Search Results for: With Confidence

From a chair that looked as if it belongs on the starship Enterprise, Hugh Panero flipped a switch Tuesday and formally launched XM, the first of the nationwide satellite radio services to go on the air. While the ceremony marked XM’s official start, it will not be a national service for some months because the signal is being beamed from the company’s two satellites – “Rock” and “Roll” – to San Diego and Dallas. The company plans to roll out service to the southern half of the United States within a month and to the rest of the nation in… Read more »

French-American media giant Vivendi Universal confirmed on Tuesday its profit and sales targets for this year and said it was well positioned for additional growth despite the uncertain economic environment. The company issued its bullish outlook as it reported that net profit dwindled to a meager 22 million euros ($20.3 million), weighed down by goodwill from its Seagram merger, provisions and losses at companies in which it holds stakes. The company’s outlook compared favorably with those of its top competitors, several of which have issued profit warnings in recent days. Media firms, particularly those exposed to the tumbling advertising market,… Read more »

RadioWave, a leading provider of Internet radio technology and services to businesses, and Universal Music Group (“UMG”), the world’s leading music company, today announced a radio programming and distribution agreement for several of UMG’s branded record labels and their artists. RadioWave will produce, host and distribute radio programs showcasing the music and artists featured on the Motown, Verve, Cash Money, Universal Classics, Universal Records and MCA labels. The programs will be available through UMG-affiliated web sites, and will be accessed by users through web-based, label-branded players produced by RadioWave. Additionally, Motown Radio and Verve Radio will be syndicated throughout the… Read more »

According to Arbitron and Edison Media Research, the percentage of Internet users who have used streaming media now exceeds 50 percent. The study, dubbed “Internet VII: The Internet & Streaming: What Consumers Want Next” will be released at the NAB Radio Show 2001 conference in New Orleans, La., on September 5, 2001. In a preview of the results released today, Arbitron and Edison conclude that as of July 2001, persons who have watched or listened to streaming media online has risen to 52 percent of online Americans. In addition, More than a third (34 percent) of all Americans aged 12… Read more »

A day after MTV’s 20th anniversary celebration, some people were nursing hangovers, but Busta Rhymes was feeling the kind of pain a cup of coffee wasn’t going to cure. Apparently old Bussa Bus injured his right leg during the show’s hip-hop medley. Gone was his usual regal swagger as he limped badly into Manhattan’s Hit Factory to play his new album, The Genesis, for a small group of guests that included his manager, Chris Lighty, and another of Lighty’s clients, Jo Jo Peligrino. “I feel so good right now,” Busta said with his usual animation. “This is the first album… Read more »

Wet Seal has signed on Epic Records recording artist 3LW to showcase the retailer’s “BeDazzle Your Denim” mega-promotion, held at Wet Seal stores nationwide starting August 1. The contest rewards the craftiest Wet Seal girl with a trip for two to Honolulu, Hawaii to see 3LW on the closing night of MTV’s TRL (Total Request Live) Tour on September 21, 2001. To enter, contestants must embellish a pair of Wet Seal Blue Asphalt jeans – which can be jeweled, studded, painted, pinned, patched, ripped, dyed, drawn on or otherwise decorated! – and submit a photograph of the finished jeans in… Read more »

Fans of Cameron Crowe’s Oscar-winning Almost Famous were left with quite a few questions about the real people that inspired the film’s fictional characters. But none left admirers of the movie more curious than super-groupie Pennie Lane (played by Kate Hudson, who received an Academy Award nomination). Yes, there is a real Pennie Lane, and, yes, she is back. And after a quarter of a century away from music, the real Pennie Lane (not her true surname, but the one she is choosing to use for her music business venture, as well as to protect her privacy) has returned to… Read more »

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 »

MeasureCast announced that it has secured $3 million in phase one of its second round of financing, led by Seattle-based FBR CoMotion Venture Capital. The company, which offers next-day audience measurement reporting and provides the radio industry with weekly charts and the MeasureCast Internet Radio Index, plans to use the cash for product and business development, customer support, as well as sales and marketing efforts. MeasureCast raised $3.5 million in its first round of funding in April 2000 from FBR CoMotion and individual investors. “This latest cash infusion is further proof that the MeasureCast Streaming Audience Measurement Service, and its… Read more »

Epic Records President Polly Anthony has named Pete Ganbarg to the post of Senior Vice President, A&R. Ganbarg will report directly to Anthony and will be based in Epic’s New York office. Responsible for signing and developing new artists for Epic, Ganbarg will also work closely with artists already signed with the Group. Before joining Epic, Ganbarg served as Senior Director, A&R, Arista Records. “Pete Ganbarg brings to this position a truly committed approach to A&R and artist development,” Anthony commented. “He has a great set of ears and a unique ability to match the right song with the right… Read more »