Broadcast Data Systems
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| Industry | Internet Music Data Analysis |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1983 |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served |
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| Products | |
| Owner | MRC Data |
| Parent | MRC |
| Website | www |
Broadcast Data Systems (also known as BDS), is a service that tracks radio, television and internet airplay of songs.[1] The service, which is a unit of MRC Data, is a contributing factor to North American charts published by co-owned magazine Billboard, including the Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian Hot 100, when combined with sales and streaming data from MRC Data.
From August 2006 to its final June 2009 publication, BDS also provided chart data for R&R after Nielsen acquired the trade. On September 10, 2009, the website Radio-Info.com struck a partnership with Nielsen BDS to provide radio airplay charts and related data for over 20 formats.[2]
History
In 1986, BDS, originally known as Broadcast Recognition Systems, debuted their revolutionary audio recognition technology in front of the Recording Industry Association of America as a new method of monitoring radio airplay of songs and commercial advertising. Prior to the debut of their tracking system the music industry relied on self-reported playlists from radio stations.[3]
BDS airplay data was first used on a Billboard chart on January 20, 1990, when Billboard magazine published their newly revised Hot Country Singles chart.[4] On November 30, 1991, Billboard published the first Bilboard Hot 100 chart using airplay data from BDS.[5] Since its debut, BDS has become the standard for the radio and music industry because of its accuracy of detecting, tracking and monitoring songs,[6] thus eliminating the use of reporting and call-outs to trades and record labels when it comes to adding and testing tracks. The method has also helped tracks that only received airplay (songs that are not released as singles) become major hits, especially in Billboard's Hot 100 chart, where several radio-only tracks have reached the top spot.
BDS was acquired by Billboard parent company BPI Communications.[7] In 1994, BPI Communications along with BDS were sold to Dutch media conglomerate Verenigde Nederlandse Uitgeverijen (VNU).[8] After VNU was reorganized and renamed the Nielsen Company in 2007, BDS became know as Nielsen BDS. In December 2019, Valence Media, the parent company of Billboard, acquired Nielsen's music data business, reuniting BDS with Billboard for the first time since its spin-off to E5 Global Media from Nielsen Business Media.[9]
References
- ^ "Music Media Network : Music and Radio Promotion Services". www.musicmedianetwork.com. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ "Radio-Info.com to publish weekly Nielsen BDSRadio.com charts". Radio-Info.com. September 10, 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Freeman, Kim (May 17, 1986). "Computerized Airplay Tracking System Proposed As Alternative To Playlists" (PDF). Billboard. p. 10. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ BillboardGuy (2018-10-19). "Hot Country Singles: The First Chart to Incorporate Modern BDS Tracking". Billboard Chart Rewind. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ BillboardGuy (2021-11-23). "30 Years Ago, The Billboard Hot 100 Singles Were Forever Changed By Broadcast Data Systems and SoundScan". Billboard Chart Rewind. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ "Pre-Loaded iPod Killer Emerges; 30,000 Songs On Tap". Digital Music News. 2008-03-09. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ Dinger, Ed. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. International Directory of Company Histories. Vol. 98. pp. 260–265.
- ^ "COMPANY NEWS; Dutch Buyer Acquires BPI". The New York Times. 1994-01-15. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ Steele, Anne (2019-12-18). "Billboard Parent Buys Nielsen Music". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-05-05.