Music

Monday felt like “A Willie Nelson Christmas” but it was another internationally recognized holiday that the country legend was celebrating with a six-hour live stream: 4/20. For those who aren’t in the know, the date of April 20, along with the daily chime of 4:20 p.m., is code for stoners to spark up. Willie being

It seems wrong, on some level, to think of a for-profit retail store as a cultural institution in the same way we think of performance halls, museums or other centers of the arts. But for Amoeba Music, a lot of people are willing to make an exception. The same goes when it comes to applying

The Weeknd’s “After Hours” has kept its No. 1 position on the Rolling Stone albums chart for a fourth consecutive week, followed by new releases from Tory Lanez and the Strokes debuting in the top 10. Though its total album units decreased from 90,200 to 74,100, “After Hours” was able to clinch the top spot

Between the Beastie Boys’ retrospective book (“Beastie Boys Book”), their 2018 “event tour” (featuring readings and Q&A) and “Beastie Boys Story” documentary — which comes out Friday on Apple TV+ — one might wonder what’s left to talk about. But Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz and Mike “D” Diamond — the third Beastie Boy, Adam “MCA” Yauch,”

The surviving members of Fountains of Wayne will reunite Wednesday — joined by Sharon Van Etten on bass and backing vocals — to perform in tribute to the late Adam Schlesinger on “Jersey 4 Jersey,” a benefit live-stream taking place Wednesday night. Said Chris Collingwood, the band’s co-founder and lead singer, “Brian (Young), Jody (Porter)

If Billie Joe Armstrong’s solo version of the somber “Wake Me Up When September Ends” on Saturday night’s “One World: Together at Home” broadcast left you at all down in the mouth, he’s got the immediate antidote for that. On Monday the Green Day singer released his cover version of the theme song for the

This week’s music live-streams start not with a bang but a bong: Willie Nelson and Wiz Khalifa are fronting two different 4/20 multi-artist online potfests Monday. For those who prefer to drink in the greenery only with thine eyes, a star-studded, two-day Earth Day celebration is coming later in the week. Also on tap: a

As the music and marijuana industries deal with the coronavirus, Cypress Hill’s chief smokesman B-Real is also feeling the pandemic’s impact. The 4/20 holiday was meant to coincide with the launch his solo album, a Cypress Hill tour and the opening of a new dispensary in outside of Palm Springs (he has five Dr. Greenthumb

Even in an era of hip-hop that saw future classics released on an almost monthly basis, Mobb Deep’s “The Infamous,” released 25 years ago this week, has always had a special aura. Notorious B.I.G. might have had bigger hits; Nas might have had more dazzling technique; the Wu-Tang Clan might have had a more distinctive

Bon Jovi announced Monday that it has canceled its 2020 tour dates with Bryan Adams due to the coronavirus pandemic. “Due to the ongoing global pandemic, it is no longer feasible for Bon Jovi to tour this summer,” the group said in a statement. “Given these difficult times, we have made the decision to cancel

Mike Dirnt’s plate is full this year. Green Day just released its first album since 2016, the saltily titled “Father of all Motherfuckers,” and the bassist is scheduled to head out on a summer-long stadium tour with Weezer and Fall Out Boy — although that looks increasingly unlikely due to the coronavirus pandemic. He also

During a quarter that saw that onset of a global pandemic, Universal Music Group’s recorded music revenues grew more than 13% to $1.56 billion and its streaming revenues reach nearly $1 billion, up 16.5% year over year. The results were posted as part of the quarterly earnings for its parent company, Vivendi. The company’s overall

French entertainment and advertising giant Vivendi provided an update on the impact of coronavirus on its wide-ranging business interests this morning, as it posted quarterly results showing 4.4% revenue growth on a fixed currency basis to €3.87 billion ($4.2 billion) for the period from January to March. Universal Music Group (UMG) and Canal Plus Group

Atlantic Records UK is continuing to fortify its executive ranks naming Liz Goodwin general manager. Reporting into label co-presidents Briony Turner and Ed Howard, she starts at the end of April. Atlantic UK is home to a roster that includes Ed Sheeran, Anne-Marie, Charli XCX, Clean Bandit, Rita Ora and Stormzy, among others. Goodwin arrives

You can sometimes get what you want — even an attention-grabbing appearance by the separate-but-united Rolling Stones — when you’re Global Citizen and there is seemingly no global superstar too big to turn down “One World: Together at Home.” Saturday night’s prime-time show included turns from a Beatle, Paul McCartney, too, as well as currently

Saturday’s star-studded “One World: Together at Home” virtual concert raised $127.9 million for health care workers and coronavirus relief, according to Global Citizen. The globally broadcasted performances were organized by the World Health Organization and Global Citizen, in collaboration with Lady Gaga, who sang during the two-hour livestream. Dozens of famous artists performed from home

Matthew Seligman, who played bass for David Bowie, died of coronavirus complications on Friday. He was 64. His longtime friend and fellow musician Thomas Dolby shared details about Seligman’s death in a Facebook post, saying he suffered a severe hemorrhagic stroke on Friday. He had also been in an induced coma for two weeks after

Baldassare (Barney) Ales, a key executive at Motown Records during its 1960s prime and later its president, died of natural causes on Friday in Malibu, California, according to an announcement from his family. He was 85. Ales — pictured above right, with Marvin Gaye — was born May 13, 1934 in Detroit and as a

Jennifer Lopez joined a host of musicians for the “One World: Together at Home” concert, channeling Barbra Streisand for a cover of her 1964 song “People.” Lopez sang a subtle rendition of the classic while illuminated by a tree covered with strings of lights. Her performance was just one of the many highlights of the

Lady Gaga, John Legend, Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli brought “One World: Together at Home” to a close with soaring four-part harmony — and accompaniment by piano virtuoso Lang Lang — with “The Prayer,” the song that became an inspirational standard after Dion and Bocelli recorded it separately and together 21 years ago. It was

The artists performing on Global Citizen’s “Together at Home” concert reached far and wide for thematically appropriate songs to sing, ranging from Stevie Wonder singing the late Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me” as a medley with “Love’s in Need of Love Today” to Lizzo singing Sam Cooke’s classic “A Change Is Gonna Come.” Taylor Swift

Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” has practically become a hymn in the six decades since it was written, and it’s safe to say Lizzo took the song to church when performing it on Global Citizen’s “Together at Home” concert on Saturday night. She actually kept it low-key for the first half of the

Nearly 60 years into their collective existence, it’s rare for the Rolling Stones to do something musically that they haven’t really done before — but that certainly happened on Saturday night for their performance of their 1969 classic “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” on Global Citizen’s “Together at Home” concert. Performing via a

Lady Gaga kicked off the “One World: Together at Home” telecast with a soulful performance of “Smile,” a classic popularized by Nat King Cole and Jimmy Durante. Gaga, who coordinated with World Health Organization leaders, corporations and musicians for the virtual concert, opened the special, saying, “Tonight is not a fundraiser so put your wallets

“Cheers, darlings!” chirps Sam Smith, holding a “fake gold, trashy” champagne flute in one hand and an iPhone in the other. The 27-year-old Oscar and Grammy winner hosted an impromptu online party on Thursday (April 16) to celebrate the release of their new single “I’m Ready” featuring Demi Lovato, which dropped at midnight on the

On the heels of a similar program announced Thursday by AEG Presents, Live Nation — the world’s largest live-entertainment company — announced on Friday that it is preparing to roll out its full ticket-refund program for fans with tickets to shows cancelled or rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic, probably before the end of the

Apple Music chief Oliver Schusser is taking the top post at Beats headphones, replacing longtime Beats president Luke Wood, a source close to the situation confirms to Variety. Schusser will also continue to run Apple Music and International Content, reporting to Apple senior VP Eddy Cue. The move will take place at the end of

It’s the second career (or “career,” in a loose, charitable manner of speaking) that top agent Richard Weitz never would have imagined he’d have, as recently as a month ago. “I’m like a booker,” laughs Weitz, a partner at William Morris Endeavor (WME) and co-head of its scripted television department, still surprised at his dominant

Taylor Swift’s “Lover Fest” will be something to love in 2021. The singer’s reps announced Friday that the remaining shows she had scheduled for this summer, including a handful of dates on the east and west coast in the United States, are being pushed back to next year. “I’m so sad I won’t be able

Big Thief today released “Demos Vol. 1 – Topanga Canyon, CA – Feb 2018,” a collection of previously unreleased songs from the sessions that spawned the group’s last two albums, “U.F.O.F.” and “Two Hands.” The demos are available to purchase with all proceeds benefiting Big Thief’s touring crew, which, like virtually every music road crew, has been financially stranded by