HIGH FIVE: THESE STORIES PAIR WELL WITH A NICE SATIVA

Ah, the lengthy Labor Day Weekend is already upon us. If you're on our level, you've probably already blacked out the happenings of this past week. Allow us to jog your memory.

Biz players ponder (and quite frankly fear) the weight of exclusives, following UMG ruler Lucian Grainge's decision to ban the practice. Our own I.B. Bad is then compelled to weigh in, focusing on the primacy of the Spotify playlist. He notes, "Spotify has begun to push back against those Apple exclusives by threatening to remove artists’ music from the service’s playlists, at the same time Spotify is trying to secure better terms from the rights holders as they renegotiate their deals moving forward."

The Chainsmokers f/Halsey's "Closer" (Disruptor/Columbia) tops our latest Revenue Chart, which tracks the total weekly revenue of the Top 25 songs, tabulating sales, streams and their revenue contributions. Wanna know who earned how much?

CMG honcho Steve Barnett announces the appointment of Greg Marella as EVP Promotion.

BuzzAngle garners more buzz.

MTV VMA ratings plummet, despite the show's star-studded lineup, as the network continues to flail.

**The featured photo is brought to you by HITS' 30th Anniversary Issue—something we finished this week and wish we could forget. Expect it to hit desks with a resounding thud in the very near future.