There certainly were a lot of big things happening in music in 2024. Here's a roundup of some of the other music stories that made headlines this year:
- The four members of R.E.M. – Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck and Bill Berry – reunited for a performance of their 1991 hit "Losing My Religion" at their induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York. It was the first time all four members performed together since 1995. Also inducted into the Hall of Fame that night was Steely Dan's Donald Fagen and the late Walter Becker.
- After postponing their 2023 Peace Out tour when frontman Steven Tyler fractured his larynx onstage, Aerosmith rescheduled the tour — only to cancel it in August, one month before it was to start up again. Not only that, they announced their retirement from the road for good, citing Tyler’s continued vocal issues.
- Also announcing their retirement were Jeff Lynne’s ELO, noting their 2023 Over and Out Tour would be their last, and REO Speedwagon, who cited “irreconcilable differences” between the band’s only two remaining original members, frontman Kevin Cronin and bassist and vocalist Bruce Hall.
- There were a lot of big catalog sales this year, including KISS, who made a deal with Pophouse, the Swedish company behind ABBA's London hologram show, Voyage. Reports claimed the deal was worth $300 million. Queen also reportedly sold their catalog to Sony, in a deal said to be worth $1.27 billion.
- Speaking of Queen, in September guitarist Brian May revealed he was recovering from a “minor stroke” that left him without the use of his left arm, putting his ability to play guitar in doubt. By the time he made his announcement he had already been improving.
- The Zombies’ Rod Argent announced his retirement from touring after suffering a stroke. It prompted the band to cancel all their planned shows for 2024.
- Journey members Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain were in a court battle over the band’s finances. Cain sued over what he claimed was Schon’s overspending and requested the court appoint a third party to the board of their company to settle their disagreements. Schon called the accusations “absolute rubbish.” In the end they settled the dispute and agreed to hire a third director of their company.
- The Guess Who founding singer Burton Cummings and guitarist Randy Bachman settled the lawsuit they filed against original members Jim Kale and Garry Peterson in October 2023, accusing them of tricking fans into thinking Cummings and Bachman were still performing with the group, when they were actually getting a "cover band." The settlement resulted in Cummings and Bachman acquiring the trademark for the name The Guess Who.
- Don Henley took the stand in the trial of three men charged with conspiracy involving nearly 100 pages of his handwritten notes and lyrics for the Eagles album Hotel California. In the end, the case was dismissed by a judge due to Henley's lawyers' "jarringly late" disclosure of thousands of pages of material.
- Speaking of the Eagles, they wrapped the Long Goodbye tour but it didn’t keep them off the stage. They kicked off a residency at the Las Vegas Sphere in September. Also launching a residency at the Sphere was Dead & Company, who just announced a second residency in 2025.
- And Lenny Kravitz, who dropped the new album Blue Electric Light this year, went viral with a video of him lifting weights in boots, a mesh shirt, leather pants and sunglasses.
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