NEAR TRUTHS:
SONY SIDE'S UP
A ROB-UST YEAR: Rob Stringer’s Sony concludes its fiscal year at the end of this month, marking the company’s best year in recent memory. Columbia, The Orchard, RCA, Epic, Nashville and the Latin division have all done bigger business, with marquee numbers from Adele, Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, Doja Cat, SZA, Luke Combs, Future, Miley Cyrus and Steve Lacy. Marketshare has gotten an across-the-board bump, with big spikes in revenue and earnings.
WORKING VACATION: Miley Cyrus, on Ron Perry’s Columbia, is in the midst of a triumphant global comeback with monster single “Flowers,” which paved the way for a high-profile album drop. With 12 songs (or 13 if you count the “digital bonus track” demo version of the single), new full-length Endless Summer Vacation was never going to surpass Morgan Wallen’s 36-song monster and debut at #1. It’s hard to compete against what is essentially a triple album’s worth of material on the DSPs with just a dozen or so new songs. (It’s worth noting that Miley is even bigger internationally than she is domestically; “Flowers” has been at or near the top of Spotify’s global chart since its drop.) But if the Crush-repped Cyrus has one or more heaters to follow up the huge success of “Flowers,” she could have a strong, extended chart run. And her cult of celebrity, coupled with a big hit, should ensure a successful arena tour.
HAIL SZA: With her most recent chart-topping album, SOS, and a red-hot tour, TDE/RCA’s SZA has effectively changed the arc of her career. The R&B innovator is well on her way to superstardom in the wake of her record-setting chart performance, and she’s undoubtedly a strong contender for an Album of the Year trophy, among other laurels. How will she, Top Dawg, Peter Edge and the rest of her team build on the exceptional achievements of the last few months?
