Ryan Book, The Music Times

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  • Marvin Gaye/Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams 'Blurred Lines' Lawsuit Hits Roadblock as Audio Recordings Disallowed

    Marvin Gaye's estate insists that "Blurred Lines," the top song of 2013 by Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams, is unmistakably similar to the soul singer's "Got To Give It Up," and indeed many who listen to the tracks will be able to hear the likeness. However, a judge has ruled that jurors in the case won't be able to listen to the two songs as part of their deliberations...which hardly seems fair but there is legal reasoning behind it.

  • Ailee, San E and Jay Park Touring Together Across United States with One Surprising European Stop

    A trio of K-Pop stars—Ailee, San E and Jay Park—will take part in a "world" tour featuring five North American dates during March. K-Pop acts are branching more and more into waters outside of Asia as the genre develops an audience in Europe and the United States but, as Billboard points out, rarely do acts actually tour together. Generally one act plots a few dates across the United States and can do well enough. The "Unite The Mic 2015 Tour" serves as a great sampler for those wanting to check the scene out...or as a great deal in general for American K-Pop fans.

  • Sly Stone's Net Worth Looking Better as Los Angeles Court Rules in His Favor for $5 Million Payout

    Sly Stone has some money to bring home to the Family after a Los Angeles court ruled in his favor as part of a lawsuit against his old company, a former manager and a former attorney. The performer, once part of the legendary Sly and The Family Stone, alleged that he didn't receive royalties for more than a decade while the defendants claimed the opposite, along with their help getting him out of financial trouble.

  • Tom DeLonge's Twitter Claim Blink-182 Discussed Replacing Travis Barker? True Story, Says Mark Hoppus

    The future of Blink-182 continues to waver as Mark Hoppus confirmed that he and Tom DeLonge had discussed the possibility of replacing drummer Travis Barker as recently as 2013. However he clarified that the comments came in a moment of frustration for DeLonge and that they shouldn't be taken too seriously. The new news stems from a tweet that DeLonge sent after quitting/being fired from Blink earlier this week (the jury's still out on which it is).

  • Ernie Banks Remembered: 5 Famous Musical Figures Big on The Chicago Cubs...Eddie Vedder, Jimmy Buffett and More

    Ernie Banks, an MLB Hall of Famer and longtime face of the Chicago Cubs organization, died last week at the age of 83. He was an amazing shortstop, winning gold gloves and home run titles and MVP awards during his career, but perhaps he will be best known as representing the Cubs organization better than any other player. The team has been notorious for its inability to secure a World Series title, having not won since 1907 and not even making the big series since 1945. Yet its fans remain some of the friendliest in baseball. Check out five music stars who have also kept their tempers in check while supporting the Cubs over the years.

  • 5 Great Rock Docs Focusing on UK Acts and The '70s: David Bowie's 'Cracked Actor,' 'The Kids Are Alright' and More

    David Bowie has had several documentaries made about his legendary and varied career but none have come close to the original: Cracked Era, which debuted on the BBC during 1975 and caught the vocalist following the release of Diamond Dogs and his preparation for the tour in support of the album. More relevantly, it caught Bowie at the peak of his addiction to cocaine and gave viewers a look at the paranoia and mental exhaustion it caused him. Bowie was far from the only British musician from that era to be captured on film. Here are five other documentaries (some mad during the decade and some made later looking back) that give viewers a new understanding of that period in UK music history.

  • Mikal Cronin New Music and Tour: Rocker Releases New Song and Announces Album 'MKIII' [Look & Listen]

    Mikal Cronin may not exactly be the same kind of guitar-centric act as Led Zeppelin but the Laguna Beach rocker sure takes a clue from Jimmy page and co. when it comes to naming his albums: He just announced the release of his third LP, MKIII. That follows in the footsteps of 2013's excellent MKII and his 2011 debut Mikal Cronin. At least his album art is evolving along the way. MKII only featured a photo of clouds while MKIII features an ink-wash (which kind of looks like clouds?) and the performer's glum-looking face.

  • 'Full House' Theme Song Gets Royal Reunion Treatment from Bob Saget, John Stamos and More [WATCH]

    The Full House theme song got royal treatment over the weekend when the sitcom's cast sang it while attending the birthday party for show creator Jeff Franklin. Bob Saget, John Stamos and Lori Loughlin were among the talent from the show to take the stage, as well as Candace Cameron (D.J. Tanner on the show). As Billboard points out, the reunion performance didn't include either Mary Kate or Ashley Olsen, nor was second uncle Dave Coulier at the gig.

  • Lady Gaga and Daft Punk Collaborator Giorgio Moroder Working Together on Pop Star's New Album

    Lady Gaga continues to roll out collaborators for her new album, or in this case Giorgio Moroder presented himself as working with the performer, telling PopJustice that he had about five or six tracks prepared for presentation. Moroder must be in demand among pop stars right now, as the Gaga revelation slipped while he was discussing his work with Britney Spears as part of his own solo record.

  • Sam Smith "Stay With Me": Vocalist Pays Tom Petty Royalties on Hit Single for "I Won't Back Down" Similarity

    Sam Smith's "2014" was one one of the bestselling songs of 2014, and perhaps its had a little too much in common with "I Won't Back Down," another classic by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. It was revealed earlier this week that the soul vocalist has been paying royalties to Petty as a songwriter for the song, although not with all of the legal drama we often associate with similar tunes, such as the ongoing lawsuit between the Marvin Gaye estate and Robin Thicke comparing the 2013 hit "Blurred Lines" with that soul singer's "Got To Give It Up."

  • 5 Songs Banned in Sports: "CoCo" by O.T. Genasis, "Dixieland Delight" by Alabama, "Sweet Caroline and More

    Klay Thompson went HAM this week when his Golden State Warriors faced the Sacramento Kings last week: The shooting guard scored 37 points during the third quarter, setting the record for scoring in just one period, along with the record for most 3-pointers during one quarter. The team probably wanted to sing after finishing the game with a 25-point win, but alas the NBA and team executives have requested the team stop posting videos of the team singing its trademark song. Here are five songs that have gotten banned in sports and how they offended (meanwhile you can also check out a shortened video of Thompson's performance here via Sports Illustrated).

  • Australian Music Festival Fails: 5 Events Suffering Bad Luck and Bad Organization in Memory of Sunbury

    Australia is one of the toughest places to stage a music festival due to its relative isolation from the rest of the world. There's plenty of fans to provide funding for a limited number of events but it's still tough to draw (and pay) huge acts for traveling so far for what's most likely to be just on appearance (versus a longer tour scenario, where headliners such as Katy Perry can make oodles of cash). Here are five festivals that have undergone downsizing down under recently.

  • Kirk Hammett Books 3 Rock Superstars for 'Fear FestEvil' and None of Them Are From Metallica

    Metallica's Orion Fest may not have succeeded on a financial level enough to justify future versions, but guitarist Kirk Hammett and his "Kirk von Hammet''s Fear FestEvil" will have a second run in San Jose during April. The thrash icon and horror movie enthusiast has announced a lineup for the three-day event, although the characters he's booked for a panel may be even more exciting than the confirmed musicians: Slipknot's Corey Taylor, Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 and Slash will all appear in speaking roles.

  • Why Does 'Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck' Lack Commentary from Dave Grohl? Director Brett Morgen Explains

    'Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck,' the documentary based on the Nirvana frontman that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival this week, had a little bit of everything but some noticed that it didn't feature Dave Grohl, the band's drummer and current Foo Fighters vocalist. Although there have been questions in the past over the relationship between the two bandmates, director Brett Morgen assured viewers at the film's premiere in Utah that a later cut of the film may include commentary from Grohl, who was interviewed for the project.

  • Grateful Dead Reunion: Deadheads Ask Chicago to Allow Parking in Soldier Field Lot for Jam Band's Last Stand with Trey Anastasio

    Grateful Dead fans, the famous "Deadheads," are grateful that the band will be celebrating its 50th anniversary with a special series of shows at Chicago's Soldier Field, however they'd be especially grateful if the venue would allow them to camp in the parking lot between shows. Fans of the jam icons would often follow the group on the road and camp along the way, and the Deadheads want to do things right during their idols' last stand on the road.

  • Meow The Jewels: El-P Releases Preview of 'Run The Jewels 2' Mock-Up on Instagram, Announces Special Celebrity Cat Guest [LISTEN]

    Run The Jewels member El-P got on Instagram this week and previewed clips of Meow The Jewels, a project where the "Close Your Eyes" rappers' music is replaced by cat noises. He also revealed special guest spots on the album for noted musicians such as Geoff Barrow of Portishead, hip-hop producer Dan The Automator and...internet sensation Lil Bub, a cat whose tongue constantly pokes from is open mouth.

  • Barack Obama, David Cameron and Narendra Modi: Guessing at 6 World Leaders' Favorite Performers

    The favorite music of the world's most powerful people is often kept a secret, as one controversial faux pas could be the death of a political career. Things have started to warm up however, as the leaders of the free (and less than free) world have taken to filling the general public in on their Facebook favs. David Cameron told the world this week that he preferred Bryan Ferry over Jay Z, and even Vladimir Putin has warmed enough to inform his constituents that he was "a Russian man and I listen to Russian music." French President Francois Hollande used "Niggas in Paris" as part of a campaign commercial during 2012 (although we doubt he personally is a fan of Jay and Kanye).

  • Deflategate Playlist: Songs Summing Up The Patriots and Tom Brady's Bad Week with Under-Inflation

    "Deflategate" and the New England Patriots, whether coach Bill Belechick or quarterback Tom Brady knew anything about it, and whether the NFL will crack down on the organization with the Super Bowl approaching is the viral topic on the tips of every tongue. The Patriots were already one of the easiest football teams to hate, thanks to previous convictions for taping signals from the New York Jets and then accusations of shifty behavior during the team's divisional round game against the Baltimore Ravens. Music Times has come up with a quick playlist of tracks to describe the team's week, along with the connection.

  • What Advice Electronicore Band Palisades Could Have Taken from Limp Bizkit for Second Album 'Mind Games'

    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 Palisades' new album 'Mind Games' and its aim to combine hardcore with just about every mainstream genre: pop punk, EDM and hip-hop.

  • Lawsuit Against Google, Sony, Rdio, Beats Electronics and More May End Pre-1972 Music Streaming and Internet Radio

    Music streaming controversy has gotten uglier as a lawsuits have been filed against Google, Sony Entertainment, Rdio, Songza, Apple's Beats Electronics and more on behalf of the music group that owns the catalogues of the Flying Burrito Brothers, Hot Tuna and Purple Sage. The results of the collective legal push could result in thousands of songs written prior to 1972 disappearing from the internet.

  • Michael Jackson's Family Asks for Retrial in 2013 Lawsuit Against AEG Live About Drug-Induced Death

    Michael Jackson's mother Katherine Jackson and the children of the deceased pop icon got their day in court as lawyers for the involved parties argued that the lawsuit the family brought against AEG Live LLC during 2013 should receive a new trial. The family had alleged that the concert promoter was responsible for providing Jackson with the services of Conrad Murray, the doctor who applied a lethal dose of propofol and other drugs. Still, the Jacksons face an uphill battle in getting a new decision.

  • Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock Announce First World Tour in 37 Years; Check Out Full List of Dates

    Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock, two of the greatest living jazz musicians, have announced a dual-headlining world tour that will kick off in Seattle during March. The pair have toured together before but it's been a while, lasting co-headlining during 1978. Both legendary pianists will appear onstage together, according to Billboard. A trek through Australia, Asia and more European dates will reportedly come later this year.

  • No Offense to LL Cool J, but 5 Other Options for Grammy Hosting: Beyoncé, Steven Colbert, Blake Shelton and More

    Today the Recording Academy confirmed that LL Cool J will be the host at The Grammys when they go down on February 8. It was hardly a surprise to anyone who's paid attention in recent years: The emcee has hosted the event every year since 2012. That said, it's tough to blame the Academy and CBS for not wanting to shake things up: Although the performer will have now hosted 10 times, the recent results don't lie. The previous three years have featured, respectively, the no. 1, 3, and 2 highest viewerships since the '80s (the 2012 edition got a boost from those tuning in after Whitney Houston's death).

  • DJ Jazzy Jeff Turns 50: Celebrating His Best Contributions to The Fresh Prince, Including "The Magnificent Jazzy Jeff" and "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble"

    Happy birthday to one of the most underrated figures in hip-hop: Jeffrey Allen Townes AKA DJ Jazzy Jeff. Music Times felt that the DJ deserved a shout-out on his 50th anniversary. How is he one of the most underrated hip-hoppers? For one thing he was the DJ and the guys with the microphones nearly always get an undue level of credit. Secondly, he was the DJ for Will "the Fresh Prince" Smith, who was bound to be the center of attention no matter what he does. Third, Jeff wasn't just a famous DJ...he was a highly influential one as well. Music Times has gathered five songs from the DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince catalogue that showcase the other guy in the group.
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