2020 YEAR-TO-DATE MARKETSHARE

As we near the end of February, a new frontrunner has emerged. After rising to a solid #2 in 2019, John Janick’s Interscope Geffen A&M has zoomed past Atlantic, last year’s top-ranked company, with a robust 11% of the market. IGA’s surge is understandable given that it has no less than four of the Top 10 albums YTD—#2 Eminem, #6 Billie Eilish, #8 DaBaby and #10 Selena Gomez—and a whopping 13 of the Top 50. Team Janick’s playbook, a two-pronged approach that combines superstar power with emerging-artist uplift—in which EVP Joie Manda has played a key role— is easy to describe but extremely difficult to pull off. Can they keep putting points on the scoreboard and hold the lead as the year progresses? That’ll be one of 2020’s big storylines.

Also on the rise is Steve Barnett’s Capitol Music Group, which has climbed to #3 with 7.6% in total activity, led by #3 Halsey, with 2019 breakout Lewis Capaldi holding strong at #26. CMG is getting significant contributions from its potent components, including Ethiopia Habtemariam’s Motown, Coach K & P’s Quality Control and Jacqueline Saturn’s Caroline.

Monte Lipman’s Republic is just one tenth of a percentage point behind CMG, with all three of Post Malone’s albums among its eight entries in the Top 50 YTD. Ron Perry’s new-look Columbia, paced by #9 Harry Styles, rounds out the Top 5.