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Something quite eerie and captivating occurred during Sam Smith's SNL performance, and it’s an object lesson for anyone doing a TV appearance.

THINGS THAT MAKE US GO HMMM

Our Editor In Chief Ponders Breakout Hits, #1 EPs and What Happens After the Reshuffling
A funny thing happened at the cesspool this week: HITS Editor In Chief Lenny Beer woke with a start from his comfy afternoon nap, lit a massive blunt, seized a crayon and scrawled some thoughts about recent developments in the biz on the back of a commemorative placemat. Then he yawned, stretched and resumed his blissful slumber. Having translated his ruminations into English, we pass them on to you.

1. Peter Gray and the Warner Bros. promo team going old school this week with 90 Top 40 adds on new artist Nico & Vinz out of the box. The whole industry has been asking, “How’d they do that?” and the answer is (1) start with a great record, (2) make sure everyone hears it and feels your urgency, (3) get the majors first and spread the word, and (4) it’s still nearly impossible. Coming off a string of smashes from Macklemore & Lewis and Passenger adds to the credibility, while not having any other priorities adds to the possibility. Even so, we wonder … How’d they do that?

2. Island Def Jam turning into Island and Def Jam leads to a myriad of questions and then a myriad more. Will ALL or just most of the Island artists move with David Massey to Republic? Will Island retain any promotion people, or will the Republic promotion staff be responsible for “soup to nuts” promotion development? Will Def Jam keep any of their current Rock promotion executives? And what overall reductions will be made of the current IDJ staff currently under Steve Bartels’ auspices at the now standalone Def Jam? Ahhhh, much more to be revealed as the time goes by.

3. Epic’s South African-bred PoMo bros KONGOS shooting to #1 on the Mediabase Alternative chart in just 10 weeks, most likely the fastest a new band has gone to the top with a first single EVER. With instant sales, expanding callout, and a multi-format plan underway—not to mention the band becoming VH1’s You Oughta Know artist for May—we’re starting to ask: How high is high?

4. 5 Seconds of Summer (Capitol) appears to be the biggest new act of the new year. With first week sales on their EP approaching 150k and with a chance to knock Disney’s Frozen blockbuster from the top spot on the album chart, we can’t help but wonder if an EP by a band besides Alice in Chains’ 1994 release Jar of Flies has been #1. (Perhaps Paul Grein or one of the other historical geniuses perusing this can chime in). In any case, congrats to Steve Barnett’s Capitol squad, and to the irrepressible Richard Griffiths and the Modest team, on a job well done.

5. And speaking of Capitol, we’d be remiss if we didn’t comment on Sam Smith’s Saturday Night Live performance and the post-show retail explosion. His performance was perfect—simple and elegant, exceptionally well lit, with a stage full of cool “pods” adding visual interest. The gifted singer bears a striking resemblance to Boy George from many angles, and this familiarity plays in his favor. Something quite eerie and captivating occurred, and it’s an object lesson for anyone doing a TV appearance. After seeing SNL and watching the enormous sales response, we’re more convinced than ever that Sam Smith is no flash in the Saturday pan; this one will stick and be real.
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