There’s been ample chin-stroking and soul-searching in recent months about whether to start including streams in the official UK chart.

The Guardian report that a new Official Streaming Chart has been established to keep tabs on what the national is listening to (but not buying).

The chart will clock up plays on services including Spotify, We7, Napster, Chartsnow, Deezer and Zune. As you’ll note from that list, ad-funded and subscription services alike will both be included. Official Charts Company MD Martin Talbot heralded it as a “true coming of age moment for music streaming in the UK”.

The chart will be announced over at  www.officialcharts.com. It’s not the only new chart on the scene: the Official Record Store Chart, devoted to physical sales from independent outlets, launched last month.

For those vainly hoping the Official Streaming Chart might introduce a new dawn of diversity, it’s worth nothing that the top 5 most streamed artists of the year so far are as follows:

Most streamed artists of 2012
1. Ed Sheeran
2. Lana Del Rey
3. David Guetta
4. Rihanna
5. Coldplay