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A spokesperson for Arista Records, home to TLC, denies that group member Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes has joined the ranks of Suge Knight’s Tha Row Records. When asked to confirm accounts made to LAUNCH by Tha Row publicist Jonathan Wolfson, the Arista spokesperson replied, “Not true. No comment.” Wolfson revealed on Wednesday (January 2) that Lopes had indeed signed with Tha Row Records and that her album would be released soon (LAUNCH, 1/2). Wolfson’s statement confirmed a recent news entry on Tha Row’s website, which also noted that Lopes has changed her name to Nina. Lopes’s solo album, Supernova, was… Read more »

Britney Spears, Kid Rock, Usher, Mick Jagger and Cher will all perform on next week’s American Music Awards, while Sean “P. Diddy” Combs tries his hand at being a television host. But none of that promises to be quite as fun as the backstage bickering that has consumed music’s two big awards shows. The bad feelings burst into the open last month when Dick Clark, executive producer of the American Music Awards, accused the Grammy Awards of essentially blacklisting artists who appear on Clark’s show. Clark said in a lawsuit that Michael Greene, head of the National Academy of Recording… Read more »

Despite ongoing litigation, Michael Jackson will be on the American Music Awards after all – just not as a performer. Jackson, who had agreed to sing at the AMAs, pulled out of the awards show last month, angering TV personality/producer Dick Clark enough to file a $10 million lawsuit against Michael Greene, president and CEO of the Recording Academy, alleging that Greene’s policy of refusing to book artists who perform at the AMAs for the Recording Academy’s Grammy Awards forced Jackson to back out of his agreement with Clark. While Jackson will now appear on the AMAs to accept his… Read more »

Pressplay (www.pressplay.com), the online music service launched Dec. 19, is an order of magnitude better than rival MusicNet (www.musicnet.com), which launched Dec. 4. The gap is so great that I don’t think MusicNet deserves to sign up a single additional subscriber without first undertaking a major overhaul to match pressplay. Not that pressplay is perfect; the major record labels are still struggling to figure out how to sell their music online without opening the door to further piracy. But pressplay succeeds at delivering all three components of the online music experience: “streaming,” where you listen to songs without putting them… Read more »

As Epic Records commitment to artist development continued to flourish in 2001, Epic will bring an entirely new group of exciting artists to the stage in 2002. The Epic team will work as one cohesive unit towards our common goal: helping our artists rise to the top of the marketplace. EPIC RECORDS 2001 RECAP Flickerstick – Winners of the breakthrough VH1 series Bands on the Run released their major label debut Welcoming Home The Astronauts. The album was re-mixed by Tom Lord Alge (Weezer, Blink-182, Marilyn Manson) and includes two new songs, “Execution By X-mas Lights” and “Smile.” Flickerstick will… Read more »

After explaining “What a Girl Wants” and issuing the invitation to “Come on Over” in 1999, Christina Aguilera is acting like a “Genie in a Bottle” by granting her fans’ wishes for new material. Aguilera’s new album, which she’s been working on in a Los Angeles studio since September, is expected to drop in June, according to an RCA Records spokesperson. Giving the platinum-topped pop singer a hand with the endeavor are producers Glen Ballard (Alanis Morissette, No Doubt) and Rockwilder (Jay-Z, Redman), keyboardist Scott Storch (Dr. Dre, Bubba Sparxxx) and former 4 Non Blondes singer Linda Perry, who recently… Read more »

Gavin, for more than forty years known as The Most Trusted Name In Radio, today confirmed the appointment of veteran radio programmer and air personality Wayne Coy to the post of Top-40/Rhythm Crossover Editor. Coy joins Gavin after 20 years in radio including stints in Norfolk/Virginia Beach, San Jose, Mobile, Green Bay and most recently, as Senior Program Director/Morning Driver at Sweet 98 (KQKQ-Omaha). “Gavin is known as the most trusted name in radio for a reason. Bill Gavin and Dave Sholin were two of the biggest influences on me as a broadcaster and being given the chance to continue… Read more »

Britney Spears has raised almost $1 million for victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks through her recent concert tour. After the attacks, she put together the Britney Spears Foundation September 11th Fund and donated $1 from every ticket sold to the cause. This fund was established in the same spirit as her Foundation’s core goal, to help children in need. All proceeds from a memorial T-shirt sold on the tour also helped support the families impacted by the tragedy. The Britney Spears Foundation has so far created a sanctuary for kids on extended hospital stays and The Britney Spears… Read more »

The rock band U2 had the second biggest tour ever during a year in which concert industry business was off but ticket prices continued to rise, an industry trade publication said Thursday. The top 100 concert tours sold 34.4 million tickets in 2001, down about 7 percent from 37.1 million the year before, according to an analysis by Pollstar magazine. U2, coming off one of its strongest albums, sold out arenas across the country with a well-received back-to-basics show. They even added dates after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The band’s $109.7 million in estimated ticket sales is second only… Read more »

Shock-rocker Marilyn Manson scored a significant court victory Friday (December 28) in Clarkston, Michigan, when a judge reduced charges brought against him from his July 30 OzzFest performance there. In a preliminary examination, 52nd District Court Judge Gerald E. McNally knocked down a prosecution charge of fourth degree criminal sexual conduct to misdemeanor disorderly conduct and carried over a charge of misdemeanor assault-and-battery. Both charges carry fines of $2,000 and no jail time. Manson remains free on a personal bond. Manson revealed, “I’m not completely happy,” and added that the new charges are “better than when I came. I still… Read more »