Search Results for: pop will eat itself

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 »

Capital Radio is moving one of its main broadcast programmes onto the internet as part of its partnership with MSN.co.uk, taking its Dancemasters programme and rolling it out onto its own online channel. Already operating R&B, women’s and gamers’ radio channels on MSN, the new channel will bring the dance market into its fully programmed internet broadcasting service. The deal with MSN.co.uk, announced earlier this month, gave Capital’s troubled internet division the chance to fully implement internet station plans, having seen its revenues severely hit by the dotcom economic downturn. Rather than launching niche channels itself, the broadcaster and the… 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 »

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 »

Hot on the heels of new releases from such established superstars as Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey, Virgin Records America is releasing seven key albums from developing artists the label hopes will follow in those multi-platinum footsteps. Ranging an eclectic musical spectrum from Pop-R&B to Urban-Alternative Rock to World Music, these artists reflect Virgin’s commitment to unique yet accessible music for which the label has become known. Forming the all-star rookie line-up are: Nikka Costa – All ears piqued when Tommy Hilfiger’s slick commercial hit TV screens last year, featuring that funky, rhythmic bassline from Nikka’s debut single “Like A… Read more »

Hip-hop, in a push to clean up its image, came out Thursday in favor of warning parents about violent and sexually explicit lyrics and said it would organize politically to help the urban poor. Rappers, music executives and black leaders at a Hip-Hop Summit in New York said they would label sexually explicit and violent music, as well as Web sites and posters that promote it. They also plan to mentor young rappers, set up hip-hop think tanks, and form a political group to address such issues as free speech and racial profiling. “One of the things we discussed was… Read more »