– I’ve been talking a lot about Taio Cruz and JLS crossing over to the US, and it appears that the first half of my prediction is starting to come true. Taio is making a pretty strong move at Top 40 radio, almost doubling its airplay in one week’s time and already getting airplay on 112 stations. “Break Your Heart” has “hit” stamped all over it, especially with the hit-prone Ludacris on board. Now let’s see if that airplay translates into sales…there’s a good chance it will, given that single #2 has to be “Dirty Picture” with Ke$ha.

– Another test of whether airplay converts to sales will be the upcoming full-length for Jason DeRulo, whose “In My Head” makes him two-for-two on Top 10 hits (“Whatcha Say” hit #1 in 2009). JR Rotem has the touch when it comes to producing hit singles, but that doesn’t always translate on the sales side. Sean Kingston has had several singles go platinum or higher in the US, but his first album only went Gold, and the second album debuted and peaked way down at #37. Having said that, I don’t think that Sean and Jason are fully comparable, since Jason’s music is a bit more distinct, while Sean’s singles almost always have the same vibe. I have high hopes for Jason…let’s hope the record-buying public has the same desire.

– I would be remiss in not mentioning that the strongest song at Top 40 right now is Lady A’s “Need You Now”, which blasts past the Top 20 and into the Top 15 this week. Making this move even more impressive is that it has the greatest gain in airplay with about 15-20 stations less than all of the songs around it on the chart. It may sound like a smash to the more mainstream stations, but it appears that the urban-leaning stations are not quite sold on it yet. I guarantee they will come around, and that this will lead to even more longevity on the chart as they realize just how well the song will resonate with their listeners. I’ve already got plans to see them here in Denver in October as they open for Tim McGraw, along with Love and Theft, whose “Runaway” ranked among my favorite songs of 2009. Check it out below: