Search Results for: Interscope Records

The success of the Black Eyed Peas flies in the face of the conventional wisdom that the music business sacrifices long-term artist development in favor of quick hits and short-term corporate profits. Signed to Interscope Records more than six years ago by chairman Jimmy Iovine, the progressive hip-hop group’s first two albums, “Behind the Front” in 1998 and “Bridging the Gap” in 2000 earned rave reviews but failed to go gold (shipments of 500,000 copies). The first album peaked at No. 139 on the Billboard 200 with sales of 197,000 units, according Nielsen SoundScan, while the sophomore set stalled at… Read more »

So the FCC wouldn’t let him be, wouldn’t let him be he…and now Eminem is making the move to satellite radio. On Monday, the Grammy-winning rapper announced his plans to team up with Sirius Satellite Radio to “deliver an uncut hip-hop radio station like never before” beginning this fall. “Once upon a time not too long ago, the feds wanted all my music off the air,” Eminem said in a statement. “Now we’ll be on Sirius 24 hours a day, playing the best hip-hop…not just from Shady Records, but from everywhere. “I can’t wait to start dropping new material, exclusive… Read more »

It’s been nearly eight years since Tupac Shakur passed away but, remarkably, that hasn’t stopped “new” albums from emerging in the years since. This November, another new, posthumous Tupac album is scheduled for release – and this one will once again pair the legendary MC with another. Spokespeople for both Interscope Records and Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, confirmed that the new, as-yet-untitled Tupac album will feature a new batch of the rapper’s previously unreleased verses put to beats by some of today’s big hip-hop producers – and that one of the beat-makers already signed up is none other than Eminem.… Read more »

Nine Inch Nails’ former manager John Malm has shot back at Trent Reznor, who filed a suit against him earlier this week seeking millions of dollars. Not only does Malm refute Reznor’s claim that he and former business manager/accountant Richard Szekelyi ripped off the rocker, he insists that Reznor actually owes him over $2 million in unpaid commissions. After numerous attempts to procure the payments, the manager sued Reznor in April, weeks before the suit against Malm and Szekelyi was filed. “Trent Reznor’s complete lack of loyalty and integrity is astounding,” Malm said in a statement. “After 20 years of… Read more »

Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor is suing former manager John Malm and former business manager/accountant Richard Szekelyi for millions of dollars. According to Interscope Records, Reznor filed suit in U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, charging his former associates with fraud and breach of fiduciary duties. The industrial rocker claims Malm and Szekelyi’s Ohio-based company, J. Artist Management, engaged in unlawful and immoral conduct for years, cheating Reznor out of money that rightfully should have gone to him. In his suit, Reznor alleges that he was convinced to sign a five-year management agreement in 1989, even though… Read more »

Verizon Wireless is taking tour sponsorship into the digital world in partnership with rock band Puddle of Mudd. The idea is to entice the band’s fans to use new technology through a package of competitions, promotions and advertising, all leading up to the Nov. 25 release of its sophomore album, “Life on Display.” The band’s 2001 Interscope Records debut, “Come Clean,” has sold more than 5 million copies and won four Billboard Music Awards. One part of the resultant multimedia package is an online remix tool. Fans can use the simple interface to modify, play and save their own mix… Read more »

50 Cent and his record label have been sued for $21 million by a New York Post photographer who claims the rapper’s bodyguards attacked him. James Alcorn alleges in a lawsuit filed in state Supreme Court that he was “assaulted and battered” by seven bodyguards Aug. 27 while photographing 50 Cent, who was shopping in the diamond district. With the 27-year-old rapper looking on, the unidentified men allegedly slammed Alcorn down on the sidewalk, then loomed over him as he snapped a photo of them. Alcorn claims he suffered neck and jaw injuries. The incident was being investigated as a… Read more »

The music industry is hoping that the availability of child pornography on peer-to-peer networks such as Kazaa will help put file sharing out of business. Record executives have been frustrated that Congress hasn’t acted to curb piracy on these services, but some are now optimistic that lawmakers will intervene. “This is like Al Capone and taxes, which is how the government got him,” says Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope Records. “This shows peer-to-peers for what they really are.” At a September 9th Senate hearing on the connection between porn and peer-to-peer, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, warned about the “great risk… Read more »

Despite an apparent cease-fire to the mudslinging between Fred Durst and Britney Spears, the Limp Bizkit frontman just can’t seem to say enough about the sexy singer. Onstage Saturday at a free concert in London’s Finsbury Park, Durst introduced the tune “Break Stuff” by taking a swipe at the pop star. At the opening of the Significant Other single with the prophetic line, “It’s all about the he said, she said bullsh-,” Durst made his proclamation. “How many people out there have had one of those f–ed-up days?” he asked the crowd. “I can remember quite a few f–ed-up days… Read more »