Search Results for: madonna

By the close of business Wednesday, concert promoters across the country will know how many Internet-savvy baby boomers are hungry for the music of a generational hero, Bob Dylan. Dylan, whose “Love & Theft” album will be released Sept. 11, is taking a page from mega-sellers such as the Backstreet Boys and U2: a limited number of tickets for 32 North American concerts will go on sale Wednesday for fans who follow his activities on the Web site http://www.BobDylan.com. Although Dylan has toured relentlessly since the release four years ago of the album “Time Out of Mind,” which won three… Read more »

Having met their goal of writing and recording an album in less than a year, No Doubt will release Rock Steady on December 18. While their 1995 breakthrough, Tragic Kingdom, and last year’s Return of Saturn both spent years in the making, the band kept the tape rolling for its fifth album, working with a mix of producers ranging from Dr. Dre and former Cars frontman Ric Ocasek to reggae duo Sly & Robbie. The result finds the foursome exploring their dancehall-reggae and new wave tendencies in greater depth than before. Songs slated for the LP include the title track,… Read more »

ROCK STEADY, No Doubt’s fifth album and second release in as many years, is scheduled for release on Trauma/Interscope Records on December 18, 2001. Recorded in LA, Jamaica, and London, ROCK STEADY runs the stylistic gamut, incorporating dancehall-reggae, classic new wave, and R&B with the band’s signature, high-energy sound. Featuring such key tracks as “Hella Good,” “Hey Baby,” “Detective,” and “Making Out,” ROCK STEADY is named for one of the last songs to be included on the record. Says Gwen Stefani, “ROCK STEADY is where we are as a band right now. Stay the course, keep focused. Like the song… Read more »

In the years since August 1, 1981, when MTV first went on air by broadcasting a song presciently called “Video Killed the Radio Star,” the cable channel has helped to turn musicians as different as Duran Duran, Guns ‘N’ Roses, Tupac Shakur, Marilyn Manson, and Britney Spears into cultural touchstones. MTV helped to mainstream rap music and to pioneer the trend toward reality television with shows like The Real World. And the channel has been at the center of any number of pop culture brouhahas, whether involving cartoon bad boys Beavis and Butt-head, sexually provocative and spiritually outrageous videos by… Read more »

The Ritchie family are going to make a movie together. Madonna and hubby Guy Ritchie have agreed to remake the 70’s Italian love story ‘Swept Away’. This will be the third time Mr. and Mrs. Madonna have worked together. He directed her video for ‘What It Feels Like For A Girl’ and she starred in his mini-movie Internet advertisement for BMW. Madonna has also featured on Guy’s movie soundtrack. Her song ‘Holiday’ was in his flick ‘Snatch’. The original movie according to the Internet Movie Database is about a rich woman, Raffaella, and some friends rent a yacht to sail… Read more »

Radio airplay is and has been the primary driver of retail record sales in the United States. Some estimate that nearly 90 percent of sales is the direct result of an artist being exposed on radio. But today, radio is joined by an array of other media choices: MTV, BET, and VH1, digital downloads, and streamed audio. Consumers borrow friend’s CDs and tapes, and see live performance. Any record label or promoter would be remiss by ignoring any one of these outlets since they all help to sell music. In the first-ever project of its kind, James Schureck at Jeff… Read more »

Music by Britney Spears, ‘NSYNC, the Backstreet Boys and Tool will be legally available online this year, thanks to a deal announced Tuesday (July 24) between the artists’ record company and the fledgling subscription service MusicNet. Zomba, which boasts the Jive imprint, home to Spears, Aaron Carter, Mystikal and other hot acts, is the fourth record company to join MusicNet, which is scheduled to launch in the fall. MusicNet is set to be available through America Online, RealPlayer software and even the planned subscription version of Napster. “People ask, ‘will there be compelling major-label content available through MusicNet?’ ” the… Read more »

MTV announced today the nominees for the “2001 MTV Video Music Awards.” Fatboy Slim tops the list with nine nominations for his video “Weapon of Choice,” which is directed by Spike Jonze and features actor Christopher Walken dancing. In addition, U2 and Alicia Keys will perform at the “2001 MTV Video Music Awards.” It was also announced that the eighteenth annual awards show will broadcast live from New York City’s Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center on Thursday, September 6, 2001 at 8:00PM (LIVE ET/Tape Delayed PT). Additional performers and presenters will be announced soon. Other top nominees tied with… Read more »

When it comes to riding the boy-band wave in pop music, nobody has done it better than Lou Pearlman. The Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync and O-Town are just a few of the groups the Orlando-based impresario and his company, Trans Continental Entertainment, have launched on the road to hormone-fueled success. But in the past few months, Pearlman has hit some sour notes. About 15 key executives and staffers, including company vice presidents, the chief operating officer, a tour manager, accountants and publicists, have left or been laid off. O-Town, Pearlman’s latest breakout success, recently left for a management firm run… Read more »

MTV is planning a second round of episodes of its new documentary show “Becoming,” in which fans “become” their favorite musicians. The cable channel picks people up in a limousine, gives them makeovers, teaches them choreography and lets them recreate their favorite videos. Cameras capture the transformation along the way, then MTV shows the finished product. Players are chosen from casting calls, fan Web sites, karaoke bars and college campuses. In the first series of episodes, which started airing last month on Tuesday nights, fans became Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, Jennifer Lopez and Blink-182, among others. New episodes will… Read more »