Search Results for: sting

A veritable who’s who of the pop music world are urging federal regulators to give the public and lawmakers a chance to review any changes made in the regulations that govern media ownership. In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, 34 recording artists ranging from Jimmy Buffett to Michael Stipe said the changes should be fully vetted before they win final approval. “A refusal to allow Congress and the public to view and debate your specific proposal would be a tremendous disservice to the American public and the citizens who depend on these media structures for their livelihoods,” the… Read more »

Observers are calling the launch of Apple Computer’s digital music service the iTunes Music Store an overwhelming success, Billboard Bulletin reports. The service, which went live Monday, sold an estimated 275,000 tracks at 99 cents apiece in its first 18 hours, according to major-label sources. All songs – including exclusive material and videos from U2, Eminem, Sheryl Crow, Bob Dylan, Sting, and others – can be previewed for free as 30-second samples. All can be burned to a CD and are automatically synched to an iPod. The feat is especially remarkable when considering that the offering is available only to… Read more »

Anyone who thinks they can control the Internet received an object lesson during the past week. It all started when Madonna literally lent her voice to a popular antipiracy technique. Warner Music Group had audio files purporting to be her new songs uploaded onto peer-to-peer file-sharing services. Anyone who downloaded the decoys, however, heard nothing but the pop star swearing at them. But since then, the pithy profanity has taken on a life of its own. Some observers thought Madonna was smart to fight piracy with its own tools. Others perceived a thrown gauntlet – hackers soon defaced Madonna’s Web… Read more »

Controversial Irish singer Sinead O’Connor, once famously booed offstage for tearing up the Pope’s picture, declared on Thursday that she’s had it with the music business and with being famous. “As of July 2003, I shall be retiring from the music business order to pursue a different career,” wrote O’Connor – who distinguished herself in the 1990s as much with her shaven head and brash opinions as with her music – on a Web site devoted to all things Sinead, (http://www.sinead-oconnor.com). Although the site is not the official home page for the singer, Lellie Capwell, a spokeswomen for Vanguard Records,… Read more »

Due to popular demand, international superstars Bon Jovi have added more dates to their current sold-out tour in support of their acclaimed CD Bounce (Island Records). This summer, the band returns from their European stadium tour to play arenas, ampitheatres and stadiums (in Philadelphia, Detroit and Boston), returning to many markets where they have already played to capacity-filled crowds. The additional tour dates begin in July and conclude with a hometown, multi-night stand at Giants Stadium in New Jersey on August 7th and 8th. (See below for a full listing of additional tour dates). Tickets for the additional dates will… Read more »

Paul McCartney is calling for a ban on cluster bombs because of the harm they cause to civilians. “It would be great to outlaw these cowardly weapons,” the former Beatle told British Broadcasting Corp. radio on Monday. “What happens after the war finishes is that it’s the civilians – mainly women and children – who get blown up.” Cluster munitions dropped by U.S. and British aircraft in Iraq contain hundreds of small “bomblets” which sometimes fail to explode until years later. Anti-landmine campaigners – including McCartney’s wife, Heather Mills – say children are particularly at risk because they can mistake… Read more »

Record producer Kenneth Darnell Franklin has filed a multiple-count copyright infringement and breach-of-contract lawsuit against Percy Miller (aka Master P), his label, No Limit Records, Priority Records, and Capitol/EMI Music, among others. The suit – filed last week in Los Angeles Superior Court – alleges that material by rapper Clifton Dickson (aka Lil Italy) appeared without permission on the 1999 No Limit/Priority release “On Top of Da World.” The album, which reached No. 20 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart, has sold 76,000 units in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. The suit claims that Franklin, who does business as… Read more »

Double duty wasn’t necessarily what new Voivod member (and recently announced Ozzy Osbourne bassist) Jason Newsted had in mind when he left Metallica over two years ago, but that’s exactly what he’ll be doing this summer as Voivod and Ozzy play Ozzfest 2003. Despite the need for two sets of everything (clothes, amps, etc.), Newsted tells Billboard.com that he’s up for the challenge. “I’m definitely looking forward to it,” he says. “I know it is going to be a lot of work, but it is something that you can’t let pass you by. Now, I have one foot into the… Read more »

The Bush administration is siding with the recording industry in its court fight to force Internet providers to disclose the identities of people who are illegally trading songs over the Web. A Justice Department brief, filed Friday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, supports the effort by the Recording Industry Association of America to force Verizon Internet Services Inc. to identify a subscriber suspected of offering more than 600 songs from well-known artists. Verizon has asked a federal judge to halt a subpoena for the subscriber’s identity, arguing that it violates the First Amendment because it does… Read more »

File traders, Madonna has a question for you: “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” That’s the message you’re likely to get if you try to download songs from the singer’s upcoming American Life, due April 22, on peer-to-peer networks such as Limewire or KaZaA. The spoofed file – a planted fake meant to thwart illegal downloading – recently began flooding P2P networks. Madonna’s spokesperson could not be reached for comment. Other spoofed files containing Madonna’s salty tirade appeared on KaZaA in versions of the new songs “Nobody Knows Me” and “X-Static Process.” If you don’t get the foul-mouthed… Read more »