Matt Galle Talks Photo Finish Label’s 15th Anniversary and His New Roster at CAA (EXCLUSIVE)

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIt’s hard to think of any group of performers that got back together after 40 years apart, and ABBA has not half-stepped the announcement of their return.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorABBA, one of the most successful music groups of all time, has announced its return nearly 40 years with a new studio album — hear two songs from it here — and a new concert that will see singers Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad and instrumentalists/songwriters Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus performing digitally via avatars with a live 10-piece band in a purpose-built arena in London, beginning on May 27, 2022.The “Voyage” album will be released worldwide

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorFader Label, the imprint launched in 2002 by the long-running magazine, is bolstering the recent success it has seen with releases by Clairo, Slayyyter, Binki, Lewis del Mar, Matt & Kim and more by expanding via new hires and promotions.According to the announcement, the label, launched in 2002 by Fader magazine and Cornerstone marketing founders Jon Cohen and Rob Stone, has seen a 75% overall growth across all streaming platforms between 2019 and 2020.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorElton John has announced the forthcoming release of “The Lockdown Sessions,” an album of collaborations recorded remotely over the last 18 months, out October 22, featuring more than 20 collaborators, including Dua Lipa, Brandi Carlile, Charlie Puth, Eddie Vedder, Gorillaz, Lil Nas X, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Rina Sawayama, Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder, Years & Years, Young Thug, and others — including an apparently posthumous duet with country legend Glen

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWith overall revenue growth of 9% and a 7% gain in EBITDA, BMG boasts of its best first half since parent company Bertelsmann returned to the music business with a new-look model in 2008. While the pandemic stymied growth in music publishing, BMG’s core business, a 29.4% uptick by recorded music carried the day for the fiscal period that ended June 30.Revenue for the period was €296 million, EBITDA at €50m.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRemember those new Abba songs and “virtual tour” that were supposedly on the way three and a half years ago? First it was two new songs, then six new songs, for a “Virtual Abba” experience in collaboration with “American Idol” creator Simon Fuller? Well, finally something is on the way, judging by a vague social media post from the group that appeared in the wee hours of Thursday.Join us at https://t.co/AAFQLIrqJu #ABBAVoyage pic.twitter.com/7LYw3kojzB— ABBA Voyage

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJust a few weeks ago, industry sources were buzzing that the real reason Kanye West’s long-delayed “Donda” album has missed two scheduled drop dates this summer is because he’s looking for a release-date battle with Drake’s “Certified Lover Boy,” similar to his 2007 duel with 50 Cent.“Donda” was scheduled to be released after listening sessions at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium — first on July 23, then on August 6, and there’s another one at the massive,

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorA new lead singer is just about the most dramatic change a band can make — even if a main songwriter or instrumentalist leaves, the voice is usually the clearest link to what came before. Although George Clarke, cofounder and lead vocalist of long-running San Francisco avant-metal act Deafheaven, hasn’t gone anywhere, he’s changed up his style so dramatically for the band’s fifth studio album that it actually sounds like they have a different singer.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAn attorney for R. Kelly attempted to discredit one of the accusers leveling allegations of sexual abuse against the singer on Thursday, after she’d claimed he had slapped and choked her during what she described as their final sexual encounter more than 10 years ago.Jerhonda Johnson Pace, the first witness testifying for prosecutors in Kelly’s long-delayed racketeering trial in New York, is among multiple women leveling claims of sexual abuse against Kelly.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJust weeks before their first-ever tour without drummer Charlie Watts kicks off, the Rolling Stones have announced the 40th anniversary, expanded deluxe editions of their classic 1981 album, “Tattoo You.” The newly remastered set, out on October 22, and available in a variety of formats, will be accompanied by nine previously unreleased studio tracks from the era and a live concert from 1982; the full tracklists can be found below.The first of these, “Living in the

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMore than four years after the release of his blockbuster album “-,” Ed Sheeran has announced that his long-awaited fourth full-length album, called “=,” naturally enough, will be out on October 29.“‘=’ (Equals) is a really personal record and one that means a lot to me,” he said in the announcement. “My life changed greatly over the past few years – I got married, became a father, experienced loss, and I reflect on these topics over the course of the album.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJerhonda Johnson Pace told a federal jury that she began having sex with R. Kelly shortly after she turned 16, as the singer’s racketeering trial got under way in Brooklyn on Wednesday.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorDowntown Music Holdings has announced that its founder and current CEO Justin Kalifowitz will take on a new position as executive chairman, with current COO Andrew Bergman assuming day-to-day responsibilities as the company’s CEO.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJust days after Jay-Z and Roc Nation took part in a $325 million investment in the Fanatics sports e-commerce platform, the rapper, along with Fanatics onwer and Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin have applied for a New York gaming license to form Fanatics Sportsbook. The news was first reported by TMZ and ESPN and confirmed by Variety.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMadonna, the top-selling female artist of all time, will bring her entire catalog of recorded music under the Warner Music umbrella as part of a career-spanning global partnership announced Monday.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorLegendary singer Tony Bennett — who celebrated his 95th birthday just last week, performing with Lady Gaga at two-sold out shows at New York’s Radio City Music Hall — has canceled his Fall 2021 tour dates.The tour — consisting of pre-pandemic shows dates had been rescheduled — was slated to begin in September. The affected dates include New York, Maryland and Connecticut as well as Oklahoma and Canada.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSometimes, when an artist makes a featured appearance on another artist’s song, you can tell that it’s just a payday — the featured artist got a nice check to add credibility to another artist that they don’t really know or maybe even respect.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJustin Bieber and Megan Thee Stallion led the nominations for MTV’s 2021 VMAs, which were unveiled by the network Wednesday.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe comedy recordings by legendary singer, actor, and filmmaker Rudy Ray Moore have been sold to the independent label 800 Pound Gorilla Records by his longtime manager Donald H. Randell.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorTwo years after R. Kelly was jailed on multiple sexual assault and misconduct charges, his trial in New York begins with jury selection after months of Covid-related delays.