Music

The song-catalog bonanza of 2020 just hit a peak that is not likely to be topped: Universal Music Publishing Group has acquired Bob Dylan’s entire catalog of songs in a blockbuster agreement encompassing more than 600 copyrights spanning 60 years, ranging from 1962’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” to this year’s “Murder Most Foul.” His catalog

Barely a month after his death from complications resulting from a long battle with Lewy body dementia, Bob Biggs, founder of the legendary L.A.-based punk label Slash Records, has had his idiosyncratic and  remote compound in Tehachapi, Calif., listed by his wife Kim for $2 million. Biggs was an artist and punk rock visionary who

Country artist Morgan Wallen appeared as the musical guest on the Dec. 5 episode of NBC “Saturday Night Live” after being pulled from the show earlier in the fall due to breaking health and safety protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic, an event Wallen and the late-night sketch comedy series itself had some fun with during

Before “stan” was a colloquialism used to describe obsessive fandom, it was a hit single off Eminem’s 2000 album “The Marshall Mathers LP.” Now, two decades later, comedian Pete Davidson parodied the song on “Saturday Night Live” by turning it into a twisted Christmas anthem, “Stu,” and the rapper himself got in on the fun.

Rapper and singer Jeremih has been released from the hospital after undergoing treatment for COVID-19. According to ABC 7 Chicago, Jeremih was discharged from Northwestern Memorial Hospital on Friday night, accompanied by his mother. “First and foremost, I would like to thank God and the incredible team of doctors and nurses at Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Hip-hop artist Chance the Rapper has been sued his former manager, who alleges that the artist ignored his advice and then blamed him for the poor performance of his 2019 studio debut “The Big Day.” Pat Corcoran, who also goes by Pat the Manager, claims that Chance the Rapper, whose real name is Chancelor Bennet,

Dr. Luke, a.k.a. songwriter/producer Lukasz Gottwald, may be keeping a low public profile these days — in the aftermath of a years-long legal battle with Kesha — but in 2020, his streak as a hitmaker returned with Doja Cat’s “Say So,” which he produced under the stage name Tyson Trax. The song’s stratospheric success proved

Okay, we’ll admit it: We’re still hung over from celebrating after our stellar “Hitmakers” event last night — a virtual party that basically turned into a virtual mini-awards show with appearances from Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Lil Baby and many more. Congrats to the honorees, and if you missed it, you can catch the whole

When top hip-hop producer Murda Beatz crafted his first track nine years ago, he gave it to Toronto rapper Hardbody, who suggested that he drop a tag — a quick audio snippet that acts like a producer’s signature, à la DJ Khaled’s incessant “We the best!” — on it. “He was telling me, you gotta

One of 2020’s biggest songs is also among its most surprising success stories. Credit 20-year-old Kazakhstani producer Imanbek who, in 2019, was virtually unknown to most of the world. That changed once he decided to “flip” 2016 R&B song “Roses,” by New York’s Saint Jhn, into a pitch-shifted dance-pop powerhouse. The track first took off

Popular on Variety Perfection is rarely achieved in movies, but this heaven-sent concert doc hits the sweet spot. Over two days in January 1972, the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin — she was 29 at the time — sweeps into the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Watts in front of a congregation and testifies

Billie Eilish announced that she is officially canceling her “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” tour to enable fans to receive refunds for their tickets. The tour, which was supposed to last for at least six months, launched in March but was postponed after just three shows due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Lil Baby received the voice of impact award presented by Motown Records for his work this year supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and his record “The Bigger Picture.” The award was presented by president of Motown Records Ethiopia Habtemariam.

Twenty-six-year-old Diamonté Harper, better known as Saweetie, has taken the rap world by storm this year with her no-nonsense lyricism and breezy ’90s flow. “Tap In,” the lead single from her upcoming debut album “Pretty Bitch Music,” has garnered more than 90 million Spotify streams since its June release and spurred a viral TikTok dance

Sony Music Entertainment has acquired Human Re Sources, J. Erving’s Los Angeles-based artist distribution and services company, from the music and tech company Q&A. It will become part of The Orchard, Sony’s global independent music distribution and artist and label services company. According to the announcement, Human Re Sources will continue to sign and develop

A majority stake in the publishing catalog of legendary Fleetwood Mac singer and solo artist Stevie Nicks, who recently enjoyed a surprise chart smash with her 43-year-old song “Dreams,” has been acquired by Primary Wave, according to an announcement on Friday. The company will also represent Nicks in brand alliance and brand marketing opportunities and

PrettyMuch, the pop group launched by “American Idol” and “X-Factor” veteran Simon Cowell in 2017, has signed with long-running Warner Music imprint Sire Records. The move follows the closure of Cowell’s Syco label, which parted ways with partner Sony Music last summer after an 11-year run; with the news was first announced by Billboard. “We‘re

Though he’s not as wealthy as his billionaire friend Warren, with whom he shares a surname though not DNA, Jimmy Buffett hasn’t done too poorly from epitomizing the lifestyle of an escapist beach bum — as best described by his still-in-rotation 1977 hit “Margaritaville.” With a business empire based largely on his Margaritaville Café restaurant

To celebrate the (slightly more than) one-year anniversary of its release, The Weeknd and superstar Spanish singer Rosalía have teamed up for a remix of “Blinding Lights,” Variety’s Hitmakers Record of the Year and one of the biggest hits in recent memory. Rosalía joined The Weeknd for the “Blinding Lights” remix while also recording the

The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” is indisputably one of the landmark songs of 2020 —and the only reason it isn’t even more dominant is because it was released on Nov. 29, 2019, and racked up significant numbers that year as well. Written by The Weeknd with Max Martin (the most successful songwriter-producer of the past 25

The last time most of us saw Paris Jackson, she was 11 years old and crying. Taking the stage at Staples Center in June 2009 at her father’s star-studded memorial service, her famous aunts and uncles told her to speak up as she nervously said: “Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best

Since Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes first rose to fame as a 14-year-old with a series of covers on Twitter’s Vine app — for those who don’t remember, it was the six-second predecessor to TikTok — he and his team have worked doggedly to position him as a career artist, focused on longevity and maturity rather

At the end of a year that was far from ordinary, Variety‘s Hitmakers program brought together some of music’s biggest stars to virtually celebrate their accomplishments. Harry Styles was named Hitmaker of the Year, and was presented the award by comedian Nick Kroll, who co-stars with him in the upcoming film “Don’t Worry Darling.” “I

Rapper-singer Jeremih is on the road to recovery from COVID-19, according to his friend and collaborator Chance the Rapper. Chance announced the news via Twitter on Thursday, sharing that Jeremih will be “out the hospital tomorrow (Friday).” “I am filled with praise right now,” he wrote. “I just heard my brother Jeremih’s voice on the

Like many music companies, Interscope Geffen A&M started off 2020 full of optimism. Streaming had fueled several consecutive years of growth, touring was booming and the label had a huge presence at the Grammy Awards, when breakout star Billie Eilish and her brother, producer Finneas, collectively won 10 awards, including a rare sweep of the

In what may be a late-breaking contender for the least shocking news of 2020, this year’s most-played holiday song so far is, per ASCAP, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” the single that finally went to No. 1 on the pop charts last year after 25 years in wait. Carey recorded a

If chart momentum keeps apace for Columbia Records in these final days of 2020, the label could lay claim to the No. 1 song in the U.S. for 11 of the last 17 weeks. Among its stable of smashes: Harry Styles’ “Adore You” and “Watermelon Sugar”; Arizona Zervas’ “Roxanne”; BTS’ “Dynamite” (with Big Hit Entertainment);

Director Steve McQueen’s new five-part anthology series, “Small Axe,” takes starts in the late ’60s and ends in the mid-’80s, following the West Indian community in London through the decades. Although each of the films serves as a standalone, the connective tissue is the Black West Indian experience and music — specifically reggae music. “With

The Weeknd, Doja Cat, Ty Dolla $ign, Brandy, Bebe Rexha, Nav, Bryson Tiller, French Montana — that’s not the top of a 2020 singles or albums chart. Those are just a few of the artists handled by the rapidly growing Salxco, the management-and-more concern founded by Wassim “Sal” Slaiby. The company, which has a partnership

A new generation of film composers is shaking up the status quo. They’re free-thinking, experimental, come from diverse backgrounds … and they’re not all men (although some of them are). They like to start early, often compose before they’ve seen a frame of film, and aren’t afraid to try offbeat ideas, frequently in response to