HITS HIGH FIVE: OFFICE POLITICS AS USUAL

A perfect day for our Steve Banon piñata to arrive! Before we spark a fatty, put on a blindfold and start swinging wildly—is there a more apt description of Trump’s political style?— here are the week’s top stories, the HITS High Five.

I.B. Bad notes that the Big Three are loaded with cash earmarked for making deals for artists and top execs thanks to the seismic change brought on by the mainstreaming of the streaming sector, and singles out eight individuals with the chops to become music-industry moguls.

There two locks for noms in the Best Country Album competition and a new dark horse. Our Grammy Whisperer examines the field.

Who will deliver material in time for the 9/30 Grammy deadline?

This week saw new music arrive from Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus. And there are signs Taylor Swift has something cooking.

Ferdy Unger-Hamilton is enjoying a prime debut year as head of Columbia in the U.K. How does his success compare with the label’s track record and how are the new leaders of the Universal label he left behind, Polydor, faring?