Leonard Cohen’s Birthday Present: The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Leonard Cohen was full of good cheer as he spoke about his upcoming album Popular Problems. The release of the new album isn’t the only big thing happening next week for Cohen: he also turns 80, and he’s planning to take up smoking.
Things That Make Jason Aldean Angry: With “Burnin’ It Down” sitting pretty atop the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and his sixth album, Old Boots, New Dirt, coming out Oct. 7, life is pretty good for Jason Aldean. But that doesn’t mean the country star doesn’t get pissed off – by his label, the tabloids, and the tag “bro-country.”
Rewarding Fans: As a thank you to his fans for his Billboard 200 No. 1 album, Lecrae released a new song, “Non-Fiction.” This week, Lecrae’s Anomaly became the first album to top both the Gospel Albums and Billboard 200.
Booty: Jennifer Lopez’s celebration of the backside has arrived. Her “Booty” video — featuring a verse (and bonus booty) from Iggy Azalea — delivers exactly what the song promises, making Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” feel downright subtle.
Revenues and Royalties: Record sales may be (continuously) hitting new lows, but Broadcast Music Inc.(BMI) saw revenue collections grow to $977 million in the past fiscal year, up 3.5 percent from the $944 million it gathered the year previously. Royalty distributions to publishers and songwriters grew as well.
Paul McCartney vs. Climate Change: Paul McCartney is one of the world’s most famous vegetarians , and he has teamed up with the Meat Free Monday campaign to increase awareness about the environmental impacts of meat production.
Foo Fighters Respond to Jack White: After Jack White’s rant on stage in Boston – during which he attacked the Foo Fighters and the magazine Rolling Stone – Dave Grohl’s band issued a statement suggesting it was all in good fun. “There was a minor equipment mishap, specifically with his guitar, and in an effort to keep his audience engaged, he made a joke!”
Funknroll: Prince has two albums coming at the end of the month, and he just released another single titled “Funknroll.” He shows he’s been listening to the kids by using the phrase “turned up.”
Carrying the Torch for Lil Wayne: It’s rumored that the rapper Lil Wayne will retire after the release of Tha Carter V, currently scheduled to come out on October 28. But fans don’t have to worry — in an interview, the Atlanta rapper Young Thug said he plans to continue Wayne’s legacy of albums named Carter. “He did one to five, I’m gonna do six to 10.”
Scotland Says No: Scotland voted not to become it’s own independent entity yesterday, choosing instead to remain part of the UK. A number of musicians, including Billy Bragg and Muse’s Matt Bellamy, reacted positively on twitter.
What Does Real Mean: Iggy Azalea continues to be a divisive figure. One new piece suggests that “nothing about Azalea feels real,” while another calls her album “plenty authentic.” Azalea doesn’t care — she’s got an expanded edition of The New Classic on the way, and she recently previewed a new song featuring Charli XCX, her partner in crime from the No. 1 hit “Fancy.”