Search Results for: Will Ferri

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 »

The surprise wasn’t that Eminem ( news – web sites) has found someone new to take on – namely, Lynne Cheney and the many others who have derided the shock-rapper’s work. The surprise, instead, came near the end of his 70-minute show, which kicked off the Eminem-headlined Anger Management Tour on Thursday. That’s when a visibly discouraged Eminem was left pleading for more from the audience packing Buffalo’s HSBC Arena. “Buffalo!” Eminem yelled out as the set segued from “Drug Ballad” to “Come on Everybody,” with little energy flowing from the crowd. “Buffalo! Don’t die on me yet.” The audience… Read more »

When Ozzy Osbourne was chiefly known in middle America for decapitating winged creatures and urinating on the Alamo, he and his annual hard rock hoedown were greeted with protests, boycotts and prayer meetings. But, oh, what a difference a year makes. The former most-feared man in rock has now become its most beloved father figure, courtesy of the rib-tickling warts-and-all series “The Osbournes.” So as he returns to the road for the first time since becoming the toast of prime time, Ozzy and Ozzfest 2002 are being greeted not with protests but with open arms, and at least a few… Read more »

More than half of almost 2,000 Net-savvy Americans ages 15 to 35 say they plan to purchase a digital music device over the next year, according to a new study conducted by Harris Interactive for Sony Electronics. This is a marked increase from the approximate 21 percent of the U.S. population ages 15 to 35 with Internet access that currently owns at least one digital portable audio product. “Your Musical Taste,” conducted by Harris Interactive, surveyed almost 2,000 men and women to determine how they use the Internet to download music. It also evaluated the use of Internet portable audio… Read more »

The Strokes may be the “it” band of the moment, but don’t expect them to be lining up studio sessions with “it” producers like Glen Ballard or the Neptunes. When the New York garage-rockers begin recording their second album later this summer, Is This It producer Gordon Raphael will again be behind the boards. “It’s not gonna be like, ‘Oh, now that we’re successful, we’re gonna work with all these super-producer guys that are going to make us a top-selling hit,’ ” singer Julian Casablancas said backstage at Saturday’s KROQ Weenie Roast. “That’s never been the goal for us. We… Read more »