Search Results for: the early november

The Osbournes are looking for a new home. No, rock’s first family aren’t packing up and moving out of their Beverly Hills abode. It’s the search for a new label home for Kelly and Ozzy that has the clan pounding the pavement. Both father and daughter are leaving Sony Music, according to an Osbournes spokesperson. Although Kelly has only been with Sony subsidiary Epic since releasing her debut, Shut Up!, in late November, Ozzy has had a home at Sony Music for decades, since first going solo in 1980 with Blizzard of Ozz, released by the now defunct Jet imprint.… Read more »

While the World Health Organization said that it believes the worst of severe acute respiratory syndrome is over in Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam – which got a clean bill of health on Monday for being the first nation to contain the virus – SARS is still affecting tour and promotional plans for many artists who were set to visit those regions. The Rolling Stones were the first to pull out of Asian concerts – their first-ever concerts in China – when news of the disease broke in March, though they did play two shows in Singapore. They also… Read more »

Look for the next Grammy Awards and the American Music Awards (AMAs) to move from their traditional annual calendar slots. For 2004, the Grammys are switching from their usual late-February date to Sunday, Feb. 8, sources tell Billboard. The move is taking place to avoid a head-on collision with the Academy Awards, which will be moved next year from their usual late-March perch to late February. Additionally, the 2004 Grammys are expected to return to L.A. after this year’s stint in New York. The Recording Academy declined to comment. Taking a bigger leap forward are the AMAs. That show is… Read more »

Beatles fans received a double treat Tuesday with announcements of a new world tour by Paul McCartney and the release of a DVD of a 1994 jam session by McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison. McCartney said he plans to include several Beatles songs in his first British tour in a decade, scheduling 22 songs from his Fab Four days for each two-and-a-half hour arena concert. Seven dates in April have been announced for the “Back in the World” tour, including stops in London and Manchester, northern England. McCartney then plans to tour France, Spain, Germany and Scandinavia. The world… Read more »

In just eight months’ time, Justin Timberlake’s feelings toward former love Britney Spears have gone from hurt to hate. At least that’s what Us Weekly alleges in its current cover story, “Britney Vs. Justin: The War Is On.” The article, which surfaced on New York newsstands Wednesday and will be available nationwide Friday, suggests that pop music’s hottest couple are feuding like the Hatfields and the McCoys, singling out Timberlake’s video for “Cry Me a River” as the latest, and loudest, bomb dropped. The video, which premiered November 25, features 18-year-old model/actress Lauren Hastings playing what could only be construed… Read more »

Oasis has postponed two German concerts, following a brawl in a Munich hotel over the weekend. The English band has postponed its November 4 show in Dusselfdorf and a date in Bremen, Thursday December 5. The postponement of the shows came after the group had already postponed appearances in Munich Sunday and in Hamburg on Monday. The further postponement came about because the band’s singer, Liam Gallagher, required further medical attention after sustaining facial injuries and several broken teeth in the nightclub fight. A official statement on the band’s website (oasis.net) says: “Following the events of last weekend, Oasis have… Read more »

Tower Records, the storied 1960s music chain that launched the music megastore and became a cultural retailing icon, strolls into its 43rd holiday shopping season this weekend struggling with debt and on the ropes. The West Sacramento, Calif.-based Tower hopes four weeks of strong sales will reverse a new image as the tottering giant inside a stumbling music industry. Among the chain’s troubles: deep-discounting rivals, changing consumer habits, lack of hits and its own missteps in the 1990s as the music business began a dramatic shift. Tower exemplifies the even deeper woes in a recording industry beset by piracy, computer… Read more »

The Recording Industry Assn. of America, the lobbying arm of the major labels, said Thursday that the troubled file-swapping company Madster – aka Aimster – is violating a court’s instruction to stop the flow of music piracy. In early November, U.S. District Judge Marvin Aspen of Illinois specifically ordered Madster to “immediately disable and prevent any and all access to the plaintiffs’ copyrighted works… including, if necessary, preventing any and all access to the Aimster system and service in its entirety.” The RIAA says Madster is in direct violation of the court’s preliminary injunction and filed a motion Thursday asking… Read more »

For those about to rock, the Rock Hall salutes you – by inducting several heroes of metal, punk and new wave into next year’s class. AC/DC, the Clash, the Police, and Elvis Costello and the Attractions will lead the class of 2003 when they are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10, organizers announced Thursday (November 7). Other artists recognized include blue-eyed soul singers the Righteous Brothers, whose “Unchained Melody” and Phil Spector-produced “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ ” remain classics. Sideman and non-performer inductees remain to be announced. AC/DC, who formed in 1973 and… Read more »

A U2 album of all-new material could arrive by next summer, according to the band’s guitarist, the Edge. Speaking with Ireland’s Hot Press magazine, the guitar player, whose real name is Dave Evans, said the group plans to have a new album completed and in stores by mid-2003. He told the Dublin-based magazine that the band is on a roll in the studio, and likened the new recordings’ sound to U2’s early days, with “simple, stripped-down arrangements.” The band’s sessions at Hanover Quay studios have already resulted in two new songs, “Electrical Storm” and “The Hands That Built America,” both… Read more »