Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has conquered the box office, the wrestling ring, TV ratings and tequila sales — now, is he about to dominate the charts? In a history-making career move, Johnson is making his rap debut, featured on Tech N9ne’s new single, “Face Off.” Speaking to Variety in an exclusive interview, Johnson says, “I love
Music
Veteran music manager Larry Rudolph has launched a new company, 724 Management, which will extend his affiliation with Live Nation. The 724 roster includes Aerosmith, Steven Tyler, Jessie J, Kim Petras, Nessa Barrett and Jaden Hossler aka jxdn, among others. Rudolph serves as CEO and has brought in Jesse Peters as president. The two worked
Scott Koenig, former manager of the metal bands Biohazard and Fear Factory and a veteran of the early Def Jam Records/ Rush Communications company that managed or released albums by the Beastie Boys, Run-DMC, Slayer and others, has died. He was 57; the cause of death was not announced at the time of this article’s
Wishes do come true: Several months ago, Nicki Minaj put herself forward as host for “The Real Housewives of Potomac” reunion — and on Thursday at its taping, she did just that. In July, Minaj posted a trailer for “The Real Housewives of Potomac” on Instagram, and wrote, “I’ll be hosting the reunion. lmk what
It’s hard to think of a musical genre more difficult to carry off past one’s youth than hardcore punk, which was built to have a short shelf life in almost every way. And even within that context, many bands who were far inferior to the legendary Bad Brains — who cast a long shadow over
“CMT Artists of the Year,” which returns as a live show this month, will include some interdisciplinary duets among its lineup, as is customary — with honoree Kelsea Ballerini being joined by the Jonas Brothers, and Yola teaming up with Mickey Guyton, among other collaborations. Some of the artists being feted on the broadcast will
In a new interview, members of the Rolling Stones say they thought Charlie Watts was recovering from illness and would eventually rejoin them, even after Steve Jordan was announced as a fill-in drummer for their current tour as Watts seemingly convalesced in the hospital. “We watched horse racing on TV and just shot the breeze,”
Adele, the 15-time Grammy winner with over 120 million records sold globally, had her first sit-down interview in five years with British Vogue, to discuss her fourth studio album, “30,” her divorce and inevitable return to the spotlight. The star, who gave her last one-on-one interview in 2016, said, “I have to sort of gear myself
What was behind the Kid Laroi’s seemingly abrupt split from Scooter Braun’s SB Projects to join Adam Leber’s Rebel Management last month? A cover story in the new issue of Billboard sheds some light on a shift that shocked many in the music industry, given that it happened after less than four months with Braun
Alexandre Desplat won’t have to worry about competing against himself at the Oscars this year in the original score category. The two-time Oscar-winning composer is a favorite to pick up a nom for his work on Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch.” He was also set to provide the music for Guillermo del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley,”
5 Seconds of Summer has inked a new label deal with BMG, following four albums with Universal Music Group imprints. The group’s first single with BMG is said to be on the docket for early next year, to be followed by the release of their fifth album later in 2022. “It is testament to the
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are looking to bring stadium shows back to Europe as well as America next summer, with the unveiling of a 2022 tour that will begin in Spain next June and come to the U.S. for 19 shows beginning in Denver in late July. It marks the first time the Chili
RCA Records has a new head of publicity. Jamie Abzug, who first joined the company in 2004 as an assistant in the publicity department, and most recently served as vice president of publicity, has been promoted to senior vice president at the Sony Music company. Leaving RCA are Mika El-Baz and Sarah Weinstein-Dennison. El-Baz, who
Jeannette Perez has been named president and chief operating officer of Kobalt. In her new position, Perez and Kobalt CEO Laurent Hubert will run the day-to-day operations of the company. Kobalt is a leading rights management and publishing company that was founded in 2000 by Willard Ahdritz and also offers label services and neighboring rights.
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched “The Masked Singer” Season 6, Episode 4, “House Party,” which aired October 6 on Fox. “The Masked Singer” has sent the Baby into timeout. Performing under the toddler mask was comedian Larry the Cable Guy, who was sent packing at the end of the
Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist tends to benefit independent label and women artists the most, according to a new study. Published in the International Journal of Industrial Organization, research conducted by the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management concluded that indie and women artists are platformed the most on the wildly popular playlist, which
The current tour by Alanis Morissette and Garbage has been characterized as a “Jagged Little Pill” 25th anniversary tour, and as it so happens, Garbage’s self-titled debut album came out just a couple of months after “Pill” did, so it’s a silver jubilee all around. What this occasion also means is that this has to
Singer Pharrell Williams may pull his Something in the Water music festival from Virginia Beach, where it was launched in 2019, due to the “toxic energy” in the city and how it handled the police killing of his cousin, Donovan Lynch, in March 2021. In a letter to Virginia Beach City Manager Patrick Duhaney on
Before Halsey dropped her fourth studio album, “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power,” she released a film of the same name, set to her new music, in theaters. Now, HBO Max has acquired her album film, and it will debut on the streamer tomorrow, Oct. 7, in the U.S. “If I Can’t Have
More than 100 of the most revered drummers in music, including Ringo Starr, Matt Cameron (pictured), Stewart Copeland, Steve Gadd, Jim Keltner, Jon Fishman, Max Weinberg, Carmine Appice, Nicko McBrain and 11-year-old sensation Nandi Bushell, have teamed for a new cover of The Beatles’ “Come Together” as part of WhyHunger’s “Drum Together” campaign, which aims
Coldplay has extended its deal with Warner Music Group via a new long-term agreement with Parlophone and Atlantic Records, Variety has learned. The news arrives ahead of the UK band’s ninth studio album, the Max Martin-produced “Music Of The Spheres, which is due out on Oct. 15. Coldplay currently claims the top song in the
In celebration of the Spice Girls’ 25th anniversary, the group has partnered with Universal Music Group’s Bravado for a wide-ranging deal spanning merchandising, direct-to-consumer products, touring, brand and retail licensing and distribution on a global scale. The girl group — comprised of original members Mel B, Emma Bunton, Melanie C, Geri Halliwell and Victoria Beckham
The 16th annual BET Hip-Hop Awards were aired live from Atlanta at the Cobb Energy Center on Tuesday night. Hosted by Karlous Miller, DC Young Fly and Chico Bean, the ceremony recognized accomplishments by hip-hop artists’ work in the past year. Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B led the field, netting three wins for “WAP”
Taylor Swift was the recipient of the grand award for special or variety at the 46th annual Gracie Awards, which took place virtually on the Alliance For Women in Media’s Facebook page on Oct. 5. Olympian gymnast Simone Biles presented the award to Swift, which was for the star’s “Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions”
BMG, the world’s fourth biggest music company, announced Tuesday it has bought a portfolio of rights associated with Tina Turner and her music catalog, including her share of her solo recordings and publishing assets, and rights to her name and image. The Berlin-based company says it will work with the 81-year-old rock and soul legend,
Drink your big black cow and get back in here. Donald Fagen has simultaneously released two new live albums — one under the nearly 50-year-old banner of Steely Dan; one billed as a solo album — that revive some of the most pungently written and exquisitely arranged and played music of the 20th century. “Northeast
The 2021 baseball season isn’t quite over yet, but some rock fans are already looking forward to spring training next year, if only for the opportunity it provides for a resumption of the Innings Festival in Tempe, Arizona Feb. 26-27. Tied loosely to the startup of baseball fever in the desert city, the festival took
It went down to the wire, but Drake held onto the top spot on the Rolling Stone album chart for a fourth consecutive week, barely fending off strong first-week returns for Youngboy Never Broke Again’s “Sincerely, Kentrell.” Drake’s “Certified Lover Boy” album is not suffering too much of a week-to-week decline, falling from 168,200 album-equivalent
The Coldplay/BTS collaboration “My Universe” was met with about as close to universal acclimation as the two groups could hope for, landing at No. 1 on the Rolling Stone songs chart, the first time topping that ranking for either ensemble. “My Universe” was not a streaming monster, compared to the tunes that usually top the
The wait is almost over for Adele’s new music, as the 15-time Grammy-winning singer teased her first single since 2016. On Tuesday morning, Adele announced on Twitter that her new single “Easy on Me” will release on October 15. A short, black-and-white video shows the singer putting a cassette tape into a car radio, turning