So what are these metrics? Actual sales are of course a critical ingredient, but BigChampagne is also blending components like radio airplay, video and audio streaming, and friends on social networks. The first chart to be hatched will be the Ultimate 100, which offers a direct jab at the long-running Hot 100. But as part of an early morning pre-briefing, the company also told Digital Music News that an independent-oriented chart is also in the works (among others).

In other words, the Ultimate Chart is an evolution in progress. According to BigChampagne CEO Eric Garland, the knobs will be subtly twiddled over time to accommodate a quickly changing terrain. Garland will be officially splashing the Ultimate Chart this morning at New Music Seminar in New York.

And partners? That is also theoretically a fluid list, though the current stable includes Yahoo Music, Amazon, iTunes, YouTube, Vevo, MySpace Music, Facebook, Twitter, MTV, Clear Channel, Mediabase, AOL Music, Napster, Zune, We Are Hunted, Last.fm, and more. “We’re rewriting the top of the charts for the new music business and enlisting the help of its chief architects to surface the most popular music that the charts have overlooked,” Garland relayed.

The lead single “Not Afraid” is still making waves, but another song is proving just as potent. “Love the Way You Lie feat. Rihanna” has been grabbing number 1 and 2 spots on iTunes since late June, and according to BigChampagne, the song is climbing aggressively across a number of different platforms. “The song has really found its own groove,” Interscope Geffen A&M chief marketing officer Chris Stephenson told Digital Music News.

That includes traditional radio. According to Mediabase spin tracking, “Love” is currently at 14 across the US, part of a steady increase since mid-June. Weekly spins are ramping past 8,000, a gain of more than 2,500 since July 4th.

This is another serious one, mixing classic Eminem vitriol with a sweeter topping of Rihanna. Blend an emotional melody and chord progression into the mix, and another contender is born. Elsewhere, other over-performers include Napster subscription downloads, where the song is also number 1. And, across file-swapping networks, “Love the Way You Lie” is just breaking into the top 10, also according to BigChampagne’s BC Dash.

And the video? Not here yet, according to Stephenson, though of course, unofficial versions are already floating around YouTube. And to no surprise, UMG is blocking at least one of them.

Enter M.I.A., an artist whose ranting-and-raving of late has had little to do with music. The real question is whether a war against the New York Times was worth it for this artist, or if it simply ended up drawing more attention to a well-articulated lifestyle contradiction. And more importantly, did any of the back-and-forth result in added revenues or sustained interest? The answer could inform future publicity and marketing approaches.

It’s still too soon to make a call on this, though in the shorter-term, some notable bursts happened across iTunes and YouTube (in addition to the blogosphere). Journalist Lynn Hirschberg published her controversial up-close-and-personal piece on May 25th, and M.I.A. essentially went ballistic on Twitter about a day later. That included posting Hirschberg’s cell number for the world, but also the publication of a protest song on the 30th.

Digging into time-matched data from BigChampagne’s BC Dash, the reaction on YouTube was interesting to watch. Views on the well-established “Paper Planes” were actually sliding until May 30th, at which point a surge took place. By June 6th, the video ranked 161, up from 214 the week earlier. Views had more than tripled to 322,000 during the growth week before going right back down. This seemed like a sugar rush waiting for another distraction.

And iTunes? Here, a small bounce happened on “Paper Planes,” starting on June 28th, also according to data tracked by BigChampagne. After flirting with a 300th-place ranking on the iTunes Store, “Paper” rose to 244 by the 30th before ultimately subsiding.

These were quick shots of adrenaline, and probably not enough for a marathon. But the rest of the story is unfolding before our very eyes, and it may take months to truly understand the impact of the Times “Trufflegate” controversy. On the content front, “Paper” is easily the most recognizable M.I.A. track, especially in the US. Closer to the here and now, “X–O”* is a solid lead-in single for the upcoming album, but the track is still gaining critical steam.

Perhaps the most interesting test comes mid-July, when M.I.A. releases her upcoming album, Maya (stylized as ///Y/). That has already leaked, based on the efforts of at least one rabid fan. Now, the question is whether fans will react when the real thing hits mid-July, or whether controversy now sells for a limited time only.

The all-time low belongs to the Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture, which scored sales of just over 60,000 in early 2007.

The difference is razor-thin, according to stats from Nielsen Soundscan, and Bieber ducked a dubious distinction. Whether Nielsen is fudging the numbers a bit to avoid a headline is difficult to discern, though sub-60,000 chart-toppers are almost invariably ahead.

The development closely follows a CD-focused think-session at NARM, one that included lots of debate about pricing and special packaging. Across the country, at SanFran MusicTech, the discussions were far beyond physical product, though in reality, CDs remain the most lucrative product that labels have.

According to Nielsen Soundscan data relayed by the various labels, Bieber’s My World 2.0 (Island) reclaimed the top-selling slot in the US, thanks to sales of 102,115. That is down from number one last week, and brings the three-week cume of 675,854.

Ironically, the guy who helped to put Bieber at the top – Usher – found himself in second-place this week. Usher’s Raymond v. Raymond (LaFace) scored sales of 92,354 for the number two result, essentially swapping positions with Bieber from the previous period. Last week, Raymond debuted at the top with album sales of 329,107.

Then comes Slash, a rocker cut from an entirely different cloth. The ex-Guns guitarist released his eponymously-titled Slash to debut sales of 60,289, enough for a third-place finish.

EMI was busy Wednesday sharing the good news, and working the media channels aggressively. Slash tapped EMI through its Label Services unit, and the major also scored fourth and fifth-place results from Lady Antebellum’s Need You Know (Capitol Nashville, 56,973) and the compilation crazy Now! 33 (Capitol, 53,403). As one insider explained, any bit of good news counts.

But the recording side is also enjoying a few bright spots, however dispersed. This week, EMI Music scored a chart-topping release, this time through the returning Lady Antebellum (on Capitol Nashville). The top-ranked Antebellum album, Need You Now, scored another 93,061 units in its eighth week, according to US-based figures from Nielsen Soundscan. Need You Now is currently approaching sales of 1.5 million units.

Also in the top ten is Gorillaz. The EMI (Virgin) artist ranked 9th on Plastic Beach with 37,869 units in its second week. In a bout of positive spinning on Wednesday, the label group also reported a gain in album-related market share to 11.74 percent, year-to-date, better than a year-ago 8.77 percent.

Other (non-EMI) chart-toppers included Marvin Sapp, whose Here I Am scored 75,534 in its debut week, enough for a second-place finish. That was followed by Ludacris (Battle of the Sexes, 61,198); The Edge compilation (53,141); Lady Gaga (The Fame, 48,210); and Sade (Soldier of Love; 40,274).

Encore is a stand-alone app, though the company is altering its free version to encourage upgrades.  Existing users will not see any changes, though fresh downloaders of the free version will be limited to five tags per month.  Shazam counts a total of ten million app downloads to-date, a free-for-all that must be transitioned into a stronger revenue stream.