Music

The estate of David Bowie and Warner Music Group have announced a global partnership that will bring the late artist’s vast recorded-music catalog from 1968 through 2016 under the Warner umbrella. The new deal sees Bowie’s albums from 2000 through 2016, which were originally released via Sony Music, joining his 1968-1999 catalog at Warner. The

Pop icon Elton John has postponed his keenly anticipated “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour across Europe and the U.K. to 2023. The popular performer released a statement on social media on Thursday revealing the postponement due to a persisting injury. “At the end of my summer break I fell awkwardly on a hard surface and

In a new episode of the “No Time To Die: The Official James Bond Podcast,” Billie Eilish discusses her approach to the latest film in the franchise with critic James King, detailing how she wanted to add her own touch but also “honor Bond, the songs in the past and the original guitar riff.” Episode

“The Activist,” a CBS series that had itself become the target of online activism in recent days, is being reconfigured in response to the firestorm of criticism, and will now become a one-time documentary special instead of a five-episode competition series, Variety has learned. Although footage for the original incarnation of the series had already

Oscar winner Octavia Spencer has apologized to Britney Spears after making a joke about how she should get a prenuptial agreement. When Spears announced her engagement to longtime boyfriend Sam Asghari this past weekend, Spencer commented on the social media post: “Make him sign a prenup.” After Spencer’s Instagram comment went viral, the actor is

Laika studios has announced its sixth stop-motion movie, “Wildwood.” The feature is based on the novel written by Colin Meloy, lead singer and songwriter for The Decemberists, and illustrated by artist Carson Ellis. The announcement was made Wednesday by Travis Knight, President & CEO of the award-winning animation studio, who will direct the film. “Wildwood”

Berklee College of Music and Weeknd managers/label SALXCO / XO will present a music business/management course at the famed music school this fall. Taught by the school’s Chair of Music Business/Management Tonya Butler (pictured above, right), the course, “Trends and Special Topics,” will bring various experts in publishing, legal, finance, artist management, philanthropy, and more from

The rollout for Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’s second and final collaborative album, “Love for Sale,” will include saturation-level broadcast components in the months to come, as the pair have partnered with ViacomCBS for three different specials, with CBS, MTV Entertainment Group and Paramount Plus. Among them is Bennett’s return to the “MTV Unplugged” franchise

K-pop sensation BTS has teased a planned return to concert performances, albeit a virtual one. The band announced Wednesday that it will live-stream concert ‘BTS Permission To Dance On Stage’ on Oct. 24. It will be carried exclusively on Weverse, the social media platform operated by BTS’s management firm Hybe Entertainment. Few other details were

Todd Rundgren, who’s about to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, doesn’t sound like he hopes to ever see Kanye West joining him there. “I’m one of the few artists not on Kanye’s album,” Rundgren says in a new interview — but it wasn’t for lack of being asked. The rocker

Guess how many producers worked on Drake’s “Certified Lover Boy”? Now, guess again. The list of credited producers runs to four dozen — a reflection of the hit album’s sprawl, since “CLB” includes 21 songs and spans nearly 90 minutes, as well as its star’s determination to spread out the workload. Drake first teased “Certified

An apparent collaboration between rapper Young Thug and Nate Ruess, Jack Antonoff’s erstwhile collaborator in the Grammy-winning group Fun., was teased on Instagram by super-producer Jeff Bhasker on Tuesday. The post includes only photos of the two artists and a comment from Bhasker reading “This is happening.” In the photo, Thug is wearing a necklace

UPDATED: Two days after her engagement was revealed, and just days after her father agreed to step down after 13 years as her conservator, Britney Spears posted on Instagram “I’ve waited 13 years and I’m counting for my freedom,” and then apparently deleted her entire Instagram account. After fans expressed concern online, later on Tuesday

Say what you will, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Kenny G. I’m a sucker for the pure, spun-sugar sax appeal of instrumental hits like “Songbird,” “Silhouette” and the aptly named “Sentimental.” At first blush, Penny Lane’s ruthlessly entertaining “Listening to Kenny G” — part hatchet job, part sophisticated meta-inquiry into the slippery

Although Record Store Day’s annual Black Friday offshoot edition is still more than two months away, no time is being wasted in getting the official lineup of 150 exclusive titles out for public consumption and appetite-whetting. The Nov. 26 roster of mostly vinyl releases — with the odd CD and cassette thrown in for egalitarian

Ludacris will release the soundtrack to the Netflix series “Karma’s World,” the official companion to the animated kids’ series from the Grammy-winning rapper. The show, produced by Karma’s World Entertainment and 9 Story Media Group. The show, featuring voices from Tiffany Haddish, Danielle Brooks, Jordan Fisher, Dawnn Lewis, Dascha Polanco and Chris Bridges, debuts on Netflix

In the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, Jason Isbell tweeted, “If Biden wins Georgia I’m gonna make a charity covers album of my favorite Georgia songs — R.E.M., Gladys Knight, Vic Chesnutt, Allmans, Cat Power, Precious Bryant, Now It’s Overhead, etc… And damn is that gonna be fun.” He subsequently confirmed that he hadn’t

When Britney Spears testified this past June, she told a judge that her conservators had prevented her from getting married and having a baby. Fast-forward nearly three months, and not only has the pop star endured dramatic changes nearing the possible termination of her conservatorship, but she is also newly engaged to her longtime boyfriend,

Nicki Minaj is eyeing new management. The rapper, songwriter and hitmaker is in negotiations with SALXCO, the management company headed by Wassim “Sal” Slaiby, for representation, Variety has learned. She would join a roster that includes the Weeknd, Doja Cat, French Montana, Bebe Rexha, Ty Dolla $ign and M.I.A. SALXCO recently expanded its client base

The band St. Paul & The Broken Bones has signed with ATO Records after two albums with Barry Weiss’ Sony-distributed RECORDS imprint. The eclectic Alabama-based group’s next full-length will be released in 2022; a short snippet of new music can be sampled here. [embedded content] “The band has been indirectly circling our orbit for many

Swedish pop savant Robyn, a pioneer of the innovative alt-pop sounds of the past 15-odd years that have influenced artists ranging from Charli XCX to Taylor Swift and beyond, has teamed up with Young Artists — a division of the entertainment company formerly known as Young Turks — which is now her global management company.

In recent decades, numerous musical have arrived in London with outsized production values swamping the material, leading critics to wish for time machines so that they can fast-forward to the inevitable, hugely scaled-down revival in an off-West End house where the writing can be savored. “Back To The Future — the Musical” is not one

George Wein, who set the standard for what outdoor music gatherings would become with his leadership of the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals from the 1950s into the 21st century, died Monday at his home in New York City. He was 95. Wein produced the first Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island in 1954 and

As the 2021 Met Gala kicked off in New York City, rapper Nicki Minaj took to Twitter to reveal that she wouldn’t be attending the event because of its COVID-19 vaccine requirement. “They want you to get vaccinated for the Met. If I get vaccinated it won’t for the Met,” Minaj, who has 22.6 million

Republic Records today formally launched Imperial Music, a new independent music company led by former Astralwerks executive Glenn Mendlinger that soft-launched last year. According to the announcement, the New York-based label is a new division of Republic and signs, develops and markets emerging independent artists and creators, and partners with Ingrooves Music Group for distribution services. Mendlinger reports to Republic co-founders Monte and Avery Lipman —”a structure that provides Imperial the flexibility to

In the end, the battle for supremacy between 2021’s long-awaited superstar hip-hop premieres wasn’t even that close a contest. Drake’s “Certified Lover Boy” is the top-debuting album of the year so far, bowing with 595,300 album-equivalent units. That figure handily beats the 313,000 album units Kanye West’s “Donda” claimed when it premiered on the chart

Recorded music revenues in the U.S. grew 27% in the first half of 2021 over 2020, according to the RIAA’s mid-year report. Paid subscriptions continued to be the strongest contributor to growth, comprising nearly two-thirds of total revenue, and more than 80 million paid subscriptions for the first time. Revenue rose from $5.6 to $7.1

Although Dua Lipa had the misfortune of dropping a party album just as the pandemic was starting, “Future Nostalgia” became one of the biggest albums of the past 18 months — and she’s finally announced North American arena tour in support of the album, for next year. The tour makes 28 stops across the U.S., including

Fast-rising independent music company Reservoir Media has announced a deal with legendary singer-songwriter and eight-time Grammy winner Joni Mitchell that will see the company becoming the worldwide administrator of her publishing catalog. It should go without saying that Mitchell is one of the most important, influential and innovative songwriters of the past 60 years, with

Live Nation has resumed its acquisition of a 51% controlling interest in Ocesa Entretenimiento, a leading promoter in Latin America and owner of Ticketmaster Mexico, for an aggregate purchase price of $8,835,000,000 in Mexican dollars, or approximately $444 million U.S. The acquisition was first announced back in 2019 for a reported $480 million but delayed