Search Results for: the national

British pop singer Elton John, testifying before Congress Thursday, said America has an obligation to use its vast resources to stop the spread of AIDS around the world. “No nation, corporation, foundation or individual has the money you have,” Sir Elton told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. “No one even comes close.” “This is the government of the richest nation in history, and I’m here asking you for more money to stop the worst epidemic in history.” John said 8,000 people are dying every day from AIDS. “You have the power to end this epidemic,” he told… Read more »

Web music firm FullAudio on Thursday said it reached a licensing deal with the Harry Fox Agency Inc., a licensing agent representing more than 160,000 songwriters, for the online subscription service FullAudio plans to launch within weeks. Under this nonexclusive agreement, FullAudio will have access to every musical work authorized by participating publishers licensed by Harry Fox, a subsidiary of the National Music Publishers’ Association. Terms were not disclosed. The agreement also allows FullAudio subscribers to transfer tracks from their PCs to portable devices. FullAudio earlier this week announced it had licensed Warner Music, clinching its third licensing deal with… Read more »

Hungry for great music? The Atlantis Music Conference has been serving it up since 1998, and is back to dish it out for a fifth year! First, Atlantis must perfect the menu for 2002, and it starts here, with the artist submission process. Until April 1st, artists can submit their packages for $20, and after that it is only $25 until April 15th, which is the final deadline for all submissions. Submission packages must include an application form, one cassette or CD, press kit and application fee. Always striving to make this process as easy for the artists as possible,… Read more »

Every year Michael Greene, the president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, stands onstage during the show he runs, the Grammy Awards, and delivers a speech about an issue that pertains to the music world. On the broadcast last week, however, he chose a strange way to make his point. The issue he addressed was the unauthorized trading of songs on the Internet. During the awards show he showed clips of what he said were three students downloading “as many music files as possible from easily accessible Web sites.” He added that in two days the three… Read more »

Steve Jobs is pleased to have been awarded a Grammy by the recording industry last Wednesday night, for technical achievements in music for Apple Computer. But that doesn’t stop him from criticising record labels’ efforts in digital distribution. Jobs complained that the digital music services backed by the labels don’t make it easy for consumers to burn tracks from CDs they buy. “No one is going to use such services,” Jobs says. “If you legally acquire music, you need to have the right to manage it on all other devices that you own.” The lesson of Napster, which popularised unauthorised… Read more »

Forget J-Lo’s naval and Eminem’s foul mouth. The 44th annual Grammy Awards Wednesday had weightier issues to contend with as artists and performers sought to soothe the nation with humor and song after a year of turmoil within the music industry and in the United States. From heightened security, to performers’ songs and to host Jon Stewart’s jokes, the devastating attacks on America of Sept. 11 hovered in the background of the music industry’s most glamorous night. When Stewart came onstage at the Staples Center, he walked through a dummy metal detector, which gonged off and sent huge security guards… Read more »

Will U2 find what it’s looking for on Wednesday, when it competes for eight Grammy Awards at the music industry’s biggest bash of the year? Or will the Irish rock quartet be rattled by folk musicians, soulful R&B divas and tireless troubadour Bob Dylan? Nothing is ever certain about the Grammys, whose industry voters frequently stun music fans with oddball choices, including last year’s album of the year prize to semi-retired jazz-rock recluses Steely Dan. In the past few years the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, which organizes the event, has tried to improve the awards’ image by… Read more »

What was supposed to be a peaceful, private gathering of the West Coast hip-hop community on Thursday turned into a heated four-hour open-mic assembly dominated by two very different sermons: one from Minister Louis Farrakhan and one from Death Row Records founder Marion “Suge” Knight. Tempers flared at the West Coast Hip-Hop Summit inside the posh ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel when Knight spent much of his time at the podium insulting everyone from Dr. Dre, Eminem and Master P to Janet Jackson, women and homosexuals. Knight’s tirades prompted a few outbursts and resulted in several people storming out… Read more »

Hip-O Records will on March 26 release “Nick Carter: Before The ‘Boys’ 1989-1993,” a collection of recordings made by the Backstreet Boys member before the boy band launched him to international fame. The 14-track set consists of recordings Carter made with his vocal teacher Mark Dye between the ages of 9 and 13. Among the selections are two tracks written by Dye, “Summer!” and “Hard to Get,” as well as Carter singing the National Anthem, “Love Is A Wonderful Thing,” “Runaround Sue,” “Breaking up is Hard To Do,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Uptown Girl,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” and a medley… Read more »

Sirius Satellite Radio yesterday began the first phase of its national service rollout in four markets, Denver, Houston, Phoenix, and Jackson, Mississippi. To commemorate the start of its satellite radio service, Sirius broadcast inaugural programming and treated Jackson to a special live concert featuring Randy Travis and a host of country artists. “This is an important day in Sirius’ history and we are thrilled to bring our premier satellite radio service to listeners in Denver, Houston, Phoenix, and Jackson,” said Joseph P. Clayton, Sirius’ president and CEO. “This will be a big year for Sirius as we roll out our… Read more »