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  • Jamie xx Reportedly Doesn't Clear Persuasions Sample...Except He Totally Did

    In an age where similarities between songs can be the cause of multimillion-dollar lawsuits, you better make damn sure you get your samples cleared. The most recent case of alleged, or at least suggested, foul play was Jamie xx's "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)," which features a prominent sample of The Persuasions' 1972 hit "Good Times." Last week band member/manager Jimmy Hayes stated that the sample hadn't been cleared...but he was wrong.

  • Roger Waters, Decemberists, First Aid Kit Among Newport Folk Headliners

    The Newport Folk Festival has probably reached the peak of its lineup announcements as it revealed this week that former Pink Floyd leader and solo standout Roger Waters will be headlining the event. This marks the first performance for the bassist since the last show of his "The Wall" tour during 2013.

  • Amsterdam Adding Three 24-Hour Nightclubs to City's Rich EDM Background

    Three Amsterdam nightclubs have been granted 24-hour permits, only adding to the Dutch city's reputation as a party town. It also begs the question as to whether they can truly be considered "nightclubs" anymore. The permits have apparently already been approved by mayor Eberhard van der Laan, according to Resident Advisor.

  • The FBI and Musicians: John Lennon, N.W.A., NIN and More Acts with Reports

    John Lennon appeared on The Dick Cavett Show on this date more than forty years ago and made a bold prediction: The FBI were keeping a close eye on him. This might sound like a typical conspiracy theory of the early '70s, except that it was totally true...either an indication that the FBI was predictable or it just wasn't very good at the secrecy thing. Lennon had all of the makings for a good FBI target: He had a record with drugs, he was vocally against the Vietnam War, and his political leanings were just right of being a godless communist. He wasn't the first, nor would he be the last, to gather attention from the Bureau. Here are another lot of otherwise harmless musicians that would get lengthy files in Washington D.C., from Elvis Presley to N.W.A.

  • Metallica, Nicki Minaj, More Headlining 2015 X Games in Austin

    Metallica has been announced as the headliner for the 2015 X Games Super Stage, playing on a bill that features Nicki Minaj, Talib Kweli, Kid Ink, the Glitch Mob, Pennywise, Deltron 3030 and Joywave. The news was revealed during an interview between the band and skateboarding icon Tony Hawk.

  • B.B. King's Family Clashes with Manager Over Control of Legend's Affairs

    B.B. King's continued health issues have opened the door to a more uncomfortable series of event's in the blues legend's life regarding his family's struggles with longtime manager Laverne Toney over control of the guitarist's care and property. Three of his children—Patty King, Rita Washington and Karen Williams—filed for control of their father's care, alleging elder abuse and theft on the part of Toney, although a Las Vegas court ruled that there was no proof of abuse to justify handing over control of his affairs.

  • George Carlin, Richard Pryor and More May Reappear as Holograms

    George Carlin, Richard Pryor and Bob Hope may be coming back for a slew of live performances exclusively at the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, NY, according to Rolling Stone. You are no doubt uncomfortable with this idea, understand that all of the aforementioned stand-ups are deceased, and the explanation might not make you feel any better about it: The comedy industry might take a page out of music's books and use holograms to resurrect legendary comedians to perform at the center.

  • Zac Brown Band Tops Billboard 200 Third Time with 'Jekyll + Hyde'

    The Zac Brown Band found itself on top of the Billboard 200 for the third time with its new album 'Jekyll + Hyde.' Although it wasn't the group's biggest sales week (that goes to its last record, 'Uncaged') but it still managed to move 228,000 equivalent albums. The band has also been busy away from album sales, topping both the Country Airplay Chart and the Mainstream Rock Songs charts with different songs from the album. The only other act in Nielsen history to hit that mark was Bon Jovi.

  • Music Times Floyd Mayweather Playlist: Lil Wayne, Phil Collins and More

    Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will face off this weekend for what many boxing fans are calling the "fight of the century." Regardless of how great the sparring actually is, it will certainly feature the highest payout in the sport's history, with the two fighters sharing up to $300 million between them. Music Times might not be a sports outlet but we wanted to get in on the action by creating playlists for each of the contestants involved. Here are five tracks to get Floyd Mayweather pumped, ranging from Lil Wayne to Phil Collins.

  • Randy Travis No. 1 Hits Easily Organized in 'On The Other Hand,' Includes "Forever and Ever, Amen" and More

    Society always celebrates the records that top the Billboard 200 album chart. Back of The Billboards is a Music Times weekly segment that looks at the opposite end: the new record that finished closest to the back of the Billboard 200 for the previous week. We hope to give a fighting chance to the bands you haven't heard of. This week we look at country icon Randy Travis and his newest greatest hits compilation, showcasing his no. 1 country singles.

  • You Won't Listen to New Music After You Turn 33, According to Study

    This obviously doesn't apply to Music Times readers, but a new study has estimated that the average music listener stops seeking out new music past the age of 33. Ajay Kalia, representing the website Skynet & Ebert, tapped into the data available via Spotify and its Echo Nest analytics branch to check out what listeners of various ages were streaming...and it seems like people in their late-30s and beyond weren't exactly tuning into Rae Sremmurd.

  • Vance Joy Wins International Songwriting Award for 'Riptide'

    Vance Joy (nee James Keogh) has won the 2014 International Songwriting Competition with his alt-pop hit "Riptide," and he did so in a historic way. It's the first time in the contest's 14-year history to merit perfect scores from every judge. Those judges included a number of fellow musicians, including Avicii, Bastille and Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels of Run D.M.C.

  • Alabama Shakes and 'Sound & Color' Becomes First Independent Release Atop Billboard 200 during 2015

    Alabama Shakes and 'Sound & Color' brought an air of independence to the Billboard 200 this week, as the album became the first independent label (ATO) release to top the charts during 2015. It was easily the band's bestselling week ever, moving 96,000 equivalent copies during its first week. Yet it seemed almost inevitable: The band got to no. 6 with its previous release, 'Boys & Girls', but nearly a year after it debuted. Listeners caught on to the band just a hair too late, and made up for it this time around.

  • Grooveshark Could be Fined $730 Million for Universal Music Group Lawsuit Damages

    It's been five years since the Universal Music Group first brought its legal team against Grooveshark, a music streaming site. Now it looks like the defendant will pay a dramatic amount, approaching a billion dollars in fines. Universal had looked to make an example out of the relatively small site, claiming that it would unleash "legal jihad" on the company, and it looks as if they aim to follow through.

  • Happy 40th Birthday Joey Jordison: 5 Great Drum Tracks from Former Slipknot Percussionist

    Happy birthday to Joey Jordison, the longtime drummer for Slipknot and touring percussionist with Rob Zombie, who turned 40 today. Although his former band continues to go strong—.5: The Gray Chapter topped the Billboard 200, and the new guy (supposedly former Against Me! drummer Jay Weinberg) seems to be doing alright—yet fans can't help but miss Jordison, long considered to be the most instrumentally sound member of the metal collective. All we can do is hope for an anniversary in the future, but for the moment let's reflect on some of Jordison's more impressive tracks.

  • Amy Winehouse's Father Mitch 'Furious' Over Documentary, Threatens Lawsuit Against Asif Kapadia

    We've been hearing a lot about the forthcoming Amy Winehouse documentary 'Amy: The Girl Behind The Name,' but something that hasn't been brought to light: The vocalist's father Mitch Winehouse isn't a fan in the least. He's made statements now that suggest he and the family will bring a lawsuit against filmmaker Asif Kapadia after the film debuts at the Cannes Film Festival next week.

  • Eric Church, Amy Grant and...Richard Nixon? Nashville's Famous Venues and First Performers

    Nashville didn't become known as "Music City" for no good reason: Apart from its role in the history of country, bluegrass and rock 'n' roll, the city hosts a number of iconic venues for traveling performers and tourists to swing by when in town. Eric Church will christen the newest, Ascend Amphitheater, when he plays a solo set to open the new 6,800-capacity venue in July. That got us thinking: Who were the other performers that played the first gigs at some of Nashville's other historic venues, such as Ryman Auditorium, the Grand Ole Opry House and The Blue Bird Cafe?

  • 8 Oasis No. 1 UK Hits: 'Don't Look Back In Anger,' 'The Hindu Times,' 'Lyla' and More

    Oasis, the most essentially-British band of the last 30 years (by both their own reckoning and ours), finally topped the charts in the Gallagher brothers' beloved UK 20 years ago today, with the single "Some Might Say," the first song off of the band's beloved album (What's The Story) Morning Glory? The band ended up topping the UK singles charts seven more times throughout its career (and only getting as high as no. 8 on the U.S. charts). Here are those no. 1 singles...be prepared for a few surprises (in terms of what didn't make it, if anything).

  • Calexico Continues Expansion of Sounds and Cultures in 'Edge of The Sun,' Follow-Up to 'Algiers'

    Society always celebrates the records that top the Billboard 200 album chart. Back of The Billboards is a Music Times weekly segment that looks at the opposite end: the new record that finished closest to the back of the Billboard 200 for the previous week. We hope to give a fighting chance to the bands you haven't heard of. This week we look at Calexico and its continuing expansion of sound, inviting in influences beyond its traditional Southwestern fare.

  • Will John Mayer Tour With Bob Weir, Other Grateful Dead Members After 'Fare Thee Well' Shows?

    We just got done reading about how the Fast and Furious franchise might come back with an eighth film despite the death of Paul Walker, due to the overwhelming sales success of the newest film. Now we see that the Grateful Dead, or some variation of the band, may continue touring later this year despite all the hype built up for the group's supposedly final five shows during July...and John Mayer might be involved.

  • System of A Down Plays First Armenian Show to Mark 100th Anniversary of Genocide [WATCH]

    System of A Down has preached about plenty of political issues over the years but one has always been close to their hearts: The band, comprised entirely of Armenian-American members, has always pushed for the recognition of the injustices against Armenians in Turkey during 1915 to be labelled as genocide. The band finally played its first show in Armenia as the nation prepares to mark the hundredth anniversary of the tragedy on April 24.
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