music blog
Justin Bieber Reportedly Closing a Deal To Sell His Catalog for $200 Million USD
Justin Bieber is making big moves in the industry. Sources have confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that the artist is set to close a deal to sell his music rights and cataloged to the Blackstone-backed company, Hipgnosis Songs Capital, for $200 million USD. The news, which has been rumored for weeks, has been confirmed by sources close to the deal, that the sale is imminent. Variety reports that the deal is not yet complete, but would include Bieber’s shares of his publishing as well has his recorded-music catalog. While the deal will relinquish his music rights, the song will still be administered and owned by Universal. The news arrives as Bieber recently postponed his remaining dates of the Justice tour until next year. The tour was originally supposed to begin in 2020, but due to com...
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Addresses The Future of ‘Black Adam’ In James Gunn’s DCU
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Warner Bros. / Warner Bros. Ever since Warner Bros. tapped James Gunn to run their DCU film division, Gunn and his partner-in-crime, Peter Safran have made it very clear that they’re all about “out with the old and in with the new,” and though we’ve learned Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and Superman (Henry Cavill) are out the door, Black Adam (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) had been somewhat in limbo. No more. Yesterday The Rock took to Twitter to inform his millions (and millions!!) of Rock fans that his iteration of Black Adam wouldn’t be included in James Gunn vision of the DC universe, though he didn’t as far as to say that his character wouldn’t be returning to the big screen on his own. In a statement, Johnson confirmed that he met with James Gunn but...
ILLENIUM Announces Holiday Food Drive, Special Club Performance
If your version of a winter wonderland is on a dancefloor, you’re in luck thanks to ILLENIUM. The Grammy-nominated producer and guitarist has announced “Saint Nick’s Holiday Food Drive,” a special club night where electronic music and charity collide. It’s going down at Denver’s Mirus Gallery and Temple Nightclub on Friday, December 23rd. The holiday-themed festivities kick off at 3pm, when ILLENIUM will host a two-hour photo-op for fans of all ages. Clubbers 21 and up can then head into Temple for the show, which will feature a number of “special guest DJs” before wrapping up with a big performance by the Fallen Embers artist, who recently revealed he’s recording his fifth studio album. ILLENIUM. Christian Wade/EDM.com Sc...
Defected Records is Returning to Ibiza for a Summer 2023 Residency
Defected Records will be returning to the White Isle for a summer 2023 residency. Defected, EDM.com‘s record label of the year, has appeared in Ibiza every season since 2001, when they initially launched. 22 years running, they’ve now announced their return to Eden, a premier nightclub that will host Defected’s residency every Friday starting on May 5th through September 29th. Tickets are available now and you can purchase them here. Back in September, Defected Records’ new CEO, Wez Saunders, announced that the label had plans to establish a transformative 30% minimum royalty rate for its artists. Moreover, he said Defected would provide quarterly royalty reports to all of its producers and songwriters in a major stride towards financial transp...
Frank Zappa in 10 Songs
This feature was originally published in August 2012, but we’re dusting it off for Zappa’s birthday on December 21st. Ever felt overwhelmed by an artist’s extensive back catalog? Been meaning to check out a band, but you just don’t know where to begin? In 10 Songs is here to help, offering a crash course and entry point into the daunting discographies of iconic artists of all genres. This is your first step toward fandom. Take it. You’re a Serious Music Fan. You like artists who have a “Genius With a Capital G” tag affixed to them. You’re looking to immerse yourself in the world of a composer who will always keep you guessing, a musician who gave great interviews, broke new ground every time his or her feet touched the floor, and has a catalog so densely packed that it would make even Robe...
Every Pearl Jam Album Ranked From Worst to Best
This article originally ran in 2016 and has since been updated; we’re dusting it off for Eddie Vedder’s birthday on December 23rd. “Fuck.” That was the only word Michael Roffman texted me late Monday night. As I shrugged off sleep to try and figure out what exactly that meant, the rest of his message came through: “Tonight’s set was so much better.” I stopped getting dressed and sank back into bed. I knew what he was upset about. No apocalypse, no emergency, just a Pearl Jam setlist that he liked better than the one we got two nights earlier at Wrigley Field. I clicked on the setlist link, scanned down, and texted back: “Oh fuck…” Advertisement In words barely more eloquent than those, we spent the next hour, on and off, bemoaning that we had covered the wrong show — like two spoiled brats...
Young Thug’s Sister Reveals Acronym Behind His Stage Name
Young Thug sister has revealed that the rapper’s stage name is actually an acronym for a larger meaning. Taking to Twitter earlier this week, his sister HiDoraah, who is a hip-hop artist in her own right, revealed that her superstar brother’s name might not be what fan expects. Unbeknownst to his fan base, HiDoraah explained why his brother chose to name himself Young Thug as his stage name. She recently tweeted, “Thug = Truly. Humble. Under. God,” wrote Doraah.”Young Truly Humble Under God. Young Thug.,” without further explanation. To onlookers it seems as if she is just showing support for her brother who has recently been involved in a high-profile RICO case in Georgia. While fans flooded the Twitter post with questions of the cryptic social media post, HiDoraah posted to her Instagram...
Dave Grohl Covers Janis Ian’s “At Seventeen” with Almost-17-Year-Old Daughter Violet: Watch
Though the pipes she flaunted at September’s Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts belie her youth, Violet Grohl will celebrate her 17th birthday in a few months. She and her dad Dave Grohl covered Janis Ian’s apty-titled “At Seventeen” for the fourth night of the elder Grohl’s 2022 Hanukkah Sessions. Now on its third year, Grohl’s Hanukkah Sessions are meant to highlight the legacies of iconic Jewish musicians; Ian absolutely fits the bill, and we can’t think of few songs more heartwrenching for a father-daughter cover than the folk artist’s 1975 magnum opus. Watch the video of their performance below. The 2022 iteration of Grohl’s Hanukkah Sessions previously featured covers of Blood, Sweat & Tears’ “Spinning Wheel” with Judd Apatow and Greg Kurstin, “Get the Party Started” with P!nk, and ...
Journey’s Neal Schon Hits Bandmate Jonathan Cain with Cease and Desist over Mar-A-Lago Performance
Journey’s Neal Schon has hit bandmate Jonathan Cain with a cease and desist over Cain’s performance of “Don’t Stop Believin’” at Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort. In November, Cain participated in a singalong of “Don’t Stop Believin’” with Trump sycophants Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Kari Lake. The performance struck a nerve with Schon, who fired off a cease and desist. “Although Mr. Cain is free to express his personal beliefs and associations, when he does that on behalf of Journey or for the band, such conduct is extremely deleterious to the Journey brand as it polarizes the band’s fans and outreach. Journey is not, and should not be, political,” Schon’s attorney wrote in a letter (via The Guardian). Advertisement Related Video “Mr. Cain’s unauthorized af...
Rare Ernie Barnes Art Exhibit To Be Held In L.A. Next February
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: George Wilhelm / Getty A new exhibit featuring rarely-seen artwork from the symbolic Black artist Ernie Barnes is set to open in Los Angeles, California next year. As the Los Angeles edition of the Frieze art festival is set to take place in February, one gallery has announced an exhibit featuring the iconic work of Barnes that focuses on his viewpoint of music. The exhibit, titled Ernie Barnes: Where Music and Soul Live, will be hosted by UTA Artist Space and contain 30 of his vibrant paintings that showcase Black musicians and dancers in nightclubs and other street scenes. This exhibit will mark the first time many of these paintings, which have been in private collections, will be seen by the public. Barnes’ work, which highlights Black bodies sw...
‘Black Ink Crew’ Recap: Ceaser Is Fired, The Team Feels This Is The End of The Show
HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz / Ceaser Last week it was Ceaser doing the firing. In the season 10 finale of Black Ink Crew, the tattoo shop mogul gets the axe, and his team wonders if this is the show’s end. Young Bae Makes Peace With Krystal After they got the boot last week, Young Bae decided to take herself to Gods of Ink tattoo shop on a goodwill mission. Bae feels awful for being why she, Krystal, Vanity, and Tatti got fired. Krystal is initially hesitant, but she decides to hear what Bae says. After a conversation ironically over some drinks, Krystal accepts Bae’s apology. Later in the episode, Krystal tells Rok about the moment and how the situation played out. Rok tells Krystal he is on her side and can no longer see himself working at Bla...
Defense Witness Testifies “Short Guy” Tory Lanez Was “Firing Everywhere”
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Jerod Harris / Getty / Tory Lanez Tory Lanez and his defense team were thrown a huge curveball when a witness they hoped would help their case did the exact opposite. Tuesday, Dec.20, the whirlwind Tory Lanez trial continued, and we are sure Tory Lanez and his team of lawyers thought it would be a good day for him, but it turned out to be the exact opposite. Related Stories A man said he saw an all-out roadside assault with Megan Thee Stallion being the victim, GASP. According to the man’s testimony, a fight broke out between two women, followed by an angry “short guy,” his words not ours, “firing everywhere.” He also said he saw a woman fire the first shot. Per Variety: Court sessions opened on Tuesday with Sean Kelly’s testimony that he woke up to the s...
