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Ryan Book, The Music Times

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Song Questions with Song Answers: Rod Stewart and Shakira, Lil Jon and Hall & Oates, and More

Acts like One Direction and Taylor Swift have created armies of super-creepy, devoted fans. We're not talking about the typical Directioner...we're talking about the stalkers and X-rated fan fiction writers. Fortunately this isn't the '60s, where fans could apparently infiltrate the music industry and send messages to their idols. The best example is Elvis Presley, specifically his hit "Are You Lonely Tonight?," which according to Billboard generated at least four songs titled "Yes, I'm Lonely Tonight" and one "Oh, How I Miss You Tonight" as "answers" to his question. Odds are these songs were more about profits than untamed hormones, but we love the idea of response tracks.
The Beatles' 'Long Tall Sally' EP Showcases Band at Its Most Raucous, Proves Vinyl Sales Can Make Dent in Billboard 200

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 Mexican pop star The Beatles (?) and its new EP ''Long Tall Sally' (?!?).
Philharmonia Orchestra Places String Trio in Shark Tank to Promote 'The Blue Planet' Event at Royal Festival Hall

Sometimes it takes dramatic efforts to convince people to check out classical music. Thus the Philharmonia Orchestra has placed several players in the bottom of an aquarium full of sharks as an advertisement for the group's January 22 performance of The Blue Planet soundtrack. The performance-advertisement is taking place at the SEA LIFE Aquarium in London.
Kesha's Mom Suing Dr. Luke for "PTSD" and Emotional Distress Following Allegations of Rape and Abuse against Daughter

Unfortunately we have nothing new to report with regard to new music from Kesha but her lawsuit against former producer/mentor Dr. Luke has just gotten even more in-depth. According to reports from Digital Music News, the pop star's mother, Pebe Sebert, has also sued the producer alleging that his implied crimes against her daughter resulted in the parent suffering from emotional breakdowns and "PTSD," resulting in blood pressure levels as high as 265/180.
Parklife Text Campaign Offends Those with Deceased Mothers, Earns £70,000 Fine from Information Commissioners' Office

There are good ideas and bad ideas. Publicists are the professionals you hire to point out when your great ideas might have holes in them that could quickly become horrible ideas. The publicists for the Parklife music festival in Manchester probably should have found some issues with the event's 2014 plot to lure fans to the official after-parties by sending them a text from "Mum." It seems like a cute idea at first...until you consider the inevitable fact that at least a few of the attendees probably have deceased mothers. Anyway, that's one of several reasons why Parklife was fined £70,000 by the British Information Commisioners' Office.
SiriusXM Pays $3.8 Million Across 46 States as Part of Billing and Advertising Settlement

The attorneys at SiriusXM have been busy. Not only are they dealing with a series of lawsuits involving The Turtles and pre-1972 music, but now they've completed a $3.8 million deal to be paid across 46 states with regard to shifty billing and advertising practices. According to the suit, contracts didn't make it clear to users that the service could renew itself. Users who wished to cancel their subscriptions didn't realize that they needed to take action to do so, or else the company would assume they wished to renew. More problematic is that frequently the prices had increased as well.
Lawsuit Alleges Apple Deleted Competitor's Music from Users' iTunes Account to Prevent iPod Use

Apple might not even produce iPod Classic anymore but antitrust lawsuits never get old. One that might be particularly interesting to the millions of people who owned one of the most successful digital music players in history: Plaintiffs in a suit against the company allege that Apple intentionally deleted music from competing platforms that users attempted to store on iTunes, as recently as 2009.
South Park Recap: Lorde and The Boys Go to Battle against Commentary-Driven Culture in First of Multi-Part Series

So many plot lines, new and old, converging into a glorious opening to a multi-part series: Lorde, Kyle and Stan seem to be the only ones standing between artistic integrity and a TMZ-society, backed by an army of holograms.
5 Versions of "Little Red Rooster" Ranked; From Howlin' Wolf to The Rolling Stones

Fifty years on this day The Rolling Stones landed their second no. 1 track: "Little Red Rooster." As with the band's first no. 1 ("It's All Over Now"), the second time atop the charts was a cover of a previous blues track. A number of acts have made singles of the blues standard and Music Times will dare to rank the renditions of the single in terms of quality.
Inspire Your Fantasy Football Team as The Playoffs Approach: Eminem, Metallica and Public Enemy Can Totally Influence Your Squad

It's more than three months until the Super Bowl...but the most relevant sporting event of your year probably begins this weekend: Your Fantasy Football League Playoffs. Let Music Times help you inspire your team of non-responsive digital NFL stars to win your league.
Taylor Swift, Pentatonix and Eminem Rule Billboard 200, Regardless of List's Unfortunate New Metric System

The Billboard 200's new (unfortunate) metrics come into play but nothing can keep Taylor Swift from the top.
Psy Breaks YouTube as "Gangnam Style" Views Crack Limit That Video Site Is Able to Count

Psy might not be the first person you think of when we tell you to name the first internet badass that comes to mind. But consider this: The Korean pop star and his hit "Gangnam Style" have literally broken YouTube. The video playing site acknowledged this week (via NME) that it was forced to rework its programming to continue counting the number of hits the music video for "Gangnam" has received.
BMG and Round Hill Attack ISP Cox Communications over Alleged Refusal to Remove Internet Service from Piracy Infringers

Some advice for the ideological lawsuit bringer: The higher up you strike with your litigation, the more likely it is to bring sweeping changes across a broader spectrum. We sincerely doubt that BMG and Round Hill Media had ideology in mind when it decided to sue Cox Communications of Northern Virginia (hint: money was the real inspiration) but they may have struck the solution to music piracy right on the head: Punish the internet service provider (ISP) for the sins of the user, and you can bet those users won't get the chance to do it again.
Rolling Stones Pay Tribute to Bobby Keys Following Saxophonist's Death, Keith Richards Calls Him "Largest Pal in The World"

Less than a day after the passing of Bobby Keys—one of the most acclaimed horn players in rock music history—the band that he was most often associated with released several statements lamenting his death at the age of 70 from cirrhosis of the liver.
Ed Sheeran Most Streamed Spotify Performer Worldwide in 2014; Eminem Tops U.S. Stream Numbers

Yesterday Ed Sheeran made news when his album X cracked one million sales in the UK and today, partially thanks to his popularity in Europe, the pop star was named the most streamed performer of the year by Spotify. Sheeran amassed more than 860 million listens across all of the streaming service's markets. If Spotify's reports on pay rates are accurate, that means the performer should have brought in nearly $7.25 million in revenues from Spotify this year (before labels take their cut). According to Billboard, almost exactly half of those streams were for X.
Musicians and Knives, Never A Good Combination: Assault Charges from Sid Vicious to Jay Z

Word to the wise: If someone leaks your album early, don't attempt to murder them. It was a d--k move on their part but the court will rarely give you leniency because your victim is a tool. This was what Jay Z learned when he was convicted for stabbing Lance Rivera under the belief that the latter party had bootlegged Vol. 3...The Life and Times of S. Carter. Knives are a less popular tool for murder in the modern era but that hasn't stopped the musicians listed below.
Music for The New York Times '100 Notable Books': The Roots, The Smiths, Charles Mingus and More

Unfortunately, as music writers, we can't dabble too often in the fairer art of writing (ha, ironic) but we can suggest some albums to accompany you as you tackle the titles from the Times' favorites. Below are ten published works and an album to pair it with.
Tencent and YG Entertainment Strike Deal for Exclusive Digital Distribution of Psy, Big Bang, 2NE1 and More K-Pop Stars

Korea and Japan aren't the only countries in Asia with pop music markets, you know. The problem for China is that demand for its own homegrown Mandopop and Cantopop (Mandarin and Cantonese-language pop music, respectively) is not nearly as high at home as that for its more popular Korean neighbors and the music it produces. Chinese web giant Tencent stands to make a huge profit by entering a deal with Korean music label YG Entertainment—home to stars such as Psy, Big Bang and 2NE1—for sole distribution of some of Korea's biggest acts online to the world's largest population.
John Legend Performing during MAMA Awards on December 3, Taeyang and G-Dragon Also Scheduled to Perform

More proof that the American pop industry is trying to get the attention of K-Pop's huge fan base: John Legend will be one of the many performers at this year's Mnet Asian Music Awards (better known as MAMA), an event that Billboard accurately summarizes as the Asian equivalent to the MTV Video Music Awards. This year's ceremony will take place in Hong Kong on December 3.
Ed Sheeran Sells One Million Copies of 'X' in The UK, His Second Album to Do So

Ed Sheeran, perhaps the most toned-down superstar possible (we'd argue he's even more toned-down than Lorde) has continued to outdo his flashier cohorts. This week saw the performer crack the million-albums-sold mark in the UK for his 2014 set X.
Slipknot, Linkin Park and Judas Priest Named as Headliners for Rock on The Range 2015; Godsmack and Marilyn Manson also Appearing

We in the Greater Columbus area have come to expect the lineups of Rock on The Range, one of the nation's biggest rock festivals, to come out during February, but "Christmas came early" and now we know what to expect when the ninth version of the show rolls in next May: Slipknot, Judas Priest and Linkin Park will serve as the respective headliners.
Thanksgiving Week Marks Huge Rise in Revenues for Broadway; 'Wicked' and 'The Lion King' Bring in Big Hauls

If your dad is anything like ours, he hates all of the Broadway medleys that dominate the first hour or so of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. He's out of luck because that's one of the biggest advertising moments of the year for the New York theater district, as Thanksgiving week is one of the biggest sales periods for the Great White Way. This year the 36 plays showing generated revenues of more than $34.1 million, an all time high for the time period.
Tonsillitis and Musicians: It Ain't No Joke (Ringo Starr, Elvis Presley, Demi Lovato and More)

Fifty years ago on this day, Ringo Starr was forced to take a 12 days absence from The Beatles (allowing Jimmy Nicol a brief gig and a lifelong pickup line) to undergo a medical procedure. The culprit? Tonsillitis. Starr's predicament might not have been as dire due to his duty as a drummer (not primary vocalist) but the condition, which causes the swelling of the tonsils, has struck many a performer.
Kim Dotcom Avoids Jail Time in New Zealand but Broke from Legal Defense; Faces U.S. Extradition in June 2015

Kim Dotcom can sleep easy in his own bed...if he can afford the rent. A New Zealand court ruled that the Megaupload founder shouldn't be sent back to jail or forced to wear a monitoring bracelet, but despite the freedom they've afforded him, he can't afford to do much else. He told the unBound Digital conference via video link that his legal battle had rendered him penniless.
Eminem's Lyrics Called into Question in Front of Supreme Court over Definition of "True Threat" on Social Media

Looks like Eminem is testing the limits of the first amendment once again, using the same songs that caused horror to parents and censors around the country when they emerged around 1999. This time however, his lyrics are being compared to rap lyrics drafted by one Anthony Elonis who claims he was venting over his divorce and never actually intended anyone harm when he made violent threats regarding his ex-wife on Facebook. If the court agrees with the Eminem argument he may be off scot-free. If they disagree, he could end up in prison for up to four years.
Spotify Reveals Most Popular Peformers Played in Ten Cities Where Uber Users Control Playlist during Ride; From New York to Singapore

As Music Times reported a while back, streaming service Spotify has teamed up with taxi app Uber so that not only can you flag down a cab with minimal hassle, you can force the driver to listen to your music while you go. Spotify has released the data from the ten cities that are currently Spotify/Uber enabled and created short eight-song playlists to show what's been stuck in drivers' heads recently.
Chemical Brothers Confirm New Album and Live Show for 2015, Will Debut New Live Set at Sónar in Barcelona during June

Good news for fans of the Big Beat era of electronic music: The Chemical Brothers have confirmed that it will be dropping a new LP during 2015. Although the music may sway far from classic records such as Exit Planet Dust and Dig Your Own Hole, this may be the second big release from the scene next year as The Prodigy is well on its way to dropping a new LP during 2015 according to Resident Advisor.
'Now 89' and 'Now 88' Top Sales Weeks in The UK for 2014; Does This Spell Trouble for British Artists?

We at Music Times have been fairly grim when reporting album sales for 2014. As you know by now, only one album, released during this year has gone platinum (Taylor Swift's 1989) and only a few more titles threaten to crack one million before 2015 strikes. Frankly, things in the UK seem even worse. Last week featured the highest sales week for a debut thus far during 2014 as Now 89 sold 283,000 copies. The record-holder before Now 89? Now 88 sold 182,000 copies during its first week when it came out during June.
Robbie Williams Drops New Surprise Album, Take That At No. 1 on UK Singles Charts, and Both Sides Hinting at Reunion of Original Lineup

Launching a record with absolutely no publicity takes even more planning than launching an album the old-fashioned way...just ask Beyoncé. Robbie Williams released a collection of tracks titled Under The Radar Vol. 1 in a fashion that was, well, under the radar. Even more noteworthy are the circumstances surrounding the release and whether they point to a reformation of the original five-man lineup of Take That.
The Abuse of Hello Kitty by The Music Industry: Avril Lavigne (Duh), Wiz Khalifa and Smashing Pumpkins, More

Hello Kitty has gotten some musical mentions over her 40 years, although few of them are nearly as friendly as the themes within her television shows and video games.