Apple has kicked off a worldwide billboard advertising campaign for Apple Music, its new streaming music service. Ads are appearing in San Francisco, Tokyo, Los Angeles, and other major locales. It was also announced today that song plays via the new service will begin counting toward Billboard’s 200 and Hot 100 rankings.
Billboards in San Francisco have been updated with new Apple Music ads, and the Omotesando and Harajuku Metro Stations in Tokyo have been updated with Apple Music banners. Some bus stops in Mexico City are also displaying Apple Music ads, and ads have also been seen on billboards in Los Angeles and Toronto.
The banners match the style of the images used on Apple’s own website, featuring muted pics of artists, with the Apple Music logo laid over them in various fonts, as seen above. The banners mark the first major advertising push for the service since its June 30 launch.
In somewhat related news, Billboard has announced that songs streamed via the service will now count toward the Billboard 200 and Billboard Hot 100 rankings. Apple Music songs will begin influencing the numbers as of this month’s charts.
Billboard’s 200 and Hot 100 rank the most popular albums each week, based on direct sales, digital downloads, and on-demand streaming. New rankings are released each Tuesday. Apple competitors Amazon Prime, Google Play, Medianet, Rdio, Rhapsody, Slacker, Tidal, Spotify, and Groove Music Pass also contribute to the Billboard rankings.
