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Irving Azoff, Musician Orgs Hail California Bill to Cap Recording Contracts at 7 Years

A coalition of advocacy groups representing musicians and entertainers voiced their support on Friday (March 19) for a new California state bill that seeks to limit the length of contracts for recording artists. Music Artists Coalition (MAC), the Black Music Action Coalition, Songwriters of North America (SONA) and SAG-AFTRA are calling on their members and allies […]

Recording Academy Decries Anti-Asian Hate in New Statement After Atlanta Shootings

The Recording Academy and its sister academies in the television and film realms have released statements decrying anti-Asian hate in the wake of the killings of eight people (six being women of Asian descent) in the Atlanta area. In recent days, numerous music stars — including John Legend, Rihanna, Pharrell Williams and Justin Timberlake — […]

‘The Sparks Brothers’ Documentary Gets a Release Date

Focus Features is set to release Edgar Wright’s documentary directorial debut The Sparks Brothers on June 18, 2021. The dating follows Wright’s film about the cult pop duo Sparks debuting at Sundance and screening at SXSW in Austin on March 19. The documentary chronicles the decades-long career and influence of the Sparks and features archival footage as […]

Every Song Ranked on Justin Bieber’s ‘Justice’: Critic’s Picks

If Justice is indeed Justin Bieber’s strongest front-to-back listen to date, it’s for two main reasons: The 15 songs on its standard edition (not including the interlude) include no true missteps, and the project is varied enough to avoid any staleness. On the quickly created follow-up to last year’s R&B-steeped Changes, the superstar is open […]

Griff Wins Brit Award for Rising Star Over Buzzy Finalist Rina Sawayama

Griff is the 2021 winner of the Brit Award for rising star. She beat out Pa Salieu and Rina Sawyama, who was named a finalist after a rule change made the Japan-born artist eligible for the award. Griff, who was born Sarah Faith Griffiths, is just 20, making her one of the youngest winners in this category. […]

Island’s New Co-CEOs May Not Start Until 2022

Universal Music Group will have to wait until next year for newly recruited co-heads of Island Records, Justin Eshak and Imran Majid, to bring their talents to the label. Although multiple sources confirmed that Eshak and Majid — co-heads of Columbia Records’ A&R department — will take on the top job vacated by Darcus Beese […]

Japan’s [Alexandros] Talk 10th Anniversary, New Greatest Hits Album & More

Japanese rockers [Alexandros] dropped their first greatest hits album Where’s My History?, a collection of key tracks that represent the band’s history as it wraps up its 10th anniversary year. The project includes the band’s representative track “Wataridori” and concert staples from their indie days, as well as a new number called “Kaze ni natte.” […]

J Balvin Drops Hard-Hitting New Reggaeton Single ‘Tu Veneno’

Following last month’s premiere of “Ma’ G,” Colombian star J Balvin unleashes the second single, “Tu Veneno,” from his forthcoming album. The hard-hitting reggaeton track, which premiered alongside a cryptic music video directed by José-Emilio Sagaró, finds Balvin reminiscing about a love interest that left him wanting more. “Tu Veneno,” produced by Sky Rompiendo and […]

Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s Blues Music Award Nomination Rescinded Due to Confederate Flag Use

The Blues Foundation has rescinded Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s 2021 Blues Music Awards nomination for best blues/rock artist based on what it calls “continuing revelations of representations of the Confederate flag on Shepherd’s ‘General Lee’ car, guitars and elsewhere.” The Blues Foundation has also asked the performer’s father, Ken Shepherd, to step down as a member […]

Nick Jonas Takes Us to Church With ‘This Is Heaven’ Video

In a video for the title track of his new album Spaceman, Nick Jonas beams in from outer space. Now, he’s beaming in from heaven. The brand-new music video for “This Is Heaven,” released Wednesday afternoon (March 17), shows Jonas performing in church, backed by a choir, as the sun streaks in through stained-glass windows. […]