By Karen Glauber

I just returned from NYC for a week of album-release promo with Dualtone’s The Lumineers, sadly missing the Storytellers performance they’re doing at ALT 92.3 Friday afternoon. III is the name of their latest, signifying the number of “chapters” on the album, and, less referentially, the band’s third album. Oh, the magic of the third album! Born to Run, London Calling, The Suburbs, Dookie, Badmotorfinger, OK Computer and Parklife rank as those artists’ most career-defining LPs, just as III will be for The Lumineers. First single “Gloria” continues to build 20+ weeks since release, with over 1700 spins this week. “Life in the City” is already Top 10 at Triple A, with an Alternative add date of 10/1. The lyric that slays me every time is from “Leader of the Landslide,” which Wesley Schultz wrote about an alcoholic relative whose self-destructive life and the collateral damage caused by her addiction is the subject matter of the album: “And maybe when she's dead and gone I'll get some sleep.” III is on pace to debut at #2 this week, as Post Malone’s latest remains in the #1 spot.

Congrats to Columbia’s Lisa Sonkin and Darice Lee for reaching #1 with Dominic Fike’s “3 Nights”—what a tremendous achievement! Lisa and I went to see Tyler, The Creator (whose “Earfquake” should be on Alternative radio) on Thursday night, and we might have been checking Mediabase “Real Time” more than would be considered healthy/reasonable. “3 Nights” has over 240 million Spotify streams, which went unmentioned in this week’s New York Times article, “What Does Alternative Rock Radio Sound Like in the Age of Spotify?” Entercom’s Mike Kaplan and SiriusXM’s Steve Blatter were quoted, although the Times’ Joe Coscarelli seemed focused on the format’s lack of support for female artists, unaware that 25% of the songs on the Alt chart have female lead singers, which is infinitely higher than in years past. Mike points out that a Spotify hit isn’t always a radio hit. We all know that many Alt radio hits never stream—the programming challenge is to find a balance between songs that perform on the radio with songs that emerge from streaming.

My job is to break artists, and it’s almost impossible to launch a song at radio unless it already has a significant footprint at the DSPs. Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes’ “Crowbar” is already at 6 million streams, and his sold-out tour starts here on Monday, which will help our cause at radio. This is a case where airplay has had a measurable impact on streams, similar to the “cause and effect” of airplay = streams for AJR’s “Dear Winter,” which is already Top 20 in audience.

Streaming = airplay is just one part of the Billie Eilish juggernaut. Despite radio’s claim of ownership, you guys were all late, although you SHOULD take credit for “being there”—it helps you appear to be tastemakers and ahead of the curve. Thanks to the aforementioned Steve Blatter and Jeff Regan, I was able to attend Billie’s SiriusXM Alt Nation show at the Troubadour the other night. What an incredible, inspiring show—she truly is the present and the future.

Rex Orange County’s new single “10/10,” his first for RCA, is already at 3 million Spotify streams since its release last week. Hooray to Dennis and Artie for being Most Added at radio, not to mention Rex being crowned iHeart’s new “On the Verge” selection, which was a critical component to the success of Dominic Fike. Next up for Dennis and Artie is the brilliant new Flora Cash single, “Missing Home.” Flora Cash is currently on tour with my beloved Judah and the Lion. Go see them and send both bands my undying love.

After 25+ years at KROQ, Gene Sandbloom is heading north to be Content Director of Triple A station KINK and OM of Alpha Media Portland. Gene has occupied a special place in my heart (and in my house) forever—this is a thrilling opportunity for him!

SONG TO HEAR: Cigarettes After Sex, “Heavenly”