Tag: music in the news

Singled out

British label Mercury Records, which is home to such prestigious artists as U2, Arcade Fire and Elton John, has announced that it will be opting to go all digital. Barring “exceptional circumstances,” the label will no longer be releasing singles on vinyl or CD, according to a report from the Press Association. Such exceptional circumstances would include charity releases and a minor contribution that it will be making for the internationally celebrated Record Store Day, taking place on April 16. The decision is not surprising, as physical sales now make up around one per cent of all singles sales, with just under 3,000 CD and vinyl purchases in the U.K. top 50 singles chart.

Hagar jumps off the deep end

Former Van Halen vocalist Sammy Hagar recently admitted to some things that may make him, in his own words, “sound like a crazy person.” Among said things? Being abducted by aliens. In an interview with mtvhive.com, the 63-year-old rocker discussed his new book, Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock. During the interview, he reveals that a passage in which he recounts a dream involving contact with extraterrestrials in California is, according to him, based on reality. He said that the aliens “plugged” into him. “It was a download situation… or, they uploaded something from my brain, like an experiment.” If you’d like to read the rest of the interview, you can check it out at mtvhive.com.

Mental Manager Music

Former Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed’s manager Tommy Sarig was arrested last week on suspicion of aggravated harassment. The news comes just after New York police confirmed they had been looking into allegations that he had threatened a consultant. Sarig was detained after Adrian Smith, an employment consultant hired to find an assistant for Reed, filed an official complaint. Smith claims that Sarig threatened him when he tried to collect the $11,500 that he was owed. Reed’s manager could face up to a year in prison if he is found guilty.

What’s black and white and Radiohead all over?

To celebrate the physical release of their latest album, The King of Limbs, Radiohead will be giving away copies of their new newspaper for free all around the world. The paper now has its own dedicated website www.theuniversalsigh.com, where fans can find the distributor nearest to them. From the website: “Radiohead have produced a newspaper which will be given away, free, gratis, without cost to the consumer by accredited vendors from a multitude of locations WORLDWIDE! […] Our dedicated teams of newspaper delivery people will be handing out copies of THE UNIVERSAL SIGH to anyone who wants one, until we run out!” Montreal’s drop point will be outside the HMV store at Peel and Ste-Catherine Sts. The Canadian release date for The King of Limbs is March 29.

Jack Bauer’s kind of music

“She Will Be Loved” hitmakers Maroon 5 recently put themselves to the test by writing a new song in 24 hours with some help from their fans. The experiment, a Coca-Cola-funded music project titled ‘Inspired By You,’ promised that the “lyrics, riffs and rhythms for the new single will be inspired by you, the fan.” Secluding themselves away in a London studio, the band was given fans’ tweeted suggestions live via a giant virtual wall projected into the studio. The newly minted single will be available for free download from Coke’s website on April 1, with the soft drink giant pledging to make a donation to RAIN, a charity that supplies fresh water to Africans in need, after the first 100,000 downloads.

Permission to reband

Hard rock band The Darkness has announced that they have reformed and will be touring with their original lineup in 2011. The reformation marks the end of a five-year feud between guitarist Dan Hawkins and lead singer Justin Hawkins. The founding members and siblings split in 2006 due to Justin’s drug and alcohol related health problems, leading to The Darkness’ dissolution later that same year. This news comes after the frontman famously denied last year’s reunion rumours, calling them “essentially horse shit” on his Twitter in July. You can check out the band’s new website www.theactualdarkness.com

Alice In Chains bassist to revisit Dirt

Former Alice In Chains bassist Mike Starr was found dead at a house in Salt Lake City last Tuesday. Starr, who had exposed his drug problems to the world on the reality TV show Celebrity Rehab, had been battling a heroin addiction and had been arrested last February for outstanding drug charges. These facts, in conjunction with a voicemail message in which Starr is heard pleading for drugs on the night of his death, have led many to speculate that his death was drug related, though the toxicology reports that would confirm or deny this could take up to two months to come back.

From “November Rain” to financial gain

Former Guns N’ Roses bassist and current Velvet Revolver member Duff Mckagan has launched his own wealth management firm, Meridian Rock. Mckagan, who obtained a degree in economics from Seattle University, explained the purpose of his firm as a way for young musicians to make sound financial decisions – something he himself had trouble with in his GNR heyday. “You think the money is going to keep coming,” he said in an interview with Fortune Magazine. “When you get that big contract, or your record goes platinum and you’re selling out concerts, you don’t see that it’s going to end.” Should anyone be interested in hearing some of the 47-year-old rocker’s advice for free, check out Duffonomics, a weekly financial column Mckagan writes for Playboy.

NAACP honours white trash

The Detroit chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s decision to honour musician Kid Rock has irked some African-American civil rights leaders. The issue at hand is Rock’s association with the confederate flag and its association to the once-segregated south. Adolph Mongo, the head of Detroiters For Progress, said that Rock’s use of the flag is “a slap in the face of anyone who fought for civil rights in this country.” Mongo is among a group of NAACP members who will be boycotting the May 1 event due to Rock’s presence. Kid Rock, real name Robert James Ritchie, is set to receive the Great Expectations Award as acknowledgment for his work with African-Americans and the city of Detroit.

Ja Rule Ja-iled

American rapper Ja Rule has been sentenced to two years in jail starting this June after his July 2007 arrest for attempted criminal possession of a loaded gun. The “Between Me and You” lyricist had plead guilty in the case and called his sentencing a “minor setback for a major comeback” on Twitter. The judge ruled the rapper could start serving his time in June so that he could use the time he had left to resolve a federal tax issue and put the finishing touches on his upcoming album, The Renaissance Project.

Stars feeling Gaddawful

A slew of musicians have been urged to donate what’s being called “Gaddafi blood money” to charity after a WikiLeaks cable revealed that performers such as Usher, Jay-Z and Lionel Richie were paid substantial sums to perform for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his entourage. In a gesture of penitence, performers such as Beyonce and Nelly Furtado donated their profits to various worthy causes, while others expressed regret at the part that they played in the affair.

In a statement, Mariah Carey said: “I was naive and unaware of who I was booked to perform for. I feel horrible and embarrassed to have participated in this mess. Ultimately we as artists are to be held accountable. Going forward, this is a lesson for all artists to learn from. We need to be more aware and take more responsibility regardless of who books our shows.” Furtado, on the other hand, tweeted : “In 2007, I received 1million$ from the Qaddafi clan to perform a 45 min.

Show for guests at a hotel in Italy. I am going to donate the $.”

Courtney Love in the hole for $430,000

Fashion designer Dawn Simorangkir’s lawsuit against Hole frontwoman Courtney Love over comments the singer made about her via social networking sites has reportedly been settled out of court for $430,000. Simorangkir claimed that Love’s vicious comments, which included references to prostitution, drug dealing and a history of assault and battery, ruined her business. Shortly after having the charges brought against her, Love tweeted: “The end. Am shutting down all social media tomorrow first thing, from here on in I have NO Comment, includes Facebook.”

Zombie will not be digging Crue’s Dirt

Rob Zombie and Mötley Crüe fans had something to cheer about recently when it was widely reported that the shock rocker was on board to direct the screen adaptation of Motley Crue’s 2001 memoir “The Dirt – Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band.” Turns out it was too good to be true. Zombie, in an interview with Undercover.fm, squarely stated, “No, I’m not doing the Motley Crue movie. I don’t know where that came from.” The rumor purportedly started in an interview with Crue drummer Tommy Lee on Billboard.com, where the website had stated that the film “is now on track with Rob Zombie as its director.”

Richards can’t keep daughter under his thumb

Theodora Richards, the 25-year-old model better known as the daughter of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, was charged for “criminal possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of marijuana, making graffiti and possession of a graffiti-making instrument” while scribbling on the wall of a SoHo convent. Police say Richards had used a red acrylic paint marker to write “T [Heart] A”, which she told anti-crime unit officers represented herself and her sister, Alexandra. The officers reportedly found white pills they believed to be hydrocodine and a small amount of pot on her person before taking her in. The second-generation Stone is due in court April 21 and faces up to a year of jail time if she is convicted of the misdemeanorr charges.