Travis Scott Premieres New Song, ‘Escape Plan,’ at Rolling Loud Festival

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 EditorAs the Covid-19 variant continues to spread across the globe, the status of all future concerts, let alone festivals, has come into some question.

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.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorFleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie has sold her 115-title song catalog to Hipgnosis, the fast-growing music company that has spent more than $2 billion in three years acquiring rights to a vast number of popular songs.McVie, who first joined Fleetwood Mac in 1970, is the writer of many of the long-running group’s biggest hits, including “Don’t Stop,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Over My Head,” “Songbird,” “Say You Love Me” and others.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAfter unveiling it during a performance at Boston’s Fenway Park on Tuesday, Guns N’ Roses have released “Absurd,” their first official new song since their 2008 album “Chinese Democracy.”However, to call the song “new” is a relative term: The song, formerly called “Silkworms,” has been knocking around for two decades and was reportedly written during the years of sessions for “Chinese Democracy.”The fast-paced track features Axl Rose singing with an almost comical

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAfter an epic buildup — starting with a cryptic statement about “the dawn,” back in May, then some social media teases, then placement in an ad for the Olympics, and then news that it was banned from IMAX theaters — the Weeknd’s new single and video “Take My Breath” has arrived, and it sounds like another smash.As promised, the mood of the song is lighter, with a pulsing disco beat and a chugging “Another Brick in the Wall” guitar riff, but the video — directed by

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorCharlie Watts, the Rolling Stones’ drummer since the group’s inception in 1962, is “unlikely to be available” for the band’s rescheduled U.S.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorCraig D’Souza (pictured) has joined WME as a partner, music co-heads Lucy Dickins, Kirk Sommer and Scott Clayton announced today.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorDaBaby has been dropped from two more music festivals, despite issuing a second apology on Monday for homophobic comments he made at and after his performance at the Rolling Loud Miami festival on the weekend of July 23.Reps for the iHeartRadio Music Festival and Austin City Limits confirmed that he will no longer be performing at their events.“DaBaby will no longer be performing at the iHeartRadio Music Festival Daytime Stage” and “DaBaby will no longer be

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAfter a long break, Grammy-winning singer Lizzo is returning with a new single called “Rumors” on August 13, with an album presumably on the way,  although reps did not immediately respond to requests for further information.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorA day after DaBaby was dropped from the Lollapalooza lineup for his homophobic comments last week, New York’s Governors Ball canceled his performance at the festival, which takes place in September.In a tweet labeled “Stay tuned for a lineup addition,” the festival’s promoter wrote in a social media message: “Founders Entertainment does not and will not tolerate hate or discrimination of any kind.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Weeknd teased new music early Monday morning in a snippet posted on social media called “The Dawn Is Coming” and talked generally about it in a new GQ article, calling it “the album I’ve always wanted to make.”The song has a heavy electronic dance groove reminiscent of “Alive 2007”-era Daft Punk, but with the Weeknd’s haunting, echo-laden melody soaring over it.The Weeknd teased the song with three days of hints (a wiped Instagram account followed by a new post

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSilk Sonic, the lusciously retro duo of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak that debuted back in March with the smash throwback single “Leave the Door Open,” continue their loving tribute to the mid-1970s with the smooth R&B of “Skate.”Where the first single was based around 1974-era groups like the Commodores and the Chi-Lights, “Skate” pivots forward a couple of years with a sound more reminiscent of disco-era acts like Tavares and mid-tempo tracks from the “Saturday

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRange Media Partners, the fast-growing management company launched last year, has entered into a worldwide distribution agreement with Capitol Music Group and Virgin Music & Artist Label Services.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorLoud Robot, filmmaker JJ Abrams’ new label through RCA Records, has signed its second act, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sally Boy. The announcement comes with a new track and video “Bad Habits,” which you can see and hear below.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorClive Davis and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the artists who will be joining Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon and Jennifer Hudson at the New York City “homecoming concert” in New York’s Central Park on August 21: Andrea Bocelli, LL Cool J, Kane Brown, Elvis Costello, Earth, Wind and Fire, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Cynthia Erivo, Jimmy Fallon, Wyclef Jean, Journey, the Killers, Gayle King, Don Lemon, Barry Manilow, Polo G, Patti Smith, Rob Thomas with

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIn a clearly provocative move, rapper Da Baby brought out Tory Lanez during his set at the Rolling Loud Miami festival on Sunday night — right after a set by Megan Thee Stallion, who accused Lanez of shooting her in the foot last year.Lanez was brought out onstage during Da Baby’s set wearing an oversized costume, according to livestreamed video footage.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorTravis Barker has signed an exclusive worldwide administration deal with Warner Chappell Music, the publishing arm of Warner Music Group, the company announced Thursday (July 22).