If I were to tell you that there’s a Rhythmic-leaning Pop record at Top 40 that just broke a one-week record for the biggest increase and debuted Top 15 after seven days of airplay, would you play it? What if I told you that if you have a pop competitor in your market, they’re already playing it? And what if I said it’s in the same vein as a Katy Perry, Meghan Trainor or Charlie XCX track? Would you play it then? Well there is; it's Taylor Swift’s "Shake It Off" (Big Machine/Republic). I know for most of you, your initial response is, "I would never play Taylor," or "she’s not what my audience wants." But do you think if you put it in your research next week it would come back very impressive? Over the last few years, Rhythm radio has had fewer and fewer artists we really "own." We share more and more artists and titles with Top 40. So why should we let them own a potential hit? It's just food for thought, but what would it take for YOU to play it?... In music news, Def Jam has the runaway #1 record this week with Jeremih f/YG’s “Don’t Tell ‘Em,” which was up nearly 800 spins again this time around. Rick Sackhiem, Noah Sheer and Scott Maness also have Iggy Azalea f/Rita Ora’s “Black Widow” at #11, increasing 425 spins. Just outside the chart is Jeezy f/Jay Z’s “Seen It All,” and they’re gearing up to impact Alesso’s “Heroes” on 9/9… Gary Spangler and Davey Dee at Republic have flooded the chart again. Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” leaps #20-14 and was the Greatest Gainer this week, increasing over 1000 spins. Ariana Grande f/Zedd’s “Break Free” sits at #16 and Drake’s “0-100” leaps #29-18, up 425 spins, while Jessie J + Ariana Grande + Nicki Minaj’s “Bang Bang” moves inside the Top 20, gaining nearly 300 spins. They debut Rich Gang f/Young Thug & Rich Homie Quan’s “Lifestyle” at #36 this week, and have both Enrique Iglesias f/Descemer Bueno, Sean Paul & Gente De Zona’s “Bailando” and Kiesza’s “Hideaway” just outside the chart. Be on the lookout for DJ Khaled f/Chris Brown, August Alsina, Future & Jeremih’s “Hold You Down” and Kalin & Myles’ “Love Robbery,” which are both getting started… Ayelet Schiffman and James White at Columbia have T.I. f/Iggy Azalea’s “No Mediocre” at #9, up 560 spins this week. And after an amazing and inspiring performance at the VMAs, Beyoncé’s “Flawless” is picking up even more steam; it’s at #31 this week, and is on its way to the Top 25. They also debut John Legend’s “You and I” this week at #39. Make sure to check out ZHU’s “Faded”; it’s a sexy, house-sounding record that’s creating a buzz… John Strazza, Inca and Lori G at RCA keep on keepin’ on with Chris Brown f/Usher & Rick Ross’ “New Flame,” which climbs #14-12, up 500 spins. Meanwhile, Usher f/Nicki Minaj’s “She Came to Give It to You” ascends to #27, and Pitbull f/John Ryan’s “Fireball” looks to debut this coming week. Also, Sia’s “Chandelier” is up triple-digits this week… Lee L’Heureux and Warner Bros. had a great impact week with Jason Derulo’s “Trumpets,” gaining 250 spins. It looks to grab another 12 new stations and is on pace to debut this coming week… Glassnote’s Nick P impacted Childish Gambino’s “Telegraph Ave” last week, which should secure another 8-10 new commitments this week… Sujit Kundu and Team Epic have TeeFlii’s “24 Hours” at #13, over 200 spins, as well as Lil Jon f/Tyga’s “Bend Ova” at #17. They also have one of the biggest buzz records in Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass,” which debuts at #38 this week, up 300 spins; it’s a monster at Top 40, and the sales and Shazam numbers are massive.

Most Increased:
1) Nicki Minaj “Anaconda” YMCMB/Republic
2) Jeremih f/YG “Don’t Tell ’Em” Def Jam
3) T.I. f/Iggy Azalea “No Mediocre” Grand Hustle/Columbia
4) Chris Brown f/Usher & Rick Ross “New Flame” RCA
5) Iggy Azalea f/Rita Ora “Black Widow” Grand Hustle/Def Jam

The Pulse:
1) Meghan Trainor “All About That Bass” Epic
2) Jason Derulo “Trumpets” Warner Bros.
3) Rich Gang f/Young Thug & Rich Homie Quan “Lifestyle” YMCMB/Republic
4) Beyoncé f/Nicki Minaj “Flawless” Columbia
5) DJ Khaled f/Chris Brown, August Alsina, Future & Jeremih’s “Hold You Down” WTB/YMCMB/Republic