Search Results for: grammy

Lily Vasquez, a marketing manager from Clifton, New Jersey, spent nearly eight years trying to break into the music business as a singer before she stumbled across SellaBand.com. The Web site is one of several where artists can have their albums funded by fans — a proposition that takes advantage of digital technology, online social networking and the current uncertainty in the established music industry. The sites are reinventing the relationship between artists and their fans, upsetting the traditional role of the record label as the tastemaker, promoter and distributor of music. “I didn’t really understand the site when I… Read more »

As the Hollywood writers’ strike threatens to disrupt the 50th annual Grammy telecast, some in the music industry are befuddled, frustrated and even resentful. “I feel torn, because I’m a writer,” R&B singer-songwriter Jill Scott, who is nominated for three Grammys, told The Writers Guild of America, which went on strike two months ago, has said it was unlikely to grant the Recording Academy a waiver to allow writers to work on the Feb. 10 show, the music industry’s most important event, set to be broadcast live on CBS from Los Angeles. The guild, which is seeking compensation for programs,… Read more »

The Recording Academy has asked its members to sign a petition urging the Writers Guild of America to accept an agreement that would grant a waiver for writers to work on the upcoming Grammys, The fate of the Feb. 10 telecast was put in doubt after the WGA announced that it was unlikely to grant a waiver for music’s biggest night. If a waiver is not granted, its members could picket the event, set to be broadcast live by CBS. The online petition reads in part: “As a member of The Recording Academy, I would like to express my strong… Read more »

The late rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Ike Turner died of a cocaine overdose, the San Diego County medical examiner said on Wednesday. Turner, 76, was found dead on December 12 at his home in San Marcos near San Diego. He had a history of cocaine addiction stretching back more than 30 years. The medical examiner said an autopsy showed that a long history of cardiovascular disease and emphysema contributed to Turner’s death. Turner was considered one of the founding fathers of rock music but his run-ins with the law and a messy marriage to R&B singer Tina Turner shadowed his… Read more »

Canadian pop superstar Celine Dion will play her first concert in China in April and has submitted an entry for the Beijing Olympics theme song competition, Games organizers said on Wednesday. The 39-year-old multiple Grammy Award winner has scheduled a stop on her worldwide tour at the newly renovated Workers’ Stadium in the Chinese capital on April 13, which will be part of Beijing’s official celebration of the Games. “Her team has submitted the song to our Theme Song Selection Committee,” said Kan Ke, deputy director of Culture and Ceremony Department of Beijing Organizing Committee for Olympic Games. “We are… Read more »

Suddenly there’s a whole new meaning to “Come On Over Baby” for Christina Aguilera. The five-time Grammy winner and hubby Jordan Bratman welcomed their first child in Los Angeles on Friday. The couple announced the birth in a quick text message to friends and family around 4 p.m.: “Baby has arrived. Mom and dad are doing well!” (Apparently not even the prospect of dirrty diapers can dampen their spirits.) There were no further details immediately available. However, a rep for the singer disputed the delivery dispatch. “The information you have is inaccurate,” the spokesperson said without elaboration. “We will let… Read more »

Even though she’s a good few years away from taking stubby pencil to paper herself, Dave Grohl’s baby daughter Violet gets full credit for influencing her daddy’s writing style. For the Foo Fighters’ founder and frontman, the 2006 birth of his first child added a personal, often confessional tone to his lyrics. “Having a child made me feel like a superman in a way because I had to be,” says Grohl, who turns 39 this month. “Just as I can’t be afraid to ride the Spiderman roller coaster at Magic Mountain when it’s time, I can’t be scared of writing… Read more »

Eminem is recovering from a bout with pneumonia that sent him to the hospital. “Over the holidays, Marshall Mathers, aka Eminem, was under doctor’s care at a Detroit-area hospital for complications due to pneumonia,” the rapper’s publicist, Dennis Dennehy, said Tuesday. “He has since been released and is doing well recovering at home.” Eminem’s illness first was reported by celebrity Web site TMZ.com. Eminem, 35, rose to stardom thanks to a number of best-selling CDs, personal lyrics and a starring role in the hit 2002 film “8 Mile.” He has won Grammys, including best rap album for “The Slim Shady… Read more »

Eminem is recovering from a bout with pneumonia that sent him to the hospital. “Over the holidays, Marshall Mathers, aka Eminem, was under doctor’s care at a Detroit-area hospital for complications due to pneumonia,” the rapper’s publicist, Dennis Dennehy, said Tuesday. “He has since been released and is doing well recovering at home.” Eminem’s illness first was reported by celebrity Web site TMZ.com. Eminem, 35, rose to stardom thanks to a number of best-selling CDs, personal lyrics and a starring role in the hit 2002 film “8 Mile.” He has won Grammys, including best rap album for “The Slim Shady… Read more »

The estate of late funk singer Rick James has settled a lawsuit that claimed a music publishing company collected money from licensing his songs without permission. The estate’s attorney, Jennifer J. McGrath, announced the settlement in court Thursday. Trial had been set to begin Jan. 7. Dozens of James’ compositions, though not his biggest hit “Super Freak,” were involved in the suit filed in March in Superior Court. It accused California-based Brooklyn Music Publishing Group Inc. of collecting money from European music publishers and making new foreign deals without authority. Messages left Monday for McGrath and Brooklyn Music attorney Vincent… Read more »