Search Results for: GOLD

When the members of U2 walked off the stage on their 1997-1998 “PopMart” tour, the final image was a heart framed by the outsized “golden” arch – a juxtaposition that perfectly encapsulated that tour’s muddy concept, as the group had strained to find a balance between earnest emotion and smirking irony. On their current “Elevation” tour, the band wears their hearts on their sleeves or, to be more precise, on the heart-shaped runway that surrounds them and a portion of crowd, reaching halfway into the arena. Allowing much of the audience close contact with the band, the stage, along with… Read more »

With the Hollywood-Washington war expected to be reignited today, Motion Picture Assn. of America prexy-CEO Jack Valenti on Monday warned lawmakers in no uncertain terms to back off. “May God save the First Amendment,” Valenti said during a keynote speech before the National Assn. of Broadcasters, which is meeting here for its annual confab. Valenti, like his counterparts in the music biz, was gearing up for the release this morning of a Federal Trade Commission report that will chart how well the entertainment biz has done in stopping the marketing of violent or suggestive fare to kids. The FTC reportedly… Read more »

Signs of success are everywhere for up-and-coming pop-punkers New Found Glory – from the single “Hit or Miss” gaining radio spins and the increasing number of concertgoers who sing along to it, to the growing size of the venues where the group perform and the increasingly comfortable mode of transportation that takes them there. One clue, however, is reserved for only the worthiest targets of admiration. “We had our first crier at a Sam Goody in-store,” guitarist Chad Gilbert admitted. Apparently some young lady was so taken with being in the presence of Gilbert, singer Jordan Pundik, guitarist Steve Klein,… Read more »

In an unprecedented, multi-album, multi-million dollar agreement with Virgin Music Group, Mariah Carey has become the richest (on paper) musician ever. In a world where some dot-com millionaires aren’t old enough to drive, and Texas-sized purses are awarded to athletes like Alex Rodriguez, the record industry was bound to follow suit with a record-breaking [pun intended] contract. Today, they did. In an unprecedented, multi-album, multi-million dollar agreement with Virgin Music Group, Mariah Carey has become the richest (on paper) musician ever. The terms of the deal were not officially disclosed, but New York Daily News reports that Virgin Records will… Read more »

For years recording artists and the executives who promote their work have had a love-hate relationship. Executives at recording companies, which make billions of dollars a year distributing music on compact discs and in other formats, say their business is risky and they should be compensated for taking chances on young talent. Recording artists, for their part, have long grumbled that companies are too controlling, lining their pockets by exploiting musicians unschooled in business. Now, while the debate in the music industry has focused on how recording companies should deal with the public online, the controversy has also reheated long-simmering… Read more »

A possible deal between major record labels and Internet media software firm RealNetworks Inc. to offer online music subscriptions could breathe new life into delivering entertainment over the Web, a goal held up by bitter fighting over copyright issues. Seattle-based Real, which makes the popular RealPlayer software for playing audio and video on a personal computer, was reported by the Wall Street Journal to be in talks with three record companies to license their music for use in a subscription service. Citing people familiar with the talks, the paper said AOL Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Music Group, Bertelsmann AG’s BMG… Read more »

The hobbled Michael Jackson and sweetly nostalgic Paul Simon made their second entrances into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday, joined by fellow inductees Aerosmith, Queen and Steely Dan. Fifties vocal group The Flamingos, soul singer Solomon Burke and “La Bamba” singer Ritchie Valens completed the list of honorees at a New York ceremony Monday night. Jackson, already in the Hall of Fame with his brothers as a member of the Jackson 5, was earmarked for a solo career that includes “Thriller,” which Sony estimates has sold more than 47 million copies worldwide. He wore a white… Read more »

With Napster a shell of its former self and services like MP3.com paying hefty tribute, record labels are poised to conquer cyberspace with their own streaming and downloading services. Ironically, only one thing stands in the way: copyright. Record companies aren’t the only ones that hold copyright on music recordings. Music publishers, who represent lyricists and composers, do too – owning the rights to the piece of music itself. For every copy a record company distributes, the publisher gets a small cut. That’s how the people who write the songs get paid. Suddenly, the industry finds itself on the other… Read more »

MTV.com today launched the ‘Real World Fish Tank Web Cam’, a 24/7 exclusive first look at the new show, the new house, the new cast, and most importantly… the new goldfish. The Web cam, placed directly into the Real World fish tank, will catch all the underwater action of the new Real World in New York prior to its debut in June. MTV.com has collected some of the best pics from the Fish Tank Web Cam so fans are guaranteed to catch all the action and maybe a glimpse of a cast member. Plus, visitors on MTV.com can get in… Read more »