Music

The Weeknd has shared more teasers for his special guest appearance on “American Dad!” — in an episode he co-wrote — which airs on TBS Monday night. The episode, in which we will see “Stan abducting The Weeknd to teach Roger a lesson,” is previewed with a short trailer that offers a peek at Weeknd’s

The Recording Academy announced the appointment of Valeisha Butterfield Jones as its first Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, a role that is among the recommendations of the organization’s Task Force for Diversity and Inclusion. Butterfield Jones will report directly to Academy Chair and Interim President/CEO Harvey Mason jr., effective May 11, 2020. According to the

DJ and producer Martin Garrix is taking to Dutch waterways to mark Cinco de Mayo for an hour-long special for Insight TV. The special, which was filmed using remote cameras in compliance with social distancing rules, will see Garrix performing an all-new set with exclusive tracks while cruising on board his specially equipped Zeelander Z55

Thom Yorke emerged from self-quarantine Wednesday to perform an eerie new song on NBC’s “The Tonight Show.” Titled “Plasticine Figures,” the woozy piano ballad found Yorke, sporting gray whiskers and hunkered down in a dimly lit room, offering lyrics like “happy to serve, happy to linger, while you make up your face,” which, on the

China’s Tencent Music has completed an investment in Radio Music Warehouse, a music-for-business company that distributes content to shops offices and other workplaces. The deal was announced this week with few financial terms disclosed. One of the few details shows that Tencent has been granted the right to increase its stake to a position of

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 3, episode 14 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired April 29 on Fox. Hunter Hayes is no longer “Wanted” on “The Masked Singer.” The country singer was the latest star to be unmasked on the hit Fox reality competition series, having been disguised

Ticketmaster North America has furloughed a quarter of its workforce, sources confirm to Variety, in one of the most tangible signs yet of the severity of the coronavirus pandemic’s effect on the concert industry. The hundreds of affected employees were alerted Tuesday in a conference call that was followed by a letter from Ticketmaster president

Hotties, Bey Hive rejoice: Beyoncé has teamed up with Megan Thee Stallion for a surprise remix of her hit song “Savage” for the benefit of the two stars’ hometown of Houston, TX. Since its release on April 7, Stallion’s “Savage” has already climbed to No. 6 on Rolling Stone’s Top 100 Songs chart and inspired

In a heavy-hearted statement, organizers of the Newport Folk Festival and Newport Jazz Festival, scheduled for this summer in Rhode Island, announced that the 2020 events have been canceled due to “the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to evolve unpredictably and in accordance with state guidance on large gatherings.” The lineup for the Folk fest included Brittany

“Music is so over-saturated and competitive now — you have to take it back to basics and the organic style of A&R,” says Jenna Andrews. The songwriter credited on the viral hit “Supalonely” would know: Andrews has seen every corner of the business as a major label artist, a producer, an A&R consultant and a

As expected, Record Store Day, which was already postponed from its original April 18 date because of the coronavirus crisis, will not be happening on the announced makeup date, June 20, either. Instead, the 400-some exclusive releases planned for RSD are being pushed back and parceled out to three dates this fall — Aug. 29,

Sony/ATV Music Publishing has announced the establishment of a new office and studios in Atlanta, a city that has become the hub of hip-hop and R&B over the past 25 years. Located in Buckhead, the Sony/ATV Atlanta office and studios will occupy the former RedZone Entertainment (RZE) production complex, which has served as a creative

As the coronavirus pandemic has devastated the touring industry, it is not surprising that Live Nation, the world’s largest live-entertainment company, has been impacted on a scale arguably greater than that of any other company. Not only has it seen more than 8,000 concerts and festivals impacted since March (with 6,500 events postponed and 1,500

While Spotify’s 2020 first-quarter report would have been mixed under normal circumstances, CEO/cofounder Daniel Ek and CFO Paul Vogel were downright enthusiastic at times during the company’s earnings call Wednesday morning, reflecting that the world’s biggest music-streaming service has been less impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing lockdown than it might have been.

Dashboard Confessional today released their installment in the Spotify Singles series: a “reimagining” of their breakthrough hit “Screaming Infidelities” and a cover of Post Malone’s “Circles,” both recorded earlier this year at New York’s Electric Lady Studios. “Infidelities” was first released on the band’s 2000 album “The Swiss Army Romance” and is here reworked into

“AngelHeaded Hipster,” a long-percolating tribute album to Marc Bolan and T. Rex — featuring U2, Elton John, Nick Cave, Joan Jett, Lucinda Williams and Father John Misty, and which is a companion to a forthcoming documentary film on the legendary rocker — is due on Sept. 4. The first track from the album, Cave’s take on Bolan’s

“Songland” hitmakers Ester Dean, Shane McAnally and Ryan Tedder took a moment out of quarantining at home and Zoom songwriting sessions to host a listening party prior to the April 27 episode with guest H.E.R. The NBC series is only three episodes into its new season and has already charted two No. 1s on iTunes

Universal Music Publishing has unveiled UMPG Music Solutions, combining its worldwide networks of sync and custom music offerings for film, television and advertising. Client inquiries will be managed by UMPG’s local sync offices, as well as through Universal Publishing Production Music, according to the announcement. More information is available at http://www.umpgmusicsolutions.com/. The service provides a single point of access

If you want to consider how far we’ve come since early March, when the debate over whether South by Southwest should be held went on nearly to the eve of the festival, consider this: Folk Alliance International, the top annual conference for acoustic musicians, has made the decision to cancel its next conference… 10 months

T-Pain has been thinking a lot about TP lately. “I finally found out that my wife poops,” the artist joked from his isolation at his home in Atlanta during a “Variety Live!” interview. “We’ve been married for 17 years, but I think she waits to poop until I go on the road. Now that I

In a new interview with U.K. publication The Sunday Times, Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette made some revelatory comments concerning the #MeToo movement in the music industry as she reflected on her decades-long career. With her iconic breakthrough record “Jagged Little Pill” celebrating its 25th anniversary in June, Morissette — who began her career as a

42West, the powerhouse PR firm with clients including Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, received a $725,200 small business loan under the Paycheck Protection Program, according to a securities filing. The publicity agency — which also represents Martin Scorsese, Tom Cruise and Woody Allen — was acquired in 2017 by Dolphin Entertainment, in a deal that

Taking up the hashtag and motto “Wake up Nick!,” former cast members of the Broadway musical “Waitress” — including Sara Bareilles, Keala Settle and Jessie Mueller — have recorded a tribute to another alumnus, Nick Cordero, who remains in a medically induced coma as he struggles with severe COVID-19 complications. They banded together from their

DaBaby has officially become the first artist of the pandemic to portray himself wearing a face mask on the cover of a No. 1 album. The prolific rapper’s third album in 13 months, “Blame It On Baby,” debuted atop the Rolling Stone Top 200 Albums chart with 120,000 album units. Fiona Apple has kept up

As expected, South Korean pop powerhouse BTS have suspended their world tour over coronavirus concerns, their management said Tuesday. The seven-member band had already postponed the North American leg of their “Map of the Soul” tour that was scheduled to start on April 25, and canceled a Seoul concert because of the coronavirus outbreak. The

Facebook will celebrate America’s graduating seniors with a live-streaming event next month that will include a commencement address by Oprah Winfrey and a lineup of other celebs. In addition to Winfrey’s keynote, the May 15 event will feature Miley Cyrus performing her perseverance-themed hit “The Climb.” Celebrities on tap to address the class of 2020

Amid a fund drive aimed at weathering rough months of closure ahead, Amoeba Music has made a tough call. The beloved store’s current location in Hollywood will not re-open to the public, regardless of when California decides to give non-essential retail the go-ahead again. Instead, the owners plan to steer all finances and energy into

Mike Dean spent his 4/20 working. The in-demand producer and cannabis aficionado, in isolation in Los Angeles, celebrated the stoner holiday promoting his “4:20” instrumental project. The 28-track mixtape was inspired by his epic Instagram Live appearances over the last month — during which Dean would jam using his massive collection of synthesizers and other

“I’m just shocked — I’m still in awe and on a high,” Teddy Riley says from his home in Las Vegas, two days after his Verzuz battle with legendary songwriter and producer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds shut down Instagram. “So many people in the business — people I don’t even know, and those I do —

Nashville had a case of double vision after an important addition was made to the city’s calendar Monday morning. The mayor held a news briefing announcing that the Academy of Country Music Awards would be held in the city for the first time September 16, to be broadcast on CBS from three locations — the