FADER: YOUTUBE CLIP THROWS BIBLE FOR A LOOP

The Fader on Tuesday revealed details about an unusual YouTube clip that purportedly helped Post Malone’s “rockstar” hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100...

The video in question, an audio clip of the Republic artist's smash featuring 21 Savage that contains only a loop of the song’s chorus and runs for 3:38—the same length as the actual track—raises a number of concerns about YouTube’s reporting and Billboard’s chart protocols. The clip has earned some 42m+ streams. The track had been #2 on the chart and recently knocked Atlantic's Cardi B from the top perch.

Monte, Charlie and Team Republic, true to form, went in for the kill; they played by the rules of engagement and won. But the story further underscores that neither YouTube, which has been jockeying for a bigger role in Billboard’s charts, nor Billboard itself is invested in a system of checks and balances to ensure chart accuracy—and furthers the suspicion that YouTube can be gamed without consequence.