1. Lady Gaga: “ArtPop” is coming, “ArtPop” is coming! We”ll get Momma Monster”s new album, Nov. 11., but first we”ll get a new single in September. Paws up!!
2. Jay-Z: Yes, it was messy, but his Samsung partnership led the way for a new distribution model AND he still will sell more than half a million albums through traditional retail this week.
3. Daft Punk: In a deal that”s too perfect, the French pair inks a deal with Trojan for “Get Lucky” condoms Plus, the band plans to work with “Random Access Memories” producer Nile Rodgers on some unfinished Chic material.
4. Pearl Jam: Expect to get hit with a “Lightning Bolt” in October.
5. Rap Music: The genre pulls off a hat trick for the first time. Thanks to Kanye West, Wale, J. Cole and Mac Miller, rap music had the top 3 spots on the Billboard 200 for three weeks running.
6. Psy: He”s only really known in the U.S. for two hits, “Gangnam Style” and “Gentleman,” but the South Korean rapper has joined Rihanna and Justin Bieber as the only three artists to surpass 3 billion views on YouTube. And, as far as we know, he hasn”t urinated in a janitor”s bucket or posted pictures of himself scantily-clad, rolling a joint.
7. Steve Grand: Gay unsigned, pop/country artist”s sweet song/video about unrequited love goes viral, passing the 1 million views mark on YouTube.
8. “Cups”: Almost a year after the movie came out and more than six months after the song first debuted on the chart, Anna Kendrick”s “Cups,” from “Pitch Perfect” hits the Top 10. Please do not let this be a trend.
9. Justin Bieber: Footage of the teen star urinating in a janitor”s bucket and cursing out a picture of President Clinton surfaces. Someone needs to start telling his friends to stop filming his every move. Or here”s an idea: Stop acting like a twerp.
10. Randy Travis: The country music legend remains in the hospital following a heart virus and subsequent stroke. Wishing him a speedy recovery.