Friday, March 21, 2003

• Zack De La Rocha & DJ Shadow- "March of Death"
  Finally, an modern anti-war song worth listening to. Also: Finally, some new materical from Zack De La Rocha.
  And in a semi-related story...
  
  
• Audioslave gets political at Warfield Cornell goes after Bush, Rage-style
  Chris Cornell got a little political at the Audioslave show in San Francisco last night, which is interesting because he swore when he joined up with 3/4 of Rage Against The Machine that he wouldn't be as political as they were. The true interesting part of this story-- Audioslave covered Rush's 'Working Man" in their encore.
  
  
• War forces Madonna to re-edit pop video
  In light of recent events, Madonna had re-edited the video she made for her forthcoming single "American Life". The video originally incorporated images of the effects of war, but it has since been toned down a bit. The single will be released in the first week of April and the album of the same name will be out on April 22. Pre-order American Life (w/ bonus DVD!) by clicking here.
  
  
• ReplayTV maker Sonicblue to file for Chapter 11
  A sad end for some digital entertainment pioneers. They were the first company to take a portable MP3 player to market-- The Rio. I raise my IPod to them as a salute-- they were the company that took the fought the R.I.A.A. in court and established the legal precedent that MP3s and MP3 players are not inherently criminal.
  
  They'll be selling the Rio unit and the ReplayTV unit to D&M Holdings, the parent company of audio equipment makers Denon Ltd. and Marantz Japan Inc. Its GoVideo unit, which makes DVD players and other devices, will go to Opta Systems LLC.
  
  
• Incubus Sings the Blues About Its Relationship With Sony Label (L.A. Times registration required)
  Yes, I know, I've linked to stories about this little dust up before. The above linked L.A. Times article, though, is the first one I've seen that lays out all the numbers and the kind of money that is at stake. It's one of the best articles I've ever read about the wacky world of music industry accounting.
  
  
• New 'NSYNC In 2004, But First A Joey Fatone Comedy LP
  Joey Fatone is working on his solo album-- a Weird "Al" Yankovic-style album of song parodies. Seriously.
  
  
• "8 Mile" Props and Costumes Up For Auction on eBay
  Just how huge an "8 Mile"fan are you? Enough to want to own Cheddar Bob's Bloody Outfit? What about a bunch of flyers prmoting the movie's climatic hip-hop battle? (which the flyers say took place on Nov. 16, movie triva buffs take note.) How about a bunch of generic bingo chips that were probably fondled by Kim Bassinger? All those and more can be yours-- if your bid is high enough.
  
  
• CafePress.com Launches CD-on-Demand Commerce Service
  CafePress's new CP Audio service allows artists to self-publish and sell retail-quality CDs online, without having to contend with disc duplication fees, online store management or order fulfillment responsibilities. Just send 'em as master CD and they'll set up an online shop for you to sell your crap-- I mean masterpieces-- through. Album cover art and the whole nine yards.
  
  
• Al Gore joins Apple board
  Not all all music related, sorry. Just a cool little factoid.
  

posted by Randy on 12:18 PM | permanent link to this entry

Thursday, March 20, 2003

Believe it or not, there is still music news to report!

• MTV Europe's Internal Memo Re: What Videos Not To Play During The War
  No videos with military imagery or , videos with words such as "bomb", "missile", "war" in the song title, Also off the air, System of a Down's "Boom"-- which consists of footage of anti-war protesters. If you want to watch System of A Down's "Boom", go to this site.
  
  
• Jay-Z's 'The Blueprint 2.1' Coming In April
  It'll sort of be like The Blueprint 2: The Gift and The Curse's Greatest Hits with hit songs from Jay-Z's last album and a few new songs and remixes. April 8 is the release date for all you sukkas who thought that The Blueprint 2: The Gift and The Curse was all that and an order of chilli-cheese fries. You can pre-order it by clicking here.
  
  
• Ringo Starr Announces Full All-Starr Band Itinerary
  Here's this year's members of Ringo's All Starr Band: Sheila E on drums for the second year in a row, former Babys/Bad English frontman and solo artists John Waite on bass and vocals, former Men At Work frontman and solo artist Colin Hay on guitar and vocals, and former Ace/Squeeze/Mike & The Mechanics singer-keyboardist and solo artist Paul Carrack. The tour kicks off July 24 in Rama, Ontario and tours casinos, ampitheares and music festivals across North America until winding down on Spet. 7 in San Diego, California.
  
  
• Top DJs Sign On For Dual Play Tour
  Coming soon to a House of Blues enar you (or a club, if there no HOB in your area): DJs Tiesto, Dieselboy, Bad Boy Bill, and Noel Sanger on the PlayStation2's Dual Play Tour. Things kick off March 28 in Atlanta and will run through June 6 in San Francisco. Dieselboy and Bad Boy Bill will headline the event through April 13 in Las Vegas, after which Tiesto and Sanger take over until the trek's conclusion.
  

posted by Randy on 12:01 PM | permanent link to this entry

Wednesday, March 19, 2003

• Diller resigns from Vivendi Universal Entertainment
  Barry Diller, Chairman and Chief Executive of Vivendi Universal Entertainment, resigned both posts Wednesday ahead of a likely sale of the company's media assets. He will remain as Chairman and Chief Executive of USA Interactive. to me, this means that the Vivendi Universal Entertainemnt assets are going to be sold piecemeal instead of as one company, thus eliminating Diller's position anyway. I could be wrong, I'm no expert-- just a fascinated observer.
  
  
• Stewart Readying Second Standards Set
  Proving once again that in the music industry money talks and common sense/artistic integrity walks, Rod Stewart is preparing a sequel to his widely panned but commercially successful It Had to Be You ... The Great American Songbook. This is how file trading effects culture-- kids download while boomers actually buy albums, so we get another Rod Stewart covers album and mid-level artists pushing the boundraies get dropped or can't get signed in the first place becuase they don't bring in enough money to the labels.
  
  
• Radio Reaction To Chicks' Comments Diminishing
  For all the hype, it turns out that the Dixie Chicks only experienced a small hit at radio after member Natalie Maines said that the group was embarassed that President Bush was from Texas. Data from Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems shows that 15 of Billboard's 148 reporting country stations did not play any songs by the Dixie Chicks on Saturday and Sunday, but as of March 17 four of those stations had shown subsequent airplay of Dixie Chicks songs. On the scary media consolidation front, Cumulus Broadcastin instituted a ban of Dixie Chicks music across its 42 stations
  
  
• Media Giant's Rally Sponsorship Raises Questions
  Clear Channel stations in Atlanta, Cleveland, San Antonio, Cincinnati and other cities have sponsored "patriotic" rallies attended by up to 20,000 people. They are inspired by talk-radio host Glenn Beck, whose program is syndicated by Premier Radio Networks, a Clear Channel subsidiary. This is the kind of thing that would've been prevented by the Fairness Doctrine, which required broadcasters to cover controversial issues in their community and to do so by offering balancing views. The FCC repealed it in 1987, and this is now what we get: major media corporations sponsoring rallies, which their news outlets then report as news.
  
  
• Backstreet's Back: Group Plotting Follow-Up To Black & Blue
  So, the Backstreet Boys are just getting started on working on a new album, which means it will be at least a year before it comes out-- maybe less if they can work with the quickness. If I were them, I'd just hang it up and go solo for like 10 years until it is time to cash in on the retro-fueled reunion album and tour.
  
  
• Cooder fears Cuban ban
  Did you know that Ry Cooder was fined $100,000 under America's Trading With The Enemy Act for his work with the Bunea Vista Social Club project and that President Clitnon stepped in on his behalf during the last week of his presidency? I did not. Cooder went back to Cuba and worked on two projects - an album with BVSC guitarist Manuel Galban and another one with singer Ibrahim Fererthat came out yesterday. Given the current political situation, Cooder says he is unsure if he'll be able to continue.
  

posted by Randy on 11:59 AM | permanent link to this entry

Tuesday, March 18, 2003

• Music Biz Targets Cos. in Piracy Crackdown
  The Recording Industry Association of America (R.I.A.A.) has sent another leter to 300 companies they have identified as continuing to let employees use P2P file trading programs. About 35 percent of the latest letters went to technology companies, 20 percent to health-care firms, 20 percent to manufacturers and the rest to miscellaneous industries. The RIAA's action drew protest from the Information Technology Association of America (a computer-and-software-trade-association), whose president Harris Miller said "When corporations are trying to protect themselves from major hackers and terrorists ... trying to do serious damage to their networks, I don't know that they want to spend their time chasing down a half-dozen employees who like to trade old Rolling Stones songs. It's a matter of prioritization." True dat.
  
  
• Rosen: Music Biz Should Focus On Consumer Satisfaction
  Oh, Hillary. Now we know why you're stepping down as chairman/CEO of the R.I.A.A.-- you've come to your senses! National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) convention yesterday, Hilary Rosen said "It's time to come together. Now is our opportunity to put [consumers'] interests first." And then she said that fighting piracy is "a waste of time if the customer is not served in the legitimate marketplace." More juicy quotes in the above linked article. Hilary, why are you stepping down now that you've seen the light!?! Lead the fight from within! *Sigh*
  
  
• Newsted Confirmed For Osbourne's Band
  It's official-- ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted will play bass for Ozzy Osbourne on this year's Ozzfest. He is replaced in Metallica by Osbourne's former bassist Robert Turjiullo-- who also once plucked the bass for Suicidal Tendencies and Infectious Grooves. In other Ozzfest news, TRUST company has dropped off the bill and will instead spend the summer working on their new album.
  
  
• Bush, Shame and the Dixie Chicks
  Very nice summary in Salon off all the Dixe Chicks anti-war hub-bub.
  
  
• MC5 Give First Concert In 12 Years, Bat Around Idea Of Possible Reunion
  Please, make it so. Y'all who don't know need to pick up, memorize and worship Kick Out the Jams with the quickness. It seems like a good time for Detroit proto-punk to make a come back becuase...
  
  
• Iggy to Reunite Stooges
  Iggy Pop will reunite with guitarist Ron Ashetonand drummer Scott Asheton, his original bandmates in The Stooges, for an April 27th performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California. Former Minutemen bassist Mike Watt will the group for the show, taking the place of original bassist David Alexander, who died in 1975.
  
  
• 50 Cent and the Clipse to Tour Together
  Call It "The Three Thours Of Songs About Drug Delaing Tour," if you'd like. I wouldn't say that to their face, though. April 1-27, throughout the Midwest and East Coast.
  
  
• Robbie Williams Nods to Lennon in Anti-War Song
  Remember all that hullabaloo about how Robbie Williams signed a huge deal with EMI that gave them a piece of his touring and merchandising in exchange for them really trying to break him in America? Note to Williams and EMI-- doing an anti-war song (while admirable in some eyes) is no longer the way to the top of the charts in the colonies. Anyway, "Happy Easter (War is Coming)" will be a b-side to "Come Undone" and should be available (at least in the U.K.) in April. Williams next album, Escapology, is due out on April 1 and can be pre-ordered by clicking here. If you can't wait that long, you can always cop the import. which is available now.
  
  
• Tivo Less of A Threat? Surprising P n' G Findings
  Recent internal research by Procter and Gamble Co. indicates that consumers who fast-forward through ads with digital personal video recorders such as TiVo still recall those ads at roughly the same rates as people who see them at normal speed in real time.
  

posted by Randy on 12:26 PM | permanent link to this entry

Monday, March 17, 2003

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.......................................I found a bunch of stories and linekd 'em all and everything and then Blogger ate the post.
posted by Randy on 12:42 PM | permanent link to this entry