Aussie superstar Luke Hemmings, the enigmatic lead vocalist of 5 Seconds Of Summer, has issued the lead debut single, “Shakes,” from his forthcoming solo EP, boy. Hemmings’ second full collection, following 2021’s When Facing The Things We Turn Away From, will arrive on April 26 via Arista Records. You can preorder and pre-save it here. Produced by Hemmings’ longtime collaborator Sammy Witte (known for their work with Maggie Rogers, Harry Styles, and Freya Ridings), “Shakes” is a dreamy sequence. Injected with a double dose of melancholy, it’s perfect for a stroll in the rain with gray skies overhead. Highlighted by… Read more »
Marking her eagerly-awaited return and her first release in six months, Bishop Briggs has launched her empowering new single, “Baggage.” The track will be featured on a new collection of music titled, When Everything Went Dark which will arrive on June 23 via Arista Records. At its core, Briggs‘ “Baggage” is a stirring exploration of embracing life’s messiness and facing it head-on with a sense of empowerment. Through lyrics such as the track’s chorus, “I’m broken, bruised and damaged/Gave up on feeling balanced/But dammit, that’s my baggage/My heavy, heavy baggage,” the song encourages listeners to recognize the complexities of emotional… Read more »
In Arista Records v. Launch Media, the RIAA lost its copyright infringement case against a company which provides its users with individualized internet radio stations. The company, Launch Media, is now owned by Yahoo. The US Court of Appeals rejected the RIAA’s argument that the users’ ability to customize the radio stations made them “interactive services” rather than “radio stations”, and affirmed the ruling of the Court below, finding that the internet radio stations in question did not provide copyrighted sound recordings on request, and did not transmit a program specially created for the user. Opinion of US Court of… Read more »
Pop diva Whitney Houston will release a new album in September, her first in seven years, Arista Records said. Since her career kicked off in 1985 with her self-titled debut, Houston has sold more than 170 million records, singles and videos around the world. Houston, 45, is one of music’s most decorated female artists with more than 400 awards. Trained as a gospel singer, some of Houston’s best-known hits include “How Will I Know,” “Greatest Love of All” and “I Will Always Love You” from the 1992 movie “The Bodyguard,” in which she also starred. In recent years, she made… Read more »
In 1993, Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Soundgarden, the Smashing Pumpkins and Pavement brought AIDS activism into the bedrooms of grunge-obsessed teens on the benefit album ” No Alternative” marrying music to message in a way that registered strongly with Generation X. The project, organized by the Red Hot Organization — an international production company dedicated to fighting AIDs through pop culture — and released by Arista Records sold 292,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan and generated several modern rock radio hits. But the success was a mixed blessing; other major labels went out of their way to… Read more »
Bill Frohlich and Jordan Katz have been named co-presidents of Sony BMG Sales Enterprise, the new entity comprising the distribution operations of Sony Music Distribution (including its independent arm RED Distribution) and BMG Distribution. Frohlich and Katz will be based in New York and report to Michael Smellie, chief operating officer at Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Frolich most recently was executive vp sales at Sony Music Distribution. Before that, he was senior vp sales at Sony’s Epic Records Group. The veteran executive joined the company, then known as CBS Records, in 1978. Katz was executive vp and general manager of… Read more »
Grammy-winning producers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo – aka the Neptunes – have found a new home for their Star Trak label. The duo are in the process of signing a three-year deal with Interscope Records worth about $3 million, sources said Tuesday. Star Trak previously had a deal with Arista Records, which the Neptunes signed two years ago with recently ousted Arista chief Antonio “L.A.” Reid. That deal has since expired, and Reid was named chairman of Interscope’s sister company Island Def Jam Music Group last month. Under the deal, Williams and Hugo will produce artists signed to Star… Read more »
Jimmy Iovine, head of the West Coast operations of Universal Music Group, has signed on for another six years, sources confirmed Thursday. Iovine, the chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, has been in contract negotiations since last year. The multimillion-dollar deal was finally signed late Wednesday night. A label spokeswoman declined comment. As part of the deal, Iovine has the option to partner with Universal for music-driven film projects revolving around his artists. That part of the deal is based on Iovine’s success as the producer of Interscope rap star Eminem’s Oscar-winning film “8 Mile.” Last year was a busy… Read more »
The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way on Monday for civil rights icon Rosa Parks to proceed with her lawsuit against OutKast and others over the rap music duo’s hit song with her name as its title. The justices let stand a U.S. appeals court ruling that reinstated Parks’ false advertising and publicity claims against OutKast and three Bertelsmann AG units – LaFace Records, the record producer, and Arista Records and BMG Entertainment, the distributors. Parks made history in 1955 when she refused to give up her seat to a white man and move to the back of a city… Read more »
Avril Lavigne’s “My World” DVD will premiere the day prior to its official Nov. 4 street date with screenings at AMC Theaters in 24 U.S. cities. The artist will attend the premiere in New York, at the AMC Empire 25 Theaters in Times Square. The DVD, from Arista Records and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, was recorded May 18 in Buffalo, N.Y., and features performances of 16 songs, including covers of Green Day’s “Basket Case” and Bob Dylan’s “Knocking on Heaven’s Door.” “My World” will also feature a behind-the-scenes featurette, five music videos and a six-song bonus audio CD that… Read more »
