Category: News (Page 9 of 136)

Paul Westerberg finally signs with a label

December 11, 2009 /

I sincerely wanted Paul Westerberg to find success with his digital albums, but he really made it tough on those who wanted to purchase them. In 2008, he released the 49:00 on Amazon and TuneCore, but it was quickly removed, supposedly because of the cover medley. A new song, “5:05,” was put up in its place. Three songs followed — also in mp3 format — to little or no fanfare.

Nearly a year later, “PW & The Ghost Gloves Cat Wing Joy Boys” emerged, available exclusively on Amazon. Rather than work with labels, Westerberg was becoming a bit too comfortable releasing music on his own. It’s all well and good to have the rights to your songs, but this guy deserves some decent promotion and representation.

Now he does. Westerberg has joined forces with publishing powerhouse Bug Music.

Per American Songwriter:

Under the terms of the deal, Bug Music and Westerberg have entered into a publishing agreement encompassing Westerberg’s recordings with The Replacements, solo works and future recordings.

“We look forward to working with Paul’s Replacements and solo catalogs,” said Eddie Gomez, Sr. VP of Creative Services, Bug Music. “Paul is a major link in a respected chain of modern songwriters and his songwriting continues to resonate and influence a whole new generation of listeners.”

To be a musician, performer, and songwriter is a juggling act,” said Westerberg. “Throw in the bowling ball of publisher and it becomes downright work. The good people at Bug Music – I hear only of their imagination and proficiency – have stepped in to facilitate with Dry Wood, Elegant Mule, and Nah Music, leaving me free to augment my juggling feat with the flaming chain saw of snooker.”

Is a proper full-length on the way?

Artists, News

Lenny Kravitz will not sing for Aerosmith

December 8, 2009 /

Kravitz

With Steven Tyler preoccupied with his “Brand Tyler” project, the other members of Aerosmith are reportedly looking for a new singer to celebrate their 40th anniversary as a band. Lenny Kravitz was rumored to be the frontrunner, but the “American Woman” singer has confirmed on his Twitter page that, since Tyler is a family friend, he wouldn’t accept the offer.

Kravitz had been linked to the role amid ongoing speculation about Tyler’s future with the group.

However, in a message on his Twitter page, Kravitz said his friendship with Tyler prevented him from ever taking the singer’s place.

“As much as I am flattered that Aerosmith’s camp would consider me to front the band, Steven Tyler is a family friend, and no voice could ever take the place of his,” he wrote.

“I hope the band stays together. They are classic.”
Tyler’s position has been in doubt ever since the frontman broke his shoulder after falling off stage in August, prompting the cancellation of Aerosmith’s US tour.

Aerosmith is in a serious bind. They won’t recruit a singer nobody’s hear of because album and concert sales would suffer. Also, they won’t record or tour with a slew of famous singers because that’s admitting they need Tyler. What to do?

Artists, News

Spiral Stairs hints at new Pavement material

December 7, 2009 /

Pavement

I don’t know how I let this euphoric piece of new fly under my radar. In an interview with The Age, Pavement’s Spiral Stairs suggests the band will record new songs if the tour goes well. He’s screwing with us, right?

The announcement claimed the tour was not a prelude to a full-blown reformation but during a recent chat Kannberg revealed that new Pavement songs could be on the cards.

“If it’s enjoyable for us, I think it is inevitable that we’ll make some more music,” Kannberg said from Seattle as he packed up his worldly goods ahead of a move to Melbourne to marry an Australian lass.

“I hope so because I think it will be fun.

“If I was a fan of the band, I’d want to hear some new music, but we’re just going to see how it goes.

“We’re taking it one step at a time.”

Kannberg said Pavement had plenty of creative steam left when it broke up, and he had missed the band’s unique chemistry, camaraderie and sense of humour.

During Pavement’s years apart, Kannberg toured with his Preston School of Industry outfit and appeared as a guest with other relatively obscure bands. But it just wasn’t the same.

Pavement is the one band I wouldn’t mind recording new material after a long hiatus. People always wonder what the next Beatles album would have sounded like if the band had stayed together. I wasn’t around back then, so I never had the rabid curiosity. With Pavement, however, I can’t help but speculate.

Artists, News

Vinyl LP sales continue to rise

December 4, 2009 /

vinyl

As retail powerhouses such as Wal-Mart and Amazon begin to carry vinyl on their websites, the market seems to be showing signs of confidence in the ancient format.

Soundscan reports 2.2 million units of vinyl sold this year, already above 2008’s figure, with the holiday shopping season ahead. Last year’s vinyl sales — more than 2 million units — were the most since Nielsen SoundScan started tracking them in 1991.

It’s still a small figure compared with album sales in digital format, which stand at about 69 million units year-to-date. But nonetheless, LP sales are growing just when disks were supposed to be disappearing.

“Vinyl business in the last four years went from 15% to 60% of our business,” says Matthew Wishnow, president and founder of leading vinyl sales company InSound.com, which needed bigger offices to house its LPs.?

Pete Lyman, co-owner of Infrasonic Sound Recording and a full service mastering engineer who prepares masters for pressing onto vinyl, says LP sales are “saving the album as a format. And I think (vinyl) will soon be the only tangible form of music delivery.”

InSound.com, says Wishnow, approached the labels about offering a legal download with a vinyl LP. “With that option, purchasing becomes a no-brainer for consumers,” he says. “We noticed a huge increase in catalog titles when we paired them with MP3 downloads.”

By selling MP3 with an LP, InSound.com appealed to three demographics: the impulsive download buyer, the music-snob collector, and the young hipster — and got all of them to actually buy music on disks.

There’s certainly an assumed “cool factor” that’s come with the recent vinyl trend. That’s unavoidable. Personally, I started buying the format because the albums I wanted didn’t exist on CD. Plus, used records are often fairly cheap.

As for new albums released on vinyl, I can’t afford them. Label exploit vinyl’s current popularity by overpricing. That’s ridiculous. It will be some time before CDs become obsolete, but I certainly foresee the dominance of the digital and vinyl formats. I just think a band’s new album should cost the same on iTunes as well as on vinyl.

News

Ron Wood arrested on suspicion of domestic abuse

December 4, 2009 /

Wood

Police officers in Esher, Surrey, responding to reports of a “domestic incident,” arrested 62 year-old guitarist Ron Wood at his home on Claygate High Street. Witnesses claim they saw the Rolling Stones member choking his 20 year-old Russian girlfriend, Ekaterina Ivanova.

Celine Dixon told The Sun that she and her boyfriend, Phillip Legge, witnessed the incident outside an Indian restaurant at around 11.30pm.

She said: “We heard a woman screaming, then saw a man pinning her to the ground.

“He was shouting at her then we heard choking sounds so my boyfriend rushed out to help. When he got outside he saw it was Ronnie and Ekaterina.”
Miss Dixon added that Wood let Miss Ivanova go and walked away when challenged by Mr Legge.

The couple then escorted Miss Ivanova back to their home before calling police, she said.

A spokesman for Wood, David Rigg of Project Associates, said: “I can confirm that there was an incident (on Wednesday night) and that Ronnie Wood was arrested. He has since been released on police bail.

“We have no further statement to make at this time.”

Wood began his affair with Ivanova in July of last year. After 23 years of marriage, he left his wife Jo for the young Russian.

News

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2026 Eat Sleep Drink Music

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑