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How Teens Fuel Future Digital Consumption
April 25, 2013 6:55 PM EDT The increasing democratization of devices and media platforms is turning kids into their own tastemakers earlier in life. Understanding the minds of teenagers has been a vexing occupation for adults since the dawn of humanity. Nielsen is among t ...
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Further Dealings: Lauryn' Hill's Tax Evasion Sentencing, Univision's Uforia Music Service, Lady Antebellum & Citi's Release Show
April 25, 2013 6:55 PM EDT Univision Communications announced the launch of the Uforia music service and upgraded radio app focused on content curation with deep Latin genres. The announcement was made by Univision Radio president Jose Valle and executive VP of content an ...
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Good Works: BottleRock Festival's Exclusive Gift
April 25, 2013 6:55 PM EDT BottleRock's Gift The inaugural BottleRock Festival, to be held May 9-12 in California's Napa Valley, has an impressive lineup for a first-time event, including the Black Keys, Kings of Leon, Zac Brown Band and Edward Sharpe & the ...
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Gear: Jim Eno of Spoon's Adventures at Hi-Fi
April 25, 2013 5:10 PM EDT What started as an off-the-cuff money-saving operation for Spoon drummer Jim Eno has turned into an enduring labor of love. Eno's Public Hi-Fi studio has existed in a rough state since 1998, when he first vaulted the ceilings of his home� ...
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What Is iTunes Today?
April 25, 2013 12:50 PM EDT The iTunes ecosystem that Apple created has become one of the world's largest retailers and media platforms, with music playing a crucial role as a building block. In the 10 years since it opened, the iTunes Music Store has come to sell not ...
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iTunes 10th Anniversary: Leading From the Front
April 25, 2013 12:50 PM EDT After years as the only meaningful game in town, iTunes is facing the kind of game-changing competition it once presented to Tower and HMV. Can Apple innovate fast enough? And is iRadio the answer? So what can Apple do for an encore in the music ...
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The Evolution of iTunes
April 25, 2013 12:50 PM EDT The creation of the world's biggest music retailer seemed to happen almost in spite of the record labels, but they knew a good thing when Steve Jobs showed it to them. When executives from Warner Music and Sony Music reached out to Steve Jo ...
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Billboard Music Cities: Las Vegas - 5 Classic Albums From the Strip
April 24, 2013 9:25 PM EDT 1. Noel Coward, "Noel Coward at Las Vegas" (1955) Columbia Records This marked the witty Brit's first appearance on the Vegas Strip-a strong introduction to America. 2. Frank Sinatra "Sinatra at the Sands" (1966) Repri ...
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Billboard Music Cities: Las Vegas
April 24, 2013 9:25 PM EDT 16 2 0 0 Be it the blackjack table or the dinner table, deals are being made and hands are being played all across Las Vegas. No more is it an old man's game in that other Entertainment Capital of the World, and long gone are the days when the most ...
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Billboard Music Cities: Las Vegas - Top Studios
April 24, 2013 9:25 PM EDT Where music's big guns and upstarts capture the magic. Studio at the Palms 4321 W. Flamingo Road Wired into the Pearl Theater for impeccable live recording, this space was built into the hotel's design and not as an afterthought-and it ...
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Billboard Music Cities: Las Vegas - Today's Must-See Musical Events
April 24, 2013 9:25 PM EDT Harking back to the Rat Pack's glory days at the Sands Hotel and Casino, or Elvis Presley's 800-plus sold-out shows at the Las Vegas Hilton, Vegas' tradition of residencies and special engagements is innately tied to the town' ...
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Live, From Vegas, The Billboard Music Awards
April 24, 2013 9:25 PM EDT The megawatt stars of music will light up Las Vegas when the Billboard Music Awards touch down at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, airing live at 8 p.m. ET on May 19 on ABC. Heavy-hitters Taylor Swift, fun. and Maroon 5 lead the pack: Each act is up ...
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Billboard Music Cities: Las Vegas - Nightlife Influencers to Know
April 24, 2013 9:25 PM EDT Jessie Gibson Owner Umbrella Marketing Group In the past decade Gibson has made it his business to ensure his VIP clients have a good time out. His VIP services company is unique. He and his employees are the hired locals, or cool concierges, th ...
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Retail Track: RIP on RSD
April 24, 2013 9:05 PM EDT One retailer chose Record Store Day to go out of business, complaining labels don't support retail At first, I thought the owner of Sound Fix in Brooklyn was misguided for closing shop the day after Record Store Day. After all, Sound Fix� ...
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Strategy: Vevo's Stop and Go
April 24, 2013 9:05 PM EDT With its sales chief out and margins slim, the video service heads to its second upfront presentation thinking about life beyond YouTube. The surprise exit of Vevo sales chief David Kohl, who had been there since 2009, is a big cause for concern ...
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Business Matters: The Limits of #music
April 24, 2013 9:05 PM EDT Twitter's #music service is a smart tactical move and a decent music discovery tool. Available in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, #music is likely to become a staple of music industry bragg ...
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Happening Now: Casey Donahew Band Embraces DIY Ethos & Controversy on New LP
April 24, 2013 8:10 PM EDT Casey Donahew's fierce independent streak is key to the success of the Casey Donahew Band's new album, "Standoff," released April 16 on Almost Country Records, the Fort Worth-based label owned and operated by Donahew and his ...
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Dance Music Pioneer Giorgio Moroder Back in the Spotlight Decades After His Heyday
April 24, 2013 8:10 PM EDT On April 18, Italian disco/synth-pop pioneer Giorgio Moroder posted a picture of two sound waves on his Facebook page, comparing the moderate volume and beats of his 1977 heyday with the louder sound and denser rhythms of today's EDM. " ...
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Bubbling Under: Nikki Williams, Bright Light Bright Light, Krystal Keith, August Alsina
April 24, 2013 8:10 PM EDT 'Glowing' Reviews Having scored her first Billboard Hot 100 top 10 last week as a writer on Demi Lovato's "Heart Attack," Nikki Williams this week earns her first top 10 as an artist, as "Glowing" (Island Def J ...
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My Day: David Angelo, Founder of David & Goliath
April 24, 2013 7:50 PM EDT David Angelo founded boutique ad agency David & Goliath with an indie-label philosophy: "Take on big marketing challenges not by swinging blindly into the fray, but by being smart, nimble, focused and brave." The 12-year-old compan ...
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Road Work: Japandroids, Cyndi Lauper, Kurt Vile & the Violators, Selena Gomez
April 24, 2013 7:45 PM EDT Fire Highway: Fresh from their performance at Coachella, Canadian rock duo Japandroids continue to make serious waves with their critically praised sophomore LP, "Celebration Rock" (Polyvinyl). Building on the success of last year' ...
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Patty Griffin Bring Raw Emotion & Robert Plant to the Fore on 'American Kid'
April 24, 2013 7:45 PM EDT Just how intimate can this sound? That's the question Patty Griffin set forth to answer when recording her seventh solo album, "American Kid," out May 7 on New West Records. The cult singer/songwriter already connects with a legio ...
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Scouting Report: MO
April 24, 2013 7:45 PM EDT Just nine months after Danish indie pop singer MO posted her first MP3, "Maiden," she had a major-label contract from the U.K. arm of RCA Records. But success didn't come overnight. Pre-"Maiden," 23-year-old Karen Marie ...
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Influential Scottish Band Big Country Comes Back From Tragedy With First Album in 14 Years
April 24, 2013 7:45 PM EDT In December 2001, Big Country frontman Stuart Adamson committed suicide, a tragedy that seemingly marked the end of the Scottish rock band's prolific career. The members of the group, best known for "In a Big Country" off 1983 ...
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T&E Report: Atlanta for Shaky Knees Music Festival, May 4-5
April 24, 2013 7:45 PM EDT BROWSE Though it doesn't always get the credit, Atlanta is genuinely one of America's great music towns. Where hip-hop and R&B are concerned, it takes a back seat to none. Kanye West, OutKast, Toni Braxton, Usher, T.I., Lil Jon, L ...
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DVD Review: "Last Shop Standing"
April 24, 2013 7:40 PM EDT "Last Shop Standing" Director: Pip Piper Producers: Blue Hippo Media, Proper Music Publishing Running time: 54 minutes; 75 minutes of bonus footage Release date: April 20 A documentary based on Graham Jones' book about the rise, f ...
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Single Reviews: PSY, Gold Panda, Amber Hayes, Selena Gomez, Queens of the Stone Age
April 24, 2013 7:40 PM EDT ROCK QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE "My God Is the Sun" (3:39) Producers: Joshua Homme, Queens of the Stone Age Writers: Queens of the Stone Age Publishers: various Matador Records Josh Homme and his dust-spewing rock cronies power back with ...
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Dance Single Review: "Alive" Empire of the Sun
April 24, 2013 7:40 PM EDT Empire of the Sun "Alive" (3:24) Producers: Luke Steele, Nick Littlemore, Peter Mayes, Donnie Sloane Writers: various Publishers: various Astralwerks Australian synth-pop duo Empire of the Sun isn't afraid of corniness so long as ...
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Album Reviews: N.O.R.E. AkA P.A.P.I., The Neighbourhood, Queensryche, Kid Cudi, Willie Nelson, Steve Earle & The Dukes (& Duchesses)
April 24, 2013 7:40 PM EDT ROCK The Neighbourhood "I Love You." Producers: Justyn Pilbrow, Emile Haynie Columbia Records Release Date: April 23 This darkly moody album aptly culls together indie rock and R&B, bolstered by layered, ambient production and sing ...
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Live Review: Joey Bada$$ at Gramercy Theatre, NY
April 24, 2013 7:40 PM EDT Artist: Joey Bada$$ Venue: Gramercy Theatre, New York Date: April 20 It was a Brooklyn invasion at the Gramercy Theatre as Joey Bada$$'s Beast Coastal tour returned to New York for its closing night. Supported by fellow Flatbush residents t ...
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Album Review: "Volume 3" She & Him
April 24, 2013 7:40 PM EDT She & Him "Volume 3" Producer: M. Ward Merge Records Release Date: May 7 Since the 2010 release of She & Him's second album, "Volume 2," Zooey Deschanel found success with Fox comedy series "New Girl" a ...
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Questions Answered: Mike Huppe, President of SoundExchange
April 24, 2013 7:40 PM EDT What did you wake up thinking about this morning? Most days when I wake up I'm thinking about work and how to move the business forward. This morning we had our weekly staff management meeting. For today's meeting, I was concentrating ...
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Billboard Spotlight On: Emii
April 24, 2013 4:35 PM EDT Rising star shoots beyond club hits to film and more. Like so many other aspiring artists, Emii left her small hometown for New York as soon as she could, hoping to make her mark. Unlike most others, though, she's gained plenty of attention ...
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The National's Fifth Album Breaks Tension
April 24, 2013 4:35 PM EDT The National's frontman Matt Berninger will be taking a nap after this interview. "I was up at 6 o'clock this morning with my daughter," he says, "so I'm going to need to crash." This is typical domestic behavi ...
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Carlos Vives & The Rise of Tropi-Pop
April 18, 2013 7:55 PM EDT How Vives' signature blend of indigineous rhythms and contemporary sounds came to influence Latin music at large One of the signatures of Latin pop today is the use of traditional instrumentation--from drums to flutes to accordions--in the ...
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Carlos Vives: The Billboard Cover Story, 'Vuelve a Nacer'
April 18, 2013 7:55 PM EDT Once the world-reknowned king of tropi-pop, Carlos Vives was out of the international spotlight for nearly a decade. Engineering his return has meant negotiating the seismic changes in the industry, but he's back with new label, TV and mark ...
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The Deal: Songza Gets To The Second Round
April 18, 2013 7:50 PM EDT WHAT: Internet radio service Songza has raised $3.8 million in funding, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing dated April 12. The New York-based service was acquired by music download store Amie Street in 2008 and launched in ...
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Good Works: Adopting Classrooms
April 18, 2013 7:50 PM EDT Two weeks ahead of National Teacher Appreciation Week, superstars like Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Pitbull will come together for a one-hour TV special to encourage viewers to support teachers and help build new classrooms. The Real Change Pr ...
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Further Dealings: SoundExchange, SiriusXM, Arbitron/Nielsen Holdings
April 18, 2013 7:50 PM EDT SoundExchange distributed $117.5 million of digital performance royalties in the first quarter, the largest amount it has ever distributed in that time period, up 11% from the $105.9 million in the prior quarter. But this year's first-quart ...
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Executive Turntable: RCA, 20th Century Fox Film, Warner Music, Big Deal Music, Southern Ground Artists
April 18, 2013 7:50 PM EDT PUBLISHING Newly formed independent publishing company Big Deal Music taps Casey Robison as VP of publishing/management. With offices in Los Angeles, New York and Nashville, the new venture unites former Chrysalis Music colleagues Kenny MacPhers ...
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Twitter Launches Music Service With Business Partners to Become Major Media Platform
April 18, 2013 7:45 PM EDT When Ryan Seacrest tweeted about "lovin" the new Twitter #music app, he was playing a small but critical role in Twitter's grand ambitions to position itself as a next-generation media platform--and it's looking to the music ...
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Merchbox: Subscription Delivery Service Mixes Merchandise & Music Discovery
April 18, 2013 7:45 PM EDT In a climate where album sales are scraping the bottom of the revenue mix, Mike Frankel had a novel idea: Why not put merchandise first? Last December, the 27-year-old Columbia business school grad and longtime music blogger put his money where ...
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Pepsi Emerges With Up-and-Coming Latin Artists in New Partnership
April 18, 2013 7:45 PM EDT Pepsi, known for its tradition of brand partnerships with the biggest artists of the day, is prepping a spate of new programs that will give lesser-known acts the same kind of exposure as some of the legends who've graced its campaigns. Lea ...
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The Action: Hitmakers' Club
April 18, 2013 7:45 PM EDT Dr. Luke and Big Machine are teaming to engineer a new renaissance for pop and country crossover hits. Dr. Luke's Prescription Songs has inked a joint venture with the country music heavyweight to form a publishing group. The 30-40 songwrit ...
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The Action: Viacom's Music Hub
April 18, 2013 7:45 PM EDT Viacom music brands MTV, VH1 and CMT continue a push to return to their music-first roots with an "artist hub" that'll provide acts opportunities on their respective Viacom platforms and additional opportunities with partners and ...
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The Action: The Hives' Bad Break
April 18, 2013 7:45 PM EDT Swedish rock band the Hives is the first victim in a breaking accounting scandal involving the country's Tambourine Studios. The group has been ordered by a district court to fork over 18.5 million kronor ($2.9 million) after a judge ruled ...
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The Action: Grainge to Dreamworks Board
April 18, 2013 7:45 PM EDT DreamWorks Animation SKG has nominated Universal Music Group chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge to join its board of directors. Grainge, who recently closed UMG's acquisition of EMI Music, also sits on the board of Activision Blizzard, which like ...
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Tune in to the Web: Internet Radio's Popularity Growing Rapidly
April 18, 2013 7:45 PM EDT Arbitron data says Internet radio's popularity is growing rapidly--just in time for Apple to swoop in with its own dedicated Web radio service Apple's Internet radio service will have a large and growing U.S. market awaiting its arriva ...
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Over The Counter: Paramore Nabs First No. 1; Paisley No. 2
April 18, 2013 7:40 PM EDT Rock band edges out country star, who still hasn't reached the top of the Billboard 200 Rock band Paramore nabs its first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, beating out Brad Paisley, who debuts at No. 2. The former's self-titled set sta ...
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Happening Now: Stone Sour's Epic Two-Part Fantasy Album Takes Off
April 17, 2013 9:35 PM EDT When Stone Sour's Corey Taylor and Josh Rand played Roadrunner Records executives the music they had recorded for their conceptual "House of Gold and Bones" project last June, a vision quickly locked in place. Two albums. One camp ...