Search Results for: french

With the decade fast approaching it’s musical climax, 2006 proved to be a big winner for an industry hit by piracy. The live music scene proved to be the biggest release for most acts, with top grossing tours for some of the world’s biggest bands, and an explosion in music festivals across the globe. Firstly, let’s recap on albums were still waiting on from last year; OutKast’s first studio album since 2004’s “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” (which was one of the year’s biggest releases) is rumoured now for the spring, and Guns N’ Roses failed to deliver on their promise of… Read more »

Berlin – German media group Bertelsmann AG said Thursday its profit rose sharply in 2004 thanks to strong performances by its television, music and media services businesses and lower writeoffs due to changed accounting rules. Earnings rose to 1.03 billion euros ($1.28 billion) from 154 million euros in 2003, while revenue rose 1.2 percent to 17.02 billion euros ($21.17). A company statement did not include fourth-quarter figures. The Guetersloh-based company credited a good showing by subsidiary RTL, Europe’s largest television broadcaster, which boosted earnings to 668 million euros ($831 million) from 503 million euros, helped by the company’s acquisition of… Read more »

Sometimes a joke sounds funniest to the one telling it. For example, when it came time for French-Canadian pop-punks Simple Plan to think up a clip for their new single, “Shut Up” – an ode to their many detractors – they decided the haters should be played by old, rich men and women. “The song is about people who told us our band sucked or that we didn’t belong where we were. It was like telling those people to shut up,” singer Pierre Bouvier explained. “The old people are like the people who are telling us we suck, and we’re… Read more »

CANNES, France – In the music business, it’s a vision that may soon be consigned to history: Grandpa slumping into the recliner, closing his eyes and enjoying a favorite rendition of an operatic solo. For music lovers these days, the sedentary lifestyle is out. A generation after the birth of portable tunes on the Walkman, technology has made music available nearly everywhere for today’s on-the-go consumer – and the recording industry sees a new wave to ride. The buzzwords Sunday at the Midem music industry conference in the French Riviera resort town of Cannes were mobile music, seen as the… Read more »

Paris – Hip-hop rhymers, classical orchestras, church choirs, punk bands and creamy-voiced crooners from Paris to Hong Kong are taking up the fund-raising theme for victims of the Asian tsunami, holding money-raising concerts and singing special songs. Ever since the 1980s African famine relief hit “We Are the World” and its Band Aid predecessor “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” support from musicians has been part of charity fund-raising. But the response to the tsunami has been huge. In Norway alone, dozens of benefit concerts are planned. In its oil capital, Stavanger, groups scheduled a free show Thursday, with cash to… Read more »

It looks like pop-punk is getting some love over at MuchMusic. A couple of months after Good Charlotte hit the Chum City Building and a few weeks after Sum 41 make their appearance in downtown Toronto (catch that one on Much this Thursday), everyone’s favourite French-Canadian power-pop quintet Simple Plan are going to be inside the Much environment doing a show of their own, much to the delight of pre-teen punks across the nation. Pierre, Chuck, Dave, Jeff and Sebastien will perform songs from their latest album, Still Not Getting Any…, and will also chat with Much VJ Matte Babel… Read more »

After acknowleging on Wednesday that the company had missed the November target for the Canadian version of the iTunes Music Store, Apple Computer launched the service late Wednesday night. The iTMS Canada will be serving some 32 million potential customers, and brings the number of countries having access to the iTMS to14. The company is charging CDN 99 cents for individual music tracks. It is not immediately known how large the Canadian music library is. The launch did not meet Apple’s self-imposed deadline of opening the Canadian iTMS by the end of November. The company said in late October it… Read more »

The French Competition Council has dismissed the case brought by Virgin’s French arm, Virginmega.fr, against Apple for alleged abuse of market dominance. The French download site wanted to force Cupertino to lift the lid on its DRM, to enable Virgin to make its downloads compatible with the iPod. Apple has always refused to open up its proprietary Fairplay – the system DRM that allows songs from the iTunes store to only be played on iPods – to competitors. Virginmega.fr, on the other hand, has opted for Microsoft’s DRM – which means its downloads can’t be played on iPods at all.… Read more »

Paris – Note to readers: Vivendi Universal provided preliminary, unaudited revenue information on a French GAAP basis for the third quarter and the first nine months of 2004 to ‘Balo’ a French official bulletin for publication in accordance with French regulatory requirements. On a comparable basis(1, the revenues for the third quarter 2004 were up 6%, and 7% at constant currency. On a comparable basis(1, the revenues for the first nine months of 2004 were up 5%, and 7% at constant currency. Vivendi Universal’s consolidated revenues for the third quarter of 2004 amounted to EUR 4,703 million. On a comparable… Read more »

AUGUSTA, Ky. – Henry and her husband, former Kentucky Lt. Gov. Steve Henry, said they plan to buy the home within the next two weeks, renovate it for use as a public museum and also live in it part-time with their two children. Heather French Henry grew up just three blocks away before moving to Maysville and said Clooney served as a mentor to her when she was Miss America 2000. “Augusta and Maysville were the only places where we could get away and breathe,” Henry said. “I would like my children to get what I got from Augusta.” The… Read more »