Music

Universal Music Group has announced the launch of Universal Arabic Music (UAM), a newly created label dedicated to discovering, introducing and championing the artists, sounds and rich musical culture of the Middle East & North Africa region to audiences around the world. Republic Records and its parent company UMG founded the new label in partnership

Hip-hop artist Rod Wave took over the top spot on the album chart from Justin Bieber, debuting with 122,000 album units to be an easy No. 1 finisher. The premiere for his sophomore effort marks the first time the rapper has made it to the top, even in a week where he announced having collected

Veteran artist manager Adam Leber has announced the launch of his new management and media company Rebel (Leber’s name spelled backwards) in partnership with LiveNation. Under this banner, he will continue to represent longtime clients Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X and Labrinth, among others, for management worldwide. He remains based in Los Angeles Most recently, Leber has operated as a partner of Maverick, which he co-founded

Republic Records has promoted Xiarra-Diamond Nimrod to vice president of marketing strategy, the label’s EVP and general manager Jim Roppo and SVP of marketing Marleny Reyes announced. She is based in Republic Records’ New York headquarters. According to the announcement, Nimrod will continue to architect, implement, and oversee marketing, rollout, and release strategy for label artists including Pop Smoke, Metro Boomin, Ski Mask the Slump

“Fire in Little Africa,” an album of original material, written and recorded by a collective of Oklahoma hip-hop artists to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, will be released on May 28 by Motown Records/Black Forum in partnership with Tulsa’s Bob Dylan Center and Woody Guthrie Center. According to the announcement, the 21-track album

A prayer vigil for DMX will take place outside the hospital in White Plains, New York, where the rapper remains on life support. The event will take place Monday beginning at 5 p.m. and will be hosted by the Ruff Ryders to the Rescue Foundation, according to a statement from the rapper’s family, as reported by Rolling

Sound Ventures, the venture capital fund founded by Guy Oseary (pictured at left) and Ashton Kutcher, is jumping into the NFT game, announcing an investment of $1 million for a pitch competition set to launch on April 21. Teaming with Mark Cuban and Snoop Dogg, “NFTs: The Pitch” will feature a judging panel that includes

Family has almost always been a big part of what Sara Watkins has done; she rose to acclaim with her brother Sean as a member of the pop-bluegrass group Nickel Creek, then, as that band has mostly been on hiatus, has continued on with him as part of another beloved SoCal Americana troupe, the Watkins

Justin Bieber shocked fans on Sunday with the unexpected release of a six-track EP, titled “Freedom.” Bieber announced the drop on his social media platforms a little before 3:30 P.T., simply writing: “Freedom on all platforms.” The project’s artwork is also quite simple, featuring a Notes app screenshot with the word “Freedom” typed out (and

The Weeknd is donating $1 million to relief efforts in Ethiopia amid the ongoing conflict between the government in Addis Ababa and the Tigray region. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of thousands and the displacement of more than two million people, according to NPR. Last month, the New York Times obtained an internal

DMX has been hospitalized following a reported drug overdose, a source close to the rapper confirmed to Variety. According to TMZ, DMX overdosed on Friday night at his home around 11 p.m., which caused a heart attack. The 50-year-old rapper is currently in a hospital in White Plains, N.Y., and is in the critical care

In the merger between BTS’ label HYBE and Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings, Braun’s SB Projects (SBP) roster of clients — among them Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, J Balvin and Demi Lovato — are set to become significant shareholders in a capital increase meant to fortify the bond between both companies, according to a Korean regulatory

Boldness is very much the brand in Demi Lovato’s new album, “Dancing With the Devil… The Art of Starting Over,” an assertion that will strike no one as surprising after the pop star’s media blitzkrieg of the last few weeks. The fact that it isn’t a surprise is either an advantage or a problem, depending

Taylor Swift got a jump on Easter by putting her Easter eggs out on Good Friday. One week out from the release of “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” her re-recording of the 2008 album “Fearless,” the singer has issued the titles of the bonus songs that are being appended to the original track list, though she made fans

It’s one thing to own up to one’s past mistakes, but in recent weeks Demi Lovato has made a multi-platform cautionary tale out of her struggles with substance abuse. Her 2018 overdose is the subject of her new song, YouTube documentary and album, all of which are called “Dancing With the Devil… the Art of

The organizers of the Brit Awards are in discussions with the U.K. government to allow live audiences at the May 11 event at London’s O2 Arena. Meanwhile, U.K. newspaper The Telegraph has reported that COVID passports with proof of vaccination will be tested at a dozen events over April and May, such as the FA

HYBE, the company known as Big Hit Entertainment which is home to BTS, the South Korean pop group, has merged with Ithaca Holdings, the company led by SB Projects founder Scooter Braun. In the deal, HYBE will acquire through its HYBE America, its wholly owned subsidiary, a 100% stake in Ithaca Holdings and its properties,

Droll. Adroit. Literary. Observational. Epigrammatic. Empathic. Finely tuned. Waggish. Harmonious. Hilarious. Dryly devastating. These were the qualities that marked Adam Schlesinger’s songwriting. And, frankly, on a survey of what rank-and-file fans would say they prize most about rock ‘n’ roll, these would probably end up near the very bottom. Maybe, as attributes, they’d be even

In celebration of Support + Feed’s one-year anniversary on March 29, Billie Eilish, Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix assisted with the distribution of Monty’s Good Burger at My Friend’s Place, an organization that assists youth experiencing homelessness. Photographed above, the trio joined Eilish’s parents, Patrick O’Connell and Support + Feed founder Maggie Baird, at the

Meet the new Amoeba… same as the old Amoeba? In many ways, yes, despite reopening in a geographically more iconic location, just a block east of the intersection of Hollywood and Vine, after year on pause. The new Hollywood outpost of Amoeba Music officially opens today, April 1, with lineups expected outside the store, at

Olivia Rodrigo has returned with the follow-up single to her record-breaking debut release, “Drivers License,” and announced that her first album is coming on May 21. Released Thursday morning, the track, titled “Deja Vu,” details the suspicion that one’s ex-significant other is now doing everything that made a relationship special — with someone else. Rodrigo

Earlier this year, South London musician DWY (pronounced “Dewey”) released a concept album called “8-Bit Memories.” The tracks varied from “Black Boy,” an observation of society, to “Summers Over,” a song about growing up. Now the singer-songwriter has a short film, titled after the album, which producer RadicalMedia is planning to take on the festival

Patti Smith — singer, songwriter, poet, author and icon — will be sharing her writing in a new weekly newsletter on Substack. In a message posted Wednesday on her highly entertaining Instagram page, Smith wrote that she aims to use the newsletter to “form an inter-connective body of work for a responsive community,” posting “weekly

Prescription Songs, the independent publishing company founded by Dr. Luke, will be offering its roster of songwriters and producers the option of payment in Bitcoin. For this arrangement, the company has partnered with BitPay, a major provider of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency payment services. Prescription Songs’ catalog includes such hits as “Say So” by Doja Cat,

The Dutch government has granted permission for up to 3,500 fans to attend the popular Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals and finals in Rotterdam in May. The semi-finals are scheduled for May 18 and 20 and the finals on May 22 at Rotterdam’s Ahoy Arena. The Dutch city was due to host the contest in 2020

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 5, Episode 4 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired March 31 on Fox. Logan Paul admits his experience on “The Masked Singer” got off to a rough start. Paul, who was the next celebrity to be unmasked on Wednesday’s episode of “The Masked

Four Vietnam vets return to the place that changed their lives. An alcoholic screenwriter creates a masterpiece. Korean immigrants struggle to succeed on their Arkansas farm. A Civil War vet takes an orphan home. An aspiring jazz pianist discovers his true calling only after his death. How does music aid the storytelling in each of

Everyone in the music business is wondering the same thing: Could veteran songwriter Diane Warren, denied the Oscar 11 times over the past 33 years, finally win on her 12th try? Warren, whose movie songs range from Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me” to Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” penned “Io Sì

Miley Cyrus has partnered with Cash App to distribute $1 million in stocks to fans, becoming the first person in history to give away such a high volume of shares en masse in a nearly instantaneous fashion, according to the announcement. In a post uploaded to Instagram and Twitter this morning, Cyrus wrote, “Nothing is

The Weeknd has announced a new, exclusive NFT collection of artwork and new music, that will be available exclusively on Nifty Gateway. The limited-time auction will be held on Saturday, April 3rd at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT. The collection will include new music and limited edition art. According the announcement, the campaign