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Today’s Music News: Ringo Starr’s copy of the Beatles’ White Album sells for record $790,000

by Staff

December 06, 2015

At a charity auction, Ringo Starr's personal mono copy of the Beatles' White Album sold for $790,000 — setting a new record for the most money ever paid for a vinyl record. The drum kit Starr used to record Beatles classics like "I Want to Hold Your Hand" sold for $2.2 million, to Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay. (Rolling Stone)

Breaking: 2016 Grammy nominees have been announced. See the list here.

Tommy Black, bassist for the late Scott Weiland's band the Wildabouts, has been arrested and booked for possession of a controlled substance — cocaine, which was found in the tour bus where Weiland was found dead on Thursday night in Bloomington, Minn. (Billboard)

Lee "Scratch" Perry shared the sad news that his Swiss "secret laboratory" studio burned down because he forgot to put out a candle. “My whole life collections, arts, my magic hats, my magic boots, all my crazy show outfits and costumes: king, pope, general, magician… All my electronics and studio equipment and my magic mic, books, musik, CDs… Everything gone." Perry is crowd-sourcing new costumes for his upcoming tour, offering free admission and backstage access to fans who make and bring costumes. (Rolling Stone)

U2 are playing a pair of Paris concerts that were rescheduled after the recent terrorist attacks. At Sunday night's show, the first of the two, the band were joined by Patti Smith for "Gloria"/"Bad" and "People Have the Power." (Billboard)

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band announced a 2016 North American tour that will highlight material from The River and its recent expanded reissue. The tour stops at the Xcel Energy Center on Feb. 29. (Rolling Stone)

Adele has broken yet another sales record: with 25 selling 1.11 million copies in its second week of availability, it becomes the first album to sell over one million copies in each of two separate weeks since SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991. (Billboard)

Sinéad O'Connor has returned to Facebook, sounding optimistic about her health and her future. "I will rise, and I will return; the Phoenix from the flame. I have learned," she posted — lyrics from "Troy," the first single from her 1987 debut album. O'Connor deactivated her Facebook page last week after a series of turbulent posts that left fans concerned for her safety. (Billboard)

At Madison Square Garden on Saturday, an all-star lineup of artists performed the songs of John Lennon at a 75th birthday tribute concert that will air on AMC on Dec. 19. Among the artists participating were Spoonthe Roots, and Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine). Yoko Ono was in attendance, with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr sharing well-wishes in video messages. (Pitchfork)

On Saturday Night LiveLeon Bridges wowed the studio audience with "Smooth Sailin'" and "River." Watch the performances at Billboard.

Congratulations to Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, who announced the birth of their second child — a son, whose name has not yet been announced. (Pitchfork)

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