music

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Billy Joel's Mandate for New HBO Doc: 'Just Tell the Truth'

The 2-part film explores the star's music, life, and enduring influence

(Newser) - Billy Joel famously returned a multimillion-dollar book advance in 2011, declaring that his story was best told through music, not memoirs. Now, HBO's new two-part documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, seeks to honor that preference while still offering an unflinching look at Joel's life and...

Pearl Jam Loses a Longtime Member
Pearl Jam Loses
27-Year Member
Jul 8, 2025 7:12 AM CDT

Pearl Jam Loses 27-Year Member

Drummer Matt Cameron exits

(Newser) - Pearl Jam has its first defection in 27 years. Drummer Matt Cameron announced Monday that he's leaving the band he saw through its infancy. He played on Pearl Jam's early demos in 1990, even before frontman Eddie Vedder got involved, but his commitment to the band Soundgarden meant...

Song of the Summer? Here Are the Contenders

'Boots on the Ground' by 803Fresh is among them

(Newser) - What makes a great song of the summer? Is it an up-tempo pop banger? Something with an earworm chorus? Does it need to feature the words "summer," "sunshine," or another synonym—"California"—in the title? It very well may be subject to the eye...

12-Year-Old's Venture Soothes Stressed Animals With Music

Wild Tunes, founded by Yuvi Agarwal, recruits musicians to play for cats, dogs at animal shelters

(Newser) - It's often said music is the universal language of humanity. Now, a 12-year-old Houston boy is putting that to the test for an unlikely audience—man's best friend. Yuvi Agarwal started playing keyboard when he was 4 and several years ago noticed his playing soothed his family's...

Music Shop in Wayne's World Closing After Nearly 80 Years

Ed Intagliata, owner of Cassell's Music, is retiring, ending a San Fernando tradition

(Newser) - Cassell's Music, a longtime San Fernando fixture and a filming location for the 1992 comedy Wayne's World, is shutting its doors after nearly 80 years. Owner Ed Intagliata, now 71, is retiring, leaving behind decades spent helping budding musicians, per the Los Angeles Times .
  • Origins: Founded in
...

Music Streaming Service Makes Big Move Against AI

Paris-based Deezer will now flag albums with songs generated by artificial intelligence

(Newser) - Music streaming service Deezer said Friday that it will start flagging albums with AI-generated songs, part of its fight against streaming fraudsters. Deezer, based in Paris, is grappling with a surge in music on its platform created using artificial intelligence tools it says are being wielded to earn royalties fraudulently....

K-Pop's First Deaf Group Has Fans Learning Sign Language

Big Ocean is opening up new frontiers in the genre

(Newser) - Big Ocean, a three-member K-pop group composed entirely of artists with hearing disabilities, is redefining the limits of music and performance—one beat at a time. When Big Ocean takes the stage, they seamlessly incorporate sign language into their performances. But their polished shows are built on extensive preparation using...

The Women Grunge Forgot
The Women
Grunge Forgot
LONGFORM
Jun 1, 2025 12:05 PM CDT

The Women Grunge Forgot

Not all grunge legends were angry white men

(Newser) - Quick: Name a '90s grunge icon. It's pretty likely you thought of Kurt Cobain, Eddie Vedder, Chris Cornell, or another angsty white male. But flannel is unisex. In a Longreads piece, Lisa Whittington-Hill explores how women in grunge were "treated like a fad" with their contributions diminished...

Salt-N-Pepa Sue to Reclaim Rights to Their Music

Universal Music Group claims recordings aren't subject to copyright termination

(Newser) - Revolutionary hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa is suing their record label, alleging they were "maliciously punished for daring to assert their rights" to their music. Under the US Copyright Act, artists can reclaim control of their music rights after 35 years, even if they had signed away those rights. Salt-N-Pepa say...

Weeks After Reinstatement, the Who Boots Starkey Again

Drummer says he was told to say he quit, but that's a lie

(Newser) - The Who drummer Zak Starkey has been fired for the second time in a month. Weeks after the son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr was let go for reportedly playing drumming too loudly at a London show, then reinstated , the band announced Monday that Starkey was out yet again, per...

Chimps Drum With Distinct Rhythms to Communicate
Who's Got Rhythm?
The Chimps
NEW STUDY
May 9, 2025 2:08 PM CDT

Who's Got Rhythm? The Chimps

Researchers find each chimp has a unique drumming style they use to communicate

(Newser) - Chimps and humans appear to share a common trait—the ability to drum. Researchers analyzed 371 instances of chimpanzees hitting tree trunks and found the primates keep a regular rhythm, suggesting a musical ability that predates humans, reports the AP . "Our ability to produce rhythm, and to use...

Cranberries, Pink Floyd Are on a 'Weird' List

They're among the bands considered a 2-hit wonder

(Newser) - Anyone can come up with a list of the top one-hit wonders. But two-hit wonders? That's a much trickier task, and Chris Dalla Riva has taken it on at the Can't Get Much Higher newsletter. "Two-hit artists sit in a weird space," he explains. The ranking...

A Familiar Chime Joins Our 'Nation's Playlist'

Also added to National Recording Registry: Tracy Chapman, Hamilton , Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On'

(Newser) - The Microsoft Windows 95 startup chime, a sound intended to convey "welcome, hopefulness and progress," has officially become one of "the sounds of America." The rather lengthy chime has been added to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry, along with 24 other titles, bringing the...

Napster Just Sold for $207M
Napster Just Sold for $207M
Mar 26, 2025 11:10 AM CDT

Napster Just Sold for $207M

Tech startup hopes to transform the service once known for music piracy into a social music platform

(Newser) - A brand that was notoriously connected to music piracy before reemerging as a subscription music service has been sold to Infinite Reality for $207 million. The tech startup announced Tuesday it had bought Napster in hopes of transforming the streaming service into a social music platform where artists can connect...

R. Kelly: 'I've Written Like 25 Albums' in Prison

Rapper serving 30-year sentence sings on podcast, says bursting out in song is his 'uncurable' disease

(Newser) - From the J6 Prison Choir's songwriting to Sam Bankman-Fried's chess play , it sounds like our most headline-making prisoners are finding ways to stay entertained while behind bars. R. Kelly has emerged as the latest incarcerated Renaissance man, revealing that he's been spending his free time in North...

King Charles Reveals His Playlist
Get Ready for
DJ King Charles
Mar 7, 2025 11:47 AM CST

Get Ready for DJ King Charles

Monarch celebrates Commonwealth Day with his playlist of favorite songs via Apple Music

(Newser) - Watch out, Barack —Chuck now has his own playlist to recommend to the masses. Commonwealth Day is on Monday, and the British monarch decided to celebrate in advance by revealing the tunes he's got on loop, reports the Guardian . Apple Music on Friday introduced The King's Music ...

Some of UK's Biggest Musicians Release Silent Album

It was released to protest proposed copyright law changes that benefit AI companies

(Newser) - Some of the biggest names in the British music industry have joined forces to release an album without any music. Kate Bush, Damon Albarn, and Annie Lennox are among more than 1,000 artists behind a silent album called Is This What We Want?, reports the BBC . It was released...

These Great Albums Each Claim a So-So Song

The Police's 'Mother,' from Synchronicity , tops Rolling Stone ?'s ranking as worst of the bunch

(Newser) - Much like a pitcher who screws up his perfect game in the ninth, there's nothing more frustrating than that almost-impeccable album that blows its streak with just one mediocre song—or, as Andy Greene puts it for Rolling Stone , a song that "sucks to such a profound degree...

This Year's Rock Hall Nominations Include 8 Newbies

Phish and OutKast among them

(Newser) - Mariah Carey, Chubby Checker, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast, and Phish are some the 2025 nominees for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a list that also includes two sets of musical brothers who've had public feuds and recent reunions—the Black Crowes and Oasis. The Hall revealed...

10 Songs That Define David Lynch's Musical Legacy

Late film director also left his imprint in the musical world

(Newser) - The loss of visionary filmmaker David Lynch is also felt in the world of music, where he had inextricable influence on multiple generations of artists. Lynch composed music for many of his films, collaborated with others, directed music videos, released albums, and inspired legions of creatives. Learn about his musical...

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