[meccalecca]

[albummaster]

The way points are calculated for year charts is that they are awarded points in relation to how far during the year the chart was updated. This is not new and the algorithm hasn't been changed.

From the 'how it works' page:

"If a year or decade chart was last updated before the relevant time period had completed, the elapsed number of days that had passed when the chart was updated, are taken into consideration when calculating the points."

As the top album in a year chart is only worth 5 points, then the top album is currently worth less than a point. As the year progresses, the chart should start become more meaningful.

The main purpose is to stop albums released in the first part of the year having an unfair advantage over those that are released in the latter part (otherwise albums that have been released longer will likely appear in more charts & accumulate more points purely because they have been released longer and not because they are any better than album released more recently). This also goes some way to resolving the issue of charts created in January/February/March which are not updated *at all* afterwards, therefore not taking into account albums released during the whole year (a year chart updated in December will be worth more points than a year chart last updated in February of the same year).