Music

Frederick “Toots” Hibbert, 77-year-old frontman of the legendary reggae act Toots & the Maytals, is in stable but serious condition in a private medical facility in Jamaica, a rep tells Variety. He was tested for Covid-19 earlier in the week and although the results have not been announced, his family issued a statement late Wednesday

Postponed from May and then canceled as a ceremony due to the pandemic, the U.K.’s Ivor Novello Awards were revealed Wednesday in an announcement made by Matt Wilkinson on Apple Music 1 Radio. The awards, selected by juries of the winners’ peers, celebrate British songwriting and scoring for film and television. Among the top winners

Gabby Barrett is having a lot of twin successes right now. Her second single, “The Good Ones,” is rising up the country charts, even as her previous one, “I Hope,” which was a No. 1 smash at country, is now finding a second life as a pop crossover hit via a Charlie Puth remix. She

In a no-holds-barred interview, his first since being released from prison, rapper 6ix9ine spoke with the New York Times and refused to apologize for any of the actions that have made him a villain to at least as many people as consider him a hero, whether it be “snitching,” his convictions on sex crimes involving

In an effort to rally support for the countless music venues impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, hundreds of buildings across the U.S. — from New York’s Empire State Building to Seattle’s Space Needle — were illuminated in red light on Tuesday evening (Sept. 1). The main goal of the effort, which was led by We

Sade has new product on the way: a six-edition vinyl boxset, titled “This Far,” is set for release on Oct.9. Packaged in a white casebound box, the collection includes all of Sade’s acclaimed studio albums —  from 1984’s “Diamond Life,” “Promise” (1985), “Stronger Than Pride” (1988), “Love Deluxe” (1992), “Lovers Rock” (2000), and 2010’s “Soldier

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police in May, an organization formed by music industry execs Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang under the name #TheShowMustBePaused began with a call for a single day shutdown soon grew into a movement that called for change across the entire industry. All three

Linda Perry’s career-establishing hit, the classic 4 Non Blondes song “What’s Up,” has been reimagined by Canadian musician FJØRA for the “Welcome to Blumhouse” trailer. “Welcome to Blumhouse” is a program of eight new Blumhouse-produced movies bowing on Prime Video Oct. 6, centering around family and love as redemptive or destructive forces. The official trailer

Ian Mitchell, bassist for the Bay City Rollers, has died at the age of 62, according to a post on the group’s Facebook page. With hits including “Saturday Night” and “Bye Bye Baby,” the tartan-clad Scottish group were a pre-punk 1970s phenomenon in the U.K. and enjoyed several hits in the U.S. “We are deeply

The Academy of Country Music Awards announced the third major leg of the talent lineup for the September telecast Wednesday morning, revealing a slate of artists that will be performing from the Grand Ole Opry stage, in addition to those who were unveiled last week as doing their performances from the Ryman Auditorium or Bluebird

She’s still in her late teens, but with three studio albums already under her belt and a starring role on the dishy, family-oriented Facebook talk show “Red Table Talk,” it’s no surprise that veteran singer-actor Willow Smith has chosen to spread her real estate wings in a very adult starter home. Perched atop a knoll on

Attorneys Leron E. Rogers (right) and John T. Rose (left) are joining the firm Fox Rothschild where they will lead the entertainment and sports division out of Atlanta; the former as a partner, the latter as an associate. They arrive from Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith and bring with them clients Rick Ross (who recently

After making history by becoming the first Korean group to have a No. 1 debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with their first English-language track “Dynamite,” BTS said Tuesday that they now have their eyes on the Grammys as their next goal. “We went to the Grammys at the beginning of the year and

Hallwood Media, former Geffen Records president Neil Jacobson’s new writer-producer management company, has hired Cristina Chavez as SVP of A&R / Management. According to the announcement, Chavez will focus on expanding Hallwood Media deeper into the R&B and hip-hop space. Most recently, Chavez was a membership exec in ASCAP’s urban-music department, recruiting new talent and maintaining existing relationships. “Cristina

More than 1,500 music venues across the U.S. will be illuminated in red light on Tuesday evening (Sept. 1) in an effort to encourage Congress to pass the Restart Act, which would provide much-needed assistance for the live-entertainment industry and other businesses devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. “Two weeks ago, we set a crazy goal,” We

Like many urban dwellers with the freedom and resources to do so, Mariah Carey decamped her plush mansion-sized penthouse in lower Manhattan sometime in March to sequester in seclusion and high style at a grand Westchester County country estate. She brought along her two kids, of course, and, being the well-heeled high-maintenance diva she is,

Miley Cyrus took neither a wrecking ball nor the mirrorball she straddled at Sunday’s VMAs to Billie Eilish’s “My Future,” a song she reverently covered for BBC Radio 1’s “Live Lounge.” (Watch her version, below.) The cover comes right on the heels of Cyrus doing her latest single, “Midnight Sky,” at the MT Video Music

Erick Morillo, a veteran DJ who broke into the mainstream with the 1990s hit “I Like to Move It,” was found dead Tuesday, Miami Beach police confirm to Variety. Morillo, who was 49, was facing charges of sexual assault and was scheduled for a court hearing on Friday. A police spokesperson told Variety that officers

Despite the pandemic that has devastated global economies, revenues of BMG’s music division were up 4.8% year-over-year for the first half of 2020, reaching $308 million. The company’s operating income for the period was flat at $54 million, while the percentage of digital revenue was up 3%, from 56% to 59%. The company said it

Although the Country Music Association Awards themed its 2019 telecast around women’s contributions to the genre, 2020 is turning out to be the year in which that’s actually born out in the nominations. In the slate of nominees announced Tuesday morning, female artists made up two or sometimes three of the five contenders in nearly

Renowned punk musician Viv Albertine’s memoirs will be adapted as a TV series by Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley’s Number 9 Films (“Carol”) and Rachael Horovitz’s (“Patrick Melrose”) West Fourth Films. Albertine has written two memoirs detailing her upbringing in the ‘70s and rise in punk music as guitarist for all-girl band The Slits (1977-1982)

Five agents formerly with Paradigm have launched a new agency called TBA that represents The War on Drugs, Courtney Barnett, Chvrches, Jose Gonzales, Guided by Voices, Jay Som, Yaeji, Omar Apollo and many other artists. The company, which has offices in New York and Los Angeles, was founded by agents Marshall Betts, Avery McTaggart, Amy

Hipgnosis Songs has acquired the music catalog of Motley Crue bassist and main songwriter Nikki Sixx, one of the most successful rock bands of the 1980s. Hipgnosis have acquired 100% of Sixx’s writer’s share of PRO income and writer’s Sound Exchange royalties for the cataog, which contains 305 songs. Further details were not disclosed. With

As larger-than-life rock stars go, St. Vincent may be a slightly slippery character, but Annie Clark, the woman who records under that name, isn’t so much so. At least that’s the impression you’ll take away from the new audio project  that has just been released as one of the pilot projects for Audible’s new Words

The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards performed pretty strongly in the ratings department, given the unprecedented COVID-19 circumstances. This year’s ceremony, hosted by “Hustlers” star Keke Palmer, was down only 5% on last year in terms of total linear viewership. A total of 6.4 million viewers tuned in across MTV and the 12 other ViacomCBS

In this pivotal year and racially charged era, the BET Awards chose to open their show in June with a new version of Public Enemy’s iconic 1989 song “Fight the Power,” which sadly is as relevant today as it was 31 years ago. The new video includes group founders Chuck D and Flavor Flav along

The singer Adele has been accused of cultural appropriation after sharing a photo of herself on Instagram with her hair in Bantu knots — a traditional African hairstyle. The photo, in which she is seen wearing a Jamaican bikini top, was posted as a tribute to London’s Notting Hill Carnival, which normally takes place this

Taylor Swift became the first artist in the history of the Rolling Stone album chart to land five consecutive weeks in the No. 1 position, as “Folklore” was held over in the top spot with 87,400 album units in its fifth frame. Although the Rolling Stone chart, which is powered by sales and streaming figures

Mariah Carey is set to headline a Christmas special at Apple. “Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special” will combine music, dancing and animation. It will be driven by a a story about bringing the world together. It will premiere on the heels of the 25th anniversary of Carey’s iconic holiday anthem “All I Want For Christmas

Hxouse, the Toronto-based skills incubator launched by The Weeknd, his creative director La Mar Taylor and Influencers PR’s Ahmed Islamil, announced that TD Bank Group has become a founding sponsor of its leadership and entrepreneurial development initiative, Black Hxouse. The initiative aims to empower BIPOC (Black, indigenous, people of color) individuals with mentorship, tools, learning and networking