Search Results for: rise records

Mariah Carey wants you to know everything is a-okay. And don’t believe everything you read. And never underestimate the power of a pretty rainbow.    That, in a nutshell, sums up an audio phone message that the singer, still recovering from her recent mental breakdown, posted for fans Monday on her official Website, www.mariahcarey.com. “Okay, this is a message for my fans,” she begins. “And I just want to say thank you sooo much for all the letters, and everything that I got from you. I want you to know you definitely can’t believeeverything you read. And, um, thank you,… Read more »

Music group Aqua, the cornerstone of Denmark’s pop industry and a major export earner, is to disband, Danish media has reported. “We are taking a break until further notice,” the London-based band said. “Our group has lost its sparkle.” Local media interpreted the announcement on Wednesday as signaling the break-up of one Denmark’s greatest successes ever on the international pop music scene. In 1997, the band soared up charts with its kitschy “Barbie Girl” hit, sparking an unsuccessful legal action against its U.S. record company MCA Records by the doll’s maker Mattel. Mattel said the use of the name Barbie… Read more »

Roc-A-Fella Records CEO Damon Dash put just a little more of a pimp stroll than usual in his confident swagger as he walked into the penthouse of Manhattan’s Hotel Giraffe Thursday night. Dash was about to show a handful of invited guests his trump card – the new Jay-Z album, The Blueprint, which features appearances by Eminem and, apparently, Michael Jackson. “I don’t want to say we’re the backbone of hip-hop, because that may sound arrogant, but it is what it is,” Dash said before playing seven songs from the LP, which comes out September 18 and features the single… Read more »

If anything, the Moby-spearheaded Area:One package, which wrapped up its tour at the Glen Helen Blockbuster Pavilion on Sunday, suffered from an embarrassment of riches. With nearly 20 bands and DJs arrayed on three stages over nine hours, there was something worth checking out at given moment, and often two or three. This meant that choices had to be made: to see the Orb in an automaker-sponsored DJ tent meant missing the reunited New Order on the main stage, or forgoing one of the impressive collection of turntablists and MCs holding court on the small urban stage. With the eclectic… Read more »

Ditching the usual motive to profit through stinging ticket costs and merch fees, one 2001 tour is ready to hit the road on Aug 23 in hopes of bringing the profits back to the people, making the benefits of attendance more than just musical. “One of the primary goals is to provide youth with both the knowledge and the resources to overcome the dilemmas they face today,” the official press release for the Plea For Peace-Take Action Tour states. Founded with a charitable purpose just as fierce as the rock performances it’s delivering, the outing seems to be riding on… 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 »

U.S. album sales have declined in the first half of the year, despite the demise of song-swap service Napster, which the recording industry claimed would depress sales and hurt their bottom lines. According to New York-based SoundScan, which tracks music retail trends, sales of current albums – recordings released less than 18 months ago – have fallen about 8 percent year-to-date, while sales of all albums fell about 2.8 percent. Many music company officials shrug off the decline, blaming it on a lack of mega-hits and a slowdown in the economy. Many also predict the trend will improve in the… Read more »

R&B sensation, soul man’s 25-date, 14-city tour kicks off August 13. New R&B sensation Alicia Keys will join soul man Maxwell for a 25-date, 14-city tour that kicks off August 13 in New York. In an unusual scheduling move, Keys and Maxwell will play seven shows in the Big Apple – at seven venues. Washington, D.C., and Atlanta will also receive multiple dates. The 20-year-old Keys is touring behind her Songs in A Minor, her first album, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard albums chart and will fall to #2, just 300 copies behind D12, next week. Maxwell is… Read more »

The once fertile scene of Lollapalooza, Lilith Fair, the HORDE and Furthur has dried up in recent years, leaving the U.S. summer tour circuit a less festive place for traveling rock music festivals. So pop auteur Moby, in the wake of the success of his latest album, “Play,” has decided to do something about that. “I’ve spent a long time playing European festivals and was impressed by how eclectic and open they were,” explains Moby, whose Area: One tour opened Wednesday in Atlanta. “There was a period in the States where we had a few really interesting festivals…. When those… Read more »

Arista recording group, FROM ZERO, accelerates on the fast track with 40 dates on the road with Godsmack, Deftones and Puddle of Mudd. The summer tour season has kicked-in full force and From Zero will be out smacking you around till your deaf and lying face down in a puddle of mud! Hailing from Chicago indie cult status to landing a major label deal with Arista Records, From Zero finds itself as the first rock band being released from Arista Records under the helm of Antonio “L.A.” Reid. From Zero’s major label release ONE NATION UNDER which was produced in… Read more »