From a distance, her four-night run of shows at Revel seemed to be functioning as an advertisement for the grand opening of the $2.4 billion casino and hotel.

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Music Review: Beyoncé’s Return to Stage Is a Return to Familiar Form

If Phillip Phillips had been craving a victory on “American Idol,” he did an outstanding job of hiding it. But on the show’s 11th season, he performed as if there were no competition.

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Critic’s Notebook: American Idol Winner Phillip Phillips Is Known for His Modesty

Mr. Gibb was the second member of this brother act, whose sound helped define the disco era, to die.

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Robin Gibb, Member of the Bee Gees, Dies at 62

For countless listeners, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, with his vocal beauty and directness, was their first guide to the art of the song.

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An Appraisal: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau’s Incomparable Voice

Mr. Fischer-Dieskau made hundreds of recordings, setting the modern standard for performances of lieder, and was called “one of the most remarkable voices in history.”

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Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Bountiful German Baritone, Dies at 86

Ms. Summer was a five-time Grammy winner who became a superstar in the 1970s with hits like “Last Dance.”

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Donna Summer, 1948-2012: Donna Summer, Queen of Disco, Dies at 63

Maná, a rock group that sings only in Spanish, has been attracting fans, both recent immigrants and others, in the United States for decades.

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Latin Pop Group Maná Draws Adoring Crowds

Bethany Cosentino is no longer hiding on the new Best Coast album “The Only Place.”

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Arts & Leisure: Bethany Cosentino With New Sound on ‘The Only Place’

Source says Music Video Awards’ time will change.

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MTV Awards Conflict With DNC

With Loudon Wainwright III’s new album as inspiration, the family Wainwright gathers to give a shared concert.

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Pop: The Wainwrights Play Town Hall

Easy to listen to. Tough to sing. Those qualities alone didn’t earn them the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, but they certainly define the music of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The duo were feted for their quietly complex pop songs Wednesday evening in the East Room of the White House, where President Obama honored the composer and lyricist for a lifetime of songwriting excellence. Read full article > >

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Bacharach serenaded with his songs at D.C. Gershwin Prize concert

Judaism and hip-hop. To some, the word association may seem odd or even contradictory. But an array of young Jewish musicians aims to change that perception. Whether Orthodox, Hasidic or Reform, hip-hop artists performing in the Washington Jewish Music Festival, running until May 21, are fusing the ancient tenets of Judaism with this relatively modern musical genre, one born of American urban culture. Read full article > >

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D.C. Jewish Music Festival has hip-hop flavor in its 13th year

Mr. Yauch, whose nom de rap was MCA, helped make the first hip-hop album to top the Billboard chart, and later became involved in championing freedom in Tibet.

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Adam Yauch, 1964-2012: Adam Yauch, a Founder of the Beastie Boys, Dies at 47

Mr. Yauch, who was one of the founders of the seminal hip-hop group the Beastie Boys, died of cancer at 47.

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ArtsBeat: Yauch, Beastie Boys Rapper Known as ‘MCA,’ Dies

Shortly after the 2012 NFL draft begins Thursday at 8 p.m., Stanford’s Andrew Luck is expected to walk across the stage at Radio City Music Hall in New York to shake hands with Commissioner Roger Goodell as the top overall selection by the Indianapolis Colts. Read full article > >

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NFL draft 2012: QBs taken first and second overall have mostly been a 50-50 proposition