Search Results for: Will Ferri

It’s not entirely official, but it looks like Justin Timberlake’s contribution to this summer’s soundtrack will be Justified’s steamy opening track, “Senorita.” “When I heard [the music] I felt this groovy summer thing,” the singer said Tuesday (May 20), beatboxing the Neptunes beat. So for the lyrics Timberlake crafted a summer tale, creating the subject in his head rather than basing it on his own life, like he did with “Cry Me a River.” “On that sunny day/ Didn’t know I’d meet,” he sings in the opening verse. “Such a beautiful girl/ Walking down the street/ Seen those bright brown… Read more »

The recording industry’s threats to take legal action against individuals involved in illegal file sharing proved not to be hollow Thursday when four college students were slapped with lawsuits. The complaints, filed in federal courts in New York, New Jersey and Michigan, claim that students Daniel Peng, Joseph Nievelt, Jesse Jordan and Aaron Sherman ran file-sharing systems that offered up more than 1 million song files in violation of copyright law. The Recording Industry Association of America, the organization that represents the copyright-holding record labels, asked that the services be disabled and for monetary damages up to $150,000 per song,… Read more »

The British Broadcasting Corp. on Friday said shots of George Michael’s backing musicians wearing anti-war T-shirts will likely be cut from a television show. Michael performed a cover of Don McLean’s anti-war song “The Grave” on BBC’s music show “Top of the Pops” on Thursday. His cellists wore T-shirts with the logo “No war, Blair out” – referring to Prime Minister Tony Blair. A BBC official said shots of the cellists’ T-shirts violate the broadcaster’s policy of impartiality and suggested they would probably be edited out of the show when it is aired Friday. “We have to conform to BBC… Read more »

Incubus filed suit against Sony Music on Thursday seeking to be released from their recording contract with Sony subsidiary Epic Records. The suit – filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in Santa Monica on behalf of singer Brandon Boyd, guitarist Mike Einziger, drummer Jose Pasillas and bassist Alex Katunich – asks a judge to allow them to set aside their original deal, which they claim they have satisfied. “This isn’t Courtney Love or some other artists where we’re walking away from a deal,” said the band’s manager, Steve Rennie, referring to a suit settled last year in which Love sought… Read more »

In its harshest indictment yet of Internet piracy, a top official of the music industry said Sunday Europe’s 600,000 music professionals risk losing their jobs unless the industry fights back. “They are all potential victims of online music piracy,” Jay Berman, the CEO of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) told music executives in his annual address at the Midem music conference in southern France. “In truth, online music piracy is not about free music. The music creators and rights holders, denied the right to choose how their music is used and enjoyed, are in fact paying the… Read more »

A federal judge considering an Internet copyright case said Monday he was inclined to allow U.S. record companies and movie studios to sue the Australia-based parent company of Kazaa, a popular online file-swapping service. Judge Stephen Wilson heard arguments on whether Sharman Networks, which is headquartered in Australia and incorporated in the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu, is subject to U.S. copyright laws. “It is a difficult question, but it has to be resolved,” Wilson said. “The court will do its best to resolve it promptly.” Although Wilson did not indicate when he plans to issue a ruling, he appeared… Read more »

Eddie Vedder has found plenty of material in mortality over the years. His band, Pearl Jam, was born of a heroin overdose more than a decade ago. Rival songwriter Kurt Cobain of Nirvana committed suicide while at the height of popularity. Two of Pearl Jam’s biggest hits, “Jeremy” and “Last Kiss,” deal with teen death. Now comes renewal, an appropriate topic as the lead singer and his bandmates re-emerge from their most proximate shock: the deaths of nine fans trampled during the 2000 Roskilde festival in Denmark. “Riot Act,” released Nov. 12, is Pearl Jam’s first studio album since the… Read more »

Justin Timberlake (news) says Michael Jackson (news) has been a big influence on his sound, but not the only one. Timberlake, the ‘N Sync star whose debut solo album, “Justified,” is due Tuesday, has been tagged with imitating Jackson because of a few wardrobe choices and big appearances with the King of Pop. “I’ve used a lot of different sounds than just Michael,” Timberlake told Newsday. “I think there’s some Eagles in the harmonies and a lot more Stevie Wonder. “I’m also a big fan of Donny Hathaway,” he added, referring to the 1970s musician. “I think it’s shocking to… Read more »

Warner Music Group on Wednesday said it will make more than 30,000 singles available for playing on personal computers, burning to compact disks or transferring to secure portable devices via RioPort Inc.’s digital distribution infrastructure. Warner Music is a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc.. Under the deal, RioPort will handle the sales transactions, allowing online retailers to remain the merchant of record and keep control of the customer relationship.

Lance Bass’ space voyage was at risk while Hollywood dealmakers and Russian bureaucrats squabbled over payment for the pop idol’s $20 million trip. “We have a contract, but we don’t have any money,” Russian Aerospace Agency spokesman Konstantin Kreidenko said. Bass hopes to be a member of the crew scheduled to travel on a Russian Soyuz rocket to the international space station in October. But the deadline for the ‘N Sync singer to make a payment to secure his spot was Tuesday, according to a Russian space agency official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Kreidenko would not confirm that.… Read more »