Neil Diamond 50th Anniversary Collection Announced

UME and CMG today announced the March 31st worldwide release of Neil Diamond 50 - The 50^th Anniversary Collection, a 3 CD Anniversary set whose announcement coincides with the legendary entertainer's birthday. This upcoming celebratory music package marks the 50 ^th anniversary of the iconic, Grammy Award-winning and Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame member's first hit "Solitary Man," that began his trajectory as a legendary songwriter, prolific musician and celebrated performer with a time span that has now marked five decades and counting. To commemorate this anniversary, Diamond will kick off the celebration with a recently announced 50 date U.S. tour that begins this April and newly announced U.K. and European dates to coincide with the anniversary CD release.

The exclusive tour/collector's edition 3 CD package includes 50 songs that range 50 years in Diamond's career. Under the supervision of Diamond, the forthcoming anniversary set will include his own handpicked songs and a carefully curated booklet with new liner notes.

 

Throughout an illustrious and wide-ranging musical career, Neil Diamond has sold over 130 million albums worldwide and has dominated the charts for more than five decades with 37 Top 40 singles and 16 Top 10 albums. He has achieved record sales with 40 Gold albums, 21 Platinum albums and 11 multi-platinum albums.

Lady Gaga Announces "Joanne" Album

Six time Grammy award winner Lady Gaga will release her much anticipated fifth studio album, Joanne, on Friday, October 21st. The first single, “Perfect Illusion” recently debuted at #1 on iTunes in 60 countries. Just a week after its release, “Perfect Illusion” has soared on radio, becoming the #1 most added song on Pop with 170 adds and the #1 most added song on Hot AC with 75 adds. Throughout her career, Lady Gaga has amassed an outstanding 30 million global album sales and 150 million single sales.

Lady Gaga announced the release date on air with Zane Lowe on Beats 1. Listen to her exclusive interview here;

Meatloaf's New "Speaking in Tongues" tune- Listen

Once again, Meat Loaf is showing his softer side with his powerful new tune, “Speaking in Tongues,” listen above, which EW recently premiered. The track is the second single from the rocker’s upcoming album, Braver Than We Are, which releases September 16.

Backed by piano and gospel singers, Meat Loaf delivers an anthemic mid-tempo performance that starts sparse but grows into a booming chorus with help from vocalist Stacey Michelle. The track was written by Meat Loaf’s longtime collaborator Jim Steinman, who helped write the singer’s massively successful Bat Out of Hell albums. “Jimmy had a piece of this that I’ve been listening to it for six years, and I’ve been bugging him like crazy to finish the song,” Meat Loaf said in a statement to EW. “Right before we finished the record, he finally did. The melodies are spectacular. And Stacy Michelle’s vocal part is beyond. I said to her, ‘Do a Merry Clayton vibe, like on the Stones’ “Gimme Shelter”,’ and she gave it to me.” The track is a bit of a shift from Meat Loaf’s forceful, grandiose lead single from the record, “Going All the Way,” which he released back in June.

"Empty" from Garbage- LISTEN

Listen to the first single “Empty” off of Garbage’s sixth studio album Strange Little Birds, out June 10th 2016.

Enjoy, from B&T!

NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol 58 Announced

The world’s best-selling, multi-artist album series, NOW That’s What I Call Music! has gathered

today’s biggest hits for NOW That’s What I Call Music! Vol. 58, to be released April 29, 2016 by the Universal Music Group.

NOW That’s What I Call Music! Vol. 58 features 16 major current hits from today’s hottest artists, including The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Zayn, Selena Gomez, Kelly Clarkson, Ellie Goulding, The Chainsmokers w/Rozes, G-Eazy x Bebe Rexha, Bryson Tiller, DJ Snake w/Bipolar Sunshine, Alessia Cara, Robin Schulz w/Francesco Yates, Troye Sivan, James Bay, and Rachel Platten, plus six free up-and-coming “NOW What’s Next” New Music Preview tracks.

Each numeric NOW release features "NOW What's Next" bonus tracks, previewing tomorrow's biggest hits. NOW 58 showcases hot new tracks from Andrew Grant, Bibi Bourelly, That Poppy, Phoebe Ryan, Jodie Abacus, and Chris Lane.

As previously announced, NOW That’s What I Call Music! will also release NOW That's What I Call Broadway! on April 29. NOW’s first collection celebrating Broadway’s best features 18 top original cast recordings from many of the Great White Way’s most legendary shows.

Joe Bonamassa Reveals "Blues of Desperation" CD Plans

Grammy-nominated blues-rock guitar icon Joe Bonamassa announces his brand-new studio solo album. Blues of Desperation (J&R Adventures/Universal Music), which will be released March 25, 2016. Like his previous solo disc, 2014’s Top 10 Billboard hit Different Shades of Blue, this record features all-original material, and it sees the maverick superstar guitarist, singer and songwriter tossing away the rule book as he continues to reinvent and redefine the blues-rock genre like no other artist working today.

“I want people to hear my evolution as a blues-rock musician,” says Bonamassa, “somebody who isn’t resting on accomplishments and who is always pushing forward and thinking about how music can evolve and stay relevant.”

The writing sessions for Blues of Desperation took Bonamassa back to Nashville, where he’d composed Different Shades of Blue, to work with some of Music City’s top tunesmiths, people like James House, Tom Hambridge, Jeffrey Steele, Jerry Flowers and Gary Nicholson.

“These are some of the best guys in the business,” Bonamassa raves. “Lyrically, you’ll hear the proverbial trains, mountains, valleys and other blues references about heartbreak and loneliness but there are also some poignant moments about getting away from the stressful, crazy demands of life and losing yourself with your special someone. I think anybody will be able to relate.”

NOW That's What I Call Rock! CD Announced

NOW That's What I Call Rock!, the latest installment in the massively popular NOW multi-artist Friday, January 22, 2016 from Universal Music Group and their joint venture with Sony Music Entertainment. .  The new NOW Rock collection gives music fans the opportunity to enjoy a carefully curated eclectic selection of chart-topping best-selling hits. The anthology brings together a variety of acts spanning the spectrum of contemporary rock music to create an all-encompassing listening experience. NOW Rock offers something for every rock music fan, from alternative to hard rock, providing a panoramic view of the current rock soundscape.

hits anthology series, will be released on

NOW Rock also includes a new installment of NOW's enormously-popular "What's Next" developing artist initiative, debuting up-and-coming new artists who represent the future of the rock genre. First launched as a bonus feature on NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol. 32, NOW's "What's Next" has introduced a number of major developing artists to the NOW audience with proven successes including Walk The Moon, Hot Chelle Rae, Hunter Hayes, Capitol Cities, A Great Big World, Shawn Mendes and others.

IL Classic Rockers, CHEAP TRICK, Sign with Big Machine Records for New "Bang Zoom Crazy... Hello"

Celebrating a long-anticipated induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cheap Trick today also announces an

exclusive new deal with leading global independent record label Big Machine Records (Taylor Swift, Steven Tyler, Tim McGraw). The legendary band is currently hard at work finishing their Big Machine debut album titled Bang Zoom Crazy… Hello, slated for release on April 1, 2016 and distributed by Universal Music Group.   Produced by GRAMMY-winning producer Julian Raymond, the project marks Cheap Trick’s 17^th studio album and first in more than five years.

“We can't thank the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame enough for honoring Cheap Trick. Thanks to all the fans who have supported us for all these years and to the Hall of Fame members who cast their votes. We are excited,” said Cheap Trick bass guitarist Tom Petersson. 

“Coinciding with their entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I am beyond proud and excited to announce that Cheap Trick are the newest members of the Big Machine Records family,” said Big Machine Label Group President and CEO Scott Borchetta.  “As a band, they’ve never stopped rock’n the free world and they play every night with as much conviction as their first power-pop-punk club shows from the mid ’70’s. I can’t wait for Cheap Trick fans everywhere to have the new album.”

Adele Announces Release of "25" Album, Reveals New Song!

Adele has confirmed the release of her third studio album, 25, likely the most anticipated music release of 2015.   25, the follow-up to her 2011 blockbuster 21, will be out on November 20, 2015 via Universal Music,  she revealed this week. 

It was a busy week for the secretive superstar, who previewed a new song during the UK X Factor on Sunday, then shared a note to fans about the new album this past Wednesday morning.  "25 is about getting to know who I've become without realising,” she wrote. “And I'm sorry it took so long, but you know, life happened."

Elvis Costello Memoir and Companion Album Release News

Elvis Costello has compiled a 38-track, 2-CD set 'Unfaithful Music & Soundtrack Album' (UMe, October 9 release) as a companion to his memoir "Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink" (Blue Rider Press/Penguin Random House, October 13th).

Costello has chosen songs that offer the deepest emotional connection to the themes and stories in his book. The set includes both hits and rarities including two previously-unreleased titles: "April 5th", written and recorded with Rosanne Cash, Kris Kristofferson and John Leventhal - and one of Costello's earliest solo recordings, "I Can't Turn It Off," from 1975.

The collection also features three exclusive "audio book sketches" that do not appear in the published memoir. and a twenty eight page booklet providing the complete lyrics and many unseen photographs, several of them from the MacManus family album.

THE WEEKND Announces "Beauty Behind the Madness" Release for August 28

Grammy Award-nominated multi-platinum alternative R&B trailblazer THE WEEKND has announced that he will release his anxiously awaited third full-length offering, “Beauty Behind The Madness” via XO/Republic Records on Friday, August 28, 2015.  The album has been one of the most anticipated albums of 2015.

 

2015 has already been a breakout year for THE WEEKND with three tracks currently in the Top 25 of the Billboard Hot 100. The album’s first official single “Can’t Feel My Face” currently sits at #6 while previously released tracks “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)” and “The Hills” sit at #16 and #23, respectively. “Can’t Feel My Face” continues to remain a fixture in the Top 5 of iTunes Overall Top Songs Chart and it has hit #1 on the iTunes R&B/Soul chart as well as #1 on Shazam USA and Spotify USA chart. “Can’t Feel My Face” is also seeing huge global success with the track debuting Top 5 in over 33 markets including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark and Poland. Written by THE WEEKND and co-produced by pop powerhouse Max Martin, it’s no surprise that the track is already being hailed as the best song of 2015 by outlets like USA Today and Radio.com. The official music video to the track will also debut in the coming weeks. Listen to the tune below, from Baker & Taylor.

The Who's Pete Townshend Talks with Baker & Taylor About His New "Classic Quadrophenia" Release

It’s a rare event to pose questions to the great Pete Townshend - one of the world’s greatest living songwriters and a sea-change musical visionary. Pete is very enthused to release his classic rock opera, Quadrophenia, finally in a classical and operatic form, on June 9, 2015, and he graced Baker & Taylor with an illuminating, personal interview. Without further introduction, we present Pete’s feedback (of the written kind) on Pete Townshend’s Classic Quadrophenia.
B&T: What would you tell a customer in a music store or library that would encourage them to pick up Pete Townshend’s Classic Quadrophenia?

Pete: This is a modern opera, or cantata – the story is one that we have all lived through. It will connect because the story is so simple. It’s about a few very difficult days in the life of a young person. We’ve all been there. What is unusual in this case perhaps is that the hero’s difficulty becomes a conduit for an explosion of passion, sexual frustration, anger and awkward love. My music seems to be especially good at expressing all this, and The Who band members were great at performing it. Audiences respond according to their ability (or need) to reconnect with this part of their growing up. Or, they might simply look back sadly or fondly to the way they got through it all. In literature there are many examples of this kind of inconclusive story. Catcher in the Rye is maybe the most well-known. This orchestral version unlocks an entire range of new shades in this tale of teenage struggle.

Luke Bryan Reveals "Kill the Lights" Album News

        Luke Bryan appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show today and announced the news of his next album, KILL THE LIGHTS, will release on Friday, August 7th. Luke also performed the first single from the album, “Kick The Dust Up,” which debuted at country radio today. Tonight he will perform the single on the season finale of The Voice.

Reigning CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year

“We’ve been performing the new song on tour this spring, using it to open the shows,” shares Luke. “We love the crowd reaction to it and I cannot wait to be able to share more new music this summer. It’s been two years since we’ve had a new album and I don’t think I’ve been this eager yet to get it out to the fans.”

Luke will perform on Good Morning America on album release day, August 7th, as part of their 2015 Summer Concert Series at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park, home of the SummerStage.

Mumford & Sons Announce Details for Their Album

Mumford & Sons have today announces the details of their forthcoming third album, Wilder

Mind. Wilder Mind will be released in North America through Glassnote Records on May 4, 
2015. It is produced by James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, HAIM, Florence & The Machine) and features twelve new tracks, written collaboratively by the band in London, Brooklyn, and Texas.

A number of the new songs were written and demoed at Aaron Dessner’s (The National) garage studios in Brooklyn. The band also returned to Eastcote Studios in London, where they recorded Sigh No More, for further writing and demo sessions. The album was recorded at AIR studios in London.

NOW That's What I Call Music ! 53 and NOW That's What I Call Movies Announced

The world's best-selling, multi-artist album series, NOW That's What I Call Music!, is proud to announce all of the major hits selected for NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol. 53, to be released February 3. Also released that day is NOW That's What I Call Movies.

NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol. 53 features 16 major current chart hits from today's hottest artists, including Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, Meghan Trainor, Maroon 5, Ed Sheeran, Tove Lo, Ariana Grande & The Weeknd, Sam Smith, One Direction, Selena Gomez, Jason Derulo, Iggy Azalea feat. MO, Usher feat. Juicy J, Charli XCX, Mr. Probz, Calvin Harris feat. John Newman, and Coldplay, plus five up-and-coming "NOW What's Next" New Music Preview tracks.

The "NOW What's Next" bonus track program featured on each numeric NOW release continues to preview hot new artists with tomorrow's biggest hits. NOW 53 showcases up and coming tracks from Walk The Moon, Fancy Reagan, Zara Larsson, Danny Mercer, and Jack + Eliza.