Music

The Sundance Film Festival’s 2021 virtual Main Street will play host to a series of conversations about music and the movies, hosted by first-time festival partner Film Music House, with Mary J. Blige, Rufus Wainwright and Colin Stetson (pictured above) among those taking part in the streamed chats Jan. 28 through Feb. 3. Blige will

Sony Music’s RCA Records has promoted co-president John Fleckenstein to COO and Mark Pitts to president, while co-president Joe Riccitelli will leave the company, reps confirmed to Variety. The news was first reported by Music Business Worldwide. According to an announcement, Pitts has been promoted to the role of president, “working to grow and drive

Big Loud Management has landed a big gun in the form of former Maverick/Live Nation president Greg Thompson, who is moving to the Nashville-based firm as president and partner, effective immediately. He joins fellow partners Seth England, Joey Moi and Craig Wiseman but, unlike his Nashville cohorts, will continue to be based in Los Angeles,

“Music is a character in this film because a good portion of it is silent,” says director George Clooney about his movie “The Midnight Sky.” “Not just highlighting moments of sadness or terror, but also to carry the emotion all the way through.” Composer Alexandre Desplat wrote more than 90 minutes of music for the

Ariana Grande announced that she will be dropping a remix of her song “34 +35” tonight featuring two of the most prominent featured artists of the past year: Megan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat. The song, produced by the team of Tommy Brown, Steven Franks, Peter Lee Johnson and Travis Sayles, is the second track

Cardi B has scored her first leading role in a movie. The hip-hop icon is set to star in Paramount’s upcoming film “Assisted Living.” “Assisted Living” is being described as a “raucous comedy” with “tremendous heart,” in the vein of classic funny films like “Tootsie,” “Sister Act” and “Mrs. Doubtfire.” It follows Amber (Cardi B),

Atlanta rapper YFN Lucci, who is wanted on a murder charge, turned himself in at the Fulton County Jail in Georgia late Wednesday and is currently in police custody, a police spokesperson confirmed to Variety. The 29-year-old rapper, whose real name is Rayshawn Bennett, is wanted on a murder charge in connection with the Dec. 10

Idina Menzel has moved into her 11-year-old son Walker’s treehouse. The Tony winner is hosting a children’s show, “Idina’s Treehouse,” from the arboreal. The program, which streams on Menzel’s YouTube page and is shot entirely on iPhones, features an infectious theme song and Menzel singing (of course) and reading books. “I feel like we can

BMG announced that it has acquired “outright” Fleetwood Mac co-founder Mick Fleetwood’s interests in the band’s recordings. The deal gives BMG Fleetwood’s royalty interest in over 300 recordings, including the hits including “Dreams” — which enjoyed a massive resurgence due to recent popularity on TikTok — “The Chain,” “Go Your Own Way” and “Landslide” from albums including the multiplatinum albums

At a time when there’s no shortage of things to wish for, Adele’s long-awaited fourth studio album is high on the list. She said early last year that it was coming in September but then said it wasn’t, she hosted “Saturday Night Live” in October and sang snippets of some of her hits in a

Atlantic Records has promoted company veterans John McMann and Jon Lewis to executive vice presidents: McMann of pop and rhythmic promotion, and Lewis of pop promotion. The move was announced by label promotion president Andrea Ganis (and all three were Variety Hitmakers honorees last month). The pair have been with the company literally for decades:

Lady Gaga is set to sing the national anthem for the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on Jan. 20. The Biden-Harris inaugural committee confirmed to Variety that Gaga is on board to perform “The Star Spangled Banner” for the swearing-in ceremony, which typically begins around 11:30 a.m. ET on the West front of

Tim Bogert, a legendary bassist best known as part of the bands Vanilla Fudge, Cactus and the trio Beck, Bogert & Appice, has died. He was 76. His frequent collaborator and bandmate, Carmine Appice, shared the news in a Facebook post on Wednesday. “Tim was a one of a kind bass player. He inspired many,

Natalia Nastaskin, who has been General Manager of the Global Music Group at United Talent Agency since 2015, is joining the executive team at Primary Wave Music as Partner and Chief Content Officer, effective Feb. 1. Nastaskin will spearhead the development of various content for Primary Wave’s roster of management acts and publishing artists including

Ivor Novello-winning artist and songwriter Jamie Cullum has signed a global publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing UK. It marks his return to the company after signing with EMI 18 years ago, according to an announcement. The noted singer, jazz musician and BBC Radio 2 broadcaster has collaborated with the likes of Paul McCartney, Pharrell

Toby Keith helped see Donald J. Trump in as president, playing at the inauguration concert four years ago — and he came back to help see him out, too, news reports indicate. It’s being reported that both Keith and fellow country music star Ricky Skaggs were at the White House Wednesday afternoon to receive the

Nicole St. Jean has joined Peloton in a new role as Senior Director of Music Partnerships, where she will be steering music partnerships and artist relations for the company. Peloton Head of Music Gwen Riley says, “Nicole has always worked in the intersection of talent, content and tech and she is an incredible producer,” said Peloton’s Head of

Demi Lovato is returning to YouTube with a new docuseries. “Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil,” set to debut in March, will unpack the most challenging times in the artist’s life and career, including when she discovered the importance of her physical, emotional and mental health. For the first time, Lovato will open up about

Producer and songwriter Louis Bell, who has worked extensively with Post Malone and has notched hits with Camila Cabello (“Havana”), the Jonas Brothers (“Sucker”) and Halsey (“Without Me”), has signed an exclusive global publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG). The company has also acquired Bell’s catalog. Bell has been nominated for six Grammy

>When San Francisco-based musician and activist Jello Biafra’s Instagram flashed photos of the singer wearing a “Trump Hates Me” T-shirt with a link to his song, “Nazi Trumps Fuck Off” on the day that the Capitol fell under siege, it was hardly the first time Biafra showed off his brand of caustic politics. The very

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s upcoming Starz Original Series, “Black Mafia Family,” has chosen its star protagonist. Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory Jr., son of notorious cocaine kingpin and southwest Detroit legend Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory will make his acting debut portraying his father. Inspired by the true story of one of the most influential crime families

In an announcement that reflects Dr. Anthony Fauci’s statement that concerts may return in the fall “if all goes right,” New York’s primary rock-music festival, Governors Ball, has announced its 2021 dates for September, three months later than its traditional June dates. “New Year, New Dates,” the announcement reads, promising that the lineup is “coming

South by Southwest Conference and Festivals has announced that legendary singer-songwriter Willie Nelson will keynote this year’s virtual event, along with an initial lineup of featured speakers and over 230 conference sessions. SXSW Online, taking place March 16–20, 2021, will feature conference sessions, music festival showcases, film festival screenings, and more. “No individual has had the cultural

With smash hits like “WAP,” “Savage” and “Hot Girl Summer,” Megan Thee Stallion is known as one of the biggest breakthrough stars in recent memory — but an alternate universe could have first seen the rapper as a cast member for “Love & Hip Hop.” VH1 shared a video to Instagram on Monday showing clips

The 27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards has been rescheduled to April 4, a week after the Grammy Awards moved to its previous date of March 14. The awards ceremony will be broadcast on TNT and TBS at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET and will honor the outstanding film and TV performances of 2020. Due

Can unification-urging music soothe the savage breast that is America’s sociopolitical divide? Country stars Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard hope so, as the fellow Big Machine artists have just released a duet, “Undivided,” that contends we can all just get along, most prevailing current evidence notwithstanding. Hubbard is also using the occasion to tell fans

CMT announced Wednesday that it has acquired exclusive broadcast rights for “Skyville Live,” an all-star concert series bringing together artists from the rock and pop worlds as well as the country and America that are the cable channel’s bread-and-butter. The Viacom network will premiere the series with the Jan. 19 broadcast of “Skyville Live: Kris

Doja Cat, Tones and I, Rod Wave and the late Pop Smoke were among the artists with multiple gold or platinum certifications in the latest round of precious metal from the RIAA. “We are thrilled to induct 53 artists into RIAA’s Gold & Platinum Class of 2020,” said RIAA chairman/CEO Mitch Glazier. “Earning your first Gold

Tom Hanks will host a primetime TV special celebrating the inauguration of Joe Biden as President of the United States, with performances by Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake, Jon Bon Jovi and Ant Clemons. The 90-minute “Celebrating America” special will be broadcast live on ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and MSNBC from 8:30-10:00 p.m. ET/PT on Jan.

Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited has acquired 100% of Shakira’s music publishing rights, including publishing and writer’s share of income, of her entire catalog, comprising 145 songs, the company announced. Since releasing her first album in 1991, recorded when she was just 13, Shakira has sold over 80 million records, making her the bestselling female Latin