In this day and age, YouTube is potentially more influential than any other medium in turning a song from one which no one has ever heard into a hit of epic proportions. Thankfully the music industry has realized this unsavory (at least to them) fact.
Music Charts
Once upon a time the music charts were made up of one thing and one thing alone: How many physical copies of a song sold in record stores. Now, with the way people consume music, and other types of content for that matter, having changed, so has the methodology behind the charts.
Several years ago digital downloads were added to the mix, as the industry realized it was fighting a losing battle against people buying digital rather than physical copies. Then came streaming services such as Spotify, which now also contribute to the charts.
This week saw YouTube added to the burgeoning list of sources used to determine whether a song is a hit or not.

YouTube has long been seen as a possible alternative to pay-TV offerings, with a mix of music videos, television shows, and movies providing the needs of viewers. To truly be an alternative to pay-TV, YouTube itself may start charging for access.
Amazon has taken on the episodic version of Zombieland in order to add to its Instant Video lineup. Which further cements the feeling that television networks are becoming a resource we could well do without, either now or in the near future.
Google is currently carrying out a full-on assault aimed at cementing its place on iOS and Apple devices. We’ve already witnessed the Apple Maps vs. Google Maps conflict, and the latest front in this ongoing war is Capture, a new YouTube app clearly aimed at usurping the current default camera app.
Netflix has signed a new deal with Disney which will see first-run movies from the media company streaming through the service from 2016. This is a big deal for Netflix, and its shares immediately rose after the news was revealed.
