In a shift of power among the major record companies, Barry Weiss, a top executive at Sony Music Entertainment, has signed a new deal with the Universal Music Group, the industry leader and Sony’s chief competitor.
Rich Cronin, the former frontman for boy band LFO, known for the 1999 hit “Summer Girls,” died September 8 of leukemia. He was 35.
The pressure had been building up behind the scenes for longer than most music fans realized. But when the teen-pop explosion burst onto the charts in early 1999 it felt like the music world had been blindsided overnight by a flood of squeaky-clean acts who would dominate the charts for years to come. And in some cases, those ripples are still being felt today. It’s hard to believe it now, but over the course of a few months between late 1998 and early 1999, radio and MTV were inundated with the debuts and breakthroughs from Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, ‘NSYNC,… Read more »
Start the countdown clock on MTV’s countdown era: “Total Request Live” will soon shut down after 10 years on the air. The music video show will conclude in a two-hour special on a Saturday afternoon in November, Dave Sirulnick, executive producer of “TRL,” said Monday. He stressed that the show wasn’t ending for good, but felt now was the right time to give it a break after an unprecedented run on the cable music channel. “We want to close this era of `TRL’ in a big celebratory way, and 10 is a great number,” Sirulnick said. “And 10 is the… Read more »
Quiet time is a rarity for the Jonas Brothers these days. Following a special performance for more than 500 screaming tween and teen girls at Apple’s downtown Manhattan store on Tuesday night, the brothers – Kevin, 20, Joe, 18, and Nick, 15 – huddled in a stairwell, trying to find a quiet space to conduct an interview with The Associated Press. Good luck with that. Even as they spoke, their words were almost drowned out by deafening, doglike shrieks from girls still trying to find a way to get at their idols, who have set off a boy-band pop craze… 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 »
Nick Haley took just 30 minutes to pluck the Brazilian band CSS from obscurity and hurl it into the national spotlight. In September, Haley paired the band’s dance-pop song “Music is My Hot, Hot Sex” with his 30-second amateur video, displaying the capabilities of Apple’s new iPod Touch. The video ends with the lyrics, “My music is where I’d like you to touch.” “I was like, ‘This song is too perfect,’ ” said Haley, 18, by phone from the University of Leeds in England, where he studies politics. “It’s punchy, loud, fast and naughty.” Marketers at Apple headquarters in Cupertino… Read more »
A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the creator of the Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync to stay behind bars while attorneys prepare his case. Lou Pearlman, who faces charges of defrauding a bank out of $20 million, will be represented by the federal public defender’s office. The 53-year-old music mogul, dressed in a blue jumpsuit and handcuffed and shackled at the waist, said little in a court appearance Wednesday. The U.S. Attorney’s office opposed bail for Pearlman saying he was a “serious flight risk.” A detention hearing for Pearlman has not been scheduled, the Orlando Sentinel reported. A telephone message… Read more »
The creator of the Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync was back in the mainland U.S. and should return to Florida within two weeks to face bank fraud charges, authorities said Monday. Lou Pearlman, 53, was flown to Los Angeles, the U.S. Marshal’s Office said. He had been detained in the U.S. territory of Guam after being expelled by Indonesian authorities earlier this month. He was charged with one count of bank fraud in a criminal complaint filed in March and unsealed after his arrest. Pearlman is accused of fraudulently securing about $20 million in loans for himself and his companies… Read more »
The Spice Girls are still oceans apart when it comes to getting together. First, it was Live 8 in 2005, and this time it’s the July 1 tribute to Princess Diana that the ’90s-era British pop stars will not be performing at, sticking a fork in yet another rumor that Scary, Sporty, Baby, Ginger and Posh are ready to take the stage again. “Despite media speculation at this time, there is no confirmation of a Spice reunion,” Victoria Beckham’s rep, Cheryl Maisel, told E! News. “Victoria is moving to L.A., Emma is due to have a baby and Mel B… Read more »
