INTERNAL MEMO
Nielsen/Billboard Guidelines on Incentivized Streaming
There can be no contesting or incentives to the consumer to stream albums or tracks in return for -- or a chance to win -- goods or experiences (whether virtual or actual). If such a contest or incentive offer occurs, all streams for the specific track and/or album on the participating streaming service(s) will be ineligible for Billboard's charts for the corresponding days of the promotion.
Ticket/Digital Download Music Bundles:
A reminder about so-called "baked-in" ticket bundles that come with digital music: the redemption process should trigger the delivery of music to the consumer, and the sale would then count at the point of redemption. Thus, the redemption should be timed to street date for the music product (or later).
From our rules: With purchase of a ticket, with or without an additional fee, customer receives a unique PIN number or download link redeemable for a digital download of the music product. The redemption by the customer then triggers the delivery of the music to the customer. Transaction will count as a sale at the point of redemption. Sales will not be held or carried over to a subsequent tracking week, so the redemption should be timed to the music products scheduled release date or any date thereafter.
Regarding Deluxe vs. Standard Albums in Bundles:
There have been questions regarding the inclusion of deluxe versions of albums in a ticket bundle. Because a deluxe album is an incentive to redeem, only the standard version of an album may be included in a ticket bundle. We have updated the Ticket + Album Bundle Policies document accordingly (see attached).