Search Results for: solid state records

Following are previews of albums due out within the next few months from debut acts or under-the-radar artists due for a breakthrough. PAOLO NUTINI Scottish singer/songwriter Paolo Nutini, who turns 20 January 9, was one of the most noteworthy breakout artists of 2006 for Atlantic Records in the United Kingdom. After an appearance at South by Southwest in Austin last March, his debut single, “Last Request,” reached No. 5 in July on the British charts and also became a substantial airplay hit. His debut album, “These Streets,” subsequently opened at No. 3 with out-of-the-box sales of 35,000, according to his… Read more »

Record labels are embracing new technologies in search of music’s next big thing Joe Berman looks for new bands. Typically, that means hanging out in dive bars, enduring hours of unlistenable music by groups whose rock-and-roll dreams far exceed their talent, praying for the occasional act that shows promise. About 16 months ago, however, the Los Angeles-based talent-finder sat at home scouting the globe for groups. He typed “New Zealand indie rock bands” into his computer search engine and found Steriogram, five lads from the town of Whangarei in New Zealand. They had a song and a video posted on… Read more »

London – When the curtain went up on MTV’s Europe Awards in Rome on Thursday, only one of the performers was signed to an independent record label. And at European pop music’s annual showcase event where fans vote for their favorites either online or by mobile phone, not only were the majority of acts from the United States, but all major prizes went to Americans. The independent record industry says the business has been taken over by four mega-companies that are helping to entrench American cultural “hegemony” across the music world. “The record business is stacked in favor of the… Read more »

The success of the Black Eyed Peas flies in the face of the conventional wisdom that the music business sacrifices long-term artist development in favor of quick hits and short-term corporate profits. Signed to Interscope Records more than six years ago by chairman Jimmy Iovine, the progressive hip-hop group’s first two albums, “Behind the Front” in 1998 and “Bridging the Gap” in 2000 earned rave reviews but failed to go gold (shipments of 500,000 copies). The first album peaked at No. 139 on the Billboard 200 with sales of 197,000 units, according Nielsen SoundScan, while the sophomore set stalled at… Read more »

Arista Records, home to such acts as OutKast, Dido and Avril Lavigne, is in the process of being restructured, sources said Tuesday. Many Arista artists are being moved to Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) corporate siblings Jive Records, RCA Records and J Records, sources said. Layoffs are expected, though some positions will be redeployed to other parts of BMG. Arista will, however, remain a label complete with some artists, an A&R team, marketing and promotions staff, sources said. A spokesman for closely held BMG declined to comment on the moves at Arista but in a statement said: “BMG is in the… Read more »

You say you want a revolution? Well, you know – we all want to change the world. Except for Chris Colus. He’s the drummer for a reggae-roots-rock band, freshly signed to a major record label, and he’s trying to explain that band’s name, which is O.A.R. – Of A Revolution. “There’s no political motive,” the 25-year-old Rockville, MD native insists. “This is the music we’ve wanted to play, the music we wanted to hear – that’s a revolution for ourselves and our fans.” The “Of A Revolution” name actually comes from “The Wanderer,” a short story singer-guitarist Marc Roberge wrote… Read more »

The following is a statement from Eyeball Records: Murder By Death had their van broken into on Friday night while they slept in a Cleveland hotel room. They didn’t just have a few things stolen…they lost everything. The band takes great pride in their equipment, most of which has been hand picked with great care over the course of their entire lives. Among the equipment stolen was Sarah’s cello (probably worth more than your first car), All their guitars and amps, Matt’s prize collection of pedals, Alex’s entire drum set, Vince’s piano, etc. Everything. Murder By Death is not a… Read more »

After weeks on the festival circuit, Evanescence are set to embark on their first large-scale headlining tour. Amy Lee, Ben Moody and company will top the marquee on the Nintendo Fusion Tour, a multi-band music-and-gaming fiesta promising to visit 25 North American cities, according to a Nintendo spokesperson. Although an itinerary has yet to be solidified, the trek gets rolling August 4 in Los Angeles and is expected to wind down in late September in the Northwest. After playing a handful of shows in Spain and the U.K. last week, Evanescence were forced to cancel a run of shows in… Read more »

Music fans have until Monday to register for their $5 to $20 share of a settlement involving major U.S. record distributors and retailers. All U.S. residents who purchased at least one compact disc, cassette or album between 1995 and 2000 can register online for a piece of the $44 million class-action settlement. The latest figures, from October through Tuesday, indicate 2.8 million people had signed up on the Web. That may seem like a lot, but it probably represents just a small fraction of Americans who purchased retail music during the late 1990s. Figures from the Recording Industry Association of… Read more »

Despite Liam Gallagher’s claims to the contrary, Oasis will be touring America this fall – because his big brother and bandleader, Noel, said so. “We’re coming back in August,” the elder Gallagher asserted, contradicting comments his predictably unpredictable brother made to the British press. “Liam’s invited. If he wants to come, he’ll come, if not, we’ll do it without him.” The group’s tour, which kicks off August 2 in Pompano Beach, Florida, is in support of the forthcoming Heathen Chemistry, Oasis’ first studio album in over two years. “Liam’s always – you know what he’s like,” Noel said, smiling. “I… Read more »