Search Results for: The Warning

The music industry is having to rethink its drive towards copy-protecting music CDs, following people-power protests and probing questions from US politicians. BMG in Europe had launched two of its chart CDs, Natalie Imbruglia’s White Lilies Island and Five’s Greatest Hits, with copy protection technology but have now switched production to “clean” unprotected CDs, following consumer complaints. The discs were launched “clean” in Australia. In the US, Universal’s new compilation CD of Fast and Furious rock music is copy-protected but is clearly marked with consumer warnings, unlike previous discs. BMG released both their CDs with only a small print reference… Read more »

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on $75 million worth of metals, footwear and other goods from Ukraine in retaliation for piracy of music compact discs and other optical media products in that country. The action, which takes effect Jan. 23, follows repeated U.S. warnings over the past two years that Ukraine could face sanctions unless it cracked down on the illegal copying. “The United States is moving forcefully to protect its rights,” U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick said in a statement. “We hope Ukraine will now redouble its efforts to deal with intellectual property rights and pass the… Read more »

The world’s largest record company will be the first of the major labels to release a copy-protected CD in the United States, signaling a new chapter in the industry’s efforts to stem music piracy. When Universal Music Group on Tuesday releases the soundtrack, “Fast & Furious – More Music,” consumers won’t be able to copy the music onto another CD or use their PCs to “rip” tracks in digital MP3 format. The copy-protection technology will also render the disc unplayable on Macintosh computers, DVD players and game consoles, such as Sony’s PlayStation 2. It might not even play in some… Read more »

Once little-noticed for its positive-minded hard-rock and funk blend, the 10-year-old Calabasas-based quintet Incubus broadened its sound a couple years ago and found a winning formula for its memorable riff-heavy, hip-hop-edged songs. Sales of the group’s previous two Epic/Immortal albums have been north of the platinum mark, including the new “Morning View,” and the band closed its first major headlining U.S. tour with a pair of triumphant sold-out homecoming shows in Universal City. With the ascension of Incubus to MTV darling has come the emergence of photogenic vocalist Brandon Boyd as sex symbol and main focus for much of the… Read more »

Music makers are stepping up attempts to stamp out piracy with the public release of CDs that cannot be played on computers. Natalie Imbruglia’s latest album is the first to go on general release with a copy-protection system built in. Commentators say that soon many more CDs employ similar anti-pirate technologies. Before now, such systems have been added in a piecemeal fashion to a limited number of releases in different countries. Critics say record companies should do more to tell consumers about the copy-protection systems used, and warn that many devices other than PCs will also have problems playing the… Read more »

British prosecutors described the guitarist for renowned rock band R.E.M. as having acted like a naughty child on a plane in April during the first day of his air-rage trial in a London courtroom. Peter Buck, who avoided photographers and fans at the entrance to the court, pleaded not guilty to charges of assaulting cabin crew, being drunk on an aircraft, and damaging property on board a British Airways flight from Seattle to London. Prosecutor Edward Lewis told the court the 44-year-old Buck began drinking with his tour manager in the first-class cabin soon after boarding the flight. When crew… Read more »

Green Day returns to record stores Tuesday (November 13) with the release of the best-of collection International Superhits. The 19-track album spans Green Day’s major-label recording career and includes such hits as “Longview,” “When I Come Around,” and “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life).” Green Day drummer Tre Cool said that the success of at least one of the group’s better-known songs surprised him-the title track to their last album. “You know, I liked ‘Minority’ a lot when we recorded it but I just never even thought of it to be like a single. I was thinking, like, ‘Warning,’ yeah,… Read more »

Sony Corp is expected to report weak results for the July-September quarter after a profit warninglate last month, with analysts looking for more aggressive restructuring moves to confront the slowing global economy. The world’s largest maker of audio and video equipment cut its consolidated operating profit forecast for the full year to next March by more than half to 120 billion yen ($980 million) and announced a handful of restructuring steps, including procurement cost cuts. “That’s not enough,” said Merrill Lynch analyst Hiroshi Kuriyama. “Of course it has made efforts in the past, but current business conditions are far worse… Read more »

Even if you’ve already sold a couple of million albums after releasing only one single, chances are you still live by the age-old adage “Radio stations – can’t live without ’em… can’t live without ’em.” That’s why Alicia Keys and her record company, J, aren’t putting up a fuss about some stations picking their own follow-up to her smash ballad, “Fallin’,” for her. While Keys’ upbeat warning to a homewrecker, “Jane Doe,” has been getting play over the airwaves for the past few weeks, it’s not the next salvo from her almost-triple-platinum Songs in A Minor LP, according to J.… Read more »

“No Shoes” or “No Shirt” will get you “No Service” at 7-Eleven stores, and treading on the convenience store’s copyrighted logo will get you a warning from corporate headquarters. 311 learned that lesson when they recently received a cease-and-desist letter from 7-Eleven Inc., according to the band’s management company. The rap-and-reggae rockers have been selling a T-shirt that features the familiar 7-Eleven logo with the numeral “7” replaced by a “3.” They’ve since stopped selling the shirts on their current tour in support of From Chaos, which winds down November 1 in Las Vegas. An outside law firm working for… Read more »