Billboard’s New Hot 100 Rules Fix One Problem… But Not the REAL One

Billboard has just changed the rules of the Hot 100 — again.

Starting from the 2026 chart year, songs will now go “recurrent” sooner, ending record-long runs like Teddy Swims’ Lose Control (112 weeks!) and making space for new music.

But does it go far enough? Or does the real problem — streaming-driven repetition and superstar “album bombs” — still dominate the charts?

In this Pop Charts Nerd deep dive, I break down the history of the Hot 100, the rise of streaming, the strategies behind those massive album takeovers, and why Billboard’s fix might solve the symptom but not the cause.

💬 Join the conversation: Do you think these new rules will make the Hot 100 more meaningful — or just slightly less broken?

📈 Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro: Billboard’s New Rules Explained
2:26 – The History of the Hot 100
3:37 – When Charts Moved Faster
4:24 – Streaming Changed Everything
5:12 – Problem 1: Songs That Won’t Leave
6:31 – Problem 2: The Album Bomb
7:45 – Industry Impact: Strategy Over Song
9:16 – Billboard’s Fix: What It Solves
9:58 – What It Doesn’t Solve
11:03 – How to Bring Back Discovery
12:13 – The Chart That Can Change

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