Search Results for: against the current

It’s been five years since the murder of Notorious B.I.G., one of Los Angeles’ most infamous unsolved crimes. Biggie’s family, however, doesn’t consider it such a mystery. His widow, singer Faith Evans, and his mother, Voletta Wallace, along with other heirs, filed a federal civil suit including wrongful death charges on Tuesday, accusing current and former police chiefs of interfering with the murder investigation because it would have revealed corruption within the force. The theory behind the suit isn’t a new one. In June it was the subject of a lengthy feature in Rolling Stone: “The Murder of the Notorious… Read more »

Web music firm FullAudio on Thursday said it reached a licensing deal with the Harry Fox Agency Inc., a licensing agent representing more than 160,000 songwriters, for the online subscription service FullAudio plans to launch within weeks. Under this nonexclusive agreement, FullAudio will have access to every musical work authorized by participating publishers licensed by Harry Fox, a subsidiary of the National Music Publishers’ Association. Terms were not disclosed. The agreement also allows FullAudio subscribers to transfer tracks from their PCs to portable devices. FullAudio earlier this week announced it had licensed Warner Music, clinching its third licensing deal with… Read more »

Web music firm FullAudio on Tuesday said it licensed Warner Music, clinching its third licensing deal with a major record label for a subscription service it plans to launch this month through Clear Channel Communications Inc. radio stations. FullAudio plans to include Warner-controlled tracks, along with recordings from EMI Group Plc and Vivendi Universal’s Universal Music Group on its service through Clear Channel, which will be called MusicNow. Warner Music is a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc. The service, which enables users to download songs for a monthly fee, is currently being tested in Phoenix. FullAudio is providing the… Read more »

Eminem has settled the civil lawsuit brought against him by the man he allegedly assaulted for kissing his then-wife Kimberly Mathers. The rapper will pay John Guerra $100,000 minus attorney fees, an amount determined by a panel of three impartial attorneys who heard evidence from both sides in what is known as a case evaluation. Although Eminem’s attorney, Peter Peacock, told The Macomb Daily the settlement was more than his client hoped to pay, and Guerra’s attorney, John Gaber, said it was less than his client wanted, both agreed to the sum rather than taking the case to trial. Neither… Read more »

The 16th annual South by Southwest music conference drew to a close Sunday, and the only thing that lasts longer than the seemingly perpetual hangover that results from four debauched days of a music industry on spring break is the buzz emanating from the bands and key moments that defined this year’s festival. Of the more than 1,000 bands showcasing their chops before press, radio programmers, managers, lawyers, label execs and promoters in 48 venues strewn throughout Austin, Texas, a handful traditionally rise above the chaff to become the targets of hype hucksters and topics of critical discussion for weeks… Read more »

Tower Records Argentina is refusing to sell albums by Epic artist Shakira, in protest of the appearance of her boyfriend, Antonio de la Rua, in her latest video, “Underneath Your Clothes,” Billboard Bulletin reports. De la Rua is the son of former Argentine president Fernando de la Rua, who resigned in December in the midst of profound economic and political turmoil in the country. Antonio de la Rua was his father’s closest advisor; his inclusion in Shakira’s video has caused a stir in the local media. Tower Records marketing manager Maroa Ferrero says the decision to ban Shakira’s albums was… Read more »

Recording Industry Association of America President and CEO Hilary Rosen recently testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on international and domestic intellectual property theft. The subject of music piracy has been top on Rosen’s agenda since the advent of Napster in late 1999, and the emergence of post-Napster progeny since the RIAA successfully shut down the peer-to-peer music exchange in July last year. Targeting her testimony to the foreign relations audience she was addressing, Rosen said, “In Russia, China, and Brazil alone-the world’s three leading pirate marketplaces-the music industry loses more than $1 billion per year.” Rosen added… Read more »

Nickelback’s former management company, Amar Management, filed a breach of contract suit against the band in the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Canada. The suit, filed on January 25, contends that Nickelback wrongfully terminated the contract and has failed to pay the management company commissions, disbursements, and various other fees as a result of services rendered. The band allegedly signed a contract with Amar Management in 1996 and worked with the company through two independent albums and its first Roadrunner Records release, The State. The label contends it was responsible for the development of Nickelback’s career and played a… Read more »

Backstreet Boy Nick Carter has agreed to take part in a pretrial intervention program in order to bring a misdemeanor charge against him to a resolution. Carter was charged with resisting or opposing a law-enforcement officer without violence after he refused an officer’s orders to leave Tampa’s Pop City nightclub on January 2. Under the terms of the deal with state prosecutors, Carter will face probation, perform community service, and pay an undisclosed fine. The charges will be dropped if the 22-year-old singer completes the program, the Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi told The St. Petersburg Times on Friday (February… Read more »

A federal judge has delayed issuing a decision on the recording industry’s copyright infringement lawsuit against song-swap service Napster, giving the two sides until Feb. 17 to reach a settlement. A spokesman for Napster said Wednesday that U.S. District Court Judge Marilyn Hall Patel agreed to a Jan. 17 request for a 30-day stay on a summary judgment ruling. “We are optimistic that the good faith efforts that the parties have put into settlement and licensing discussions over the past several months will bring the litigation to a swift conclusion over the next several weeks, removing the last barrier to… Read more »