music industry

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Walkman Turns 30; Sony Isn't Celebrating

(Newser) - The Walkman turns 30 today, but Sony isn’t exactly celebrating, writes Peter Kafka of All Things Digital. Apart from a special exhibit at Sony’s archive in Tokyo—which seems more like a funeral than a birthday party—Sony’s letting the milestone pass quietly. The device has been...

Jackson Left Behind Secret 100-Song Library

(Newser) - Michael Jackson might have a few albums left in him. The singer left behind over a hundred recorded songs that could now be released posthumously, the Times reports. The songs were made for his children, according to Jackson biographer Ian Halperin, but because the singer also left behind about $400...

Black Eyed Peas: Sellouts in Post-Sellout World

(Newser) - It is still possible for a musician to “sell out” in this hyper-commercialized world, says Seth Stevenson, who hangs on to the concept partly because of the pain he feels when a favorite song is co-opted—it’s like finding out a smart, cute girl “spends her weekends...

DJ Schools Rockin' in Recession
 DJ Schools 
 Rockin' in 
 Recession 
glossies
Jun 7, 2009 6:30 PM CDT

DJ Schools Rockin' in Recession

(Newser) - The jobless and work-weary alike are flooding deejay schools across the US, embarking on dreams as the economy comes apart, Time reports. Some enroll at schools like New York's Dubspot—not exactly cheap at $1,695—to deejay professionally. Others are yearning for more creativity, less rat race. "They're...

Whitney's Comeback Album Out Sept. 1

Akon, will.i.am are helping out

(Newser) - Whitney Houston is releasing an album Sept. 1, and she's getting a little comeback help from today's R&B/hip-hop kings. The untitled Arista record is rumored to include collaborations with will.i.am, Sean Garett, and Akon, Billboard reports. During the run-up to the big release—her last effort was...

Jay-Z Close to Sony Deal— or Maybe Warner

Conflicting reports leave it unclear where former Def Jam artist will move

(Newser) - Following his departure from Def Jam, Jay-Z is close to making a deal with a new label—the question is, which one? Sources tell Billboard a deal with Sony’s Epic Records “is 95% complete,” while the New York Daily News reports a deal with Warner Music Group/Atlantic...

Nashville Becomes 'Silicon Valley of Music Business'

(Newser) - Nashville really is Music City, Richard Florida writes in the Atlantic. Charting the demographics of the music industry from 1970 to 2004, Florida found that “Nashville was the only city that registered positive growth. In effect, it sucked up all the growth in the music industry.” It’s...

Jay-Z Leaves Def Jam
 Jay-Z 
 Leaves 
 Def Jam 
May 21, 2009 3:53 PM CDT

Jay-Z Leaves Def Jam

(Newser) - Jay-Z confirmed to RapRadar today that he has left Def Jam Records after more than a decade. The news follows an unconfirmed report on HitsDailyDouble that the rapper bought out his contract for $5 million. Jay-Z, 39, owed Def Jam one more album, but he was eager to move on...

Web Killed Big Acts, Saved Music: Kot
 Web Killed Big Acts, 
 Saved Music: Kot 
interview
May 21, 2009 12:50 PM CDT

Web Killed Big Acts, Saved Music: Kot

Each tech advance stirred unfounded fears: Kot

(Newser) - The Internet has so fragmented music that there may never be another big act like U2. But that’s just fine for music critic Greg Kot, author of Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music. “Art thrives best when it’s created without regard to making any kind of...

Danger Mouse's Latest Album a Blank CD

Producer pushes listeners to illegally download, burn songs

(Newser) - Legal wrangling reportedly led to the shelving of Danger Mouse’s latest album; now, instead of dropping Dark Night Of The Soul, the producer behind acclaimed Beatles/Jay-Z mash-up the Grey Album is releasing a book of photographs by director David Lynch—with a blank CD enclosed, XXL reports. “For...

Brits Offer Free Rehearsal Space to Tune Up Music Biz

Government gives cash-strapped young bands a helping hand

(Newser) - The British are hoping to give the next Beatles a helping hand by offering free rehearsal space, the Guardian reports. A government program spearheaded by former Undertones singer Feargal Sharkey is opening centers around the country to assist cash-strapped young bands who could potentially blossom into big names—and lucrative...

To Complete Fairy Tale, Boyle Needs a Makeover

Ugly duckling has to become a swan, fashion writer argues

(Newser) - It’s politically correct to say frumpy singing sensation Susan Boyle doesn’t need a makeover. But honestly? Of course she does, writes Washington Post fashion guru Robin Givhan. If Boyle stays the same, it’ll “unravel the centuries-long tradition of fairy tales.” Sure, Boyle won us over...

Indie Music Outlets Get Their Own Day

(Newser) - Some big-name acts are getting behind Record Store Day, tomorrow’s celebration of independent music stores that have become an endangered species in the Internet age, USA Today reports. “We touched a nerve. So many people are passionate about record stores,” says a rep of the industry group...

Universal, YouTube Team Up for Music Video Site

(Newser) - At last, a little peace and harmony between the music industry and the tech world. YouTube and Universal Music announced a deal today to create a new website called Vevo.com to show music videos, CNET reports. It will launch later this year, with YouTube—and parent company Google—providing...

20 Years Later, Young MC Still Busts a Move

(Newser) - It’s been 20 years since self-described “1 Hit Wonder” Young MC released Bust a Move, but the rapper is happy the song has held up as well as it has, he tells Rolling Stone. People aren’t “going to get a babysitter to go to a club...

Internet Music Retailers Race to Cut Prices

(Newser) - Faced with crumbling CD sales and a digital market without enough oomph to compensate, online music sellers are slashing prices to lure buyers, the Boston Globe reports. “It is the schoolyard crack dealer approach,” one analyst said. Amazon MP3 offers sought-after albums for $3.99, and others for...

Virgin's Stores Go Way of Dodo
 Virgin's Stores Go Way of Dodo 
Mar 4, 2009 9:57 AM CST

Virgin's Stores Go Way of Dodo

In US

(Newser) - America's last six Virgin Megastores will close their doors by this summer, the AP reports, even though they’ve managed to remain profitable amidst the economic storm. The real estate firms that bought the chain in 2007 determined they could collect more rent from new tenants. “I’ve been...

To Combat Digital Piracy, Try Stealing

Composer pitches real-world thievery to help raise awareness

(Newser) - A Hollywood composer wants you to stop illegally downloading music, and he's willing to put his freedom in jeopardy to make his point. Because the public doesn't seem to equate swapping digital files with stealing, Richard Gibbs is pushing for people to swipe other products in a nationwide "day...

Ticketmaster Mogul Says He Can Save Music

Where critics see conflict of interest, Azoff spies opportunity

(Newser) - Irving Azoff may not be a household name, but he is, in fact, "the most powerful man in the music industry," writes Ethan Smith in a Wall Street Journal profile. The head of Ticketmaster—he made his name managing the Eagles in the '70s—is now trying to...

Coldplay Tops World Chart for '08

Viva la Vida the year's bestselling album

(Newser) - Coldplay’s Viva La Vida was the best-selling album in the world last year, the BBC reports, selling 6.8 million copies. Coldplay was one of four British acts to crack the top 10. Here’s the rest of the list:
  1. AC/DC: Black Ice
  2. The Mama Mia! soundtrack

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