Search Results for: extreme

Testimony today in Capitol Records, et al v. Jammie Thomas quickly and inadvertently turned to the topic of fair use when Jennifer Pariser, the head of litigation for Sony BMG, was called to the stand to testify. Pariser said that file-sharing is extremely damaging to the music industry and that record labels are particularly affected. In doing so, she advocated a view of copyright that would turn many honest people into thieves. Pariser noted that music labels make no money on touring, radio, or merchandise, which leaves the company particularly exposed to the negative effects of file-sharing. “It’s my personal… Read more »

Van Halen fans, get ready to “Jump.” The rockers have re-formed with original frontman David Lee Roth and will set out on a national tour beginning in October, according to a report posted Wednesday on Billboard Magazine’s Web site. In its report, the music industry trade publication said Van Halen will play 50 dates in arenas across North America. The report coincides with a news release issued Tuesday by touring company Live Nation and Van Halen saying the band will be making “an announcement of monumental proportions” during a news conference Monday in Los Angeles. Representatives of the band and… Read more »

Virginia Tech University is looking to begin the fall semester on a positive note. The Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Nas and country singer Phil Vassar have signed on to headline a free concert for students, faculty and staff at the Blacksburg campus to honor the 32 people killed in April by a student gunman. The memorial concert will take place Sept. 6 at the University’s Lane Stadium. Corporate sponsorships and merchandise will cover the cost of putting on the event; all of the acts have waived their usual fees. “We have a profound respect for the incredible resolve and… Read more »

Usher’s latest confession: the wedding’s off. While word leaked earlier this week that the Grammy winner and his longtime girlfriend–and soon baby mama–Tameka Foster were due to tie the knot in a Hamptons ceremony Saturday, on the morning of the big day, Usher’s publicist confirmed that wedding bells would not be ringing. “It was announced today that the wedding ceremony for Usher Raymond, IV and Tameka Foster was canceled,” publicist Patti Webster told the Associated Press. “No additional information will be given regarding the circumstances of the cancellation, but we hope the privacy of this matter will be respected.” The… Read more »

Recently, Maureen Callahan wrote a piece for the New York Post about Crush Management, the NYC cadre that shepherds the careers of Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, the Academy Is … , Boys Like Girls and Armor for Sleep (or, as Callahan puts it, “basically any band that a 13-year-old girl with a blog and a Hot Topic habit obsesses over”). Aside from providing readers with some genuinely bananas quotes from songwriter/ rock-and-roll vampire Butch Walker about credibility (especially considering this is on his résumé), the article is excellent primarily because it floats the hypothesis that the artists… Read more »

Before the tour van and the record deal, before the girls begging for autographs, they were middle school mall rats who made a terrible racket practicing in their parents’ homes.

Stress runs rampant among college kids this time of year, but the Door to Dorm tour, the College Mega tour and Campus Invasion Music Festival are aiming to give students some springtime musical relief. Hinder will headline the Door to Dorm outing, which hits 17 colleges and three music festivals starting April 13 at the University of Pittsburgh in Johnstown, Pa. The group’s drummer, Cody Hanson, jokes that nonstop worldwide touring for its 2005 album “Extreme Behavior” has made the quintet “severe alcoholics,” but that won’t prevent the Oklahoma City act from throwing a party for its hardcore college fan… Read more »

Even as Viacom sues YouTube for what it describes as “brazen” copyright infringement, some of Viacom’s own dirty copyright laundry is being aired. Ars searched one Viacom property–iFilm, which was acquired by Viacom in 2005–and found several instances of infringing video hosted by iFilm–content for which Viacom does not own the copyright. In its complaint against YouTube, Viacom bemoans the fact that it is required to file DMCA takedown notices for each copyrighted clip it spots on YouTube. With over 150,000 infringing clips of Viacom properties identified so far, the company believes that YouTube should be working harder to proactively… Read more »

OLYMPIA, Wash. — During the morning rush hour on Dec. 5, the 53-year-old driver of a blue Dodge Caravan was traveling north on Interstate 5 outside Seattle when he took his eyes off the road to scan an email on his BlackBerry, the State Patrol says. And that’s how he hit the white Mazda, which clipped the green Honda, which rammed the black Toyota SUV before spinning into the other lane and plowing into a city bus. Nobody was seriously hurt. But the episode sparked a chain reaction of a different sort in the state legislature, in the form of… Read more »

Britney Spears is certainly not the first celebrity to go off the rails in full view of her once-adoring public. But hers is one of the most spectacular falls from grace in recent memory, meticulously documented by paparazzi and bystanders, and uploaded instantly for the titillation of the masses. At 25 she’s certainly young enough to resume her career after she regroups, and for perspective, we’ve compiled some of the most notorious celebrity flameouts of the past 10 years, along with the success (or not) of their efforts to get back on track. We’ve rated these 1-4 in ascending order… Read more »