Search Results for: myspace

Merlin, a new agency that seeks to represent the world’s independent music sector, has agreed to a deal with the digital music company Snocap that will allow music from Merlin clients to be sold from Web sites like MySpace. The group announced the deal at the annual MidemNet music conference in France, saying it would allow thousands of independent labels across the world to sell digital downloads of their music. Merlin said it would act as the “fifth major” in the world and would help independent labels get better deals. Snocap was founded by the creator of Napster, Sean Fanning.… Read more »

2007 is off to a great start for Pepper! Once again these Island boys are gearing up for a two month national tour which kicks off February 14th in San Diego with the Mad Caddies. Pepper has been celebrating the attention from their latest album release No Shame on Atlantic/East West Records. Pepper mixes influences like Nirvana with the likes of Bad Brains and Black Sabbath, creating some of the best “kick back, sunny side, back side, grinding mellow guitar picking, cool wave riding sounds” around. The first single “No Control” continues to climb the Alternative Rock charts. Since its… Read more »

LOS ANGELES – Universal Music Group CEO Doug Morris resents that MTV and other cable music channels built multibillion-dollar businesses around videos given away by record companies anxious to promote their artists. So when he saw his own grandson watching 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” video on Yahoo, it got him asking: “How much are we getting paid for that?” The answer – nothing – led Morris to pull all of Universal’s videos from the giant Web portal until it agreed to a licensing deal in 2005. He wrangled similar arrangements from Time Warner Inc.’s AOL and other Internet portals… Read more »

Due out February 20 on Tooth and Nail, CITIES–the new album by ANBERLIN–marks the group’s third offering and follow-up to their breakthrough album Never Take Friendship Personal (2005), which went on to sell over 140,000 copies.  As a preview to the album release, the new song “Godspeed” as well as the B-side “Haunting” are now available on Itunes as exclusive tracks. ANBERLIN will kick off a headlining U.S. tour February 21 in Charlotte, NC. The coast-to-coast trek will hit New York’s Bowery Ballroom February 27 and the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles March 13 (see itinerary below with more… Read more »

It’s New Year’s Eve in New York and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is headlining the buzziest indie rock bill in town. The eclectic quintet — which has risen to notoriety for selling more than 110,000 copies of its 2005 debut album in the United States without the help of a record label — has plenty to celebrate. The band is using the show at Manhattan’s Hammerstein Ballroom to preview a half-dozen tracks from its self-released sophomore set, “Some Loud Thunder,” due January 30. CYHSY’s most rabid fans don’t need much of an introduction to some of the new material.… Read more »

The end of 2006 also marks the end of the current congressional session in the House and Senate, closing the door on the Deleting Online Predators Act. Let’s take a look at why this legislation, which passed overwhelmingly in the House this summer, died such a slow death. Those of you who’ve been following this blog from the get-go are undoubtedly aware of the Deleting Online Predators Act, or DOPA. But for those of you who don’t frequent my humble column on a regular basis, here’s the skinny. DOPA, introduced last May by Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick and a coalition of… Read more »

Joel Madden may be riding the romance rollercoaster, but his identical twin brother Benji is settling in for the long haul. The Good Charlotte guitarist popped the question to his girlfriend, Australian pop singer-turned-actor Sophie Monk, on Christmas Eve, Madden’s rep, Steve Feinberg, confirmed to E! News Tuesday. “They are incredibly happy,” Feinberg said about the couple, who were first spotted together in September, smooching over lunch in Los Angeles. Madden, 27, proposed to Monk, also 27, in her home country, presenting her with a Neil Lane-designed diamond ring. Monk, most recently of light film fare such as Click and… Read more »

If 2006 was the year of user-generated content, 2007 will be the year the music industry learns to generate new revenue from the hugely popular trend. Labels are striking licensing deals with sites like YouTube so that fans can post copyrighted content or include it in videos they make themselves. Additionally, labels are expected to start releasing new types of content — such as unused clips or video montages — specifically created for fans to manipulate in new ways. By doing so, record labels can then share in the advertising revenue these sites collect. Rather than just suing YouTube and… Read more »

Modern-rock promotion finds itself at a crossroads as a growing number of terrestrial radio broadcasters tune out the ratings-challenged format. Record companies are attempting to adapt to modern rock’s recent marginalization on the airwaves in major markets like Philadelphia, Miami, New York and Washington, D.C. by emphasizing other options for building buzz. In lieu of airplay, touring, blogs, ringtones, downloads, Internet and satellite radio, videogame tie-ins, alliances with brand marketers, film and TV exposure, sponsorships and placements in commercials all are growing in value. The marketing strategies for a number of big-name rock artists with current or upcoming releases show… Read more »

Los Angeles – Though the new outing that Vans Warped tour founder Kevin Lyman is launching this February is called Taste of Chaos, the event is moving forward like a well-oiled machine. “To get a second year on this project, we have to have at least 3,000 people per market,” Lyman says. “I think we will do more.” Taste of Chaos will take place at indoor venues and feature such hard rock acts as the Used, My Chemical Romance, Killswitch Engage and Senses Fail. There will also be sponsored booths and activities prior to each show. Major partners include Nintendo,… Read more »