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Monday 29 April 2013

Singer Emeli Sande eyes U.S. market after setting UK chart record

By Rollo Ross

LONDON (Reuters) - Scottish singer-songwriter Emeli Sande scored a new chart record on Sunday with her debut album after a stellar year in Britain that has paved the way for her next challenge - the U.S. market.

Sande smashed a record held for nearly 50 years by The Beatles when her debut album, "Our Version of Events", hit its 63rd week in the top 10 of the UK album charts, according to the Official Charts Company.

The Beatles previously held the record for the debut album spending the most consecutive weeks in the top 10 with "Please Please Me" racking up 62 weeks in 1963 and 1964.

"It feels quite surreal to even have your name mentioned in the same sentence as The Beatles," Sande, 26, told Reuters television.

"For a record to stay there for so long it means that people have connected with it so that's how I'm enjoying celebrating this record."

The release of "Our Version Of Events" in February 2012 kicked off a year of successes for Sande who sang at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics and won best British female artist and best album at the BRIT Awards.

Sande also notched up three No. 1 singles in the UK with "Read All About It" with Professor Green, "Next to Me", and "Beneath Your Beautiful", a collaboration with Labrinth.

Now the former medical student has set herself a new challenge, tackling the U.S. market, where she has yet to make a name for herself.

Her single "Next To Me" is currently 46th in the Billboard Hot 100 chart and she is in the United States this month to promote her album.

"I'm really excited about taking music over to the States because it's a brand new challenge," she said.

"There's different formats over there so you have to understand the market, the people, you really have to take into account how massive the place is .. It's a brand new adventure and it's chapter two of this whole big thing."

Sande is the first to admit that the past year has been extraordinary but she is aware that she needs to keep building from her debut album that was Britain's best-seller last year.

"So many things I've dreamed of doing have happened last year which is amazing, but you always want to be better as a musician," she said.

"The biggest thing for me right now is creating a second record that I love."

So does the success mean that she has abandoned her plan to go back and finish her medicine degree that she shelved in its fourth year?

"Would I go back? I'd like to and every time I see programs on medicine I'm tempted to go back to it because I do miss it a lot and I miss science and learning but in the near future, no. I think I'd miss music too much," she said.

(Reporting by Rollo Ross, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)

Source : http://news.yahoo.com/singer-emeli-sande-eyes-u-market-setting-uk-141120528.html

Thursday 25 April 2013

Jason Aldean and Wife Jessica: Finally Hit Breaking Point?

Back in October of 2012, country superstar Jason Aldean was caught in a sticky situation on camera--apparently making out with "American Idol" competitor Brittany Kerr, a gal who was not his wife and mother of his two young daughters.

Aldean handled the incident with uncommon tact, addressing his followers on social media immediately following the scandal with a straightforward message about how he "screwed up" as a result of having one too many to drink.

He appeared largely forgiven--by his fans as well as his spouse, who showed up with him on CBS This Morning to discuss the incident-- in a remarkably short period of time.

However, it seems the damage may have ran deeper than initially portrayed. Us Weekly is reporting exclusively that Aldean and wife Jessica Ussery are actually separating in the wake of the scandal.

A source for the outlet says that the pair, who have been together since high school and married since 2001, have been separated since January.

Us reports that a rep for Aldean confirms that the couple are not in a good spot at the moment: "I can confirm that Jason and his wife are having problems, but there is nothing more to share at this time," the rep says. "It's a private family matter, and we hope everyone will respect that he would like to keep it that way."

Aldean noted to Our Country in October that balancing family life and a rapidly rising career can be challenging. "My two daughters were born right in the middle of [my success]," he notes. "You have to figure out ways to make it work, and it's not always easy."

The Grammy-nominated star, 36, most recently won the Male Vocalist of the Year title at the 2013 Academy of Country Music Awards earlier in April. He is up for Top Male Artist, as well as two other awards, at next month's Billboard Music Awards.

Source : http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/our-country/jason-aldean-wife-jessica-finally-hit-breaking-point-031240832.html

Tuesday 23 April 2013

Will.i.am admits copyright infringement on track featuring Chris Brown

By Tony Maglio
TheWrap

 
Following accusations of theft, will.i.am admitted to using Arty and Mat Zo's track "Rebound" for his own song "Let's Go" featuring Chris Brown.

Bing: Shakira's ex launches new lawsuit

Arty slammed will.i.am via Twitter after hearing the jacked beat for the first time on YouTube. After a period of silence, the Black Eyed Peas member told KISS FM, "Arty is a dope producer so I wrote this song to 'Rebound' this last year." He said, "I got in touch with Arty and showed it to him, did a different version to it because I asked him [to] make it newer, because I don't just want to take your song and rap over it," he said. "But in a year's time, time's gone by [and] we preferred writing over and using the [original] 'Rebound.' Something happened and the clearance ... hopefully we resolved the issue."

It is unclear at this point whether the two artists have settled the dispute. Arty has clammed up since his original claim that the two labels never discussed the usage of his music -- while Chris Brown told the world that he doesn't care either way via his Twitter account.

Photos: 2013 Coachella Festival Highlights

Copyright infringement is nothing new in music, especially hip-hop. Back in 1990, Vanilla Ice (remember him?) sampled Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure" without their consent. The case against the bassline used in his hit "Ice, Ice Baby" was so egregious that it never even made it to court. Ice settled on his own for an undisclosed cash settlement.

Akon's 2007 smash "Don't Matter" used the melody from R. Kelly's hit, "Ignition," from 2002. "Don't Matter" reached the top of the singles chart in the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand. There are no documents showing a contract between the two artists, so either Kelly was compensated under the table, or he simply decided that it "don't matter."

Source Url : http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=803978

Sunday 21 April 2013

Oprah, Usher, Mayer honor Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees

By Piya Sinha-Roy
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A star-studded crowd gathered to celebrate the 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees on Thursday, as Oprah Winfrey and Usher gathered to pay homage to the likes of Donna Summer, Quincy Jones, Randy Newman and Rush.

Disco queen Summer, producer Jones and comedy-rock singer Newman were inducted along with Canadian progressive rock band Rush, blues guitarist Albert King, hip hop pioneers Public Enemy, rockers Heart and veteran producer Lou Adler.

Television personality and media mogul Winfrey, who said she was discovered by veteran R&B producer Jones when he cast her in "The Color Purple" in 1985, praised his decades-long career, during which he launched stars such as the late Michael Jackson.

"He defines the word legend, he is remarkable and everybody knows it," Winfrey said.

"I continue to be amazed at what goes on in his head ... he's of this time and so far ahead of this time," she added as she present Jones, 80, with his induction trophy.

"Queen of Disco" Summer, who died last May aged 68, was inducted by singer Kelly Rowland, who praised Summer's career for paving the way for female artists

"Her words remind us of exactly who we are," she said.

Summer's husband and daughters were on hand to accept her trophy and singer Jennifer Hudson got the crowd on their feet singing Summer's hits "Bad Girls" and "Last Dance".

Newman, 69, kicked off the night with "I Love LA", joined on stage by musicians Tom Petty, Jackson Browne and John Fogerty and later performed his songs "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" and "I'm Dead" with former Eagles member Don Henley.

Henley, who inducted Newman, criticized the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for its delay in including Newman, calling it "one of those inductions long overdue, in fact, shamefully overdue."

Newman was less critical, saying he was "glad" to be inducted while he was still alive.

"I always wanted to be respected by musicians ... it means a great deal to me that the people I respect are giving me respect," Newman said.

TRIBUTE TO THE BLUES

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter John Mayer paid homage to late pioneering American blues guitarist Albert King, who died in 1992 aged 69.

"The blues is in every undercurrent of the music that I play ... Albert is forever embedded in that music," Mayer said.

Seattle rockers Heart, fronted by sister duo Nancy and Ann Wilson, were inducted by Chris Cornell and performed their hits "Barracuda" and "Butterfly".

"Equality is coming right along. For us, music is the real church, it's a life calling, it's bigger than men and women put together, music makes us all equal and human," Nancy said.

Canadian progressive rockers Rush had the largest number of fans in the Nokia theater, receiving rousing standing ovations as they were inducted by Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins.

The night's longest speech went to Public Enemy's eccentric rapper Flavor Flav, who giggled and rambled as he talked about the influence of his group's music.

Public Enemy - comprising rappers Flavor Flav, Chuck D, Professor Griff and DJ Lord - were influential in bringing a political and social conscience to hip hop in the 1980s.

"We all come from the damn blues. Let's not get it twisted. We studied the forms of music in DJ culture ... we've always known and paid respect to where music comes from," Chuck D said.

The hip hop collective also sampled music from Summer, Jones and Rush as they performed their tracks "Bring The Noise", "911 is a Joke" and the seminal "Fight The Power".

To be eligible for induction in 2013, a candidate must have released their debut album or single at least 25 years earlier. The ceremony will be televised on HBO on May 18.

The eight inductees were chosen by some 500 voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, which includes past inductees and for the first time, allowed fans to vote.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Elaine Lies and Pravin Char)


Source : http://news.yahoo.com/oprah-usher-mayer-honor-rock-roll-hall-fame-084745088.html;_ylt=AsYdNnKZ.74YEVBf1LR8gVgEHL8C;_ylu=X3oDMTRibjFnZHM2BG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBFbnRlcnRhaW5tZW50U0YgTXVzaWNTU0YEcGtnAzAwZWIwOTMzLTQ4ZmMtMzRjZC1hZWJmLWM4NzM5YWRhMmYxNARwb3MDMgRzZWMDdG9wX3N0b3J5BHZlcgMxMzY3ZjAzMC1hOGQ3LTExZTItYmQyZi03Mzc5MTZhMzRhYjE-;_ylg=X3oDMTIxNTFpNTNuBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANlbnRlcnRhaW5tZW50fG11c2ljBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3

Rocker Jack White's Nashville store offer "do-it-yourself" records

By Tim Ghianni

NASHVILLE (Reuters) - Rock musician Jack White celebrated Record Store Day on Saturday by giving customers a chance to record their own voices on vinyl on a vintage machine at his record shop near downtown Nashville.

White, who has embraced vinyl over digital both as an artist and as the head of Third Man Records in Nashville, treated customers to a Voice-O-Graph, a record booth from 1947.

"We'll have the record booth open and available for people to come in, sing a song and get a copy of it on record," Third Man Records executive Ben Blackwell said in an interview on Wednesday.

"It's a refurbished 1947 Voice-O-Graph record booth," Blackwell said. "As far as we can tell, it will be the only functioning record booth open to the public in the world."

Record Store Day, which is marked internationally on the third Saturday of each April, aims to encourage people to visit independent record stores.

In addition to the recording booth in the store's "Novelties Lounge," Third Man Records will be staging in-house performances by some of the music label's artists.

Blackwell said record booths were popular in the 1940s and 1950s and could be found in public places, like train stations, along with photo booths.

"They were used as a way to record an audio postcard and send it to someone you love or to go in and sing a little song so you can hear what your voice sounds like," he said.

The Voice-O-Graph is about the size of a telephone booth and fans will pay a fee to produce their own record.

"Just think of it as a blank vinyl record and when you are singing, it is making the grooves into the record," Blackwell said.

White's Third Man Records has been known for experimenting with vinyl, having in the last few months added a record lathe that enables live acts performing in the Blue Room, the company concert venue, to be recorded directly to discs.

Blackwell said the contemporary music fan has "never been faced with the technology to put their voice and their thoughts on a record" and take it home.

"Jack has been looking for a long time for one of these machines," Blackwell said. "After years and years and years he finally crossed paths with one. It was a no-brainer to get it up and running for our Novelties Lounge."

Blackwell said the booth will remain after Record Store Day, and he expects it to be a popular attraction to the store, which sells exclusively Third Man recordings - albums by various artists as well as by White and his three group configurations: The White Stripes, Dead Weather and The Raconteurs.

(Reporting by Tim Ghianni; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Vicki Allen

Source : http://news.yahoo.com/rocker-jack-whites-nashville-store-offer-yourself-records-144417718.html

Shakira, Gogol Bordello, D.J. Shantal and some Gypsy history with a song -- all about the Romany people

The Gypsy song has been always quite popular. With all the hype lately around the rediscovery of Gypsy music, groups like Gogol Bordello, Gypsy bands from Eastern Europe like the Taraf of Haidouks, Fanfare Ciocarlia or singers like Shakira performing Gypsy songs reminded the world the passionate music of the people called Gypsies.. D.J. Shantel from Germany also brought to the public Gypsy music by his Award winning mix of Gypsy songs.

The good news about it is that the little known Gyspy nation and its rich, colorful, fabulous culture gets exposure and is saved from being the anonimous entertainer that it has been until now and that an individual artist performing Gyspy music will have a chance to personal recognition.

From Shakira to the original Gypsy songs there is a history of centuries.
The formal terms for Gypsies are: Romani, Romany, Roma, Roms, Romane. Romany people resent being called by the various names given to them in the national languages of the countries where they are settled. As an example: in Hungary they are called ciganyok, in Romania : tzigani. A better known name for Gypsies is Gitano, the Gitans or Gitanos -- from the name used in Spain.

I will use the more known name of Gypsies, not out of respect but because that is how most of the people in the world would search for them on the net. Gypsy is a beautiful word anyways, a symbol for the freedom of spirit withstanding against all odds.

Gypsies are a colorful and happy people. The history of Gypsies as a nation is little known as they have no country to call it their own and have no financial/political support that a comprehensive scientific project would require as the Gypsy history covers a space and time too wide to be easily researched. It all started long before Shakira was born, or Gogol Bordello were playing Gypsy.

The Romale worldwide have an unifying Anthem known under the names Gelem Gelem, Jelem Jelem, Djelem Djelem, Dzelem Dzelem.
Gypsy caravan photo by imthehoneybee on Photobucket.

Source : http://www.squidoo.com/history-and-gypsy-songs

Music in the Air - How a Sonos Wireless Music System Can Give You Freedom

Gone are the days when the entire family used to huddle around the one enormous radio in the household, listening closely to the evening news. These days it is no longer necessary to limit our listening to one device in one spot, as modern technology has allowed us to create an interactive and completely customisable "soundscape" for our homes with a Sonos Wireless Music System.

A Sonos Wireless Music System is much more than the old cabinet radios or even the modern "boom boxes" of the 80s and 90s. Rather than being a simple music player, it is a full music system for your entire home. It lets you manage your music wirelessly, organise all of your audio content in one place and control the sound and volume individually in every room. This means that you can have different music playing in each room, only music in select rooms, or play the same song on all speakers in sync. This gives you the freedom to choose and is perfect for families who all want to listen to something different. You can even stream online music or online radio stations, essentially bringing all the music in the world to anywhere in your home.

Listen to a podcast in the kitchen while you are cooking dinner, then put on some relaxing jazz in the dining room while you are eating it. Forgot to turn off the kitchen speaker? No need to get up; just press a button on your smartphone.

You will be able to combine all of your different music libraries into one even if they are spread over many different types of media. Your computer, MP3 Player, smart phone and other components can all be connected into the wireless system and listened to throughout your home. You can control the music from anywhere in the house with your smart phone or tablet.

There is no need for messy wires and no limit to where you can place your speakers. Each of the different styles of Sonos Hi-Fi speakers are small and compact and yet deliver high quality sound which is enough to shake the room. The speakers are portable, so you can move them around as you wish and can even take them outside on the patio so that you can listen to music during a barbeque. The speakers come in different sizes, ranging from large sub woofers to small speakers that can be tucked away in the corner.

With this type of system, music becomes interwoven into your home in a very intuitive way. As you move from room to room, you can easily control your own personal "soundtrack" which corresponds to whatever you are doing. You have the freedom to experience music, radio and other audio content in so many different ways and situations. With a Sonos Wireless Music System, music really is in the air.

Source : http://ezinearticles.com/?Music-in-the-Air---How-a-Sonos-Wireless-Music-System-Can-Give-You-Freedom&id=7523669

Saturday 20 April 2013

N.O.R.E. Down With C-N-N, Mobb Deep Reunions For One Reason: Friendship

'If Capone wants to do it, I'm more than willing,' Noreaga tells MTV News.


N.O.R.E. may be on his fourth solo LP, but the Queens, New York, MC might not have gotten this far if it weren't for his efforts alongside Capone in their group C-N-N. While Capone and Nore's 1997 debut The War Report remains one of rap's most celebrated underground LPs, the group has been out of sorts for a number of years.
There last LP, The War Report 2: Report the War, was released in 2010, but will it be their last?

"If Capone wants to do it, I'm more than willing to rent a house in Miami or Hawaii or Rhode Island," N.O.R.E. told MTV News about a possible C-N-N reunion, choosing Miami or Hawaii for its creative influence or Rhode Island for the legal marijuana. "I just wouldn't do it in New York because there are so much distractions."

Noreaga, who released Student of the Game on Tuesday, counts Capone as a brother, and like all brothers, they sometimes bicker and argue. If C-N-N's relationship reminds you of another Queens rap duo, Mobb Deep, you're not off base.

"Absolutely I can relate," N.O.R.E. said of the recently reunited group.

In March, Mobb Deep's Havoc and Prodigy sat down exclusively with MTV News to officially bury the hatchet and clear the air following their public 2012 breakup. "Mobb Deep is like brothers, and brothers, we go through things," Hav told us then. The group is now prepping for their 20th anniversary tour, and they've left the door open for a comeback LP.

As a fan, N.O.R.E. is all for it and even shared some insight for the group. "My best advice to Prodigy and Havoc is don't do it for a check," he said. "Do it because you really enjoy being back with your friend."
Would you like to see C-N-N do another album? Let us know in the comments!

Source : http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1706088/nore-cnn-mobb-deep-reunions.jhtml

Wednesday 17 April 2013

Rocker Meat Loaf cancels second UK concert due to illness

LONDON (Reuters) - American rocker Meat Loaf pulled out of a second concert in Britain on Wednesday as health problems continued to dog the 65-year-old singer.

Meat Loaf, whose 1977 "Bat Out Of Hell" remains one of the biggest selling albums, is travelling around Europe on his farewell "Last At Bat" tour which he claims will be his last after struggling with health problems in recent years.

On Sunday he canceled the fifth of eight concerts in Britain just hours before he was due on stage, saying several members of the band were ill. Now, he has canceled a concert due to be held in the northern English city of Manchester on Wednesday evening.

"Unfortunately not all band members have recovered and the doctors have not given us the green light to go ahead," said a statement on the singer's Facebook page. "We fully expect the tour to continue on Friday in Sheffield."

Meat Loaf, whose real name is Marvin Lee Aday, canceled a European Tour in 2007 after being diagnosed with a cyst on his vocal chords and sparked further fears for his health in 2011 when he collapsed on stage.

Last year he underwent a knee replacement operation and is due to have an operation on his other knee shortly.

(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith, editing by Paul Casciato)


Source : http://news.yahoo.com/rocker-meat-loaf-cancels-second-uk-concert-due-173333357.html

Monday 15 April 2013

Snoop Calls Miley Cyrus 'One Of The Greatest Musicians Of All Time'

Miley Cyrus' evolution is a work in progress, and she can add another ally to her star-studded support team. Snoop Dogg, who Reincarnated himself as reggae artist Snoop Lion after 21 years in the game, called Miley one of the "greatest musicians and personalities of all time."

On the red carpet for the 2013 MTV Movie Awards, Snoop shared that his new track "Ashtrays and Heartbreaks," featuring Cyrus, was such a good fit because both artists are turning over a new leaf, as it were.

"It's basically what we are both going through right now," he said, before introducing Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' performance at the main show (in a cloud of smoke, of course). "We're both going through transformation, we both love making music and doing what we do and speaking from our hearts, and it's just a great collaboration."

With lyrics such as "Now my buzz is gone and I need to re-up on reality/ Can't let them see me weak/ I need to pause on it/ Is there any possibility that everyone feels like me?" it seems like Miley is certainly going through some growing pains. The new song will be on Snoop's forthcoming album, though Miley has been in the studio working with everyone from Tyler, the Creator to Pharrell Williams on her next project as well.

Tha Doggfather had some fatherly love for Miley, who has taken a lot of heat recently. The press won't cut the girl a break over her allegedly rocky romance with fiancé Liam Hemsworth, but Snoop called himself a fan of the young star.

"She loves what I do and I really love what she do, and for us to come together is very bold and courageous," he said.

Snoop said he understands that it's been tough for Miley to grow up in the spotlight, and the negative attention she has garnered might be a little unfair.

"She was one of the greatest musicians and personalities of all time," he said. "People just expect so much from her because they've been watching her whole life from a kid. She's just ready to be an adult and have fun and express herself, and I support her."

Source : http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1705735/snoop-miley-cyrus-collab.jhtml



 

Coachella 2013: R. Kelly Ignites Phoenix Set, 2 Chainz And Pusha T Rep Rap

INDIO, California — Hip-hop represented at the 2013 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Saturday, with stars new and old coming out strong as 2 Chainz and Pusha T threw down their recent radio jams, and R. Kelly shared the stage with Phoenix.

Yes, you read that right: R. Kelly with Phoenix.

Annual Daft Punk rumors swirling feverishly as ever — with Friday's showing of a teaser for the duo's upcoming album (and the fact the two French acts are friends) as the hopeful rationale this time around — the real shocker during the Phoenix set came when R. Kelly arrived, urging the crowd to bounce as his "Ignition (Remix)" was blended with the band's "1901."

Check out photos of Phoenix, R. Kelly, 2 Chainz, Jannelle Monae and more from Coachella 2013


Phoenix, whose Bankrupt! is coming April 22, also performed new tracks "Entertainment" and "The Real Thing" alongside favorites "Lisztomania" and "Lasso."

2 Chainz attracted an overflow late-afternoon crowd who danced and rhymed to hits from his 2012 debut, Based on a T.R.U. Story, including "No Lie," "Birthday Song" and "I'm Different." Backed by a turntablist and drummer, 2 Chainz also packed his features on "Mercy," "Beez in the Trap," "All Gold Everything," "Bands a Make Her Dance" and "R.I.P." into his brief 25-minute set.

G.O.O.D. Music's Pusha T also jammed "Mercy," along with "So Appalled" and "Runaway," also recorded by his label boss, Kanye West. "Trust You," dedicated to the ladies, "Millions" and "Numbers On the Boards" were also standouts.

Another surprise guest graced the xx for their chill Saturday night show: Beyoncé's sister, Solange Knowles.

The Postal Service, led by Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard, dedicated a song to the Violent Femmes, who played their first show in six years earlier in the day.

Elsewhere, Baauer had everyone doing the "Harlem Shake," Janelle Monáe did Jackson 5's "One More Chance," New Order played all their hits, and Two Door Cinema Club elicited huge smiles with their cheery indie rock.

Major Lazer's wild party featured the Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Heads Will Roll," Dropkick Murphys' Celtic punk brought the ruckus, and a huge line of techno fans waited to see Richie Hawtin in the Yuma dome.

Coachella kicked off Friday with Dog Blood (Skrillex and Boys Noize), Blur, the Stone Roses and a reunited Jurassic 5. The festival wraps up Sunday (April 14) with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Wu-Tang Clan, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Vampire Weekend. Are you at Coachella? Share your reviews in the comments below!

Source : http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1705611/coachella-saturday-2-chainz-pusha-t-phoenix-r-kelly.jhtml

Thursday 11 April 2013

'American Idol' Enters Uncharted Territory With Historic Elimination

There was only one shocker on "American Idol" on Thursday night (April 11): Amber Holcomb was in the bottom two. It was no surprise that last man standing Lazaro Arbos was on the chopping block again thanks to arguably the worst of his frequent bad nights in the finals.

After what host Ryan Seacrest said were more than 34 million votes, Arbos tried to catch a ride on the final train to judge's save-ville. His decent, but not good enough swing at Nina Simon's "Feeling Good" almost redeemed what mentor Jimmy Iovine said earlier in the night was a pair of performances on Wednesday so boring they were like an "Ambien milkshake."

But, alas, it was not to be and with his elimination, Arbos made history as the man who paved the way for the first-ever all female top five in "Idol" history. After half a decade of male winners, this year's champ is guaranteed to be a woman, a result producers all-but guaranteed thanks to the weakest field of male contestants in recent memory, who went down in an unprecedented 10-9-8-7-6 fashion.

"Lazaro, we love you, you've been a treasure to the show," said Randy Jackson. "We've enjoyed you, but we're not going to use the save." With a smile on his face, Lazaro, whose inspirational story of a struggle to overcome a serious stutter kept him in the hearts of the judges, and America, longer than many had predicted, bid a quiet, reserved farewell. "OK. Sounds good," he said as time ran out for the episode. "No problem, guys."

Earlier, it was revealed that the night's top two were Candice Glover and Kree Harrison, while Angie Miller and Janelle Arthur were ushered to safety as well. The show also featured a performance from the original "Idol," Kelly Clarkson, who sang a track from her recent greatest hits album, "People Like Us," on a neon-splashed stage as the audience waved their glow sticks in the air. Season 10 good ol' boy champ Scotty McCreery also swung by to treat the crowd to his latest, "See You Tonight."

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News'' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest "Idol" news, interviews and opinions.

Source : http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1705475/american-idol-elimination-lazaro-arbos.jhtml

Tuesday 9 April 2013

Pink Floyd’s album cover artist reveals lighter side of the moon

THE creator of Pink Floyd’s album art since the 1960s has revealed the comic scenes behind some of the band’s most famous album covers and opened up his portfolio of designs that were never used.Storm Thorgerson disclosed that he originally favoured a different design for Dark Side of the Moon, released in 1973. It showed a figure similar to Silver Surfer, the Marvel cartoon character, sipping a cup of tea while riding a mighty wave.

However, the band members took just three seconds to choose a prism and rainbow of light for their most famous album. Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Rick Wright made a unanimous decision in front of a gallery of seven rough images pinned to the wall of London’s Abbey Road studios.The album went on to sell more than 30m copies worldwide over 35 years. A prototype for the 1977 album Animals, which featured a 32-ft high inflatable pig flying over Battersea power station.

Shooting the album cover for 1987’s A Momentary Lapse of Reason involved dragging 700 hospital beds onto a beach in Devon. Rain interrupted the shoot and they had to repeat the exercise two weeks later.“It wasn’t one lapse of reason, it was two,” said Thorgerson, 63, whose retrospective is at the Oxo gallery in London in July.

The cover for 1994’s The Division Bell was the most ambitious, featuring two Easter Island-style statues. An alternative included a magical junk floating above an estuary. Source:timesonline.co.uk


Source : http://www.musicsnews.com/articles/pink-floyd%E2%80%99s-album-cover-artist-reveals-lighter-side-of-the-moon.html

Brad Paisley defends 'Accidental Racist' duet with LL Cool J

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Country singer Brad Paisley on Tuesday defended his new duet with rapper LL Cool J, which has been criticized for its commentary on U.S. race relations.

"Accidental Racist" is a track from Paisley's ninth album, "Wheelhouse," which was released on Tuesday. The song describes a hypothetical encounter between a Confederate flag-wearing white Southern man and an urban African-American man in a coffee shop. Some critics have disparaged the song's content and artistry.

"I wouldn't change a thing," Paisley, one of country music's most popular artists, wrote on Twitter. "This is a record meant to be FAR from easy listening. But fun. Like life. Have a ball, ya'll."

In "Accidental Racist," Paisley sings: "Our generation didn't start this nation, and we're still picking up the pieces, walking on eggshells, fighting over yesterday," referring to post-Civil War race relations. "Caught between Southern pride and Southern blame."

LL Cool J, 45, responds with a rap that includes lyrics such as: "Just because my pants are sagging doesn't mean I'm up to no good. You should try to get to know me," and "I'd love to buy you a beer, conversate and clear the air, but I see that red flag and I think you wish I wasn't here."

Paisley has said he wanted the song to get people talking.

Several critics have panned it for what they described as a soft, apologetic treatment of lingering racial tension in the United States.

Industry website Billboard.com called "Accidental Racist" a "flat-footed apology for hate-induced uneasiness." The Atlantic magazine said the "assumption that there is no real difference among black people is exactly what racism is."

"Wheelhouse" is expected to land Paisley near the top of the U.S. album charts next week.

(Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Eric Kelsey and Stacey Joyce)


Source : http://news.yahoo.com/brad-paisley-defends-accidental-racist-duet-ll-cool-201514862.html

Monday 8 April 2013

Jay-Z Partners Roc Nation With Universal Music Group

Music mogul announces new deal will offer 'unique opportunity' for his label, which includes Rihanna and J. Cole.

By Rob Markman (@RobMarkman

Jay-Z's Roc Nation empire continues to flourish. Last week the shrewd music mogul announced a new venture into sports, and on Monday (April 8) Hov raised the bar once again with a new global partnership between his entertainment company and Universal Music Group.

Now Roc Nation will operate as an independent music label within Universal. "This agreement presents a unique opportunity for Roc Nation's artists — being able to continue to operate as an independent label with the strength, power and reach of the best major," Hov said in a press release. "I look forward to a long and prosperous collaboration with UMG. It feels good to be home."

Hov founded Roc Nation in 2008, years after he spilt with his Roc-A-Fella co-founders Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. In five years, he has positioned the brand to be more than just a record label, branching out into artist management, touring and sports among other areas. Now artists and athletes including Rihanna, J. Cole, Rita Ora, Shakira, Wale, Calvin Harris, Solange Knowles, Timbaland, deadmau5 and New York Yankee second baseman Robinson Cano all have some tie of sorts to the Roc Nation brand.

The move is likely to have an immediate impact on Rihanna, however, since she's already signed into the Universal system through her deal with Def Jam. There's no word yet on how Hov's deal will impact Roc artists like J. Cole, who signed to RN through the label's previous deal with Sony.

"All of us at UMG are thrilled that Jay and Roc Nation chose UMG as their partners, knowing we will support their artists with a level of resources, expertise and passion that is simply unmatched in the industry," UMG Chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge said in the statement.

What do you think of Jay-Z's new Roc Nation deal? Let us know in the comments!

Source : http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1705213/jay-z-roc-nation-universal-music-group.jhtml

Sunday 7 April 2013

Here Are Some Helpful Tips When Looking For Background Music For Video.

To enjoy a truly immersive, complete, and multimedia production, any produced product, be it a presentation, flash video or a full length video must effectively use background music for video. To be able to create a compelling presentation or tell a story effectively, a music library can offer an incredible wealth of sounds and music that will definitely appeal to the needs of those who like quality videos. Narrowing down your selection for quality background music for video is necessary. In certain cases, you have to produce the music on your own and pay money to have that music professionally recorded. With royalty free music, it is possible to keep your costs low but still enjoy quality music productions fit to your needs.

Before you choose background music for video, you need to know your production and the nature of production. Do you need music that evokes emption as in feature films or television dramas? Do you need background music for video that has a sense of urgency to it like in news? Choosing the right background music for video requires the producers to have in depth knowledge about the entire production, the requirements in terms of music so that if you need sounds or music beyond originally produced music, you can get through the music library.

Understand the audience. Is your production geared to a specific demographic? Are they mostly males who might be interested about skateboarding and death defying stunts? A specific type of music will be ideal for your production compared to a production thats demographic might be elder men who wish to learn about things like camping or outdoor adventure. Remember, the background music for video can evoke emotions, make the information more interesting, or create urgency. By using the right sound or music, the production will be halfway in ensuring that they receive the right message be it in tone or in pace.

If you have a target emotion or a specific goal that you want to evoke, you have to have a clear idea how it would sound. Check the pace of the music, the instruments used and overall mood that it evokes. Some music pieces are more ideal in evoking specific emotions so always take the time to review and collect background music for video. Organize your library based on how you listen to music and how you research for them. This way, when you do a new production, you will have an easier time managing your research for quality music.

Time the music. There are certain sections of the music that sound more ideal for introduction, filler music and extro or credits. Always time the music and check if it matches the pace that you want for your music. If the music is too fast for the video you want to present, the audience might find your production off-sync and not professional. You have to choose the right sounds to fit your specific tastes and interests. That way, your production will sound professional.

Source : http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Here-Are-Some-Helpful-Tips-When-Looking-For-Background-Music-For-Video-/4224874#.UWJHrEr5Xzo

Lambert, Bryan lead Academy of Country Music award winners

By Piya Sinha-Roy
(Reuters) - Singers Miranda Lambert and Luke Bryan led the winners at the Academy of Country Music awards on Sunday, while leading nominees Taylor Swift and Hunter Hayes came away empty-handed in a night honoring top achievers in country music.

Swift, 23, lost out on all five categories she was nominated in including Female Vocalist of the Year and the fan-voted Entertainer of the Year, a surprise for the country music favorite who won the award for the last two years.

Newcomer Hayes, 21, who was nominated in six categories, also went home empty-handed.

The night's top award Entertainer of the Year went to the show's co-host Bryan, 36, a surprise to the charismatic host who said he had only just started headlining shows.

"What I always wanted to be is just a country singer who got to ride on a tour bus and perform every night. ... This is the defining moment of my life, it means the world to me and I'll never take it for granted," Bryan said tearfully.

Lambert, 29, picked up four awards in three categories, including Female Vocalist of the Year, beating Swift, Carrie Underwood, Kacey Musgraves and Martina McBride.

Lambert also won Song of the Year for "Over You," written with husband Blake Shelton, who was co-hosting the ceremony, and thanked her peers for recognizing her song-writing talents.

"As a songwriter having your songs and your lyrics recognized by your peers is pretty much as good as it gets. ... Thank you for accepting me as a songwriter and not just as a singer, that means the world to me," Lambert said.

Shelton, who married Lambert in 2011, thanked his wife for making him a better song-writer.

"I used to think I was a decent songwriter until I started hanging out with her (Lambert) and she taught me so much," Shelton said in his acceptance speech, pulling his wife in for a big hug.

Jason Aldean bested Bryan, Shelton and one of the night's top nominees Eric Church for the Male Vocalist of the Year award, while Church picked up Album of the Year for his 2011 chart-topping record "Chief."

The Academy of Country Music is an organization of music industry professionals who aim to promote and preserve the tradition of country music, and they vote for the top country music achievers for their annual awards ceremony.

LIVELY PERFORMANCES

The three-hour show televised on CBS featured performances from old and new names in country music including Church, Dierks Bentley, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Lambert, who performed "Mama's Broken Heart."

"The Voice" judge Shelton joined co-host Luke Bryan to kick off with a rendition on Shelton's "Boys 'Round Here," on which they were also joined by Sheryl Crow.

Oklahoma native and former "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood, who was nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year, performed her single "Two Black Cadillacs" while fellow "American Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson sang "Don't Rush."

Following ACM awards tradition of pairing veteran and new artists together, Tim McGraw and Keith Urban sang with Swift on "Highway Don't Care," while Brad Paisley and John Mayer teamed up to perform "Beat This Summer," ending with a crowd-rousing guitar riff.

Hayes performed with Motown legend Stevie Wonder on Hayes' new single "I Want Crazy" and Wonder's song "Sir Duke." Wonder closed out the show with his classic track "Signed. Sealed. Delivered."

Singer Reba McEntire introduced a tribute to late television host and producer Dick Clark, with country music artists George Strait and Garth Brooks singing Brooks' "The Dance" and Strait's "Cowboy Rides Away."

Newcomer duo Florida Georgia Line, formed by Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard, picked up the fan-voted award for New Artist of the Year and performed their hit single "Cruise" on the show.

Husband-wife duo Thompson Square won Vocal Duo of the Year, while Alabama group Little Big Town won Vocal Group of the Year.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy in Los Angeles; Editing by Todd Eastham)


Source : http://news.yahoo.com/lambert-bryan-lead-academy-country-music-award-winners-040708698.html

Friday 5 April 2013

Album stream: Kurt Vile – Wakin on a Pretty Daze

Be among the first to hear the new album from Kurt Vile – and let us know what you think in the comments below

Kurt Vile live 
Vile's body … Kurt Vile onstage at Koko in London last year. Photograph: Brigitte Engl/Redferns 
 
"Once you just open your mind to not knowing how it will turn out and just be like a receptor to the whole thing, eventually, hopefully, it will be OK," Kurt Vile told our own Laura Barton, talking about the music-making process. That process has resulted in his epic new album Wakin on a Pretty Daze.

Not that you should take that to mean he's careless about his music. As he also said: "There's so many ways you can play one chord progression that the repetition isn't ever exactly the same," he says. "I feel like it's more dangerous, because you could play for ever without getting bored. But eventually the tape runs out, I guess. I won't put it out if there's even one little bit of the song that's not right."

Now you can listen to Wakin on a Pretty Daze – released next Monday on Matador – and decide whether you think Mr Vile's managed a record in which not one little bit is not right. Let us know in the comments below.

Musical March Madness Reaches The Final Four ... Finally

After some technical difficulties, MMM's Final Four is set — and voting is underway!

By James Montgomery (@positivnegativ)

Well, it wasn't easy ... but after a tsunami of votes so huge it crushed our third-party polling service — and a resulting four hours of technical difficulties that made us want to shatter our leg like Kevin Ware — MTV's Musical March Madness tournament is moving on to the Final Four!
Defending MMM champs Tokio Hotel, upstart Ed Sheeran, perennial powerhouses Thirty Seconds To Mars and Cinderella story Walk The Moon are the last four bands standing ... and one of them is going to hoist the big gold trophy next week. Who will advance to the 2013 championship game? Well, that's up to you: voting is now open in our Final Four matchups, and polls will close on Monday, April 8 at noon ET.

Of course, before we breakdown those matchups, we figure we should address just what happened in the Elite 8 ... in particular, the hotly-contested battle between Sheeran and Paramore. To be honest, we're not sure, though we suspect it had something to do with the sheer number of votes — more than 1 million, which is a whole lot of Captcha codes to enter — from fans of both acts that came flooding in over the past 24 hours. They either crashed our polling service totally, or caused such a gigantic bottleneck that only a few votes managed to get through at a time. We tried to contact the polling site in an attempt to fix the problem, but never heard anything back from them. So, we extended voting an hour, then created a second poll in the hopes that it would alleviate some of the logjam. To an extent, that worked, and a few thousand more votes trickled in. But finally, at 1 p.m. ET, we shut down the polls. 

We know this was probably pretty frustrating to you guys, who have voted round after round, and helped make MMM 2013 an historic success. But we hope you can understand just how incredibly frustrating this was to us, too ... simply put, we love MMM, and to see it get screwed up so close to the finale, well, it sucks, pure and simple. But, we've got to move on — there's a trophy to hand out next week — and, after counting the votes from both polls, it was Sheeran that came out on top, by a final tally of 547,969 to 539,241 (here are the screen shots for proof). Oh, and at the time of this writing, we've yet to hear back from our polling service. Thanks guys!

So, for the Final Four and the MMM Championship, we're going to be using our own polling software ... and we're gonna be watching the votes to make sure there's no cheating (settle down Aliens, we've got you). So let's get back to the business at hand: Four bands are left in our 2013 tournament, and one of them is going to win it all.

Can Tokio Hotel make history as the first band to repeat as MMM champs? They'll have to get past upset-minded Ed Sheeran to do so ... and let's just say Ed's not sweating this one (shoot, he's never even heard of his Final Four opponents). And on the other side of the bracket, Thirty Seconds To Mars look to finally make good on years of tournament promise — three-straight trips to the Sweet 16 — and bring a championship to their Echelon, but they'll have to figure out a way to defeat the underdoggiest band in the land, Walk The Moon ... who have shocked us all by knocking off the likes of the Foo Fighters and Fall Out Boy to make it to this point.

We'll be bringing you in-depth analysis of those matchups over the weekend ... right now, let the games begin! We're so close to the championship, and you'll determine who reigns supreme as the baddest band in the land. Forget about technical difficulties ... It's Final Four time!

MTV's Musical March Madness tournament reaches the Final Four! Voting is now open in all matchups and polls close Monday, April 8 at noon ET, at which point we'll head to the MMM Championship Game. All winners are determined by your votes, so if your favorite act made the cut, it'll be up to you to guide them to glory! You can spread the word on Twitter using the hashtag #MMM — but get ready, it's gonna be a war.

Source : http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1705106/musical-march-madness-2013-final-four.jhtml

Beyonce and Jay Z 'rock Havana' for their anniversary

By Jeff Franks

HAVANA (Reuters) - American pop star Beyonce and rapper husband Jay Z celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary this week in Havana, where big crowds greeted them as they strolled hand in hand through the Cuban capital.

They ate at some of the city's best restaurants, danced to Cuban music, walked through historic Old Havana and posed for pictures with admiring Cubans, who recognized them despite the past half-century of ideological conflict that separates the United States and Cuba.

They were the latest and perhaps greatest big-name American stars - actors Bill Murray, Sean Penn and James Caan among them - to visit the Caribbean island in the past few years, but the first to cause such a stir everywhere they went.

Fans in the street below cried out Beyonce's name as she and Jay Z and their mothers dined at the upstairs restaurant La Guarida, famed as the location for the hit 1993 Cuban film "Strawberry and Chocolate."

A crowd of several thousand people swarmed around them in the main square of Old Havana, which prompted their security team to put a halt to their visit to the site.

"I was in the eye of the whirlpool. We had to cut it short because it got so crazy," said architect Miguel Coyula, who gave the couple a tour of the 16th century heart of the city.

They also visited a children's theater group called La Colmenita, a source close to the group said.

On Thursday night, they dined at La Fontana, one of the city's more established private restaurants, or paladares, and a favorite of visiting foreigners, but police blocked off surrounding roads to prevent onlookers.

Later, they went to El Gato Tuerto, a famous Havana nightclub, then to the Casa de la Musica in the Miramar district where the source said they "danced until dawn" to salsa and other music by the band Havana D'Primera.

On Friday, they toured Cuba's famous art school, Instituto Superior de Arte, and, according to government blogger Yohandry Fontana, Beyonce was to have lunch with "important figures of Cuban culture."

His blog ran several photographs of her and Jay Z under the headline "Beyonce Rocks Havana."

Jay Z, in shorts, a short-sleeve shirt and straw hat, looked like a typical tourist, puffing on a big Cuban cigar.

Beyonce, camera in hand, wore a colorful print mini-dress, big sunglasses, dangling ear-rings and her long braids piled high. The Grammy winner posed for a photograph with a group of smiling Cuban schoolchildren.

The couple declined to talk to the media to explain the purpose of their visit. The source close to the group said they were invited by Cuba's tourism ministry.

The longstanding U.S. trade embargo against Cuba prevents most Americans from traveling to the island without a license granted by the U.S. government, though President Barack Obama's administration has eased restrictions on travel to Cuba for academic, religious or cultural exchanges.

In Washington, the State Department said it had no prior knowledge of the visit. A spokeswoman at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana said she did not know if the two stars obtained a license for their trip, which if they did not could expose them to a fine.

Publicists for the couple did not return emails or phone calls seeking comment. The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which handles licenses for travel to Cuba, said it does not comment on individual cases.

(Additional reporting by Nelson Acosta in Havana and David Adams in Miami; Editing by Will Dunham)


Source URL : http://news.yahoo.com/beyonce-jay-z-rock-havana-anniversary-220924556.html

Singer Chris Brown ordered back to court over community service

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - R&B singer Chris Brown must return to court in June after a Los Angeles judge said on Friday information was still being collected on allegations that the singer cut corners on his community service requirements.

Brown, 23, is still on probation for a 2009 assault on his girlfriend Rihanna for which he was also sentenced to 180 days of community service and domestic violence counseling.

Prosecutors said in February he had skimped on the community service requirements.

After meeting privately with Brown, his attorney and prosecutors on Friday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Brandlin told the "Don't Wake Me Up" singer to return on June 10.

Brown and Rihanna rekindled their romance several months ago.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Eric Walsh)


Source : http://news.yahoo.com/singer-chris-brown-ordered-back-court-over-community-225214699.html;_ylt=AsfYDefoYWd6nkEr.pGDhGMEHL8C;_ylu=X3oDMTRiNG9vajl2BG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBFbnRlcnRhaW5tZW50U0YgTXVzaWNTU0YEcGtnAzYyZmYxMDJhLWZjMjUtMzhmMC1iNTg4LTg0MzgzZDE2NWM0NwRwb3MDMQRzZWMDdG9wX3N0b3J5BHZlcgNiNjI4NTQ3MS05ZTQzLTExZTItYWU3Yi1mYjM2OTQxYzRhOGU-;_ylg=X3oDMTIxNTFpNTNuBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANlbnRlcnRhaW5tZW50fG11c2ljBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3

Thursday 4 April 2013

Personalize Your Wedding Ceremony With Classical Music!

Many of our clients know that they want beautiful music at their wedding but feel nervous about what to expect during the ceremony. It is my hope that this article will put some of your anxieties to rest. Remember, itâEUR(TM)s your special day so you can pick and choose the musical selections and when they should be played!

Depending on your religious persuasion (or lack of), there will be variations to this explanation. Yet, one can still usually assume that there will be three main parts of the wedding ceremony: The Processional, the Interlude, and the Recessional. From a musical standpoint, however, I like to see the wedding in 5 sections.

1. As guests enter the house of worship or wedding venue
This is a great time to play calm, gentle music to soothe the wedding party and their guests who are full of energy and expectation. At this stage, they do not need further stimulation âEUR" enough said!

2a. The BrideâEUR(TM)s Processional
This is the part everyone has been waiting for. Are you a traditionalist? Perhaps youâEUR(TM)d like something more contemporary? Whatever your decision, all eyes will be on the bride and you want to have a piece played thatâEUR(TM)s equally beautiful. Traditionally, it was the Wagner Bridal Chorus that was played here. Today, there are many other options for those who wish (and, of course, for Jewish weddings). Pachelbel Canon is a big hit. Just make sure that someone from your wedding party can signal the musicians to start playing if the bride is coming from a far distance!
2b. Honored Guests
The information in the above paragraph still applies, but perhaps here you would like something lighter to balance out the brideâEUR(TM)s processional (and of course, to not overshadow her!)
3. The Interlude
This part is heavily dependent on your personal preference. Some ask for a religious piece to be played during the Unity Candle. Others like a short excerpt to be played during the Offertory. Non-religious individuals might just want a meaningful piece to be played to celebrate the ceremony.
4. The Recessional
The groom has immediately kissed the bride here, or in the case of Jewish weddings, stepped on the glass. The guests have erupted in applause and everyone is either joyfully smiling or crying. Now is the time for exciting music that captures the event! Traditionally, it was the Mendelssohn Wedding March that was played here. Today, there are many other options for those who wish.
5. As guests leave
By now, there is usually so much fuss going on that the musicians are playing background music. While no one is paying attention to the musicians, they certainly have a function! Much like in a cocktail-hour setting, the performers are feeding the atmosphere with the happy and excited energy that mirrors what everyone is feeling.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! If you found this article helpful, please explore our ceremony music website where you can find out more about hiring our Boston-based musicians. Click HERE to find out more!

Daniel Broniatowski, D.M.A.
Wedding music contractor

Source : http://goarticles.com/article/Personalize-Your-Wedding-Ceremony-With-Classical-Music/6400076/

Brown wants to be 'bigger than ever'

Chris Brown wants to be 'bigger than ever' in the next ten years.

The 23-year-old singer is recognising nearly a decade in the music industry after releasing his debut album in 2005. He is also preparing for his latest record named X to go on sale in a few months.

Although Chris has already won a coveted Grammy Award for his work, the ambitious musician sees an even brighter future ahead.

"Hopefully in ten years, I'll be bigger than I've ever been - hopefully," he told MTV News.

Chris also spoke about being proud of elevating his loved ones to a higher standard of living.

The star explained he is now is determined to plan his own future to ensure happiness.

"I've accomplished so much of my goals, just from being from Virginia, being able to take my mom, and my parents and certain people out of poverty that I grew up with," he said. "That's one of my main goals that I focused on and now it's about shaping my life."

Chris is looking to move into other areas of music such as producing and songwriting.

He realises there is much more to explore with his job than he could have ever dreamed.

"I think being able to write for great artists - J.Lo [Jennifer Lopez], collaborating, working on her album - and doing stuff that I never thought possible," he confessed. 'Everything that I do creatively, whether it be skating, anything that I try to put my hands onto, hopefully [I'm] excelling in it and, you know, making people see the light at the end of the tunnel."

Source : http://www.music-news.com/shownews.asp?H=Brown-wants-to-be-bigger-than-ever&nItemID=64630

The Poplist with Generationals

By Tim Sendra
This week we shine the Poplist spotlight on the New Orleans duo Generationals. Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer craft warm, engaging music that is slightly experimental at times, but always comes back to a melodic hook that just sounds right. Sometimes rocking a little, sometimes a little funky, their third album Heza is out now on Polyvinyl and it's a laid back treat.

First, here's a track from the album:
Generationals - Spinoza

Grant's picks:
Guitar Geek
These people obsessively document the guitar rigs of famous guitar players at different points in their career. If you're into guitars and guitar sounds, it's really fun to poke around here.

Jeff Who Lives at Home
Written and directed by Mark and Jay Duplass, who we are big fans of. I think this movie is hitting on something that really resonates with me, which is the staleness of irony. The main character, Jeff, played by Jason Segel, is truly earnest in every sense. He is the anti-Rapping Granny. His actions and his tastes are very genuine, he is not winking at the audience when we find out that he is obsessed with the M. Night Shyamalan movie Signs. I think everyone is slowly starting to realize how weary we are of irony and sarcasm, and this movie, I feel, is at the forefront of pushing back at this kind of irony that we get so much of in pop culture now.

Rap Genius
Three Yale guys set up this site. It's a wiki that's designed to explain the lyrics in hip-hop songs. Once I read through a few songs that I thought I knew really well, I realized how much was going over my head, it blew my mind.

Ted's picks:
Burning Love (show on E!)
A great send-up of shows like The Bachelor. I've only seen like two episodes so far but it has a bunch of my favorite people in it, like Michael Ian Black, Ken Marino, and Kristen Bell.

POOLJUMPERS trailer by the Birthday Boys
I think I'm pretty late to the party on this, but a friend showed it to me the other day and it made me laugh so damn hard.

Source : http://www.allmusic.com/blog/post/the-poplist-with-generationals

Wednesday 3 April 2013

Online And Offline Methods For Music Promotion

The competition in music industry is getting tougher day by day. Hundreds of young artists are trying to make their mark in the music world. Few are getting success, and few are failing to do so. Success or failure of a band does not always point to the band’s performance or quality of their music. One of the most important factors for getting success in the music industry is the promotion of the band. After this, few questions are likely to arise in people’s mind, like what is music promotion and how it helps to get success in the music world. Promotion is quite similar to marketing; unless people know about a band they will not listen to it. And since audience is the most important factor behind a band’s success, without notifying the audience no band can reach their goal in the vast field of music.

Promotion of a band consists of letting people know about your music. Promotion of music is mainly of two types- online promotion and offline promotion. You can adopt both ways to promote your music. Both these ways are effective for the band’s promotion. Online methods for promotion of a band consists of joining social networking websites to interact with thousands of other users and music lovers and notifying about your band, uploading some of your top guitar riffs, keyboard riffs or the bass guitar riffs in your account for others to listen. If the audience likes your music, it will open the door for your success. Another great way of online music promotion is creating the band’s website. Here also you can upload some of your cool guitar riffs, along with photos and biography of your band members. The simplest and most effective of all ways of online promotions is the use of RiffRaters. This iphone app helps people to record and share their riffs with other iphone users, who listen to the music and rate them accordingly. The most rated tracks get higher up the rank.

Besides promoting your band online, you can also adopt the offline methods. Offline ways for promoting a band is very effective, but they are much costlier than the online methods. Offline methods of promoting a band consist of signing up with music production companies and releasing CDs of your music. But, the music production companies seldom permit any amateur band or musician for recording their music. You can also distribute your home made music CDs among the music lovers you know. This helps a lot, but it is definitely very expensive. Another great way of promotion of a band is printing T-shirts with the band’s name or photos on them and distributing them among the local people.

If you are willing to promote your band, you must follow the above steps. The offline methods for promoting a band may be a little costlier than the online promotion, but they are much more effective. The introduction of the iphone music app, RiffRaters has proved to be very effective in the promotion of a band.

Source : http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/online-and-offline-methods-for-music-promotion-1873537.html

Miley Cyrus Goes Reggae On Snoop Lion’s ‘Ashtrays And Heartbreaks’

A couple weeks ago, Miley Cyrus started a viral storm with her twerking dance video. We should expect to see her doing the dutty wine shortly. She just released her reggae collab with Snoop Lion.

The song, “Ashtrays & Heartbreaks,” appears on the rap vet’s Reincarnated album out April 23. The pop star helps sing the chorus.

So how does the fearless 20-year-old sound on a reggae track? She sounds OK. The vocal production is straightforward. I appreciate that she didn’t try to adopt a fake Jamaican accent for the track, but she doesn’t offer anything distinct to the song. Her voice actually gets a bit lost in the music. Fans likely wouldn’t recognize her voice without first reading the credits.

But the song about losing a loved one is good. Snoop appears to be making the transition to reggae naturally.

In an interview with Ryan Seacrest last week, Miley discussed the song. “I want this record to be just something that’s like different and a bunch of like passion projects,” she said. “The first thing I wouldn’t have calculated like oh, ‘The first song I want to come out would be me and Snoop Dogg.’ That’s never what I thought it was gonna be. I thought it would be my single kinda first. But I just been able to do these things where I’ve just been in the studio at the right time and these projects have just magically kinda come, just happened.”

Source URL : http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/hip-hop-media-training/miley-cyrus-goes-reggae-snoop-dogg-ashtrays-heartbreaks-205528544.html

Carla Bruni Shows Artistic Range With Acoustic Premiere Of New Video

Few women have had as varied and interesting a life as Carla Bruni, who's held posts as a model, actress, musician...oh, and yes, the First Lady of France.

Bruni's legacy as a singer-songwriter may just be the strongest--if not as publicized as her political standing--position, however. She's been working as a musician since 1997, and it seems to be the area in which she is most at home.

Bruni has released three albums in that period--which includes the timespan in which she was officially and formally obligated to the French Republic--with a fourth to follow on April 16. It's no small feat to note that she's written a considerable share of her own material (and a respectable amount for other artists as well). Additionally, her newest album, Little French Songs, contains songs in three languages.

We at Yahoo! Music are excited to premiere the acoustic version of her single "Mon Raymond," a beautiful original composition that's sure to prove Bruni's considerable and continuing facility as an artist. Enjoy, and please don't forget to let us know what you think!

Source : http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/video-gaga/carla-bruni-shows-artistic-range-acoustic-premiere-video-032607726.html
 
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