This piece is part of Rolling Stone‘s second annual Grammy special issue, released ahead of the start of first-round voting on October 22nd. For the issue, we spoke to some of the year’s biggest artists about the albums and singles that could earn them a statue come January, delved into …
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Anita “Lady A” White was worried she was going to be erased. Now she worries it’s already happened. One year ago, the black Seattle blues singer had to enter an unexpected battle over her own name when the country trio formerly known as Lady Antebellum announced they’d change their name …
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Ryan Tedder is launching a series of non-fungible tokens Tuesday, making him the latest high-profile musician to jump on the booming trend. Tedder, the OneRepublic frontman and a prolific songwriter for the likes of Beyoncé, Adele, and Taylor Swift, partnered with Swiss street artist Bustart on his NFT drop. Bustart …
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Last month, bassist Tony Garnier was worried — and not just because there were still no 2021 tour dates on the books with Bob Dylan, his boss of more than 30 years. Garnier, who’s been a member of the American Federation of Musicians since 1973, had heard — correctly — …
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In the 24 hours since Bob Dylan sold his peerless songwriting catalog to Universal Music Group for a nine-figure sum, discussion has, understandably, centered on Dylan himself. I keep hearing the same two questions: Will this affect the way fans digest his music? (No, but expect to hear his hits …
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At the virtual Burning Man festival this year was an electronic artist named Xen — an emerging act who gave a trippy digital DJ set while dark, metallic tendrils surrounded the booth.The show wasn’t out of the norm for EDM. But Xen herself is — because she isn’t alive. Xen …
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Following a months-long hiatus after wrapping up a European tour, beloved English rock band the Libertines are once again readying a live gig, but the environment couldn’t be more different. With band members sequestered in different countries since the pandemic started, the first time the Libertines will see one another …
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InRolling Stone‘s weekly series At Work, we go behind the curtain with decision-makers across the fast-changing music business — exploring a range of responsibilities, burgeoning ideas, advice for industry newcomers, and more. Read earlier interviews here. Bandsintown is a concert discovery app that allows music fans to keep track of …
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When Spotify announced last month that it was finally giving fans a way to directly “tip” artists, it was largely met with approval from the artist community. Spotify’s move represented one of the first launches of “tipping” on a major global audio-streaming service — and it came at a good …
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Ever coveted the clothes featured in a music video? A new startup wants to sell them directly to you. Music-tech company DroppTV is trying to bring interactive videos to viewers so they can buy merchandise right away. The startup has assembled a roster of artists and influencers including Ashanti, A$AP …
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