Music Industry News

EMI's Downfall: Will the Hits Keep Coming?

Source: All About Jazz
February 9, 2010

Katy Perry may have turned up to EMI's post-Grammys party in a revealing silver dress, but even the “I Kissed a Girl" singer (who is signed to Capitol Records, a subsidiary of EMI) could not monopolize all the attention.

Despite the lavish affair at the W Hotel in Hollywood, EMI is in desperate financial trouble. So deep, in fact, that some were wondering how it could afford to host a party at all. A few days after last month's Grammy ...

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Lil Wayne Sentencing Postponed in NYC Gun-Possession Case Because Rapper Needs Dental Surgery

Source: Michael Ricci
February 9, 2010

The Grammy Award-winning rapper's sentencing in a New York City gun case was postponed Tuesday, because he needs to finish a string of recent surgeries before he goes to jail. Lil Wayne, one of music's biggest sellers and rap's hottest stars, is poised to spend as much as a year in jail under a plea deal, though good behavior could shave that to as little as eight months. Sentencing now is scheduled for March 2. Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice ...

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Michael Jackson's Autopsy Report Released

Source: All About Jazz
February 9, 2010

Now that Conrad Murray has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, Michael Jackson's autopsy report has been released.

Listing acute propofol intoxication administered by another person as the cause of death, according to the report via the LA Times. The amount of propofol used was equivalent to a major surgery, it said.

“There are NO reports of [propofol's] use for insomnia relief, to my knowledge, an anesthesiology consultant wrote in the report. “The only reports of its use in homes are ...

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Need an Electronic Press Kit? Make Your Own!

Source: One Working Musician by Jason Parker
February 7, 2010

As Ive mentioned before, Im in the middle of planning a tour for the Jason Parker Quartet. Were going out in May and Im busy contacting venues up and down the West Coast, from Vancouver BC to San Diego. I realized early on in the process that I needed an EPK, or Eletronic Press Kit. What Is An EPK?

And EPK is just as it sounds and electronic version of the old press kit. Bands used to send out physical ...

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Jackson Doctor Charged with Involuntary Manslaughter

Source: Michael Ricci
February 8, 2010

Michael Jackson's doctor faces four years in prison if convicted on involuntary manslaughter charge; pop star's family arrives in court

Prosecutors on Monday charged Michael Jacksons personal physician with involuntary manslaughter in connection with administering a combination of surgical anesthetic and sedatives blamed in the music legends death last summer. The complaint filed by the Los Angeles County district attorneys office alleges that Dr. Conrad Murray did unlawfully and without malice kill Michael Joseph Jackson, a human being, in the ...

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Warner Nashville Tries Cutting the Album in Half

Source: HypeBot
February 6, 2010

Sales of full albums are falling faster than an Olympic ski racer on an ice covered slope. And then time between releases can leave too-long gaps in the marketing cycle.

Warner's Nashville is looking for an answer by dividing Blake Shelton's “Hillbilly Bone" as a “Six Pak," a 6 song album of new material to be released on March 2 followed by another six-song release in August. Pricing, which could be the key to the experiment's success, is not yet ...

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Same as It Ever Was: Buddy Holly Tries to Reason with His Label Boss

Source: HypeBot
February 6, 2010

The secret recordings.

Disagreements between artist and labels have been happening since the invention of the recorded disc. Way back in 1956, Buddy Holly recorded several songs in Nashville including “That'll Be The Day". But but producer Owen Bradley reportedly hated rock n' roll, and the results were less than exciting.

Later Holly re-recorded “That'll Be The Day" at a different studio with his own arrangement. But...

according to ...

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John Lennon Museum to Close

Source: All About Jazz
February 5, 2010

The world's only authorised John Lennon Museum, on the outskirts of Tokyo, will close its doors in September when a deal with his widow Yoko Ono ends, the operator said Thursday.

The museum dedicated to the former Beatle opened in Saitama north of Tokyo in 2000 on the 60th anniversary of Lennon's birth and displays about 130 items, including guitars, stage costumes and hand-written lyrics.

After 10 years here, John's spirit is now moving on -- looking onward to the ...

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