• The Brutality of The Bard: 2Pac, Dethklok and More Celebrate 'Talk Like Shakespeare Day'

    Happy "Talk Like Shakespeare Day" to all of our favorite readers and theatre geeks. We at Music Times tend to write more about Broadway musicals, or the occasional opera based on one of William Shakespeare's works, versus the stage plays themselves (you know...we write about music). There's no denying that the legendary playwright has had an impact on music with his words...in the most brutal way possible. For all of his poetry, the Bard turned out enough gritty one-liners that would have made Robocop a Best Picture nominee without removing any of the bloodshed. Take heed as 2Pac, Iced Earth and more demonstrate how "talk like Shakespeare" means "talk like a badass."
  • Social Media's Biggest Stars: Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Lana Del Rey and Others Who Broke It Big

    Shawn Mendes in on top of the world (and the Billboard 200 and Album Sales Chart) as his debut LP, Handwritten, sold more than 100,000 copies and confirmed his status as a star. He's the first performer to use the video-sharing service Vine to find fortune, but he's far from the first performer to use social media to grab a record deal. Here are five other recognizable performers who got big on the internet...some of whom who have gotten so big that you may have forgotten they started out by sharing music on YouTube and MySpace, from Lana Del Rey to Justin Bieber.
  • U2 Fans Got a Surprise Tool Record When Buying 'Songs of Innocence' Vinyl; Elaborate Promo Stunt?

    There's simply no way to get U2's 'Songs of Innocence' without a bit of trouble: The band drew the ire of iTunes users everywhere when listeners found the album forced upon them via the Apple program during September. Now the group has gotten around to releasing a vinyl version of the controversial release and some buyers are finding something else entirely: pressings of Tool's debut EP 'Opiate' instead of the more streamlined 'Songs of Innocence.' Did the alt-metal band pull off the greatest promotional stunt ever, trumping even U2 itself?
  • Neil Young, Jerry Garcia, Ozzy Osbourne and Other Sing to Mother Earth on Her Birthday

    METoday is Earth Day and another big day is approaching as well—Mother's Day on May 10 (don't forget to call mom guys) so Music Times decided to bring both together and look up the music acts that have paid tribute to the most important mother of them all: Mother Earth. We've got performances from Grateful Dead affiliates, Neil Young and Ozzy Osbourne.
  • Bryan Price: Lil Jon, Eminem, Dr. Dre and 5 Other Rappers Try to Outcurse Cincinnati Reds Manager

    Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price was having a bad week and he let the world know it by dropping the f-bomb 77 times during an epic rant on Monday afternoon. The rant was around 5:30 long, which comes out to about 14 f*cks a minute. Compare that with 50 Cent's early track "F*ck You," which comes in at about 14.25 f*cks a minute. Here's how Price's rant compares to the most profane hip-hop songs of all time, from Eminem to Dr. Dre and Lil Jon.
  • 'Handwritten' and Shawn Mendes Youngest Performer Since Justin Bieber to Top Billboard 200

    We may be witnessing the emergence of the next big young superstar as Shawn Mendes topped the Billboard 200 this week with his debut LP Handwritten. He becomes the youngest performer to top the chart since 2010, when Justin Bieber also did it at the age of 16 (albeit six months younger than Mendes). What makes Mendes' accomplishment more impressive is that he did so without a single on the Billboard charts, drawing almost entirely from hype built as a Vine star (and as an opener for Taylor Swift on tour). He moved 119,000 copies of his debut.
  • Coachella Tweets Drop 83 Percent During Weekend Two (Because of Nicki Minaj and DMX?)

    Coachella's second weekend featured a massive drop off in social media mentions, despite being an easy sell-out, like the first weekend. Billboard reports that while 3.5 million tweets mentioned Coachella directly during the event's first rendition the previous weekend (with Nicki Minaj and AC/DC driving traffic), only 600,000 mentions went out over the past weekend. What's the story?
  • Jack White Makes 'Six-Figure' Donation to National Blues Museum for Interactive Exhibit

    Jack White caught flack when hacked e-mails revealed his distaste for the Black Keys allegedly ripping him off...so at least he's generous in acknowledging the musical acts from which he pieced to gather his signature style. The guitarist made a healthy contribution to the National Blues Museum, which is scheduled to open in St. Louis later this year. The organization told media that the dollar figure was in the "six figure" range.
Real Time Analytics