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A lawsuit against Ozzy & Sharon Osbourne may have been dismissed, but the former bandmembers who filed the case say it will go on. Bob Daisley, bassist and songwriter on the first two Osbourne solo albums (1980’s Blizzard Of Ozz and 1981’s Diary Of A Madman), released this statement concerning the court’s decision: “Obviously, this is a disappointing ruling, but it’s not over yet. This case has merit-Lee and I have been struggling for two decades just to receive the correct royalties and credit that’s due us-and we are confident that we will prevail in the end.” For some 20… Read more »

“Elvis is in your jeans.” “He’s in your cheeseburgers.” “Elvis is in Nutty Buddies!” “Elvis is in your mom!” Never has punk novelty act Mojo Nixon’s 1987 song “Elvis is Everywhere”* been more accurate than now. In the year of the 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death, the King of rock ‘n’ roll topped the British charts. His songs grace Walt Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” movie soundtrack. Hundreds of thousands of fans each year converge at Graceland, his home in Memphis, to pay homage to “The King.” Now, taking a page from the handbook of his most loyal subjects, The… Read more »

A purple 1999 Ford Mustang convertible purchased by Eminem with his first royalty check has found a new home in Courtney Wittenberns’ garage. Now she just has to wait until 2006 when she’ll actually be old enough to drive it. “I’ll just sit in the garage and listen to music [in the car] and wash it,” the 12-year-old Fort Lauderdale, Florida, resident said of the car that she and her family bought in an online auction for $27,900. Earlier this summer, Eminem traded in his ride to Russ Milne Ford in Macomb, Michigan. The dealership decided to put the car… Read more »

Michael Jackson’s surprise attack on Sony Music as racist has grabbed headlines, but many in the music industry have turned a deaf ear – suspecting the pop star has been motivated by self-interest rather than a concern for civil rights. Jackson, under contract with Sony until 2004 and among the highest-paid pop stars of all time, appears to be trying to pressure Sony into breaking the deal so he can exit with his valuable trove of master recordings, industry sources said. They say Jackson’s assault was prompted mostly by anger at Sony for the poor showing of his latest album,… Read more »

Fans who wish they could walk a mile in Eminem’s shoes now have a chance to cruise one in his car. The rapper traded in his Ford Mustang last week to a Detroit-area dealer who plans to auction the car to the highest bidder. The 1999 Mustang convertible, custom-painted purple from its original red and with a tan leather interior, is available for viewing at Russ Milne Ford in Macomb, Michigan. One lucky buyer with cash to spare can drive Eminem’s near-mint ride, with 17,656 miles on it and a small mark on the front bumper, right off the lot.… Read more »

Sonic Youth will take their sixteenth album, Murray Street, out on a twenty-two-date tour, starting August 1st in Dallas. The tour will be the group’s second as a five-piece, as the group brought producer Jim O’Rourke onboard while promoting their last studio record, 2000’s NYC Ghosts and Flowers. The dates will run through a September 1st appearance at the Bumbershoot festival in Seattle and include a free concert at Central Park in the band’s hometown of New York City. The majority of Murray Street, which will be released on June 25th, was written last summer, and the band recorded the… Read more »

The recording industry from artists to major labels joined on Thursday in a rare show of unity to demand tougher laws barring what they called “payola”-like promotion of music played on the radio. They also called for a sweeping government review of radio industry consolidation. Deregulation of the radio business and rampant practices that skirt 40-year-old anti-payola laws stifle competition, drive up music promotional costs and make it harder for new artists to gain attention, the artists and record labels said in a joint statement addressed to the federal regulators and Congress. The statement was endorsed by a broad coalition… Read more »

Pop star Elton John, one of the biggest names in a star-studded line-up to serenade Queen Elizabeth on her Golden Jubilee, is not quite sure how well even his music will go down with the British monarch. “She grins and bears it. She’s probably the best in the world at grinning and bearing it on every occasion, whether it’s Maori dancing, pop music or whatever,” he told BBC television on Friday. The flamboyant rocker, a close personal friend of the late Princess Diana, will appear at the June 3 concert alongside artists ranging from ex-Beatle Paul McCartney to Ozzy Osbourne.… Read more »

Indie labels and artists’ reps hit Capitol Hill Tuesday in an 11th-hour bid to push through a new royalty rate that Webcasters will have to pay for music streamed on the Internet. Webcasters say the rate set by a special arbitration panel will put them out of business, and Wednesday morning will ask the Senate Judiciary Committee to intervene. The congressional hearing comes less than a week before Librarian of Congress James Billington is due to announce the official rate. The label executives mounting Tuesday’s counteroffensive on Capitol Hill said the record biz is willing to live with the proposed… Read more »

The family of Jimi Hendrix is suing a recording company over the rights to recordings the rock guitarist made before he became famous. Experience Hendrix, the family firm that controls the rights to all Hendrix’s work except some early recordings, is suing PPX Enterprises over recordings Hendrix made with a group called Curtis Knight and The Squires in PPX’s New York studios. There was no comment from either party Thursday. In the action, set forth at the High Court in London on Wednesday, Experience Hendrix claims that PPX breached a 1973 agreement with the English administrator of Hendrix’s estate. Experience… Read more »