Search Results for: the early november

Even though the RIAA continues to go after Internet file-sharers, millions of music fans keep downloading songs. Naturally, this hurts album sales, which were down around 12 percent for the first half of 2003. To try to convince people to actually buy albums again, record companies have offered value-added packaging such as the ever-popular bonus DVD, which typically contains backstage footage, exclusive interviews, videos and maybe a live recording or two. But adding a DVD can be costly. Labels typically pay between one and two dollars per extra disc, which means as much as an additional $2 million for an… Read more »

Linkin Park and Papa Roach are among the artists confirmed to play the sixth annual Smokeout Festival on November 15, at the NOS Event Center in San Bernardino, California. Pennywise, Cypress Hill, Superjoint Ritual, and rappers Obie Trice and DMX are also scheduled to appear on the main stage, with a host of smaller and independent acts on a second stage. A DVD of live performances from last year’s festival, titled Smokeout Live 2002, will be available on November 18. Also in November, Linkin Park releases a live CD and DVD, both titled Live In Texas. A headlining North American… Read more »

A tiny Brooklyn, New York, record label is redefining the age-old battle of the punks vs. the suits. Go-Kart Records founder Greg Ross has a problem with the RIAA’s use of lawsuits to fight online piracy, so he began giving away music for free on Friday. First he wrote an open letter to the recording industry trade group, lambasting its take on the problem of illegal downloading. Then he posted six full albums from his latest signings on the Go-Kart Web site. The response has been overwhelming. “Our tech guy just told me we had 80,000 hits in one second… Read more »

Simple Plan are putting the final touches on what could be THE gift item of the 2003 Holiday Season-A Big Package For You, the band’s forthcoming DVD, scheduled for release November 25th on Lava Records. The package is accompanied by a bonus EP which contains one exclusive, recently recorded new track as well as two previously unreleased songs from their September 2003 MTV Hard Rock Live performance. A Big Package For You chronicles the band’s unprecedented antics from past to present, while containing nearly three hours of footage including the band’s entire video repertoire featuring “Addicted,” “I’d Do Anything,” “I’m… Read more »

Many people are under the impression that Wes Scantlin, the singer and guitarist of Puddle of Mudd, is the sole creative force behind the group’s pain-stricken melodies. That’s not the case. His bandmates help shape the arrangements and throw in complementary parts, and there’s an even more powerful influence at work – one that’s ingrained in Scantlin’s blood. Unlike the many hard rock bands who sing about how badly their parents screwed up their lives, Scantlin has nothing but praise for his dad, who helps the singer decide which Puddle songs make the cut and which are scrapped. “I bounce… Read more »

They teased the release of their third album, The Long Road, with the melodic mid-paced single “Someday,” which delivered everything their fans were used to. Now that the album is on the shelves, Nickelback hope to catch listeners with their pants down. “I like you with your pants around your feet, and I like the dirt that’s on your knees,” Chad Kroeger sings before stabbing guitars puncture the track. “Figured You Out,” one of the heavier songs on the album, will go to radio in early November. A video will be shot in the coming weeks, but a director has… Read more »

Barenaked Ladies’ drummer Tyler Stewart jokingly tells Billboard.com that heads better roll at their label Reprise, which mistakenly printed early versions of the band’s new disc, “Everything to Everyone,” as “Everything for Everyone.” “Either they laid off the spell-check person or they are just so frickin’ negligent, that they deserve to go out of business anyway,” Stewart says with a laugh. The album is the band’s first studio release since 2000’s “Maroon.” The 14-track disc finds the band changing paces a bit and approaching songwriting from a totally different direction. “I think this album marks a new beginning because there… Read more »

Nearly a year after software maker Roxio Inc. scooped up the Napster brand from the ashes of the pioneer file-swapping service, a revamped online music store bearing the familiar brand name debuted Thursday in limited release. The company shelved its former online music service, pressplay, and began moving subscribers to a beta, or test version, of Napster 2.0. The service will be available to all in the United States beginning Oct. 29, officials said Thursday. Napster 2.0 users will have access to more than a half-million songs from all the major music labels. They can download individual songs for 99… Read more »

Hanson, who parted ways with Island Def Jam in May, announced on Wednesday the formation of their own 3CG Records label, which will issue their new album, Underneath, in the spring. Underneath will contain several songs that Zac, Isaac and Taylor Hanson have already issued on their Underneath Acoustic EP, currently on sale via their Web site. The fresh-faced trio’s first single will be “Penny and Me,” produced by Don Henley associate Danny Kortchmar. Michelle Branch and Matthew Sweet also appear on Underneath, whose title track was co-written by Sweet. “In general, records these days tend to be overproduced,” guitarist… Read more »

Britney Spears laughs at the thought that she could’ve found time for a break recently. “[Only] if you call three weeks a hiatus,” she said. “I’ve been recording my booty off.” As her forthcoming In the Zone (formerly Get in the Zone) nears completion, the pop star is working her booty overtime, already mapping out plans for remixes galore of her first single, “Me Against the Music,” featuring Madonna. The RedZone-produced track has been sent to several producers, including Outkast and Madonna mixer Peter Rauhofer. “We’ve hooked up [again], but I’ve learned not to talk about my personal life,” Britney… Read more »