George Strait’s new album Love Is Everything enters The Billboard 200 at #2, just behind Vampire Weekend’s Modern Vampires Of The City. It’s Strait’s 18th top 10 album, which puts him in the top five among male solo artists since 1955. The other four men who have reached this plateau constitute a veritable Mount Rushmore of pop. Frank Sinatra leads with 34, followed by Elvis Presley with 27, Bob Dylan with 20 and Paul McCartney, also with 18. (Sinatra’s total includes a collabo with Count Basie. Dylan’s tally includes three collabos with The Band. McCartney’s total includes an album with his late wife Linda McCartney and eight albums with his band Wings.)

It’s remarkable that Strait has tied McCartney, who is probably the most famous musician on the planet. It’s even more remarkable when you consider that Strait has piled up all of these top 10 albums since November 1992, when the Pure Country soundtrack became his first top 10 album.

Since May 1991, when Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales for Billboard, Strait has amassed more top 10 albums than any other artist—male or female. Mariah Carey is in second place with 16. (Carey’s tally includes her debut album, which appeared in the top 10 both before and after the start of the Nielsen SoundScan era.) Tim McGraw and Dave Matthews are in third place with 15.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis this week becomes the first duo in the nearly 55-year history of the Hot 100 to reach #1 with its first two chart entries. They achieve the feat as “Can’t Hold Us” (featuring Ray Dalton) moves up to #1. “Thrift Shop” (featuring Wanz) held the top spot for six weeks earlier this year. Among all acts, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis is the first act to reach #1 with its first two chart hits since Lady Gaga scored in 2009 with “Just Dance” (featuring Colby O’Donis) and “Poker Face.”

“Thrift Shop” tops the 6 million mark in digital sales this week. It’s the 20th song to reach that plateau. It’s the third by an ongoing duo, following a pair of LMFAO hits: “Party Rock Anthem” (featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock, 7,653,000) and “Sexy And I Know It” (6,102,000). “Thrift Shop” raced to 6 million in just 36 weeks, a pace topped by only one song in digital history. “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye featuring Kimbra got there in just 30 weeks. Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” also took 36 weeks. (That smash tops 7 million this week. Details below.)

Snoop Dogg’s reincarnation as Snoop Lion is off to a less than “roaring” start. Snoop’s 12th studio album, the reggae-influenced Reincarnated, enters The Billboard 200 at #16. It’s only his third studio album to fall short of the top 10. Paid Tha Cost To Be Da Boss peaked at #12 in 2002. Malice N Wonderland peaked at #23 in 2009.

It’s hard for veteran artists to remain on top, especially in the fast-changing world of hip-hop. Nearly 20 years have elapsed since Snoop debuted with Doggy Style in November 1993. Two other rappers of roughly the same vintage are still on top. Nas, who debuted in 1994, hit #1 in July with his most recent album, Life Is Good. Jay-Z, who debuted in 1996, has hit #1 with 12 albums.

The iTunes Store, which opened for business 10 years ago on Sunday (April 28), has had a revolutionary impact on the music industry. It gave fans the opportunity to buy the one song from an album they most wanted, a simple but vital thing that fans hadn’t been able to do since the era of physical singles came to a virtual halt in 2000.

“Apple made music ubiquitous in a way it never was before,” Jeff Price, founder of TuneCore and co-founder of spinART Records, told Billboard. “…That ubiquitous-ness has driven a consumption of music that is unparalleled in the history of the world.”

That’s not just music business hyperbole. iTunes’ growth has been phenomenal. The service sold its 25 billionth song on Feb. 6, just seven years after it sold its billionth song (Feb. 23, 2006).

iTunes has been the leading music vendor in the U.S. since April 2008, when it surpassed Wal-Mart. It has been the leading music vendor in the world since February 2010. Last October, it was reported that iTunes represents 64% of the online music market.

A whopping 186 songs have sold 3 million or more digital copies (through all services, not just iTunes). 40 have sold 5 million. Four have sold 7 million.