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Dublin’s docklands redevelopers, who angered U2 by tearing down the group’s hallowed old studios, are giving Bono and his colleagues a high-rise penthouse replacement, the two sides announced Tuesday. “The new Dublin is something I’m really excited about,” Bono told a press conference alongside leaders of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority. Earlier this year the state-backed developers successfully fought U2 in court for the right to tear down a building at Hanover Quay where the band had recorded most of its records since the early 1980s. The building became a place of pilgrimage for U2 devotees, some of whom spray-painted… Read more »

Sirius Satellite Radio yesterday began the first phase of its national service rollout in four markets, Denver, Houston, Phoenix, and Jackson, Mississippi. To commemorate the start of its satellite radio service, Sirius broadcast inaugural programming and treated Jackson to a special live concert featuring Randy Travis and a host of country artists. “This is an important day in Sirius’ history and we are thrilled to bring our premier satellite radio service to listeners in Denver, Houston, Phoenix, and Jackson,” said Joseph P. Clayton, Sirius’ president and CEO. “This will be a big year for Sirius as we roll out our… Read more »

Satellite radio broadcaster XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. said Monday it hit the high end of the subscriber benchmark set by Wall Street, suggesting the new service has sparked consumer interest. XM Chief Executive Hugh Panero told the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas the company had 28,000 subscribers at Dec. 31, and had increased to 30,000 since then. Wall Street analysts estimated it would sign between 20,000 and 30,000 subscribers for the period ended Dec. 31. The company has already shipped 100,000 radios, Panero said, adding that its manufacturing partners would produce 50,000 radios a month by March. The… Read more »

Satellite radio broadcaster Sirius Satellite Radio said Monday it had begun offering its 60 commercial-free music channels on its Web site ahead of the launch of its subscription radio satellite service next month. New York-based Sirius also announced more details of its launch plan, with eight cities to be gradually added throughout the spring to the original four ahead of a nationwide launch sometime in July or August. Sirius will launch in Phoenix, Ariz.; Denver; Houston and Jackson, Mississippi, Feb. 14, followed by Albuquerque, N.M.; Tulsa, Okla.; Little Rock, Ark., and Dallas in early April, and then Indianapolis; Nashville, Tenn.;… Read more »

Irish rock band U2, which enjoyed a triumphant 2001 playing to sold-out crowds in support of its acclaimed new album, led the list of nominees Friday for the Grammy Awards, the music industry’s top prizes. U2 picked up eight nominations, including the key album, song and record of the year categories, organizers announced at a news conference in Beverly Hills. The group’s four members were “thrilled and really excited, and not at all blase,” U2 manager Paul McGuinness told Reuters from the band’s Dublin base after he tracked them down across Europe to break the good news. “There’s a lot… Read more »

Sirius Satellite Radio, the satellite radio broadcaster, today announced it priced a public offering of common stock resulting in gross proceeds of approximately $158 million. The transaction is being underwritten by Lehman Brothers. Sirius will sell 16 million shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $9.85 per share, and has granted the underwriter an over-allotment option to purchase an additional 2.4 million shares of common stock. According to Joseph Clayton, president and chief executive officer of Sirius, “This is an important transaction for Sirius. It funds our efforts well into the second quarter of 2003. We… Read more »

Tom Hanks is in negotiations with DreamWorks to topline and produce the studio’s project “Comrade Rockstar,” based on the life of the late rocker Dean Reed. Born in Denver in 1938, Reed moved to Hollywood at a young age and landed a recording contract with Capitol Records by the time he was 20. However, he never rose to the kind of fame in the United States that he found in other countries, prompting him to move to South America, where he became known as “the Red Elvis.” After several albums, movies and television appearances, Reed moved on to Rome and… Read more »

Rock superstars U2 launched their first U.S. tour in nearly four years in classic form in Florida Saturday night, treating 20,000 devoted, delirious fans to a crowd-pleasing mix of old and new songs delivered with their legendary energy free of the extravagances of their most recent tours. The Irish rockers hit the stage of the National Car Rental Center arena at Sunrise, near Miami, with the house lights still on and launched into a swinging “Elevation” for their new album “All That You Can’t Leave Behind”. For the next two hours they put on a performance in which the songs,… Read more »

As part of Warner Music Group’s ongoing restructuring, the label group is expected to buy out Quincy Jones’ Qwest Records from its joint-venture deal with its subsidiary Warner Bros. Records, sources said Wednesday. As a result, Qwest will no longer be a stand-alone label. It is likely that only a handful of the label’s 20 staffers and an undisclosed number of artists will be absorbed into Warner Bros. Records, insiders said. Qwest’s roster includes Catero, the Clayton Brothers, Saafir, Shank, Josie, Youth Asylum and Milt Jackson. A WMG spokesman declined comment on the pending Qwest deal but did say: “Quincy’s… Read more »