Following the widespread critical and commercial success of 2003’s Dub Side of the Moon and 2006’s Radiodread, Easy Star Records announces the Easy Star All-Stars’ complete reggae re-imagining of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The album, titled Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band, is set for release April 14 on Easy Star Records and features guest vocals from an impressive list of reggae, dancehall and dub greats including Steel Pulse, Matisyahu, Michael Rose (Black Uhuru), Luciano, U Roy, Bunny Rugs (Third World), Ranking Roger (English Beat), Sugar Minott, Frankie Paul, Max Romeo and The Mighty Diamonds. The first single, “With A Little Help From My Friends,” featuring Luciano, will be released as an iTunes exclusive February 10. It will be paired with a b-side dub version featuring the legendary U Roy.
Dub Side of the Moon, (Easy Star’s reggae tribute to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon) is one of the most successful reggae albums of the 21st century and spent over five years on Billboard’s Top Reggae Chart. Mojo selected the record as the second greatest cover album of all time. Radiodread, which tackled Radiohead’s OK Computer, spent over 18 months on Billboard’s Top Reggae Chart and earned praise from Radiohead themselves.
Of the decision to infuse reggae into the Beatles classic, producer Michael Goldwasser says “We’ve focused on re-envisioning concept albums as reggae and it’s really important that the source material works as a whole and is not just a collection of songs. So, what better to take on next than the mother of all concept albums?”
Goldwasser is once more the musical mastermind behind this album, having arranged and produced the music, assembled the musicians and guest artists and played guitar throughout. Goldwasser is joined by Victor Rice (bass), Victor “Ticklah” Axelrod (keyboards) and Patrick Dougher & Eddie Ocampo (drums, percussion). Members of the touring version of the Easy Star All-Stars also contribute, including Ras I Ray, Jenny Hill, Buford O’Sullivan, Ivan Katz, Kirsty Rock, Tamar-kali, Junior Jazz and Menny More. In addition to producing six albums for Easy Star, Goldwasser has produced albums for Corey Harris, Hatikva 6 and others, and has had compositions featured in the motion pictures Failure To Launch and Woody Allen’s Cassandra’s Dream.
For over a decade, Easy Star Records has been a trendsetting independent reggae label. Dub Side of the Moon and Radiodread form the backbone of a catalogue that includes progressive albums from John Brown’s Body and Easy Star All-Stars keyboardist Ticklah, reissues of classic material from Sugar Minott and Linval Thompson and new recordings from reggae legends The Meditations and Sister Carol.
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New York, NY, July 29, 2008 – The Walkmen released their highly anticipated new album today exclusively on AmieStreet.com as part of the website’s ongoing Download To Make A Difference campaign that launched earlier this month.
You & Me will be sold for a period of three weeks at the special price of $5. For each album purchased AmieStreet.com will donate $5 to a cause of personal significance to The Walkmen.
“All donations go to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in honor of Luca Vasallo, a friend to the band and a current patient who is seven months old and doing a great job fighting a very difficult disease,” said Peter Bauer of The Walkmen. “This is a very good organization that certainly deserves the attention.”
The You & Me exclusive pre-release marks the second major release for AmieStreet.com’s Download To Make A Difference campaign, which gives people the chance to support important causes by downloading new music.
The Walkmen’s new album is released by Gigantic Music and marketed and distributed by The Orchard. To download You & Me and give $5 to a great cause go to AmieStreet.com/thewalkmen.
Buy The Walkmen You & Me on Amiestreet
http://amiestreet.com/thewalkmen
Preview The Walkmen You & Me on AOL
http://spinner.aol.com/artists/new-releases-full-cds?defaultTab=1
MP3: The Walkmen “In the New Year” from You & Me
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For Academy Award nominated actor Danny Aiello’s second CD he was inspired by Atlantic City, Sinatras old stomping ground. It was the place where old blue eyes performed his final public
US concert while Danny Aiello watched from the audience. “My wife Sandy and I got a call from my agent inviting us down to
Atlantic City to see the show and meet Frank. I loved Sinatra and jumped at the chance not knowing what to expect. He was everything and more and the Copa Room, well, it was the perfect setting.”
Ten years later Aiello recorded his debut CD. Five days after the release, Danny Aiello made his Billboard Chart debut! His first album I Just Wanted To Hear The Words hit the Billboard Traditional Jazz Chart at #4, the highest new entry that week, just behind Harry Connick Jr., Winton Marsalis and Diana Krall.
And so it is fitting when a friend suggests in 2005 that he record one of those Atlantic City shows, preferably from The Sands so he and his band could preserve a little history for themselves, Aiello agrees, “Given Sinatra’s history on that stage and my memories of seeing him there, the Sands really captured the spirit of the resort’s history among the excitement of a new Atlantic City. For me, it made perfect sense.”
Check out the live streams for Pennies from Heaven and All Of Me.
SEATTLE—June 30, 2008— Rhapsody®, the leading digital music service from RealNetworks®, Inc. (Nasdaq RNWK) and MTV Networks, today launched its “Music Without Limits” initiative. This strategy is designed to turbocharge the digital music industry in three ways, by:
Accelerating the move away from proprietary Digital Rights Formats by making music from all major labels available in the DRM-free and interoperable MP3 format;
Empowering music fans to conveniently stream full-length songs, and buy MP3s, anywhere they want including the most popular music sites and social networks on the Web;
Integrating digital music directly with mobile phones through a deep partnership between Rhapsody and Verizon Wireless.
NEW YORK, NY – April 10, 2008 – Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJ) and Procter & Gamble’s TAG brand announce the formation of a new hip-hop record label, TAG Records. The new label will be led by hip-hop mogul Jermaine Dupri, who will act as president of the New York-based venture. As president, Dupri will set the creative vision for the label and play an integral part in identifying and developing its musical talent.
This is a milestone for the music industry as TAG Record’s artists will be supported with a multi-million dollar marketing effort that is unprecedented for any new artist, including television, print, radio, digital and event marketing.
“Today, we make history in the music industry with TAG Records,” said Jermaine Dupri, president of TAG Records. “This label is going to provide new artists with a chance of a lifetime. New artists will receive ten times the typical marketing support – a first in the industry. I’m hand selecting and molding these artists to make history in hip hop.”
The launch of TAG Records is part of the TAG brand’s initiative to cultivate relationships with the urban community through the development of programs that provide opportunities for aspiring hip- hop talent.
“We’re very excited about our partnership with IDJ and the broad platform it provides for creating artistic opportunities within the urban community, said Alex Keith, general manager P&G Deodorants. “We’re confident the partnership will make a positive impact and bring opportunities to undiscovered urban creativity and vision.”
“This partnership marks an industry first. This is a breakthrough model that will set the stage for innovative collaborations at Island Def Jam Music Group,” said Jeff Straughn, vice president of strategic marketing for Island Def Jam Music Group. “This is a non-traditional approach that blends our most valuable assets: the artist and their music, with the power of brand marketing.”
TAG Record’s first artist will be officially announced in May. The artist will be given a unique opportunity to merge their music with personal brand marketing.
In addition to an album release, the TAG Brand will showcase TAG Record’s artist and Jermaine Dupri across various TAG brand advertising and marketing initiatives throughout 2008.
The TAG and Island Def Jam Music Group partnership was forged and managed by New York - based ACME Brand Content Company, TAG’s branded entertainment agency of record.
For more information on TAG Records and the announcement of its first artist, visit www.tagrecords.com.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7329323.stm
MySpace in online music project
Networking site MySpace is to launch an online music service in partnership with three major music companies.
The new service MySpace Music is being launched with Universal Music, Sony BMG Music and Warner Music.
Users of the new service will be able to listen to music and watch music videos free of charge, while paying a fee to download music.
The website will also make money from advertising and selling merchandise like ring tones and concert tickets.
However, the exact terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The one major record firm excluded from the partnership was EMI.
The new music service is seen as a possible competitor to Apple iTunes Music Store, which has dominated the digital music market.
The music industry has been concerned about a lack of competition for iTunes in the digital music market.
Music firms see a new entrant in the music download market as a positive change.
“This gives a great new lease of life for the download market,” said Thomas Hesse, Sony BMG president of global digital business.
Page last updated at 17:19 GMT, Thursday, 3 April 2008 18:19 UK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7244928.stm
Music performers could see a big boost to their lifetime earnings under planned changes to music rights proposed by the European Commission.
The Commission wants to extend the copyright period for music performers from 50 years to 95 years.
British stars like Cliff Richard and Roger Daltrey have been pushing for such a move, but the UK government has resisted changing the rules.
The Commission says it will also benefit less well known musicians.
Musician’s money
The European Union’s internal market commissioner Charlie McCreevy said that “copyright protection for Europe’s performers represents a moral right to control the use of their work and earn a living from their performances”.
“It is the performer who gives life to the composition and while most of us have no idea who wrote our favourite song, we can usually name the performer,” he said.
The copyright for a song or piece of music, and the money that earns, is split into two parts.
Performance and sound recording rights usually go to the singer, band, musicians and technicians.
Publishing rights, which cover the lyrics and sheet music will either be owned by the writer, or a music label.
They last for the lifetime of the writer plus 70 years.
‘No pensions’
Thursday’s proposal was highly significant for the musicians and technicians “who only receive a small share of performance income from the exploitation of recordings for a limited period of time, said Lee Gage of lawyers Harbottle & Lewis.
He added that “session performers and other non-featured musicians” would especially benefit from the changes.
The Who singer Roger Daltrey, and Sir Cliff Richard are among the artists who have spoken out against the UK government’s decision not to extend music copyright laws.
Mr Daltrey said thousands of artists had “no pensions and rely on royalties”.
Finally! Wow, this debut has been a long time coming, it seems Tokyo Police Club have been riding their 4 song EP A Lesson in Crime for years! Can’t wait for this one, read below for more info on the album due in late April.
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Following on one of the most well received 16 minutes of music in recent history (2006’s A Lesson In Crime EP), Ontario’s favorite sons TOKYO POLICE CLUB confirm the completion and release of their first full length album, Elephant Shell, due out late April on Saddle Creek in North America and Memphis Industries in the UK.
Tokyo Police Club was formed in 2004 by David Monks (vocals, bass), Josh Hook (guitar), Graham Wright (keyboards) and Greg Alsop (drums) during their senior year in high school. Within two years they had released the aforementioned debut EP, immediately eliciting raves from Entertainment Weekly (”We can hardly wait for the full lengthŠ A-),Rolling Stone (”If only all young guitar bands were smart enough to rock out this fast”), Interview, Blender and Nylon among others. Since then, TPC has been touring virtually non-stop, pausing only to release last year’s Smith EP and digital-only single “Your English Is Good” / “Swedes In Stockholm,” and of course to record Elephant Shell.
The complete track listing for Elephant Shell is: “Centennial,” “In A Cave,” “Graves,” “Juno,” “Tessellate,” “Sixties Remake,” “The Harrowing Adventures Of…,” “Nursery Academy,” “Your English Is Good,” “Listen To The Math,” “The Baskervilles”
Tokyo Police Club begins a tour January 23rd at Connexion in Oakville, ONT, with dates running up to the release of Elephant Shell and beyond (Tonight’s show at Ottawa’s Algonquin College has been rescheduled due to weather conditions). See the attached listing of all confirmed dates.
TOKYO POLICE CLUB ON TOUR:
Jan. 23, 2008 Connexion - Oakville, ONT
Jan. 24, 2008 The Wall - North Bay, ONT
Jan. 25, 2008 Quarters - Hamilton, ONT
Jan. 26, 2008 Nathan Phillips Square - Toronto, ONT
Jan. 30, 2008 The Ale House - Kingston, ONT
Jan. 31, 2008 Algonquin College - Ottawa, ONT (re-scheduled from Jan. 22)
Feb. 1, 2008 Forwell Hall - London, ONT
Feb. 2, 2008 Sleeman Centre - Guelph, ONT
Mar. 18, 2008 Call The Office - London, ONT
Mar. 19, 2008 Birdy’s Bar and Grill - Indianapolis, IN
Mar. 20, 2008 Jackpot Saloon - Lawrence, KS
Mar. 22, 2008 Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT
Mar. 24, 2008 The Independent - San Francisco, CA
Mar. 25, 2008 The Glass House - Pomona, CA
Mar. 26, 2008 Troubadour - Hollywood, CA
Mar. 28, 2008 Soma - San Diego, CA
Mar. 29, 2008 The Clubhouse - Tempe, AZ
Mar. 31, 2008 Meridian Red Room - Houston, TX
Apr. 1, 2008 House of Blues - Dallas, TX
Apr. 3, 2008 Club Downunder - Tallahassee, FL
Apr. 4, 2008 Studio A - Miami, FL
Apr. 5, 2008 Backbooth - Orlando, FL
Apr. 8, 2008 Exit/In - Nashville, TN
Apr. 9, 2008 The Spot - Cleveland, OH
Apr. 18, 2008 Barrymore’s Music Hall - Ottawa, ON
Apr. 19, 2008 Cabaret du Musee Juste Pour Rire - Montreal, QC
Apr. 20, 2008 Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
Apr. 21, 2008 Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
Apr. 24, 2008 Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA
Apr. 26, 2008 Pearl Street Night Club - Northampton, MA
Apr. 28, 2008 First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA
Apr. 29, 2008 Black Cat - Washington, DC
Apr. 30, 2008 Big Orbit’s Soundlab - Buffalo, NY
Sigh…It just gets worse and worse for those who want to make a living in the music business.
EMI Confirms Up To 2,000 Job Cuts
January 15, 2008, 10:15 AM ET
Andre Paine, London
EMI confirmed today (Jan. 15) that it will cut up to 2,000 jobs worldwide in its Recorded Music division as part of a major restructuring of the company.
The new private equity owners Terra Firma say the cuts will save up to £200 million ($392.2 million) a year and will enable the group to become the world’s “world’s most innovative, artist-friendly and consumer-focused music company.” The changes include a focus on A&R and encouraging new revenue streams from digital services and corporate sponsorship.
EMI Group chairman Guy Hands is today announcing the reshaping of the company — home to Coldplay, Kylie Minogue and Norah Jones — in a series of presentations to staff, artists and managers. The group says the changes will be implemented over six months and are intended to enable it to invest more in A&R operations, in order to sign strong new artists and maximize the potential of the existing roster of acts.
In addition to the repositioning of the labels to make them completely focused on A&R, the changes also include developing a new partnership with artists “based on transparency and trust” that will help them monetize “the value of their work by opening new income streams such as enhanced digital services and corporate sponsorship arrangements.”
Other plans for the restructuring include bringing together key support activities including sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution into a single division with a unified global leadership. Hands also announced his intention to eliminate significant duplications within the group to simplify processes and reduce waste.
EMI says the changes reflect the rapidly changing nature of the music industry and the restructuring follows an “intense” three month consultation review of the business by Terra Firma, following its acquisition of EMI for £3.2 billion ($6.3 billion) last year.
The new owners were already facing an artists’ revolt even before today’s announcement, with Robbie Williams’ manager expressing concern about the direction of the company and Coldplay’s manager voicing his “confusion” at the departure of EMI U.K. Chairman and CEO Tony Wadsworth last week.
However, the company claims many of the measures being implemented have come at the suggestion of staff, artists and their managers. “We have spent a long time looking intensely at EMI and the problems faced by its Recorded Music division which, like the rest of the music industry, has been struggling to respond to the challenges posed by a digital environment,” said Hands in a statement.
He added: “we believe we have devised a new revolutionary structure for the group that will improve every area of the business. In short, it will make EMI’s music more valuable for the company and its artists alike. The changes we are announcing today will ensure that this iconic company will be creating wonderful music in a way that is profitable and sustainable.”
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003696505
It’s about time this happened. One of the drawbacks of buying music online has always been the lack of album artwork or liner notes/lyrics that most people enjoyed combing over when they bought a new album. It seems that will all change in 2008 as the music label giants start to pull their heads out of the ground. Read more HERE.
PLAY
