---Music & Lifestyle

50 Cent Vs. Interscope

2007-06-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

June 12, 2007. Music industry insiders were shocked a few weeks ago when Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson announced that the release of his third studio album Curtis would be pushed back three months. The official explanation for the delay was that it was a "necessary course of action ... to ensure the album's simultaneous worldwide release."

But one of MediaTakeOut.com's insiders at Interscope Records gave us the real deal on what happened. According to the insider, record company execs want 50 Cent to re-record at least five new tracks for the album. The insider explains, "The public didn't respond well to the first two singles [Amusement Park and Straight to the Bank] and people here got freaked out ... [One top executive] wants to make sure that there's at least one hit on the album. And he wasn't convinced by what he heard."

There's one big problem with this idea though. 50 Cent is refusing to do any more tracks unless Interscope coughs up significantly more money. The insider tells, "In [50]'s mind he's done with Curtis and he's moved on to [his next album] - which happens to be his last under contract [with Interscope]." Our snitch continues, "He's asking for an additional seven figures just to get him back in the studio."

And it looks like a showdown is brewing between 50 Cent and his record label. The tipster tells MediaTakeOut.com, "Right now everyone's still trying to stay clam, but the lawyers are getting involved - and you know what that means ... If it were anyone else [besides 50 Cent], I'd say that this whole thing could be worked out. But right now, I can't even begin to predict what's going to happen with that album."

EMI Music, YouTube Strike Content Deal

2007-06-01T06:18:00.000-07:00

EMI Music, YouTube Strike Content Deal

By: Priyanka Pradhan | Jun 01,2007

YouTube Video Award winners, OK Go and Sick Puppies.

Comme Record company, EMI Music, will now give YouTube users, access to authorized videos and recordings from EMI Music artists, including those featured in user generated content.

EMI Music will use YouTube's content management tools which feature a content identification and reporting system that will help EMI track and monetize its content and compensate its artists. YouTube's content management tools will also give EMI Music, the ability to request the removal of EMI's copyrighted content from YouTube.

Eric Nicoli, CEO of EMI Group, said, "Working with YouTube under this agreement meets EMI's objectives to offer consumers the best possible entertainment experiences, to create new ways to connect our artists to fans and to enter into innovative business models that will generate revenues for our business and our creators. YouTube has quickly established itself as a stand-out fan favorite because it's a site that taps into what people want and also consistently delivers a good experience. Through this agreement EMI Music and its artists will be fairly compensated for their work."

Ocean's 13 Soundtrack Coming Soon

2007-05-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

Ocean's Thirteen Soundtrack Coming June 5

THE FILM: Ocean’s Thirteen premieres June 8 on thousands of screens nationwide, distributed by Warner Bros. The film reunites stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Eddie Jemison and Shaobo Qin, with Carl Reiner and Elliott Gould. Al Pacino joins the cast as does Ellen Barkin. Also re-teaming for the sequel are director Steven Soderbergh (Academy Award winners Traffic, Erin Brockovich and Sex, Lies & Videotape) and producer Jerry Weintraub.

THE SOUNDTRACK: David Holmes is a renowned DJ, remixer and producer (the 1992 dancefloor hit “DeNiro”), and he also scored Soderbergh’s acclaimed Out Of Sight. His solo albums include This Film’s Crap, Let’s Slash The Seats; Let’s Get Killed; the remix collection Stop Arresting Artists and Bow Down To The Exit Sign, plus albums with the studio band Free Association.

LOS ANGELES SPECIAL EVENT – June 5: The Hand & Footprint Ceremony: George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, and producer Jerry Weintraub, will make a strong "impression" at one of the town's most famous landmarks. Surrounded by cheering fans and friends, the four will have their hand and footprints immortalized in cement in the famed forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The Hand & Footprint Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, June 5, at 11:30 a.m.

Ocean's Thirteen: Music From The Motion Picture, music by David Holmes, is in stores June 5th on Warner Bros Records.

Ocean’s Thirteen Media Player

Track Listing:
1. not there fight
2. 11,12 & 13
3. benedict returns
4. kensington chump
5. trap door man
6. laptops
7. zippo's
8. s***! s***! s***!
9. dice men
10. diamond location
11. the nose
12. caravan - Performed by Puccio Roelens
13. suite bergamasque, claire de lune, no. 3 - Performed by Isao Tomito
14. grand opening
15. earthquake
16. fender roads
17. snake eyes
18. all sewn up
19. this town - Performed by Frank Sinatra
20. soul town - Performed by The Motherhood

50 Cent Laughs...But Less

2007-05-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

Coca-Cola's $4 billion purchase of Glaceau's Vitamin Water has been a minor talking point in a rather stagnant hip-hop world for the past few days, with a sticking point coming in the form of exactly how much was personally pocketed in the deal by rapper and Vitamin Water spokesman Curtis (50 Cent) Jackson. Estimates have ranged anywhere up to $400 million dollars in net profit for the rapper.

However, a spokesperson for Energy Brands responds "While 50 Cent and many other world re-known celebrities have very lucrative and fruitful partnerships with our brand, any report stating personal figures of ownership in our company are erroneous at this time. Glaceau and Mr. Jackson have a deal in place that grants him partial ownership in his own brand. Both parties remain excited about the future of our relationship."

Meanwhile, executives at Interscope, the record label that 50 Cent is contracted to, are said to be highly disappointed at the lack of public interest in his latest singles "Straight To The Bank" and "Amusement Park". This is rumored to be a contributing factor in his latest LP entitled "Curtis" being delayed until September. 50 himself is said to be frustrated at the turn of events and is looking to salvage the situation. Reps for Interscope could not be reached.

Michael Jackson's Fortunes Rebounding

2007-05-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson's Sony/ATV Acquires Famous Music; Includes Shakira, Akon, Other Top Songwriters
By Nolan Strong
Date: 5/30/2007 9:13 am

Michael Jackson and Sony's Sony/ATV Music Publishing has acquired Famous Music LLC from Viacom it was announced today (May 30).

Famous Music's catalogue includes over 125,000 songs, giving Sony/ATV ownership of classic songs like "That's Amore," "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Aint Got That Swing)," and "Silver Bells," while contemporary hits like "Hips Don't Like" (Shakira), "The Real Slim Shady" and "Without Me" (Eminem) are also included in the purchase.

"This is a milestone event for Sony/ATV Music Publishing," Michael Jackson said in a statement. "The diverse collection of songs in this catalogue range from timeless classics to contemporary hits, and I am pleased to add the acquisition of Famous Music to Sony/ATV."

Famous Music also owns the musical catalogs of artists like Bjork, Duke Ellington, Bush, Boyz II Men, and Beck.

Current songwriters on the company's roster include Akon, Shakira, Busta Rhymes, Eminem, Nappy Roots, Linda Perry, Fred Jerkins III, 7Aurelius and others.

Famous' Extreme division also supplies high quality recordings and musical compositions for use in TV and radio advertisements, film and television productions, major network and cable broadcasts worldwide.

"The Famous Music catalogue is a world-class asset filled with evergreen songs that people know and love," added Martin N. Bandier, Chairman and CEO, Sony/ATV Music Publishing. "The depth and breadth of the catalogue is what truly makes it great, and I strongly believe that the addition of the Famous catalogue and its songwriters to Sony/ATV is another step in our long-range growth plans. In addition, we are pleased to be entering the production music business through Famous' Extreme division. Extreme's valuable creative team and unique business model will be a terrific complement to our core music publishing business."

Famous Music was founded in 1928 and is one the largest independent music publishers.

The purchase of Famous Music comes on the heels of Sony/ATV's acquisition of the legendary body of work published by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who wrote, arranged and produced hits like Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock", " The Drifters' "On Broadway," Wilbert Harrison's "Kansas City" and the Clovers' "Love Potion No. 9," The Coasters' "Yakety Yak" and numerous other hits.

Sony/ATV Music Publishing was established in 1995 by Michael Jackson and Sony.

The company owns or administers over 500,000 copyrights, including works by The Beatles, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, The Everly Brothers, Hank Williams, Jimi Hendrix and numerous others.

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DRM-Free Music Now A Reality

2007-05-30T10:52:00.001-07:00

DRM-Free Music Now Available on iTunes
By Jennifer LeClaire

May 30, 2007 10:00AM

Digg It! Bookmark to del.icio.us

With the release of iTunes Plus, customers can download DRM-free tracks from EMI artists without limitations on the type of music player or number of computers on which the purchased songs can be played; the iTunes Plus songs will play on all iPods, Macs, Windows PCs, as well as many other digital music players.

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On Wednesday, Apple launched two new elements within its iTunes Music Store: iTunes Plus and iTunes U. Analysts described the new features as an evolutionary move designed to broaden the iTunes user base.

The new iTunes Plus offers DRM-free music tracks encoded in AAC at 256 Kbps for $1.29 per song. Plus launches with EMI's digital catalog, including singles and albums from Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, Norah Jones, Frank Sinatra, Joss Stone, Pink Floyd, John Coltrane, and more than a dozen of Paul McCartney's classic albums.

"Our customers are very excited about the freedom and amazing sound quality of iTunes Plus," Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO, said in a statement. "We expect more than half of the songs on iTunes will be offered in iTunes Plus versions by the end of this year."

A Digital Milestone

With the release of iTunes Plus, customers can download tracks from EMI artists without limitations on the type of music player or number of computers on which the purchased songs can be played. The iTunes Plus songs will play on all iPods, Macs, Windows PCs, as well as many other digital music players.

The iTunes store will continue to offer its entire catalog, currently over five million songs, in the same versions as today -- 128 Kbps AAC with DRM -- at 99 cents per song, alongside the higher quality iTunes Plus versions, when available. Customers can upgrade their library of previously purchased EMI content to iTunes Plus tracks for 30 cents a song, or $3.00 for most albums.

EMI called the launch of the DRM-free iTunes content a significant milestone, and NPD Group analyst Russ Crupnick agreed. He predicted DRM in the digital world might eventually cease altogether for two reasons: higher price points are favorable to the industry and DRM-free content could open up new sales avenues.

"DRM-free music is a way of getting more people into the practice of buying digital music. The hope is that other music stores could offer content that would get more people into the whole digital music arena," Crupnick said. "To me, that's the next important step. We've got a lot of early adopters coming in. But how do you start to mainstream digital music? This might help."

Continuing Education

Apple didn't stop there. The company also announced the launch of iTunes U, a dedicated area within the iTunes store featuring free content such as course lectures, language lessons, lab demonstrations, sports highlights, and campus tours provided by top U.S. colleges and universities including Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Duke University, and MIT.

"iTunes U makes it easy for anyone to access amazing educational material from many of the country's most respected colleges and universities," Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of iTunes, said in a statement. "Education is a lifelong pursuit and we're pleased to give everyone the ability to download lectures, speeches, and other academic content for free."

Created in collaboration with colleges and universities, iTunes U aims to make it easier to extend learning, explore interests, learn more about a school, and stay connected with an alma mater. The move demonstrates Apple's intent to make iTunes more of a community, according to Richard Doherty, an analyst at Envisioneering Group.

"Apple has traditionally played a strong role in the public school system and now iTunes U goes up the ladder a little bit by offering a music interface that gives people access to content that's not always easy to get," Doherty noted. "We're entering into a phase of our economy where education is becoming more important, so this is a wonderful move for people."

CBS Buys Music Network Last.fm

2007-05-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

CBS said in a statement that the online service has more than 15 million active users in more than 200 countries and would fit well with its plans to attract younger viewers and transform it from a content company to an audience company.

The Last team will continue to run the online network under the terms of the deal and work with CBS to apply its community-building and technology expertise to extend CBS businesses online, the media conglomerate said.

Last has earned glowing praise for its system, which recommends songs by tracking listeners' music-playing habits and linking them to fans with similar tastes.

The group, based in London, has also recently signed deals with music majors Warner Music Group and EMI Group to play their music. Last launched in 2002 and has its largest concentration of users in the United States, Britain, Germany, Poland, Brazil and Japan.

"Last.fm is one of the most well-established, fastest-growing online community networks out there," said Leslie Moonves, President and Chief executive of CBS.

"Their demographics play perfectly to CBS' goal to attract younger viewers and listeners across our businesses," Moonves said. "Last.fm adds a terrific interactive extension to all of our properties and also is a huge step in CBS Corporation's overall strategy of expanding our reach online to transition from a content company into an audience company."