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Seattle – Nirvana’s box set, delayed three years by litigation, was finally released Tuesday, introducing hundreds of thousands of fans to rare recordings and even living-room video of the grunge rockers. The four-disc set, “With the Lights Out,” includes 81 tracks, 68 of them previously unreleased. It was initially planned for release in 2001 – for the 10th anniversary of the album “Nevermind” – but a dispute between Courtney Love, the widow of frontman Kurt Cobain, and the surviving bandmates delayed the project. The sides settled their legal issues in September 2002, allowing work on the box set to resume.… Read more »

Los Angeles – After a three-year hiatus, Destiny’s Child is picking up where it left off: at the top. “Lose My Breath,” the first single from the R&B trio’s hotly anticipated album “Destiny Fulfilled,” quickly marched its way to No. 3 on The Billboard Hot 100. Now industry observers are handicapping how the group’s sales destiny will be fulfilled following the release of its first album since 2001’s “Survivor.” The Sony Urban Music/Columbia album debuted this week at No. 19 on the Billboard 200, based on only three days of sales in the week ended Nov. 14. It officially went… Read more »

London – The decision by a group of European labels to legally challenge the European Commission’s approval of the Sony/BMG merger could raise questions for future deals. Impala, the Brussels-based association of European independent labels, announced Nov. 3 that it would appeal the EC’s decision to authorize Sony BMG’s union before the court of First Instance in Luxembourg. The legal process is expected to last 12-24 months. Legal experts believe that during that period, it will be difficult for the EC to clear any other proposed merger in the music industry without knowing the outcome of the court case. Sources… Read more »

Major and independent record labels today announced the first-ever retail availability of the much anticipated DualDisc – a two-sided disc made up of a CD player side and a DVD player side. A broad range of titles have begun to hit retail shelves in the first wave of products that will continue throughout the holiday season and into next year with releases from EMI Music, Silverline Records, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group. DualDisc is a new music product that combines audio and video content on a single disc. In addition to a full album… Read more »

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Hip-hop star Wyclef Jean visited Haiti to try to help end a wave of violence that has left at least 79 people dead, including several police officers and two street gang leaders. The singer met with community and gang leaders in Bel Air Sunday as gunshots rang out. The neighborhood, filled with supporters of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, has become a flash point for violence. Jean said he planned to talk to all sectors of Haitian society during his four-day visit to promote dialogue and plans for a peace concert in December. The U.S. presidential election could… Read more »

Diana DeGarmo, the “American Idol” runner-up, sang the national anthem before the Busch race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday. While it was her first trip to the track south of Atlanta, it wasn’t her first NASCAR race. “The first race I ever went to was the Brickyard 400 when I was 10 or 11,” the 17-year-old singer said. “That was a blast. I got a hat and bear, the whole thing.” DeGarmo lives in Snellville, a suburb east of Atlanta. Her first album, “Blue Skies,” is scheduled to be released Dec. 7.

After you’ve disrobed Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl, and presumably disrobed Cameron Diaz someplace, can you really go back to being just one of the boys? For Justin Timberlake, the answer is no, per a report in the new People magazine. Timberlake “doesn’t want any part” of a planned ‘N Sync reunion, a source says in People. “Justin said he’s not in the mood and doesn’t think it will work,” the spy tells the magazine. ‘N Sync, with the Backstreet Boys, the leading boy band of the teen-pop explosion of the late 1990s/early 2000s, has been on hiatus since… Read more »

It was short and sweet, but it’s something that ‘NSYNC fans had been anticipating for well over a year. All five members of the boy band reunited over the weekend to sing the national anthem at what’s become both a charitable and star-studded tradition: the group’s annual Challenge for the Children basketball tournament. The performance marked the group’s first since its Bee Gees tribute at the 45th annual Grammy Awards in February 2003. “It was good to hear them all together again,” Usher said after the performance. “Not anyone can sing the national anthem,” Good Charlotte’s Benji Madden said. “It… Read more »

‘N Sync haven’t completely gone “Bye, Bye, Bye.” The boy-band pop group will perform together for the first time since the 2003 Grammy Awards as part of a benefit for their charity, the Challenge for the Children Foundation. The event will be held July 23-25 in Miami. The five ‘N Sync members, including Justin Timberlake, will sing the national anthem before a charity basketball game. Celebrities expected to attend include actress Shannon Elizabeth, Jamie-Lynn DiScala of “The Sopranos” and rapper Jermaine Dupri. Challenge for the Children Foundation was created by ‘N Sync in 1999 to raise money for children’s programs… Read more »

When a pop artist leaves the shelter of a major-label nest, the stark reality of being on one’s own can be a sobering experience. But learning to fly solo can also bring tremendous rewards. Although many rock artists have self-released their music after leaving the major-label fold, most pop artists are so dependent on radio play that they have often sought the deep pockets of another major or a large indie label to foot the bill. But several acts – including Evan & Jaron, Sophie B. Hawkins and Alana Davisare forging their own path. Former Columbia duo Evan & Jaron… Read more »