The title of SZA’s long-awaited “SOS Deluxe: Lana” seems designed to manage expectations: Despite her comments earlier this year that the much-delayed project would be a collection of new material, she seems to have reverted to her original plan of making it “outtakes from ‘SOS’ and a couple of new songs,” as she described it […]

In most cases, deluxe albums are intended as a chart-focused second wind for their parent albums, and usually have just a handful of extra tracks — remixes, leftovers, maybe a hot new single to give an extra boost — while the artist is saving the more-promising new material for their next proper album. Not SZA. […]

On Thursday, Quavo and the team at Quavo Cares hosted their second annual Huncho Farms in partnership with the Atlanta Community Food Bank and the Atlanta City Council. Supporting seniors who are raising their grandchildren, Quavo Cares continues to pursue its mission to support communities facing food scarcity. The marketplace offered live music and holiday-themed […]

SZA’s long-awaited the deluxe edition of her Grammy-winning 2022 album “SOS,” which is titled “Lana,” has finally arrived. The album has been through a long series of false alarms — it seemed imminent back in February, when she released the song “Saturn” — and bears artwork similar to the insect-and-forest imagery featured during her tours last summer, […]

‘Sly Lives!,’ the original documentary about legendary musician Sly Stone directed by Roots founder and Oscar-winning filmmaker Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, will premiere Thursday, Feb. 13, on Hulu. Guests featured in the doc, which is subtitled “aka the Burden of Black Genius,” comes via Disney’s Onyx Collective, include Andre 3000, D’Angelo, Chaka Khan, Q-Tip, Nile Rogers, Jimmy […]

It’s been a challenging year for Warner Music, with a major overhaul at its Atlantic division and change throughout its business and the industry overall, but it’s safe to say the company is ending 2024 on an up note. Its Warner Records has successfully completed a multi-year turnaround with hits from Zach Bryan, Teddy Swims, […]

In what she described as “my last singing of the year,” Sabrina Carpenter sang a “Christmas version” of her hit “Please Please Please” as well as “Slim Pickins” at the tenth anniversary edition of the Jack Antonoff’s Ally Coalition Talent Show in New York Tuesday night. The annual event, which is a combination of a […]

Universal Music Publishing Group Chair-CEO Jody Gerson will receive the 2025 Grammy Salute to Industry Icons honor at the Recording Academy and Clive Davis’ annual Pre-Grammy Gala, the organizations announced today. The celebration takes place Feb. 1, 2025, on the Saturday night before the Grammy Awards. Adding to the honor, the “Clive Party” is celebrating […]

The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, which provides services and financial assistance for career musicians and professionals, will pay tribute to legendary singer Joan Baez with a benefit concert at the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco on Feb. 8. Confirmed performers include Baez, Emmylou Harris, Hozier, Rosanne Cash, Margo Price, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Morello, Joe Henry, Lucinda Williams, and Taj Mahal, with surprise guests and additional performers […]

We say it every year: There are way too many music books for any human to keep track of, let alone read. Yet this year has seen a backbreaking pile of welcome additions to the boundless stacks, just a few of which we delve into here (we’re still dying to read the Cher book). So […]

SoundCloud is introducing a new artist subscription plan called Artist, intended to help emerging and aspiring musicians get their music out into the world easily and affordably. Priced at $3.25/month (or $39/year), the Artist plan bridges the gap between the platform’s Basic and Artist Pro subscriptions (formerly known as Next Pro), providing an affordable option […]

Grammy-nominated rapper Gunnais set to make his African debut as the headliner for Coca-Cola Rhythm Unplugged, the flagship event of Flytime Fest 2024. Taking place at the Eko Convention Center in Lagos, Nigeria, on Dec. 22, the performance marks a milestone in both Gunna’s career and the legacy of the festival, which celebrates its 20th […]

In a long-rumored move, Virgin Music Group, the independent music division of Universal Music Group, announced today it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Downtown Music Holdings LLC for $775 million (approximately €737 million). The acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approvals, is expected to close in the second half of 2025.  “Justin Kalifowitz, Andrew Bergman and Pieter Van Rijn have […]

It may be surprising to learn that Idles, one of the most innovative rock bands to arise in years and an unlikely Grammy perennial, seem to have little background in rock music — at least frontman Joe Talbot. “My influences come from hip-hop, soul music, blues, garage, grime and jungle,” the 40-year-old Brit says, similar to […]

The only thing less likely than Thunderclap Newman, the strange band masterminded by Pete Townshend in 1969, having a No. 1 single is the notion that a 400-plus page history of them would be published 55 years later. Yet both of those things happened: The group’s Townshend-produced first single and only hit, the generational anthem […]

“Dynasty” is a big word — one thinks of the New York Yankees (well, maybe not this year), MGM Pictures, Motown — and Republic Records is deep into its reign. The company has been Variety’s Hitmakers label of the year five out of the last eight years, and it’s had the most consistently high market share of […]

“It was pretty dire,” says Warner Records co-chairman-COO Tom Corson of his first few months at the label. A veteran executive who’s held senior roles at A&M, Capitol, Columbia, Arista and J Records, Corson came to Warner after a very successful run as COO of RCA Records. But even he was daunted by the task […]

Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff have written more than a hundred songs together. So how do they keep things interesting? Especially when Swift is releasing multiple albums every year — not only rerecorded versions of her past albums but all-new ones, including this year’s sprawling, 31- song “Tortured Poets Department.” “I never know what’s gonna […]

The common perception of a professional songwriter (if there is one) is that they’re usually working behind the scenes while a superstar artist is mobbed by adoring fans. But in October, Amy Allen — Variety’s Hitmakers Songwriter of the Year and a nominee for the 2025 Grammy award of the same name — played Madison Square […]