THE DEATH OF PRINT JOURNALISM: POWER ALLY EDITION

The career trajectory of Lady Gaga, who graces the cover of our most recent print edition, is utterly unique—and ever more impressive. Her latest triumph: the epochal A Star Is Born movie, which showcases her musical and dramatic chops in equal measure. (You'll recognize her look her as her character, Ally, in the film.) Expect to see a lot more of the Interscope megastar through awards season—though she may wish that the idea to put her on the cover of our ill-starred magazine had never been Born.

Our Contents Page VIP, meanwhile, is Capitol boss Steve Barnett. Steve and his Tower Team are celebrating a stratospheric 25% marketshare bump, reflecting the label’s ultra-successful pivot to hip-hop and other stream-heavy genres. With major contributions from the Quality Control/Motown crews, as well as renewed vigor at pop (thanks to monsters from Halsey and Marshmello/Bastille and new signing Freya Ridings), Barnett has a lot of reasons to dance on the Tower rooftop. Though he thinks this HITS Contents shout-out belongs in the basement.