Music News Net

iTunes Biggest Song of 2010? Train's "Hey Soul Sister"

MUSIC NEWS - In case you wondered, the biggest selling song of 2010 in the United States on iTunes is Train’s ‘Hey Soul Sister’.  The tune, from the band's ‘Save Me San Francisco’ album was released in October, 2009.   And, as of November 1, 2010 it's sold over 4.6 million digital downloads and has become the most downloaded song of all-time for Sony's Columbia Records.   

Helping it's popularitiy, the song was featured on several TV shows in 2010, including ‘CSI NY’, 'Hellcats' and ‘Medium’.  Dixie Chicks did a  cover of the song earlier this year during their tour with the Eagles.  The song continues selling as a result of being covered on Glee recently (November 30, 2010) with Darren Criss singing.

 More @ TrainLine.com.

WE ARE the WORLD / UNITED in SONG Releasing for Africa

MUSIC NEWS - In commemoration the 25th Anniversary of  We Are The World, United Support of Artists for Africa (USA for Africa) will re-release the 1985 historic  recording of the song as the lead track on the upcoming digital compilation We Are The World / United In Song worldwide this holiday season, on December 7, 2010.

USA for Africa has again assembled a stellar line-up of international performers to contribute songs to the project with proceeds from this effort going to assist Africa and Africans with the current challenges facing the continent.  The collection of songs on We Are The World / United in Song was compiled by Executive Producers Suzie Weston and Alexia Baum and will be distributed by Independent Online Distribution Alliance (IODA).

ANDREW BIRD To Release "Useless Creatures", Announces 2010 Gezelligheid

MUSIC NEWS - Andrew Bird’s Useless Creatures; previously only available with the deluxe edition of Bird’s 2009 album Noble Beast will release as a stand-alone LP and CD for the first time on Fat Possum Records on October 25. An instrumental companion piece to Noble Beast, the album features Glenn Kotche on percussion and Todd Sickafoose on double bass.

Described by Bird as an “ambient experimental record,” Useless Creatures was  recorded over the course of a week in Chicago. “The result may be not unlike some electronic dance music only with woody, grainy sounds rather than the perfect sine waves of a synthesizer,” notes Bird. “How 
to be minimal and repetitive without being insipid is the challenge.”  Give a listen to the tune, Hot Math, below.

French Government to Subsidize Digital Music Purchases to Fight Piracy

MUSIC NEWS- Reacting to the continued growth of pirated digital music and the impact on the music industry, the French government has announced plans to offer a digital music deal to French citizens aged 12-25.  The new plan will try to direct young people into a music buying habit through legal download sites instead of stealing it through file-sharing.

The plan involves pre-paid cards that have a face value of 50 euros (£43) but which will cost only 25 euros at time of purchase.  The French government will pay the other portion of the card value when the card is redeemed to buy music on a legal download site.

The program is to last for two years with the French government expecting to sell about one million cards per year. That means an expected €50 million total expenditure by the French government to educate their youth about music buying!  The European Commission has given the program approval saying that it is ‘well designed’ to fight illegal downloads with sufficient safeguards in place to help prevent “distortions of competition.

More @ BBC.co.uk

DALE EARNHARDT Jr. Jr. Announces USA Tour Dates

MUSIC NEWS -  Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., the music project started in Detroit, MI by Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott, premiered the video for their single "Nothing But Our Love" recently, and has now announced plans for USA tour (current itinerary, more dates expected).

"Nothing But Our Love," recently listed at KCRW as a "Top Tune," is off of their debut Horse Power EP, and is available on the Quite Scientific label.  The video, below, was directed by Ian Sigmon, features the band living up to their namesake, as the  sleepwalking duo dreams of a makeshift Daytona 500. Donning helmets and cardboard cars, they race to the finish line in the fashion of Fred Flintstone, feverishly fending off the competition. As they celebrate on the winner's circle, the pair's sleepwalking journey comes to a comical, if not a bit deranged, close. 

BLACK EYED PEAS Make Digital Music History

MUSIC NEWS - The Black Eyed Peas have recently made music history and given more proof of the widespread popularity of their tune,  “I Gotta Feeling.”  Their #1 hit tune has become the first song to reach the 6 million mark in digital downloads. 

The music milestone was announced on Friday by the band and confirmed by Nielsen SoundScan.  They also made a NYC appearance on Good Morning America on Friday (video below).  will.i.am, the group's leader, says the moment is about much more than the song.    “We came out in ’98 and our career, if you would look at it on chart, there’s no dips in it,” he said in a phone interview Thursday. “For our career to still be healthy and vibrant and doing things like 6 million downloads, it’s pretty significant.”

TRAVIS McCOY Shares "One At a Time" Tune for Charity

MUSIC NEWS - To honor World AIDS Day (today, December 1), Travis McCoy's charity track,

"One at a Time," is available for download here, at iTunes.  The song chronicles McCoy's journey as the spokesman for the Staying Alive Foundation,  travelling to the Phillippines, South Africa, and India.  And, 100% of the proceeds go to the MTV Staying Alive Foundation.

 

And watch for first single from Travis' debut solo album, The Lazarus Project, coming in early 2010, as well as a new Gym Class Heroes album later in 2010.

 

 

 

 

 

[Amazon]

DEAD by SUNRISE New Single Here Now !

     MUSIC NEWS-  Their full album, OUT OF ASHES, isn't due out until the fall.  But finally, we can release to you the new single by Dead by Sunrise (Chester Bennington /Linkin Park) - "Crawl Back In".   Click below-

Lo Audio       Hi Audio  

HUGH CORNWELL to Tour USA, Offers Up New Album FREE

     MUSIC NEWS - THE STRANGLERS lead guy, Hugh Cornwell is offering his new album, HOOVERTOWN to everyone, as a FREE download.  The original vocalist, guitarist and main songwriter for The Stranglers just asks you to visit his site to get it.  And, btw, the site can be viewed in twelve languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Farsi, Russian, Mandarin, Turkish, Italian and Japanese), making his music freely available to most of the world’s population.

Why make it available for free you ask? “Everything that’s ever been recorded or filmed is now online and free – whether the copyright owners like it or not, and any work of artists that is honest – either from decades ago or right now – has intellectual value that will always translate into monetary value,” explains Charles Kennedy, head of Invisible Hands Music, Hugh's record company.

Hugh's new one is a great record, and one made without ProTools, AutoTune, or any other piece of performance-enhancing stuff.  It comes from the heart of a true thinker, writer and musician, and should be shared.  Physical copies will be available on vinyl and as a triple-sleeved digi-pak CD/DVD, which will contain Hugh’s film “Blueprint,” featuring live studio performance inter-spliced with an interview with Hugh at the Tate Gallery in London. Both Hooverdam and “Blueprint” were recorded in Toerag Studios with producer Liam Watson (best known for producing the White Stripes’ Elephant).

The music itself is a lively mix of rhythm & blues, rockabilly and post-punk and Hugh will bring it to the states next month on tour (see itinerary below).

For a taste of Hugh's new music check out a live, in-studio performance of "Please Don't Put Me On A Slow Boat To Trowbridge" here .  Download his album, here and visit Hugh at  hughcornwell.com

RADIOHEAD Now "Officially" Releases "These Are..." Single

     MUSIC NEWS -  If you somehow missed the "leaked" RADIOHEAD tune last week, not to worry, "These Are My Twisted Works" was made available today (August 17) as a free download from their official website.

"We've been recording for a while, and this was one of the first we finished," Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood said in a message posted at the site. "We're pretty proud of it. There's other stuff in various states of completion, but this is one we've been practicing, and which we'll probably play at this summer's concerts. Hope you like it."  The much rumored new EP, which was supposedly coming out today, seems to be just that, a rumor.

The band, which is currently without a record deal (by their choice).  They released another song earlier this month, "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)," which was a charity single with proceeds for the British Legion.   Britian's last surviving World War I veteran, Harry Patch died July 25 at the age of 111 !  The song was their first new music release since their 2008 self-release of In Rainbows.

Get the new song @ Dead Air Space site !

MARK HOPPUS/ Blink 182 (and others) Remix All-American Rejects on new EP

     MUSIC NEWS -The All-American Rejects have just released a four track EP of I Wanna Remixes(their hit single).  The EP includes remixes by Blink 182's Mark Hoppus as well as DiscoTech, DJ Spider and Eli Escobar.

I Wanna: The Remixes is now available for purchase, here.  More information on The All-American Rejects, @ All-AmericanRejects.com
 

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I Wanna (Mark Hoppus Remix) - The All-American Rejects

A SONG FOR MY FATHER, Tribute to Their Dads by Devon Allman, Ben Taylor, Adam Cohen, Sarah Lee Guthrie & others...

      MUSIC NEWS - With Mom's Day behind us, it's time to move on to Dads, and 429 Records has announced their June 2, 2009 release of a collection of songs (full track list after the break) newly recorded by the sons & daughters of legendary musicians titled, A SONG FOR MY FATHER. The 14 song set featuring artists such as Salvador Santana, Devon Allman (Honeytribe) , Gunnar and Matthew Nelson, A.J. Croce, Ben Taylor, Sarah Lee Guthrie and others offering up a moving interpretation of their fathers' classic songs. The offspring offer a unique and intimate spin on familiar material made famous by their legendary dads in new performances connecting great songs between two generations. A SONG FOR MY FATHER offers a rare insight into the songs and the people who created them as they've chosen tracks with a particular meaning. A SONG FOR MY FATHER will be available exclusively through iTunes in time for Father's Day.

RAY CHARLES Records Go Digital on April 7th !

   MUSIC NEWS - One of the most requested song collections among digital music buyers, Ray Charles’ post-1960 catalog will finally go digital !  Starting April 7th, iTunes will have a two-week exclusive on the catalog of 28 albums; they'll then be available at all digital music shoppes. Ray Charles’ post 1960 music catalog was one of the most treasured and highly requested catalogs that had been unavailable digitally. These masters include such iconic recordings as “Georgia On My Mind,” I Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Hit the Road Jack,” “Busted” and “Crying Time” among many others.

On April 7th, Concord Records also releases a 21-song anthology of hits titled Ray Charles — Genius: The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection. The volume presents his most influential recordings for the Atlantic and ABC-Paramount labels including 1954’s “I’ve Got a Woman” plus “Busted,” “Georgia on My Mind,” “Hit the Road Jack” and “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” concluding with his signature 1972 rendition of “America the Beautiful.” All are digitally remastered from the original tapes.  Later this year, Concord will release several other Ray Charles reissues year including Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music, Volumes 1 & 2, The Genius Hits the Road, A Message From the People and Genius + Soul = Jazz & More.

New BOB DYLAN Tune MP3 Download !

     MUSIC NEWS - Bob Dylan has offered up a free MP3 of Beyond Here Lies Nothin', from his forthcoming Jack Frost produced album, Together Through Life.(out via Columbia Records  [of course] ) on April 28th (order your copy here).   Give Beyond... a listen thru March 31 at BobDylan.com.

"BOOM BOOM POW" Release Moved Up by BLACK EYED PEAS

      MUSIC NEWS - The digital release of "Boom Boom Pow," the new single from The Black Eyed Peas, has been moved up to Monday, March 30th, announced Interscope Records.  The tune will become available through all digital shoppes. To stem the unauthorized downloads, and to satisify fan who have been clamoring to purchase the track since it hit Top 40 Radio two weeks ago. " The video for "Boom Boom Pow" -- directed by Motion Theory (who lensed Weezer's Grammy Award-winning clip for "Pork and Beans") -- will be released in early April. The song was written by The Black Eyed Peas, which is will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo, and Fergie, and produced by will.i.am.

"Boom Boom Pow" is the first single from The Black Eyed Peas' upcoming fifth studio album The E.N.D., which is due from Interscope Records on June 9th, 2009. The E.N.D.is the BEPs' first album of new music since 2005's blockbuster Monkey Business (buy a copy here)  which sold more than nine million copies worldwide and gave us the Grammy Award-winning singles "Don't Phunk With My Heart" and "My Humps."

Also, The Black Eyed Peas will perform their music at the Ultra Music Festival  Conference on Friday, March 27th in Miami, FL !