Search Results for: plan b entertainment

Ozzy Osbourne has been many things throughout his multi-platinum career: lead singer of Black Sabbath, successful solo star and a veteran touring artist. But as Ozzy marks the 35th anniversary of his career, there is no doubt that his starring part in MTV reality series “The Osbournes” ushered in a most unlikely role for him: that of mainstream pop-culture icon. Much has already been said about Ozzy and his family in the saturation media coverage that followed the success of “The Osbournes,” which documents the lives of Ozzy; his wife/manager, Sharon; and two of their children, Kelly and Jack (the… Read more »

If you can believe it, Britney Spears would like people to focus on her music, not her midriff. But seeing is believing, and since the debut of her music video “I’m a Slave 4 U” two years ago, fans have seen Spears take an increasingly provocative journey into sexual exhibitionism. From her love life to her infamous MTV Video Music Awards kiss with Madonna to her National Football League kickoff concert and her most recent performance in New York’s Times Square, the artist has tested the limits of her sexuality. But now comes the moment of truth. With her new… Read more »

Universal Music Group said Tuesday it reached a deal to buy DreamWorks Records, the music unit of the entertainment company formed by film and music moguls Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The purchase is expected to be completed early next year, subject to regulatory approval. Universal plans to fold DreamWorks Records into its Interscope Geffen A&M label, which is run by veteran music executive Jimmy Iovine, sources said. DreamWorks Records launched in 1996 and is home to a number of established rock and country acts, such as Nelly Furtado, Papa Roach,… Read more »

Bertelsmann AG and Sony Corp. announced a preliminary plan to merge their music businesses Thursday, setting the stage for a music company that would vie for world primacy with Universal Music Group. A merger of Sony Music Entertainment and Bertelsmann’s BMG, if it comes to pass, would bring together the world’s No. 2 and No. 5 music companies as the industry struggles with losses blamed on music piracy. The new company, to be called Sony BMG, would be equally owned by Sony and Bertelsmann and run by Andrew Lack, chairman and chief executive of Sony Music Entertainment. Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, the… Read more »

Pepsi has a new affiliation with a hot, rising music star. But this time, Apple Computer’s iTunes is shoving aside the likes of Britney Spears and Beyonce. The soft-drink giant plans to give away 100 million downloads from iTunes next year and plug the service in a Super Bowl commercial. The relationship between Pepsi and Apple – the brainchild of Interscope chief executive Jimmy Iovine – is an effort to drive consumer interest in the iTunes service, which is now available for Windows-based computers. The offer kicks off Feb. 1 with the Super Bowl ad, and it will run until… Read more »

Universal Music, the world’s largest record company, will cut a total of 1,350 jobs in a restructuring aimed at saving $200 million a year in response to the protracted slump in music sales, a company representative said on Wednesday. The restructuring at Universal Music, which controls nearly 30 percent of the U.S. music market, is the latest sign of a crisis in the record industry, which blames a three-year slump in sales on Internet song-swapping and home CD-burning. Universal began trimming its payroll earlier this year, eliminating about 550 positions around the world. But it plans to cut another 800… Read more »

A Chicago-based web radio host claims he has video footage of both Hell On Earth’s performance, and what is purported to be the suicide that accompanied it, this past Saturday night (October 4), according to the St. Petersburg Times. Shane Bugbee, who hosts an Internet show called Radio Free Satan and has interviewed Hell On Earth frontman Billy Tourtelot, says he uploaded footage of both the band’s show and what appears to be a “sickly-looking” man committing suicide through “some sort of asphyxiation.” Bugbee revealed he won’t confirm the authenticity of the death without more proof. “You know, until a… Read more »

American rap-rock band Linkin Park has received the government’s permission to perform next month in Malaysia – but it won’t be allowed to scream, jump around or wear shorts onstage. The Ministry of Culture and Arts said Wednesday it has approved plans for the band to hold a concert on Oct. 15 at a 50,000-seat stadium in this conservative, predominantly Muslim Southeast Asian country. “The government believes the performance will provide an alternative type of entertainment in Malaysia,” the ministry said, while warning that the rock stars must abide by a strict code of “artist performance ethics.” “Male artists must… Read more »

French telecommunications and entertainment conglomerate Vivendi Universal reported a narrower loss for the first half of the year and its chairman said he hopes to complete the planned sale of its U.S. entertainment assets to General Electric Co.’s NBC division in the second half of next year. Vivendi reported Wednesday it lost €632 million ($723 million) in the January-June period in contrast to a loss of €12.31 billion in the first half of 2002. The company has been selling assets to trim its staggering debt. Vivendi’s operating profit dropped 27 percent in the first half to €1.68 billion ($1.92 billion)… Read more »

Making a case for hard music, stadium tours in general and Metallica’s own status as a headliner, Summer Sanitarium 2003 goes down as a winner, taking in $46.4 million and drawing 683,472 headbangers to 19 dates. The tour reaffirms the box-office clout of Metallica, which is currently in the planning stages of an extensive headlining tour next year, tentatively set to begin in March. Metallica last toured in 2000, taking in $40.5 million from only 20 shows. About a dozen of those concerts were Summer Sanitarium dates, featuring Kid Rock, Korn and others. This year’s Summer Sanitarium lineup featured Limp… Read more »