Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Can UK music rule the world?

The UK could become the most powerful force in world music within the next decade. No, this isn't a prematurely posted April Fool's joke, sure to send the likes of Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Jay-Z giggling into their champagne. It's because an industry chief believes the top of the pile would be within our grasp if the government took more action and started working hand-in-hand with our recording artists. Feargal Sharkey, the former frontman of punk group The Undertones, is now chief executive of UK Music. He believes that by 2020, we could be producing more successful records than any other nation on earth. "We think we can be number one. We're not far off it," he explained.
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Monday, March 29, 2010

Guvera

Guvera - ad-supported free music download and streaming service
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Saturday, March 27, 2010

Freegal Music Service

"In a significant step toward offering public library patrons DRM-free downloadable music, Library Ideas LLC, a new company that has previously hooked up libraries with Redbox video dispensers, has joined with Sony Music Entertainment to launch the Freegal Music Service, offering public library subscribers access to hundreds of thousands of songs in Sony's catalog. Sony includes more than 50 labels, in genres ranging from rock and country to rap and classical. The libraries must pre-pay for a minimum number of downloads from Freegal, and each library user will be limited to, at most, 20 downloads per week. Libraries that see a spike in use can limit the number of systemwide downloads in a week or month to ensure wider access, and library card holders can also reserve downloads"
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Monday, March 22, 2010

dig.ccmixter

"dig.ccmixter is where people come to find fantastic, liberally licensed music. The musicians' community at ccMixter make modern, challenging, but satisfying music that they want you to hear! There's a reason why 1 out of 6 tracks at dig.ccmixter are already being used by video makers and podcasters"
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Sunday, March 21, 2010

Bowie and John pay tribute to singer Duncan

David Bowie and Sir Elton John have paid tribute to late singer-songwriter Lesley Duncan - by sending flowers and messages of condolence to her funeral. The 66-year-old Brit passed away after a lengthy battle with cerebrovascular disease on 12 March. During her career, Duncan worked with stars including John, Pink Floyd, Ringo Starr and Dusty Springfield, and celebrity tributes to the singer were revealed at an event after her funeral on Friday. Her widower, Tony, says, "She was very popular in Tobermory (in Scotland) but few people knew about her career. She was popular for being a cheery person. We have had messages of condolence from David Bowie and Elton John."
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Saturday, March 20, 2010

Craig David unaware of Motown label

Craig David has admitted he didn't know that Motown was a record label, saying he believed his latest album was based on the Motown "genre". Craig's record Signed, Sealed, Delivered contains 12 tracks, but only seven or eight are in fact Motown. He said: "[I] didn't actually know that Motown was a label ... I thought it was an era or genre, like New Jack Swing or something - I didn't know that if you weren't on Motown records, it wasn't Motown."
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Friday, March 19, 2010

Aretha Franklin does "own thing" with new album

As Aretha Franklin celebrates her 68th birthday this month, she shows no sign of slowing down. She plans to sing arias this summer in three charity concerts with former U.S. Secretary of State -- and accomplished concert pianist -- Condoleezza Rice. In September, she'll start holding master singing classes in Southfield, Michigan, a suburb of her native Detroit; she hopes to bring the effort to New York next year - Yahoo
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Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Jedward dropped by record label

"X Factor twins Jedward have been given the boot by their record label after their debut single failed to top the charts. John and Edward Grimes, 18, were signed to Sony after surviving several weeks on the X Factor, despite being ridiculed for their performances. The record deal was announced in January with the teenagers saying they were delighted to be "like our idols... living our dream". But their first song, Under Pressure, a duet with Vanilla Ice, was beaten to number one last month by US band Owl City and dropped out of the top 10 a week later. Jedward failed to top the charts despite benefiting from huge exposure performing the track with the 90s rapper at the National Television Awards. Louis Walsh, who decided to manage Jedward after they were voted out of the X Factor, confirmed they had been dropped by Sony and said he is talking to other labels." - Yahoo
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Saturday, March 13, 2010

G2.fm

"G2.fm connects musicians venues and fans around the world. Think of us as the online community where bands/artists share music and connect with the venues and fans. G2fm has revolutionized artist application management for live music venues. We developed this concept from our personal experiences as musicians, promoters, and booking agents. Our successes, as well as lessons from past frustrations, inspired us to streamline the booking process, saving Artists time and money, while creating new revenue streams for our partners."
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Thursday, March 11, 2010

Pink Floyd win EMI court battle over online sales

Pink Floyd have won a High Court battle to stop their record label EMI selling individual songs online. The rock legends, signed to EMI since 1967, said their contract meant their albums could not be split up without their permission. A judge agreed, saying the contract contained a clause to "preserve the artistic integrity of the albums". EMI has been ordered to pay £40,000 ($60,000) in costs, with a further fine to be decided. The group, whose latest contract was signed before download stores like iTunes appeared, also disputed the way royalties for digital sales were calculated
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Monday, March 08, 2010

Music Theatre Online

"Music Theatre Online, based at the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities, is a digital archive of texts, images, video, and audio files relating to musical theater. The best printed editions of musical theater texts cannot fully provide the experience of simultaneous expression of verbal, musical, and terpsichorean languages so necessary to fully understand the art form. Using the multimedia capabilities of the modern web browser, we hope to create a better framework for studying these important works of drama"

A Guide to Music Theatre Online from MITH in MD on Vimeo


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Rapper Lil Wayne has been sentenced to a year in jail after pleading guilty in a New York City gun case

"The Grammy Award-winner was taken away in handcuffs to start serving his term immediately after his sentencing. He pleaded guilty in October to attempted criminal possession of a weapon and admitted having a loaded gun on his tour bus in 2007. He will serve his sentence in city jails, not a state prison, and could be released in about eight months with good behaviour. Lil Wayne was born Dwayne Carter and has been one of rap's most prolific and profitable figures in recent years. His sentencing was postponed last month so he could undergo surgery on his bejewelled teeth"
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Forty years after his death, Jimi Hendrix's final album is released


This brand-new, completely unreleased studio album features 12 previously unreleased studio recordings totalling over 60 minutes of unheard Jimi Hendrix. Ten of these recordings were made between February and May, 1969, as the Jimi Hendrix Experience set out to create the sequel to their groundbreaking 1968 double-album Electric Ladyland. The album features "Valleys Of Neptune," one of the most sought after of all of Hendrix's commercially unavailable recordings, and includes exciting 1969 arrangements of the classic signature songs "Red House," "Fire," and "Stone Free." Also includes unheard studio versions of Hendrix's inspired interpretations of "Bleeding Heart" (Elmore James) and Cream's "Sunshine Of Your Love." Mixed by Eddie Kramer, the engineer for all of Hendrix's albums throughout the guitarist's lifetime. Produced by Janie Hendrix, Eddie Kramer, and John McDermott, the team behind all of the acclaimed Jimi Hendrix CD and DVD releases since 1996
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Sunday, March 07, 2010

Story Tellers and Story Keepers: The Library of Congress and The Country Music Association Celebrate Country Music

"The Library of Congress and the Country Music Association (CMA) have announced a day-long program for the CMA Board of Directors at the nation's library, including a comprehensive tour of the historic Jefferson Building, an extensive orientation to the Library's music, sound recording, and folk collections focusing on Country Music, and a concert in the Coolidge Auditorium. The purpose is both to build on the Library's already unparalleled collections of sound recordings, moving image, and printed music collections with a more robust presence of the Country Music genre, and to further the Library's goal of maximizing access and awareness of its collections to music scholars and music lovers around the world. The day's activities are designed to lay the groundwork for future joint efforts that may include the acquisition and preservation of Country Music collections, online presentations, and educational outreach. "The genre of Country Music could not be better suited to the Library's mission of acquiring, preserving, and providing access to America’s culture and stories," said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. "Country Music is a record of American history and America's stories. I cannot think of a more appropriate collaboration than to expand the presence of Country Music and its reflection of the American experience to the global users of this historic and unrivaled collection," said Steve Moore, Chairman of the CMA Board of Directors"
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Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous takes own life

"Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mark Linkous has committed suicide, his publicist confirms to Rolling Stone. Best known for his acclaimed work with Sparklehorse, who released four albums of imaginative ambient psych-folk, Linkous also produced Daniel Johnston's 2003 album Fear Yourself and collaborated with Danger Mouse on Dark Night of the Soul. His exact age is unknown, but he was in his forties" - Rolling STone
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Friday, March 05, 2010

Dramatics singer Ron Banks dies

The founding member of the Dramatics passed away in Detroit Thursday. Ron Banks was 58 years old. Bank's band mate, L.J. Reynolds, says the R & B singer passed out unexpectedly while at home with his family. He was taken to Detroit Sinai Hospital where he reportedly died from a massive heart attack. Banks founded the Dramatics in the early 1960s, and they've continued to perform to the present day. They most recently played a gig in November in Detroit. Banks was known for his falsetto singing voice and charm, as he was always well-liked within the industry. Banks is survived by his wife Sandy, and six children. Songs made popular by The Dramatics include "Why Leave Us Alone", "Whatcha See is Whatcha Get" and "In the Rain."
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Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Label asks fans to help locate missing rapper J-Kwon

"Rapper J-Kwon is missing, and his record label needs fans' help in locating him. Reps at his label, Gracie Productions, are worried after they have failed to contact him in over a month. According to a statement released by the label, the 24-year-old artist was preparing to release a new self-titled album this month. But as the March 23 release date approaches, Gracie Productions has lost touch with the St. Louise-based emcee
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RootMusic

A RootMusic BandPage puts all of your band's information in one place - fans can listen to new tracks you uploaded while they read more about you and check out your upcoming gig schedule
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Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Bernard Coutaz, founder of Classical Music label, dies at 87

"Bernard Coutaz, who founded the respected independent classical record label Harmonia Mundi and ran it for five decades, died on Friday. He was 87 and lived in the southern French city of Arles. The cause was a heart attack, said Jean-Marc Berns, the head of Harmonia Mundi's press service, on Monday. Harmonia Mundi works on a regular basis with about 40 artists, among them the Belgian conductors René Jacobs and Philippe Herreweghe, the French pianist Alain Planès, the German baritone Matthias Goerne and the German countertenor Andreas Scholl. Mr. Coutaz, who founded the label in 1958, remained attached to albums, eschewing digital music and making a point of reinvesting the company's profits into production. The company's shareholders do not earn dividends. Eva Coutaz, his wife, will replace him as the head of the music label, which is based in Arles and employs around 330 people around the world, the company said"
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T-Bone Wolk, bass player for Hall & Oates, dies

Tom "T-Bone" Wolk, who performed with scores of musicians but was best known as the longtime bass player for the band led by pop-rock stars Daryl Hall and John Oates, has died. He was 58. Wolk died Sunday in New York, hours after completing a recording session with Hall, who was working on a solo album, the duo's manager, Jonathan Wolfson, said Monday. Wolfson said the cause of death was believed to be a heart attack. Wolk had been scheduled to appear Monday night on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" with Hall and Oates
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Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney announce London gigs

Following her triumphant performance at the O2 last week, Lady Gaga will return to the capital later in the summer. She of the rapidly oxidising underwear has added several new European dates to her Monster Ball Tour between May 7 and June 4, including another show at the O2 on May 30. Tickets go on sale on March 12. At the more venerable end of the pop pantheon, Sir Paul McCartney is gearing up for a series of UK gigs this summer, including a concert in Hyde Park on June 27. Macca will also play the Isle of Wight Festival, Hampden Park Glasgow and (one night before Hyde Park - where does he get the energy?) the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Tickets for the London gig go on sale March 5.
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Monday, March 01, 2010

Simon denies Geffen was so vain

Carly Simon has laughed off reports record label boss David Geffen is the man who inspired her hit You're So Vain - branding the assumptions a "funny mistake". Simon finally agreed to end nearly 40 years of speculation, by revealing the subject of her iconic 1972 track with a cryptic clue in an acoustic version of You're So Vain on her latest album, Never Been Gone. It has long been thought the song is about one of Simon's famous ex-lovers, which have included Hollywood legend Warren Beatty and rocker Mick Jagger. Reporters at U.K. newspaper The Sun were adamant they had solved the mystery - insisting Simon whispers Geffen's name in the song. But the singer has denied she based the track on her former boss - insisting she hadn't even met the gay star when she wrote it in 1971. In an email to showbiz411.com, she writes, "What a riot! Nothing to do with David Geffen! What a funny mistake! Someone got a clue mistaken for another mistake! How can this guessing game stop without a lie?"
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