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A published report says Billy Joel was drinking champagne shortly before his January car crash on his native Long Island. The East Hampton Star reports that Joel told police he had had “a glass of champagne” while having dinner with two friends at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor on January 25, although he now claims not to remember the conversation. At 10:30 p.m. ET that night, Joel crashed his $100,000 Mercedes-Benz into a tree in the town, after which he spent the night in a local hospital before being discharged the following morning. Alcohol was quickly ruled out as… Read more »

In a year fraught with political turmoil, turbulence and insecurity, music fans turned to their favorite songs to take them away from many of their problems and help them come to terms with others that were impossible to escape. Whether it was Eminem rapping, “Lose yourself in the music,” or Bruce Springsteen singing, “Come on up for the rising/ Come on up, lay your hands in mine,” the messages of unity were universal. At the 45th annual Grammy Awards, held Sunday (February 23) at New York’s Madison Square Garden, apolitical hedonists and social activists alike rallied together to celebrate the… Read more »

Hilary Rosen, who led the music industry’s fight against online piracy, turning an obscure trade group into a major player in the debate over copyright protection, said Wednesday she will quit as chief executive of the Recording Industry Association of America. Rosen, who will resign by year-end after 17 years with the RIAA, led the group recently in victorious copyright infringement battles against Napster and Aimster and this week’s judgment against Verizon Communications to stem piracy on the Internet. But despite the wins on the legal front, the music industry finds itself entrenched in one of its most tumultuous periods,… Read more »

Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough’s third annual Lupus Cruise to benefit his Dorough Lupus Foundation sets sail from Miami on Sunday (December 15) for a seven-day adventure aboard the Carnival Victory. Dorough, his sister Pollyanna, and the rest of his family will be on board as the Victory visits ports in the Eastern Caribbean, including San Juan, St. Maarten, and St. Thomas. The Dorough Lupus Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization founded by Dorough and his family shortly after his sister Caroline Cochran died from the disease in 1998. Dorough explained to LAUNCH, “I unfortunately lost one of my sisters, Caroline… Read more »

Creed lead singer Scott Stapp (news) has offered his “sincere regret” to fans for the band’s recent tour-date postponements, and also announced a series of make-up dates in the cities affected. In a note sent Thursday (October 10) to fans subscribed to the group’s e-mailing list, Stapp explained that he is “suffering from acute laryngitis due to the swelling of my vocal cords” and hoped that radio stations, promoters, and “loyal fans…will understand my situation and forgive the inconvenience that this has caused them.” Creed has reshuffled its itinerary and will be back on the road starting October 16 in… Read more »

A clash with shareholders cost Thomas Middelhoff his job at the helm of media giant Bertelsmann – even though the company made money while rivals like AOL Time Warner and Vivendi ran into trouble. Not even one of the deals of the decade – reaping billions from selling a stake in AOL Europe at the height of the Internet bubble – could save Middelhoff from the same fate as Vivendi’s former chief Jean-Marie Messier and Robert Pittman, ousted as head of AOL Time Warner’s AOL division in a management shakeup. Bertelsmann said Sunday that Middelhoff was leaving due to “differing… Read more »

Eminem, Papa Roach, Xzibit, and Ludacris hit the road together beginning in Buffalo on Thursday (July 18) as part of this year’s Anger Management tour. The trek stretches through mid-September, spanning 30 dates across the continent. Others on the bill include the X-Ecutioners and D-12. Papa Roach’s Jacoby Shaddix said that his group jumped at the change to tour with Eminem ( news – web sites) this year. “You know, Eminem’s manager was like, ‘Who do you want to go tour with?’ He’s like, ‘Man, is Papa Roach available?’ So they call us and I’m like, ‘Yes! We will tour,… Read more »

Michael Jackson’s surprise attack on Sony Music as racist has grabbed headlines, but many in the music industry have turned a deaf ear – suspecting the pop star has been motivated by self-interest rather than a concern for civil rights. Jackson, under contract with Sony until 2004 and among the highest-paid pop stars of all time, appears to be trying to pressure Sony into breaking the deal so he can exit with his valuable trove of master recordings, industry sources said. They say Jackson’s assault was prompted mostly by anger at Sony for the poor showing of his latest album,… Read more »

311 are about to get the remix treatment from underground / hip hop production team Teargas and Plateglass. Teargas & Plateglass will add their signature dark ambient dub vibe to the track “Amber” and according to the duo, “take it very very down”. Alternative rock act 311 formed in 1990 and by 1995 had sold 3 million copies of their “Blue” album. “Amber” is from their new album “From Chaos”. Teargas and Plateglass are known for their series of remixes for a bizarre and disjointed list of artists who commissioned their services for a sound falling somewhere between the dope… Read more »

Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, the effervescent, sometimes volatile rapping member of the Grammy-winning trio TLC, was killed in a car crash in Honduras, her record company said early Friday. Lopes, who would have turned 31 next month, was in the Central American nation for a vacation, Arista Records’ senior vice president of publicity Laura Swanson told The Associated Press. Lopes was reportedly among seven people in the car Thursday night and the only fatality. “No words can possibly express the sorrow and sadness I feel for this most devastating loss,” said Arista president L.A. Reid, who helped shape the career… Read more »