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As Epic Records commitment to artist development continued to flourish in 2001, Epic will bring an entirely new group of exciting artists to the stage in 2002. The Epic team will work as one cohesive unit towards our common goal: helping our artists rise to the top of the marketplace. EPIC RECORDS 2001 RECAP Flickerstick – Winners of the breakthrough VH1 series Bands on the Run released their major label debut Welcoming Home The Astronauts. The album was re-mixed by Tom Lord Alge (Weezer, Blink-182, Marilyn Manson) and includes two new songs, “Execution By X-mas Lights” and “Smile.” Flickerstick will… Read more »

The rock band U2 had the second biggest tour ever during a year in which concert industry business was off but ticket prices continued to rise, an industry trade publication said Thursday. The top 100 concert tours sold 34.4 million tickets in 2001, down about 7 percent from 37.1 million the year before, according to an analysis by Pollstar magazine. U2, coming off one of its strongest albums, sold out arenas across the country with a well-received back-to-basics show. They even added dates after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The band’s $109.7 million in estimated ticket sales is second only… Read more »

It was the year when “King of Pop” Michael Jackson cried at the Oxford Union, pop teen queen Britney Spears performed on stage with a snake and Icelandic singer Bjork turned up at the Oscars dressed as a swan. British showbiz writers searched for tittle-tattle on Robbie Williams’ love life and speculated endlessly about the demise of the hit girl band The Spice Girls. But the story that grabbed the most headlines in 2001 involved a Hollywood power couple who out of the blue announced they were ending what many considered was a rock-solid marriage. The divorce of Tom Cruise… Read more »

The world’s largest record company will be the first of the major labels to release a copy-protected CD in the United States, signaling a new chapter in the industry’s efforts to stem music piracy. When Universal Music Group on Tuesday releases the soundtrack, “Fast & Furious – More Music,” consumers won’t be able to copy the music onto another CD or use their PCs to “rip” tracks in digital MP3 format. The copy-protection technology will also render the disc unplayable on Macintosh computers, DVD players and game consoles, such as Sony’s PlayStation 2. It might not even play in some… Read more »

If Shaggy’s “Keep’n It Real” and “Freaky Girl” sound different in February, and you ask the pop-reggae veteran what happened, don’t be surprised if his response is “It Wasn’t Me.” He’s not kidding. For Hotshot Ultramix (February 12), Shaggy allowed remixers such as Punch, Sting International and Gordon Dukes to play doctor with those tunes as well as other Hotshot (2000) tracks including “Dance & Shout,” “Hope” and “Leave It to Me,” according to an MCA Records spokesperson. Remixers J.C. Moreno, Christopher “Longman Productions” Birch and Tony “CD” Kelly also contributed to the project. Hotshot Ultramix also contains three previously… Read more »

French media conglomerate Vivendi Universal has agreed to buy the entertainment assets of USA Networks Inc. for about $12.4 billion in cash, stock and assumed tax liability, a source familiar with the deal said Sunday. One source said Vivendi’s board approved the deal on Friday, the same day the company said it will buy an 11 percent share of EchoStar Communications Corp., the No. 2 U.S. provider of satellite television. Meanwhile, USA Network approved the deal late Sunday, according to another source who spoke on condition of anonymity. The companies plan to make an annoucement in the near future, probably… Read more »

Four years after the divorce, Vivendi Universal and USA Networks are poised to tie the knot again in a $12.4 billion deal, expected to be announced today in New York. The deal will put the TV assets acquired by USA in 1997 back under Universal’s control and install USA chairman and CEO Barry Diller as the head of the studio’s film, TV and theme park operations. Sources said the complex transaction was structured as the creation of a joint venture between Vivendi Uni and USA encompassing Universal’s film studio and theme parks and USA’s cable channels, including USA Network and… Read more »

Media giant Vivendi Universal said on Friday it would pay $1.5 billion for a 10 percent stake in No. 2 U.S. satellite television firm EchoStar Communications Corp., securing crucial U.S. distribution for its vast film, TV and music programming. The eight-year deal gives EchoStar much-needed cash as it pursues a $27 billion merger with its larger rival, Hughes Electronics Corp., parent of satellite operator DirecTV. Vivendi will own a little under 5 percent, assuming that merger is approved by U.S. regulators. Vivendi, in turn, plans to create five new satellite channels delivering programming from its film library, which includes such… Read more »

Destiny’s Child is not disbanding, the group announced today in response to rumors recently reported in the press. Destiny’s Child’s plans include brand-new albums, a world tour in spring 2002, TV appearances in both the United States and in Europe, and much more in the future. “We are very much a group, very much together, and plan to be for many years,” said Destiny’s Child. “We’ve worked really hard to get to where we are and have been blessed with success and the incredible support of our fans. We’re like sisters, we really love and understand each other and have… Read more »

British rock band the Cure mounted a farewell tour last year to promote what it billed as its last album, and had such a blast playing for more than half a million people in North America and Europe that it now hopes to return to the road in 2002. Retirement at age 42 just never suited the Cure’s leader, singer/guitarist Robert Smith, whose gloomy songs about death and despair have transfixed fans since the Cure released its first single in 1978. “The swan song was actually me… saying the group’s going to end,” Smith told Reuters in a recent interview.… Read more »