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OzzFest 2002 kicks off today (July 10) in Scranton, Pennsylvania, after the first two dates of the tour were postponed due to cancer surgery performed on tour mastermind Sharon Osbourne. This year’s festival faces heightened media scrutiny due to the unexpected success of the reality-based TV show The Osbournes. Sharon was asked if the show’s success will add to the success of this year’s OzzFest. “No, because it’s sold out for the last seven years, and it’s selling out this year,” she said. “So as far as Ozzy’s musical career, it’s as big as it ever has been. So, this… Read more »

Michael Jackson’s surprise attack on Sony Music as racist has grabbed headlines, but many in the music industry have turned a deaf ear – suspecting the pop star has been motivated by self-interest rather than a concern for civil rights. Jackson, under contract with Sony until 2004 and among the highest-paid pop stars of all time, appears to be trying to pressure Sony into breaking the deal so he can exit with his valuable trove of master recordings, industry sources said. They say Jackson’s assault was prompted mostly by anger at Sony for the poor showing of his latest album,… Read more »

Pelle Almqvist never could understand the connection between loud guitars and being miserable. You’re up on a stage jumping around, making a loud noise with women adoringly gazing at you. What’s not to like? “It’s just such a naturally exciting and fun thing,” said Almqvist, lead singer of the Swedish rock band the Hives. Acts like the Hives, White Stripes, the Strokes and the Vines are leading a new vanguard with a raw, adrenalized sound best described as garage rock. And after a decade dominated by dense, morose grunge or the angry rants of Limp Bizkit and its sound-alikes, rock… Read more »

Mark Cerami, co-founder of groundbreaking hip-hop imprint Priority Records, has launched a label called M.S.C. Music & Entertainment. The Los Angeles-baed label, which will focus initially on rap artists, has signed seven new acts. The first release on M.S.C. will be “Absolute Power” from Kansas City-based rapper TECHN9NE. The disc is due out Sept. 10 and will feature an hourlong bonus DVD. Cerami said he is in talks with three major label groups about a distribution deal for M.S.C. He has a long pedigree in hip-hop. Priority was home to some of the biggest stars of rap in the late… Read more »

Pressplay, the online music subscription service, today announced that Michael Bebel is being promoted to the role of president and chief executive officer. Bebel has served as chief operating officer of pressplay for more than a year and will succeed Andy Schuon, who is leaving the company to return to the radio industry. Formed in April 2001, pressplay is a joint venture between Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment. Its service was made available to consumers in the United States in December 2001. Doug Morris, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, and Thomas D. Mottola, Chairman and CEO… Read more »

How can a music fan access hundreds of thousands of downloadable music tracks, purchase a wide array of audio compact discs and obtain information about their favorite music artists – all in one location? One way is by logging onto Musiclub, Sony Electronics’ consumer gateway to digital music, news and products at http://www.musiclub.sonystyle.com. Musiclub has expanded its music offerings by adding the pressplay music subscription service. Pressplay gives subscribers access to a broad catalog of the world’s most popular music through streaming, downloading, CD-burning and, soon, transfer to portable devices including Sony’s Net MD(TM) player. Pressplay’s vast online library features… Read more »

Michael Jackson took on Sony Music chairman Tommy Mottola this past weekend, accusing the head of his record company of being a racist and part of a racist conspiracy against black artists. Though it was anticipated that Jackson would challenge standard practices of the music industry and champion artists’ rights when he spoke at the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network in New York’s Harlem neighborhood on Saturday, his personal attacks against the Sony executive came as a surprise, not least of all to Sharpton himself. Most of Jackson’s comments were constrained to the overall treatment of black artists, the… Read more »

They get mocked as the Strolling Bones but the Rolling Stones don’t give a damn – they are still rocking just as hard as they did 40 years ago on Day One. That was July 12, 1962 when the founder members launched into a chorus of “Kansas City” at London’s Marquee Club. Their fee for the night was 25 pounds. Now, four decades on, the elder statesmen of rock are ready to “Start Me Up” all over again with a round-the-world tour that will put yet more millions in their coffers. The Dinosaurs of Rock are in no danger of… Read more »

Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson and Peter Gabriel bassist Tony Levin are among the guests on Hundred Year Flood, the new album by progressive rockers Magellan. The trio’s album is due out September 10 from Magna Carta Records. Anderson plays flute on “Family Jewels,” an almost-six-minute instrumental that’s sandwiched between the album’s two main pieces-the nearly 35-minute suite “The Great Goodnight” and the 11-minute “Brother’s Keeper”-while Levin’s playing is featured throughout the album, joining session guitarists Robert Berry and George Bellas. Magellan leader Trent Gardner sent the song’s tracks to Anderson in Scotland, with the two communicating via telephone as Anderson… Read more »

Could George Michael’s latest single and video, “Shoot the Dog,” actually be a shot in the foot? Never one to shy away from controversy, Michael has outdone himself with the animated clip, his first foray into the world of political satire, in which he takes on President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Queen Mum. In the song, Michael criticizes British foreign policy – at least when it comes to dealings with the Middle East – as being too closely aligned with that of the U.S. The video depicts Bush as an idiot and Blair as… Read more »