Morgan Wallen’s record-breaking double album drops less than 50% in its second week, as streams remain very steady. Republic could hold this week’s Top 3 titles and half of the Top 10.

Nearly 200,000 flags have been installed on the National Mall in advance of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. The flags—which denote every state and territory, as do 56 pillars of light—are meant to represent Americans unable to attend Wednesday's inauguration. The spectacular display of light and color brings to mind a passage from Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “Strength to Love” speech...

JOSEPH, ILEY AND HARLOW TALK STREAMING

The three U.K. major label CEOs—David Joseph, Jason Iley and Tony Harlow—today appeared before a government select committee to justify their share of the streaming pie and answer MPs’ probing questions.

A quick glance at the latest Top 50 Albums and Song Streams charts will tell you all you need to know about UMG’s dominance behind Republic, with a 35% share of the market for the week ending 1/14, and IGA, with 16%. That adds up to a mind-blowing 51% of the total marketshare pie for the two scorching-hot labels.  

When it comes to character and commitment, no music-business executive sets a more inspiring example than UMG’s Swiss Army Knife, the remarkable Jeff Harleston, who’s profiled in the latest edition of Rainmakers.  

HITS London Correspondent Rhian Jones has put the rest of us to shame by burning the midnight oil and co-authoring a book. Sound Advice—written with PhD researcher and musician Lucy Heyman and published by Shoreditch Press on 2/28—is a health-focused performance and career manual for aspiring and established musicians and those who work with them. Among those who’ve endorsed the book are Universal Music U.K. chief David Joseph and Live Nation Europe Prexy John Reid. 

Live Nation stock closed at the highest price in its history after CNBC commentator Josh Brown said the company was worth a long-term buy.

I.B. Bad on emerging giants, evolving labels and ever-present challenges.

With the Biden-Harris inauguration serving as the historic backdrop, change is in the air—and on the airwaves, among other popular platforms. Its harbingers include smashes from 17-year-old Olivia Rodrigo and regular dude Morgan Wallen, a brilliant strategy that’s lifting Justin Bieber to new heights, a Mark Pitts post-up move at RCA and a prediction of fans returning to arenas this fall. Bring it on.

...Go to HITS List

Trump is leaving. But white supremacists aren't going anywhere. If we truly want to honor Dr. King's legacy, we have some difficult work ahead of us.

Morgan Wallen has a very big #1 bow with his 30-track Big Loud/Republic set, Dangerous: The Double Album, which instantly becomes the top-streaming country album in history by a wide margin. Republic owns the Top 3 and half of the Top 10.

...Go to HITS Top 50 chart