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Music CDs equipped with copy protection will, if Rick Boucher gets his wish, soon be as obsolete as eight-track cassettes. The feisty Democratic congressman from Virginia says he plans to introduce legislation banning, or at least regulating, compact discs outfitted with anti-copying technology. Few discs sold in America currently feature the controversial scheme – but the recording industry expects that as worries over digital piracy grow, the technique will become widespread. “Suffice to say, there probably will be a legislative response to ensure that consumer rights will be protected,” Boucher said in an interview. Boucher’s complaints are twofold: Americans may… Read more »

Hard rock outfits Nickelback, Default, and Injected will lead MTV’s annual Campus Invasion tour, which will also feature rising U.K. modern rock act Starsailor on the inaugural MTV2 stage. The trek bows April 4 in Russellville, Ark., with dates so far booked through April 27 in Binghamton, N.Y. Last year’s outing featured American Hi-Fi, Sum 41, and Saliva. Each tour stop will feature the Campus Invasion Expo, featuring a touring DJ, an interactive music performance area, a new music listening station, and giveaways. MTV.com is also sponsoring a contest with a grand prize of a Jeep Liberty Sport. Nickelback is… Read more »

Lance Bass may not get to space as quickly as he’d like, but he shouldn’t worry; his band’s already in the stratosphere, and they didn’t even have to leave Portland to prove it. ‘NSYNC’s Celebrity tour kicked off Sunday at the city’s Rose Garden arena, and glitter-gelled eyelids twinkled in the night as thousands lined up for entrance, though new security measures (full bag check, metal detector wands and pocket-emptying for all) slowed things down considerably, and made not a few young girls cry, as they were forced to leave all posters, flowers and other small gifts for the boys… Read more »

A remix of Dido’s most popular song, “Thank You,” by production duo Deep Dish was among the Grammy winners announced Wednesday (February 27). The new version won in the category of best remixed recording, non-classical; besting new takes on songs by Depeche Mode, Bob Marley, Sunshine Anderson, and Samantha Mumba. However, Deep Dish’s Ali Shirazinia and Sharam Tayebi say that the strength of the new version was based not on the chorus of “Thank You” but on the verse that Eminem sampled in his own hugely successful “Stan.” Shirazinia explained, “We actually didn’t use the main chorus of the original… Read more »

“Rocket Man” Elton John rued on Wednesday the thrust for instant success among undistinguished and indistinguishable modern pre-fabricated pop bands. “It is like packets of cereal. There are too many of them, and too many of them are just average and mediocre,” he told BBC television in an interview filmed during his current tour in the United States. “It is just fodder. It doesn’t sound. It has no distinguishing marks. A lot of it you can’t tell one from the other. There is too much of it, just too much of it,” the high-spending flamboyant rock legend lamented. The 54-year-old… Read more »

When they first came on the scene, Southern California quintet Phantom Planet were best, if incorrectly, known as the side project of Jonathan Schwartzman, the teen actor who played smug genius Max Fischer in 1998’s “Rushmore.” But Schwartzman formed Phantom Planet with his buddies in 1994, four years before the group released their debut, Phantom Planet Is Missing. So chronologically, Schwartzman has really been moonlighting as an actor for the past several years. Still, because of the band’s movie star drummer and the debut album’s penchant for juvenile lovelorn anthems, Phantom Planet were often given the same knee-jerk dismissal bestowed… Read more »

Creed’s latest Wind-Up album, “Weathered,” has been certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for U.S. sales of 5 million copies. The set debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 after its release last November, and logged eight weeks on top of the chart. “Weathered” continues to show its staying power, and currently holds at No. 2 on the chart for a second week after being knocked back by Alan Jackson’s Arista Nashville set “Drive.” “Weathered” reached the five times platinum mark faster than any previous Creed release. It was a little more than nine… Read more »

Britney Spears’s new Pepsi commercial will be unveiled during the first quarter of the Super Bowl on Sunday (February 3). The 90-second ad, dubbed “Now And Then,” will take viewers on a ride through Pepsi’s advertising history-the Pepsi Generations. Spears stars in Pepsi commercials with ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s themes, rocking all the way up to 2002 with her updated version of the “Joy Of Pepsi” song. The spot was created by Pepsi’s longtime advertising agency, BBDO New York. Spears said of the Pepsi commercial, “Commercials are always the best on the Super Bowl, so hopefully my commercial will… Read more »

Pop music fans will want to pick up a copy of “Longshot,” due March 26 on DVD from Spartan Home Entertainment. The film features cameo appearances by some of the biggest names in teen pop, including Britney Spears, ‘N Sync, O-Town, and LFO, among others. The film was produced by Trans Continental Pictures, a company owned by Louis Pearlman, the man who launched the careers of the Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync, among others. He’s also the creator of the ABC/MTV series “Making the Band,” which spawned the act O-Town. Pearlman co-wrote and co-produced the feature, which was released last… Read more »

Veteran rockers U2 grabbed a leading eight Grammys nominations Friday, including record, album and song of the year. But the day’s biggest surprise was neosoul newcomer India.Arie, who nabbed seven nominations. Her debut “Acoustic Soul” was nominated for album of the year, while her breakout song “Video” received bids for record and song of the year. She was also nominated for best new artist. “I don’t know what to do,” said India.Arie, who help announce the nominations. “My spirit is flying and I want to jump and shout.” The numerous nominations were surprising because India.Arie’s disc was only a moderate… Read more »