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When it comes to concert tours, the good times are not rolling this summer. Major acts like Britney Spears, Marc Anthony and Christina Aguilera, as well as large-scale festivals like Lollapalooza, all pulled the plug on their tours before they even started. In some cases personal problems, like Spears’ knee injury, were to blame. Anthony said he called off his tour to focus on production of his next album. Industry insiders, however, point to a much bigger issue: falling ticket sales. “People aren’t buying tickets,” said Gary Bongiovanni, editor in chief of Pollstar, the concert industry trade magazine. “For whatever… Read more »

Apple Computer Inc. said Monday that more than 100 million songs have been purchased and downloaded from the computer maker’s iTunes Music Store, and that the man who bought the 100 millionth song won a PowerBook. The 100 millionth song, “Somersault (Dangermouse remix)” by Zero7 was purchased by Kevin Britten, 20, of Hays, Kansas on Sunday, July 11, according to a company press release. For his buy, Britten will receive a 17-inch PowerBook, a 40GB iPod, a gift certificate for 10,000 iTunes songs to create the ultimate music library for his iPod and the opportunity to create his own Celebrity… Read more »

Troubled rock star Courtney Love was taken to a New York hospital on her 40th birthday after missing an arraignment on an assault charge in California, her lawyer said. “It is not a suicide attempt, not drug-related, not drug-overdose related,” Michael Rosenstein said Friday. “It’s a gynecological medical condition for which she is receiving treatment.” Rosenstein and Love’s publicist did not return phone calls Saturday to update her condition. Photographs showed Love on a stretcher, and published reports said witnesses saw the singer being put into an ambulance outside her Manhattan apartment. The New York City fire and police departments… Read more »

The White Stripes have gone on the offensive against a filmmaker they say has released an unauthorized documentary about the duo. “Nobody Knows How To Talk to Children,” which was recently screened at the Seattle Film Festival, was shot by George Roca over the White Stripes’ four-night stand in 2002 at New York’s Bowery Ballroom. “He wanted to videotape the entire event, stage performance and backstage goings on for his demo reel,” the band writes on its official Web site. “We said yes to his request provided he and his crew agreed to the following conditions: 1) it had to… Read more »

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is mobilising the loyal will power of countless Apple users in a bid to get an anti-copying law stymied. The EFF has realised that nothing is more scary than an Apple user who fears that his reassuringly expensive toy may be taken away from him. So the EFF has issued a press release that accuses the record industry of taking Job’s Mob to the cleaners. The complaint, which mimics the format of an actual complaint that record companies might draft, points out that “Apple advertises that its 40 GB iPod can hold ‘up to 10,000 songs.’… Read more »

Record labels have historically invested significant financial resources toward new acts’ touring efforts, whether it be $20,000 for a regional van trek or $200,000 for a national bus outing. But in today’s world of shrinking revenue and tight budgets, tour support funds – though almost always recoupable against album sales – are becoming harder to come by. “There’s not as much money at any level, whether it’s signing bonuses, (recording) albums, tour support or anything else,” says Tim DuBois, senior partner of Nashville-based record label Universal South, home of such ascts as Pat Green and Joe Nichols. “But even in… Read more »

Whisps of fake fog spilled from the stage and dissipated into a light breeze rolling in from the Atlantic Ocean as 7,000 satisfied fans shuffled toward Nathan’s Hot Dogs, the Wonder Wheel or the D-train. So ended the beginning of the end for Phish, who performed Thursday and Friday at Coney Island’s baseball stadium beside the sea, KeySpan Park. The shows launched the band’s farewell tour, which will culminate August 14 and 15 at a festival in Phish’s home state of Vermont. But fans didn’t let any sadness show at these gigs: Even when the sky opened up and drenched… Read more »

Universal Music maintained its status as the world’s market leader in 2003, but a combined Sony/BMG would have challenged its dominance. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), a music industry trade group, released market share figures that show BMG and Sony had an aggregate share of 25.1% in 2003. Universal posted a 23.5% share, down from 25.4% in 2002. The Sony-BMG merger plan cleared a major hurdle June 17 when European competition commissioner Mario Monti gave his approval of the deal. BMG was among the companies posting a share gain in 2003, increasing to 11.9% from 9.6% in… Read more »

The Rolling Stones and Radiohead got theirs from song titles, U2 and the B-52’s from military aircrafts and Lynyrd Skynyrd from their old gym teacher. And the stories behind new millennium band names are no less random: Yellowcard According to these So-Cal pop-punkers, “yellowcard” is a take on the ever-popular Frat house idiom, “party foul,” proving drunks can be simultaneously obnoxious and witty. Perhaps Ewan McKegger was already in use. Coldplay Chris Martin and his mates, originally called Starfish, were friends with a band called Coldplay. When that band gave up the name, Starfish asked if they could use it.… Read more »

On this summer’s Warped Tour, Yellowcard guitarist Ben Harper and his label, Takeover Records, will be looking for a talented unsigned band to take under their wing. Not only will this band be guaranteed at least one spot opening for Yellowcard on their 2005 tour, but they’ll also score an album release from Takeover. Working in conjunction with PureVolume.com and AbsolutePunk.net, Takeover Records will be gathering demos for their nationwide “Sign My Band” contest at the tent they share with Yellowcard on the Warped Tour. “This contest is just a great way to directly connect with kids everywhere and show… Read more »