Bob Dylan recently made a surprise announcement that he would be releasing a Christmas album this month called ‘Christmas in the Heart’. Well, he’s certainly turning more corporate that the olden days. What’s even more unbelievable is that there is an actual major corporate tie into the album from a bank. Citibank will reward 13 million customers by making the album available for download a week before it goes on sale, October 13th. Times are definitely changing for the singer. I bet that all of his old friends are either rolling in their graves or raising quizzical eyebrows at him.
Kate Voegele’s sophomore release, A Fine Mess, is available Now! The Mike Elizondo (Maroon 5, Natasha Bedingfield) produced album features the single “99 Times” and is currently streaming in full on Kate’s MySpace page. Like what you hear? Amazon MP3 is offering a great deal to grab the entire album for only $2.99. Follow these simple instructions to get the discounted tracks from Kate’s album page on MySpace.
Green Day will release 21st Century Breakdown, the long awaited follow-up to American Idiot, on Friday May 15th. The album, produced by Butch Vig (Nirvana, AFI, Smashing Pumpkins), features the single “Know Your Enemy.” While fans can buy the album in-stores on the 15th, those eager to hear the new record can do so now on Rhapsody.com where the album is streaming in its entirety.
Hear all 18 tracks plus 2 live exclusives now at http://www.rhapsody.com/green-day/21st-century-breakdown. For more information on Green Day, including tourdates, visit GreenDay.com.
Coldplay wants to be nice to their fans and promote their live CD ‘LeftRightLeftRightLeft’ while they’re at it. For the rest of the band’s concerts this year, they will be giving away free live CDs to everyone who attends their shows, not including festivals. According the their website, starting with their first North American tour date on May 15th, “every fan attending a show will be given a free copy of the nine-track CD, which won’t be available elsewhere.” Also on that date, the album will be available to download for free on their site. The free CDs are apparently meant as a “recession-busting mark of gratitude to everyone who’s supported them.” Coldplay says “Playing live is what we love. This album is a thank you to our fans – the people who give us a reason to do it and make it happen.”
In preparation for her May release of A Fine Mess, Kate Voegele tried on some new looks for a photo shoot in Downtown, Los Angeles. Check out the behind the scenes look here to find out more about the new album including where the album title came from. Listen up for a new song called “Manhattan From The Sky.”
As an early holiday present to their fans, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus are offering a free download of their brand new song “Pen and Paper” on their official fan group site. The Florida melodic-rockers posted this bulletin on their MySpace today:
“Want an early present? Have you been good? Then mosey on over to The Alliance community section of RedJumpsuitAlliance.com for a FREE download of the track “Pen & Paper ” from RJA’ s upcoming album Lonely Road (02/03/09) right now.
Just go a little down and to the right, and it’s right there in the music section waiting for you. Play loud and tell all your friends.
Happy Holidays from The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus!”
Tour dates:
12/07/2008
Ford Amphitheatre
Tampa, FL
97X Next Big Thing 8
12/09/2008
Amos’ Southend
Charlotte, NC
WEND X-Mas Show
12/10/2008
The National
Richmond, VA
WDYC Snow Ball
12/13/2008
Orbit Room
Grand Rapids, MI
w/ Taking Back Sunday
12/14/2008
The Fillmore
Detroit, MI
The Night 89X Stole Christmas
12/16/2008
The Station
Portland, ME
w/ Lost On Liftoff
12/19/2008
Dothan Arena
Dothan, AL
Jingle Bell Rock 2008
01/09/2009
Floyd’s Music Store
Tallahassee, FL
w/ American Science, Stages & Stereo, Tickle Me Pink, The Becoming, And Then There Was You, Vega Under Fire
01/10/2009
The Masquerade
Atlanta, GA
01/12/2009
The Marquee
Tulsa, OK
01/13/2009
Diamond Ballroom
Oklahoma City, OK
01/15/2009
People’s
Des Moines, IA
01/16/2009
The Eagles Club
Milwaukee, WI
01/17/2009
Reggie’s Rock Club
Chicago, IL
01/21/2009
20th Century Theatre
Cincinnati, OH
01/23/2009
The Omni
Toledo, OH
01/24/2009
Agora Ballroom
Cleveland, OH
01/25/2009
Mr. Small’s Theater
Millvale, PA
01/30/2009
Hooligans
Jacksonville, NC
01/31/2009
Jester’s Pub
Fayetteville, NC
02/03/2009
Freebird Live
Jacksonville, FL
02/04/2009
Varsity Theatre
Baton Rouge, LA
02/06/2009
Java Jazz
Spring,TX
02/07/2009
The Pontiac Garage
Dallas,TX
02/21/2009
RNA Showgrounds
Brisbane, AU
Soundwave Festival
02/22/2009
Sydney Entertainment Center
Sydney, AU
Soundwave Festival
02/27/2009
Melbourne Showgrounds
Melbourne, AU
Soundwave Festival
02/28/2009
Bonython Park
Adelaide, AU
Soundwave Festival
03/02/2009
Steel Blue Oval
Perth, AU
Soundwave Festival
It’s been quite a good year for Coldplay as the group had the most downloaded album on iTunes this year. Their ‘Viva La Vida’ has been named the best selling album of 2008. Since its release in June, the British band’s CD has sold more than 2 million copies and over 500,000 digital downloads. The number 2 best selling album online is Jack Johnson’s ‘Sleep through the Static’, followed by the soundtrack to ‘Juno’. The best selling single goes to Leona Lewis’ ‘Bleeding Love’. The singer sold 3.2 million digital downloads for her song which was followed by Coldplay’s title track.
Leona Lewis has recorded a charity song along with fourteen of the World? female superstars in order to help Stand Up To Cancer Charity. The song ?Just Stand Up? will be released on 2 September and will be available for download.
The superstars performing in the song include Leona Lewis, Mariah Carey, Beyonce Knowles, Mary J. Blige, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Fergie, LeAnn Rimes, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Melissa Etheridge, Carrie Underwood, Ciara and Keyshia Cole.
The entire group will perform the same song on stage on 5 September 2008. The performance will form part of the Stand Up To Cancer Benefit Show which will be aired simultaneously on three US television networks ? ABC, NBC and CBS.
Well Done Girls!!!
Jennifer Aniston, Lance Armstrong, Salma Hayek, Meryl Streep, Forest Whitaker and Reese Witherspoon are also expected to take part in the television special. Christina Applegate – who revealed that she had beaten breast cancer recently is also expected to be seen.
Tokio Hotel stormed the Billboard album charts with SCREAM, the band?s first U.S. full length to date. Landing at #5 and #6 on the Alternative Albums and Rock Albums charts respectively and in the top 40 of Billboards Top 200 it is safe to say ? Tokio Hotel have more than arrived.
In their next step in U.S. domination, Bill, Tom, Georg and Gustav, will find themselves in millions of living rooms as their ballad, ?Monsoon,? is released as downloadable content for Rock Band!
If Tokio Hotel have it their way, they?ll be back in the States this August rocking out live for fans old and new. Keep up-to-date on tour information and the latest news in the world of Tokio Hotel at www.tokiohotel-us.com!
Radiohead?s free release may have been a one-time thing but that?s not the case for Nine Inch Nails. Front man Trent Reznor hassurprisingly posted the new full length album ?The Slip? online as a DRM-free digital download. A physical product will be available in July. On the band?s official site, Trent says ?thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years – this one’s on me.? This is their second surprise album released by Trent since his band?s contract with Interscope expired last fall. He has been a vocal opponent of corporate music?s so-called traditional practices. He has been quoted in the past saying ?As a reward for being a ‘true fan’ you get ripped off.?
In celebration of the release of Madonna’s upcoming album HARD CANDY, Control Room, MSN and Verizon Wireless will present the one and only Madonna live in New York’s famed Roseland Ballroom on Wednesday, April 30th. The show will be available live on MSN Music In Concert at music.msn.com/inconcert and will also be available for viewing post-show.
Now fans can Madonna-fy their online world with promo banners, Myspace codes, and desktop backgrounds:
Tokio Hotel have officially announced that Scream, the band?s first full length English language album, will be released on May 6th instead of the anticipated April 29th release date.
Prior to the May 6th release you can catch Tokio Hotel live on May 3rd at Day 1 of The Bamboozle. Headlining the day?s festivities include pop-punk heavy hitters Jimmy Eat World and Paramore along with hip-hop?s favorite Dogg ? Snoop Dogg!
Want to rock out to a live version of Tokio Hotel?s ?Scream?? MTV?s Buzzworthy is offering a free download of ?Scream,? recorded live at the Fillmore East in New York. Get the free download here buzzworthy.mtv.com/2008/04/01/tokio-hotel-free-download/
While you?re there make sure to check out Tokio Hotel?s video for ?Ready, Set, Go!?
Oasis is hitting the road at the end of August. Sadly, they band is only going to be playing a few cities. The UK band will play their first live show in over two years at Seattle?s WaMu Theater on the 26th of August before crossing the border over to Canada to play shows in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. Pre-sale tickets have already gone on sale April 1. Oasis will be joined by Ryan Adams and his band The Cardinals for the tour. Oasis is a pretty big band and it?s tragic that they only get to tour a few cities. Oh yeah, I forgot they?re indie artists now and released their latest album for free.
She may have conquered the iTunes singles chart but I guess that?s the only positive thing that we can expect from Mariah Carey. The curvaceous singer?s new single ?Touch My Body? is not on the number 15 spot on the Billboard singles chart this week. The song has been on the chart for six weeks but has failed to even just break into the top 10 having only peaked at a high of the number 14 spot last week. But with her single being number 1 on iTunes, here?s to hoping that the digital downloads will help her even just for a little bit.
Smashing Pumpkins are taking their former label, Virgin Records, to court over their use of the Pumpkins brand. The label, with whom the band split in 2000, allegedly, used the band?s name for promotional activities linked to Pepsi without their permission.
Virgin were allowed rights to sell digital downloads of the Chicago alt-indie rockers, but should not have compromised the band?s artistic integrity by using their name for promotional activities.
Ashlee Simpson continues to pimp out her new album as she meets and greets fans during a signing party for the new disc ?Bittersweet World? at Wal-Mart in Bensalem, Pennsylvania on Monday. Thousands of fans attended, some even waited almost nine hours in line just to see the ginger-haired girl. Ashlee?s new single ?Little Miss Obsessive? which features Tom Higgenson of Plain White Ts will be digitally released on March 11 and her album will hit stores and be available digitally on April 22. I?m not one to put any trust into Ashlee?s work but I have to say that her collaboration with Tom is pretty good.
With her 50th birthday looming, Madonna is planning to re-release all of her single as downloads to celebrate. I am sure this will annoy her ex-label Warner who will want to cash in on the tunes before she leaves them.
But Madge is aiming high ? the plan is to beat the record of rock king Elvis in the UK number 1?s.
You have to salute her ? she is entering the ?wrinkly? stage of her career – marking the milestone with a huge gig in New York. And thanks to her beautician and whatever other secrets she has up her sleeve she will do it looking great too.
Dannii Minogue, Kylie Minogue?s little sister, may not have the massive chart-topping appeal has her big sister but it?s not going to stop her from doing what she wants ? making music. You just have to give her props for perseverance as I?m sure she really hates only being known as Kylie?s little sister. I should probably stop saying that.
Dannii has actually released a new digital only album called ?Club Disco? and she does a chill-out cover of the Olivia Newton John classic ?Xanadu?. And with that, you can?t deny that talent really runs in the family. If only commercial success did so too.
John Mayer was spotted as he was shooting a secret music video just off Mulholland Drive with a Los Angeles backdrop late Sunday afternoon.
John?s latest song ?Say? from the soundtrack off ?The Bucket List? has sold over 39,700 downloads to date. The song is about saying out loud what you feel in your heart. On his official blog, John says that the video is a ?Sunset live performance for the upcoming DVD.?
John also had his solo acoustic First Annual Holiday Charity Revue on Saturday. He was pretty funny when he began the acoustic set saying ?It?s a real honor to be opening for myself. I ran into myself backstage and I was very nice ? and, I mean, I?m huge!?
If you have Jermaine Dupri saying F you to you, just say F you right back. The music producer wrote a very impassioned and misguided essay about the state of the music business. And coming from one of the producers who can be considered a mogul already, it makes me sick.
Not only did it clearly show his lack of appreciation for the people that buy his music, but he also looks at iTunes as a big evil monster. Janet Jackson?s main squeeze thinks that albums should be sold as a whole and consumers shouldn?t have the option to buy songs individually like we can on iTunes.
Well at least we buy a song instead of downloading them illegally!
