Search Results for: VH1

Just what exactly does Barbadian R&B pop queen Rihanna have to do with the Super Bowl? About as much as Fall Out Boy. Yet there both acts were, playing to a hyped-up crowd on Thursday night at Tampa’s Ford Amphitheater for the VH1-broadcast Pepsi Super Bowl Smash show that served as the unofficial kickoff of Super Bowl XLIII weekend. The one-hour special, hosted for the second year by easily excited actor Jerry O’Connell and a series of NFL guests, kicked off with a mini-set from FOB. The band stormed out to play “I Don’t Care” with their new signature LED-flickering… Read more »

The pressure had been building up behind the scenes for longer than most music fans realized. But when the teen-pop explosion burst onto the charts in early 1999 it felt like the music world had been blindsided overnight by a flood of squeaky-clean acts who would dominate the charts for years to come. And in some cases, those ripples are still being felt today. It’s hard to believe it now, but over the course of a few months between late 1998 and early 1999, radio and MTV were inundated with the debuts and breakthroughs from Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, ‘NSYNC,… Read more »

It’s not so easy being Steven Adler. Guns N’ Roses’ ex-dummer pleaded not guilty to drug charges today in Los Angeles Superior Court stemming from a bust last month  at his Hollywood home. Adler, 43, was ordered to remain in a drug treatment facility for at least another month (much to the relief of Dr. Drew, no doubt) until his preliminary hearing. The musician faces one felony charge of possession of a controlled substance, an opiate, and a misdemeanor count of being under the influence of drugs. After Judge James Bianco remanded Adler to rehab, the rocker began crying in… Read more »

Harp magazine, which folded last month, is at least the third music magazine to cease publishing in 2008, joining alt-country title No Depression and indie rock mag Resonance in the dead pool. For a certain section of the indie world focused on a more mature, college-educated demographic, the loss of Harp and No Depression hit especially hard. “Those two outlets really spoke to our consumer,” says John Biondolillo, general manager at Dave Matthews’ ATO Records, which handles such critical darlings as singer/songwriters Patty Griffin and David Gray. Josh Wittman, group marketing director at Redeye Distribution and Yep Roc Records, home… Read more »

As I write this, iTunes ranks as the 2nd largest seller of music in the U.S. — only Wal-Mart’s physical stores sell more. Digital revenue is real, and there is a lot of it being earned. Sales from iTunes alone can provide a band enough revenue to achieve true financial success. Don’t take my word for it, just look at some of the sales by the following unsigned artists utilizing the Net for both digital distribution and marketing: Kelly sold over 500,000 songs in five months, Eric Hutchinson sold 120,000 songs in three weeks, The Medic Droid sold over 25,000… Read more »

Tom Petty may be the official Super Bowl halftime performer, but the week leading up to the big game will feature plenty of other performers – and Ludacris will be among them. The 30-year-old rapper has been selected to perform at ESPN The Magazine’s Next party Feb. 1, which will highlight future trends in sports, technology and lifestyle. The Super Bowl is Feb. 3 at the University of Phoenix Stadium. “(It) feels good to be back in Arizona,” said Ludacris in a statement. “Phoenix is the hometown of my artist Willie Northpole so it’s only right to bring `Disturbing Tha… Read more »

The death of a rock musician last month outside a popular downtown music club has been ruled an accidental drug overdose. Casey Calvert, the guitarist of the band “Hawthorne Heights,” was found dead in the band’s tour bus outside the 9:30 Club just before the band’s show on Nov. 24. The District’s chief medical examiner determined the cause of death to be “acute combined effects of opiate, citalopram and clonazepam intoxication.” Citalopram (also known by the brand name Celexa) and clonazepam (also known by the brand names Klonopin and Rivotril) are prescription drugs. Citalopram is used to treat depression, and… Read more »

Scores of workers from MTV Networks walked off the job yesterday afternoon, filling the sidewalk outside the headquarters of its corporate parent, Viacom, to protest recent changes in benefits. The walkout highlighted the concerns of a category of workers who are sometimes called permalancers: permanent freelancers who work like full-time employees but do not receive the same benefits. Waving signs that read “Shame on Viacom,” the workers, most of them in their 20s, demanded that MTV Networks reverse a plan to reduce health and dental benefits for freelancers beginning Jan. 1. In a statement, MTV Networks noted that its benefits… Read more »

Casey Calvert, guitarist for post punk/ rock band Hawthorne Heights, was found dead early Saturday morning. Calvert was 26-years-old. According to several accounts Calvert appeared healthy on Friday night while spending time with friends before going to sleep for the night. Those same reports indicated that Calvert passed away at some point while sleeping. Calvert’s sound played a big role in Hawthorne Heights and its highly successful second album If Only You Were Lonely which debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts and produced the hit single “Saying Sorry.” Hawthorne Heights had a show in Detroit, Michigan on Friday night… Read more »

Nick Haley took just 30 minutes to pluck the Brazilian band CSS from obscurity and hurl it into the national spotlight. In September, Haley paired the band’s dance-pop song “Music is My Hot, Hot Sex” with his 30-second amateur video, displaying the capabilities of Apple’s new iPod Touch. The video ends with the lyrics, “My music is where I’d like you to touch.” “I was like, ‘This song is too perfect,’ ” said Haley, 18, by phone from the University of Leeds in England, where he studies politics. “It’s punchy, loud, fast and naughty.” Marketers at Apple headquarters in Cupertino… Read more »