, a musician and songwriter highly regarded for his work as a member of and an Emmy-winning songwriter for TV’s “,” has died as a result of complications, Variety has confirmed. He was 52.Schlesinger died Wednesday morning. He was divorced and is survived by two daughters.He had previously been reported Tuesday morning as “very sick and heavily sedated” by his attorney of 25 years, Josh Grier. He had been in an upstate New York hospital for more than a week at that time, Grier said.An EGOT contender, Schlesinger has been nominated for Oscars, Tonys, Grammys and Emmys and won the latter two...…, a musician and songwriter highly regarded for his work as a member of and an Emmy-winning songwriter for TV’s “,” has died as a result of complications, Variety has confirmed. He was 52.Schlesinger died Wednesday morning. He was divorced and is survived by two daughters.He had previously been reported Tuesday morning as “very sick and heavily sedated” by his attorney of 25 years, Josh Grier. He had been in an upstate New York hospital for more than a week at that time, Grier said.An EGOT contender, Schlesinger has been nominated for Oscars, Tonys, Grammys and Emmys and won the latter two...WW…

The official memorial services for rapper and actor Earl “” Simmons, who after suffering a heart attack, have been announced.Two memorial services will be held: one on Saturday, April 24 at 4 p.m. ET, and a Homegoing Celebration on Sunday, April 25 at 2:30 pm E.T.While attendance to the memorials is limited to family and close friends and closed to the public, both services will be livestreamed: The Sunday celebration will be broadcast live on BET and its YouTube challen, while Saturday’s “Celebration of Life” memorial, which will sources say will be...…The official memorial services for rapper and actor Earl “” Simmons, who after suffering a heart attack, have been announced.Two memorial services will be held: one on Saturday, April 24 at 4 p.m. ET, and a Homegoing Celebration on Sunday, April 25 at 2:30 pm E.T.While attendance to the memorials is limited to family and close friends and closed to the public, both services will be livestreamed: The Sunday celebration will be broadcast live on BET and its YouTube challen, while Saturday’s “Celebration of Life” memorial, which will sources say will be...WW…

The has reached a settlement with 277 ticketholders from the famously disastrous 2017 concert-that-never-happened, with each recipient being awarded $7,220 payouts. The settlement between the ticketholders and the trustee of Fyre festival assets was filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York on Tuesday; the news was first reported by .Ben Meiselas of Geragos and Geragos, lead attorney for the class-action suit, told Variety, “It’s a small but significant step for ticketholders who were defrauded and had their lives up ended as a result of the fraudulent conduct by...…The has reached a settlement with 277 ticketholders from the famously disastrous 2017 concert-that-never-happened, with each recipient being awarded $7,220 payouts. The settlement between the ticketholders and the trustee of Fyre festival assets was filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York on Tuesday; the news was first reported by .Ben Meiselas of Geragos and Geragos, lead attorney for the class-action suit, told Variety, “It’s a small but significant step for ticketholders who were defrauded and had their lives up ended as a result of the fraudulent conduct by...WW…

New York’s concert series has announced plans to return to live, in-person concerts and performances at outdoor venues this summer.According to the announcement, “Pending adjustments to current NYC restrictions, free music and dance performances will return to Rumsey Playfield in Central Park this summer and performances will also be held in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park/Richard Rodgers Amphitheater.“Performances will follow all state and local regulations regarding large-scale outdoor events, including limited capacity, masks and socially distanced seating. Admittance will require a free...…New York’s concert series has announced plans to return to live, in-person concerts and performances at outdoor venues this summer.According to the announcement, “Pending adjustments to current NYC restrictions, free music and dance performances will return to Rumsey Playfield in Central Park this summer and performances will also be held in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park/Richard Rodgers Amphitheater.“Performances will follow all state and local regulations regarding large-scale outdoor events, including limited capacity, masks and socially distanced seating. Admittance will require a free...WW…

Sixty-four years ago, as Elvis Presley’s career reached its supernova stage, the 21-year-old singer’s team hit on a strategy that enabled him to profit from songwriting without actually writing songs. His management and music publisher had added Presley’s name to the credits on a couple of his early hits, but the singer wasn’t comfortable with the practice and frequently told interviewers that he had “never written a song in my life.” Instead, as recounted in Peter Guralnick’s authoritative biography “Last Train to Memphis,” his team set up an arrangement whereby the King skipped the credit...…Sixty-four years ago, as Elvis Presley’s career reached its supernova stage, the 21-year-old singer’s team hit on a strategy that enabled him to profit from songwriting without actually writing songs. His management and music publisher had added Presley’s name to the credits on a couple of his early hits, but the singer wasn’t comfortable with the practice and frequently told interviewers that he had “never written a song in my life.” Instead, as recounted in Peter Guralnick’s authoritative biography “Last Train to Memphis,” his team set up an arrangement whereby the King skipped the credit...WW…

The  Valley Music and Arts Festival is moving from October 2021 to April of 2022, two industry sources with knowledge of the situation tell Variety. It is expected that the country-music themed Stagecoach festival, which takes place the weekend after Coachella’s two weekends, will move as well.Reps for Goldenvoice, the event’s promoter, and AEG Presents, its parent company, either declined or did not respond to Variety’s requests for comment.The move, if it is officially confirmed, marks the , which takes place over two weekends at the Empire Polo Ground in Indio, Calif., have been...…The  Valley Music and Arts Festival is moving from October 2021 to April of 2022, two industry sources with knowledge of the situation tell Variety. It is expected that the country-music themed Stagecoach festival, which takes place the weekend after Coachella’s two weekends, will move as well.Reps for Goldenvoice, the event’s promoter, and AEG Presents, its parent company, either declined or did not respond to Variety’s requests for comment.The move, if it is officially confirmed, marks the , which takes place over two weekends at the Empire Polo Ground in Indio, Calif., have been...WW…

Pari DukovicUPDATED: When the 2021 Grammy Award nominations were announced in November, thousands of people were stunned to see that — one of the most commercially and critically successful artists of the past year, whose single “Blinding Lights” just became the first song ever to spend a full year in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 — was not nominated for any awards.The , the biggest in Grammy history, could only be explained as the work of the “secret committees” of industry veterans, executives and artists who determine the nominees in certain, but not all, categories. The work of...…Pari DukovicUPDATED: When the 2021 Grammy Award nominations were announced in November, thousands of people were stunned to see that — one of the most commercially and critically successful artists of the past year, whose single “Blinding Lights” just became the first song ever to spend a full year in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 — was not nominated for any awards.The , the biggest in Grammy history, could only be explained as the work of the “secret committees” of industry veterans, executives and artists who determine the nominees in certain, but not all, categories. The work of...WW…

’s “Blinding Lights” has been smashing records practically since it was first released late in November of 2019 — and on Monday it broke what might be the most momentous one of all: It became the first song to spend a full year in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.That dwarfs the previous record, for Post Malone’s “Circles,” which hung in for 39 weeks (it’s a bit of an inter-family record, since Post happens to be the Weeknd’s labelmate on Republic Records). “Blinding Lights” also holds the record for the longest a song has spent in the Top 5, with 43 total weeks.And with 65 full weeks in...…’s “Blinding Lights” has been smashing records practically since it was first released late in November of 2019 — and on Monday it broke what might be the most momentous one of all: It became the first song to spend a full year in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.That dwarfs the previous record, for Post Malone’s “Circles,” which hung in for 39 weeks (it’s a bit of an inter-family record, since Post happens to be the Weeknd’s labelmate on Republic Records). “Blinding Lights” also holds the record for the longest a song has spent in the Top 5, with 43 total weeks.And with 65 full weeks in...WW…

, a founding member of ’s Wailers and a legendary reggae singer whose career reached across seven decades, died early Tuesday, his manager confirmed to the ; a rep for the Wailers’ longtime U.S. label did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment. He was 73.“He died about 8:00 this morning. I’m still right here with him,” his manager, Maxine Stowe, told the Observer from the Medical Associates Hospital in Kingston. No cause of death was cited, but Wailer had been in poor health since suffering a second stroke last July.Born Neville Livingston, Wailer was the sole...…, a founding member of ’s Wailers and a legendary reggae singer whose career reached across seven decades, died early Tuesday, his manager confirmed to the ; a rep for the Wailers’ longtime U.S. label did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment. He was 73.“He died about 8:00 this morning. I’m still right here with him,” his manager, Maxine Stowe, told the Observer from the Medical Associates Hospital in Kingston. No cause of death was cited, but Wailer had been in poor health since suffering a second stroke last July.Born Neville Livingston, Wailer was the sole...WW…

As entertainment businesses go, the live music sector has taken among the heaviest beatings by the coronavirus pandemic, with before concerts and other stage performances return to something resembling normalcy.But for artists, agents, promoters, vendors and customers, the pain is immediate and complicated. As the industry struggles to find its footing in this new age of uncertainty, it’s meant taking drastic action to conserve cash flow. At whose expense? No corner of the industry will emerge unscathed, but some will sustain injuries longer than others. And judging by recent reports of...…As entertainment businesses go, the live music sector has taken among the heaviest beatings by the coronavirus pandemic, with before concerts and other stage performances return to something resembling normalcy.But for artists, agents, promoters, vendors and customers, the pain is immediate and complicated. As the industry struggles to find its footing in this new age of uncertainty, it’s meant taking drastic action to conserve cash flow. At whose expense? No corner of the industry will emerge unscathed, but some will sustain injuries longer than others. And judging by recent reports of...WW…