Welcome to 2015, everyone! I hope you enjoyed your holiday break, and are back in full swing. Most guys are getting their first batch of research this week, so we’ll have a much better idea of what records not only survived the break, but will now move to the next level… RCA’s John Strazza, Inca, and Lori G are certainly excited this week, as they have the #1, #2 and #3 Most Increased records…

But there’s also some sad news, as it looks like WRDW Philly and PD Buster have taken a much more Pop lean, and it may be just a matter of time of before they move to that panel. Will Z-90 San Diego, WNVZ Norfolk, KYLD San Fran and WPOW Miami be next?...

In much happier news, Gary Spangler and Davey Dee kick off the new year with the #1 record, Ariana Grande & The Weeknd’s “Love Me Harder.” They also have Nicki Minaj f/Drake & Lil Wayne’s “Only” (YMCMB) at #9 and Nick Jonas’ “Jealous” (Island) rounding out the Top 10. Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” (Big Machine) is at #19 and Nicki’s Minaj’s “Truffle Butter” debuts at #36, although it’s not an official single yet. Natalie La Rose f/Jeremih’s “Somebody” will blast on the chart next week. They impact The Weeknd’s “Earned It” from the Fifty Shades of Gray soundtrack as well…

As I mentioned previously, RCA’s start to the year is certainly impressive. Strazz and company have Usher f/Juicy J’s “I Don’t Mind” at #4, up 588 spins; this looks like it’ll be the next #1 record. They also have Mark Ronson f/Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” at #14, increasing 528 spins, Pitbull f/Ne-Yo’s “Time of Our Lives” at #17, up 360 spins, Prince Royce f/Snoop Dogg’s “Stuck On A Feeling” at #24 and Chris Brown & Tyga’s “Ayo,” which debuts at #37 and gains 467 spins…

Ayelet Schiffman and James White at Columbia maintain their records over the holidays, and come back to the grind with T.I.’s “About the Money” at #11, Beyoncé’s “7/11” at #12, up 256 spins, Dej Loaf’s “Try Me” at #16 and J. Cole’s “Apparently” at #22, up 175 spins…

Rick Sackhiem, Noah Sheer and Scott Maness at Def Jam have Alesso f/Tove Lo’s “Heroes (We Could Be)” at #40 and Ludacris’ “Good Lovin’ at #43, while they impact Kanye West f/Sir Paul McCartney’s “Only One” this week. The latter had a huge sales week with iTunes, and it’ll be in the Most Added column for sure. Look for it to debut in the next two weeks. They will impact Logic’s “Buried Alive” next week…

Sujit Kundu and Epic impact Casey Veggies f/YG’s “Backflip” and IAMSU this week. They’re a week away from debuting Meghan Trainor’s “Lips Are Movin,” and they’re looking to impact Fifth Harmony’s “Sledgehammer” in the next few weeks…

Warner Bros. and Lee L’Heureux took I Love Makonnen f/Drake’s “Tuesday” to #1 for two weeks over the holiday break. Now, he and the team are putting the finishing touches on a few things, like I Love Makonnen’s next single, as well as new music from OB O’brien, Partynextdoor and a few others…

Make sure you check out the video for “Sober” by Glassnote’s Childish Gambino. The record continues to develop, as new research and M Score stories build.