Search Results for: european

EMI Group Plc played down chances of an attempt to merge or sell its business on Friday, saying it was more convinced than ever it was best off alone despite a rapidly shrinking music industry. Signs so far this year point to a steeper than expected decline in global music sales of four percent, but the world’s third biggest music group remains on track to meet its targets, EMI’s head of recorded music Alain Levy said. “When we originally announced a merger with Warner Music, we made clear the best option after that was to remain as a stand-alone. That… Read more »

Music fans weren’t quite ready to vacate “Nellyville” this week, as the sophomore album from St. Louis rapper Nelly stood strong against a heady debut from funk-punk foursome the Red Hot Chili Peppers and held on to the top spot for the third week running. Sales of “Nellyville” (Universal) slipped 24% to 340,000 units, according to data compiled by Nielsen SoundScan, but the album still managed to top 1.5 million in total sales after less than a month out. Fresh off that success, the hip-hop star is said to be planning a move into the TV world, starring in his… Read more »

After months of hedging, the Russian Space Agency has finally decided that Lance Bass has the right stuff. The agency has asked the International Space Station Multilateral Coordination Board for permission to launch the ‘NSYNC singer as early as this fall, according to a letter sent to the nation-partners in the International Space Station. “It’s official, he’s their candidate,” confirmed NASA spokesperson Dwayne Brown on Tuesday (July 16). “We did indeed receive a letter nominating Lance Bass for the October flight.” Also on the Russians’ list for the prospective three-person crew are professional cosmonauts Sergei Zalyotin of Russia and Frank… Read more »

Back from a lengthy European jaunt, Lenny Kravitz will launch his thirty-three-date summer tour tomorrow night in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in support of his latest album, Lenny. Abandoned Pools will open all dates, with Pink playing the middle slot. Pink’s presence on the list had nothing to do with label politics coercing a veteran artist to take out a youngster. “She called me up and said she wanted to be on the tour,” Kravitz says. “And she sent me a pair of panties with her name and my name in rhinestones. It said, ‘Lenny’ and ‘Pink’ with a lightning bolt.… Read more »

From Luciano Pavarotti ( news – web sites) to Bob Geldof, the record industry hailed its stars on Wednesday at a ceremony to acclaim the artists who have sold the most albums in Europe over the past two years. But the multi-billion-dollar bootlegging business cast a giant shadow over the Platinum Europe Awards, as the industry fights to combat pirates whose counterfeit CDs have flooded markets around the world. The awards – given to all albums that have sold over one million copies in Europe – are sponsored by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) trade body which… Read more »

Scottish pop group Travis said on Wednesday they had canceled four European concerts after drummer Neil Primrose suffered a suspected spinal injury in a French swimming pool accident. Primrose was knocked unconscious after striking his head on Sunday while relaxing in the pool following a concert at Belfort in eastern France, the band said in a statement. He was taken by ambulance to hospital, where early indications suggested he had a fractured vertebra. He has been kept in hospital for further tests, the statement said. “Neil has had a terrible accident,” a spokesman for the band told the Daily Mirror.… Read more »

Puddle of Mudd are planning the follow-up to Come Clean, only they won’t do that with the details. While the producer and song ideas are “top secret,” singer Wes Scantlin revealed the schedule for recording the album, which should be released early next year. “After the European tour, we’ll be back in September and doing a lot of just jammin’,” Scantlin said backstage at KROQ Weenie Roast. “We have a lot of new songs and they are ready to go, and we can’t wait to get back in the studio [in October].” Puddle of Mudd, whose Come Clean has scored… Read more »

BMG, the music division of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG, announced yesterday that it has agreed to take control of Zomba Music Group, the record label that revived the teen pop genre with the likes of Britney Spears and ‘N Sync. The deal, which is estimated to be worth $3 billion, will end Zomba’s status as the world’s largest independent label. It will also provide a huge payday to Zomba founder, Clive Calder, who industry insiders credit with being out in front of some of the biggest trends, including teen pop, rap and Christian rock. Spears and ‘N Sync have… Read more »

Even if he doesn’t ever say, “This is the first song off our new album” in concert, believe it or not, Ozzy Osbourne still has something in common with Robin Zander. Like Zander’s Cheap Trick before him, Osbourne recorded his performance at Tokyo’s Budokan Arena and will title the resulting live LP Live at the Budokan (though Cheap Trick’s legendary 1979 release was titled Live at Budokan, for those scoring at home). The 13-track album, boosted with bonus CD-ROM video footage, is due June 25, according to Osbourne’s Web site. A home video, issued on both VHS and DVD formats,… Read more »

Popular music has been upended by every technological advance from electricity and the phonograph to cassette tapes and recordable CDs. The switch from analog to digital accelerated the pace of illicit duplication and distribution, sounding the loudest alarm yet. As Napster struggles to survive, other sites from Gnutella to KaZaa are filling the void. Last week, labels and music publishers sued Audiogalaxy, a booming file-swapping network that lured 3.5 million users in March. The complaint: The Recording Industry Association of America, on behalf of labels, is vigorously seeking to stamp out proliferating Web sites that permit free downloads of music.… Read more »