Playboy's Music awards 2009

HANG ON TO YOUR HEAD­PHONES. HERE'S WHAT ROCKED OUR NA/ORLD—AND YOURS

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MuMlsaid it best: "Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives." Yes, the technology-driven democratization of music is turning out to be great for art­ists new and old (for everyone except Axl Rose). Newcomers Paramore rocked readers' worlds, but ear-melting veterans Metallica also scored big-time this year: The thrash kings garnered a Grammy nod and were the first out-and-out metal band nominated for enshrinement in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (Is Cleveland afraid of real rock? In a museum set up to honor a suppos­edly blue-collar art, where's the love for Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Motley Crue?) Most important, Metallica's Death Magnetic was voted rock album of the year by our readers. No shying away from the genuine item among the playboy set.

The jam-band scene has looked smart for a while now. The business model established by the Grateful Dead and perfected by Phish (which reunites onstage this year), emphasizing touring and the building of a grassroots fan base instead of relying on studio albums, seems to have predicted the direction of the entire music industry. Now the scene has hatched yet another innovation that looks like a winner. Umphrey's McGee made nine levels of bonus material available to early pur­chasers of its new album. Here's the rub: The bonuses click in based on total sales of the record. Tell your friend to preorder a copy and you help yourself-and your friend-get closer to another level of bonus material. Simple and awesome. Check out our roundtable discussion with some of the heroes of the scene, including Hall of Famers Bob Weir and Gregg Allman.

This 2008 yearbook is smoking hot. For proof, look no further than playboy's definitive picks for the sexi­est music videos of the year. There's some serious sizzle in these clips-not to mention a Playboy model, a teen pop star in a sauna and, oh yeah, a full-on orgy. Your host, Lily Allen, at left, will put fire in your soul too, just in time for the drop of her new record. Then there are all the stars who designed Playboy Rock the Rabbit T-shirts and, of course, the full results of our annual readers poll. Hey, ho, let's go.

WHEN U.K. POP SINGER LILY ALLEN BEGAN POSTING HER DEMOS ON MYSPACE THREE YEARS AGO, NO ONE COULD HAVE PREDICTED THE MAS­SIVE SUCCESS SHE WOULD HAVE. HER BRUTE HONESTY MADE HER BOTH AROLEMODELANDA RELUCTANT TABLOID STAR. NOW THE 23-YEAR-OLD MULTIPLATINUM ARTIST RETURNS WITH IT'S NOT ME. ITS YOU.

Q: You were more involved musically on the new album than on your debut. Do you feel more confident now?

A: Last time around I didn't really know what I was doing. I knew I wanted to be a singer and had some references, but I didn't really know anything else. With this one I knew a bit more of what I wanted. I didn't want to go down the whole retro thing that others are doing better than I can. It was just about trying to find a musical direction that would work. Q: Did working with one producer instead of sev­eral help you choose that direction? A: I don't like working with new people, especially now that people know who I am. I feel they will come in with some sort of expectation. I don't think I'm very talented, so I get scared of working with new people. Q: Are you just being modest? A: No, I swear! I get scared of working with new people because I worry that they're thinking, Ha-ha, I knew she wasn't really talented! I get terrified. Q: Where is the line between what you say in pub­lic and what you keep to yourself? A: There is no line. I always find it fascinating when people say, "That's my personal life." They have a public persona and a private persona, and I just

don't understand that, because I just talk and say what I mean. I'm not careerist. I think people who are like that are very much thinking about things in the long term, which I don't. Q:You have become a public figure outside of mu­sic, too. Do you ever check celebrity gossip sites? A: I check one site called OhNoTheyDidn't. It's on Livejournal, and people just upload stuff them­selves. It's not like Perez Hilton. With Perez, it's his view on things. I don't care what he has to say. I just like looking at pictures and drawing my own conclu­sions. This site doesn't have an opinion on things. Q: Do you fear getting older? A: No, not at all. I embrace being old. I can't wait. I'm looking forward to my 50s. Q: Why that age?

A: I guess because no one really cares what you look like. You've had all the sex. I can just chill out. Q: You sing about a lousy lover in "Not Fair." Any ad­vice for our readers? A: |ust use your fingers a bit more. Think outside the box-literally.