The Infinite Dial

Okay, having followed the saga of Britney Spears' new single from her VMA appearance on, I feel compelled to note that "Gimme More" finally stalled this week. At this writing, it's No. 17 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart and losing spins. Spears has had the top-selling single for two weeks now, and it's not inconceivable that sales or an eventual research spike at the right stations could nudge it forward again. But at this point, "Gimme More" is looking more like "Me Against the Music" or "I'm A Slave 4 U" than "Toxic."

While a poor VMA showing didn't immediately kill "Gimme More," it clearly didn't deliver the boost that would have gotten Spears past radio's callout research buzzsaw that has claimed most of her singles, except for "Toxic," over the last 5-6 years. Many of the stations now backing down "Gimme More" are somewhere between 150-250 spins into the song--the region in which many program directors expect to see some sign of life. That said, some are reducing spins after as few as 75 or so spins.