Records Are Made to Be Broken

Atlantic's hot streak is undeniable, and the team is showing a remarkable capacity to break records

This excerpt from an article by Wayne Rosso on the music industry charts provides a snapshot of the latest trends and noteworthy performances by various artists.

At Atlantic, there's a hot streak in progress, and the team is showing a remarkable capacity to break records that were already in the system but languishing under the old regime—among biz watchers, “to 10K a record” is becoming a thing.

At Baltimore's BigX, Bailey's "Lick It Up" has cracked the U.S. Top 50 on the Spot chart, marking a new peak for the single. Meanwhile, Alex Warren's "Ordinary" continues its ascent, breaking into the Spot global and U.S. Top 5. The Marías are also seeing heat with two tracks: "No One Noticed" is in the U.S. Top 15 streamer and "Back to Me" and their collab with benny blanco and Selena Gomez, “Ojos Tristes,” are bubbling under. Ravyn Lenae, meanwhile, has entered the U.S. Top 50 (a new peak) and is growing.

Ron Perry’s Columbia looks to have a breakthrough with alterna-pop kid Malcolm Todd, whose TikTok-fortified "Chest Pain (I Love)" has moved into the Spot’s domestic Top 25. Warner’s emo troubadour sombr, an Aaron Bay-Schuck signing and another recent breakout, has jumped nine to #37 global and 14 to #26 U.S.—both new peaks—with "back to friends," and follow-up "undressed" has flown into the U.S. Top 50.

Leon Thomas, on Tom March’s Capitol via EZMNY/Motown, is making serious inroads with single "Mutt," which has gotten a big boost from a version featuring Chris Brown. The R&B cut has jumped 11 slots on the Spotify U.S. chart. If the two versions were added together, the song would be in the Top 15.

Drake's "NOKIA," which appears on his album with PARTYNEXTDOOR (via Republic/OVO/Santa Anna), is a bona fide monster, having moved to #1 on the Spot U.S. and Apple Music’s overall singles chart. The smash couldn’t come at a better time, as Drake (urged on by attorney Theo Sedlmayr) has persisted in litigation with UMG in the wake of Kendrick Lamar’s excoriating megahit "Not Like Us." "NOKIA" proves that Drake is still a colossus astride the landscape.