Music

The chandelier inside the Majestic Theater — the iconic gold fixture that plummets into the audience as the “The Phantom of the Opera” reaches its act one climax — is still dark, and it’ll stay that way until at least the end of October.  But on Monday evening, the theater community gathered at the Majestic

In what many in the music industry fear is a harbinger of things to come, Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam, a major country music festival set to go down Labor Day weekend in Florida, has been called off for this year due to record-breaking COVID spikes in the state. Chris Stapleton, Brooks & Dunn and Old

France-based Vivendi, parent of Universal Music Group, has sold 7.1% of that company’s share capital to Pershing Square Holdings, the investment firm managed by billionaire Bill Ackman, for $2.8 billion, with the possibility to sell him a further 2.9% by September 9, 2021. The deal values UMG — the world’s largest music company — at

As the Covid-19 variant continues to spread across the globe, the status of all future concerts, let alone festivals, has come into some question. While an outdoor event packed with people is ostensibly safer than a theater or arena packed with people, it’s still an area packed with people — and it’s not really feasible

The comedy recordings by legendary singer, actor, and filmmaker Rudy Ray Moore have been sold to the independent label 800 Pound Gorilla Records by his longtime manager Donald H. Randell. The deal was facilitated by SongVest, the online marketplace for buying and selling royalties. The main Dolemite comedy catalog includes over 40 of the late comedian’s most

Global Citizen has unveiled lineups for three of the international settings for its 24-hour “Global Citizen Live” broadcast for Sept. 25. Billie Eilish, Jennifer Lopez and Lizzo are among the headliners in New York City’s Central Park; Ed Sheeran, Doja Cat and H.E.R. will be among the toppers in front of Paris’ Eiffel Tower; and

Vax.India.Now, a virtual fundraiser to support India in its fight against COVID-19, has raised more than $5 million. Liam Neeson, Annie Lennox, A.R. Rahman, Pia Toscano, Zubin Mehta, Gloria Estefan, Sting, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, Yo-Yo Ma, David Foster, Norwegian DJ Alan Walker, Asif Mandvi, Nishat Khan, Ranjani Gayatri Sisters and Matteo Bocelli participated in

Walter Yetnikoff, a colorful record label executive who led CBS Records as president/CEO from 1975 to 1990 — when its roster was stacked with superstars like Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones — died Sunday night at age 87.  He would have turned 88 on August 11.

Super rich kids, look out! Frank Ocean’s luxury company, Homer, opened its store Monday in New York City. The first collection comprises fine jewelry pieces along with printed silk scarves and is located at the New York Jewelers Exchange Monday through Saturday. The pieces are handcrafted using 18K gold, recycled sterling silver, hand-painted enamel and

Allan “Blaze” Blazek, a respected rock ‘n’ roll engineer and producer of albums by the Eagles, the Who, Joe Walsh, the J. Geils Band, Elvin Bishop, Johnny Winter, REO Speedwagon, Rick Derringer and more, died in Michigan City, Ind. on August 3. He was 71. Blazek engineered numerous records, including the Eagles’ classic, “Hotel California.”

Tunji Balogun, RCA’s executive vice president of A&R, is headed to Def Jam Records as CEO, multiple sources tell Variety. At RCA, which Balogun joined in 2015 following seven-and-a-half years at Interscope, the A&R exec was involved in signing Khalid, Brockhampton, Normani (via Syco) and Bryson Tiller. In 2018, Balogun co-founded the label Keep Cool,

Producer Lynda Obst (“Interstellar,” “Hope Floats”) and Miky Lee (executive producer of “Parasite”) have joined forces to tap into the Korean music wave. They will produce “K-Pop: Lost in America,” a feature-length road movie to be released in 2023. The CJ ENM production has tapped JK Youn, director of two of the biggest Korean movies

Carl “Chucky” Thompson, the producer, composer and member of the Bad Boy label’s stable of “Hitmen” responsible for smashes by artists like the Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige, has died at age 53. No official cause of death has come from the family or reps, though AllHip-Hop reported that Thompson died from complications of

Billie Eilish’s second full-length album, “Happier Than Ever,” proved to be one of the big recorded music events of the year, as expected, even with five of the tracks already previously out as singles. The album release easily landed at No. 1 on the Rolling Stone album chart with 271,500 album-equivalent units. The breakdown of

A judge has denied a request from Britney Spears’ attorney to expedite her next hearing, regarding the suspension and removal of the singer’s father, Jamie Spears, from her conservatorship. The hearing is still set for Sept. 29. On Monday morning, the court ordered that the petition from Spears’ new attorney, Mathew Rosengart, had been denied

Columbia Records has promoted Kerry Hickey to senior vice president, film & television licensing. The Los Angeles-based Hickey, who reports to general manager Jenifer Mallory and chairman/CEO, Ron Perry, joined Columbia in 2018 as vice president. In her newly elevated role, Hickey will continue to utilize the systems she has put in place over the

In the wake of reports of widespread sexual harassment at Sony Music Australia, Universal Music has become the second major label in the country to launch an investigation into inappropriate behavior at its offices, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald. The allegations surfaced in posts on an Instagram account called Beneath the

Brandi Carlile’s performance of Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” album at L.A.’s Disney Hall in late 2019, which has become nearly the stuff of legend, was not a one-off after all. Carlile is set to reprise that program, two years later, at Carnegie Hall, with a single performance of the album set for Nov. 6 at New

Broadway’s revival of “West Side Story” will not be returning to the Great White Way when theaters reopen later in the year. “It is with great regret that we are announcing today that the 2020 Broadway revival of ‘West Side Story’ will not reopen,” producer Kate Horton said in a statement. “This difficult and painful

Two years after R. Kelly was jailed on multiple sexual assault and misconduct charges, his trial in New York begins with jury selection after months of Covid-related delays. The multi-platinum-selling and Grammy-winning singer and producer, who has been accused of abusing multiple women since the early 1990s, is also awaiting trial in his home state

Kanye West has apparently removed a remix of his song “Nah Nah Nah” featuring DaBaby from streaming services. The remix, which was released last year and also featured 2Chainz, was disappeared from Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal over the weekend and was first reported by HotNewHipHop. DaBaby is entering a third week of negative reaction

Musicians Ed Sheeran, Annie Lennox, A.R. Rahman and Mick Jagger are joining Steven Spielberg and a galaxy of Bollywood stars in supporting the We For India fundraiser for post-COVID relief relief work in India. Celebrities lending their name to the initiative include music group Sister Sledge ft. Sledgendary, Grammy-winning composer Nile Rodgers, Lebanese singer and

Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie has sold her 115-title song catalog to Hipgnosis, the fast-growing music company that has spent more than $2 billion in three years acquiring rights to a vast number of popular songs. McVie, who first joined Fleetwood Mac in 1970, is the writer of many of the long-running group’s biggest hits, including

From age 10 till 30, Aretha Franklin sure could sing, but she hadn’t yet found her voice. At least, that’s the take served up in “Respect,” a solid if somewhat conventional feature directing debut for Broadway helmer Liesl Tommy which flatters Franklin in practically every way, beginning with the casting of Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson

The New Orleans Jazz Fest is no longer moving forward in October due to concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 delta variant. Organizers announced the news via a press release and social media on Sunday, writing that the festival will now look forward to the spring 2022 dates of April 29 – May 8.

Another week, another blown Kanye West release date — this time, for a second time, with his long-delayed “Donda” album. First it was coming out in July 2020, then July 23 of this year, then August 6, now it’s apparently August 13 — or maybe August 15! — according to eagle-eyed sleuths who spotted the

Dennis “Dee Tee” Thomas, a co-founder of soul-funk outfit Kool & the Gang, died on Saturday, his reps confirmed to Variety. He was 70. According to a press release, Thomas died “peacefully in his sleep” in New Jersey. Thomas had just performed with Kool & the Gang at their Los Angeles show at the Hollywood

Instead of fighting hate with more hate, Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters prefer to retaliate with disco. On Thursday, as the Westboro Baptist Church picketed outside the band’s show in Bonner Springs, Kansas, the Foo Fighters — dressed in all white as their ’70s alter-egos, the Dee Gees — drove by in a flatbed

Jamie Spears says that Britney Spears’ personal conservator, Jodi Montgomery, told him that his daughter is “mentally sick” and wanted to place her under a 5150 psychiatric hold. Now, in a statement obtained by Variety, Montgomery is pushing back on Mr. Spears claims — and, once again, asking him to step down from his daughter’s

Out of a clear blue sky on a hot August Friday afternoon, Frank Ocean announce a new “luxury” jewelry and clothing company called Homer. The announcement comes with an 84-page catalog, the cover of which was designed and photographed by Ocean. Certain images are included below. Fans may have initially hoped for an announcement of