As the second quarter begins, there’s a heated battle for #1 in total marketshare between John Janick’s Interscope Geffen A&M and last year’s champ, Atlantic, which could remain neck-and-neck throughout the year. At this point, this matchup is analogous to a pair of elite NBA teams trading baskets and seizing the lead back and forth from each other, as high scorers like Eminem, Billie Eilish, DaBaby, 10 Summer’s Mustard and talented Alamo rookies Rod Wave and Trevor Daniel battle it out with the likes of Roddy Ricch and Lil Uzi Vert. Think of this battle of 10.5s as 2020’s championship contenders.
As it happens, two more heavyweights, Steve Barnett’s Capitol Music Group and Monte Lipman’s Republic, are slugging it out for #3, with 7.7% apiece. This one could also generate multiple lead changes, as Capitol leans on QC/Motown’s Lil Baby, Halsey and Lewis Capaldi, but Republic has a bit more momentum at this point behind The Weeknd and his 2020 top seller YTD, reawakening megastar Drake and the remarkably consistent Post Malone.
Ron Perry’s Columbia has the #5 position all to itself at the moment, thanks to a typically eclectic batch of power hitters that includes Harry Styles, BTS and up-and-comer Arizona Zervas. Can Big Red find a way to pick up half a percentage point and make it a three-way battle for #3? Perry has amply demonstrated a knack for pulling rabbits out of his hat, so who knows.
Peter Edge’s RCA and Bay-Schuck/Corson’s Warner, both in the 4%+ range, comprise the next tier. Nipper holds a slight lead, paced by Doja Cat and BROCKHAMPTON, but the Bunny is heating up behind Dua Lipa, the late Mac Miller and PARTYNEXTDOOR.
Looking 2-ish are Sylvia Rhone’s Epic, with Camilla Cabello, Travis Scott and Jackboys, at 2.9%; Def Jam, headed by interim chief Jeff Harleston, with Justin Bieber and the breaking Jhené Aiko, at 2.4%; and Randy Goodman’s Sony Music Nashville, with country-crossover king Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert and Kane Brown.
We calculated all of this with our trusty abacus from the deck of our luxury mega-yacht, where we continue to self-isolate.
NEAR TRUTHS: REALIGNMENT AND RECOGNITION
Underscoring the year's biggest stories (11/19a)
NEAR TRUTHS: THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
Nervous time in the music biz and beyond. (11/16a)
| ||
NOW WHAT?
We have no fucking idea.
COUNTRY'S NEWEST DISRUPTOR
Three chords and some truth you may not be ready for.
AI IS ALREADY EATING YOUR LUNCH
The kids can tell the difference... for now.
WHO'S BUYING THE DRINKS?
That's what we'd like to know.
|