Search Results for: The Chicks

After a run of 22 weeks that few could have predicted, Avril Lavigne’s debut album, Let Go, has finally dropped from the top 10 of the Billboard 200 album chart, slipping to Number 11. But it took an onslaught of new releases to push the album from the upper-reaches, including new releases from such heavy hitters as Eminem, *NSYNC’s Justin Timberlake, U2, and the Dave Matthews Band. Still, Let Go is hardly selling poorly. Spurred on by its blockbuster hit “Complicated” and the follow-up, “Sk8r Boi,” the triple-platinum effort experienced sales of just more than 100,000, according to sources, or… Read more »

With songs like “Fat Lip” and “Motivation,” Sum 41 developed a reputation for cheekiness and tomfoolery. Their new album doesn’t exactly transform them into tree-hugging environmentalists or pulpit-preaching activists, but it shows the bandmembers leaning toward maybe growing up just a little… kinda. Many songs on Does This Look Infected?, due November 26, aren’t about downing brews, scamming chicks or teenage angst. Instead, Sum 41 singer and lyricist Deryck Whibley addresses issues a little more sobering. “I guess I watched too much CNN while making this record,” he said. “Also, I guess I’m getting older. When you’re young you have… Read more »

Grunge singer-turned-actress Courtney Love and Vivendi Universal Music Group, the world’s largest record conglomerate, announced settlement Monday of their lawsuits against each other with a deal that allows the music firm to release songs by her late husband’s band Nirvana. Universal sued Love in 2000 over five allegedly undelivered albums. She filed a countersuit last year in Los Angeles County Superior Court that sought to break her contract with Vivendi Universal and expose what she called unfair treatment of artists. Love – the widow of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, who committed suicide in 1994 – claimed Universal made about $40… Read more »

Chicago rockers Disturbed have upset the Dixie Chicks’ three-week run as chart champs, selling more than 283,000 copies of their second album to debut atop the Billboard 200 albums chart, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday. The riff-wielding quartet has come a long way in its short career. Disturbed’s 2000 debut, The Sickness, while eventually selling more than 2.6 million copies, took nearly two months to crack the chart after its release. What’s even more impressive is that Disturbed’s first-place showing came without an unavoidable, playlist-friendly video. The clip for the LP’s first single, “Prayer,” encountered restrictions because it was… Read more »

A California lawmaker investigating record company accounting heard one sad song after another on Tuesday as high-profile musicians from the Backstreet Boys to Bing Crosby’s widow accused labels of robbing them of past royalty payments. At a state hearing in Los Angeles, the musicians said they had sold millions of songs or albums only to receive sparse royalties or to be told they actually owed their respective record labels money to recoup advances. State Sen. Kevin Murray, who called the hearing along with fellow Democrat Sen. Martha Escutia, called it a fact-finding event but chided record companies for not making… Read more »

A trial in a closely watched breach of contract case pitting rock star Courtney Love against Universal Music was postponed on Tuesday as the two sides continue talks to reach an out-of-court settlement. Sources familiar with talks said the case is likely to be resolved, rendering a trial unlikely. Officials for Universal Music, the world’s biggest record company and a unit of Vivendi Universal, declined comment. Love’s attorney, Barry Cappello, also declined comment. The case’s roots date back to December 1999 when Love, the widow of Nirvana’s late bandleader Kurt Cobain, decided to stop recording for Geffen, a unit of… Read more »

The world’s biggest music labels on Wednesday said they have offered major concessions to a group of angry pop stars to try to settle a high-profile dispute regarding recording industry contracts. But a representatives for the artists, who have been lobbying for a change to California labor law, said that a settlement was still not in sight. “I want the artist community to know that the record companies came to the table with substantial compromises and it’s now in the artists’ hands,” said Hilary Rosen, president and chief executive officer of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Rosen said… Read more »

Funny lady Ellen DeGeneres has been tapped to host “VH1 Divas Las Vegas,” taking place at the MGM Grand hotel in Sin City May 23. Chicago-born soul-pop singer Anastacia and Fleetwood Mac vocalist and solo artist Stevie Nicks have just been added as special guest performers, according to a VH1 spokesperson. Las Vegas living legend Wayne Newton will serve as announcer for the event, the proceeds from which will benefit the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, a charity aimed at restoring music programs in public schools and raising awareness of the positive impact that music participation has on students. The… Read more »

Shakira and the Dixie Chicks are the latest artists scheduled to perform at this year’s “VH1 Divas Las Vegas.” The singers have been added to a bill that includes previously announced artists Mary J. Blige, Cher and Celine Dion. Additional performers, presenters and special guests will be revealed as they are confirmed. The fifth annual special will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand hotel on May 23. Past “Divas” performances have included Mariah Carey, Shania Twain, Aretha Franklin and Destiny’s Child. VH1’s “Divas” specials raise money for the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring… Read more »

“Where’s Ja?” Ja Rule screams, imitating Clarence Williams III, one of the detectives chasing him in his video for “Down Ass Chick.” “That’s my dog right there.” In the clip, Ja and song co-star Charli “Chuck” Baltimore play cat burglars and Williams and partner Eric Roberts are on the case. During one of their heists, Baltimore gets caught and goes to the big house. The cops let her out of jail, hoping she’ll lead them to Ja. The hunch pays off and the clip ends cliffhanger-style with the cops closing in on the unsuspecting thieves as they lounge on a… Read more »