Megadeth Announces Final Album, Farewell Tour
Heavy metal band Megadeth announced yesterday that they will end their 40-year career after releasing one more album and doing a farewell tour in 2026. Frontman Dave Mustaine said he wants to go out on his own terms while the band is still on top. The new album will come out early next year, followed by the global farewell tour. Megadeth formed in 1983 after Mustaine was kicked out of Metallica before their first album. The band became one of the most important metal groups ever, releasing sixteen albums and selling millions of copies worldwide. Five of their albums went platinum, and their most recent release reached number three on the Billboard charts in 2022. Mustaine has been the only member to stay with the band through all the changes over the decades. He will also release a memoir next year and told fans not to be sad but to celebrate with them during the final tour.
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SLIPKNOT Reportedly Nearing $120 Million Deal For Music Royalties And Publishing
According to Billboard, SLIPKNOT is close to completing a deal to sell its music catalog for approximately $120 million.
The deal between members of the long-running metal band and HarbourView Equity Partners includes the rights to SLIPKNOT's publishing and recording masters royalties. It reportedly covers the band's archival catalog but does not extend to future releases.
Based on streaming data and other metrics, Billboard estimates that the band's music has generated $15.5 million in annual revenue over the last three years, while publishing brought in an additional $5.2 million per year.
It is not clear whether all members are participating in the deal, which would see SLIPKNOT retain ownership of its publishing. The master recording catalog, however, is controlled by Warner Music Group, which acquired SLIPKNOT's longtime record label home Roadrunner Records in 2007.
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A man was arrested for stealing flowers from Ozzy Osbourne's memorial.
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Slash served as an executive producer for the reboot of "Deathstalker".
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LL Cool J To Host This Year's VMAs
LL Cool J will be hosting this year’s MTV Video Music Awards. This will be the rapper’s first time hosting the show solo, though he co-hosted it with Nicki Minaj and Jack Harlow in 2022. LL is no stranger to the awards show, of course, considering he won Best Rap in 1991 for “Mama Said Knock You Out,” has performed on the last two Video Music Awards telecasts, and even became the first rapper to get the Video Vanguard Award back in 1997. This year he’s up for the award for Best Hip Hop, for his single “Murdergram Deaux” featuring Eminem. Additional presenters, performers, and special guests will be revealed in the near future. Lady Gaga dominates the nominees this year with 12 nominations, followed by Bruno Mars with 11 and Kendrick Lamar with 10. The MTV Video Music Awards will air live on September 7th at 8PM Eastern on CBS and MTV. Paramount+ will also stream the event.
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Which Names Are Most Commonly Used in Song Titles?
Taylor Swift has a song called "Elizabeth Taylor" on her upcoming album, "The Life of a Showgirl". Which got people thinking about Taylor's connection to Elizabeth . . . even Elizabeth's son.
It got me thinking: Which names are most commonly used in song titles?
A study from 2023 looked at more than 2 MILLION song titles, and determined that the name that appears in the most song titles is: John.
Here's the Top 20:
1. John . . . 2,040 song titles (like "John", by Lil Wayne and Rick Ross)
2. Mary . . . 1,803 song titles (like "Mary on a Cross", by Ghost)
3. Maria . . . 1,714 song titles (like "Maria Maria", by Santana)
4. Johnny . . . 1,071 song titles (like "Johnny B. Goode", by Chuck Berry)
5. David . . . 876 song titles (like "David", by Cody Jinks)
6. James . . . 863 song titles (like "James", by Sam Brookes)
7. Georgia . . . 698 song titles (like "Georgia", by Vance Joy)
8. Jane . . . 659 song titles (like "Plain Jane", by A$AP Ferg)
9. Peter . . . 611 song titles (like "Peter Pan", by Kelsea Ballerini)
10. Michael . . . 609 song titles (like "Big Michael", by Stormzy)
11. Paul . . . 608 song titles (like "Paul", by Big Thief)
12. Bella . . . 580 song titles (like "Bella Ciao", by Manu Pilas)
13. Linda . . . 579 song titles (like "Linda", by Tokischa)
14. Emmanuel . . . 565 song titles (like "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel", by Enya)
15. Alex . . . 551 song titles (like "Alex", by Roy Blair)
16. Mike . . . 533 song titles (like "Mike", by Elvana Gjata)
17. Juliet . . . 459 song titles (like "Check Yes, Juliet", by We the Kings)
18. Carmen . . . 440 song titles (like "Carmen", by Lana Del Rey)
19. Carolina . . . 439 song titles (like "Carolina", by Harry Styles)
20. Paloma . . . 419 song titles (like "Paloma", by We Are Wolves)
They excluded song titles where it wasn't clear that the "name" was a proper noun. Like Madonna's "Ray of Light" didn't count as a "Ray" title, since it's not a reference to someone's name.
They also just used songs on Spotify, so if a track isn't available for streaming, it wasn't included.
For what it's worth, Taylor does have a title with John in it: "Dear John" from "Speak Now". She also has one with Mary in it: "Mary's Song (Oh My My My)" from her self-titled album.
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