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The members of pop-rock group Jimmy Eat World are coming back to their hometown Friday to play a benefit concert for victims of the Rodeo-Chediski wildfire. “It’s for the underinsured or the non-insured residents of the Heber-Overgaard area of Arizona which was pretty toasted by fires,” said singer-guitarist Jim Adkins. “Our drummer, his grandparents had a home over there that was destroyed.” The concert will be held at the Mesa Amphitheatre. The wildfire scorched about 469,000 acres and destroyed hundreds of homes in Heber-Overgaard and Linden this summer. The Arizona natives, whose single “The Middle” catapulted them to pop fame… Read more »

Widely respected entertainment attorney Joel Katz has been appointed General Counsel to the Recording Academy(R), it was announced today by Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Garth Fundis. Katz – a member of the Georgia, Tennessee, American, and Atlanta Bar Associations – will serve the Academy in a volunteer capacity, overseeing its legal matters and coordinating the work of various outside counsel. “It is a great pleasure to appoint Joel Katz as General Counsel to the Recording Academy,” said Fundis. “He is a longtime member of the Academy’s volunteer leadership, former Chairman, and one of the founders of the Academy’s… Read more »

The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences has tapped veteran label executive Neil Portnow as president – a post that had been vacant since the former chief, Michael Greene, left amid a swirl of controversy last spring. Reporting to Recording Academy chairman Garth Fundis, Portnow will guide the music organization’s biggest public event – the Grammy Awards – as well as other awards shows and charity efforts, including the Latin Grammys, MusiCares and the Grammy Foundation. The NARAS board settled on Portnow after a four-month search inside and outside the organization; Portnow himself has extensive background on both sides.… Read more »

Remember when Michael Greene, then-President of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, warned us all about the unlawful evils of Internet file sharing during the Grammy Awards back in February? Soon people will get an earful straight from those who make the music. Britney Spears, Missy Elliott and Nelly are among the artists set to appear in TV spots as part of an awareness campaign to educate people about the legal and financial ramifications of unauthorized file sharing, according to a Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) spokesperson. The ads were first shown Thursday at a congressional hearing… Read more »

Rapper Eminem’s success is a sign that whites will take over hip-hop in the same manner they took over jazz and rock and roll, according to an outspoken North Carolina minister. Reverend Paul Scott says he’s worried that the white influence on rap music will weaken the culture. Scott said, “Malcolm X once said that when you have a cup of coffee that is too black and too strong you add cream to make it weak, and the thing that used to wake up now puts you to sleep.” Scott is calling for a new “black power movement” within the… Read more »

Radio stations have asked a federal appeals court to rule that they do not have to pay musicians and recording companies when they play music on the Internet because they do not pay royalties for regular over-the-air broadcasts. In a motion filed late Monday, a group of radio stations said a federal court in Philadelphia and the U.S. Copyright Office had misinterpreted the law when they said that radio stations had to pay musicians and recording companies when they “stream” their songs over the Internet. The Copyright Office established a rate of 0.07 cents per listener per song in June,… Read more »

Michael Jackson’s surprise attack on Sony Music as racist has grabbed headlines, but many in the music industry have turned a deaf ear – suspecting the pop star has been motivated by self-interest rather than a concern for civil rights. Jackson, under contract with Sony until 2004 and among the highest-paid pop stars of all time, appears to be trying to pressure Sony into breaking the deal so he can exit with his valuable trove of master recordings, industry sources said. They say Jackson’s assault was prompted mostly by anger at Sony for the poor showing of his latest album,… Read more »

Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) today announced that it has reached an agreement on final license fees for the public performance of the BMI repertoire on Viacom’s cable television networks. In announcing the pact, John Shaker, BMI Senior Vice President, Licensing, said: “We’re pleased that we have been able to reach an equitable agreement with Viacom on behalf of BMI’s approximately 300,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers. With this accord, writers and publishers represented by BMI will be guaranteed a stable source of income for the performance of their works on Viacom’s cable networks through 2005.” The new contract covers Viacom’s… Read more »

Monster(R) today announced a multi-platform relationship with MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION. The broadcast, online and grassroots marketing elements of the program will feature MonsterTRAK, the definitive career resource for college students and alumni. The alliance will allow MonsterTRAK to reach MTV’s vast audience young adult audience while further strengthening its leadership position in the college career space. Monster is the leading global careers site and flagship brand of TMP Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: TMPW – News). On the Air and On the Web Among the broadcast elements of the agreement, Monster has introduced its first-ever product-specific advertising spot, “Bunnies,” specifically created to… Read more »

A Wisconsin senator took aim at radio and concert-promotion giants on Thursday with legislation that seeks to curb alleged anti-competitive practices in the recently deregulated industries. Pointing to a decline in local ownership of radio stations, escalating ticket prices, and strong-arm promotion tactics, Democratic Sen. Russell Feingold said his bill would rein in the worst abuses of an industry that has undergone rapid consolidation since ownership caps were relaxed in 1996. “I think it is time for Congress to make a strong statement on this,” Feingold said. The 1996 Telecommunications ( news – external web site) Act eased restrictions on… Read more »