Search Results for: european

The European Union must make an identity code for compact discs compulsory when it unveils a draft law aimed at combating piracy later this year, industry executives said on Tuesday. “What we are asking for is a little code. It’s a very cheap way to fight piracy,” said Yolanda Smits, international trade adviser at the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). Smits was one of several representatives from music and film industry bodies speaking at a news conference in Brussels, where the European Commission is expected to unveil its proposal for a law on piracy in early December. But… Read more »

Universal Music, the music arm of Vivendi Universal and the world’s largest record company, will decide in coming weeks which of its Web music properties are worth keeping as the French media giant seeks to downsize, sources close to the company said on Thursday. Company representatives declined comment, but people familiar with the company said such a move was in line with Vivendi chairman and chief executive officer Jean-Rene Fourtou’s overall mandate to sell about $12 billion in company assets to reduce debt. “One of the things that will be happening in the next few weeks is that Universal Music… Read more »

The Foo Fighters will embark on an eight-city U.S. tour later this month, with each date scheduled to be announced as tickets go on sale. The Brandtidos trek, sponsored by Sirius Satellite Radio, comes in support of the group’s fourth album, “One by One,” due Oct. 22 from RCA. The only date confirmed so far is Oct. 22 in Los Angeles, but an Oct. 31 show in New York, dubbed the “Foos-Ball & Halloween Costume Party,” will be announced today (Oct. 7) by local radio station K-ROCK. Sirius subscribers can get a jump on tickets before they go on sale… Read more »

Hard rock act Glassjaw has postponed a 10-day European tour after singer Daryl Palumbo suffered a relapse of the digestive ailment Crohn’s Disease. The band is planning to reschedule the shows for December; a month-long North American tour, due to kick off Oct. 16 in New York, is expected to continue as scheduled. Despite the disease, Palumbo has soldiered through tours for several years. “I’m just praying I don’t get sick,” he told Billboard.com last month. “I take a lot of medicine but I just pray I don’t get hurt.” Glassjaw is touring in support of its Warner Bros. debut,… Read more »

In a fight to win back fans from the “gray zone” of online song-swapping services, the music industry is borrowing a trick from its nemeses: free music downloads. For one week beginning Thursday, music fans in Europe will be able to download, stream or burn onto their hard drives a selection of tracks from 6,000 artists including ColdPlay, Dido and Elvis Presley. It is part of a marketing ploy called “Digital Download Day” devised by British firm OD2, a technology company specializing in digital music distribution and co-founded by recording artist Peter Gabriel. Backed by record labels and music retailers,… Read more »

Florida punk rockers New Found Glory are gearing up to release their first DVD, The Story So Far, next month. Due October 15th on MCA, the DVD features live footage showing the quintet’s rise from playing backyard shindigs to European tours. Also included are interviews and a number of videos including “Hit or Miss,” “Friends Over You,” and new single “Head Over You,” which features a cameo from Vandals bassist Joe Escalante. “There’s this company called Troma and they do like B-horror movies, but cheesy, almost like silly, so we got them to do the special effects on our video,”… Read more »

Just when you thought you’d heard the last of it, it looks like Lance Bass’ space mission might happen after all. A source close to the project told MTV News that Bass will resume training at the Star City facility near Moscow on Wednesday, thanks to a nearly finalized sponsorship deal with Pepsi. To make up for the 10 training days Bass lost since being pulled off his regimen earlier this month he’s going to have to work 16-hour days and weekends. And if that’s not enough to keep him in the running for the October flight, his plan B… Read more »

In the late 1970s, Elvis Costello wore a punk snarl to go along with his sharp suits and horn-rimmed glasses. Twenty-five years later, the prolific troubadour has replaced it with something more subtly sinister. Cruel Smile, a companion LP to Costello’s latest studio album, When I Was Cruel, features B-sides, rare cuts and live versions from that album, as well as a handful of fan favorites. Due October 1, the 14-track enhanced CD also includes the video for When I Was Cruel’s “45,” according to an Island Records spokesperson. Costello selected the tracks himself, most of which were previously unavailable… Read more »

Zomba Music, the record label of Britney Spears and ‘N Sync, won European regulatory approval on Monday for its purchase by Bertelsmann Music Group. The European Commission said that BMG, part of German media giant Bertelsmann, could buy the U.S. record company in a deal that public records show is worth nearly $3 billion. “The transaction will result in relatively small increases of BMG’s market shares which will not significantly alter the competitive structure of the European music market,” the Commission said in a statement. The deal, announced in June, could boost BMG to one of the world’s top three… Read more »

While many have left their hearts in San Francisco, Avril Lavigne will leave her clothes in Cleveland. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum intends to display the outfit the spunky 17-year-old singer/guitarist wore in her MTV Video Music Awards-nominated “Complicated” clip, according to a Hall spokesperson. While flattered at the honor, Lavigne is just as surprised as anyone that her baggy cargo shorts, fitted white tank top and signature necktie will hang in the same building that houses such illustrious memorabilia as John Lennon’s 1965 Rickenbacker 12-string and Hank Williams’ white wool cowboy hat. “I think that’s… Read more »