“12on12,” a new episodic series hosted by nationally syndicated radio personality Elvis Duran, will be on hand for ComplexCon in Long Beach, Calif. this weekend. Among the artists participating in interviews conducted by Duran are YG, Steve Aoki and Vince Staples, Executive Producer Steven Levine confirms. The concept of the Cutting Edge Group’s “12on 12” centers around
Music
“Red Dead Redemption 2” captures the wild west in its soundtrack, which features artists D’Angelo, Willie Nelson, and others, according to publisher Rockstar Games. The score of the game was composed by Woody Jackson, who worked on the original “Red Dead Redemption” as well as other Rockstar titles, “L.A. Noire” and “Grand Theft Auto V.”
The film, television and gaming music communities got the confab they’ve long deserved Tuesday as Variety hosted the inaugural Music for Screens Summit. Guests including Annie Lennox (pictured above with H. Scott Salinas), Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Linda Perry, Terence Blanchard and Ramin Djawadi came to Neuehouse in Hollywood for a day of interviews and
When Linda Perry was looking for a way to promote 13-year-old singer/songwriter Willa Amai, her guiding principle was, “You have to think a little left field.” Perry was one of five participants in the “Commercial Synchs of the Year” panel at Variety’s inaugural Music for Screens Summit, in which executives, producers and talent reps presented
Pop star Paloma Faith will voice Portia Poodle and actor Miriam Margolyes Bessie the Cornish Cow in “101 Dalmation Street,” Disney Channel’s upcoming animated series. The pair will guest star in the show, with Josh Brener (“Silicon Valley”) and Michaela Dietz (“Steven Universe”) taking the regular lead roles of sibling dalmations Dylan and Dolly. Ben
I am a Pittsburgher. I grew up in Squirrel Hill, an amazing, diverse and accepting neighborhood. And Tree of Life, the synagogue that was attacked last weekend, is my synagogue. To be exact, Tree of Life is a building that houses three different congregations: Tree of Life, Dor Hadash, and New Light. The huge synagogues
October 30, 2018 3:57PM PT [embedded content] Don’t bring around a cloud to rain on James Corden’s parade. After racking up numerous unpaid parking tickets, the “Late Late Show” host gets an unfortunate wheel clamp on his Range Rover in the latest “Carpool Karaoke” preview. Stranded in Los Angeles and in a hurry to get
With the iconic Hollywood sign at sunset as a backdrop, two of the stars of “Westside,” Netflix’s first music reality series (arriving November 9) — and arguably its most experimental and ambitious show to date — describe their real lives as aspiring stars. Meta enough? “What I love about ‘Westside’ is that it’s the first
October 30, 2018 10:53AM PT As part of the Sony Corporation earnings report for the second fiscal quarter of 2018, the music division reported revenues down around 1% to 203.9 billion yen (around $1.83 billion), with recorded-music down 3% and physical sales down 26%. The upside is that streaming was up around 8% for the quarter
October 29, 2018 7:44PM PT Producer/director Ava DuVernay is working with Netflix on a Prince documentary, two sources have confirmed to Variety. The project has the full cooperation of the late artist’s estate, which is providing with interviews, archival footage and photos. The multiple-part documentary will cover the artist’s entire life. While renowned for her work
Nicki Minaj has used her Beats 1 Queen Radio show as an audio social media platform to announce the release of her new album, premiere new remixes, and air her feud with fellow rapper Cardi B. On the show’s 10th episode on Monday, Minaj released her new song “Dip” with Tyga, but didn’t miss the
October 29, 2018 2:55PM PT Mac Miller’s family announced that this week’s benefit concert honoring the late rapper will be livestreamed on Facebook, LiveXLive, TIDAL, Twitter, WAV, and YouTube. It will begin at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT on Wednesday, Oct. 31. The show will feature Miller’s friends and collaborators such as Travis Scott, Chance
October 29, 2018 2:30PM PT Jay Schumer has been promoted to senior VP of marketing for Columbia Records, label GM Jenifer Mallory announced today. He was previously VP of marketing and is credited with the campaigns of such artists as Tyler, The Creator, Russ, HAIM, LCD Soundsystem, N*E*R*D, Lil Peep, Foster The People and more. He started
Fox has announced the cast for its upcoming “Rent” live musical. Recording artist Tinashe has been cast as Mimi Marquez, a dancer who struggles with addiction and catches the eye of musician and recovering addict Roger. Roger will be played by Brennin Hunt (“Nashville”). Singer/songwriter Jordan Fisher (“Hamilton” and the 2017 winner of “Dancing with
Hey, 19-year-old Waze user, that’s Walter Becker Way. Becker, the late co-founder of Steely Dan, was honored at a street naming ceremony Sunday in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens, held at an intersection almost in sight of the building where he grew up. The ceremony came toward the end of a nine-night stand that
For French-born pop maven Christine and the Queens (née Heloise Letissier), a Best New Artist nod at the Grammy Awards would be “surreal,” as she says, to say the least. “When you’re a music nerd, the Grammys are kind of a mythical thing, especially when you’re not American,” she tells Variety. “You see engineers with
The Music Modernization Act, which was signed by President Trump earlier this month, provided a much-needed update to outdated copyright laws. While a great victory for creators and rights-holders, it should be just the first step, argues SoundExchange president/CEO Michael Huppe (pictured above). The signing of the Music Modernization Act earlier this month will be
Country singer Freddie Hart, a World War II veteran who had a run of No. 1 hits in the early 1970s and won CMA, ACM and Grammy awards for his smash “Easy Loving,” died Saturday in Burbank at age 91. Hart’s career encompassed several eras of country music, as he began his recording career as
Although Hal Willner has been one of the most respected producers in the music business since the 1980s, he hasn’t exactly spent those decades chasing the brass ring. So, at a charitable gala paying tribute to Willner in Brooklyn Thursday night, the reluctant honoree got a knowing laugh from the supportive crowd when he referenced
Culture Club today released their first album in 19 years, and for the original quartet of Boy George, Jon Moss, Mikey Craig and Roy Hay, it’s as if time stood still — musically, anyway. The group picks up where their fusion of new wave, pop and reggae left off on their signature “Kissing to Be
Daniel Hernandez, a.k.a. rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, was sentenced to four years’ probation in Manhattan court Friday afternoon for violating the terms of a plea agreement stemming from his 2015 arrest for the use of a child in a sexual performance, according to Pitchfork. He was credited one year for time served and is not required
Ringo Starr may be 78, but the legendary musician isn’t about to stop rocking out anytime soon. “Someone at the press line today said, ‘What, you’re still doing this?’” the former Beatles drummer said. “They say that all the time to me. I’m still doing the tour…That’s what I do, you know. I’m not an
October 26, 2018 10:23AM PT Pitbull, the artist and entrepreneur also known as Armando Christian Perez, has signed with UTA across all areas worldwide, the company announced today. Musically speaking, the artist recently completed his second co-headlining tour with Enrique Iglesias this year and supported Britney Spears on her European tour, along with his “Time of Our
“I would take my music around to the labels and would get the whole ‘It’s not black enough’ [response]. … The people at the R&B A&Rs couldn’t deal with the pop side, and the people on the pop side were confused as well.” Lenny Kravitz, the four-time Grammy winner whose 1989 debut album, “Let Love Rule,”
Justin Timberlake may be used to putting his thoughts into lyrics, but in his new book, the singer is putting pen to paper, revealing some of the biggest moments — and missteps — from his career. Out this Tuesday in bookstores and online, “Hindsight: & All the Things I Can’t See in Front of Me”
October 26, 2018 9:09AM PT Popular “Fortnite” Twitch streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins is teaming up with recording label Astralwerks to create a soundtrack based on his gaming life. He announced the album on Friday during TwitchCon in San Jose, Calif. “Ninjawerks” will be available in digital, CD, and vinyl formats and it will feature music
October 26, 2018 8:26AM PT The European Commission said on Friday that it had approved Sony Corporation’s move to take full control of EMI Music Publishing, saying the deal will not raise anti-competition issues. The Commission said it had cleared the transaction without conditions. Sony Corporation announced the deal, which would see it acquiring Mubadala Investment
The legacy of Marc Bolan and T. Rex will be celebrated in extravagant fashion next year, when BMG will release a tribute album — for which U2, Foo Fighters, Elton John and others are recording tracks — and documentary honoring the singer. Veteran producer Hal Willner (Lou Reed, Lucinda Williams, Laurie Anderson, “Saturday Night Live”)
Cameron Dallas knows a thing or two about constructing the sort of pop song you can’t deny. First, there’s the length — a neatly compact three minutes for his major label debut single, “Why Haven’t I Met You?,” released on Oct. 26 by Columbia Records. Second, there’s the stark acoustic guitar coupled with the soft,
A compilation containing every single (a.k.a. 7” or 45) released by a record company in a given time frame is an unpromising prospect. The law of averages dictates that even the greatest labels will bat .500 at best — witness the exhaustive and exhausting multi-volume “Complete Motown Singles” collections — and even a small, stylistically