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BEYHIVE BUZZ: Parkwood/megastar Beyoncé’s new project is prompting much speculation. Lead single “BREAK MY SOUL” has performed well at DSPs and is Top 15 at Pop radio; how will her full-length Renaissance fare when it drops at month’s end? How big a piece of the first-week total will D2C (including four versions of a merch-enhanced boxed set, now sold out) represent?

“HABIT” FORMING: A hot act emerging under the Sony banner is RCA’s Steve Lacy, whose “Bad Habit” is accruing mondo buzz as it flies up the DSP charts—it's currently #2 at Spotify U.S., trailing only the summer miracle that is Kate Bush, and Top 5 at Apple Music. For a new act to have this level of penetration at both the Spot and Apple is particularly significant. We also note that the artist's 2017 cut "Dark Red" has amassed more than a half-billion streams at Spotify. Genre-blurring breakout Lacy, blending alternative and R&B vibes, is said to be a true labor of love for Messrs. Edge and Fleckenstein and team. The artist's manager, David Airaudi, is in the midst of a fascinating career trajectory that has included high-flying posts at UMG and working with Pharrell Williams, Kanye West and Odd Future (Lacy was a member of The Internet, which was under the Odd Future umbrella).

COOP DE GRACE: The topic du jour at the Polo Lounge, the newly reopened Madeo, Giorgio Baldi and other points of biz convergence continues to be the question of who might become Steve Cooper’s successor as WMG CEO. Will the Up Group-led search ultimately anoint a music exec or someone from the tech or finance fields? Are a few Warner insiders on the inside track?

LYIN’ EYES: In the wake of the bizarre and distasteful scandal around the theft of—and fraudulent attempts to auction off—Don Henley’s lyrics and other materials, which led to the indictment of three men, including Rock & Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi, word is that the NYC D.A. will be pursuing further indictments. How far does this tawdry affair go? How much of an impact will this have on the Rock Hall? Is an internal investigation going on there? Is the D.A. involved? Stay tuned.