Billboard has removed all physical sales data, including CDs and other formats, from its weekly "Market Watch" sales breakdown compiled from Luminate data. This follows the earlier removal of vinyl sales figures from the report.

The change comes after Luminate's controversial methodology update in early 2024, which drew criticism from independent retailers who claimed their sales were being excluded from calculations. This led to the creation of a separate indie-sales chart.

Key developments in this situation:

• The entire "Album Consumption Units by Format" section has been removed from Market Watch
• Previously included data showed declining year-over-year sales across most categories
• Billboard acknowledges there is no "accurate year-over-year trend regarding physical sales" due to the methodology changes
• The new approach may indicate previous sales figures were potentially inflated

The removal of physical sales data raises questions about data accuracy and reporting transparency in the music industry. Billboard maintains that their "new modeled methodology more accurately represents the independent retail market," though the lack of historical comparative data makes trend analysis challenging.

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