YouTube tweaks policy on songs playing as ads after Badshah controversy

YouTube said it was adjusting its policy to 'provide more transparency to the industry' and be more consistent with the companies

Music videos can’t pay their way to the top of YouTube’s charts anymore.

The online video giant said it will no longer count views from paid advertisements in its one-day record tallies, ending a controversial music-industry practice -- and diminishing a sales stream for YouTube.

The unit of Alphabet Inc.’s Google has touted its role as a promotional channel for pop-music stardom. Many artists and record labels would pay to run debut songs as YouTube ads, boosting viewership and the odds of topping the site’s closely watched charts. YouTube executives began rethinking its record tallies recently, Bloomberg News reported earlier.

Indian rapper Badshah