conscious purchasing decisions of consumers and level the playing field for all artists."