Streaming is very obviously king, though this widely preferred listening method isn't always well-represented on the charts. Instead, as the DJ Khaled controversy showed, recent attention on charts methodology has been focused on the practice of bundling.
Elaborating on the bundling criticism she gave New York Times earlier this month, Roc Nation COO Desiree Perez has given some additional comments on the arguably manipulative charts-boosting tactic to Hits Daily Double. Asked if she and the Roc Nation team believed bundling should be outright eliminated, Perez confirmed "that's exactly our position" on the issue.
"Music consumption is the only true metric that should matter," she said in a report published Wednesday. "Bundling devalues the art and is demeaning to the artists. It needs to go, and we are urging Billboard to take that step as soon as possible."
While some artists may fear a reduction in chart boasts with the prohibiting of bundling, Perez argues that allowing all artists to vie for chart positions without such an interference will ultimately be beneficial to everyone, including listeners. Perez added that "it's no secret" Billboard is still trying to "blunt streaming's momentum," despite audience behavior that shows an overwhelming preference for the format.
"Why Billboard is continuing to filter streaming numbers through what they call an 'album equivalent' and not measuring consumption in the form in which it's actually consumed is stunning," Perez said.
A source close to the situation tells Complex that Roc Nation’s concern with Billboard’s policies with regards to counting album sales goes beyond DJ Khaled's Father of Asahd. It dates back to 2013 over the handling of sales for JAY-Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail, and has continued in other instances involving 6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj, among other artists. The issue was also referenced on JAY-Z's verse off Meek Mill's 2018 track "What's Free," where he rapped, "We was praisin' Billboard, but we were young/Now I look at Billboard like, 'Is you dumb?'"
Bundling, a term broadly used to describe the pairing of new albums with merch or other items, received renewed scrutiny on both sides when DJ Khaled—a Roc Nation artist—opened in the No. 2 spot with his Father of Asahd album after an energy drink package was reportedly deemed unqualified to be included in the tally.
In her initial comments to the Times, Perez said she and the Roc Nation team disputed the Billboard move on Khaled's behalf "and, frankly, every artist who is forced to navigate bundling an album download with an inexpensive item that still effectively represents their brand."
Ultimately, she said at the time, the art is demeaned by this practice.
