Glastonbury organisers defend ticket price hikes for 2023 music festival

Idris Elba is hitting the beach!

Thania Garcia Pussy Riot, the Russian feminist protest music and performance art group, will be accepting the 2023 Woody Guthrie Prize on May 6 in Tulsa at Cain’s Ballroom. The evening will conclude with Pussy Riot’s first-ever U.S. performance of “Riot Days,” a multi-media show that showcases the group’s music with documentary footage and political commentary. Members Maria “Masha” Alyokhina and Nadya Tolokonnikova will accept the prize on behalf of Pussy Riot, which also will be represented by founders Olga Borisova and Diana Burkot. Following the presentation by Nora Guthrie, Woody Guthrie’s daughter, the group will be interviewed by Robert Santelli, executive director of the Bruce Springsteen Archive and Center for American Music.

Mark Sutherland Lauren Laverne is buzzing with excitement. She woke up to the news that Lizzo had given her a shout-out from the stage at London’s O2 Arena. “Lauren Laverne played my record on Radio 6 and just like that, I was flying to England every other weekend,” declared the singer, who had her first major radio exposure on Laverne’s BBC 6 Music show back in 2013. “What an utter queen,” laughs Laverne, who has been helming the station’s flagship breakfast show since 2019. “For everybody at 6, it’s a dream come true to have a world-changing, game-changing artist standing up on stage and describing what we do. We’re this little greenhouse; we plant these seeds and what grows out of them, who knows?”

Lily Moayeri When it comes to music festivals, becoming a brand name is paramount to long-term success. Consider the dozens taking place concurrently during the spring and summer months. Unless you’re a Coachella or Lollapalooza, building brand equity over decades years of shows — so that ticket-buyers don’t even necessarily need to know the lineup before committing their hard-earned dollars — how do you stand out from the crowd? The name Ultra, for instance, is synonymous with dance music — the annual festival takes place this weekend in Miami and is expected to draw upwards of 160,000 people. Founded in 1999, and named after the Depeche Mode album “Ultra,” it’s not the only dance music entity using the name, however, which has resulted in confusion in the music space and a tangled legal web for entrepreneur Patrick Moxey.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Like & Share” from Indonesia’s Gina S. Noer was named the best picture and collected the Grand Prix on Sunday at the Osaka Asian Film Festival. “All of us on the jury were struck by the film’s clear and powerful message, which affirms young women’s sexual curiosity and desire while clearly saying no to sexual violence. The style of the film is also original. The sweet, poppy feeling that fascinates the audience in the first half of the film becomes darker as the story progresses, making us shudder. “Like & Share,” with its strong message and brilliant direction, is a film that needs to be seen now more than ever,” said the jury in a statement.

It's Mothers Day! And what says "I love you, Mum" better than giving her breakfast in bed while reading out 10 random general knowledge questions into her face?

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Coachella is almost here. The three-day music festival, which will celebrate its 24th anniversary this year, will return to its home at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, Calif., on the weekends of April 14-16 and April 21-23. Although tickets immediately sold out for Weekend 1 when they first went on sale in January, there are still several ways to snag passes elsewhere online. In fact, tickets actually appear to be selling for significantly less money on resale sites compared to Coachella’s website (which currently has a waitlist for Weekend 1 and limited number of remaining tickets for Weekend 2). Vivid Seats is selling thee-day GA passes for $500, compared to $549 on Coachella’s website.

Kristen Doute is giving  fans an inside look at the post-Scandoval aftermath. While appearing as a guest on Nick Viall's  podcast this week, Doute shared some of Tom Sandoval's text messages to Ariana Madix after news of his months-long affair with Raquel Leviss.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Paramount+ is launching its first-ever mobile-only streaming subscription plan in Mexico and Brazil. Paramount+’s Basic Plan, described as “competitively priced,” will be available from April 18. It will allow subscribers to stream content on one mobile device or tablet at a time, uninterrupted and without ads. “This new offering is part of our broader strategy to scale Paramount+,” said Marco Nobili, executive vice president and international general manager for Paramount+. “With multi-tier pricing options, Paramount+ will reach even more subscribers by fitting diverse customer choices and grow our global direct-to-consumer distribution. With mobile entertainment consumption increasing around the world, a mobile-only option will make our slate of programming more accessible to our audiences in mobile-first countries.”

Katie Price is officially back together with her ex-fiancé Carl Woods as the pair were spotted arm-in-arm in London after the glamour model returned from her family trip to Thailand.The 44 year old TV personality was in Thailand for three weeks, on an extended holiday with her two youngest children, Jett, 9, and Bunny, 8, who she shares with ex-husband, Kieran Hayler. Carl, 34, even joined them on the trip, with Katie posting plenty of snaps to social media, but he flew home before his on-off partner and her children did.The pair clearly wasted no time in reuniting though, as they headed to a nail bar where Katie got a manicure as Carl waited for her.

Taylor Swift first announced her highly anticipated ‘Eras Tour.’When the news dropped last November, fans waited for pre-sale seats for hours on end, Ticketmaster shut down and prices started in the $300 range with some going for as high as $5K.Not exactly an ideal experience.Mow that the ‘Eras Tour’ is just days away, it’s finally entering its best era yet:The one where prices start to drop days before shows take place.For Swift’s first two gigs at Glendale, AZ’s State Farm Stadium, we found tickets going for as low as $164 before fees.Just a month ago, tickets started at $290 before fees for the same show.That’s over $100 in savings just for waiting a month to scoop up seats.And while all other shows on the ‘Eras Tour’ are still quite expensive, we’d bet that they’ll become more affordable as show dates approach.Don’t believe us?Well, look what you made us do.For a closer look at ticket prices now versus a month ago, be sure to keep scrolling — we’ve got all the cheapest tickets from Feb. 17 and now, just two days before the tour officially launches.All prices were found at the time of publication and are subject to fluctuation.A complete calendar including all upcoming 52 tour dates, venues and the cheapest ticket prices from Feb.

A headlining tour and two-day 90th birthday extravaganza weren’t enough for Willie Nelson this year.So, per usual, he’s “On The Road Again.”Willie Nelson’s annual Outlaw Music Festival will hit amphitheaters, arts centers, pavilions, festivals and theaters all over the U.S. from June through August this summer.And, of course, he’s bringing along a cavalcade of stars along with him on select dates.Just a few of the big names set to join the Red Headed Stranger include Robert Plant with Alison Krauss, Margo Price, Nathaniel Rateliff, The Avett Brothers, John Fogerty and many more.Along the way, the traveling road show will stop into Bethel, NY’s Bethel Woods Center For The Arts on July 29, Darien, NY’s Darien Lake Amphitheater on July 30 and Holmdel, NJ’s PNC Bank Arts Center on Aug.

Thania Garcia TelevisaUnivision has revealed the full list of nominees for the Latin American Music Awards with Bad Bunny leading the list at 11 nominations, followed by Becky G and Daddy Yankee with nine each. The big show is set to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 20. The awards show will also honor Colombian singer-songwriter Carlos Vives and ranchera music champion Pepe Aguilar during the awards show’s eighth iteration and with a pre-ceremony special titled “Latin AMA’s: Legacy” on April 4 via UniMás. They will each sit down for an interview and perform remotely from their respective homes in Bogotá and Mexico City.

Drake is heading out on tour this summer and the full list of dates and venues has been announced!

Instagram statement by his family. No cause of death was immediately announced.“Death has tragically knocked at our door.

Reese Witherspoon and Kacey Musgraves comes a new music reality competition called, which they promise is a «fresh take on» the TV genre as it «breaks down barriers in country music by providing an extraordinary opportunity to diverse artists from around the world.»  Ahead of the eight-part competition's debut on Apple TV+, the streaming platform released a trailer, offering the first look at what's to come from this one-of-a-kind experience.  On the show, three groundbreaking country artists and scouts -- Jimmie Allen, Mickey Guyton and Orville Peck -- have each handpicked a roster of what they consider to be «exceptional up-and-coming talent» and invited them to live together in a house in Nashville, Tennessee, where they'll showcase their unique sound and style for the judges.While there, the twelve contestants will vye for the chance to win «a life-changing experience from Apple, including global exposure across the Apple TV+ and Apple Music platforms.»In addition to watching the extended preview for the reality series, check out the three scout's full roster of competing artists below:    Chihuahua, Mexico Ale infuses herself into her music and bilingual lyrics with the mariachi, norteño, banda and other sounds she heard growing up in Mexico. At the age of 16 she taught herself how to play the guitar, and is now on the way to establishing herself as an independent singer-songwriter with a loyal following she’s gained from her popular YouTube channel.    New Delhi, India Dhruv, a multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer-songwriter and producer, started his musical journey at the age of seven.

Glastonbury has renamed the John Peel Stage and announced a new area ahead of this summer’s festival.Formerly known as the New Bands Tent, the venue was rebranded in 2004 in tribute to late Radio 1 DJ and Glastonbury friend Peel following his death that year. Notable past sets on the stage include The Killers, Calvin Harris, Florence + The Machine and The xx.Today (March 3), Emily Eavis revealed in a new interview with the Guardian that the John Peel Stage will be known as ‘Woodsies’ from 2023 onwards.

Elon Musk continues to be the richest person in the world, despite briefly losing the No. 1 spot for over two months.

Connect Music Festival has announced the acts performing at Edinburgh's Royal Highland Showgrounds this summer, with Primal Scream and Franz Ferdinand among headliners.

Katie Price and Carl Woods may have a rather rocky relationship, but that hasn't stopped the former Love Islander from getting a third tattoo of the former model.The former couple are believed to have holidayed together in Thailand after reuniting following their initial break, which saw Carl, 34, publicly accuse Katie, 44, of cheating on him. However, it has since been reported that they have since split again.