“We at the VRMA and the Vinyl Alliance are disappointed with Luminate’s decision to move forward with their new direct reporting method for independent physical retailers starting December 29th. As previously stated we are committed to accurate data and reporting. But with approximately 5% of independent physical retailers currently reporting into the system the data collected will be a grossly inaccurate representation of the sales of physical products in general and vinyl specifically, and therefore the overall size and strength of the industry will be underrepresented. We expect Luminate to expedite its efforts to onboard sufficient numbers of independent music retail locations to offset the removal of their current weighting calculation. Anything short of this is an abdication of their responsibility to measure and publish accurate and accountable results. The public has the right to know that all sectors of the retail music business are represented accurately when Billboard announces its weekly charts. Without sufficient representation, this change will erode confidence in both Luminate’s market measurement and Billboard as the publisher of the weekly charts. The VRMA is actively engaging with an alternative third-party reporting source, to collect and report quarterly data at the record-pressing plant level to ensure that we have a counter-balance to Luminate’s reporting.
