2020 EIGHT-MONTH MARKETSHARE SCORECARD
Two months into the second half of the 2020 marketshare contest, the standings remain remarkably stable in this historically unstable year.
From the top, John Janick, has taken Interscope Geffen A&M to an all-time high in marketshare while tenaciously maintaining his company’s slim lead over perennial top dog Atlantic, 10.3% to 10.2% at this juncture. The laser-focused Janick and his team are putting points on the scoreboard in traditional ’Scope fashion—mixing icons like Eminem and Lady Gaga with next-the gen stars they’ve systematically developed and broken, including Billie Eilish (the poster girl for this strategy), Juice WRLD (who has three of the Top 50 LPs YTD), DaBaby and Rod Wave (two apiece), Summer Walker and Moneybagg Yo. Having 12 of the Top 50 albums and 13 of the Top 50 streaming songs—compared to eight and six for Atlantic—is as close to dominance as we’re gonna see this year.
Monte Lipman’s Republic has had a torrid July and August, moving up two tenths of a percentage point to 8.0% since midyear, with Taylor Swift’s six-week run at #1, Drake’s new smash and Pop Smoke’s four Top 50 streamed songs key factors in the uptick, as they continue The Weeknd and Post Malone’s momentum.
Steve Barnett’s Capitol Music Group, a solid #4 in the standings with 7.5%, has the year’s biggest album in newly minted star Lil Baby’s aptly titled My Turn, which is churning toward 2m, as QC/Motown delivers yet again. On the pop side, Lewis Capaldi is showing staying power, joining Halsey as a consistent hitmaker.
Columbia’s Ron Perry is in an excellent “Mood,” as 24kGoldn climbs to #3 on the Top 50 Streamed Songs chart, followed by fellow rookie Jawsh 685 at #11, while superstars Harry Styles and BTS keep getting bigger, and Polo G continues to pile up the yardage. It’s only a matter of time until Big Red, currently at 6.9%, rolls a 7.
Below the Top 5, Aaron Bay-Schuck and Tom Corson's Warner stays north of 6% as Dua Lipa and Mac Miller connect; Peter Edge’s RCA has found its next star in Doja Cat; and Sylvia Rhone’s Epic continues its solid year with a 2.7% behind high scorers Future, Travis Scott and DJ Khaled; while Jhené Aiko has helped Jeff Harleston-led Def Jam move up a notch to 2.3%. There’s also action at the Nashville labels, with Sony’s Luke Combs landing two albums in the Top 50 and Kane Brown blending genres, Warner’s Gabby Barrett crossing to pop and Big Loud’s Morgan Wallen setting country-streaming records.
As for the final standings, it’s too close to call the winner—and it’ll probably stay that way until this miserable year is nearly over.
