This year's Record Store Day ambassadors will be Metallica. The band have released a video in which all four members describe their love of vinyl, and they plan to take the occasion — April 16 — to release a new live album. Recorded at Le Bataclan in Paris on 2003, the album will benefit the Give For France charity. (Rolling Stone)

Ups and downs for Sony Music

Public pressure on Sony Music to allow Kesha to record outside her contract with Dr. Luke is growing, amounting to what Bloomberg Business calls a "public relations disaster" for Sony. However, the nature of Kesha's legal ties to the record company may prevent Sony from dissolving Kesha's contract without the agreement of Dr. Luke: essentially, Dr. Luke is contracted to provide Kesha's recording services to Sony, while Kesha is in turn signed to provide those services to Dr. Luke, who she has accused of sexual and emotional assault in an ongoing lawsuit.

Meanwhile, Sony is rumored to be on the verge of signing a multi-album deal with Beyoncé. Some mysterious sources say her final album under her current deal is due in April, and that later this year she might release an album in collaboration with her husband Jay Z. (NME)

Remembering Sonny James

Country singer Sonny James has died of natural causes at age 87. James is best known for "Young Love," which topped the country charts, and also became a crossover pop hit, in 1957. James went on to have over 20 number one country hits, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006. (Rolling Stone)

Iggy does Bowie

The annual Tibet House Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall featured performances by Sharon Jones, Gogol Bordello, FKA twigs, and Iggy Pop — who paid tribute to David Bowie by singing "Jean Genie" and "Tonight." The latter song, which Pop co-wrote and which was performed by Bowie with Tina Turner as the title track of Bowie's 1984 album, was performed by Pop and Jones together. (Billboard)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcBDsle4Tmk

New tour

"Weird Al" Yankovic has announced a North American tour that starts in Florida on June 3 and wraps up in New York almost four months later, with an Aug. 19 stop at the State Theatre in Minneapolis. (Rolling Stone)

New video

Massive Attack and Young Fathers have released a video, starring actress Rosamund Pike, for their collaboration "Voodoo In My Blood." (Pitchfork)

New music

Tame Impala have remixed Miguel's song "Waves" for a remix EP that comes out on Friday. (Pitchfork)

Haim to help Girls Rock

Haim will perform at the inaugural Girls to the Front benefit. The March 9 event in Hollywood will benefit the Girls Rock Camp Foundation. (Billboard)

Black Sabbath's "crazy cat person"

Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler, who calls himself a "crazy cat person," is speaking out against the practice of declawing cats. Butler has issued a statement calling for the New York State Senate to approve a bill that would make New York the first state to ban the practice. "It is dreadfully inhumane!" writes Butler. (Rolling Stone)