Carter disses new BB counting method

COUNT THIS WAY: Billboard’s establishment of a $3.49 minimum price point for counting album sales, instituted four weeks ago, has its detractors, the L.A. Times notes. One of them is Lady Gaga’s manager Troy Carter, whose client wouldn’t have registered that million-plus debut of Born This Way last May under the new rule. "The chart does not reflect music consumption in any given week," said Carter. "It doesn't take into account what's happening on Spotify, IHeartRadio and what's really happening at digital music stores. Slowly but surely, they're making themselves insignificant." Carter, who also handles Mindless Behavior, added, "I would love to do some sort of promotion where I can get more fans in on this band by offering the album at a deep discount. Now you're telling artists if they want to give their fans a great deal of value, then it doesn't count toward a recorded sale." (1/13a)