Metallica to Play Special Concert Honoring Their Original Label’s Founders, Megaforce Records’ Jonny and Marsha Zazula

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made time to have a romantic date night out on the town this week.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Back in the day (“the day” being the 1990s), Pavement became so typecast as a cliché-lambasting, anti-rock band that they never really got credit for what a great rock band they were — and, as their ongoing 30th-ish anniversary tour shows, still are. The stereotypical scrawny, bookish, indie vibe and image of the group’s early records had become so cemented that few seemed to notice how tight and accomplished they became after drummer Steve West joined the group in 1993. Although they always downplayed their ability to “rock out” and still do, when the band locks in on hypnotic grooves while singer-guitarist Stephen Malkmus plays solos with a Lou Reed-ish combination of soaring melodies and brittle squall (usually finishing with some self-mocking gesture), they can hold their own with virtually any rock band. On their later albums, that seasoning carried over to their songwriting, as Malkmus’ almost run-on melodies were delivered in a cleaner, sharper manner, as if he were no longer quite so embarrassed by how pretty or catchy they can be.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Drake, arguably the biggest rapper in the world, will play a special concert at the legenday Apollo Theater in New York’s Harlem neighborhood that will be broadcast on SiriusXM, he and the network announced on Tuesday. Details on the show were slim — “Drake will perform at the world-famous Apollo Theater in New York. The exclusive SiriusXM concert marks the first time that Drake will perform at the iconic theater,” the announcement reads — but the concert will be the latest in a long series of special, intimate gigs the network has staged at the 1,500-capacity venue. Fans should head here to score tickets, but act fast.

Phil Collins and Genesis have sold a large chunk of their back catalogue for a whopping $300million (£268m). Concord Music Group has landed the publishing rights and master recordings for most of prog rock legends Genesis’ catalogue, as well as a portion of the group’s recorded music income streams and masters. The sale also includes Collins’ solo hits In the Air Tonight, You’ll Be In My Heart, and Against All Odds.

It's been announced that Phil Collins and his fellow members of the rock band Genesis have sold a portion of the group's songs - including their publishing rights and master recordings - in a deal valued at more than $300 million. 

Phil Collins and his Genesis bandmates have sold a portion of their songs’ assets to Concord Music Group, including the publishing rights and master recordings for much of Genesis’ music.According to the Wall Street Journal, the deal was valued at more than $300million and will also include master recordings of songs from throughout Collins’ solo career, such as ‘In the Air Tonight’, ‘You’ll Be In My Heart’ and ‘Against All Odds’, and his popular covers of Diane & Annita’s ‘A Groovy Kind Of Love’ and ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ by the Supremes.Genesis recordings within the package will likely include hits such as ‘Invisible Touch’, ‘That’s All’, ‘Land Of Confusion’ and ‘Follow You, Follow Me’. The deal also includes material that Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford released with his group, Mike & the Mechanics.Speaking to WSJ, Concord president Bob Valentine said they were aiming to bring Collins and Genesis’ back catalogue to a younger generation of listeners.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Phil Collins and his Genesis bandmates Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford have agreed to sell their publishing copyrights and “a mix of recorded music-income streams” to Concord Music Group, the company confirmed to the Wall Street Journal on Thursday. Sources told the publication the deal was for upward of $300 million. The deal includes the solo material of all three, most notably Collins’ multiplatinum solo albums and Rutherford’s band Mike & the Mechanics, which achieved chart success in the 1980s. The catalogs of Peter Gabriel and other former members of Genesis were not included in the deal. A rep for Concord tells Variety an official announcement will be made Friday morning.

Morrissey has performed his new song ‘Kerouac’s Crack’ for the first time in Blackpool. Watch a clip of the performance below.He debuted the track, which comes from his upcoming album, ‘Bonfire Of Teenagers’, last night (September 28).

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Brian Ray, a familiar sight to Paul McCartney fans as a 20-year multi-instrumentalist stalwart in the superstar’s band, has a dream for making Palm Springs a destination on the routing of touring rockers, as well as more of a cultural hub for the arts in general. It’s a dream whose destination is well in sight. He’s helping with the already partially funded campaign to restore and reopen the Plaza Theatre, a 1936 gem that has sat unpolished, if not quite completely dilapidated, through eight years of notable dormancy right in the heart of Palm Springs’ famous shopping district. Since he moved to the desert part-time four years ago, Ray has often thought about what could be, or what could have been, when it comes to the Plaza. It hasn’t been fit for ages to use as a hub for the annual Palm Springs Film Festival, as it was back in then-Mayor Sonny Bono’s day. But, more in keeping with Ray’s day job: “How about the mid-week shows that all the artists do when they come to Coachella? Or with Paul McCartney during Desert Trip, when we chose to go to Pappy and Harriet’s [in nearby Pioneerville] and play for about 140 people” — something he suggests could have gone down in the 800-capacity Plaza instead. “You could imagine that before that festival, Neil Young would’ve stepped into that theater and said, ‘This is where I want to do mine.’ That’s what would’ve happened if it would’ve been ready, you know?”

Joe Swash and Phil Tufnell are reportedly among the 15 celebrity contestants for the I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! all-star special. Winners and losers of previous series will come together for another chance to become king or queen of the jungle – or even to retain their crowns. ITV did not confirm the famous faces, which have been reported by The Sun, and said more details will be revealed nearer the time.

Maryam Touzani’s exploration of suppressed homosexuality The Blue Caftan has been submitted as Morocco’s official entry to the best international film category.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Orlando Wharton has been named executive vice president of Capitol Music Group and president of Priority Records. The announcement was made by CMG chair & CEO Michelle Jubelirer, to whom Wharton will report.  According to the announcement, in his new position, Wharton will sign and guide artists across CMG’s portfolio of labels, and will relaunch the legendary Priority Records label as a dedicated home for new, developing and established hip hop artists.  Wharton will assume his positions at CMG early next year, and will be based at the company’s offices in New York. The announcement closely follows the company’s hiring of Doja Cat co-manager Gordan Dillard as EVP of A&R and artist development.

Metallica have announced a special tribute concert to a late couple who originally signed the band.The metal veterans will honour Jonny and Marsha Zazula, the couple that signed the quartet to their Megaforce Records label, the imprint that put out both 1983 debut ‘Kill ‘Em All’ and its 1984 follow-up, ‘Ride The Lightning’, with a show at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida, on November 6.The concert will see the band only perform tracks from those two albums and will be opened by Raven, who Metallica supported on their first tour in 1983.Tickets for the concert go on sale this Friday (September 30) at 10am local time with a pre-sale also set for Wednesday (September 28). Tickets will be made available here.Join us on November 6 at @HardRockHolly in Hollywood, FL! This night will be extra-special as we’ll be joined by our old friends @official_raven to celebrate the life, legacy & achievements of Jonny & Marsha Zazula!Tickets on sale Friday.

Milena Zajović Netflix’s “Our Man From Jersey,” starring Halle Berry, Mark Wahlberg and J.K. Simmons, is coming close to wrapping its shoot in Croatia and Slovenia, according to Film New Europe. The film, based on a screenplay by David Guggenheim and Joe Barton, has been described as a “blue-collar James Bond.” Wahlberg plays a down-to-earth construction worker from Jersey, who is thrust into the world of super spies and secret agents when his high-school ex-girlfriend Roxanne (Berry) recruits him on a high-stakes U.S. intelligence mission. It is directed by Julian Farino, and produced by the U.S.’s Closest to the Hole Productions, owned by Wahlberg. The producers are Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson and Jeff Waxman.

Global Citizen provided, much like the city that hosted it, a melting pot of artists from as far away as Spain (Rosalia) and Italy (Maneskin) and as local as New Jersey natives, Charlie Puth and the Jonas Brothers, and Long Island’s own Mariah Carey. The crowds were out in force in Central Park, staying late to catch headliner Metallica. It helped that the weather cooperated and made for smooth entry and exit for the tens of thousands in attendance. Backstage, a who’s who of the music industry gathered, including Guy Oseary, Universal Music Group’s Michele Anthony, Arista Records chairman David Massey, Brooklyn Bowl owner Peter Shapiro, agent Marsha Vlasic, Warner Records’ Eric Wong and Karen Kwak and L.A. Reid, currently working with Carey as executive producer of her next album.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Days after top YouTube exec Robert Kyncl was named as the next CEO of Warner Music Group, the company revealed in an SEC filing that he will earn approximately $15 million in his first year on the job, depending on performance targets. When Kyncl’s name was first mentioned as a potential successor to outgoing CEO Stephen Cooper, who leaves after 11 years in the role, many wondered whether the job would be sufficiently appealing for the executive who led Netflix from DVDs to streaming and has been YouTube’s business chief for much of his 12 years at the company. However, the SEC filing makes clear that the job is financially appealing: He will receive a base salary of $2 million, a target performance-based bonus of $3 million and an annual grant of performance share units with an aggregate, pre-tax value of $10 million.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Sir Elton John was moved to tears as President Joe Biden surprised the enduring music icon with a National Humanities Medal. John, at the White House on Friday to perform at A+E and History’s “A Night When Hope and History Rhyme,” looked visibly shocked and humbled as the president addressed the thousands in the audience. “Tonight is my great honor, and I mean this sincerely, to present the National Humanities Medal to Sir Elton John,” Biden said. A White House officer elaborated on John’s contributions, saying, “The President of the United States awards this National Humanities Medal to Sir Elton John for moving our souls with his powerful voice, one of the defining songbooks of all time. An enduring icon and advocate with absolute courage, who found purpose to challenge convention, shatter stigma and advance a simple truth: that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.”

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor The Temple of Dendur in the Egyptian art wing of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the most unique and visually arresting places in a city filled with them, containing the 2,000-year-old Temple itself along with other sculptures and pieces of art, a large reflecting pool and a giant, 25-foot-tall floor-to-ceiling window that extends the entire length of the hall and overlooks Central Park. It also may be the most unique and visually arresting music venue in the city. Over the years the room has hosted concerts by everyone from Interpol to the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, but it’s hard to think of a more fitting artist for such a setting than Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab, who won a Grammy earlier this year for her song “Mohabbat” from her latest album “Vulture Prince,” and was also nominated for Best New Artist.