The following is a list of events and releases that happened in 2016 in music in the United States.
Notable events
January
8 — David Bowie released his final album, Blackstar, just two days before his death. It was his first album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200.
15 — Panic! at the Disco released their fifth studio album, Death of a Bachelor. It is their first album to be entirely written and recorded by Brendon Urie, the last remaining member of the band. It is also their first album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200.
28 — Rihanna released her eighth studio album Anti; two days following its release the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) after receiving 1 million free downloads in 15 hours due to a deal with Samsung, becoming the fastest certified platinum album in history.[1][2]
At the Drive-In's guitarist and co-founder, Jim Ward, leaves the band shortly before their 2016 reunion tour.[3]
25 — Zayn Malik, released his first solo studio album, Mind of Mine, and becomes the British male artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
30 – R&B singer-songwriter Brandy filed a lawsuit against her label, Chameleon Entertainment Group, for allegedly blocking her from recording and releasing new music.
Guns N' Roses performed a concert at the Troubadour, marking the first time Axl Rose performed with classic era band members Slash and Duff McKagan in twenty-three years.
7 — Trent Harmon won the fifteenth season of American Idol. This was the show's last season, but was picked up by ABC the following year. La'Porsha Renae is runner-up. All fourteen previous winners, and several Idol alumni took part of the two-hour finale.
21 – Seven time Grammy Award winner Prince dies at his recording studio in Minnesota at the age of 57.[4]
23 — Beyoncé premiered her sixth studio album Lemonade on HBO with an hour-long film. The album was released on Tidal, where it remained exclusively available to stream for 24 hours, until it was uploaded to all formats, including iTunes. Upon the album debuting at number-one on the Billboard 200 chart, Beyoncé became the first act in Billboard history to have their first six albums debut at number one.
29 — Drake releases his first studio album in three years, Views. The album spends longest time atop the Billboard 200 for a rapper, since To the Extreme by Vanilla Ice in 1990, spending 12 weeks at number-one.
20 — Saosin released Along the Shadow, their first studio album since 2009, and also their first full-length album with original lead vocalist Anthony Green (who originally left the band before they released their 2006 debut). It is also their first album without lead guitarist Justin Shekoski.
1 — Blink-182 released California, their first album to feature Alkaline Trio frontman Matt Skiba as a full-time member, and also their first album without founding member Tom DeLonge. It was also their first studio album in five years.
Céline Dion released her first French-language studio album in four years, Encore Un Soir and became one of the biggest-selling records of the year. The album was also a tribute to her husband, who passed away 7 months earlier.
Fear Factory perform live at Reload Festival in Sulingen, Germany. The performance marks the band's last live appearance for seven years and their final performance with original vocalist Burton C. Bell before his departure four years later.
29 – With "Ride" charting at number-five and "Heathens" at four in the same week, the musical duo Twenty One Pilots became the third rock act with simultaneous top five Hot 100 singles in the chart's 58-year history, following only the Beatles and Elvis Presley, as well as the first act in 47 years.[5][6]
14 — JoJo released her first studio album in ten years, Mad Love.
21 — Lady Gaga released her fourth studio album, Joanne, which debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200, making her the first woman of the 2010s to have four number one albums [7]
12 — Live announced the return of original lead vocalist Ed Kowalczyk, who had left the band in 2009.
13 — Sundance Head won the eleventh season of The Voice. Billy Gillman was named runner-up. Wé McDonald and Josh Gallagher finishing third and fourth place respectively.
