Search Results for: carr

When it was unveiled in June, Apple’s new iPhone didn’t appear to offer anything new for music fans. But thanks to the subsequent launch of the App Store on iTunes, iPhone users can download a host of applications to add new functions to the device. Many of them are music-oriented and all are made specifically for the iPhone. The weekend after the new iPhone’s release, more than 10 million applications were downloaded through the App Store. Some are free, some carry a fee, and most also work on the Wi-Fi-compatible iPod Touch. Here are some of the more notable music… Read more »

When Hartmut Ostrowski was an up-and-comer in Bertelsmann’s printing and services division in the 1990s, his bosses were discouraged from speaking at meetings of the top executives. In the glamorous world of Bertelsmann, a global media empire with music, television, and publishing properties – Germany’s answer to Time Warner – services were viewed as strictly a backstage function. Now, with Mr. Ostrowski at the helm of Bertelsmann, the stagehands are striding into the spotlight. Two weeks ago, he named Markus Dohle, a 39-year-old German who runs the company’s printing operations, as chief executive of Random House, the world’s largest consumer… Read more »

On Friday, May 30, Musicians Institute holds an exclusive live concert competition for bands vying to perform on the 2008 Vans Warped Tour. The event, held in conjunction with Skinnie Magazine, is limited to bands that include MI students and alumni, with the winner going on to compete against other LA bands at the Key Club on June 12. The champion of that round takes the grand prize: a slot on stage at the June 22 Ventura Seaside Fairgrounds stop of the Vans Warped Tour. Bands participating in the MI round include Hollywood’s own Stella Vicarious and Among the Infected,… Read more »

Rocker David Cook won the coveted title of “American Idol” on Wednesday, dealing an unexpected but decisive defeat to a silken-voiced teenager, also named David, on the most popular U.S. television show. Cook, 25, who was tending bar and playing in a band before he auditioned for the singing competition, stood back to applaud rival David Archuleta, 17, and then bent over crying after host Ryan Seacrest said he had won by 12 million votes. “This is amazing. Thank you,” said the Blue Springs, Missouri, native, who in addition to being crowned this year’s “Idol” will receive a recording contract.… Read more »

DMX has pleaded not guilty to felony drug possession and misdemeanor animal cruelty charges. A judge entered the plea for the musician-actor (real name: Earl Simmons) at a brief court hearing Thursday. Simmons was late for court. The 37-year-old rapper was indicted last week on 11 counts, including felony marijuana and paraphernalia possession and seven counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. The charges stem from an August raid by authorities investigating if he was neglecting 12 pit bulls at his Phoenix home. Some were dehydrated and appeared to be underfed. Three were found buried in his back yard. The rapper has… Read more »

Motley Crue is taking a page from the Ozzy Osbourne playbook by launching its own touring hard-rock festival, the band said on Tuesday. Crue Fest, whose roster also includes Grammy-nominated acts Buckcherry and Papa Roach, will kick off in West Palm Beach, Fla., on July 1, and take in 41 cities across United States and Canada. The amphitheater trek will help the band promote its autobiographical new album “Saints of Los Angeles,” which is due in stores on June 17. Singer Vince Neil, bass player Nikki Sixx, guitarist Mick Mars and drummer Tommy Lee performed the title track, as well… Read more »

A stark truth facing any aspiring digital music service these days is that working with record labels is going to carry a hefty price. The last 18 months have seen the major music labels accept new technological and business models — such as dropping digital rights management and allowing ad-supported free music — that have given rise to a new generation of digital music services. But the flip side of this willingness to experiment is a demand for higher upfront advances for licensing music and in some cases a substantial equity stake in the company. Ad-supported download service SpiralFrog, for… Read more »

The much-awaited iPhone with 3G is coming in May, according to a report by the Bank of America. Both Apple and AT&T, its exclusive carrier partner in the U.S., have said a higher-speed version of the popular device is coming, but they haven’t set a date. The BOA’s research report was authored by analyst Scott Craig and cited Friday by the Reuters news service. Three Million in May Craig told Reuters that there will be “an initial small build in May,” and “significant production” in June. Despite the report, AT&T and Apple declined comment. But June would be a good… Read more »

Lou Pearlman, the music mogul who launched the Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync, has agreed to plead guilty and make restitution to victims swindled out of an estimated $300 million in phony bank and investment schemes, U.S. prosecutors said on Tuesday. Pearlman admitted in a plea agreement that for 20 years he enticed people and banks to invest millions of dollars in two companies that existed only on paper: Transcontinental Airlines Travel Services Inc. and Transcontinental Airlines Inc. Pearlman is scheduled to enter his plea on Thursday in a U.S. court in Orlando. The charges carry a maximum of 25… Read more »

Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger only survived an assassination attempt by Hells Angels members nearly 40 years ago because a boat carrying his would-be killers was swamped in a storm, according to a new BBC documentary. The details of a plot to kill the British rocker were revealed by an FBI agent as part of a series, “The FBI at 100,” which is to be aired on BBC Radio 4 on Monday. Tom Mangold, who presents the series, told Britain’s Sunday Telegraph newspaper that Jagger fell out with the Hells Angels after a member of the notorious gang killed a… Read more »