Search Results for: the wonder years

Every year Michael Greene, the president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, stands onstage during the show he runs, the Grammy Awards, and delivers a speech about an issue that pertains to the music world. On the broadcast last week, however, he chose a strange way to make his point. The issue he addressed was the unauthorized trading of songs on the Internet. During the awards show he showed clips of what he said were three students downloading “as many music files as possible from easily accessible Web sites.” He added that in two days the three… Read more »

Steve Macklam and Sam Feldman are pleased to announce the signing of singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright to Macklam Management and S.L. Feldman & Associates‚ management roster. “We‚ve been watching his growth for quite some time. It’s rare to see an artist emerge with such a wonderful combination of talent, character and originality,” agree Macklam and Feldman. “We’re thrilled to represent him.” Wainwright, who was just nominated for two Juno Awards (Canada’s “Grammy”) for Best Songwriter and Best Alternative Album, launched his first headlining theatre and club tour Feb. 8 in Boston in support of his sophomore effort Poses (DreamWorks), which debuted… Read more »

Universal South, the recently-formed joint venture between Tony Brown, Tim DuBois, and Universal Records, has appointed Bryan Switzer to SVP of Promotion. Based in Nashville, Switzer will develop and implement extensive radio promotional campaigns for such artists as Allison Moorer, Dean Miller, Bering Strait, and Holly Lamar. “We’re thrilled to have someone with Bryan’s experience, knowledge, and passion joining Universal South’s senior management team,” stated Brown. “He has a proven track record in working with and developing the careers of artists, and we are looking forward to his immediate contributions.” “When you combine Bryan’s extensive background in the record business… Read more »

Michael Jackson, Barry Manilow, Sting, Randy Newman, and Ashford & Simpson have been named as the next inductees to the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. The songwriters-all of whom are also performing artists in their own right-will be honored during the 33rd annual Songwriters Hall Of Fame induction ceremony and dinner in June. Songwriter Hal David, the Hall’s chairman and CEO, said during the announcement on Monday (February 11), “The Songwriters Hall Of Fame Awards & Dinner is so important because it’s a time when some of the premier songwriters in the world come together to honor their own. That kind… Read more »

3LW’s Kiely Williams has a big smile on her face as she sits in Manhattan’s Battery Studios listening to “I Think I Wanna Leave With You,” off the trio’s upcoming second LP, A Girl Can Mack. “I wanna leave with you/ Do you wanna leave with me?” she asks with her groupmates Adrienne Bailon and Naturi Naughton on the chorus. But the girls’ frankness as they sing about scooping up guys in the club isn’t why Kiely has a look of mischief on her grill. It’s her rhyme “I hang with big dogs/ So what’s a Lil’ Bow Wow?” “I’m… Read more »

Sugar Ray lead singer Mark McGrath isn’t sure what all the fuss between the American Music Awards and Grammys is about. “It’s a petty argument and I think it can all be resolved. The people getting hurt at the end of the day are the fans,” he said backstage Wednesday night. “Being down in South Central, can’t we all just get along?” he said, echoing Rodney King’s plea after the 1992 Los Angeles riots. AMA producer Dick Clark sued Michael Greene, president of the Recording Academy, for $10 million in December. Clark alleges that Greene has for years siphoned talent… Read more »

Pressplay (www.pressplay.com), the online music service launched Dec. 19, is an order of magnitude better than rival MusicNet (www.musicnet.com), which launched Dec. 4. The gap is so great that I don’t think MusicNet deserves to sign up a single additional subscriber without first undertaking a major overhaul to match pressplay. Not that pressplay is perfect; the major record labels are still struggling to figure out how to sell their music online without opening the door to further piracy. But pressplay succeeds at delivering all three components of the online music experience: “streaming,” where you listen to songs without putting them… Read more »

Gavin, for more than forty years known as The Most Trusted Name In Radio, today confirmed the appointment of veteran radio programmer and air personality Wayne Coy to the post of Top-40/Rhythm Crossover Editor. Coy joins Gavin after 20 years in radio including stints in Norfolk/Virginia Beach, San Jose, Mobile, Green Bay and most recently, as Senior Program Director/Morning Driver at Sweet 98 (KQKQ-Omaha). “Gavin is known as the most trusted name in radio for a reason. Bill Gavin and Dave Sholin were two of the biggest influences on me as a broadcaster and being given the chance to continue… Read more »

Rob Zombie fans are about to experience what he was doing with his three weeks off the Merry Mayhem Tour, which launched on Halloween, while co-headliner Ozzy Osbourne recovered from a broken leg. During the down time, Zombie returned to Los Angeles and directed not one but two videos, his own “Never Gonna Stop (The Red, Red Kroovy)” and Ozzy’s “Dreamer,” each of which will be seen early in the new year. In fact, he finished shooting both within one very busy mid-November week. “Never Gonna Stop (the red, red kroovy)” will be the second track and video spun off… Read more »

Neil Young may be Canadian, but the veteran rock star was honored Tuesday for promoting freedom and justice in his adopted country. People for the American Way, a free-speech advocacy group formed 20 years ago to combat the so-called “religious right,” presented Young with its Spirit of Liberty lifetime achievement award during its annual fundraising dinner in Beverly Hills. Young, in turn, raised a few eyebrows among the liberal crowd by defending anti-terrorist measures that have angered civil rights groups. But he urged the audience to ensure the controversial measures were only temporary. “Never let America forget that these are… Read more »