Ryan Book, The Music Times

2041-2070 (out of 2793)

Latest from this author

  • Tom Morello wants to be modern Jimi Hendrix with upcoming solo album

    Tom Morello has announced plans to make a solo album when the current Bruce Springsteen tour ends in March, and no, he doesn't mean another LP as his folk rock alias The Nightwatchman. The guitarist said that he had never sung while playing an electric guitar until he played "The Ghost of Tom Joad" with Springsteen during 2008, and more than five years of performing with the legend was enough to inspire an electric-solo album.

  • Harvard research indicates epilepsy treatment might allow adults to reach 'absolute pitch'

    Living in New York City, we know many who've come here to break it big on Broadway and are willing to do almost anything to get that big break...including unhealthy behaviors. We're not sure this announcement is going to help, but a Harvard professor has declared his belief that taking pills meant to treat epilepsy can help perfect the human singing voice.

  • Milli Vanilli and Wagner provide inspiration for experimental opera 'WOW'

    The best part about contemporary opera is that it incorporates relatively modern events into the plot lines. Relatively modern, as several experimental individuals are looking to prove, includes notorious '90s pop icons Milli Vanilli. Did you say "wow"? What a funny coincidence. WOW is also the title of the opera.

  • Strata Records master tapes subject of crowdsourcing campaign to save them

    Detroit was a hopping place to be a recording artist during the '60s. Of course there was Motown -which still gets all of the attention- but other labels turned out various records across a wide range of genres. Among those labels was Strata, an imprint specializing in jazz that only turned out 10 albums during its short existence. Despite its relatively low output and lack of "big-name" performers, Strata's collection is praised by jazz fans. Now the master copies of those albums are in danger of being lost.

  • Slipknot back in studio with Joey Jordison. Who will handle drums for band's fifth album?

    Rumors and whisperings about the future have been echoing around the internet for a few weeks following drummer Joey Jordison's departure, his insistence that he didn't quit, and no one in the band's camp being willing to explain why he wasn't in the band any longer. The most dire rumor is that the band was slowly falling apart: It hasn't released an album since 2008's All Hope Is Gone, bassist Paul Gray died during 2010, and Jordison is considered one of the integral parts of the nine-member outfit.

  • Jason Aldean announces tour with baseball stadium plans; Music Times chooses the best bet stadiums for a show

    Jason Aldean recently dropped plans for his 2014 headlining tour, and it's going to be a big one. The performer was on Good Morning America when he announced a run that would include nearly 50 dates, and a baseball theme to boot. The country star played stadium shows at Chicago's Wrigley Field and Boston's Fenway Park (as well as the University of Georgia's Sanford Stadium) during 2013, and through a deal with Major League Baseball, Aldean plans on doing more of the same during 2013.

  • No black performer had a Hot 100 no. 1 single during 2013, a first for the chart

    Soundcheck, a music site operated by radio station WNYC, points out an alarming trend from 2013: The year was the first in the history of the Hot 100 (began during 1958) to not feature a single track from a black performer at no. 1 in the charts. It seems difficult to believe in a year featuring new albums from Beyoncé, Jay Z and Drake, but not one managed to release a single that topped the Hot 100. Even more bizarre is that the more specific R&B and Hip-Hop Songs chart was topped by a white performer for 44 weeks out of 52 during 2013.

  • Flaming Lips, Imagine Dragons and Lauryn Hill top lineup of first Amnesty International Human Rights Concert since 1998

    Amnesty International has announced the lineup for its Human Rights Concert...the first since 1998. The show will take place at the Barclays Center in New York City on February 5, featuring headliners including the Flaming Lips, Imagine Dragons and Lauryn Hill. Other acts include Tegan and Sara, the Fray, Cold War Kids, Colbie Caillat, Cake, and organizers have hinted that more acts will be announced in coming weeks.

  • Billy Joel demand far outweighs ticket supply for Madison Square Garden concert series

    Following the announcement of Billy Joel's monthly concert series at Madison Square Garden, many understandably asked how long the star could keep an audience coming back for hits like "We Didn't Start The Fire." Priceconomics.com did the work for all those who were wondering, and indications seem to suggest that Joel will be able to keep the series going for a while.

  • Pitbull, Ke$ha and 'Timber' rule Digital Downloads again, A Great Big World and OneRepublic follow

    Last week's Digital Downloads Top 10 (Top 50 for that matter) all saw an increase in sales thanks to the giving of iTunes gift cards, etc. during the holidays. That resulted in this week's inevitable drop off for all of the songs in the Top 10, which all saw a decrease in sales from last week. That doesn't mean sales were bad however: Five songs still broke 200,000 in total downloads, up from the typical two or three.

  • Frozen tops Billboard 200, dethrones Beyoncé and holds off Eminem

    Temperatures have been cold across the country, and so have album sales. Due to the end of the year and the low number of new releases that comes with it, the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 features a slew of familiar faces, but at least the door opened up for a few hits from throughout 2013 to make a reappearance.

  • Pandora stock reaches all-time high after successful 2013

    More good news for fans of radio, or those looking to invest in radio: Internet radio service Pandora saw shares of its company hit an all-time high on Tuesday. Pandora's (P.) shares reached $33.70 a pop before evening out a bit and closing the day at $32.44. So why the positive prognostication?

  • 'Every Breath You Take' makes Sting almost $2,000 every day.

    Most musicians make most of their money by touring and playing live. Unless you're a big name, recording alone isn't going to put food on the table. Waiting for royalties to come in from downloads and leasing your music out is an even less stable way to earn a buck. Sting can get by with his earnings from recording, but as a story on CelebrityNetWorth.com shows, the former Police bassist ain't doing bad from royalties either. Specifically, royalties from classic "Every Breath You Take." According to the site, the bassist/vocalist makes nearly $2,000 a day from the single's royalties.

  • Nina Nesbitt promises American crossover potential with forthcoming 'Peroxide.'

    It's easy to forget how young some of our favorite performers are when they enter the music world. From Michael Jackson's Jack 5 debut at the age of 11, to Lorde's chart-topping single "Royals" at the age of 16, it doesn't take much life experience to make a splash in the music industry. Tuesdays Under 21 is a Music Times feature dedicated to bringing attention to talented musicians and performers under the age of 21. Who knows? They just might be the next big thing.

  • Lang Lang: Who is Metallica's Grammy's performing partner?

    Metallica is nothing new for Grammy viewers, being one of the few bands to emerge from the dark depths of metal and gain mainstream awareness. Far fewer are familiar with Lang Lang, the classical pianist with whom Metallica will share the stage with during its Grammy Awards performance. Classical fans know Lang's name well, but hopefully they'll give us a break for offering a brief profile so the rest of the world can catch up.

  • Ralph Nader voices opposition to Liberty Media's buyout offer to Sirius XM as stock rises

    If you're a conservative investor, and you're looking for something low-risk to buy a few shares of, might we suggest Sirius XM (SIRI)? Shares of the satellite radio company saw a 7 percent jump after a prominent American politician and other shareholders suggested they would be getting ripped-off by a buyout proposition from Liberty Media. Liberty and its head, John Malone, already own 53 percent of Sirius's shares, and it offered a $3.68-a-share buyout rate from the remaining holders. That deal would require a majority vote from the minority holders.

  • 'Cruise' by Florida Georgia Line becomes bestselling Country digital song ever

    Florida Georgia Line made country music history for at least the second time thanks to its single "Cruise." The track's sales for the last charting week pushes it to the bestselling digital single in the genre's history. "Cruise" moved 84,000 downloads last week, bringing it to 6.33 million total in sales, which moves it ahead of no. 2 "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum, which has 6.27 million downloads over its history.

  • Wu-Tang Clan's Facebook promises 'A Better Tomorrow coming soon'

    Wu-Tang Clan fans may be able to expect new music from the rap collective for the first time in nearly seven years. Maybe. The group's Facebook page was updated with a message on Monday that that reads: "The new Wu album ' A Better Tomorrow' coming soon."

  • Clear Channel and SFX Entertainment form partnership to bring Beatport Top 20 Countdown to radio

    Robert F.X. Sillerman sold his concert promotion company, SFX Entertainment, to Clear Channel Communications in 2000 for $3 billion. Now he's back with a new company under the same name, SFX Entertainment, Inc., and he's looking to profit from another deal with Clear Channel. The new SFX specializes in EDM and everything that goes with it, and Sillerman hopes that he can prove its profitability by working with the biggest radio broadcaster in the United States.

  • Rap Genius gets back to Google's page one after sincere apology

    Google is not a force to be messed with in the wide world of the web, and lyric site Rap Genius must be considering itself lucky that its punishment for violation of the search giant's regulations was a short one. Google allowed the site to return to page one search results over the weekend.

  • Afrojack, Above & Beyond and W&W doing Hakkasan residencies in Las Vegas during 2014

    One of our big points when analyzing Forbes' list of the highest-paid DJ's of the previous year was noting that many of the big money-makers were affiliated with Las Vegas nightclub Hakkasan, the star player in a city filled with star players. The club, part of the MGM Grand, welcomed in even more big names for residencies during 2014.

  • Digital music sales down for the first time. Ever.

    Perhaps you've heard about how album sales are lagging. The numbers for compact discs have been steadily decreasing since the rise of the mp3. This year brought a new, alarming statistic however: For the first time ever, digital music sales are down.
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