HITS ' HIGH FIVE: LAST ONE IN IS A...

Somebody poked a hole in the HITS inflatable wading pool so while we’re hunting for a parking space at Kmart in 99 degree heat, we offer you a look at a week that had more than Taylor Swift news.

Obviously the week belonged to Taylor who opened with a couple of performances at the MTV VMAs before some heavy partying with UMG brass. Her first for Republic, Lover, hit #1 in the U.K. and racked up nearly 900,000 sales in the U.S.

IB Bad said of Lover: This record is huge. Even a Taylor release that isn’t quite performing up to her own extraordinary standard is still a thing to behold, and the biz continues to be riveted by her every move. He also notes how Marshmello has progressed from DJ to hit producer/artist to game-changer.

We picked this week to publish Rainmakers II, which chronicles some of the most powerful and influential figures in the music business. First up is Peter Edge.

We also celebrated our 33rd Anniversary with an homage to our editorial inspiration, MAD. We’ve been spinning “It’s a Gas” every day after lunch in honor of DJ Alfred E. Neuman.

Chinese conglom Tencent, which made U.S. headlines recently for negotiating a 10% stake in UMG, is being scrutinized for the practices of its music-streaming division.

Now that we’ve labored over this post, enjoy the holiday.