Lynyrd Skynyrd signed a label deal with Frontiers Music Srl, which will release the iconic rock band’s live album and DVD, Celebrating 50 Years – Live At The Ryman, taped at its 50th anniversary concert at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in 2022. The show featured the final performance of founding member Gary Rossington. The band is managed by Vector Management.

Downtown Neighboring Rights will manage and represent Jason Mraz‘s neighboring rights. Mraz’s catalog includes such hits as “I’m Yours,” “Lucky” featuring Colbie Caillat, “I Won’t Give Up” and “I Feel Like Dancing,” the lead single from his latest album, Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride.

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Sydney Rose (“Turning Page,” “We Hug Now”) signed to Mercury Records and will release her new EP, I Know What I Want, on the label on April 4. “We Hug Now” went viral on TikTok earlier this year. Rose is booked by CAA.

Thelma & James (“Happy Ever After You”), a duo composed of married Nashville-based singer-songwriters MacKenzie Porter and Jake Etheridge, signed with Big Loud Records. The label released the duo’s new song, “First Love,” on March 14. Thelma & James is currently in the studio working on new music.

R&B singer JayDon signed a label deal with Usher and L.A. Reid‘s mega. The label released his single “I’ll Be Good” — which samples Usher’s “How Do I Say” — on March 14 ahead of his forthcoming EP Me, My Songs and I, which is set for release this spring. Under the name JD McCrary, JayDon is known for voicing Young Simba in 2019’s The Lion King and starring in films and TV shows including The Paynes and Little. He also appeared on Beyoncé’s The Lion King: The Gift soundtrack.

Country singer-songwriter Cole Phillips signed with WME for global representation. The Oklahoma native will release his EP Steel Toes and Texacos on April 11 on RECORDS Nashville. The EP will feature five songs he co-wrote, including “West Tx.” Phillips is repped by WHY&HOW for management. – Jessica Nicolson

Singer-songwriter Alexandra Savior signed with RCA Records and released a new single, “Unforgivable.” Savior previously released two albums, Belladonna of Sadness and The Archer, on Columbia and 30th Century Records, respectively.

Concord and Pulse Music Group’s Pulse Records signed Nashville-based singer-songwriter Elizabeth Nichols, who released her debut single, “I Got a New One,” on Dec. 6. Pulse released her latest single, “Bad Taste,” on Friday (March 21). Nichols is managed by Dylan Bourne and James Martin at Bourne Creatives and booked by Meredith Jones Long and Cheryl Paglierani at CAA.

Third Man Records signed Austin, Texas, rock band Die Spitz. The quartet, which has previously supported Amyl and the Sniffers, Sleater-Kinney and OFF! on the road, is slated to embark on a world headlining tour starting May 28, including slots at The Governors Ball and Bonnaroo.

Mexican pop group ALMAS — composed of Alegría, Dae, Dany and Steph — has signed to Universal Music Latino. “Being welcomed to the Universal Music Latino family is more than just a milestone for us — it’s a celebration of our journey, our voices, and the strength of women in music,” the band said in a statement. “We are excited to share our story with the world and continue to push innovative boundaries while staying true to who we are.” – Griselda Flores

Also signing with Universal Music Latino was emerging Colombian artist Annasofia. Based out of Miami, Annasofia is also a musician and producer, and the signing marks “the next step” in her career, according to a press release. The 24-year-old is a graduate of Art House Academy under the mentorship of renowned producer Julio Reyes Copello. – Griselda Flores

Billy Ray Cyrus and Scott Adkins (who manages Cyrus) signed Native American guitarist, songwriter and producer Micki Free as the flagship client of the duo’s newly-formed Roam Man Management. Free, who recently released an EP, Dreamcatcher, won a Grammy for his contribution to the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack.

Americana artist Connor Daly signed with Burning Ground Entertainment for management. Daly released his debut album, Colors Fade, in July. Daly, who counts Jason Isbell, Zach Bryan and Ed Sheeran as inspirations, recently released a new single, “Curtains Never Close.” Burning Ground Entertainment also represents artists including Mic Drop, The Pretty Wild, and Tayiha. – Jessica Nicholson

Interscope Records rules the top of the latest Billboard 200 albums chart, as the company holds the top three titles on the list dated March 29. It’s the first time Interscope has held the top three concurrently in over 20 years. Further, Interscope is one of only two labels to have claimed the top three on the chart in the last 30 years.

On the March 29-dated chart, Playboi Carti’s MUSIC (released via AWGE/Interscope) debuts at No. 1, while Lady Gaga’s MAYHEM (Streamline/Interscope) falls to No. 2 and Kendrick Lamar’s former leader GNX (pgLang/Interscope) dips 2-3.

All three titles are from the Interscope Capitol labels group family, which was announced a little over a year ago. It’s the first time it has held the top three.

Interscope last claimed the top three on the May 31, 2003-dated chart, when Nos. 1-3 were Marilyn Manson’s The Golden Age of Grotesque (Nothing/Interscope), 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope) and Cold’s Year of the Spider (Flip/Geffen/Interscope).

Interscope captured the top three-plus two other times in the last 30 years. On the Dec. 7, 1996, chart, the label had the top four with Bush’s Razorblade Suitcase (Trauma/Interscope), Snoop Dogg’s Tha Doggfather (Death Row/Interscope), Makaveli’s The Don Killuminati (Death Row/Interscope) and No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom (Trauma/Interscope). On the Nov. 30, 1996, chart, Interscope also had the top three, with Tha Doggfather, The Don Killuminati and Tragic Kingdom at Nos. 1-3.

The only other label to capture the top three in the same week in the last 30 years is Republic, which first claimed the feat in 2018 and has done it a number of times since.

Private equity firm Silver Lake has completed its acquisition of 100% of the stock of sports and entertainment giant Endeavor to take the company private in a deal that values it at $25 billion, the firm announced on Monday (March 24).

As part of the deal, Endeavor stockholders will receive $27.50 in cash per share, which represents a 55% premium to the company’s closing price of $17.72 on Oct. 25, 2023 — the day before Endeavor announced Silver Lake’s plans to take the company private.

Endeavor, which owns the talent agency WME, marketing agency 160over90, brand licensing agency IMG Licensing and more, will be renamed WME Group. Endeavor is the largest company in the media and entertainment sector ever to be taken private by a private equity sponsor, Silver Lake said in a press release.

Silver Lake co-CEO Egon Durban said his firm has never sold a share in Endeavor since its first investment in the company in 2012, and over that time, Endeavor’s “revenue has grown by twentyfold.”

“Silver Lake has previously invested on six separate occasions to support Endeavor and now, with this latest investment, it is the single largest position in our global portfolio,” Durban added.

Endeavor founder and former CEO Ari Emmanuel will move into the role of executive chairman of WME Group. On Monday, Emmanuel cashed out a portion of his ownership stake in the company for $173.8 million, per a regulatory filing first reported by Variety. Patrick Whitesell, who was previously executive chairman of Endeavor/WME received a $100 million payout, Variety reported.

Following the deal Endeavor will hold on to its majority stake in TKO Group Holdings, a separately traded sports and entertainment company whose assets include wrestling promotor WWE and Ultimate Fighting Championship. The valuation of $25 billion includes TKO’s assets.

In addition to WME, 160over90 and IMG, Endeavor’s portfolio includes Pantheon Media Group, live event hospitality firm On Location and sports betting data firm OpenBet.

Led by co-CEOs Durban and Greg Mondre, Silver Lake has $104 billion in combined assets under management, and its portfolio includes stakes in companies including Oak View Group, Fanatics, TEG, Waymo, Stripe, Plaid, SoFi and Madison Square Garden Sports.

Alt-rock greats Pavement are getting the biopic treatment, but the newest trailer for the upcoming film advertises that the project is less classic biopic and more “museum,” “movie” and a “reunion.”

In the nearly three-minute clip for Pavements, Stranger Things’ Joe Keery stars as frontman Stephen Malkmus. “It’s good for my career, maybe win an award or something,” Keery jokes at one point in the video about why he took on the role. “I can’t play Billy Joel.” 

The trailer also features Nat Wolff as Scott ‘Spiral Stairs’ Kannberg, Fred Hechinger as Bob Nastanovich, Logan Miller as Mark Ibold, Griffin Newman as Steve West, and Jason Schwartzman as Matador Records’ Chris Lombardi.

“Pavements is a movie about Pavement the band—among other things,” the official film description reads. “The latest film from acclaimed director Alex Ross Perry (Her Smell) is a documentary that may or may not be entirely true, may or may not be totally sincere, and may or may not be more about the idea of the band—or any band—than a history of the short-lived, passionately loved, commercially marginal Nineties American alternative group Pavement. This unconventional film about a highly unconventional band incorporates a stage musical, rock biopic, gallery exhibition, archival footage, and contemporary observational footage to create a film as irreducible, uncharacterizable, and entertaining as the band and its music.”

The real-life California band were active from 1989 until 1999, releasing a total of five albums, including 1992’s Slanted and Enchanted, 1994’s Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, and 1997’s Brighten the Corners, which gave the group their highest-charting U.S. release when it hit No. 70 on the Billboard 200. Their final album was 1999’s Major Leagues.

In December, Kannberg revealed in an interview with the Kreative Kontrol podcast that the Pavements soundtrack will also feature the first new song from the band in more than 25 years. “There will be a new Pavement song on the soundtrack, that’s all I’m going to give you,” he explained. “I just heard a mix of it today, and it’s pretty good. It’s not a big deal, it’s just cool because it’s something different and it’s a song that we all kind of loved playing.”

Pavements will hit theaters nationwide on June 6. Watch the new trailer below.

Mariah Carey is taking her Celebration of Mimi tour overseas. The singer announced on Sunday (March 23) that she’ll honor the 20th anniversary of her 2005 album with a run of international dates in Asia in May and this fall.

“We’re taking The Celebration of Mimi worldwide! I can’t wait to see you all during this special anniversary year of the Mimi album more dates to be announced soon!,” Carey wrote. At press time the swing was slated to kick off in Shanghai, China on May 16, followed by another show in Shanghai on the 17th.

MC will be back overseas in October for a show on the 11th in Bangkok, Thailand, followed by a show in Manila, Philippines on Oct. 14, as well as a stop in Kobe, Japan on Oct. 28, winding down with Nov. 1-2 shows in Yokohama, Japan.

Carey began the celebration of her 10th studio album, 2005’s The Emancipation of Mimi, with a fifth residency in Las Vegas at Dolby Live that kicked off in April 2024, continued in July and August of last year and ran into January and February of this year. The singer who scored her second nomination for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in February has also booked a massive summer show in the U.K. at Royal Sandringham Estate in Norfolk on August 15 with support from Eternal and Nile Rodgers & Chic.

MC got good news last week when she won a federal court ruling dismissing a copyright lawsuit over her holiday classic “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” rejecting claims from songwriter Vince Vance that Carey and others allegedly stole key elements of her Christmas blockbuster from his 1989 song of the same name.

See Carey’s announcement below.