Search Results for: have mercy

Music fans in the US are buying almost twice as many singles in digital form over the internet as they are on CDs from stores, according to a report. Some 7.7 million tracks were bought and downloaded since the end of June – compared with four million CD singles sold, Billboard magazine reported. The figures show the success of new legitimate music download services. But some say online and CD single sales cannot be compared because so few singles are now released on CD. Record companies have cut CD single releases because of falling sales, but fans can choose from… Read more »

Digital tracks are outselling physical singles by a growing margin, a sign that consumers increasingly are embracing the brave new world of Internet downloading. Digital download sales outpaced physical singles 857,000 to 170,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan figures for the week ending Oct. 26. That’s slightly more than a 5-to-1 ratio. Sean Ryan, VP of music services at RealNetworks, says that the rise of digital track sales carries a “symbolic significance,” illustrating the music industry’s shift to online delivery options. He also says it indicates a real opportunity for the music business: “Selling individual songs as an offline strategy wasn’t… Read more »

When 50 Cent’s G-Unit group release their debut albumBeg For Mercy on November 18, four “golden tickets” will be hidden inside four random pressings of the first million copies of the album. The lucky record-buyers who get the winning tickets when they purchase the album will receive a chain with a diamond-studded spinning G-Unit medallion, valued at $12,500. The Willy Wonka-inspired contest is similar to a promotion for Obie Trice, when three golden tickets were inserted into copies of his debut album, Cheers. Recipients of those three tickets won the chance to spend a day in the studio with Trice’s… Read more »

Even though the RIAA continues to go after Internet file-sharers, millions of music fans keep downloading songs. Naturally, this hurts album sales, which were down around 12 percent for the first half of 2003. To try to convince people to actually buy albums again, record companies have offered value-added packaging such as the ever-popular bonus DVD, which typically contains backstage footage, exclusive interviews, videos and maybe a live recording or two. But adding a DVD can be costly. Labels typically pay between one and two dollars per extra disc, which means as much as an additional $2 million for an… Read more »

Tapping a hunger for positive messages in difficult times, Christian artists are appealing to a growing number of people outside of their traditional audience. The trend is reflected in an important barometer, mainstream radio, which closely follows the tastes of its listeners. “The events of the last couple of years have made people more open to spiritual things and trying to find answers,” says Stacie Orrico, a Christian artist who has made inroads on the pop charts. “After, people were just flocking to churches, which was amazing to watch,” she says. Orrico, MercyMe, Natalie Grant, Relient K and even the… Read more »

What would you say if someone told you Linda Perry, the unforgettable voice behind 4 Non Blondes’ 1992 hit “What’s Up?,” has become one of the hottest producers in pop music? Perhaps, in her words, “Hey, what’s goin’ on?” It’s a behind-the-boards comeback, that’s what, and all the one-hit wonders are doing it. Find it hard to believe Perry co-wrote and produced several songs on Pink’s Missundaztood, including the title track? Or that she’s behind upcoming projects from Christina Aguilera (see “Christina Aguilera: Not Your Puppet”), Solange Knowles and Courtney Love? Consider that Deep Blue Something’s Todd and Toby Pipes,… Read more »

The man of constant sorrow should have plenty of cause to celebrate, though Brandy might be kind of crabby. After 63 weeks on the Billboard 200 albums chart, the “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack will levitate to #1, beating out the R&B crooner, who seemed headed for a chart-topping debut. Last week, O Brother, which has sold over 4 million copies since its December 2000 release, jumped from #15 to #2 after being graced with a Grammy for Album of the Year. While the album will move up on the chart with sales of 160,000 copies, it sold around… Read more »

Vivendi Universal (NYSE: V; Paris Bourse: EX FP) announced today it has extended for five more years the contracts of Ron Meyer, President and Chief Operating Officer, Universal Studios, and Stacey Snider, Chairman, Universal Pictures. In making the announcement, Jean-Marie Messier, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vivendi Universal, said, “I am thrilled to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of these two outstanding leaders. As the head of Universal Studios Group’s businesses, Ron has brought the studio to new heights. With the recent creation of Vivendi Universal Entertainment (VUE), Ron, under the leadership of Barry Diller, will now expand his responsibilities… Read more »