Ryan M. Book, The Music Times

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Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova disappears during transfer of prisons in Russia

The most engaging political activity in the music world in recent years, the conflict between Pussy Riot and the Russian government, has taken a seemingly dire turn. Band member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova has gone missing amid a recent prison transfer.
Waylon Jennings' grandson Struggle Jennings fools jail into letting him shoot 'Black Curtains' music video

A) Waylon Jennings' grandson, Struggle Jennings, is a rapper. B)He and his crew fooled a jail in Tennessee into letting them shoot a music video while he's incarcerated for drug charges.
Marvin Gaye's family launches lawsuit against Robin Thicke and EMI; could conflict of interest free up publishing rights?

It's been a long while since Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams and Clifford Harris (his friends know him as T.I.) filed a lawsuit looking to rule out any suggestions that the trio stole from Marvin Gaye's "Got To Give It Up" when recording their own "Blurred Lines," the biggest song of 2013 thus far. The Gaye estate has finally gotten around to filing their countersuit that alleges the exact opposite, and they've included music publisher EMI among their targets.
Back of The Billboards: '12 Stories' by Brandy Clark...the best album country album of 2013 so far by our count

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.
Hans Zimmer assembles Pharrell Williams, Johnny Marr, Dave Stewart, and Michael Einziger for 'Amazing Spider-man' soundtrack

Hans Zimmer has worked with some big names during his career scoring films, and he brought them all for 'The Amazing Spider-man 2.'
The Prodigy and Chemical Brothers headlining Snowbombing 2014 festival in Austria

Summer (and spring in warmer climes) tends to be the most popular season for music festivals, which is reasonable. It's warm. And most people want to be warm when they're at a music festival. Electronic music has been defying the trend for several years however, by pairing two likely hobbies, EDM and snowboarding, for cold weather fun. Snowbombing, an electronic music festival held at a ski resort in Mayrhofen, Austria, does just that. It was recently announced that British acts The Prodigy and the Chemical Brothers would be headlining the 2014 version of the event. The latter will perform a DJ set.
Kanye West postponed 'Yeezus' tour dates in Denver, Minneapolis and Vancouver following damage to equipment

Kanye West and team have postponed three more dates from the "Yeezus" tour due to damage to stage equipment. Representatives for West announced on Friday that the upcoming shows in Denver, Minneapolis and Vancouver would need to be rescheduled, although new dates have not been announced as of press time.
One Direction sells out seven straight shows at Sydney's Allphones Arena

One Direction managed to sell out seven straight shows at the arena , totaling more than 81,542 tickets, beating the previous record by around 7,000 attendees. Metallica previously held the record, during its 2010 tour (when the venue was still called the Acer Arena).
The Band Perry tries European tour to build international fan base

The Band Perry may be taking a slight risk when they embark on a European tour on November 8, but they're hoping that the month-long sojourn into Europe will reward its fans across the pond, and perhaps even pick up some new listeners.
Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean and George Strait to headline the Bayou Superfest; Eric Church, Reba McIntire, Florida Georgia Line will also appear

Another day, another lineup for another 2014 country music festival: The list of performers for the Bayou Country Superfest was released Wednesday night, and they ain't messing around. The festival-- which takes place the weekend of May 23, 24 and 25-has a number of acts opening that would easily be headliners at lesser festivals. Check it out:
Eminem apologizes to mother on new track 'Headlights' off of 'The Marshall Mathers LP 2'

Eminem was notorious during his first years of fame, not only for baiting censors with obscene and offensive lyrics, but for his family history as well. Besides his issues with his wife Kim, his bad relationship with mother Debbie Mathers was also a frequent plot point. Now, the rapper will be burying the hatchet on The Marshall Mathers LP 2. The song "Headlights" spends a significant amount of time apologizing for his past actions.
James Blake surprised a field including David Bowie, Disclosure and Laura Mvula to win the Mercury Prize

James Blake surprised English music fans by taking home the Mercury Prize, an annual award given out for the best album by British or Irish performers.
Stevie Wonder will release up to three new albums during 2014; Will perform 'Songs in The Key of Life' for holiday special

Stevie Wonder hasn't released a new record in more than eight years, but the R&B legend will be coming back at listeners in a big way when 2014 comes around. The pianist confirmed rumors from earlier in the year that he'd begun work on a new album, and one-upped them by announcing that he may release as many as three new LPs next year.
Lorde regains top Digital Downloads spot with 'Royals,' Lady Gaga's 'Do What U Want' is hot, and 'Rap God' drops fast

A lot of moving and shaking in this week's Digital Downloads Top 10, thanks to a couple of debut albums and a couple debut singles, Let's see what's going on.
Katy Perry and 'Prism' one of only albums to sell last week; Pearl Jam, Drake and Miley Cyrus hang around on Top 10

The bad news for the music industry: This week was a weak one for album sales, totaling around 4.54 million total records sold, the lowest weekly total since Nielsen began compiling the stats in 1991. Considering that Lady Gaga sold more than a million by herself when 'Born This Way' debuted in 2011, we're sure the music biz can't wait for 'ARTPOP' to drop next week. For now, here's the results from last week's sales.
Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley and Brantley Gilbert will headline Taste of Country music festival next June

Love it or hate it, outside of Garth Brooks, country music doesn't like to keep its fans in suspense. We love it, because that means we get plenty of time to decide whether we'll be going to the festivals, as we know who'll be headlining far before tickets are sold out. Taste of Country announced its headliners on Wednesday for the June festival.
Kanye West cancels Anaheim tour date, second show cancelled during 'Yeezus' tour

Kanye West's "Yeezus" tour took another hit when its Friday stop in Anaheim was postponed. It's the second stop that West and company have had to reschedule since beginning earlier this month. As of press time, no official reason has been given for the rescheduling, but there's decent reason to believe that the requirements for setting up the stage didn't allow engineers enough time to get it rigged.
Music Times Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame Championship: Who won? KISS or Peter Gabriel?

The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame announced its 2013 induction nominees on October 15, including KISS, Nirvana, N.W.A. and more. Although there's no limit to how many can be allowed into the hall by the panel of 600 voters, we at Music Times have been reading too much The Hunger Games and wondered: What if there could be only one? See who won the final round...
CMA Awards Reward Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line and Other Artists You've Heard of With Nominations

There are about a 100 (give or take a dozen) country music awards ceremonies going on in the near future, so you'll be forgiven if you can't keep them straight. The newest batch of nominations to be added to the list is the American Country Awards, which will air on December 10 from Las Vegas, hosted by NASCAR driver Danica Patrick and musician Trace Adkins.
Roger Daltrey clarifies The Who will play shows after 'final' tour

Don't panic Who fans! Vocalist Roger Daltrey clarified to Billboard magazine that the legendary rock band would stop touring following its 2014 50th anniversary tour, but that didn't mean the band was kaput.
Lou Reed tracks reenter U.K. charts following Sunday death

The death of alternative rock legend Lou Reed has been the major story in music so far this week, thanks to his solo work and time with the Velvet Underground (and the tremendous influence both provided). As with other legendary musicians, it seems that interest generated by media attention will push Reed's repertoire back into the Billboard charts.
Garth Brooks' final Vegas show to broadcast on CBS

Unless you're among a lucky few, you probably haven't seen Garth Brooks perform live in recent years. Although the country icon has stuck his head out to play charity events, including a fundraiser for Oklahoma tornado relief this summer, Brooks has stuck mainly to playing gigs at the Wynn Las Vegas for the last three years. Even if you haven't been able to get out to Nevada to see Brooks, fans will get the chance to check out one of his shows next month.
Jonas Brothers break up after cancelling tour; What about 'V'?

The spirit of the Disney music generation took a hit earlier this year when Miley Cyrus engaged in all sorts of obscene behavior leading up to her recent release 'Bangerz,' but the scene may have taken a bigger hit Tuesday when The Jonas Brothers confirmed that the band was breaking up.
Kanye West may release five 'Yeezus' outtakes by end of 2013

There was enough hype for Kanye West's Yeezus when it debuted earlier this year, but it doesn't look like Yeezy is done with fans yet during 2013. The rapper announced during an extended interview on Los Angeles hip-hop station Power 106 that five unreleased tracks from the Yeezus recording sessions could see the light by the end of the year.
Emile Millar scores another soundtrack win with 'Parenthood,' aims for broader music success

Hearing one's music coupled with a television program watched by an average 6.57 million viewers during its third season sounds like an ideal situation for an indie performer such as Emile Millar, but it wasn't his first time at the rodeo. His lyrics have graced programs such as One Tree Hill and Sunshine Cleaners, perhaps culminating with the appearance of his track "Black Dirt" while Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow sip champagne during The Avengers.
Flo Rida vs. Deadmau5 in the battle of the Beamz

A hot trend right now in hip-hop is to have your own headphone line. Dr. Dre and Ludacris are making healthy profits off their respective Beats by Dre and Soul lines. Flo Rida, in a new development for the rapper, decided to take things in a different direction: a portable, laser-powered remix machine called Beamz by Flo (so the title might not be that original).
David Bowie, The Who, Morrissey pay tribute to Lou Reed

Music Times scrambled and came up with a short summary on Lou Reed's influence on music following his death Sunday. Perhaps his worth to rock, especially anything considered alternative is best described through the words of musicians that carried on in the genre he helped to pioneer.
Kenny Rogers, Bobby Bare and 'Cowboy' Jack Clement inducted into Country Music Hall of Fame

Three country music icons were inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday in Nashville, with Kenny Rogers, Bobby Bare and "Cowboy" Jack Clement being honored at the ceremony.
Quincy Jones sues Michael Jackson estate for $10 million, 'Thriller' producer says contract violated, royalties owed

Quincy Jones is a legend in the music industry, having won 27 Grammys for his work as a producer. None of his work is more famous than that he did with pop superstar Michael Jackson however. Now, Jones is suing the estate of the late performer, alleging that MJJ Music (a music company managed by the estate) and Sony Music Entertainment negotiated deals on the side the prevented the producer from receiving royalties and credit he was owed for use of Jackson's music.
Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame FINAL ROUND: KISS vs. Peter Gabriel [VOTE!]

The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame announced its 2013 induction nominees on October 15, including KISS, Nirvana, N.W.A. and more. Although there's no limit to how many can be allowed into the hall by the panel of 600 voters, we at Music Times have been reading too much The Hunger Games and wondered: What if there could be only one?