Rod Stewart Declares: ‘I’m a Free Agent Now’

7:06 AM PDT 4/28/2011 by Shirley Halperin

The legendary singer, who was honored at Wednesday's ASCAP Pop Music Awards, is without a record contract for the first time in four decades. And he's not exactly crying about it.

For the first time in 40-plus years in the music business, Rod Stewart is without a record label. The legendary singer, who received the Founders Award at Wednesday night’s ASCAP Pop Awards in Hollywood, saw most of his chart-topping albums released via Warner Bros. but has spent the past decade on the J Records roster reinterpreting the Great American Songbook. Now that his contract is up, Stewart tells The Hollywood Reporter he’s enjoying the freedom.