As the Weeknd kicked off the 2026 Europe and U.K. leg of his years-long “After Hours Til Dawn” stadium tour with a sold-out performance at Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Thursday night, he celebrated several milstones. The tour surpassed $1 billion in global gross last year following the addition of 2026 dates across Europe, the […]

The board of Universal Music Group has rejected an unsolicited $64 billion takeover offer from Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital, the company announced on Friday. The move comes a day after key shareholder Vincent Bollore urged UMG to reject the offer. The “Board of Directors has unanimously determined that the unsolicited and non-binding proposal it […]

As we say every year, the annual Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony is a combination of an awards show and a family reunion — an annual gathering of superstars virtually everyone recognizes, iconic behind-the-scenes songwriters that a few people recognize, and top executives from the music industry who hardly any normal person recognizes. And every […]

One day ahead of Kanye West’s summer tour kickoff in Istanbul, he has received the go-ahead from officials in the Netherlands for planned dates in the city of Arnhelm on June 6 and 8, despite pushback and protests in the country. “Solid grounds are needed to bar people ⁠from entering [the country]. We have not […]

The American Music Awards may have been taking place in Las Vegas, but Sombr paid inadvertent tribute on Monday night to his hometown of New York City — which was drenched with rain for most of Memorial Day weekend — by performing a high-powered version of his hit “Homewrecker” that climaxed with a full-on onstage downpour. […]

Two former top antitrust attorneys at the U.S. Department of Justice who were central to its case against Live Nation and Ticketmaster had strong words for the department following its abrupt settlement with the company just one week after the trial — which saw the DOJ and over 30 states accusing the company of monopolistic […]

Veteran R&B singer Peabo Bryson, best known for his duets from the Disney films “Aladdin” and “Beauty and the Beast,” has suffered a stroke and is undergoing treatment, according to a statement from his rep to Variety on Sunday. “Two-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and balladeer, Peabo Bryson — the voice behind the Oscar-winning Disney […]

Across four documentaries — the Oscar- and Grammy-winning “Summer of Soul,” “Sly Lives,” “Ladies and Gentlemen, 50 Years of Saturday Night Live Music” and the new “Earth, Wind & Fire (to Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World),” which arrives on HBO Sunday night — Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, drummer and leader of the Roots […]

“It’s weird not having a phone, isn’t it?” said Phoebe Bridgers to the 18,000-or so strong audience who’d willingly had their devices locked up for Thursday night’s special acoustic concert at Madison Square Garden. “I love it. I appreciate you allowing this to be an internet-free zone.” She added with a smile, “And if any […]

Long-running New York City band Interpol have announced their first album in four years, “This Mirror Weighs a Ton,” which arrives Aug. 28 and also will be their first for Partisan Records, the Brooklyn-based indie currently riding high with Geese and others. The album was produced by Andrew Wyatt (Rosalia, Charli xcx) and mixed by David […]

Evan Bogart’s Seeker Music has acquired the music publishing catalog of songwriter-producer-instrumentalist Simon Raymonde, which includes his work as a longtime member of Cocteau Twins. Raymonde is also a solo artist, producer and co-founder of the U.K. indie label Bella Union (Beach House, Father John Misty, Flaming Lips). Seeker Music Chief Creative Officer Steven Melrose […]

Los Angeles’ G-Son Studios — the former rehearsal space, recording studio, and headquarters of the Beastie Boys — is launching a public fundraising initiative via Kickstarter to restore and reopen the space as a community arts center and live music venue. Located in Atwater Village, G-Son was formerly a ballroom, but inside it was part […]