The EMI Group, at the center of an acrimonious legal dispute between the buyout house Terra Firma and Citigroup, posted a full-year £1.56 billion net loss and said it needed more money to stay afloat, Reuters said.
If you thought 2009 was a big year for music, just wait until you see what 2010 has in store.
Berkeley, Calif. pop-punk trio Green Day has grabbed Rolling Stone’s number-one spot for best single, best album and top artist of the decade.
TORONTO – As music lovers approach a new decade in this still-young century, a recording technology once considered old and obsolete — vinyl — has been making a strong comeback.
(Source: Nate Anderson – http://arstechnica.com) With a new school year in full swing, Ars takes a look at the RIAA’s newly updated copyright curriculum. Your kids could be learning from it–so what does it say? School kids in America could certainly stand to learn about copyright in the classroom–it’s a fascinating topic that increasingly impacts the life of every “digital native” and intersects with law, history, art, and technology. But should they be exposed to industry-funded materials meant to teach kids: That taking music without paying for it (“songlifting”) is illegal and unfair to others (RIAA) Why illegally downloading music… Read more »
There was a time when most aspiring musicians had the same dream: to sign a deal with a major record label. Now, with the structure of the music business shifting radically, some industry iconoclasts are sidestepping the music giants and inventing new ways for artists to make and market their music – without ever signing a traditional recording contract. The latest effort comes from Brian Message, manager of the alternative band Radiohead, which gave away its last album, “In Rainbows,” on the Internet. His venture, called Polyphonic, which was announced this month, will look to invest a few hundred thousand… Read more »
As Internet reports suggested, Pearl Jam was indeed recording a Target commercial under the direction of Cameron Crowe last week at Seattle’s Showbox theater. But there is more to the story than an exclusive retail relationship. It has been known that Pearl Jam is no longer under contract after 18 years of recording for Sony-affiliated labels, and there has been a good deal of speculation about who would release the rock act’s next album. Kelly Curtis, who has managed Pearl Jam since its inception, conducted a wide-ranging interview Sunday night, confirming that the band’s next album — rumored to be… Read more »
Kanye West and his Caps Lock button were back in action on the rapper’s blog yesterday in a post about the role of celebrity photographers. Just days after pleading not guilty to charges of assaulting a TMZ photographer, West applauded the skills of one paparazzo and compared some of music’s biggest names with superstars of another era in an effort to prove a point. Kanye was inspired by a candid photo of Rihanna, the muse of his new 808s & Heartbreak video “Paranoid,” as she was stepping into a yellow cab in New York City. “ Yo why can’t all… Read more »
Last year the Brooklyn-based quartet Grizzly Bear went on the road for a two-week East Coast tour as the opening act for Radiohead. This time around, the indie rock band is aiming just as high — hoping to arrange a collaboration with none other than rapper Snoop Dogg. Grizzly Bear singer-songwriter Ed Droste “has actually been using Twitter to stalk Snoop,” said the group’s Daniel Rossen, a singer-songwriter and guitarist. “We’re both going to be at Bonnaroo, the Tennessee music festival, and although there will be a bunch of people there and the chances of us actually seeing Snoop are… Read more »
LONDON – One in 10 albums bought in the United States last year was by a British act, figures from the BPI, which represents the British recorded music business, showed yesterday. The rise to 10 percent from 8.5 percent in 2007 was due to a mixture of established bands like Coldplay which released “VivaLa Vida or Death and All His Friends,” and Radiohead with “In Rainbows” and newer acts like Duffy, Leona Lewis and Estelle. There is one caveat, however. British pop stars are gaining a growing share of a rapidly declining U.S. market. U.S. album sales fell 14 percent… Read more »
