Billboard Charting Rules That MAY Impact Future Signed Preorders

Some of you may have seen this (I missed it), but Billboard announced a month ago that there would be new rules regarding charting that will be implemented at a TBD date. The way I see it, these changes are likely to significantly impact the release of signed merchandise from major artists (who typically do so for charting reasons) in the future.

My guess is it will either:

A.) Increase the fulfillment speeds of signed items as well as reduce the quality/variety of items offered (ex. art cards are cheaper and require less lead time).

B.) Cause artists to offer items in much more limited quantities (<500) just to support independent shops (ex. Hayley Williams).

OR, (and this is my current expectation) -

C.) Discourage artists from offering signed preorders at all in the future because it's no longer worth the hassle.

Article:

https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/9417842/billboard-new-c...

** Not sure if this is a relevant enough discussion - so if it isn't the moderators can remove it.

Tags: Billboard, Charting, Preorders, Signed, Speculation

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Steve Viola on August 12, 2020 at 4:34am

Yes, but Katy Perry has just offered pre-order signed copies of her new CD, so maybe nothing will change

Permalink Reply by Rich on August 12, 2020 at 8:27am

The article did note that the start date was still top be announced, so that's probably why it's still business as usual. 

Promotional tactics have been a part of the business for a long time, but I agree with Billboard calling foul on ploys to get fans to load up on "copies" of the same song or album and prompt even non-fans to do the same. The stat padding here is starting to feel somewhat similar to buying Instagram followers.

On the other hand, who really cares about chart numbers anymore in this era? Is this really a bragging rights thing, or are the labels/promoters somehow seen as more successful if they get their numbers, no matter how? With so many musical outlets available that just weren't there a couple decades ago, it's not like any fans are looking to charts for insight on what's hot.

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