THOUGHTS FROM LAGUNA: THE POWER OF YES

HITS’ Editor in Chief Lenny Beer is bored by sunshine and ocean breezes. He would prefer to survey the current trends in the biz than gambol in the surf, so from his seaside redoubt he has etched these salty observations.

1. Yes, it is a slower than usual summer and no, you are (probably) not over if you are receiving fewer calls and emails than usual.
2. Yes, to the much-asked question of whether Capitol will be able to get Lewis Capaldi at U.S. radio. Greg Marella and his red-hot promo squad are currently growing at #9 at Hot AC and #21 at top 40. But it's not just Greg here; all of Team Barnett deserves major kudos for a job well done at all levels. Yes, U.K. smashes can cross the ocean!
3. Yes, there was much second-guessing when Ron Perry was named to head Columbia Records. Strongest among the moves he has made so far is to sign and successfully market one of the biggest songs and breakthrough artists ever. Lil Nas X's “Old Town Road” explosion and longevity have been achieved thanks to great A&R and Ron's go-to power move: the REMIX. This unicorn artist is two weeks away from breaking the record for most consecutive weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 chart (currently a tie between "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey/Boyz II Men, which topped the chart for 16 weeks in 1995-96, and Luis Fonsi's "Despacito," which did the same in 2017). How many superstar singles have halted at #2, unable to dislodge Lil Nas? Ask Ron’s exasperated competitors.
4. Yes, the second Taylor Swift single is a bona fide hit song. It may not be her biggest hit ever, but it’s clearly a keeper. Rumors of her demise are simply false chatter.
5. And yes, the Grammys are very much on our minds as the deadline (8/31, a month earlier than usual) looms. Recently Rob Stringer faced the classy problem of not showing favoritism between megastars Adele and Beyoncé. This year the problem could be threefold, as Monte Lipman navigates Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande, Peter Edge does the same with Khalid and P!nk and John Janick considers Billie Eilish and Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born).