IB tease: horse race

WORD TO THE WISE: Don't count out Republic in the 2014 label marketshare race. Sure, Columbia has been on top throughout Q1, surgically slicing off the same 9+ frontline percentage that 2013 champ Republic averaged in last year’s competition. Nonetheless, the Lipman brothers may have an ace or two in the hole—and you know they’re gonna go all in, because they always expect to win. A March Madness analogy seems appropriate here: We’re looking at a pair of perennial #1 seeds who exude confidence. But there’s always a Cinderella team—a Dayton—in the mix, like Capitol Music Group, which has surged to #2 YTD, elbowing its way between Columbia and Republic. Both CMG head coach Steve Barnett and Columbia chieftain Rob Stringer figure prominently in the brand-new change-of-pace column from resident industry guru I.B. Bad, which puts all of the above in an unexpected context. Don’t miss it. (3/28a)