Music

John Legend has sold his publishing catalog and his royalty rights to BMG and the investment firm KKR for an undisclosed amount, Bloomberg reports. Per regulatory filings, BMG Rights Management and KKR each purchased a 50% stake in Legend’s catalogue. The deal covers all the music Legend wrote from late 2004 through early 2021, an impressive body of work that includes hits like “Ordinary People,” “Green Light,” “All of Me,” and his 2014 Grammy and Oscar-winning track with Common, “Glory.”  Reps for BMG, KKR and Legend did not immediately return...

For a few high-profile acts about to hit the road during this unpredictable Omicron touring season, the must-have accessories aren’t just N95 masks and hand sanitizer. They also include a couple of German Shepherds, maybe a few Belgian Malinois, or a Labrador retriever. To ensure that Covid doesn’t prematurely shut down their tours, Eric Church and Tool — and Metallica and the Black Keys before them — have recruited dogs specially trained to sniff for traces of the virus in members of their crew, entourage or anyone else who gets...

The Weeknd finds himself in the midst of a surreal dance floor ritual in the new video for “Sacrifice,” a track off his latest album, Dawn FM. The Cliqua-directed clip opens with a disconcertingly smooth radio DJ for “103.5 Dawn FM” waking up the Weeknd and telling him, “It’s time to walk into the light and accept your fate with open arms. Scared? Don’t worry, we’ll be there to hold your hand and guide you through this painless transition.”  After being consumed by a blinding light (get it?) the Weeknd...

To cap off their induction into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame this past October, Wilco invited a jaw-dropping group of eclectic friends and guests for an ensemble performance of “California Stars.” Everyone from Alejandro Escovedo, Margo Price, Rosanne Cash, and Lenny Kaye to Japanese Breakfast, Bill Callahan, Sheila E., Terry Allen, and Alex Ruiz joined Jeff Tweedy and the group. Nels Cline and Jason Isbell and legendary pedal steel guitarist Lloyd Maines provide solos throughout the song, while Cash, Escovedo and Tweedy trade verses. (Isbell previously joined Wilco...

If you wondered how SZA was going to bring her latest hit, “I Hate U,” to life, she’s now dropped a video for the one-time SoundCloud loosie on YouTube. Dubbed a “visualizer,” the new video finds leading-man LaKeith Stanfield engaged in a heated argument over the phone on a scenic oceanfront. Clearly frazzled by the episode,  after hanging up, he receives a simple text message from SZA, whose photo is his wallpaper. You can guess what the text says. Marking the video as “Part 1” on Instagram and concluding it...

Metal has always served as the perfect vehicle for catharsis, so it’s no surprise that the most notable metal offerings of 2021 — some of which were made while the world reeled in agony during Covid-related shutdowns last year — each provided a unique sort of escape: the determination of Iron Maiden, the chaos of Portal, the brooding of King Woman. Elsewhere, everyone from big-name headliners like Mastodon and Gojira to underground torchbearers like Skepticism and Panopticon took their dark arts to new heights (or depths). Here are the 10...

The most-played country songs of 2021 included some surefire hits and some big surprises, some sentimental ballads and some rowdy party songs, and even two contributions from one superstar artist.Billboard released this year's roundup when it unveiled its year-end charts for 2021, with lists full of the year's best in music of all genres — including the country format.While it's no surprise to see acts like Thomas Rhett, Justin Moore and Luke Combs (twice!) make the Top 10 most-played songs at country radio, there was at least one dark horse:...

Despite Kanye West making a very public plea for reconciliation, Kim Kardashian filed documents on Monday to be declared legally single. In the document obtained by Rolling Stone, if the judge signs off on the paperwork, Kardashian will essentially separate marital status from her slow-moving divorce from the rapper — she announced they were splitting in Feb. 2021 — so that the two would only have to deal with issues of child custody, property, and other possessions. “The parties’ marriage has irremediably broken down. Petitioner no longer desires to be...

Hailey Whitters has had an incredible year, to say the very least. She collaborated with Ernest on their cover of Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers' iconic duet "Islands in the Stream," and was nominated for a Grammy for co-writing Alicia Keys and Brandi Carlile's “A Beautiful Noise.”She also released Living The Dream, the deluxe edition of her breakout 2020 album The Dream. The record features a star-studded list of collaborators, including Brent Cobb, Jordan Davis, Lori McKenna, Hillary Lindsey, Little Big Town and one of Whitters' longtime musical heroes, Trisha Yearwood.On...

Songwriting and production defined country music and its Americana cousin in 2021. Artists like Mickey Guyton, Carly Pearce, and Joshua Ray Walker weren’t afraid to get personal, writing about their respective experiences with discrimination, divorce, and dads. Sturgill Simpson, meanwhile, came up with a revenge narrative for a concept LP set during the Civil War. And James McMurtry made the case for being America’s best living songwriter with a record of detail-rich character studies. Behind the console, mainstream stars like Dan + Shay and Old Dominion created lush soundscapes. Eric...