The right label deal is what convinced We are the Fallen to change plans to release music sporadically and online and instead go for a full-fledged album — Tear the World Down, which comes out May 11.
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.
Lady GaGa becomes just the third artist in the 16-year history of the Mainstream Top 40 airplay chart to collect three No. 1 songs from a debut album. “LoveGame” (Interscope) rises 2-1, marking Lady GaGa’s third No. 1, following “Just Dance” (two weeks) and “Poker Face” (five weeks). The three songs appear on her top five Billboard 200 album, The Fame. The set has sold 1,162,000 copies to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The singer-songwriter born Stefani Germanotta joins just two prior artists in accomplishing the triumphant triple play. In 1993-94, Ace Of Base reigned consecutively on Mainstream Top 40… Read more »
“SIMPLE PLAN,” the long-awaited new album from Lava/Atlantic recording group Simple Plan, has made a triumphant chart debut, both here and around the world. The Montreal-based band’s third studio effort — which features the singles “When I’m Gone” and “Your Love Is A Lie” — was the Billboard 200’s highest-charting debut of the week at #14, while also placing high on a variety of additional tallies, including #3 on “Top Rock Albums,” #4 on “Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums,” and #7 on “Top Digital Albums.” In addition, the album reached the #1 spot on the iTunes Store’s “Top Pop Albums” ranking.… Read more »
Madonna is the richest woman in music. The 49-year-old entertainer leads Forbes.com’s list of the top 20 “Cash Queens of Music,” earning $72 million between June 2006 and June 2007. The pop star’s “Confessions” world tour pulled in $260 million, Forbes said. She also made money from album sales, her fashion line with H&M and a deal with NBC to broadcast her concert performance at London’s Wembley Stadium. Forbes.com said it compiled the list by examining concert grosses, merchandising revenue, album sales and other revenue from clothing lines, fragrance deals and endorsements. Barbra Streisand is No. 2 with $60 million,… Read more »
There’s nothing like 1.3 billion potential ticket buyers to attract the attention of the live entertainment business. With the world’s largest population and an exploding economy, China may represent the future for international touring artists. That’s why the three biggest players in the U.S. live entertainment business — Live Nation, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) and Ticketmaster — have all staked claims in China. It’s virgin territory. “In China you have a huge potential market, a clean slate and opportunities you don’t see in more mature markets,” Ticketmaster CEO Sean Moriarty said. “There is no established way of doing business yet,… Read more »
A revolutionary plan that would effectively legitimize file-sharing here has been slammed as “a pipe dream” by Canadian labels. The Songwriters Assn. of Canada proposes to allow domestic consumers access to all recorded music available online in return for adding a $5 Canadian ($4.96) monthly fee to every wireless and Internet account in the country. The SAC claims that the proposal, which has been presented to labels’ bodies the Canadian Record Industry Assn. (CRIA) and Canadian Independent Record Production Assn. as well as publishers’ groups, would raise approximately $1 billion Canadian ($993 million) annually. Although the SAC does not detail… Read more »
McFly’s latest double a-side “Baby Come Back/Transylvania” has put an end to Beyonce and Shakira’s three-week run at the top of the Official UK Top 40, while landing the young pop-rock act their seventh No. 1 single. The track debuts ahead of “Beautiful Liar” which drops to two, while Akon’s “Don’t Matter” jumps up eight spots to three. Gym Class Heroes’ “Cupid’s Chokehold” is at four while Scootch’s Eurovision flop “Flying The Flag” charts at five. The pop trio were ranked 22nd out of 24 at Saturday’s event in Finland. In the rest of this week’s top ten, Linkin Park… Read more »
Sum 41’s fourth album, “Underclass Hero,” has been set for a July 24 release via Island. The title track will serve as the first single and will be serviced May 15 to U.S. rock radio outlets. Another song, “March of the Dogs,” is available starting today (April 17) via iTunes. The group, which is now a trio consisting of vocalist/guitarist Deryck Whibley, bassist Cone McCaslin and drummer Steve Jocz, has a handful of live dates on its spring and summer schedule, beginning May 4 at Memphis’ Beale Street Music Festival. Sum 41 will also play five shows on the Vans… Read more »
Many acts avoid reading reviews of their albums for fear one sour critic will reduce their noble efforts to rubble. Good Charlotte’s Benji Madden is not one of those artists. “I read all the reviews,” he says. “I remember the first review I ever read about our band was ‘They’ll be gone tomorrow; they’ll be gone quicker than they came.’” Seven years and more than 9 million albums later, pop punkers Good Charlotte are not only still standing, but proudly proclaiming a return three years after the release of 2004’s “The Chronicles of Life & Death.” “Ben said something a… Read more »
