Search Results for: Britney Spears

The Backstreet Boys say they are the victim of boardroom politics and are fighting back with a $100 million lawsuit against their record label. They have sued Zomba Music Group, saying the record label effectively barred the group from recording a new album because of a preoccupation with a now-completed merger with German media giant Bertelsmann AG. A lawyer for the boy band, one of Zomba’s biggest acts, said on Tuesday the group was seeking $75 million for violation of trademark, $5 million for a lost advance and at least $20 million in punitive damages in the lawsuit filed in… Read more »

Bertelsmann Music Group has completed its Jive lessons. The major label group said Tuesday it has closed its acquisition of Zomba Music Group, home to teen-pop label Jive Records, paying more than $2.74 billion to acquire the stakes in the closely held group it didn’t already own. BMG already held 20% of Zomba’s record labels and 25% of its music-publishing portfolio. The deal, which got rolling in June after Zomba owner Clive Calder triggered a long-standing “put” option to sell his interest, gives BMG full access to Jive’s roster of pop megastars, including ‘N Sync, Britney Spears and the Backstreet… Read more »

Even though Nick Carter has sold more than 36 million records as one of the Backstreet Boys, he thinks of himself as just another new artist with the debut of his “Now or Never” album. “I’m really… like somebody who hasn’t sold a record,” says Carter, the youngest member of the group and the first to release a solo album. But he’s got one advantage over other aspiring singers: an instant fan base. Some two dozen fans waited outside his midtown Manhattan hotel recently, hoping to see him. “These are the small things that mean so much to me,” says… 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 »

A year after Michael Jackson gathered Britney Spears, ‘NSYNC, Destiny’s Child and dozens of other superstars to record “What More Can I Give,” the September 11 benefit single is finally being heard. New York radio station WKTU-FM debuted the song on Friday at 6 p.m. and has been playing it about six times a day since, albeit without permission. Program Director Frankie Blue, a longtime friend of Jackson’s, won’t say how he got the song, but he insists the King of Pop had nothing to do with it. Marc Schaffel, the executive producer of the single, said at least 200… Read more »

In a fight to win back fans from the “gray zone” of online song-swapping services, the music industry is borrowing a trick from its nemeses: free music downloads. For one week beginning Thursday, music fans in Europe will be able to download, stream or burn onto their hard drives a selection of tracks from 6,000 artists including ColdPlay, Dido and Elvis Presley. It is part of a marketing ploy called “Digital Download Day” devised by British firm OD2, a technology company specializing in digital music distribution and co-founded by recording artist Peter Gabriel. Backed by record labels and music retailers,… Read more »

Yahoo and Internet service providers have sided with Verizon Communications in its legal spat with the recording industry over revealing the identity of an alleged peer-to-peer pirate. In court papers filed late Monday, the groups said that the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has not followed the law in its efforts to learn more about a Kazaa user accused of illicitly trading music files. Monday’s move highlights the latest battle lines that have been struck in the legal war over peer-to-peer networks. On one side are Internet companies, civil liberties groups and telecommunications providers, an alliance that is opposed… Read more »

“American Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson may have the magic to put RCA Records back on top. All the major record labels are pulling out their big-gun releases for the fourth quarter in hopes of hitting some high numbers to make up for the year’s extreme sales dip. RCA has been struggling overall because of a weak release schedule. The label has thus far scored hits only with Dave Matthews Band’s “Busted Stuff,” which has sold more than 1.2 million units, and critically acclaimed postpunk band the Strokes, whose “Is This It” has passed the half-million mark. Clarkson’s two-sided single release,… Read more »

Zomba Music, the record label of Britney Spears and ‘N Sync, won European regulatory approval on Monday for its purchase by Bertelsmann Music Group. The European Commission said that BMG, part of German media giant Bertelsmann, could buy the U.S. record company in a deal that public records show is worth nearly $3 billion. “The transaction will result in relatively small increases of BMG’s market shares which will not significantly alter the competitive structure of the European music market,” the Commission said in a statement. The deal, announced in June, could boost BMG to one of the world’s top three… Read more »

Rapper Eminem walked off with four MTV Video Music Awards on Thursday, including one for Video of the Year, in a show bookended by rousing performances by Bruce Springsteen and a rare appearance by heavy metal rockers Guns N’ Roses. Eminem, who also won awards for Best Male Video, Best Rap Video and Best Direction, said of the “moonman” statuette that was MTV’s symbol in its early days, “I’m taking this home for rap – period.” His video “Without Me” won Video of the Year honors. The rapper won four MTV awards in 1999 and 2000. The mood at the… Read more »