After two years of pandemic-induced shutdown and Omicron-postponed reopenings in December and January, Iridium, the downstairs music club in New York’s Times Square known as the “home of Les Paul,” is finishing the second week of its grand reopening, which launched on March 1 with a performance by the Harlem Blues Project, followed by four
Music
Bobbie Nelson, Willie Nelson’s sister and a member of his Willie Nelson and Family band for more than 50 years, died Thursday morning at age 91. She was described as having died “peacefully and surrounded by family,” and no cause of death was given. “There’s just no way to explain how lucky I am to
If you think you don’t know who Claud is, you might be mistaken. Fans of of Phoebe Bridgers have a head start in recognizing Claud as the first artist to sign to her label, Saddest Factory Records, in 2020. Maybe you saw the 22-year-old singer-songwriter accompanying the Jack Antonoff-led band Bleachers on “SNL” in January,
A federal appeals court ruled in Katy Perry’s favor in the “Dark Horse” copyright lawsuit against Christian rapper Marcus Gray. Gray, whose stage name is Flame, first sued Perry in 2014, claiming her hit “Dark Horse” was substantially similar to his song “Joyful Noise.” In 2019, a Los Angeles jury found Perry liable for infringement,
The Recording Academy has announced the appointment of Ryan Butler as vice president of diversity, equity & inclusion, effective immediately. He fills a role previously occupied by Valeisha Butterfield Jones, who was promoted to co-president last year, and to whom Butler will report. Butler leads diversity, equity and inclusion internally and externally for the Recording Academy and its affiliates.
Ellen Zoe Golden, a veteran record industry publicist whose clients over the years included Billy Idol, Daryl Hall and John Oates, and Russell Simmons’ Hip-Hop Summits, died at her home in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. The cause of death was brain cancer, which Golden told friends she had been diagnosed with last fall. She was 63.
At a recent BTS concert in Seoul, the crowd sounded a bit different than usual. On Thursday, BTS returned to the Jamsil Olympic Stadium, where they last performed in 2019, for their “Permission to Dance on Stage” tour. However, the show faced several alterations in order to comply with COVID protocols. Attendance was limited to
Em Beihold’s “Numb Little Bug” was a viral sensation well before it was finished. First teased on TikTok in late 2021, the contemplative pop anthem exploded on the app and then got even bigger upon its full release in January — cracking the top 10 on U.S. iTunes and amassing more than a million Spotify
In what is rapidly becoming a mass music exodus out of Russia, Kobalt and Downtown have become the third and fourth major companies to announce on Thursday that they are suspending business activity in Russia due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Of the three global major labels, Sony and Warner announced their pullout within
Superstar Puerto Rican songwriter-producer Tainy, who has helmed such hits as “I Like It” (by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin), “Dakiti” (by Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez), and “Telepatia” (by Kali Uchis), has sold his pre-2021 music catalog to fast-rising Influence Media (Influence Media Partners). Terms of the deal were not disclosed,
Miranda Lambert had a secret she was keeping when she won the entertainer of the year prize at Monday’s Academy of Country Music Awards, but she didn’t take long to let it out of the bag. Thursday the country superstar revealed she’s completed a new album, “Palomino,” her first solo effort since 2019’s “Wildcard,” for
BTS’s upcoming Permission to Dance concert in Seoul, marking the K-pop sensation group’s first time back on stage in South Korea since 2019, will be going out live in MENA via leading local exhibitor Vox Cinemas. Vox, which has secured exclusive regional rights, will be streaming the hotly anticipated March 12 BTS concert live from
In the formerly cable-only show’s first year premiering as a prime-time broadcast TV tentpole, the CMT Music Awards will have country star Kelsea Ballerini returning as co-host, joined this year by actor Anthony Mackie, CBS announced Thursday. Ballerini is taking on hosting duties for a second straight year. In 2021, she co-hosted with fellow country
Academy Award winner H.E.R. will co-host this year’s Women in Film (WIF) pre-Oscars party with producer and the organization’s board president emerita Cathy Schulman. The 15th annual event will take place on March 25 at Bar Lis at the Thompson Hollywood hotel. The party honors all 60 women who have been nominated for an Academy
Veteran music executive Keith Hagan has opened a new management/ marketing/ publicity company, Skylark Artist Management. For the past twelve years, Hagan was the co-owner of SKH Music, where he worked closely with such artists as the Afghan Whigs, Toto, Kenny Rogers, and Robert Finley, among others. Joining him at Skylark will be the Afghan
Warner Music Group has suspended all of its operations in Russia, the company has confirmed to Variety. “Warner Music Group is suspending operations in Russia, including investments in and development of projects, promotional and marketing activities, and manufacturing of all physical products,” according to a statement from the company. “We will continue to fulfill our
MUSIC Singer-songwriter Sam Ryder will represent the U.K. at the 66th Eurovision Song Contest, to be held in Turin, Italy in May 2022 with the song “Space Man.” With over 12 million followers and 100 million likes on TikTok, Ryder is currently the most followed U.K. music artist on the platform. The search for the
Sony Music has suspended all of its operations in Russia, the company has confirmed to Variety. “Sony Music Group calls for peace in Ukraine and an end to the violence. We have suspended operations in Russia and will continue our support of global humanitarian relief efforts to aid victims in need.,” the company said in a statement.
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 7 season premiere, part one, of “The Masked Singer,” which aired March 8 on Fox. He may be an ace of cakes, but Duff Goldman is not necessarily a swan of song. The Food Network star and famed baker was the first
Nicki Minaj is reclaiming the narrative. After opening up a dialogue with fans in last night’s Instagram Live, the rapper sat down with Joe Budden for an exhaustive interview. While the 39-year-old steered clear of the hot-button issues that have plagued her of late, she addressed a long list of topics including plastic surgery, upcoming
K-pop fans are anxiously awaiting BTS’ return to South Korea this week for three concerts at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium in Seoul. However, the BTS Army will have to curb its enthusiasm, as clapping, shouting and standing up are strictly prohibited per government COVID protocols. BTS’ management company Big Hit Music said in a statement,
iHeart Radio has set performers for the upcoming 2022 iHeart Radio Music Awards, with Megan Thee Stallion, Jason Aldean, John Legend, Charlie Puth and Måneskin all newly announced to perform on the March 22 telecast. The five join two other artists who were previously announced for roles in the event and are now confirmed for performances
While businesses across the globe have been pulling out of Russia, many have wondered why the music industry largely has not been following suit. While sanctions have severely hampered Russia’s global business and the music industry is a very small part of that business, the optics on continuing to work in the country are not
“We won we won we won we won,” Kanye West wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post Tuesday. The victory he was celebrating? The declaration that his “Donda 2” album will not be eligible for the Billboard 200 album chart, since it is not available apart from the purchase of one of his $200-plus Stem Player
The U.S. recorded-music business continues its upward swing, posting a near-record $15 billion in revenue for 2021, driven by a surge in streaming, solid vinyl and even CD sales, and the inclusion of TikTok music revenue for the first time. In fact, all major formats of music posted growth over the prior year, except digital
“Clive Davis: Most Iconic Performances,” a four-art series featuring concert clips chosen by and interviews conducted by the legendary music executive, will premiere exclusively on Paramount Plus in the U.S. and internationally beginning Wednesday, March 23. In this special miniseries, culled from his virtual 2021 pre-Grammy Gala events, sees Davis taking viewers through some of
On the heels of legendary punk progenitors the MC5’s nomination to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the group’s guitarist and co-founder Wayne Kramer has released two new songs and announced The Heavy Lifting Tour in May, all as a “reanimation” of the pioneering group, dubbed We Are All MC5. The tour begins with a special
today (March 9). He is based in the Republic Records Los Angeles office. Most recently, Beard spent a decade at APG, where he rose from intern to senior VP of A&R and brought in Charlie Puth, Alec Benjamin and Pink Sweat$; he also has worked closely with David Guetta, Jason Derulo, Pitbull and Flo Rida,
Some of Hollywood’s most high-profile filmmakers, including director James Cameron, producers Kathleen Kennedy and Lili Fini Zanuck and composer John Williams have joined the growing chorus of voices asking the Academy to reverse course and present all 23 Oscars on the live March 27 telecast. In a letter sent today to Academy President David Rubin
In a possible preview of what may take home Oscars for music, “No Time to Die” songwriters Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell and “Encanto” composer Germaine Franco won Society of Composers & Lyricists awards Tuesday night at Los Angeles’ Skirball Center. The annual Spirit of Collaboration award given to a composer-filmmaker team, went to Carter