Pop Sweep: November 2, 2013...

I'm ready to kick of the first of today's five-part "chart sweeps" sampling the songs reaching the music charts in Billboard magazine this week, and as always, I'll start on the pop side of the house...

On the "big" chart, Billboard's Hot 100, which combines radio airplay, sales, and internet streaming data, Lorde rules again for a fourth week with "Royals"...

There are three debuts in the top-40 of this chart this week, and I'm just as surprised to say that the best of the three (way low bar) is by the Biebs. But first, the third preview track from Eminem's upcoming Marhsall Mathers 2 album, "Rap God", is the highest entry at #7, as the highest-selling single of the week. Now I'm no prude, but damn, dude, he's just a bit too old to have to fall back on the gay slurs to denigrate his competition. I mean seriously, dude, you're overcompensating. And 40. Put down the bleach while you're at it, bro. (His current "single", "Berzerk", went to #3 and sits now at #18, while second track "Survival" came in at #17 last week and drops to #31 this time out)....

(Click below to see the rest of the post)


Arriving at #24 is the second of Justin Bieber's one-off singles, "All That Matters". It follows "Heartbreaker", which went to #13 last week and it completely out of the Hot 100 this time out...

...and now we come to the third entry in this week's unholy trinity of top-40 debuts. I was fearing this moment once Billboard decided to not only include YouTube in the Hot 100 chart methodology, but weigh it so heavily that something completely horrible that people would click for shock value would enter the chart. Consider it the "Friday" effect, after teenager Rebecca Black's parents "bought" her a recording session with ARK Entertainment, which produced the horrible auto-tuned hot mess that came with an equally inane music video, which people started forwarding to each other as a joke. The "singer" and her mother and the record company even fought for the rights to the masters once this viral video meme broke out, like someone's recordings in a Six Flags karaoke booth. And the record, with actual sales of over 400,000 in 2011, was like a gag gift, but with Black supposedly not receiving any royalties from the record, this seemed like a scam going on.

Fast forward to today, where another rich girl got her parents to pay former ARK label head Patrice Wilson (now under PMW Music) to shit out another "song" for their delusional child to become a star with. And now, we've got extra racism to boot, with a video with every stereotype you can conjure for "Chinese Food". And with no sales and no airplay, this trainwreck flies into the top-40 because of Billboard juicing the YouTube numbers in the equation to create a "buzz". Again, this does what for the music industry? As a medium of art? Seriously? The amount of residuals made on this trash from the YouTube ad bubble is certainly not on par with what's below it. And this type of tallying is so ripe for goosing, since it's free to view a video (and I certainly don't trust their claim they only count unique visits).  Chalk another one up to the hipsters on the editor board for the joke. It's kind of making them a joke, and not helping draw readers to them long-term. Well here it is, for all its worth...

Ugh. Back to reality.

Entering at #78 is husband and wife-team of Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger of Nickelback with "Let Me Go", the third single from her self-titled album, and this week's "Pop Pick of the Week". The first, "Here's To Never Growing Up", went to #20 earlier this year...

Neo-country duo Florida Georgia Line place their fourth track from their debut album on the chart, "Stay", at #85. Their crossover smash "Cruise" made it as high as #4 on this list...

Canadian twin sister indie-pop duo Tegan and Sara finally make the Hot 100 with a single they released in September of 2012, "Closer". It's their first to reach to big chart; it topped the dance chart back in May...

Country music newcomer Eric Paslay scores his first hit on the Hot 100 as "Friday Night" slides in at #91...

The Zac Brown Band come in at #94 with the fourth single from their Uncaged album, "Sweet Annie". They went as high as #48 with the set's second release, "Goodbye In Her Eyes"...

Alt-rocker gone country Darius Rucker returns at #96 with "Radio". It's the third single and second to make the Hot 100 from his True Believers album; it follows "Wagon Wheel", which went to #15 (his highest rank as a solo artist) earlier this year...

The Band Perry are in at #97 with the third entry from their Pioneer sophomore album. The lead-off track "Better Dig Two" peaked at #28...

Country singer/songwriter Cole Swindell, who wrote Craig Campbell's recent hit "Outta My Head", debuts at #98 with his first single "Chillin' It"...

Rapper Schoolboy Q appears on Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' hit at #62, "White Walls", and now he gets his first as a lead artist at #99 with "Collard Greens" featuring Kendrick Lamar...

...and now onward to the pop radio format charts...

On the Mainstream Top-40 pop radio panel, "Royals" makes it to #1 on this chart...

Pitbull and Ke$ha have the top entry at #35 with "Timber", which I've described as their managers hearing the Avicii "Wake Me Up" song and commissioning a room of people to write a copy in two days...

I'm actually surprised it took until now for OneRepublic to make this format's top 40 with "Counting Stars". It's in at #38 here, but already #7 on the adult top-40 list...

The final new song on the chart here at #39 is British singer Ellie Goulding with "Burn"...

Meanwhile, on the older-skewing Adult Top-40 format, Katy Perry's "Roar" holds on top for a fifth week, while the aforementioned "Let Me Go" by Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger is the high debut at #37...

The other entry at #40 is "The Giving Tree" by the Plain White T's. It follows their "Should've Gone To Bed", which peaked at #20 earlier in the year...

Lastly, on the Adult Contemporary (or Easy-listening) chart, Anna Kendrick hangs in at #1 with "Cups (When I'm Gone)" for a third week...

The sole debut at #29 is Lady Gaga with "Applause". It's her ninth to make the chart in this format - so far she only has one top tenner, "The Edge Of Glory", from her last album...

That's it for the beginning of today's musical journey...I'll be back with the latest on rock radio...