music industry

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Foo Fighters: McCain's Not Our 'Hero'

Band complains that candidate is using song without permission

(Newser) - When it comes to the “rock music” the kids are so into these days, John McCain just can’t catch a break. Joining an increasingly long line of ticked-off rockers, the Foo Fighters are accusing the candidate of using their song “My Hero” without permission, Wired reports. "...

Rockers Form Group to Fight for Rights

Coalition aims to give UK bards more control over copyright

(Newser) - Dozens of British rock stars have joined together to form an organization that seeks more control over the music they create, the Guardian reports. The manifesto of the Featured Artists' Coalition calls for bands to have much more say over copyright—one of the issues that spurred founding members Radiohead...

Plant Caves; Led Zep Will Tour
 Plant Caves; Led Zep Will Tour 
Sep 26, 2008 10:01 AM CDT

Plant Caves; Led Zep Will Tour

(Newser) - Rock legend Robert Plant has finally agreed to participate in a Led Zeppelin reunion tour with guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones, and late drummer John Bonham's son Jason, the Sun reports. His bandmates had been rehearsing with stand-in singers.

MySpace Elbows iTunes With New Music Service

Rival launches today

(Newser) - Apple’s iTunes meets its first serious challenge today with the launch of MySpace Music, CNET reports. The second-largest online social network has joined forces with Amazon and the world’s four biggest record labels to offer free streaming and paid downloads. The move also pitches media mogul and MySpace...

Motown Great Norman Whitfield Dies
Motown Great Norman Whitfield Dies
obituary
Sep 18, 2008 10:24 AM CDT

Motown Great Norman Whitfield Dies

Grammy-winner who wrote 'Heard it Through the Grapevine' was 67

(Newser) - Norman Whitfield, the visionary producer who helped shape the Motown era, has died at 67 from diabetes complications, the Los Angeles Times reports. Whitfield produced most of the Temptations’ recordings, and co-wrote dozens of Motown standouts, including Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard it Through the Grapevine.” It was...

Twist Is Top All-Time Hit
 Twist Is Top All-Time Hit 
Sep 12, 2008 3:12 PM CDT

Twist Is Top All-Time Hit

Billboard's top songs of past 50 years including other twists, like no Elvis in top 10

(Newser) - Billboard has produced its definitive list of the top 100 songs of the past 50 years—and it's full of surprises. One is that neither Elvis nor the Beatles made the top five. They were beaten out by Santana, Bobby Darin, and even Los Del Rio's Macarena. Another twist—Chubby...

Labels Flee iTunes to Push Album Sales

Record execs dislike Apple's singles-friendly policy

(Newser) - Record labels have begun yanking their artists’ work from the iTunes, reports the Wall Street Journal, saying they can make more money selling intact albums than 99-cent singles downloads. Last year Atlantic Records kept Kid Rock's Rock 'n Roll Jesus album off the online shelves; when that album sold a...

Timberlake, Spears Plan Duet
 Timberlake,
 Spears
 Plan Duet
Aug 21, 2008 11:18 AM CDT

Timberlake, Spears Plan Duet

Long-awaited duet may finally be recorded

(Newser) - The long-awaited duet between Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake may finally see the light of day. The New York Post reports that the former teeny-bopper couple will collaborate on a track for Spears’ next album, due out at the end of '08. It's the second go-round for the duo: Timberlake...

Ringback Tones a Goldmine
 Ringback Tones a Goldmine
Aug 20, 2008 9:39 PM CDT

Ringback Tones a Goldmine

Sales expected to triple, to $4.7B, by 2012, new report says

(Newser) - Ringback tones—the music callers hear while waiting for the party they’re calling to answer the phone—are sounding less like Justin Timberlake and more like a cash register to wireless providers. Sales of ringback tones should triple to $4.7 billion by 2012, CNET reports. That’s almost...

Music Giant Jerry Wexler Dead at 91

(Newser) - Jerry Wexler, a music industry giant who coined the term "rhythm and blues" and worked to bring black popular music into the mainstream, died today at age 91, the New York Times reports. Wexler, a producer at Atlantic Records in its heyday, worked with new artists such as Aretha...

Sony Bolsters Bet on Music Industry

Potential new deals behind $900M buyout of partner Bertelsmann

(Newser) - Sony will buy out Bertelsmann AG’s half-share of the Sony BMG music venture for $900 million, the Wall Street Journal reports—a significant bet in an industry that has seen little good news recently. Though sales of recorded music are down, Sony’s other ventures—its own consumer-electronics franchises,...

Music Biz Can't Dodge Piracy: Study
Music Biz
Can't Dodge Piracy: Study
Aug 4, 2008 12:04 PM CDT

Music Biz Can't Dodge Piracy: Study

It's time to embrace 'incredibly popular' sites, say authors

(Newser) - Offering fans cheap online access to music doesn't make a dent in illegal downloads, a new study of Radiohead’s latest album shows. Although In Rainbows was released online for whatever fans wanted to pay, it was illegally downloaded millions of times, reports the Financial Times. The study advocates accepting...

Secret of Chris Brown Hit: It's Really a Gum Commercial

'Forever' is pop-song take on Doublemint jingle

(Newser) - Singer Chris Brown’s hit “Forever” has a trick up its sleeve: It’s actually part of a marketing campaign for Wrigley’s Doublemint gum. The top-10 song contains the lyric "Double your pleasure/double your fun" for good reason, which Wrigley will reveal tomorow. The company paid Brown...

Rock Video Games Compete for Top Acts

Guitar Hero, Rockband become major music markets

(Newser) - Aerosmith didn’t release an album in July, but still had their best sales week ever thanks to Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, which bowed to a cool $25 million. Video games have become music’s hottest market, Rolling Stone reports: Rock Band and Guitar Hero are battling for top acts, and...

Love Sued Over Nirvana Catalog

Company claims Cobain's widow broke verbal contract

(Newser) - Business firm London & Co. sued Kurt Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, for $975,000 yesterday, claiming she didn’t give them their share of the $19.5 million she earned from selling part of Nirvana's publishing catalog. They allege Love broke a verbal contract to share 5% of profits from...

Country Fans to Crossover Simpson: Cross Back

'No twang' in singer's country tunes

(Newser) - Struggling pop star Jessica Simpson’s country crossover got off to a rocky start Saturday when her debut performance at Wisconsin’s Country Thunder Festival drew a decidedly mixed reaction from the crowd, the Kenosha News reports. "I just don't hear the country in her; I don't hear the...

How Piracy Can Boost Business
 How Piracy Can Boost Business
analysis
Jul 19, 2008 11:03 AM CDT

How Piracy Can Boost Business

Companies should copy, buy out, and study intellectual thieves

(Newser) - Intellectual piracy is bad for business, yes, but also inevitable—and companies fare better when turning it to their advantage, the Economist reports. The large (and illegal) volume of music and video exchanged online, for example, can reveal who’s popular in which countries. And Microsoft, which officially battles piracy,...

Brit Cuts New Album; Madge Touts K-Fed Reunion

Manager sez Spears spending summer in studio

(Newser) - Britney Spears is busy rebounding from her yearlong downward spiral by working on a new album, her label says, while Madonna is said to be lobbying Britney and Kevin Federline to put in a live "reunion" appearance on her upcoming tour, the Sun reports. And if that's not enough,...

Hottest Digital Music Sites
 Hottest Digital Music Sites 
Jul 9, 2008 12:22 PM CDT

Hottest Digital Music Sites

Wired listens up so you don't have to

(Newser) - The Wired Listening Post blog names its favorite digital music websites based on how they benefit music fans, as well as their impact on the industry.
  1. Imeem: for music embedding
  2. IVideoSongs: for guitar lessons
  3. Omnifone: unlimited access on the go
  4. Mog: for music blogs
  5. Muxtape: create MP3 mix "tapes"
...

As Digital Gains, Album Sales Plunge 11%

Music biz turmoil as CDs plummet

(Newser) - CDs continue to go the way of the 8-track, losing further ground to digital music. Another big drop in CD sales is being driven by the closure of Virgin stores and reduced shelf space at outlets like Target. CD sales are off 16% over the last 12 months and total...

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