Music News

Spotify officials plan to make the company's IPO available only to institutional investors.

Spotify's Unusual IPO Model Will Test The Company's Strength

6:00am January 25, 2018

by Charles Lane

Spotify's IPO, slated for this spring, gives investment banks a smaller role in the company's trading. It's been seen as a sign of Spotify's strength, but there are many unanswered questions.

Mark E. Smith onstage with The Fall in London in 2016.

Music & Culture

Mark E. Smith, Acerbic Leader Of The Fall, Dies At 60

6:15pm January 24, 2018

by Andrew Limbong

In a band known for its abrasive, genre-bending sound, Smith was the sole constant over four decades. His vision made The Fall moody, dark, repetitive, angry — and extremely prolific.

Music & Culture

Elton John Says It's Time To Retire From Touring, But Only After A 3-Year Farewell Tour

4:19pm January 24, 2018

In a live interview and concert in New York on Wednesday, Elton John announced his retirement from touring. The singer say farewell to life on the road after a three-year, worldwide tour starting this fall.

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50 Cent was among the first musicians to accept bitcoin for his work, starting with his 2014 album Animal Ambition.

50 Cent: 'I Forgot' Taking 700 Bitcoins For 2014 Album; Stake Is Now Worth Millions

3:50pm January 24, 2018

by Bill Chappell

50 Cent agreed to accept bitcoin from people buying his Animal Ambition album. The value of those sales has now skyrocketed: The rapper's holding is worth more than $7.5 million.

Music & Culture

Legendary Trumpeter Hugh Masekela Dies At 78

4:19pm January 23, 2018

Hugh Masekela burst on the world pop scene in the 1960s, playing alongside Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, Ravi Shankar, The Who and Jimi Hendrix. The legendary jazz musician died on Tuesday at age 78.

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Neil Diamond performs during the 84th Major League Baseball All-Star Game on July 16, 2013 in New York. The singer announced his retirement from performing after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Music & Culture

Neil Diamond Announces Retirement From Touring Following Parkinson's Diagnosis

1:34pm January 23, 2018

by Andrew Flanagan

The sequined legend is giving up the road — doctor's orders. Diamond was on the cusp of finishing his 50th Anniversary World Tour.

The 2018 Oscar nominations had enough freshness and enough room for new voices that they didn't feel rote.

'Shape Of Water,' 'Dunkirk' And 'Three Billboards' Lead Oscar Nominations

12:14pm January 23, 2018

by Linda Holmes

This year's Academy Award nominations include a lot of old favorites, but also some new voices — including the first women ever nominated for cinematography.

Music & Culture

Halsey's Recital Of 'A Story Like Mine' Traces The Staggering Prevalence Of Assault

2:49pm January 22, 2018

by Katie Anastas

At the second Women's March in New York, the pop singer shared a series of stories, in poem and with deeply affecting intensity, about sexual assault and violence.

Daniel Johnston performing on April 17, 2010 in Bourges.

Music & Culture

Austin Establishes 'Hi, How Are You?' Day To Encourage Mental Health Support

1:05pm January 22, 2018

by Andrew Flanagan

The declaration coincides with the birthday of the outsider folk artist Daniel Johnston and is in part inspired by his own, well-documented struggles with mental illness.

Music & Culture

Decades Later, Beach Boy Brian Wilson Gets Grade Changed

6:58am January 22, 2018

Wilson turned 'Surfin' Safari' in to his high school music teacher his senior year and failed the class. At age 75, Wilson returned to the school and the current principal changed the grade to an A.