Billboard Changes: YouTube now a part of Hot 100 charts.

Billboard has announced that U.S. YouTube data is now one of the factors when ranking Hot 100 songs and songs on its other charts.

The new rule went into effect this week, with the viral-video hit “Harlem Shake” debuting at No. 1. Other factors include radio airplay, digital download sales, physical single sales, on-demand audio streaming and online radio streaming. Billboard’s new rule incorporates all official videos on YouTube, including Vevo.

“Harlem Shake” by Brooklyn producer Baauer features few lyrics. The video has a heavy dance-flavored beat. It became a viral success thanks to hundreds of YouTube videos of people dancing to the song.

Songs like ‘We Found Love’ which were viral smashes, could’ve had an even larger impact had this change happened sooner.

This probably means Gangnam Style would’ve been around longer and I don’t know about you, but that’s not ok with me!