fidzu : Music news

FAIR OAKS, Calif. (AP) - Kevin Sharp, a country music singer who recorded multiple chart-topping songs and survived a well-publicized battle with cancer, has died. He was 43.

20 Apr 2014 11:28pm GMT

Female Canadian singer-songwriter Kiesza grabbed the top spot in Britain's music charts on Sunday with her debut single "Hideaway", which sold more than 136,000 copies, the Official Charts Company said. Calgary-born Kiesza is a classically-trained ballerina and a former codebreaker in the Royal Canadian Navy where she says she began writing songs. In the albums chart, Scottish singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini snatched the top spot with his new album "Caustic Love", the fastest-selling album of the year so far. The Official Charts Company said the release, Nutini's third studio album, had sold more than 109,000 copies over the last seven days and was the 27-year-old's second UK number one album.

20 Apr 2014 6:49pm GMT

INDIO, Calif. (AP) - When it first started in 1999, Coachella was a couple of stages and a dance tent. Tickets were $65. A few dusty stands sold hot dogs and Cokes. It was the end of grunge and the start of a new millennium, and it was all about the music. All for one weekend.

19 Apr 2014 3:25pm GMT

NEW YORK (AP) - Prince now owns the rights to the music he recorded on Warner Bros. Records after years of disputes and battles with the record label.

18 Apr 2014 7:55pm GMT

By Chris Michaud NEW YORK (Reuters) - Music and movies played together even before sound revolutionized film during its infancy, and so it is at the Tribeca Film Festival where the documentary lineup is heavy on musical subjects, from hip hop star Nas to shock rocker Alice Cooper. And while documentaries have traditionally comprised as much as half of Tribeca's scores of offerings, films about musicians Bjork, Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir, James Brown and others have lent this year's festival a decidedly tuneful air. "We never program to an agenda," said Tribeca's director of programming, Genna Terranova.

18 Apr 2014 2:15pm GMT

By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - Several major U.S. music companies sued Pandora Media Inc on Thursday, accusing the online streaming service of cheating them out of royalties by playing thousands of pre-1972 recordings without paying royalties. The music in question, from musicians such as the Beatles, Louis Armstrong, Marvin Gaye and Fleetwood Mac, is "some of the most iconic music in the world," the lawsuit said. The plaintiffs include Vivendi SA's Capitol Records Inc and UMG Recordings Inc, Sony Corp's Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group Corp and ABKCO Music & Records Inc. Pandora did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

17 Apr 2014 10:35pm GMT

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Jimi Hendrix made it shriek. Buddy Holly made it swing. Stevie Ray Vaughn made it snarl.

17 Apr 2014 9:18pm GMT

By Ana Martinez-Santiago SAN JUAN (Reuters) - Puerto Rican singer José Luis "Cheo" Feliciano, who performed with some of salsa's top stars, was killed in a car crash in San Juan early Thursday morning, police said. Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla declared three days of mourning for the widely admired salsero. Feliciano died shortly after 4 a.m, according to Axel Valencia, a San Juan police spokesman. The El Nuevo Dia newspaper said his Jaguar hit an electricity pole.

17 Apr 2014 5:28pm GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Budweiser Made in America music festival is coming to Los Angeles, but who is performing and how the city will manage the two-day concert are still mysteries.

16 Apr 2014 10:24pm GMT

LONDON (AP) - Musicians who performed in the London production of "War Horse" have lost a legal bid to stop the National Theatre from replacing them with a recorded soundtrack.

15 Apr 2014 4:03pm GMT

By Patricia Reaney NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hip-hop artists Macklemore & Ryan Lewis scored the most American Music Awards nominations on Thursday with nods in six categories, followed by country-pop star Taylor Swift and singer Justin Timberlake with five each. The duo will compete in the top category, artist of the year, against singer Bruno Mars, Swift, Timberlake and pop singer Rihanna, who collected four nominations. Also getting four nominations were country music pair Florida Georgia Line and R&B singer Robin Thicke. Rapper will.i. ...

10 Oct 2013 4:14pm GMT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Country-pop singer Taylor Swift will be honored as this year's songwriter and artist of the year by the Nashville Songwriters Association International, making her the only artist to win the award six times, her record company said on Wednesday. The 23-year-old singer and writer of pop crossover hits "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "I Knew You Were Trouble" will be officially named the award's recipient on Sunday, Big Machine Records said. The annual award recognizes country music's songwriters who scored top 30 hits during the past year. ...

09 Oct 2013 10:39pm GMT

By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop singer Justin Timberlake scored his second chart-topping album this year on Wednesday as his latest record debuted at No. 1 on the weekly Billboard 200 album chart, capping the singer's successful return to the musical spotlight. Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience - 2 of 2," which follows the first set of 10 songs released in March this year, sold 350,000 copies in its first week, according to figures compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The first installment of "The 20/20 Experience" sold 968,000 copies, the biggest opening week sales of the year so ...

09 Oct 2013 10:14pm GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Guitarist Phil Chevron of the Anglo-Irish folk-punk band the Pogues died on Tuesday at the age of 56 after a long battle with cancer, the band said. Chevron joined the Pogues in 1984 and became a core member as the group made its name internationally in the 1980s and early 1990s with albums including "Rum, Sodomy and The Lash" and "If I Should Fall From Grace With God". Chevron, whose real name was Philip Ryan, wrote the band's popular ballad "Thousands Are Sailing". "He was unique. We'll miss him terribly. ...

08 Oct 2013 8:38pm GMT

By Angus MacSwan LONDON (Reuters) - Decades on from his days as an angry young rocker, a role in a Hollywood movie playing an ageing musician struggling to make a comeback has helped give a new lease of life to Graham Parker. In the movie, Judd Apatow's "This is 40", the bid fails. In the real world, however, things are going pretty well for the 62-year-old London native. He's brought out a well-received album, a documentary and a concert film with his reunited backing band, the Rumour. In late October they play their first British dates in 31 years. The London show sold out straight away. ...

08 Oct 2013 11:49am GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. rock band OneRepublic snatched the top spot in the British singles chart on Sunday, edging out The Vamps in the closest race for the number one position seen all year, the Official Charts Company said on Sunday. A late surge for OneRepublic's 'Counting Stars' helped them outsell new entry 'Can We Dance' from British band The Vamps by just 1,150 copies to reach the pinnacle of the charts for the first time. Former number one 'Talk Dirty' by Jason Derulo and featuring rapper 2 Chainz fell to number three, while Katy Perry's 'Roar' dropped into fourth place. ...

06 Oct 2013 6:07pm GMT

Arcade Fire and Chase & Status also triumph at London ceremony

09 Nov 2011 4:51pm GMT

Drummer Matt Helders proffers his own take on track

09 Nov 2011 4:11pm GMT

Folk band will return to the UK next for four more shows

09 Nov 2011 3:40pm GMT

Mudhoney, Yuck and Sleep are also confirmed for the event

09 Nov 2011 3:17pm GMT

This week's episode sees characters Kurt and Blaine lose their virginity

09 Nov 2011 2:16pm GMT

The star would like to go back to the role that made her name

09 Nov 2011 1:52pm GMT

The Bureau won't be putting out any new Pixies material though

09 Nov 2011 1:14pm GMT

Mute Records will release film score outside North America, says Nine Inch Nails man

09 Nov 2011 12:39pm GMT

Band were forced to move shows after singer Matt Skiba broke his foot

09 Nov 2011 12:35pm GMT

Julie Taymor says the show's producers owe her a lot of compensation

09 Nov 2011 12:21pm GMT

Jane Holmes says she left her other half after he told her: 'Choose Westlife or me'

09 Nov 2011 12:05pm GMT

Jennifer Saunders plans to leave Edina and Patsy all at sea in the movie

09 Nov 2011 11:42am GMT

Madchester legends will apparently pocket £1 million for gigs next summer

09 Nov 2011 11:39am GMT

The horror film's controversy has not translated into receipts

09 Nov 2011 11:20am GMT

Band's stage set will also be completely crowd-interactive

09 Nov 2011 11:19am GMT

'Tower Heist' director is 'determined to learn from the experience'

09 Nov 2011 10:58am GMT

Danish rock duo The Raveonettes has announced the dates for a fall tour in support of its fourth studio album, Billboard.com can exclusively report.

21 Jul 2009 12:23pm GMT

Jackson Browne is hopeful that the protection of music copyrights will be bolstered by the settlement of his lawsuit against U.S. Sen. John McCain and the Republican Party over unauthorized use of one of his songs in the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign.

21 Jul 2009 10:00am GMT

Sony Corp.'s movie studio has bid $50 million to acquire the worldwide distribution rights to a film based on rehearsal footage for Michael Jackson's "This Is It" comeback concert series, according to a person familiar with the bid.

21 Jul 2009 9:27am GMT

Alt-rock acts Florence & The Machine and Kasabian have emerged as the bookmakers' favorites for the 2009 Barclaycard Mercury Prize, the U.K.'s album of the year award.

21 Jul 2009 9:08am GMT

Norwegian rock duo Kings Of Convenience will break a five-year silence this fall with its third studio album, "Declaration of Dependence," due Oct. 20 from Virgin.

21 Jul 2009 5:07am GMT

Sources have confirmed to Billboard that a deal between the Michael Jackson Estate, AEG Live and Sony for a theatrical release of the Michael Jackson rehearsal footage from the ill-fated This Is It concerts could close today.

21 Jul 2009 1:43am GMT

The Beastie Boys' Adam "MCA" Yauch has been diagnosed with cancer and will undergo surgery, he announced in a video posting on the group's website this morning. The band has canceled its summer tour plans and delayed the release of its forthcoming album, "Hot Sauce Committee Part 1," in order to allow time for his recovery.

20 Jul 2009 12:44pm GMT

JLS, the British boy band who were runners-up to Alexandra Burke in the fifth series of talent series "The X Factor" last December, scored a No. 1 U.K. single yesterday (19) with their first release, "Beat Again" (Epic/Sony Music Entertainment). "The Essential Michael Jackson," also on Epic, got a third week atop the album chart.

20 Jul 2009 10:50am GMT

Prince fans from across Europe converged on Montreux for two shows by the American musician whose rare appearance on the continent stretched well into Sunday morning. The 51-year-old star closed the two-week Swiss Montreux Jazz Festival with a mix of old hits including "Little Red Corvette," "Peach" and "Purple Rain" and fresh titles such as "Elixir" from his new album with singer Bria Valente.

20 Jul 2009 9:46am GMT

For nearly a decade, the Eagles' "Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975" has been the recording industry's ultimate evergreen release, certified by the RIAA as the all-time best-selling album in the United States. But thanks to continued robust demand for Michael Jackson's catalog since his June 25 death, "Thriller" appears on the verge of matching "Their Greatest Hits," at least in the eyes of the industry trade group.

20 Jul 2009 9:14am GMT

Paula Abdul's new manager says she may not be returning to "American Idol."

20 Jul 2009 9:07am GMT

It's a familiar narrative: wunderkind with a gift for music takes it seriously, and lands a major-label deal before he gets his driver's license. Usher, Chris Brown and Britney Spears all fit the formula. Now, Justin Bieber can add his name to the list.

20 Jul 2009 9:03am GMT

John Fogerty's "The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again," a new collection of Fogerty recordings of some of his favorite classic songs, is set for release Sept. 1 on Fortune Son/Verve Forecast. The album, recorded under the guise of the mythical group of his 1972 solo debut, includes guest spots from Bruce Springsteen and members of the Eagles, and features covers of songs by John Prine, Buck Owens and John Denver, among others, as well as Fogerty's own "Change in the Weather."

20 Jul 2009 3:00am GMT

A pair of home town stadium concerts over the weekend gave Kid Rock and a couple of his support acts an opportunity to showcase new material for the 40,000 fans who attended each show.

19 Jul 2009 1:49am GMT

Thanks to tours with The Dead and the Allman Brothers Band, a new Gov't Mule album and tour and a planned solo album, Warren Haynes is having his busiest year ever -- and is enjoying it immensely.

17 Jul 2009 11:49am GMT

On the heels of its 'Best Children's Album' Grammy win for "Here Come the 123's," They Might Be Giants is readying the release of another kid-centric set, "Here Comes Science." The album and animated DVD is due Sept. 1 on Amazon and iTunes and everywhere Sept. 22 on Disney Sound.

17 Jul 2009 11:16am GMT