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‘We are the World’ unites music’s biggest names
In 1985, Justin Bieber was nine years from being born, Auto-Tune was 12 years from being invented, and Lil Wayne turned 3.
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In 1985, Justin Bieber was nine years from being born, Auto-Tune was 12 years from being invented, and Lil Wayne turned 3.
Though nearly a year has passed since Blink-182 announced its reunion, the wait for the trio’s next album is not over.
For years there’s been speculation that Apple would supplement their $1/song (now $1.29) iTunes business with a monthly subscription service, but their upcoming plans are quite different and once again are positioning them to lead the digital music industry into a new era. Leveraging their ubiquitous iTunes software Apple plans to upgrade their users almost over night to a cloud music service in an ambitious move to beat Amazon and others to a cloud music service. Record labels are wary to give Apple even greater dominance which is why Apple’s new strategy is designed to sidestep new licenses from the major labels.
There was one truth apparent while walking through the merchandise area one hour after the doors opened at the Starland Ballroom last Wednesday evening: the crowd was ready for all that was to come.
Michael Jackson died Thursday afternoon, June 25th, at the age of 50 after suffering cardiac arrest. Reports say the legendary pop singer suffered cardiac arrest at his home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Holmby Hills and was not breathing and had no pulse when paramedics arrived after a 911 call around 12:26 p.m. PT. They administered CPR in the ambulance but were unable to revive him. At the hospital, staff attempted to resuscitate Jackson, but he was unresponsive. From his early career in the 1970s with his family group the Jackson 5 to his decades-long career as a solo… Read more »
Although Justin Timberlake is “not working” on any new music for himself these days, he has been hitting the studio to work with other artists like Ciara and T.I. “Right now, I like the idea that things can just kind of pop up and if they feel right I can do them,” Timberlake told Entertainment Weekly. “Committing to my own sort of project, that’s like, ‘OK, let me block out two years of my life and do it.’ ” He noted, as he has in the past, that he’ll know when he’s ready to get back in the studio to… Read more »
List of winners at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards Album of the Year: ” Raising Sand” Robert Plant and Alison Krauss ; T Bone Burnett producer; Mike Piersante, engineer/mixer; Gavin Lurssen, mastering engineer (Rounder) Rap Album: ” Tha Carter III” Lil Wayne (Cash Money/Universal Motown) Male Pop Vocal Performance : “Say,” John Mayer ; track from “Continuum” (Columbia) Record of the Year: “Please Read The Letter,” Robert Plant and Alison Krauss; T Bone Burnett, producer; Mike Piersante, engineer/mixer; track from “Raising Sand” (Rounder) New Artist: Adele Rock Album: “Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends,” Coldplay (Capitol) Pop… Read more »
It’s official: With an introduction of “together again,” Blink-182 confirmed that they are back in the Blink business at the Grammy Awards Sunday night (February 8) when they appeared onstage together for the first time in four years. Emerging to sounds of their 1999 hit “What’s My Age Again,” bassist Mark Hoppus, drummer Travis Barker – wearing a sling on his injured left arm – and estranged guitarist Tom DeLonge walked out together, with Hoppus joking, “Isn’t it great to see the Jonas Brothers and Stevie Wonder back together again?” after the unlikely pairing performed a medley of the Bros’… Read more »
For anybody wondering why Microsoft and the top record labels continue to promote subscription music services, the answer was revealed Thursday. David Ring, executive vice president of business development for Universal Music Group’s digital arm, said at the EconMusic Conference that the recording industry simply can’t sustain itself with download sales alone. “If what we’re trying to do is one-by-one downloads…that’s not a business that can grow,” Ring told conference attendees during panel discussion he participated in. “It won’t be healthy for the industry.” Prior to Ring’s statement, Chris Stephenson, an executive in Microsoft’s entertainment unit, was ballyhooing the progress… Read more »
On Sunday, dozens of the world’s best-known entertainers gathered on the site where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream Speech” 45 years ago to offer an exuberant welcome to President-elect Barack Obama. U2 provided one of several emotional highs of the day, performing their tribute to King, “Pride (In the Name of Love),” during which Bono declared, “On Tuesday that dream comes to pass!” Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Beyoncé and Garth Brooks were among the A-list performers who helped set the joyful, optimistic tone at the concert, officially called “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural… Read more »
