Search Results for: alternative press

Long an artist’s sanctuary, the commercial recording studio is becoming a virtual fortress, guarding against the potentially devastating consequences of theft. The thieves’ targets are the rough mixes, outtakes, alternative takes and finished masters that traditionally have been loosely handled, even by the artists themselves. Leaks of this material are nothing new, but the advent of unauthorized file sharing on the Internet has greatly increased the consequences of this phenomenon. Recent albums by Eminem, 50 Cent, Korn and Radiohead were all available online prior to release, because unauthorized copies were leaked to unknown parties. In such cases, marketing strategies are… Read more »

Assembling a promotional campaign for a veteran band that has been out of the spotlight is a tough enough feat. But Capitol Records is facing the daunting task of reintroducing a group that hasn’t released a new album in 13 years. Luckily, the campaign behind pioneering alternative rock outfit Jane’s Addiction’s “Strays,” due July 22, has had a huge prerelease boost from first single “Just Because.” The song is No. 4 on Modern Rock Tracks after four weeks, returning Jane’s Addiction to the top of the format at which it scored five top 15 hits between 1988 and 1991. The… Read more »

They don’t have a record deal. They don’t have a music publishing deal. But they are on their way to having a hit single with “Set Me Free” off “The Hulk” soundtrack. Collectively, they’ve sold 70 million albums worldwide. Velvet Revolver’s lineup is stocked with the bad boys of rock supergroups, including Guns N’ Roses vets Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum, David Kushner of Suicidal Tendencies and former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland. Thursday night, they play their first official show – a free, fans-only, short set after an international news conference – at the El Rey in… Read more »

Just a month after opening its doors, the Apple iTunes store is looking to expand. With content already available from all five major labels, the online music service is reaching out to independent labels in hopes of offering the broadest, deepest catalog of downloadable music. Apple has invited hundreds of indie label representatives to a private presentation on Thursday at the computer giant’s Cupertino, California, campus to discuss hopping onboard and adding their content to the more than 200,000 songs already available through the service. “The plan was to go out of the gate with the five major labels, but… Read more »

Southern rock outfit Kings Of Leon will release its RCA debut, “Youth and Young Manhood,” July 7 internationally and July 22 in North America. The group completed a U.K. tour last week at London’s tiny Madame Jo Jo’s Club in front of a packed audience that included members of Australian rock quartet the Vines. Kings Of Leon, now based in Nashville, features the brothers Nathan, Caleb, and Jared Followill and cousin Matthew. The foursome hails from an itinerant Pentecostal church family background. “We tell everybody we’re from Memphis, because that’s the only place we had as a home,” drummer Nathan… Read more »

EMusic today announced it has signed a distribution agreement with Vagrant Records, a wildly successful independent label specializing in punk/alternative music. Under the terms of the agreement, EMusic will distribute both Vagrant’s catalog and new releases to members of its MP3 subscription service. Beginning today, EMusic subscribers can download full albums from such Vagrant artists as Dashboard Confessional, Saves The Day, The Get Up Kids, Alkaline Trio and Paul Westerberg, among others. Today’s agreement builds on EMusic’s extensive catalog of more than 250,000 MP3s from over 900 leading independent labels. EMusic allows its 70,000 members unlimited access to its catalog… Read more »

Rhino Records will launch Rhino Vinyl – “an imprint dedicated to making classic recordings available again in the format of their original release” – on April 22 with three reissued Grateful Dead titles. Like all the label’s planned releases, “Grateful Dead: Live/Dead,” “Workingman’s Dead,” and “American Beauty” will be newly mastered and pressed on 180-gram vinyl, with packaging that reflects the original releases. Rhino Vinyl will be sold through traditional and online retailers (distributed via Alternative Distribution Alliance), as well as directly via the Rhino Web site (http://www.rhino.com). A total of 10 albums will be issued on vinyl in 2003,… Read more »

Singer Robbie Williams, R&B artist Ms. Dynamite and the alternative band Coldplay won honors as Britain’s top musicians at the Brit Awards Thursday. Two Americans – rapper Eminem and singer Pink – were named best international male and female solo artists in the British version of the U.S. Grammy Awards. Ms. Dynamite, who emerged recently and has become one of the country’s top music stars, also won best British urban act, and Coldplay got best British album for “A Rush Of Blood To The Head.” Eminem won best international album for “The Eminem Show.” Ms. Dynamite performed a retooled version… Read more »

Six retail record store chains ? hurting from competition from CD burning, online music and large discount stores ? are teaming to offer consumers digital music downloads in their stores and over the Internet. The stores have formed a joint venture called Echo that will provide technology and allow them to offer individual tracks for downloading to portable devices and computers. The stores are Best Buy, Tower Records, Virgin Entertainment Group, Wherehouse Music, Hastings Entertainment Inc. and Trans World Entertainment Corp., operator of FYE, Strawberries and Coconuts stores. “We’re trying to make digital music work in a mass market way,… Read more »

Internet providers must abide by music industry requests to track down computer users who illegally download music, a federal judge ruled Tuesday in a case that could dramatically increase online pirates’ risk of being caught. The decision by U.S. District Judge John D. Bates upheld the recording industry’s powers under a 1998 law to compel Verizon Communications Inc. to identify one of its Internet subscribers who was suspected of illegally trading music or movies online. The music industry knew only a numerical Internet address this person was using. The ruling means that consumers using dozens of popular Internet file-sharing programs… Read more »