Kanye West’s ‘Yeezus’ unlikely to match Justin Timberlake’s sales

Forecasters expect the new dad’s album to sell 500,000 copies in its first week.

Florida Georgia Line’s meteoric rise continues

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Florida Georgia Line already had a chart-topping country hit with “Cruise” when rapper Nelly got hold of it and helped transform it into a crossover smash.

The two acts teamed to close the CMT Music Awards on June 5 with a pyro-filled …

Demi Lovato’s music much matured on latest release

NEW YORK — Before achieving back-to-back radio hits with “Give Your Heart a Break” and “Heart Attack,” Demi Lovato wondered why she had yet to find her breakthrough on the radio.

She knew she had a big voice, and had found success as a Disney …

City’s architecture inspires Chicago Sinfonietta’s latest program

Sure, the Chicago Sinfonietta regularly performs works by such classical standard-bearers as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Aaron Copland, but the plucky ensemble also likes to stretch beyond typical repertoire and explore the new, forgotten and ignored.

Indeed, music director Mei-Ann Chen and the orchestra were …

Local Buzz for June 7, 2013

Here is a look at music events. Suggestions include Crawpuppies’ gigs throughout Indiana.

Conner: Chicago Blues Festival celebrates heralded music road

For its 30th incarnation in the city parks, the Chicago Blues Festival is looking to its roots. Themed “Rollin’ Up the River,” the 2013 blues fest casts an eye at the music’s origins in the Mississippi Delta — and the great migration that brought so …

Muddy Waters’ home rollin’ and crumblin’ in North Kenwood

Fans still drive by to check out the vacant, foreclosed house on S. Lake Park Ave. where the blues giant lived from 1954 to 1973. The city is working to order repairs on the landmark where contemporary American blues was born. “It is a great treasure now,” says City of Chicago Cultural Historian Tim Samuelson, “even as a ruin.”

2013 Chicago Blues Festival schedule

Here is a look at what’s lined up for 2013’s Chicago Blues Festival.

Local Buzz for May 31, 2013

Here is a look at music events. Suggestions include Michael Kelsey at Front Porch Music in Valparaiso.

British pop quartet Little Mix follows the path of One Direction

The girl group won “The X Factor” in England and begins its U.S. push with a tour and album release.

Microsoft reveals Xbox One, next-generation gaming

Microsoft thinks it has the one. The company revealed the Xbox One, its next-generation entertainment console Tuesday. The console was demonstrated using voice control to switch among watching live TV, listening to music and browsing the Internet, as well as simultaneously running apps.

Chicago Opera Theater to launch 2014 season with an Ellington rarity

In announcing its 2014 season, Chicago Opera Theater continues to move in different directions from its recent past while building on its strong bond with its general director’s Southern California company. Duke Ellington’s “Queenie Pie,” inspired by the life of black entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker, will launch the season Feb. 15-23.

Ticketmaster settles rewards lawsuit for $23M

Ticketmaster has agreed to settle claims for up to $23 million over a lawsuit affecting more than a million people who, after buying a ticket online, were enrolled in a rewards program that cost $9 a month but never gave them any benefits.

Music streaming, gaming among new Google services

Google’s sixth annual conference for software developers opened Wednesday with a chance for the company to showcase the latest mobile devices running its Android software, while also unveiling other features in its evolving product line-up. Announcements include new tools for online games and a music-streaming service that will allow Android users to listen to their favorite songs and artists for a monthly fee.

Cassie Taylor, daughter of Otis, sings her own blues

Blues songstress Cassie Taylor spent years traveling the world and jamming alongside her multitalented pop, prominent Chicago-born blues artist father, Otis Taylor. Now 26, Cassie is cultivating a solo career and touring to promote a new album called “Out of My Mind.”

“I love artists …