It’s been 14 months since we first heard “The Subway,” as debuted by Chappell Roan as part of her set at New York’s Governors Ball festival in June 2024. Since that performance — which she repeated at a number of other festivals and live dates over the subsequent year-plus — fans have been clamoring for an official studio version. And after about a week of teasing, on last Thursday (July 31) at 8:00 p.m. ET, they finally got it, along with a new music video that followed the next morning, thus marking the fullest rollout we’ve gotten for a new Chappell Roan single since she became a superstar early last year.

To mark the occasion, we’re bringing back the Rollout Report Card — which we first debuted back in March to discuss the full release of Lady Gaga’s Mayhem album — to talk both about “The Subway” as a song and as the center for an enter promotional era. Host Andrew Unterberger and Billboard Pride editor Stephen Daw return from that episode, and we’re joined by Billboard writer Hannah Dailey, who was in attendance for Roan’s Gov Ball “Subway” debut (and has been watching the video she took of it for the last 14 months while anxiously awaiting the studio version).

Over the course of our discussion, we give Roan letter grades for everything from the timing of the “Subway” rollout to the coherence of the entire promo push, while also debating many of the most pressing questions around the official song: Did it need to take so long? Did it improve on the live version? Does the video live up to our expectations of what we’d always hoped for a big-budget Roan visual? Should the song’s outro have actually been a bridge? What are our expectations for the song’s chart performance? Is it really going to be another five years until we get Chappell Roan’s sophomore album?

Check it out above, and subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) for weekly discussions every Thursday about all things related to pop stardom!

And as we say in every one of these GPS podcast posts — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights:

Transgender Law Center

Trans Lifeline

Destination Tomorrow

Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe

Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org.

Warner Music Group said on Thursday (Aug. 7) its quarterly revenue rose 9% to roughly $1.7 billion on 8% growth of recorded music and and 10% increase in publishing revenue, offsetting the end of Warner’s distribution contract witih BMG.

Total recorded music grew to $1.35 billion and publishing revenue increased to $335 million for the quarter ending June 30, 2025. The success of Alex Warren’s “Ordinary,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks, and Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” which became the first song in Billboard chart history to spend more than 100 weeks on the Hot 100, drove 4% growth in streaming revenue, with overall digital revenue increasing 5.3% to $929 million. Subscription streaming grew to 8.5%, due to a true-up payment from a streaming service.

Music publishing digital revenue increased 5.2% to $204 million, with streaming revenue also growing by 5.2%, driven by growth in recorded music artist services and expanded-rights and licensing revenue, and music publishing performance, synchronization and mechanical revenue. Recorded music physical revenue was slightly lower at $119 million from $120 million a year ago.

“This quarter we delivered massive chart hits, breakthrough stars, strong revenue growth and market share gains … all of which show our strategy is working,” Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl said in a statement. “As we continue to evolve, we’re focusing on the artists, songwriters and markets with the greatest potential, while expanding our iconic catalog and building the dynamic teams and tools that will help our talent have the biggest global impact.”

The company reported a $16 million net loss in the quarter compared to last year’s $141 million net income, mainly due to negative impacts form foreign exchange conversions. Warner Music earns more than half of its income from outside of the United States, and its euro-denominated debt resulted in a $70 million loss in the quarter. Losses on hedging activity totaling $8 million were partially offset by a $25 million income tax expense savings.

Total digital and physical services revenue rose 4.6% to $1.05 billion.

Adjusted operating income before depreciation and amortization (OIBDA) increased 18.0% to $373 million from $316 million and Adjusted OIBDA margin increased 1.8 percentage points to 22.1% from 20.3% in the prior-year quarter. The increases include the $9 million impact of the copyright settlement in recorded music and the $12 million impact of the true-up payment from a streaming partner.

Even in death, Ozzy Osbourne will never be far from his fans. After mourners left thousands of tributes to the late heavy metal legend on Black Sabbath Bridge in Ozzy’s native Birmingham, England following his death from a heart attack on July 22 at age 76, those flowers and keepsakes have been preserved and cataloged for posterity.

According to a video post from the Central Birmingham Business Improvement District, the items have all been methodically laid out on the floor of a giant warehouse to be sorted and tagged before they are shared with the Osbourne family. “After we carefully moved all items from the Black Sabbath Bridge and Navigation St Mural to a secret location, they have been sorted by our team ready to be sent to the Osbourne family. Thank you again to everyone who took the time to pay their respects,” read the caption to the video.

The accompanying clip shows row upon row of flower arrangements arrayed on the floor after BID workers carefully removed them from the bridge and packed them in plastic bins. “Every piece is being laid out individually, cataloged and treated with care,” reads an on-screen caption over footage of a workers in yellow vests carefully placing the bouquets on the floor in neat rows.

The video also features images of dozens of framed photos and drawings of Ozzy, handwritten notes, along with Black Sabbath T-shirts and rows of Aston Villa scarves and banners honoring Osbourne’s favorite football team, as well as dozens of stuffed bat plushies. “Our team has been working to respectfully sort the items, ensuring they’re preserved in the best possible condition,” a caption explains.

The team is creating a digital record of every tribute over the next few weeks that will eventually be sent to Osbourne’s family. In addition, all the flowers are being mulched and bagged, with the compost headed to Ozzy’s final resting place.

Osbourne’s funeral cortege paraded past the Black Sabbath Bridge during his July 30 funeral in Birmingham, just weeks after Ozzy’s final performance at the all-star Back to the Beginning charity concert.

Check out a video of the process here.

Gains from streaming services in both recorded music and publishing pushed Sony Music’s consolidated revenue up 5.3% in the first fiscal quarter ended June 30, the company announced Wednesday (Aug. 6). 

Total revenue reached 465.3 billion yen ($3.22 billion at the average exchange rate in the quarter) while operating income improved 8.0% to 92.8 billion yen ($641.8 million). 

The yen-denominated results included a negative impact from foreign exchange of nearly 28 billion yen ($194 million) due to the yen gaining over 5% against the U.S. dollar since the previous quarter.  

Recorded music revenue rose 0.7% to 301.5 billion yen ($2.09 billion) but improved 8.4% on a dollar basis (not in constant currency). Streaming revenue fell 0.3% to 196.0 billion yen ($1.36 billion), although dollar-denominated streaming revenue grew 7.3%. 

Other recorded music revenue improved 2.8% to 105.5 billion ($729.4 million). In the other category, physical sales rose 10.6% to 26 billion yen ($180.4 million) and download sales jumped 52% to 9.8 billion yen ($68 million). The remainder of other revenue — public performance, broadcast and sync — fell 4.2% to 69.5 billion yen ($481 million).  

Sony Music Entertainment’s top album in the quarter was Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. Other top titles include SZA’s SOS, Sleep Token’s Even in Arcadia, Tate McRae’s So Close to What and Bad Bunny’s previous album, Un Verano Sin Ti. Sony Music Japan’s top release was Hollow by K-pop group Stray Kids, followed by two titles by Sakurazaka46, Addiction and Make or Break, and Plazma / BOW AND ARROW by Kenshi Yonezu. 

In the music publishing division, revenue rose 2.1% to 98.7 billion yen ($682.5 million). The segment’s streaming revenue rose 0.4% to 56.7 billion yen ($392.4 million). On a dollar-denominated basis, publishing revenue rose 9.8% and streaming revenue grew 8.1%. 

Excluding the visual media and platform division, which includes mobile games, Sony Music’s quarterly revenue from recorded music and publishing increased 1.1%. However, on a dollar basis, recorded music and publishing increased 8.8% from the prior-year quarter. Visual media and platform revenue jumped 47.8% due to higher gaming revenue and the consolidation of eplus, a ticketing platform. 

The current fiscal year is looking better than it did three months ago. Gains in the recorded music division, mainly from growth in revenue from streaming services, led Sony Music to lift its prior forecast for fiscal 2025 by 20 billion yen ($135.6 million at the current exchange rate) to 1.87 trillion yen ($12.68 billion). That would represent 2.7% annual revenue growth unadjusted for foreign exchange.

Kelly Clarkson’s Las Vegas residency is taking an unplanned break, with the star postponing the remainder of the planned August dates for her Studio Sessions concert series.

Clarkson announced the news on the evening of Wednesday (Aug. 6), citing familial health issues as the reason behind the decision.

“While I normally keep my personal life private, this past year, my children’s father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them,” Clarkson wrote in a statement shared to Instagram.

“I am sincerely sorry to everyone who bought tickets to the shows and I so appreciate your grace, kindness and understanding.”

The affected dates include planned shows for Aug. 8-9 and 15-16.

Kelly Clarkson: Studio Sessions was announced in early February. Clarkson expressed excitement about returning to Vegas following 2023 and 2024 residencies at PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

However, the recent cancellation is not the first issue this current residency has experienced, with Clarkson abruptly cancelling the July 4-5 opening weekend just 90 minutes before the scheduled start.

“We have been working 24/7 to make Studio Sessions the most intimate and extraordinary experience with and for my incredible fans,” Clarkson explained at the time. “The prep and rehearsals have taken a toll on my voice.

“I want the shows to be perfect for y’all and I need to protect myself from doing serious damage so I am taking this weekend and next week to rest up so that we can deliver what you all deserve.”

Clarkson ultimately took to the stage the following week, on July 11, to formally launch the series, with both the singer and audience clearly enjoying themselves.

“I hope you enjoy tonight,” she told the opening night crowd, hinting at a possible live album release for the shows. “We’re having a good time, as if we were literally in the studio creating a live record, which I’m going [to] sell this [as] one day.”

Clarkson is currently scheduled to resume her Studio Sessions residency in November, with dates planned for Nov 7-8 and 14-15. No replacement dates for the postponed August shows have been announced as yet.