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The former music exec, who stepped down as head honcho at Sony Music in January, has teamed up with Universal Music Group to head up a modern-day version of a retro record label. The mastermind behind the careers of Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and Jennifer Lopez will run Casablanca Records, a label founded by Neil Bogart that had its heyday in 1970s with acts like KISS, Donna Summer and the Village People. According to UMG execs, a five-year contract was inked Monday (reportedly to the tune of $50 million), and Mottola is ready to start producing for the New York-based… Read more »

Simple Plan, the Donnas and Bowling For Soup are among the acts that have contributed songs to the “Freaky Friday” soundtrack, due July 29 on Hollywood Records. The soundtrack features several cover songs: Simple Plan’s remake of the Turtles’ hit “Happy Together,” Bowling For Soup’s rendition of Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time,” pop/rock band Lillix’s cover of the Romantics’ “What I Like About You” and the late Joey Ramone’s version of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” The Donnas offer the previously unreleased track “Backstage.” Other acts on the album include American Hi-Fi, Andrew W.K. and Diffuser. Walt Disney… Read more »

Ozzy Osbourne may have weathered the lowest lows that drug addiction has to offer, but the news that his son Jack was seeking treatment for substance abuse taught him a lesson that his own decades of addiction never did. “I used to think they should legalize pot, but you know what? They should ban the lot,” Osbourne told MTV News, addressing Jack’s battle for the first time. “One thing leads to another. Coffee leads to Red Bull, Red Bull leads to crank. “When I found out the full depth of him getting into OxyContin, which is like hillbilly heroin, I… Read more »

Maynard James Keenan will keep Tool in the shed for at least another few months, as the oddball frontman’s other band A Perfect Circle releases Thirteenth Step on September 16th. Since the release of its debut album, Mer de Noms, three years ago, A Perfect Circle has had a few chairs vacated and filled. Out are guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen and bassist Paz Lenchantin (who joined Billy Corgan’s new band, Zwan). And joining Keenan, guitarist Billy Howerdel and drummer Josh Freese is Jeordie White, who formerly recorded as “Twiggy Ramirez” for Marilyn Manson. A Perfect Circle have lined up a… Read more »

Assembling a promotional campaign for a veteran band that has been out of the spotlight is a tough enough feat. But Capitol Records is facing the daunting task of reintroducing a group that hasn’t released a new album in 13 years. Luckily, the campaign behind pioneering alternative rock outfit Jane’s Addiction’s “Strays,” due July 22, has had a huge prerelease boost from first single “Just Because.” The song is No. 4 on Modern Rock Tracks after four weeks, returning Jane’s Addiction to the top of the format at which it scored five top 15 hits between 1988 and 1991. The… Read more »

The music industry may have begun to figure out how to sell digital downloads, but making money from them is another story. As the 99 cent digital singles model begins to take root across the industry through services like Apple Computer’s iTunes Music Store, Liquid Audio, Rhapsody and a host of others set to bow for the PC this fall, industry executives and artist representatives are questioning whether the pricing model makes sense financially. With all parties involved angling for nickels and dimes in the average download sale, labels, artists and service providers all agree on at least one thing:… Read more »

And you thought Andrew W.K. was scary. The organizers behind the Vans Warped Tour are tapping into the world of cinema by filming a “teenage slasher film” during the trek. “It’s about a disgruntled employee,” said Kevin Lyman, founder of the tour that mixes extreme sports and punk/ska music. “The guy gets fired the first day and he comes back and puts a curse on the Warped Tour. Then all these things happen.” The tentatively titled “Punk Rock Holocaust” will be shot by Backseat Conceptions, a division of Troma Films, makers of such B-movie classics as “The Toxic Avenger,” “Sgt.… Read more »

Smash Mouth offered up the first public performance of its new single, “You Are My No. 1,” and several other cuts from its upcoming Interscope album, “Get the Picture,” at a concert Saturday near Charlottesville, Va. The set is due Aug. 5. The band’s appearance was the culmination of a three-day event called Camp Jeep 2003. Smash Mouth has promised the single, released to radio last week, to Jeep parent company DaimlerChrysler for use in an upcoming sales campaign, and placed a Jeep in its video for the song. It will be the second time a Smash Mouth tune has… Read more »

Now that all of you screamo kiddies have accepted the fact Grade are dead and buried, it’s time to get all gooshy over a new Hamilton-based emotive outfit. Hacking around the underground punk scene since early 2000, Silverstein (named after some author the band adored as children… how punk) are just beginning to receive their day in the screamo sun. See, they’ve recently signed a deal with Victory Records and released their second incredibly heart-wrenching album titled When Broken Is Easily Fixed. Singer Shane Told admitted he couldn’t be more surprised at the monster his band has created, musically speaking.… Read more »

Smash Mouth offered up the first public performance of its new single, “You Are My No. 1,” and several other cuts from its upcoming Interscope album, “Get the Picture,” at a concert Saturday near Charlottesville, Va. The set is due Aug. 5. The band’s appearance was the culmination of a three-day event called Camp Jeep 2003. Smash Mouth has promised the single, released to radio last week, to Jeep parent company DaimlerChrysler for use in an upcoming sales campaign, and placed a Jeep in its video for the song. It will be the second time a Smash Mouth tune has… Read more »