In a new collaborative effort to help the music industry get a handle on managing vinyl inventory, the Vinyl Alliance and Luminate are partnering on an initiative through which they will collect data on how many vinyl records are being pressed at vinyl plants around the globe.

The move was announced at the Record Store Day Summer Camp held last week in New Orleans, where more than 450 record store owners, label and distribution executives, and other companies involved in physical music convened to discuss the state of the business.

As such, the Vinyl Alliance and Luminate both had prominent placement in the conference’s programming. While Luminate and its antecedent companies have been around since 1990, the Vinyl Alliance came together in 2020 thanks to the resurgence of the vinyl format. It consists of key members of the physical music sector, including record labels, retail and distribution merchandisers, replay hardware companies and vinyl component suppliers. The alliance also includes more than 25 pressing plants, from which the initiative hopes to collect manufacturing data (several big players in the sector have already agreed to report to it, including GZ, described in the announcement as the world’s largest producer of vinyl records.).

“This will provide a 360 picture on vinyl,” Luminate director of partnerships Chris Muratore said when telling conference attendees about the initiative. Vinyl Alliance general manager Ryan Mitrovich added, “The production data has never before been linked to the retail sales data.”

Earlier in the day on Wednesday (July 30), the first general session of the conference kicked off with a Luminate presentation on the state of the U.S. industry regarding physical music. That presentation showed that physical sales were down 3.2% at mid-year 2025 with 34.2 million copies of vinyl and CD scanned so far this year versus 35.3 million last year. But Muratore pointed out that’s only because this year’s numbers are going up against the juggernaut that was Taylor Swift‘s The Tortured Poets Department last year. According to Luminate, by midyear in 2024, that album had rung up just shy of 2.08 million copies in physical formats.

In a detailed analysis of the state of physical, Muratore relayed that vinyl accounted for 60% of all physical sales by midyear 2025, while CDs stood at 40%. While he didn’t break it out by piece counts, that works out to 20.33 million vinyl copies and 13.63 million CD copies. Further, he reflected that those percentages had shifted since 2021, when vinyl had a 51% share of physical albums while CDs stood at 49%.

Looking at physical sales by type of retail store, independent stores are by far the largest segment of physical sales, having scanned 11.9 million copies by midyear, or 34.7%. That was followed by e-commerce, which has a 28.5% share; mass market — which besides Target and Walmart now includes chains like Barnes & Noble — at 24.1%; non-traditional retail at 1.4%; venue sales at 1.1%; and the growing direct-to-consumer channel at 10.1%, as reported by Muratore.

Unlike in the overall U.S. market, where R&B/hip-hop is the dominant genre, especially in streaming, rock music is dominant in terms of physical sales, where it has about 45% market share. While Muratore didn’t provide physical piece counts for genres, his chart showed rock with slightly over 15 million copies scanned so far this year (up 6% from last year), while noting that R&B/hip-hop, at slightly over 5 million units, was up 26% on a unit basis over the genre’s performance at midyear in 2024. Finally, he added that physical sales in pop had fallen 28%, though he once again attributed that to Swift’s performance last year.

In other news, Muratore noted after Luminate’s misstep in un-weighting indie retail at the beginning of 2024 — which ultimately resulted in a new and improved way of collecting indie data after Luminate partnered with StreetPulse — over 400 stores are now reporting sales to the StreetPulse/Luminate system. “That’s the largest amount of stores ever reporting sales going all the way back to 1991,” Muratore said. “We want to break the 500-store mark by the end of the year.”

In contrast, under the old, flawed weighting system, Luminate only had about 70 indie accounts with 140 stores reporting, he said.

Turning his attention to Record Store Day, Muratore noted this year, the U.S. industry had 1 million album sales that week, marking only the 12th time in the last 10 years that the U.S. industry has achieved 1 million sales in a weeklong period. In fact, Record Store Day in total has accounted for five of the 12 weeks that topped 1 million vinyl sales. This year, he reported, there were 337 exclusives, while over 100 titles sold out.

Muratore also pointed out that while physical is slightly down this year, when the new weighting formula is backdated to the unweighted sales in the first half of 2024, the indie sector is actually up 12% in vinyl, while indie CD sales are up 25%. He noted that one of the factors in the CD sales increase is likely pricing, considering elevated pricing on vinyl records has pushed more consumers to buy cheaper CDs.

Finally, Muratore urged store owners in the audience who are not yet reporting their sales to see StreetPulse CEO John Weston and sign up. “It’s a benefit to everybody if you report,” Muratore said. “Your numbers matter and need to be counted.”

In 1999, Big Pun and Fat Joe attended WrestleMania 15 in Philadelphia — a night that flipped the First Union Center into a battleground for some of wrestling’s most brutal showdowns. Stone Cold and The Rock clashed in a no-disqualification classic. The Undertaker and Big Boss Man brutalized each other in a Hell in a Cell match.

Pun, an avid wrestling fanatic, reveled in the chaos. And when the camera panned to him during commercial breaks, the husky locomotive struck a mean flex for the fans — the kind of pose that would’ve made Lex Luger beam with pride. Fast forward twenty-six years to SummerSlam at MetLife Stadium this past Saturday (Aug. 2), and Fat Joe found himself in a similar position. With the camera squarely on him, he delivered that very same pose, a tribute to his late brother-in-bars.

“When they put the camera on me [and I started flexing], that was a tribute to Pun,” Joe tells Billboard on Zoom Monday morning. “In that WrestleMania that we went to in Philly, when they put the camera on Pun, he [flexed]. He had the muscles. I did the Ozempic Joe.”

As the WWE continues tightening its grip on hip-hop — especially its legacy acts — the synergy is too hard to ignore. This past Monday Night Raw in Brooklyn, Netflix hosted Method Man, Joe Budden, and Havoc, cementing the bond and how deep the cultural crossover runs.

“It was an incredible vibe, incredible time. I mean, so much fun,” Joe says of his SummerSlam experience. “It’s crazy to see so many guys from my era still support and fill up stadiums. I’m walking through and I’m like, ‘This is my era.’ It was a great time.”

For 009 of Mic Drops and Elbow Drops, Fat Joe reflects on the golden memory of WrestleMania 15, breaks down Jelly Roll’s in-ring debut and recounts the time Hulk Hogan bodyslammed a studio engineer mid-session.

Your first real wrestling moment came at WrestleMania 15 in Philly, when you pulled up with Big Pun. How would you compare that experience to SummerSlam this year?

Everything that I do with Pun is priceless — we ain’t got him here no more. It’s always that. As a wrestling fan since a little kid, you couldn’t have had a better seat. Jelly Roll’s my guy. I was suckered back in. [WWE] got me. I was like, “Come on, Jelly Roll!” He’s family, bro. To see him on the floor getting beat up, I was like, “Aww, man.” I was all back in. 

Like you said, you paid tribute to Pun with your pose at SummerSlam. How deep did his love for wrestling run? Was he just as obsessed with it as he was with music?

He loved wrestling. Me as well growing up. I’ll never forget my first WrestleMania. My uncle took me to see it in a tent. They had a tent in Queens. It wasn’t a stadium — it was a tent. My Uncle Willy. We went to watch WrestleMania on a movie screen — like a satellite. It was amazing. Hulk Hogan passed away. Rest in peace Hulkster. My Uncle hit me up like, “Remember I took you the first time to go see Hulk Hogan?” I was like, “Yeah, Unc.” We were definitely big, big wrestling fans growing up. Like practicing the moves, wrestling in the cribs, all that type of stuff.

Is it true Bob Backlund actually put you in a crossface chicken wing back in the day? What’s the backstory there?

Yes! I thought I was gonna actually die. You know, Bob Backlund growing up, he was the first real champion. Bruno Sammartino I think was before him, but Bob Backlund had it for like five years. I’d see Bob Backlund and he was already old. I was like, “Bob Backlund! What up?” I don’t even think he knew I was Fat Joe. He threw me in the joint, where I felt like he could crack my spine. That s–t was crazy, bro. 

You had front-row seats to Jelly Roll’s debut match at SummerSlam. From your view, how’d he hold up in the ring and is there any chance we ever see Fat Joe crack someone with a steel chair?

Bro, I can do that, but I can’t do what Jelly did. I was watching. They were both body-slamming him. I’d be down for six months. The check won’t be big enough. I can’t work. I’m worried about Jelly’s being today — today! 

You were right there when he went through that table. 

I’m standing here. I’m worried about Jelly Roll. The kind of ass-whipping…Man, I’m a big boy. So I know every nook and cranny I was like, “Oh. There goes the elbow. There goes the tendonitis. There goes the knee.” Jelly Roll… look, I’m not trying to hype it, but out of all celebrities — even though Logan Paul is an amazing athlete — the Bad Bunnys, everybody that tried to ever get in the ring, I don’t think nobody has done a better job than Jelly Roll. Jelly Roll being a big boy, the type of s–t they were doing to him, I was like, “Awww.” They kept fighting and he came back. It was amazing and fun. 

We’ve seen hip-hop fully collide with WWE this year, with Travis Scott, Cardi B and Metro Boomin all stepping into the spotlight. Why do you think the bond between rap and wrestling is stronger than ever right now?

Everybody’s having fun. Cardi came out when the girls [Tiffany Stratton and Jade Cargill] was fighting. She was like, “Get up. Get up.” I’m looking at Cardi and she was all in. I don’t know. I think when you go to a wrestling match, you just get suckered in. Everybody loves wrestling, man.

I got a quick Hulk Hogan story. Rest in peace to Hulkster. Hulk Hogan used to be in the studio because his daughter [Brooke] was recording an album. One day, Timbaland’s engineer was talking about wrestling and calling it fake. Hulk Hogan used to hang out in the studio all the time with us. He got familiar with him to where he thought he could talk to him like that. Hulk Hogan happened to be in the studio and body slams the kid on top of the mixing board and called him a Jabroni. We was like, “Yooo.” The kid was a good sport. [Hogan] was like, “Is that fake?” The kid was a good sport. He didn’t sue him or nothing like that. That s–t happened. Hulk Hogan body slammed him. 

If you could walk out at WrestleMania with one song from your catalog blaring through the speakers, which track are you choosing and why?

I always pick the obvious: Me and Big Pun, “Twinz (Deep Cover).” That gets me the most hype. I don’t think “My Lifestyle” is PG-13 enough. Some boxers would want me to walk them to “My Lifestyle,” but the boxing [commission] would be like, “It’s too hardcore. It’s too real.” I know wrestling would probably be like, “It’s too real. We can’t do that one.” They’d obviously want me to do “Lean Back” for sure. 

Steel Cage match. You and one WWE Superstar — past or present — are going to war as tag-team partners. Who’s rolling with you? 

Man, I’d go with the past. I’d go with Andre the Giant. I’d take Andre the Giant with me, because he’s the biggest. You seen your man’s? Jelly Roll’s partner [Randy Orton]? That guy is cocked-diesel. He’s a different type [of dude]. I used to be a fan of Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, Macho Man Randy Savage and you know, that whole era. That reminds me of hip-hop. That reminds me of Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, Salt-N-Pepa and Heavy D — that golden era. 

From a rap perspective, who do you think has the charisma, mic skills, and star power to actually make it as a WWE Superstar?

You need somebody like a Tyler, The Creator or a Busta Rhymes. Somebody that’s just a walking movie, ’cause even the managers be over there beefing. The managers be beefing with the commentators and all that. You would need somebody animated, like a Busta Rhymes or Tyler, The Creator. You know Bad Bunny, he’s already shown us how much he loves wrestling.

It will be game, set, match (and dance) when Odesza headlines the official U.S. Open afterparty on Saturday, Sept. 6.

Taking place at the 14,000-capacity Louis Armstrong Stadium after the U.S. Open Women’s singles final also happening on Sept. 6, the night will feature a DJ set by the duo along with a performance by Tokimonsta.

Beginning at 9 p.m. ET, the show is happening as part of the U.S. Open Finals Fan Fest. Taking place Sept. 6-7, Fan Fest offers ticketholders expanded passes to the grounds, access to watch parties and live feeds of celebrity arrivals to Louis Armstrong Stadium and the U.S .Open Fountain Plaza and more. 

Access to see Odesza and Tokimonsta will require a separate ticket, which will be available to purchase starting this Friday via Ticketmaster.

The U.S. Open takes place Aug. 18 through Sept. 7 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens, and will feature many of the world’s leading tennis players competing in men’s singles and doubles, women’s singles and doubles, and mixed doubles. The complex’s main facility, the nearly 24,000-capacity Arthur Ashe Stadium, will host its first ever electronic music show on Sept. 11 with a headlining set by Swedish House Mafia, a performance that sold out in 30 minutes.

This is the second year of the U.S. Open Finals Fan Fest, which launched last year with a performance by Galantis.

British musician Terry Reid, who earned the nickname “Superlungs” for his powerful voice and once turned down the chance to be Led Zeppelin’s singer, has died at 75, his rep confirmed to The Guardian.

Reid had been receiving treatment for cancer, and in July, he was forced to cancel an upcoming run of shows amidst treatment. A crowdfunding appeal had been set up to assist with medical costs. “Terry’s spirit remains strong, and he’s deeply grateful for the outpouring of care he’s already received,” the page wrote at the time of posting eight days ago.

The tour was due to kick off on Sep. 11 in Wolverhampton, England, and conclude later that month in Trondheim, Norway. Joe Bonamassa paid tribute to Reid and wrote on social media that Reid was “one of the greatest to ever do it and a beautiful person and soul.”

The cult star’s history was intertwined with a number of fellow music greats. Reid was born in Cambridgeshire, England, on Nov. 13, 1949, and began touring and recording at an early age. When he was 13 years old he formed The Redbeats, and at age 15 he joined Peter Jay and The Jaywalkers as a guitarist. 

A year later in 1966, the group joined The Rolling Stones as the support act on a U.K. tour alongside Ike & Tina Turner and The Yardbirds. Reid then found a career as a solo act and supported the Stones once again on their infamous 1969 tour. Aretha Franklin was smitten with his talent, and in 1968, reportedly stated, “There are only three things happening in England: the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and Terry Reid.”

He also impressed Jimmy Page of The Yardbirds. When Page was forming Led Zeppelin in 1968, he sought Reid as a vocalist, but was turned down due to Reid’s existing commitment to tour with the Stones. Instead Reid suggested Robert Plant, then the singer in Band of Joy, for the duties, and also recommended John Bonham as the group’s drummer. “I was intent on doing my own thing,” Reid told The Guardian in 2024. “I contributed half the band – that’s enough on my part!” Deep Purple also attempted to land him as vocalist in 1969, which he also turned down.

Reid’s debut solo album Bang, Bang You’re Terry Reid was released in 1968. The LP featured a song he wrote at age 14 — “Without Expression” — which would later be covered by John Mellencamp, REO Speedwagon, The Hollies and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. In 1969, he joined Fleetwood Mac and Cream as a support act on tour and was a close friend of Jimi Hendrix during his time in London.

In 1973 he was signed by Atlantic boss Ahmet Ertegun and released River, a critical success, but he eventually left for ABC Records for his follow-up Seed of Memory (1976). In the 1980s, Reid undertook session work with Bonnie Raitt, Don Henley and Jackson Browne.

In 1991 he released the Trevor Horn-produced comeback LP The Driver; Reid released his final album, The Other Side of the River, in 2016. He was admired by Jack White, whose Raconteurs recorded Reid’s “Rich Kid Blues” for its 2008 album, Consolers of the Lonely. In 2020, a posthumous Chris Cornell compilation included a rendition of Reid’s 1976 song “To Be Treated Rite.”

Reid played his final live show in September 2024 at the Half Moon in London. He is survived by his wife, Annette.

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Showing off your personality goes beyond your fashion and makeup style — you can also incorporate your tastes into your living space. For college students, this includes your dorm room, and if music is a big part of your identity, then incorporating vintage music posters should be considered your dorm essentials.

Whether you’re a fan of classic rock, pop, alternative or hip-hop, make note of your favorite artists and take a peek at Billboard‘s best album covers list to determine who and what pictures you’ll want displayed in your room. There are no rules when it comes to showing off your most-listened-to bands and/or singers, which means you can mix and match everything from genres to color palettes.

Curious which ones are the most popular? We rounded up some of our previously ranked album covers to help inspire you in your decorating journey.

Keep reading to shop our selection below.

In celebration of the late and great Ozzy Osbourne, you purchase a certified banger of a poster at Walmart depicting Osbourne on the cover of Rolling Stone from 2002. The poster is printed on heavy stock paper and measures 27 x 40 inches.

Your favorite artist’s favorite artist has a slew of posters available that would look pretty stellar on your dorm room wall. This one from Amazon is 24 x 36 inches and is printed on impactful high gloss paper.

For our Rodrigo fans, this poster serves as a homage to the singer’s stellar career thus far. The 12×18 inch poster is printed on sturdy canvas and features some of the singer’s most memorable looks and lyrics printed in a collage.

Frank Ocean’s Blonde album is a classic. The album holds a special place in the hearts of many, especially you skater boys (you know who you are). This poster retails for $2.96 and neasures 24in x 36in.

Buy: Woonkit Vintage Rock Band Posters for Room Aesthetic, 70s 80s 90s Retro Music Room Wall Bedroom Decor Art, Vintage Rock Concert Poster Wall Collage, Old Music Album Cover Prints (12 SET B, 7.8X11.8 INCH) $18.99

Rock ‘n’ roll fans will appreciate this set of posters, as it comes with a variety of vintage-inspired posters of artists including Queen, Guns N’ Roses, Van Halen, Kiss and more. Plus, you can arrange them on your wall however you want, making it 100% customizable.

Bring a pop of pink into your space with Tyler, The Creator’s Igor album cover poster, which features an all-pink background and a black-and-white photo of the rapper’s face. You can choose between two sizes: 12″ x 18″ or 16″ x 24″, depending on your preferences.

David Bowie takes the spotlight in this poster for Aladdin Sane as he sports the iconic painted lightning bolt on his face. It measures at 24″ x 36″ and is made with traditional poster paper.

Infuse your love of rap into your decor game through The Notorious B.I.G.’s popular ready to die album poster. It comes with a simple photo on a white background that’s minimalist-approved while showcasing your adoration for the music.

Score 15% off A$AP Rocky’s 2013 album poster that has a photograph of the rapper wrapped in the American flag. You can pair it with other black-and-white photos or surround it by color to make it pop.

Buy: SZA Poster SOS Poster SZA SOS Album Cover Poster Canvas Poster Bedroom Decor Sports Landscape Office Room Decor Gift Unframe-style 12x18inch(30x45cm)

Lovers of SZA can cover that blank wall space with her SOS album poster, which comes with the name and song titles printed underneath a sitting SZA. It’ll also go nicely with another round of you listening to her hits and more.

Buy: Pyramid America Led Zeppelin I Music Album Cover Cool Wall Decor Art Print Poster 60×90 $13.88

Show some love for Led Zeppelin with this retro album poster that’s not only less than $11, but comes with some subtle color that won’t take away from all your other pieces of dorm decor.

Buy: A Pink Floyd – Dark Side of The Moon Poster 36 x 12 (UNFRAMED) $11.27

Dedicated Pink Floyd listeners can enjoy a supersized version of the band’s Dark Side of the Moon album art as this poster measures at 36″ x 12″.

Buy: Trends International Beatles-Abbey Road Wall Poster, 22.375″ x 34″, Unframed Version, Bedroom $9.99

If you’d prefer to put up some of the greats, you can’t forget to incorporate the famous Abbey Road album poster. The photo displays all four of the band members walking across the street in London, while showcasing your love for vintage music.

Complete your shrine of Kendrick Lamar with a black and white poster of him and others posing in front to the White House. It’s made with a semi-gloss material and comes in two sizes to choose from.

Sophie’s poster will mesmerize you and your guests as it features a pearl-like background as she sits in water wearing a gorgeous multi-colored dress.

The Beyhive will be buzzing to cover their wall space with the artist and what better way than with a poster of her chart-making album Lemonade.

For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best music coolers, mattress sales and tarot cards.