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Stories filed under Music on Sampled — sound, style, and scenes, all in one place.

What Is Happening in Music This Weekend? October 17–18, 2026 — Harry Styles debuts a song for Liam Payne, Fontaines D
Music

What Is Happening in Music This Weekend? October 17–18, 2026

Harry Styles debuts a song for Liam Payne, Fontaines D.C. and The Avalanches drop albums, Iron Maiden plots 2027, and where to catch shows.

What Song Does Wale's "Conundrum" Sample? — Wale's "Conundrum" is built on Keith Sweat and Kut Klose's 1994 slow jam "Get…
Music

What Song Does Wale's "Conundrum" Sample?

Wale's "Conundrum" is built on Keith Sweat and Kut Klose's 1994 slow jam "Get Up on It." Here's the sample, who produced it, and why it works.

What Song Does TV Girl's "Not Allowed" Sample? — TV Girl's "Not Allowed" is stitched together from the Yeastie Girlz's 1988…
Music

What Song Does TV Girl's "Not Allowed" Sample?

TV Girl's "Not Allowed" is stitched together from the Yeastie Girlz's 1988 "Ovary Action" record, used with the group's permission. Here's the full breakdown.

Does Taylor Swift's "Patient Zero" Sample Hadestown? — Fans said the "Patient Zero" teaser sounded like "Wait for Me" from…
Music

Does Taylor Swift's "Patient Zero" Sample Hadestown?

Fans said the "Patient Zero" teaser sounded like "Wait for Me" from Hadestown. Here's what the credits actually say.

How Does a Vinyl Record Actually Store Sound? — From Edison's tinfoil cylinder to the stylus on your turntable: a…
Music

How Does a Vinyl Record Actually Store Sound?

From Edison's tinfoil cylinder to the stylus on your turntable: a plain-English, photo-by-photo guide to how music gets carved into a groove and played back.

Why Is Sha Ray and DJ Haram's Critical Thot So Iconic? — A title that stopped critics cold, formats that sold out, and a…
Music

Why Is Sha Ray and DJ Haram's Critical Thot So Iconic?

A title that stopped critics cold, formats that sold out, and a debut built entirely over DMs. Here's why Critical Thot became one of Backwoodz Studioz's standout records of 2026, and what's on it.

What Is Backwoodz Studioz Releasing This Fall? (October 2026) — From Open Mike Eagle and Kenny Segal's DOOMED
Music

What Is Backwoodz Studioz Releasing This Fall? (October 2026)

From Open Mike Eagle and Kenny Segal's DOOMED! to Curly Castro's Yaphet on vinyl and Mike Ladd's Nonechosen, here's what billy woods' label has out now and coming soon.

What Are the Top 10 Songs on the Billboard Hot 100 This Week? (October 17, 2026) — Taylor Swift's "Patient Zero" holds No
Music

What Are the Top 10 Songs on the Billboard Hot 100 This Week? (October 17, 2026)

Taylor Swift's "Patient Zero" holds No. 1 for a second week, Drake and Don Toliver debut at No. 5, and ADÉLA lands her first top 10.

What Is Happening With Dolly Parton's Estate Dispute? — Weeks after her death, Dolly Parton's longtime manager and her…
Music

What Is Happening With Dolly Parton's Estate Dispute?

Weeks after her death, Dolly Parton's longtime manager and her nephew are on opposite sides of a Nashville court case. Here is what each side says, and what comes next.

How Is Dolly Parton's Legacy Being Honored After Her Passing? — Since Dolly Parton died on August 25, 2026, a museum, a…
Music

How Is Dolly Parton's Legacy Being Honored After Her Passing?

Since Dolly Parton died on August 25, 2026, a museum, a hotel, a Dove Award, a CMA tribute special and a Broadway musical have kept her story going. Here is what is new and what is still to come.

How Can You Tell If a Song Is AI? YouTube Music and Deezer Just Made It Easier — On October 14, 2026, YouTube Music started…
Music

How Can You Tell If a Song Is AI? YouTube Music and Deezer Just Made It Easier

On October 14, 2026, YouTube Music started labeling songs made mostly with AI, and Deezer said a switch to hide AI music entirely is coming before the year ends.

Who Killed Tupac, and What Sentence Did Keffe D Get? — On October 13, 2026, Duane "Keffe D" Davis was sentenced to 40 years…
Music

Who Killed Tupac, and What Sentence Did Keffe D Get?

On October 13, 2026, Duane "Keffe D" Davis was sentenced to 40 years to life for orchestrating Tupac Shakur's 1996 murder in Las Vegas. Here's how the case was finally solved.

What Happened in Music This Week? Eminem, Britney, Björk and Mastodon's Fossil Vinyl (October 11, 2026) — A new Eminem…
Music

What Happened in Music This Week? Eminem, Britney, Björk and Mastodon's Fossil Vinyl (October 11, 2026)

A new Eminem verse, a lost Britney Spears song, a Björk choir album, vinyl pressed with real mastodon fossils, Grimes' AI-themed single and A Perfect Circle's 2027 tour.

How Do You Sample Music Legally Without Getting Sued? — What clearance really means, the two permissions you need, what it…
Music

How Do You Sample Music Legally Without Getting Sued?

What clearance really means, the two permissions you need, what it costs, and the legal ways to sample when you have no budget.

Where to Find Records: Shops, Antique Stores, and Selling Your Own — Crate digging beyond the algorithm
Music

Where to Find Records: Shops, Antique Stores, and Selling Your Own

Crate digging beyond the algorithm — local shops, antique malls, estate sales, and the underground artists pressing and selling their own vinyl at pop-ups.

The Oasis desk tapes are going to auction — who owns the recordings you never released? — A sound engineer's archive of…
Music

The Oasis desk tapes are going to auction — who owns the recordings you never released?

A sound engineer's archive of concerts, rehearsals, and unguarded conversation is heading to sale. The band wants it back. The lesson applies to every hard drive in your studio.

Are CDs Worth It? Why You Should Be Listening to More of Them — Uncompressed audio, original masters, full albums in order
Music

Are CDs Worth It? Why You Should Be Listening to More of Them

Uncompressed audio, original masters, full albums in order — and a used bin where good records still cost fifty cents.

System of a Down's "Johnny" is finally on streaming — The rarest song in the Toxicity era arrived on DSPs on September 6…
Music

System of a Down's "Johnny" is finally on streaming

The rarest song in the Toxicity era arrived on DSPs on September 6, 2026 — and the anniversary reissue quietly fixes a tracklist error the band has lived with for 25 years.

Dolly Parton's career, start to finish: the songs, the albums, and the coat she gave everybody — From Locust Ridge radio to…
Music

Dolly Parton's career, start to finish: the songs, the albums, and the coat she gave everybody

From Locust Ridge radio to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — the records that matter, the copyrights she refused to give away, and what a working artist can actually take from sixty years of it.

The Opry is giving Dolly Parton back to the room that made her: how to watch tonight — Tonight the Grand Ole Opry dedicates…
Music

The Opry is giving Dolly Parton back to the room that made her: how to watch tonight

Tonight the Grand Ole Opry dedicates its Saturday show to Dolly Parton, with Carly Pearce, Kathy Mattea, Molly Tuttle, Dan Tyminski and more. Here is the start time, the lineup and every free way to watch or listen.

Dolly Parton's impact on music: the songwriter who rewrote what a country star could own — She built a catalog, a business…
Music

Dolly Parton's impact on music: the songwriter who rewrote what a country star could own

She built a catalog, a business and a blueprint — and you can trace the line from "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You" straight through Reba, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, Miley Cyrus and Lainey Wilson.

The 2026 VMA nominations are a reminder that the video budget still decides the narrative — Madonna leads the field, Taylor…
Music

The 2026 VMA nominations are a reminder that the video budget still decides the narrative

Madonna leads the field, Taylor Swift follows. Underneath the names is a fairly blunt lesson about where visual money goes and what it buys.

Small rooms are the new platform marketing — and that is good news for local promoters — A streaming service is putting…
Music

Small rooms are the new platform marketing — and that is good news for local promoters

A streaming service is putting established artists in tiny hometown venues. The format is old; the reason it is back is data.

A 20th-anniversary single is a business decision as much as a reunion — BIGBANG marked two decades with a new digital single
Music

A 20th-anniversary single is a business decision as much as a reunion

BIGBANG marked two decades with a new digital single. Anniversary releases work because they solve a problem catalogue marketing cannot.

The Jonas Brothers turned a nostalgia run into a 45-city arena tour — Sold-out Madison Square Garden dates became a full…
Music

The Jonas Brothers turned a nostalgia run into a 45-city arena tour

Sold-out Madison Square Garden dates became a full North American arena run this fall. The mechanics behind that upgrade are the interesting part.

Jillian Cardarelli is 33, has no family history, and is about to teach a lot of young women how to check for cancer — The…
Music

Jillian Cardarelli is 33, has no family history, and is about to teach a lot of young women how to check for cancer

The Nashville country singer says she "does not fit the profile" \u2014 which is exactly why she is telling the story.

Dolly Parton at 80 is still doing the most, and it still works — A new all-star cut of "Light of a Clear Blue Morning," a…
Music

Dolly Parton at 80 is still doing the most, and it still works

A new all-star cut of "Light of a Clear Blue Morning," a travel stop opening in Tennessee, a summer show at the Stampede, and a children's hospital getting the check. A feature on one of the busiest people in music, period.

Winamp just handed three artists $3,000 a month and a full team — meet the 2026 Creators Program class — Out of 4,000+…
Music

Winamp just handed three artists $3,000 a month and a full team — meet the 2026 Creators Program class

Out of 4,000+ applications from 110 countries, Winamp picked Louve, Sorvina and Bleu Nuage. Here is what the program actually gives them, and why this is the artist-development model everybody else stopped funding.

Future and Tyla just dropped Game Time — and hip-hop finally has a place on the FIFA World Cup soundtrack — The…
Music

Future and Tyla just dropped Game Time — and hip-hop finally has a place on the FIFA World Cup soundtrack

The Cirkut-produced single lands on the Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Album, debuts live at the opening ceremony at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12, and becomes the first hip-hop track ever on a World Cup album.

Sha Ray & DJ Haram Join Forces on 'Critical Thot' — The Bay Area rapper and the 700 Bliss producer pair up for a…
Music

Sha Ray & DJ Haram Join Forces on 'Critical Thot'

The Bay Area rapper and the 700 Bliss producer pair up for a cross-country collaboration interrogating power, sexuality, and feminine authority.

TAY KEITH, PRODUCER BEHIND SOME OF RAP'S BIGGEST HITS, FOUND DEAD AT 29 — The Memphis-born producer, whose minimalist sound…
Music

TAY KEITH, PRODUCER BEHIND SOME OF RAP'S BIGGEST HITS, FOUND DEAD AT 29

The Memphis-born producer, whose minimalist sound shaped hits for Drake, Travis Scott and Beyoncé, was found dead during a welfare check. He was 29.

Korea's $2.2M indie K-pop fund and the 'fortify the backbone' moment — The Korean government is directly subsidizing…
Music

Korea's $2.2M indie K-pop fund and the 'fortify the backbone' moment

The Korean government is directly subsidizing independent K-pop labels as the Big 4 hollow out the middle tier. It is industrial policy for pop music — and the US and UK do not have anything close.

World Cup 2026 Opens With a Global Soundtrack as Music Takes Center Stage — From Mexico City's opening ceremony to fan…
Music

World Cup 2026 Opens With a Global Soundtrack as Music Takes Center Stage

From Mexico City's opening ceremony to fan festivals across the U.S., music is playing a major role in welcoming the world to the tournament.

Platform brief: SiriusXM lands on Tubi, iHeart books Vegas and your LG TV, Tidal hands Phoebe Bridgers a phone-free MSG for…
Music

Platform brief: SiriusXM lands on Tubi, iHeart books Vegas and your LG TV, Tidal hands Phoebe Bridgers a phone-free MSG for a dollar

A companion to last weekend's back-office piece — a Sunday brief on what the platforms themselves shipped, signed, and programmed the past two weeks, pulled directly from the SiriusXM, iHeartMedia, Deezer and Tidal press rooms.

The summer touring desk: a Chappelle arena run, a new Kansas City amphitheater, and Spotify quietly becomes a box office…
Music

The summer touring desk: a Chappelle arena run, a new Kansas City amphitheater, and Spotify quietly becomes a box office

A Sunday roundup of the live-business news that actually moved the week of June 1, drawn straight from the Live Nation and Ticketmaster newsrooms — five days that put a comedy heavyweight on sale, opened a 16,000-seat room outside Kansas City, and tied a Spotify listening history to a reserved ticket window.

Skrillex drops 'Thistle' with Blawan, Randomer and MC Dricka as the CONTRA era opens up — A surprise UK-techno linkup…
Music

Skrillex drops 'Thistle' with Blawan, Randomer and MC Dricka as the CONTRA era opens up

A surprise UK-techno linkup arrives ahead of a 2026 festival run that runs Primavera to Bonnaroo to Head Trip — and turns Berlin's Kraftwerk into his new home base.

Melanie Martinez maps the Main Idea Tour, a 2026 arena run for a dystopian new era — After "Disney Princess" and a…
Music

Melanie Martinez maps the Main Idea Tour, a 2026 arena run for a dystopian new era

After "Disney Princess" and a globe-spanning Trilogy Tour, the alt-pop architect lines up 24 arena nights across North America and Europe.

Alex Warren announces 'Wildchild,' drops 'Passenger' as a summer opener — The Best New Artist of 2025 maps out his…
Music

Alex Warren announces 'Wildchild,' drops 'Passenger' as a summer opener

The Best New Artist of 2025 maps out his sophomore album for August 28 and serves the first single as a top-down anthem.

Muse drop 'Nightshift Superstar' as 'The Wow! Signal' comes into focus — The fifth transmission from Muse's tenth album…
Music

Muse drop 'Nightshift Superstar' as 'The Wow! Signal' comes into focus

The fifth transmission from Muse's tenth album collides arena rock with French house — and the LP lands June 26.

Steve Lacy returns with 'The Feeling,' the first signal from 'Oh Yeah?' — The Internet alum re-emerges with a lean, hooded…
Music

Steve Lacy returns with 'The Feeling,' the first signal from 'Oh Yeah?'

The Internet alum re-emerges with a lean, hooded video and a July 17 album date — the first new Steve Lacy material since 'Gemini Rights'.

Lucki finally became mainstream by refusing to stop sounding like Lucki — Dr*gs R Bad debuts at No
Music

Lucki finally became mainstream by refusing to stop sounding like Lucki

Dr*gs R Bad debuts at No. 9 on the Billboard 200, a Bad Influence Tour with Sk8star is locked in, and a documentary is on the way — all without sanding down the mumble.