Search Results for: Alan Day

Britney Spears wants everyone to know she’s not a little girl anymore. That’s the message in her third album, due out Nov. 6, and her live concert special from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas airing Nov. 18 on HBO. “I really want this to be shocking and edgier,” Spears said Friday at the Television Critics Association summer gathering. “This show will be an event. It’s going to be to the next level as far as stunts.” The show will include Spears in a duet with her idol Cher on “The Beat Goes On,” the old Sonny and Cher hit.… Read more »

Hot on the heels of new releases from such established superstars as Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey, Virgin Records America is releasing seven key albums from developing artists the label hopes will follow in those multi-platinum footsteps. Ranging an eclectic musical spectrum from Pop-R&B to Urban-Alternative Rock to World Music, these artists reflect Virgin’s commitment to unique yet accessible music for which the label has become known. Forming the all-star rookie line-up are: Nikka Costa – All ears piqued when Tommy Hilfiger’s slick commercial hit TV screens last year, featuring that funky, rhythmic bassline from Nikka’s debut single “Like A… Read more »

Compared to a year ago at this time, MTV and Eminem are locked in a very reluctant embrace. MTV has agreed to play a new video by Eminem’s group, D12, but only during the overnight hours and only after several days of negotiations with the rap star’s record label, Shady Records/Interscope Records. The video for “Purple Hills,” the album’s lead track, had to be cleaned up to minimize overt drug references, MTV spokeswoman Jeannie Kedas said on Tuesday. “We had a dialogue with the label and they provided us with an acceptable version for our air,” she said. MTV will… Read more »

The old feud between rock music and organized religion has given way to a more open embrace of spirituality. But mixing the two is still as dangerous as ever – these days, appearing too religious can jeopardize an artist’s credibility and commercial appeal. “VH1 All Access: Rock & Religion” takes an in-depth look at the influence of religion on pop music – from imagery in music videos, to artists’ spiritual journeys, to the internal struggles faced by Christian roots rockers in the 1950s – when the latest edition of the hit weekly one-hour series premieres Thursday, June 21 at 10:00… Read more »

Continuing its mission of bringing music fans closer to the artists they love, global music media company GetMusic kicks off a stellar summer of unique programming, live events and interactive content with extensive coverage of the two-day KIIS-FM Wango Tango music festival in Los Angeles this weekend. In addition to interviewing artists for the site, GetMusic will be the exclusive sponsor of the event’s autograph-signing tent for fans on both Saturday and Sunday, June 16 and 17. Some of today’s most popular artists are scheduled to stop by, including Dream, Eden’s Crush, Samantha Mumba, 3LW and Nikka Costa. On Monday,… Read more »

Duet – a joint venture between music giants Vivendi Universal and Sony Corp – has quietly been lining up new leadership and negotiating with potential partners, including Microsoft Corp., sources close to the venture said Friday. Although rival online music service MusicNet stole the spotlight this week by striking a licensing deal with song-swap company Napster, Duet is expected to announce the appointment of Andy Schuon to head the year-old venture, a move that could come as early as next week, the sources said. Vivendi Universaland Sony Corpboth declined to comment on the expected appointment or on whether they are… Read more »

MCY today announced the signing of legendary rocker Dave Mason to MCY’s subsidiary, Pyramid Music. Pyramid will create a digital production from a June 2001 Dave Mason Band North American tour performance, which will be released on CD and DVD, as well as distributed through television and secure digital distribution channels. MCY CEO Bernhard Fritsch said, “We’re proud to help Dave bring his compelling, timeless rock into the digital era. He revolutionized rock-n-roll with Traffic and has been a powerful influence ever since.” Pyramid President Alan Jacobi concurred, adding, “Dave always pushes the limits to give fans an extraordinary experience.… Read more »

Those surprised to hear the brothers Hanson had been co-writing with the likes of Matthew Sweet and ex- New Radical Gregg Alexander, may be downright shocked to hear they’ve expanded their collaboration roster to include legendary tunesmith Carole King. The Hansons – Isaac, Taylor and Zac – have just returned from mega-manager Miles Copeland’s annual “songwriting bootcamp” at Chateau de Marouatte in France where they penned and demoed two tracks, “Let You Go” and “One More Time” with King. While at Copeland’s chateau, the trio also co-wrote a number, “Never Love Again,” with the Barenaked Ladies’ Ed Robertson and Donny… Read more »

Alanis Morissette has returned to the jagged little sound that made her famous. The Canadian singer debuted eight new songs during a show Friday night, providing a generous preview of her next album, which is sitting in limbo while she fights a contract dispute with Maverick Records. Much of the new material harked back to the edgier pop-rock of Morissette’s 1995 smash, Jagged Little Pill, and steered away from the moody, Eastern-influenced sound of its follow-up, 1998’s Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie. Accordingly, the two-hour performance – the first of two consecutive nights at Los Angeles’ El Rey Theatre – was… Read more »

Columbia Records’ Crazy Town, Portrait/Columbia Records’ The Union Underground and American Recordings/Columbia Records’ American Head Charge have all signed on-board on what just might be the heaviest Ozzfest ever. Following a big British blow-out at the Milton Keynes Bowl in England on May 26, Ozzfest 2001 opens full-force stateside at the World Amphitheater in Chicago, Illinois. Launched by the heavy metal pioneer and visionary Ozzy Osbourne, the first Ozzfest, a multi-band festival held in 1996, hit only two markets-Los Angeles and Phoenix-but paved the way for a full-on touring extravaganza the next year. Since then, the Ozzfest has become a… Read more »