Search Results for: pop will eat itself

The world’s largest record company will be the first of the major labels to release a copy-protected CD in the United States, signaling a new chapter in the industry’s efforts to stem music piracy. When Universal Music Group on Tuesday releases the soundtrack, “Fast & Furious – More Music,” consumers won’t be able to copy the music onto another CD or use their PCs to “rip” tracks in digital MP3 format. The copy-protection technology will also render the disc unplayable on Macintosh computers, DVD players and game consoles, such as Sony’s PlayStation 2. It might not even play in some… Read more »

Headliners in their own right, singer Gwen Stefani and her bandmates in No Doubt were so eager to showcase their forthcoming album, “Rock Steady,” they started touring as an opening act two months before the CD was due for release. Back on the road after an 18-month hiatus, No Doubt will be playing warmup dates for veteran Irish rockers U2 into early December. But far from feeling overshadowed by Bono and friends, Stefani sees the U2 gig as the perfect way for No Doubt to bring itself back in public view and prepare for the Dec. 11 release of its… Read more »

Ever since the success of her 1988 single “Orinoco Flow,” Enya’s been one of the world’s most popular artists, quietly selling more than 50 million albums while staying, for the most part, out of the spotlight. But now, with her latest single – the gently reassuring “Only Time” – becoming part of the soundtrack to the post-September 11 world, Enya’s very much at the center of attention. The singer’s elegant, evocative and ethereal A Day Without Rain, released almost a year ago, will hit #2 on next week’s Billboard 200 albums chart, right between rappers Ja Rule and Bubba Sparxxx.… Read more »

First album together in eight years finds band returning to its roots. For many years over the past two decades, New Order crafted cynical synth-pop that radiated with alternative dancefloor chic. But on Get Ready, the band’s first record together in eight years, New Order have done something they haven’t tried since their pre-Order days. They’ve rocked out. While the album still shimmers and shivers with electronic textures, it’s anchored by organic instrumentation and galvanic grooves. “60 Miles an Hour,” Get Ready’s second single, sounds like a beefier spinoff of the band’s hit “Blue Monday,” and “Rock the Shack” is… Read more »

Building on the success of last week’s all-star telethon for victims of the Sept. 11 air attacks, musical performances from the show will be packaged as a benefit album to raise additional relief dollars, organizers said Wednesday. Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, is overseeing efforts to obtain rights for the companion CD from the recording artists who appeared on the show, insiders told Reuters. Interscope is a unit of Vivendi Universal. Iovine played a key role in booking musical acts for the telethon, dubbed “America: A Tribute to Heroes,” which featured such stars as Bruce Springsteen, Mariah… Read more »

An eyeball-catching performance on the Latin Grammy awards program not only lifts recordings sales but can transform careers, according to recording executives hoping their musicians pull a Ricky Martin. Executives at Sony Music and BMG said the Latin Grammys, a $4 million production to be broadcast on Tuesday in the United States and 120 other countries, is a venue that can overcome barriers of language, genre and country. Martin’s 1999 performance on the long-running U.S. Grammy awards program mightily boosted sales of his self-named album and other recordings and was widely seen as making the Puerto Rican native an international… Read more »

Grammy-winning artist Christina Aguilera and Emmy Award-winning actor Jimmy Smits will co-host the 2nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards telecast. Grammy-winning artist Marc Anthony will perform, and Destiny’s Child will perform with the previously announced Alejandro Sanz, it was announced today by Michael Greene, President/CEO of the Recording Academy and the Latin Recording Academy. The show will originate from the Forum in Los Angeles on September 11 and be broadcast on the CBS Television Network from 9-11 p.m. (EDT/PDT). Additional performers and presenters will be announced shortly. Named Best New Artist at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards for her self-titled debut… Read more »

Michael Jackson’s long-awaited return to the airwaves with the release of a new song from his album “Invincible” has not been as “thrilling” as expected, according to station programmers. The pop star, whose 1982 album “Thriller” ranks among the best-selling albums in the United States, officially returned to the airwaves last Friday after a long hiatus, as Epic Records released the first single off his comeback album to radio stations. Epic said it released the upbeat dance tune, “You Rock My World,” a few days earlier than planned after it was “leaked” by a pair of New York City stations… Read more »

Bjork has confirmed an initial set of dates for a world tour of theaters and opera houses in support of her latest album Vespertine, which will be released August 28th. The specific venues were chosen after her request that the sites have “the best acoustics possible.” A September 23rd date at the English National Opera will make Bjork the first pop music act ever to perform at the venue. The U.S. leg will kick off with a two-night stand at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on October 4th and 5th. Accompanying Bjork on her first tour in three… Read more »

BMG Entertainment said Monday it will work with security technology provider SunnComm to create copy-protected CDs, one of a growing number of efforts by the record labels to combat alleged Internet piracy at the source. Under the deal, SunnComm said BMG will use its technology, dubbed MediaCloQ, which prevents people from being able to “rip” songs directly from a CD onto a computer. BMG said it is testing SunnComm’s technology and is starting to implement it on promotional CDs. BMG said it will decide later whether to use SunnComm’s technology for commercial releases. The announcement comes as major record labels… Read more »