Music

Artists like Carrie Underwood and Rauw Alejandro won’t have to suffer the indignity of performing in a Miami venue named after an insolvent cryptocurrency exchange when they hit the road in the coming months. That’s because FTX Arena is no more. On Wednesday, a federal bankruptcy judge terminated the naming-rights agreement between Miami-Dade County, which

Few fellow guitar heroes were more visibly affected by news of Jeff Beck’s Jan. 10 death, at age 78, than Living Colour’s Vernon Reid, whose first social response consisted of profanity and incomprehension. He followed that with a whole tweetstorm’s worth of appreciation for the man who helped shape him. Variety spoke with Reid about

Ray Cordeiro, a fixture of the music scene in Hong Kong for some seven decades, died on Friday, age 98. His funeral committee said on Saturday local time that Cordeiro, full name Raimundo Maria Cordeiro, but much better known as “Uncle Ray,” died on Friday at the CUHK Medical Centre in Hong Kong. The cause

SZA “killed her ex” and licked his heart, too, in the Quentin Tarantino-inspired music video for her hit song “Kill Bill.” Featuring Vivica A. Fox, who played Vernita Green in the “Kill Bill” movies, the video sees SZA left for dead by her ex lover and hungry for revenge. As she sings in the song:

Fleetwood Mac co-founder and drummer Mick Fleetwood has shared the moving eulogy he wrote for Christine McVie, the band’s longtime singer and keyboardist, who died on Nov. 30. He delivered the eulogy at a memorial service in Malibu, Calif. that was attended by several members of the band, also including Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.

The upcoming Amy Winehouse biopic “Back to Black” has unveiled a first look image of Marisa Abela in character as the Grammy-winning icon. The photo debuted as Studiocanal announced it was partnering with Focus Features and Monumental Pictures on the music drama. Sam Taylor-Johnson, best known for helming “50 Shades of Gray” and “Nowhere Boy,” is

Robbie Bachman, who co-founded and played drums for the hard-riffing 1970s Canadian rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive, has died at the age of 69.   His brother and bandmate Randy revealed the news on his Twitter account, writing, “Another sad departure. The pounding beat behind BTO, my little brother Robbie has joined Mum, Dad & brother Gary

As the clock struck midnight on the West Coast and it officially become one month until the 2023 Super Bowl, the game’s halftime performer, Rihanna, dropped the first trailer for her performance, which is also the first ever to be sponsored by Apple Music. The trailer opens with a spotlight on a black background as

After news broke on Thursday that Lisa Marie Presley had died at age 54, Hollywood took to social media to pay tribute to the musician and only child of Elvis Presley. Presley was hospitalized on Thursday morning after suffering cardiac arrest at her Calabasas, Calif. home. “Priscilla Presley and the Presley family are shocked and

Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis Presley’s only child whose tumultuous life also included a music career, died Thursday in a Los Angeles hospital, her representative confirmed to Variety. She was 54. “Priscilla Presley and the Presley family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Lisa Marie,” reads a family statement. “They are

Taylor Swift made a surprise cameo during the 1975’s concert in London at The O2 on Thursday night to deliver the first live performance of “Anti-Hero” from her chart-topping album “Midnights.” She also treated the crowd to a cover of the 1975’s “The City.” Making an unannounced arrival on stage sporting a shimmering silver dress, Swift took a

Nestled among 10 acres of lush green in Woodinville, WA, Ryan Hadlock’s Bear Creek Studio — built by his father in 1977 to record advertising jingles — is the unlikeliest of hit factories. But that’s where the producer brought Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange” to life. As minimal and forlorn as modern country gets,

Harry Styles and Wet Leg lead the 2023 Brit Awards race as the most-nominated artists with four nods each. Styles is nominated for artist of the year, album of the year, song of the year and pop/R&B act, while the indie rock duois also nominated for album of the year, in addition to group of

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. BTS Army, get ready to travel in style. Samsonite has just launched a brand new limited-edition collection inspired by the K-Pop group’s hit single “Butter.” The lineup of travel accessories is part of the

Lisa Marie Presley was hospitalized Thursday after suffering cardiac arrest at her home in Calabasas, Calif., just two days after she attended the Golden Globes with her mother Priscilla Presley and the “Elvis” movie team. Paramedics performed CPR on Presley, 54, at her home and were able to regain her pulse before rushing her to

Capping one of the longest and nastiest legal battles in music business history, John Fogerty has gained worldwide control of the publishing rights to his Creedence Clearwater Revival songs, more than 50 years after the songs were first released. Fogerty has acquired a majority interest in the global publishing rights to his song catalog with the group, which

“Here Lies Love,” a celebrated “disco pop” stage musical with a score by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, dramatizing Imelda Marcos’ rise to prominence and downfall in the Philippines, has finally landed a long-awaited berth on Broadway. Opening this summer at one of New York’s most prominent venues, the Broadway Theatre, “Here Lies Love,” will

Idina Menzel is making her way back to the stage. The Tony winner will star in “Redwood,” a musical she first began developing almost 20 years ago, which will premiere as the final production of the 2023-2024 season of the La Jolla Playhouse. Directed by Tina Landau, who also wrote the book, the show tells

Seeker Music, the music-rights and publishing company led by hit songwriter Evan Bogart, has acquired the catalogs of songwriters John Ryan (One Direction, Maroon 5, John Legend) and Jon Bellion (Miley Cyrus, Camila Cabello, Eminem). Separately, the company has acquired select catalogs from two fellow songwriter-helmed music companies: Family Affair Productions (Julian, Damon and Peter

Joni Mitchell is set to receive the 2023 Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, an honor that will be bestowed at a tribute concert due to be filmed in Washington, D.C. on the first day of March, with a television premiere on PBS as that month comes to a close. No performers have

Jeff Beck, who died suddenly at the age of 78, was among the first and last of rock music’s epic guitar heroes. He played according to his own rules, with styles as unpredictable as the diverse genres through which he jammed, flanged, strummed and rolled.  Capriciously innovative and unwilling to compromise — often to the detriment of

Following Wednesday’s announcement of the death of English rock guitarist Jeff Beck, musicians and celebrities took to social media to remember the artist and his storied career. Among them, Gene Simmons, Mick Jagger and Rod Stewart shared their condolences and showed praise for the “distinctively brilliant” guitar maven. Beck died on Tuesday after contracting bacterial

Dr. Dre is selling a collection of music income streams and other assets in a deal that was being pitched for $250 million, sources confirm to Variety. The assets, which generate nearly $10 million annually, are being acquired by Shamrock Holdings and Universal Music Group in two separate transactions. The deals, which have been rumored for several

Jeff Beck, among the most innovative and certainly the most unpredictable of ’60s guitar heroes, died on Tuesday. He was 78. “On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing. After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday,” reads a statement

Brian Nolan has joined Artist Partner Group (APG) as president of global marketing and synchronization. The former Motown executive VP will oversee all label marketing (including international marketing), sales and streaming, artist development and synchronization. He will additionally be focused on breaking artists, marketing optimization, expanding business internationally, engaging brand and sync partnerships, recruiting talent,

Two months after the death of singer and former child star Aaron Carter, his older brother Nick Carter is paying tribute in a new heartbreaking ballad titled “Hurts to Love You.” The single dropped on Wednesday morning and was announced by Nick on social media alongside a snippet of the as-yet-unreleased music video, which sees

Harry Styles, Lizzo, and Taylor Swift are among the top nominees for the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards, airing live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Monday, March 27 on Fox. The nominations for the 2023 ceremony were announced Wednesday, and the chart-topping artists are tied as the night’s most recognized acts, leading the

Things are looking up for songwriters. In 2022, the Copyright Royalty Board, the governmental agency which sets royalty rates for songwriters as it relates to DSPs like Spotify and Apple Music, increased streaming payouts for the 2023 to 2027 term by nearly 5 percent — from 10.5% to 15.1% with another increase (to 15.35%) on

In his annual letter to the company’s staff, Universal Music Group Chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge has taken aim at the existing model for the music-streaming economy, saying it has become outdated as the format has grown and “needs to evolve.”   Amid many other updates in the letter, dated Jan. 11 and obtained by Variety, he

In another year of growth, albeit less robust in the U.S. than in recent years, the biggest surprise in Luminate’s year-end report on how the music business fare in 2022 is a story that has been developing before our eyes each week since May. The official coronation of Bad Bunny’s “Un Verano Sin Ti” as