Hawaiian Musicians Objection Grammys

Boycott of awards based on removal of ethnic music categories picks up steam

A group of musicians are intimidating a boycott of CBS after the Recording Academy sliced 31 awards from this year’s Grammys, according to the Associated Press. An official Grammy press release said the result to lessen the categories from 109 to 78 “carry on evolution” for the Recording Academy, but Grammy-nominated Latin jazz percussionist Bobby Sanabria, who is leading the alliance, says the reform is a racist decision that unfairly shorts ethnic music. Specific categories like best Zydeco or Cajun music album, best Latin jazz and best classical crossover all got the axe in favor of more universal ones.

Support for the society is growing. This morning, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reported that Hawaiian musicians like slack-key king Dennis Kamakahi support the boycott after that Hawaiian music was bumped into a vague “regional roots" category alongside Native American music and polka.

On Thursday, the Academy subjected the following statement: "The Recording Academy's board of trustees and its committees — made up of chosen, qualified voting members from The Academy's 12 chapter cities around the country and a broad range of music makers — spent two years researching and eventually making the decision to restructure the Grammy Awards categories for reasons that had everything to do with recognizing fineness in music and the integrity of our awards and nothing to do with ethnicity or race."

Rihanna, Britney kick off invigorated Billboard Awards

After five years of dormancy, the Billboard Music Awards were invigorated Sunday with a major dose of star power.

Rihanna got the show off to a steamy start, wearing a skimpy leather outfit for her hit song "S&M," and was joined at the end of the number by Britney Spears, who came into view on a remix on the track.

Taylor Swift won the evening's first award, as top album artist, at the back the multimillion sales for "Speak Now."

"The impact of an album is all resolute by the fans," she told the audience. "You've just given me another reason to be completely in love with you."

Other award winners built-in Justin Bieber (digital artist) and the Black Eyed Peas (top duo/group).

Beyonce conventional a special Millennium Award for her career achievements: The 29-year-old phenomenon was lauded in a video by an array of legends and luminaries, as well as Stevie Wonder, Barbara Streisand, Bono, Lady Gaga and First Lady Michelle Obama.

"This is a moment I have to immerse in because it's gonna be -- and it is -- one of the best moments of my life," said Beyonce after getting the award from her mother, Tina Knowles. Beyonce also did her new song, "Run the World (Girls)."

This year marks the Billboard Awards' rebirth. The Billboard Awards had been a yclip since 1989, but gave out what came into view to be its last award in 2006. This year, the show was brought back.

It was held in Las Vegas, broadcast live on ABC and hosted by "The Hangover 2"' star Ken Jeong.

The Billboard Music Awards are given out to music's most popular artists. The finalists and winners are strong-minded by their rank on the Billboard charts and their "social and streaming activity."

Rihanna is the top finalist, competing in 18 categories. Among the awards she's up for take in top artist, top female artist, and top radio songs artist.

Eminem's name appears in 16 categories, counting top artist. He's also vying for top male artist as well as top social artist.

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Mechanical Animal: Lady Gaga's Insane Album Wrap Is the Best Part of 'Born This Way'

Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild" is very closely linked with the motorcycle road movie Easy Rider. That's the main clue we're working with today in our study into why Lady Gaga decided to make her Born This Way album wrap an odd mix of a calendar hanging in a mechanic's office crossed with the roaring jaguar on the cover of Roxy Music's For Your Pleasure.

Obviously some of Gaga's fans don't care for the cover, but it's our favorite part of Born This Way yet by a long shot. Little Monsters are so upset, there's in fact a theory circulating that Gaga is revealing her fans three times, and that the cover she tweeted is a fake.

Here are their primary complaints:

It looks like it Cost $2 and a Photoshop Intern to Make: "Love you Gaga-always will but this album cover is just........cheap looking," tweeted Cristink3. "Gaga I really love u but this cover is awful, very mediocre and unprofessional...I'm in shock. Please do not dissapoint your fans," added Iotiprego.

It Lacks Certain... Je Ne Sais Quoi: "wait, is this serious? With all due respect, i expected something ... classier?" complained Cglink. "I think this looks like random fan ar," Alan_PB wrote.

It doesn’t seem to relate to the Music: "Gaga I'm so disappointed! I love u but this cover is not pop, rock or even 70's metal. It sucks. :S," sniffed Thisislordl. "No graphic designer in their right mind would approve of such an atrocious font, and not only that, It has an awful metallic- looking bevel and emboss! It is terrible," wrote bleakc.

Gaga tweeted the artwork with a note that referenced a "highway unicorn" and implored fans to "'get your hot rods ready to rumble." Make of that what you will. But the good news is plenty of people are making something out of that ludicrously incredible album cover, like Rolling Stone did when Adam Lambert released his similarly wackadoo For Your Entertainment artwork. Gawker put together a small gallery of great Born This Way parodies, and we highly recommend you check that out.

Rihanna a finalist for 18 Billboard Music Awards

Rihanna is leading the set as a finalist for the 2011 Billboard Music Awards.

The finalists were proclaimed Wednesday, and Rihanna got herself into 18 spots including Top Hot 100 Artist and Top Female Artist. Love the Way You Lie, her collaboration with Eminem, makes her a force to be reckoned in six song categories.

Eminem isn’t far behind; he’s a finalist in 16 categories. Lady Gaga is up for 12 awards and Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber are up for 11 each.

The Billboard Music Awards show will air May 22 on ABC, when winners in all 46 categories will be proclaimed. Chart-topper Rihanna will perform, as will the Black Eyed Peas, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum and more.

Lil Wayne Brings His 'Whole Clique' On I Am Music II Tour

Lil Wayne is a superstar act, but the New Orleans MC isn't just a solo wrap up. When he hits the stage at his I Am Music II showcase, he has his Young Money crew in tow, counting Nicki Minaj, Lil Twist, Mack Maine, Jae Millz and Shanell.

It's a lesson the Cash Money Records artist erudite from watching Bad Boy and Roc-A-Fella treks in the past.

"That's where I get my little vigor from, when I bring my whole group out there, and I want them to be heard," Wayne told. "I keep in mind when [Bad Boy] had Total, Biggie, Ma$e, Junior Mafia, all of them other people. Then you think of the Roc. We're more so like the Roc. 'Cause Jay always had artists the world didn't know, but he put them on the proper song and everyone knows the song. But this time approximately, I want you to know the song, I want you to know the person, I want you to know us. And it's no secret about it; I got the toughest team in the game right now and later."

On Wednesday, Weezy kicked off the follow-up to his winning I Am Music Tour. The show is set to run for 31 days, and all through, he'll be joined by Rick Ross and Travis Barker with DJ Mix Master Mike. Drake, Tyga and the rest of Wayne's YM family are predictable to drop in for select dates.

Wayne is touring in support of his approaching Tha Carter IV album, which he says is due in stores and online May 16.

iTunes Unlimited Downloads May Move toward Midyear – Report

Unlimited download of previously bought music from Apple’s iTunes store may be applied by midyear, reports Bloomberg.

Citing “three people with information of the plans”, the publication says that customers may gain “easier access to music they’ve purchased across multiple devices” if the deal do well.

Kind of like cloud storage of music previously purchased, Bloomberg reports that iPads, iPods and iPhones linked to the same iTunes account will be clever to download purchased media.

According to the report, Apple is at present in talks with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group Corp., and EMI Group Ltd.

Two of the three basis of the publication had apparently said that a deal may be announced by midyear.

“A deal would give iTunes customers with a permanent backup of music purchases if the originals are damaged or lost, said the people,” Bloomberg says.

Apple, which is set to open a $1 billion North Carolina data center, is seen by analysts to move more of its armed forces to the cloud.

Shania Twain named into Canadian Music Hall of Fame

Newlywed Shania Twain has one more reason to smile -- the Timmins, Ont., native has been proclaimed as the 2011 inductee to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

The 12-time Juno Award winner will be privileged during this year's award telecast in Toronto on March 27, marking her first return to the Junos since hosting the 2003 bash in Ottawa.

Twain married Swiss businessman Frederic Thiebaud on New Year's Day in Rincon, Puerto Rico in face of 40 family members and friends.

The 45-year-old Twain is getting ready to launch a TV show on Oprah Winfrey's cable channel, OWN, called "Why Not? With Shania Twain," and has plans to issue a memoir.

With over 80 million albums sold worldwide, the five-time Grammy-winning Twain places among the best-selling artists of all time.

The 40th Juno Awards ceremony will be hosted by 24-year-old Toronto rapper Drake. Nominations will be announced on Feb. 1.

"Shania Twain revolutionized the look and sound of country music, and truly is one of the most accomplished and famous music artists of her era," said Melanie Berry, president and CEO of Junos organizer the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, in a statement.

"Her authenticity as a songwriter and performer has made her a global basis of power, and we're so proud to honour her at home in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame."

Warner signs fresh publishing chief EMI signs Pink Floyd – again

Warner Music signs issuing exec behind Cee Lo’s “F*** You”

Warner Music Group has signed up a fresh publishing chief Cameron Strang as CEO of Warner/Chappell Music, its music publishing unit. The world’s No.3 music company said David Johnson, who previously held the joint title of chairman/CEO of Warner/Chappell, will carry on as chairman until July at which point Strang will take on the additional role of chairman as well.

Johnson, who was before the company’s general counsel, has led Warner/Chappell since 2006.
Strang, 44, founded New West Records and Southside Independent Music Publishing in 1995. As part of deal Warner/Chappell has obtained Strang’s Southside whose songs include 2010 hits like B.oB.’s Nothin’ on You and Cee Lo Green’s “F*** You” (pictured left) both nominated for Record of Year 2011.

Music publishing has usually been the unfashionable arm of the music industry when compared to the label side. But in recent years it has become more and more valuable part of the business because of its steady cash flow from a variety of revenue sources beyond decrease CD sales.

Song publishers are usually run by some of the veterans of the business like Marty Bandier, 70, at Sony/ATV Music Publishing who have great skill at extracting value out of songs for decades after they were first released. Strang’s knowledge of today’s hit music could put him in good stead for both short and the long-term.

When is the new Britney Spears single being free?

She’s keyed up for her new album to drop in March and in the interim Britney Spears has a hot new single on the way.

And in spite of the report from New York’s Z100 that “Hold It Against Me” was scheduled to release on January 7th, the “Baby One More Time” singer’s manager Adam Leber says nothing is in stone yet.

Leber tweeted, "Lot of misinformation out there regarding the release of Brits 1st single. Don't believe everything you read. Unless of course it's an official declaration coming in January. STAY TUNED....."

"That said, the single is absolutely coming in January. PS- happy new years people. Sorry guys, but never pay attention to unofficial announcements. Just trying to clarify. Please don't 'hold it against me.' "

Lady Gaga Publicize Release Dates For Born This Way, First Single

The clock struck midnight and fetched good news for Lady Gaga fans.

As promised, the pop superstar tweeted a big statement with regard to her forthcoming album, Born This Way. While others were tasting champagne to trumpet in the New Year, the Gaga faithful were pending news from their beloved. And at midnight, the singer tweeted that her third album will be free in stores on May 23 and the first single from it will be released on February 13.

"THE SONG 2 13 11 THE RECORD 5 23 11," is all she wrote.

Along with the statement, Gaga tweeted a new black-and-white photo in which she is nude from the waist down, with her hair blowing about, and sporting a jacket with the album's title emblazoned in what look like dazed jewels.

Before she made the statement official, she teased her Twitter followers with lyrics from Born This Way, writing, "I'm beautiful in my way, 'cause God makes no mistakes/ I'm on the right track baby, I was born this way/ Don't hide yourself in regret, just love yourself and you're set/ I'm on the right track, baby, I was born this way."

This could be one more stellar year for Gaga. Her last album, The Fame Monster, was the best-selling album of 2010 worldwide, selling nearly 6 million copies. She also has had seven successive singles that have been top 10 hits, with two of them hitting no. 1.

American Ballet's 'Nutcracker' Opening

Just before Christmas, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, more than 100 American Ballet Theatre supporters are there a "family friendly" pre-show gala on opening night of the company's new production of "The Nutcracker." Notable guests included David Koch, Blaine Trump, Ana Gasteyer and Veronica Webb.

Many carried their children, who were well-dressed and well- behaved. They queued for a photo-op against a fake snowed-in forest with the production's adorable scene-stealer, the three-foot tall, skinny-limbed, pot-bellied mouse, played by 10-year old Raju Sawak.

No child complained of hunger, thanks to two food stations. One featured Russian-themed snacks like blinis, pierogies and chicken soup. The other: fudge, cheesecake popsicles, wrapped chocolates, and donuts. The actress Mary-Louise Parker stacked a dozen treats on a plate and brought them to her mother sitting on a nearby couch. "I mean, who doesn't like candy?" she asked. The actress had taken dance classes from the age of 4 to 17, but, she said, "I was not very good." She makes the Nutcracker an annual tradition for her two children, who were off coloring marionette.

With New York City Ballet running its own Nutcracker at Lincoln Center, who better to sift through the dissimilarities between productions than 10-year-old Sara Rose Shannon, who last year performed with NYCB and now appears in one of the irregular casts at BAM. "This one's a little more modern," she said.

"Did she tell you she's understudy for the mouse?" asked her mother, Jennifer. "And that little mouse has a very big role." When Sara Rose was then asked if she'd ever daydream about debilitating the dancer whose role she understudied, she very sweetly and firmly said no. Apparently, she hadn't seen "Black Swan."

Sony launches music streaming overhaul

Sony has launched a music streaming overhaul in a bid to break Apple's supremacy of the online music business.

The Japanese company's “Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity” is a cloud computing-based digital music service that does not engage downloading tracks like Apple's iTunes.

Instead, a subscription gives users access to a catalogue of about six million songs, which can streamed to Sony's Internet-connected devices like the PlayStation 3, personal computers and Bravia TVs. The service can be synchronized with a user's existing music files, including iTunes, Sony said.

The service began in the UK and Ireland on Wednesday and will be revolved out in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, New Zealand and the United States next year. - Sapa-AP

Lady Gaga Wants To Be A Design Teacher

Anyone who’s ever sat through a college class knows it’s hard enough to pay attention without the added distraction of a professor who’s dressed like amazing from one of Tim Burton’s acid flashbacks.

In spite of, Lady Gaga has applied for a teaching job at New York University, and I say it’s about time. If more of my professors had lectured while hanging from the upper limit in full leather bondage gear, maybe I would’ve actually learned something in school.

Yesterday, a friend of Gaga’s exposed that the freaky singer is actively seeking a position at NYU’s Parsons School for Design. “She wants to use her fashion sense and avant garde art obsession to launch an academic career,” the friend told a UK newspaper.

“Nothing has been finalized yet, but she’d like to teach in the fashion design program. She thinks teaching would make people see she is much more than just a flamboyant pop star.”

B2ST displays dominance over Asian music fans through their first solo concert

Although they debuted only last year, B2ST was able to confirm their command of the Asian music market through their first-ever solo concert, held recently on December 12th.

B2ST opened their ‘Welcome to B2ST Airlines’ concert at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium, where fans from not only Korea, but also from Japan, China, Hong Kong and Thailand came together to form the 8,000-member audience for the event.

But that’s not all – according to a representative from their agency, Cube Entertainment, both Korean and overseas fans who were unable to grab a ticket stood outside the venue in the cold, listening to the music and waiting for the concert to end so that they may catch a glimpse of their idols’ faces as they walked out.

The representative stated, “The day before the concert (11th), 5-6 fans from Taiwan who were unable to buy a ticket came to the company building and asking if there was any way for them to purchase a ticket. These fans prepared themselves with blankets so that they could wait outside the venue in case somebody would come and say that they weren’t able to attend, and were consequently looking to sell their tickets.”

In the end, there were about 10 people who came to the venue trying to sell their ticket, and 5-6 of those tickets were bought by international fans. It wasn’t confirmed whether those fans were the same Taiwanese fans who came to the company building.

After the concert, B2ST headed off to a restaurant with their guest performers and fellow agency artists (G.na and 4minute) to celebrate the end of the concert. The fans somehow found out which restaurant they went to and waited outside once again just to see their faces. Around about 100 fans were still waiting, even past midnight.

Maroon 5 in red state

Maroon 5 are coming to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in support of their new album, close to a decade after they first shot to renown.

Frontman Adam Levine initially captured the world's attention with the band's debut record Songs About Jane which featured hits Sunday Morning, She Will Be Loved and Harder to Breathe.

Since then, Maroon 5 have released It Won't Be Soon Before Long and won numerous Grammy, MTV Video Music and Billboard music awards.

Their third studio album is called Hands All Over and sees the band join forces with Nashville chart-toppers Lady Antebellum and producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange.

Grammy award-winning artist Sara Bareilles will join the band on tour, bringing with her impressive vocals, charming piano and guitar accompaniments and heartfelt lyrics.

Sergiu Luca, violinist and Da Camera founder, dies

Sergiu Luca, a teacher, concert presenter and violin virtuoso known for his trend-setting performances on period instruments, died Monday night. He was 67 and had thrash about with bile-duct cancer since December 2009, though his health started to decline only in the past few months.

Luca made an indelible impression on the music landscape in Houston and the United States as the founder of Da Camera of Houston, a concert series pioneering in its approach to thematic programming. As a performer and recording artist, he is credited with being on the forefront of a movement dedicated to performing early music on instruments authentic to the time the works were composed.

Until his death, Luca was the Dorothy Richard Starling professor of violin at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music and artistic director of Context, a chamber music concert series.
He was known for his big personality and varied interests. Luca was an avid collector of period instruments, a fine cook and wine connoisseur who had traveled much of the world as a performer.

"He was a Renaissance man in certain respects," said Robert Yekovich, dean of the Shepherd School. "What really fueled his artistry was his appetite for in-depth knowledge about a number of different things."

Luca was born in 1943 in Bucharest, Romania, and began playing the violin as a child. He made his debut with the Haifa Symphony Orchestra in Israel at age 9. He studied in England and Switzerland before moving to the United States to study with legendary Ivan Galamian at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

During his career, Luca performed with many of the world's leading orchestras and gave recitals internationally. He recorded works by composers including Bartók, Schumann, Schubert and William Bolcom. Luca had a long friendship and musical exchange with Bolcom.

His recording of the complete solo violin works by J.S. Bach was influential because he performed the pieces on a Baroque violin, which was considered revolutionary at the time.

"His recordings and performances back in the 1970s or so were sensational," said Brian Connelly, a co-founder of Context. "They immediately altered so many perceptions."

At the same time, Luca was an advocate of contemporary music.

"He was that kind of broad thinker," Yekovich said. "He was not … just a musician, but a great artist." In addition to his influence as a performer and teacher, Luca started multiple concert series in Oregon and Houston. In 1987, he founded Da Camera of Houston, an ambitious project aimed at bringing innovative thematic programs to the city. He was artistic director for six seasons.

"He was the vision behind Da Camera," said Sarah Loudermilk, Da Camera's current executive director.

In 1995, Luca and friends founded Context, an ensemble dedicated to performing on period instruments, often from his collection. Luca was a frequent performer with the group and last appeared on a program in October, Connelly said.

Luca was married to Susan Archibald, a pianist and accompanist at the Shepherd School. He is survived by Archibald and their daughter, Lily Luca. Arrangements are pending for a memorial service in Houston.

Why Music Gives Some People Chills

Psychologists say some people get chills often when listening to music, but for others that rarely happens. Researchers Emily Nusbaum and Paul Silvia of University of North Carolina at Greensboro questioned students about how often music gave them chills, goosebumps or made their hair stand on end, in an effort to understand personalities.

Open Personality Types get Chills from Music

The authors write, "Although most people report having music-induced chills sometimes, some people never have them and other people have them incessantly; this wide variability invites the attention of personality psychology." They add, "In short, who tends to get chills from music, and why?"

The study, titled "Shivers and Timbres: Personality and the Experience of Chills From Music", explored the possibility that it is the music itself that send chills down the spine, related to variations in tempo, loudness, expansion of frequency range and shifts in energy.
They researchers assessed other variables, including genre of music, daily listening engagement, exposure to the arts and whether individuals had learned to play an instrument.

The study authors note ...”people vary in what they like, yet everyone can love or hate music—but some people seem to never experience chills." The variability, they say can be "tremendous", leading them to the suspicion that getting chills in response to music has something to do with personality that has only been explored in a couple of studies.
What they found was that openness to new experiences was the best predictor of who is likely to react to music with chills. Individuals with an open personality also tended to listen to music more often and were more likely to play a musical instrument. The authors say it wasn’t because they listened to different kinds of music.

They say, “Findings like these are what the make the study of personality and music interesting—music is a human universal, but some people get a lot more out of it". The researchers also concluded, “...the wide variability in people’s chills experience—particularly the notable subset of people who never have them—suggests that individual differences deserve more attention.”

Underwood top winner at American Country Awards

When it comes to Las Vegas, Carrie Underwood is a certain bet.

Underwood won her second country music artist of the year award of 2010 in Sin City on Monday night. She earned it at the inaugural American Country Awards about eight months after she won the top honor at the Academy of Country Music Awards in April.

In both cases, fans determined the winner. And when it comes to fan support, Underwood has no match. Her fans vote early and often - a holdover from her time as "American Idol" champion - and she made sure to give a shoutout to her supporters after winning six awards.

Lady A won single of the year for the trio's breakthrough, "Need You Now," and artist of the year: duo or group. Brad Paisley was voted male artist of the year and Blake Shelton and host Trace Adkins won music video of the year.

The show was performance heavy and featured Rascal Flatts and Alan Jackson performing medleys of their hits after tributes, Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan teaming up on "My Kinda Party," and Toby Keith, Keith Urban, Reba McEntire, Josh Turner and The Band Perry playing recent hits.

Adkins opened the show by declining to wear a pair of "meat chaps" offered by the show's producers, a la Lady Gaga's meat dress, in a pre-taped comedy skit. He also appeared to skip the monologue.

"It's a live show," Adkins said. "What are they going to do? They can't fire me right in the middle of it, right?

Bieber, Drake, Arcade Fire nab Grammy nomination

Canadian teen-pop sensation Justin Bieber has his first Grammy nomination, while compatriots Arcade Fire and Drake also nabbed high-profile nods for the annual music awards thump Wednesday.

Bieber and Drake will features off for best new artist, competing with Florence and the Machine, Mumford and Sons and Esperenza Spalding. It's one of four nominations for Drake, who's also up for best rap album.

And Arcade Fire is up for album of the year arguably the top prize to be handed out at the Feb. 13 show. The Montreal rockers will compete with four of the biggest acts of the past year: Eminem, Lady Gaga, Lady Antebellum and Katy Perry.

They were also nominated for best astound performance by a duo or group with vocals and best alternative music album. The nominations were announced Wednesday night during an hour-long special on CBS from Club Nokia in Los Angeles.

Disturbed, Korn lead Music as a Weapon 5 tour

Disturbed will headline the fifth edition of the Monster Energy-sponsored Music as a Weapon Tour, which gets underway Jan. 14 and will visit 45 "non-major" markets, according to a press release.

"Both bands just finished great tours," Korn frontman Jonathan Davis, in a press release, said of the tour's genesis. "We headlined Mayhem and Disturbed headlined Uproar. The Disturbed guys came out to see us play in Chicago and we got to talking about doing something together.

We both decided that as cool as those types of tours are, they usually only hit major markets, and we both agreed that a lot of our fans just don't live in those cities, etc., so we thought it would be cool to team up, put a big show together, and hit every great place that those big tours never get to."

About 20 North American dates have been long-established so far, and shows currently stretch into early February. More cities will be announced. Tickets for the tour's first leg will go on sale over the Dec. 4 weekend, and the first 1,000 tickets sold for each show during the initial onsale weekend will be offered at a $5 discount.

"A lot of promoters only offer discounted tickets a day or two previous to the actual show date," Disturbed guitarist Dan Donegan said in a press release. "We wanted to do something for the fans that are buying their tickets as soon as they go on sale. To offer a discount frank made the most sense to us."

Disturbed is touring behind the band's new album, "Asylum," which debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart in September. It was the band's fourth successive studio album to enter the chart at No. 1. Korn's latest release, "Korn III: Remember Who You Are," debuted at No. 2 on the chart earlier this year.