All stories by Jem Aswad on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

BMG Launches ‘Punk Rock Girl,’ Its First Musical in the U.S. (EXCLUSIVE) by Jem Aswad

BMG is ramping up its development of new stage musicals in both the U.S., with its first production “Punk Rock Girl!,” and in Germany, following the successful run of its first musical, …

SOURCE: Variety at 09:25AM
Monday, October 18, 2021

David Byrne’s ‘American Utopia’ Returns, Like Many of Us, Tempered by the Pandemic: Theater Review by Jem Aswad

While it’s a pretty small problem in the context of the larger challenges presented by the return of live music, how a performer addresses the pandemic during a performance is no small mat…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:57AM
Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Bruce Springsteen’s Manager Jon Landau Talks ‘Broadway’ Return, COVID Protocol and Cutting ‘Born to Run’ From the Set by Jem Aswad

Many people were surprised that, after an initial 14-ish-month-long run and 236 performances, Bruce Springsteen is bringing his “Springsteen on Broadway” autobiographical show back for a…

SOURCE: Variety at 06:13PM
Sunday, June 27, 2021

The Boss Mists Up During ‘Springsteen on Broadway’ Re-Opening Night: Concert Review by Jem Aswad

It goes without saying that a lot has happened since “Springsteen on Broadway” finished its first run on December 15, 2018. And although most theaters remained closed on this sultry summ…

SOURCE: Variety at 08:55AM
Monday, June 21, 2021

Endeavor’s Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro Resigned From Live Nation Board Over Antitrust Concerns, DOJ Says by Jem Aswad

More than two weeks after Ariel Emanuel stepped down as a Live Nation board member after 14 years, the Department of Justice announced that he and fellow top Endeavor officer Mark Shapiro re…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:26PM

Foo Fighters Re-Open Madison Square Garden With Roaring Three-Hour Set — and Dave Chappelle: Concert Review by Jem Aswad

It didn’t take long for the enormity of the moment to sink in. Just moments after Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl led the band into “Times Like These” at New York’s Madison Square G…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:26PM
Thursday, June 10, 2021

Bruce Springsteen Talks ‘Broadway’ Return, New Music With Killers and John Mellencamp, and 2022 Tour? by Jem Aswad

Bruce Springsteen is getting back to work this summer, playing a big role in Broadway’s return by bringing back his $108-million-grossing “Springsteen on Broadway” for the entire summe…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:09PM
Thursday, June 3, 2021

Patti Smith, George Clinton, ‘Summer of Soul,’ Many More Headline New York’s SummerStage 2021 Season Lineup by Jem Aswad

New York’s City Parks Foundation returns to live, in-person performances this summer with the announcement of the shows planned for the 2021 season of Capital One City Parks Foundation Sum…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:39PM

New Venue Brooklyn Made to Present Jeff Tweedy, Steve Earle, Guided by Voices, Many More by Jem Aswad

Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy will be the first performer at Brooklyn Made, a new, 500-capacity music venue opening in the borough’s Bushwick neighborhood this fall. Tweedy will open the clu…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:59PM
Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Alanis Morissette Unveils New Dates for ‘Jagged Little Pill’ 25th Anniversary Tour by Jem Aswad

Seven-time Grammy winning singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette has unveiled new tour dates for her 2021-2022 world tour to celebrate 25 years of her groundbreaking “Jagged Little Pill” a…

SOURCE: Variety at 06:52PM
Wednesday, May 26, 2021

SBA Says ‘Save Our Stages’ Funding Approval Notices Are Being Sent to Indie Venues — But No Money Yet by Jem Aswad

UPDATED: The Small Business Administration stated Wednesday that notices of approved relief money from the $16 billion Save Our Stages act — which was passed into law nearly five months ag…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:37PM
Monday, May 24, 2021

BTS Announce Two-Day Event Next Month, ‘Muster Sowoozoo’ by Jem Aswad

BTS, who are back with another smash single, “Butter,” announced the online live-streaming event “BTS 2021 Muster Sowoozoo,” to be held in celebration of the eighth anniversary of B…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:45PM

Five Months After ‘Save Our Stages’ Became Law, Indie Venues Have Received $0 in Federal Relief by Jem Aswad

$0: That’s how much money the Small Business Administration has paid independent venues since Save Our Stages Act — which guarantees independent venues and theaters $16 billion in federa…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:45PM

The 80 Best Bob Dylan Covers by Jem Aswad

How is it that the most idiosyncratic major songwriter of our lifetimes also came to be the most covered? The Bob Dylan may be full of songs that are personal, peculiar and sometimes inscrut…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:45PM
Friday, May 7, 2021

Live Nation Weathers Rough Quarter as Concert Business Slowly Rumbles Back to Life by Jem Aswad

UPDATED: While tours and festivals for later this year are being announced every day and Live Nation’s stock recently reached an all-time high based on the concert industry’s anticipated…

SOURCE: Variety at 06:35AM
Thursday, May 6, 2021

Songs for Screens: How Foo Fighters’ Ram Trucks Commercial Came to Be by Jem Aswad

In February, Stellantis’ Global Chief Marketing Officer Olivier Francois fulfilled a decade-long pursuit of working with Bruce Springsteen with a Super Bowl spot for Jeep, marking the firs…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:10AM
Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Indie Venues Grow Desperate as #SaveOurStages Grant Applications Move Slowly Through SBA by Jem Aswad

The struggle that independent music venues have been undergoing for the past 14 months has gone on for so long that even supporters have begun to grow numb to it — but the reality is that …

SOURCE: Variety at 01:41PM
Saturday, May 1, 2021

Grammy Awards Eliminate ‘Secret’ Nominating Committees by Jem Aswad

The Recording Academy announced today that it has made significant changes to the Grammy Awards process — including the elimination of nearly all of the controversial “secret” nomina…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:30AM
Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino Gave Up His Salary For Less Than Two Months in 2020, Earned $1.89 Million by Jem Aswad

While multiple outlets, including Variety, reported last April that Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino was foregoing his $3 million salary for all of 2020 due to the pandemic and its devastating…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:03PM

Downtown Sells All Copyrights to Concord in $300 Million-Plus Deal, Will Focus on Music Services by Jem Aswad

In the latest blockbuster music-catalog deal, Downtown has sold its 145,000 owned and co-published copyrights to an affiliate of the Concord music company. Included in the deal are songs pop…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:06PM

Music Industry Moves: The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas Signs With Concord Publishing; SoundCloud Names Drew Wilson COO-CFO by Jem Aswad

Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas has signed a worldwide publishing agreement with Concord Music Publishing, covering his past and future solo works (including his 2013 song with Daft Pun…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:06PM

Downtown Lays Off Unspecified Number of Nashville Staffers After Concord Acquisition by Jem Aswad

Just days after Downtown Music sold nearly 150,000 publishing copyrights to Concord, the company has laid off an unspecified number of staffers in its Nashville office.  Among the affected …

SOURCE: Variety at 07:05PM
Tuesday, April 27, 2021

SBA Venue-Relief Website Receives More Than 17,000 Applications in First 24 Hours by Jem Aswad

We’ve been reluctant to jinx it, but after a disastrous non-launch earlier this month, the website for the Small Business Administration’s Shuttered Venue Relief Grant (SVOG) was up and …

SOURCE: Variety at 05:15PM

Benjamin Blank Named President of Warner Music’s New Advertising and Creative Content Division by Jem Aswad

WEA, the Label and Artist Services division of Warner Music Group, today announced that Benjamin Blank has been named president of media, a newly created position. In this role, Blank will l…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:15PM
Friday, April 23, 2021

SBA’s Shuttered Venue Website Reopening Moved to Monday by Jem Aswad

UPDATED: More than four months after the $16 billion #SignOurStages act was signed into law, and more than two weeks after the website through which venues could apply for federal aid launch…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:20PM
Wednesday, April 14, 2021

NFT Raises $200,000 for ‘Save Our Stages’ With Support From Shawn Mendes, Tove Lo; Next Round Starts Friday by Jem Aswad

After an NFT fundraiser for independent venues raised more than $200,000 last week, Goldflyer and the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) have announced the second round. Top NFT m…

SOURCE: Variety at 03:41PM
Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Live Nation and Veeps to Set Up 60+ Major Venues for Livestreaming by Jem Aswad

In a move that shows livestreaming will be a part of the concert experience even in a post-pandemic word, Live Nation Entertainment, the world’s largest live-entertainment company, and Vee…

SOURCE: Variety at 03:41PM
Monday, April 12, 2021

New York’s SummerStage Announces Return to In-Person Concerts This Summer by Jem Aswad

New York’s SummerStage concert series has announced plans to return to live, in-person concerts and performances at outdoor venues this summer. According to the announcement, “Pending ad…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:56PM

Songwriter Fund for Pandemic Relief Accepting Applications April 28 by Jem Aswad

Over the past pandemic-stricken year, multiple charities and assistance programs have stepped forward for segments of the music industry, from MusiCares to Save Our Stages and Crew Nation. W…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:13PM
Wednesday, March 31, 2021

UnitedMasters Announces $50 Million Series B Investment Led by Apple by Jem Aswad

UnitedMasters, a music distribution platform for independent artists founded by industry veteran Steve Stoute, announced a $50 million Series B investment led by Apple with follow-on investm…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:26AM
Monday, March 29, 2021

Senator Chuck Schumer Details Federal Relief Plan for Independent Venues by Jem Aswad

For the second time in just over six months, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer stood at a nightclub in his home borough of Brooklyn and stumped for independent music venues. Where last …

SOURCE: Variety at 09:20PM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards