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The Songwriters Hall of Fame has named this year's inductees, and the big headline is that Missy Elliott will become the first female rapper to be inducted. She'll only be the third hip-hop artist overall, following Jay-Z and Jermaine Dupri. Announcing this year's inductees, Songwriters Hall chairman Nile Rodgers called Elliott "one of my favorite writers of all time."

Elliott will be inducted on June 13 at a ceremony in New York City, along with fellow inductees Yusuf Islam (f.k.a. Cat Stevens), John Prine, Tom T. Hall, Jack Tempchin ("Peaceful Easy Feeling"), and Dallas Austin (T.L.C.'s "Creep"). (New York Times)

The Who announce new album, tour

Having recently celebrated their 50th anniversary as a band, the Who are Moving On! That's the name of their upcoming tour, which will also feature "symphonic accompaniment" because why not. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey will also collaborate on a new studio album, their first in 13 years and the band's 12th overall.

The North American tour kicks off on May 7 in Grand Rapids, Mich. and continues for several months, not wrapping up until the end of October. In a statement, Daltrey said, "Be aware Who fans! Just because it's The Who with an orchestra, in no way will it compromise the way Pete and I deliver our music! This will be full throttle Who with horns and bells on." (Billboard)

The vinyl bubble hasn't burst yet

With every year comes another prediction that the retro fad for vinyl is a bubble that's going to burst...and then comes another report that vinyl sales have gone up yet again.

Last year, vinyl sales went up by 15%, making 2018 the 13th year in a row that vinyl sales have increased. With CD and digital download sales plummeting, vinyl is becoming an ever-larger part of the album sales market overall...but don't count CDs out yet, as vinyl albums still account for only in five physical copies of albums sold.

The biggest artists? Those legacy acts who had huge hits with LPs back in the day, then sold piles of CDs when that format came out, and are back to selling vinyl. We're talking the Beatles, Pink Floyd, and David Bowie. The new releases that sell well on vinyl also tend to be rock-oriented — like Panic! At the Disco, Jack White, and Twenty One Pilots. (Billboard)

Trap star Kevin Fret, queer Latin pioneer, dies at 25

Puerto Rican music star Kevin Fret, who called himself the first openly gay Latin trap artist, died of a gunshot wound on Thursday, at age 25. Fret was shot twice while riding his motorcycle in San Juan; the identity and motive of the shooter remain unknown. (New York Times)

Fret's death came, coincidentally, just the day before the world's eyes turned to San Juan as Lin-Manuel Miranda opened a limited run of Hamilton, returning to the title role for what he hopes will call attention to both the needs and the attractions of Puerto Rico. (New York Times)

Fret prided himself on being a model for fellow queer people from Latin cultures, working in a genre that's often known for macho, heteronormative boasting. In a recent interview, he said, "Young gay guys or young lesbians that are looking at me now like a role model, like wow, if he did it, and he don't care what anybody else has to say, I can do it."

Here's his song "Soy Así," in which he sings about being "the reincarnation of Frida Kahlo."

BRIT Awards nominations announced

The BRIT Awards may not seem like a big deal if you're not, well, a Brit...but they're huge in the UK, and with live streaming reaching around the world, they've become a must-watch spectacle for many music fans.

This year's nominees have just been announced, and it can be a little hard to tell what the big headline is because the categories are so segmented: by male solo artist vs. female solo artist vs. group, then by British and international artists.

The international categories are, as always a grab bag ranging from North American superstars like Drake and Ariana Grande to indie European favorites like First Aid Kit and Christine and the Queens. The real awards to pay attention to are the prizes for British artists. Here are this year's two leading nominees.

If you needed confirmation that Dua Lipa is on the rise as one of the world's leading pop stars, here it is. She won both British Breakthrough Act and British Female Solo Act last year, and this year she's tied for most nominations with four. She's nominated twice in the Best British Single category: for her solo track "IDGAF" and for her Calvin Harris collaboration "One Kiss."

The other artist tied for Anne-Marie is nominated for Best British Female Solo Artist, Best British Single, and Best Video for her throwback song "2002," as well as Album of the Year for Speak Your Mind. The pop singer is no stranger to the U.K. charts, where she's landed hit singles for years, but this was a breakout year as she finally released that debut album to great success.

Viral clip: Hulu scoops Netflix with surprise Fyre Festival documentary

Welcome to schadenfreude season: this week you'll have not one, but two documentaries about the famously failed Fyre Festival to warm your cynical soul. For months, Netflix has been beating the drum for its own documentary, which comes out on Friday. Now, out of nowhere, Hulu has just released its own feature-length documentary, called Fyre Fraud.

The documentary includes an interview with Billy McFarland, the entrepreneur behind the festival. Not a bad get, given that he's currently serving a prison term for fraud related to the festival.

https://youtu.be/ljkaq_he-BU

Audio sampled in podcast
Jahzzar: "Comedie" (CC BY 4.0)
BoxCat Games: "Against the Wall" (CC BY 3.0)
Kevin Fret: "Soy Así"
Missy Elliott: "Work It"
Anne-Marie: "2002"
Hulu Fyre Fraud trailer clip
Jesse Spillane: "Ruffling Feathers" (CC BY 4.0)