Search Results for: GOLD

Singer-actress Courtney Love was detained Tuesday at Heathrow airport after an airline claimed she verbally abused the crew of a trans-Atlantic flight. Love was “verbally abusive toward our cabin crew and disruptive” on a Virgin Atlantic flight from Los Angeles to London, airline spokesman Paul Moore said. No one was injured on the Boeing 747, which carried 201 passengers and 20 crew. TV channel Sky News aired pictures of Love, 38, being escorted by two officers from the plane to a police van on the runway after the flight landed about 11 a.m. She smiled at the camera and covered… Read more »

TRUSTcompany is gearing up to hit the road on their first national headline outing. The Alabama-based quartet’s major label debut, “The Lonely Position of Neutral”, has continued to make its mark since its late summer debut at #11 on the Billboard Album Chart. The album was produced by Don Gilmore (Linkin Park, Lit, Eve 6) and mixed by Andy Wallace (Nirvana, Jeff Buckley, Rage Against The Machine). The band recently performed at the ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’ and at European festivals to over 30,000 fans. The “Lonely Position of Neutral” is already certified Gold. Comparing the sounds of… Read more »

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) yesterday (Jan. 28) reintroduced his Competition in Radio and Concert Industries Act, which he says will help consumers, small and independent radio station owners, and indie concert promoters by prohibiting anti-competitive practices in the radio and concert industries, Billboard Bulletin reports. The bill’s introduction comes as the Senate Commerce Committee prepares to hold a hearing tomorrow on the problems of radio consolidation. Insiders say committee chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is expected to sign on as a co-sponsor of the bill soon. Feingold will be the lead witness at tomorrow’s hearing. Others scheduled to appear include… Read more »

The owners of the KaZaA file-sharing network are suing the movie and recording industries, claiming that they don’t understand the digital age and are monopolizing entertainment. Sharman Networks Ltd. filed its counterclaim Monday in response to a copyright-infringement lawsuit brought by several recording labels and movie studios. That lawsuit accuses Sharman of providing free access to copyright music and films to millions of Internet users in the United States. The latest filing came two weeks after U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson dismissed Sharman’s claim that it could not be sued in the United States because it is based in… Read more »

The president of Vivendi Universal’s MCA Records has resigned, becoming the latest casualty of the slumping music industry. Jay Boberg, 44, told MCA employees Thursday that he was stepping down from the post he has held since 1995. He said in a memo to label executives that he leaves a roster of acts that is “an artistic and musical gold mine.” A spokeswoman said Boberg wasn’t available to elaborate. Boberg joined artist manager Miles Copeland in 1979 to found pioneering I.R.S. Records, which was later sold to EMI for an estimated $20 million. He was tapped to head MCA’s publishing… Read more »

Tough times may have hit the record business, but sellers of musical instruments and products are humming. “It looks like we got back to the high water mark of $7 billion in annual U.S. sales in 2002, and I’m very bullish about the next 10 years,” said Joe Lamond, president and chief executive officer of International Music Products Association, representing nearly 8,000 retailers and makers of musical instruments and products in 85 countries. The estimated 2002 U.S. level would represent an uptick from $6.7 billion in 2001, which had fallen from the industry’s record $7 billion in 2000. The latest… Read more »

Christine Lewis wrapped herself in the flag – an Elvis flag – to celebrate what would have been the king of rock ‘n’ roll’s 68th birthday. The 52-year-old from Somerset, England, was among 600 to 700 fans gathered Wednesday on the front lawn of Graceland, Elvis Presley’s last home, to cut a cake and sing “Happy Birthday.” Celebrants stood in line up to 90 minutes to get onto the grounds for the party. “I could imagine him being here. I cried so much,” Lewis said. For the occasion, she wrapped herself in a flag with red and blue stripes and… Read more »

Call them the new poster boys of pop punk. Dub them bearers of a torch once carried by Green Day and Rancid. Pronounce them the best thing to happen to the genre since the invention of the pogo. Just don’t call New Found Glory the next big thing. “I’d hate to be the next big thing,” singer Jordan Pundik said. Rather than ride a rocket to the top, Pundik and bandmates Cyrus Bolooki (drums), Chad Gilbert (guitar), Ian Grushka (bass) and Steve Klein (guitar) adopt a policy of slow and steady, careful not to suffer from overexposure. “Our videos aren’t… Read more »

Hundreds of Phish fans camped out at Madison Square Garden Tuesday in the hope of landing seats to the jam band’s New Year’s Eve concert – its first concert in more than two years. “We’re dying for tickets!” said Matt Lamberg, a 21-year-old college student from Binghamton, N.Y., who’d been waiting for six hours. “Their energy is totally different. It’s beautiful. It’s what life’s about.” Phish has long attracted a devoted following that’s willing to travel thousands of miles to hear them play. Tuesday’s event was a huge draw. Phish is known for its New Year’s Eve shows, and the… Read more »

The soft drink’s slogan may be the “Joy of Pepsi,” but there’s no joy for Britney Spears, whose contract has not been renewed by the cola giant. Pepsi has now signed on Destiny’s Child star Beyonce Knowles for commercials. Pepsi announced it signed Knowles for her star power in both music and movies. This summer, she made her film debut in Austin Powers In Goldmember and will appear in the upcoming movie The Fighting Temptations. The Destiny’s Child frontwoman will appear in two TV commercials for the cola company as part of a new campaign that also will include radio… Read more »