Search Results for: The Netherlands

Headbangers of the world will unite once again this summer at Ozzfest, the annual road show of hard rock bands organized by America’s first couple of reality TV, the Osbournes. Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne and son Jack opened their Beverly Hills house to journalists on Tuesday to announce the lineup for the eighth annual outing of Ozzfest. Dressed in his best pair of tracksuit pants and a black T-shirt, a typically befuddled Ozzy slurred his way through the news conference while a svelte Sharon, as usual, took charge of proceedings, firing off insults at her guests and husband. Ozzy Osbourne,… Read more »

Police raids in England and the Netherlands on Friday recovered what could be about 500 original Beatles tapes that were stolen in the 1970s, including some never-released tracks. British police said the tapes were “priceless,” and that the only such recordings that have been heard before were bootlegs. Dutch police, who recovered all the tapes in the Netherlands, agreed, but said they were still analyzing the material. “We’re currently investigating whether they really are the originals, but it appears to be so,” said prosecutor spokesman Robert Meulenbroek in Amsterdam. “There are about 500 tapes, so there’s quite a bit to… Read more »

A U.S. court hammered the final nail in the coffin of maverick music service Napster on Tuesday when it blocked a bid by German media group Bertelsmann AG to buy the one-time cult and now defunct Web site. Killing off a deal to revive the bankrupt service that millions of fans used to swap music over the Internet, a U.S. bankruptcy court rejected Napster’s sale to Bertelsmann after record labels and songwriters opposed the deal, saying the offer price was not fair. Faced with no financing, no revenues and no other buyers, Napster said it would most likely be forced… Read more »

Yevgeny Svetlanov, a renowned conductor who specialized in works by Russian composers, has died at age 73, news reports said Saturday. Svetlanov died at his home Friday in Moscow, NTV television reported. President Vladimir Putin wrote in a message to Svetlanov’s wife, Nina, that the musician’s death was an “irreplacable loss for all of our culture.” Svetlanov was the chief conductor of the Bolshoi Theater from 1963 to 1965, when he was named artistic director and chief conductor of the Soviet State Symphony. He was named a People’s Artist of the Soviet Union in 1968 and was awarded the Lenin… Read more »

In a setback for efforts to halt copyright abuse, a Dutch appeals court on Thursday told a technology firm it could distribute a software program that is designed to let users share music and films on the Internet. The ruling in the case between Internet software company KaZaA and Dutch music rights organization Buma Stemra overturned a decision in November in favor of the music industry. The music industry says rampant online piracy has severely damaged recording sales and the movie industry fears the same could happen to it as computers become more powerful. The Amsterdam Court of Justice ruled… Read more »

Having completed its biggest tour in its home country of Canada, Nickelback now heads to Europe this week to spread the word about its second album, Silver Side Up. The Vancouver rockers begin a 10-show trek beginning Wednesday (February 12) in London, with shows scheduled in the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The tour commences as Silver Side Up climbs to Number 15 on the U.K. Top 75 Albums chart. With Nickelback’s newfound headlining status comes the group’s insistence on having a good reputation on the road among fans, fellow bands, and the staffs of local venues. Nickelback frontman… Read more »

An Australian firm said yesterday that it has purchased and restarted KaZaa, the Dutch-born Internet file-sharing program that the world’s biggest media companies have sued for becoming the new Napster. Sharman Networks Ltd., a privately held multimedia company, purchased certain assets of KaZaa BV, including the popular KaZaa Media Desktop file- sharing program, Sharman chief executive officer Nikki Hemming said in a news release. KaZaa stopped all downloads of the free Media Desktop program last week pending a Dutch judge’s ruling in a copyright infringement case filed against the company in the Netherlands. But Sharman Networks resumed downloads yesterday morning,… Read more »

Clear Channel Entertainment, the world’s leading producer and marketer of live entertainment, announced today the acquisition of Italy’s two leading music promotion businesses, Milano Concerti and Trident Agency. The addition of Milano Concerti and Trident Agency represents Clear Channel Entertainment’s entry into the Italian live entertainment market, providing a significant in-market position while expanding the company’s growing European network. The new businesses will be merged and operate as Clear Channel Entertainment Italia. Milano Concerti, founded by Roberto de Luca in 1985, and Trident Agency, founded by Maurizio Salvadori in 1971, work with Italy’s top touring artists, including Vasco Rossi, Eros… Read more »

Media titan Viacom Inc. plans to use its MTV Networks unit as the foundation of its global strategy, with focus on emerging markets in China, India and Brazil, its chief executive Sumner Redstone said on Sunday. MTV, which reaches 340 million homes worldwide, is growing quickly in Asia, reaching nearly 130 million homes. “This is a region that has over 3 billion people, which should give you an idea about the potential for us,” Redstone said. The U.S. spends about 0.6 percent of its gross domestic product on television advertising, compared with 0.2 percent in China, where MTV reaches 54… Read more »

Alanis Morissette is not letting a contract dispute with her label prevent her from hitting the road to try out some new songs. The Canadian pop singer will begin a 12-country tour of European festivals, arenas and clubs in Nuremberg, Germany on June 1, which also happens to be her 27th birthday. She will warm up with two shows at Los Angeles’ El Rey Theater on May 25 and 26, her publicist announced Thursday. Tickets for the El Rey shows will be available exclusively at http://www.alanismorissette.com on May 13 at 10 a.m. PDT. The El Rey holds about 700 people.… Read more »