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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
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. -
Vince Guaraldi's 'A Charlie Brown Christmas': Music Times Ranks a Christmas Classic
Vince Guaraldi's contributions to 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' is one of the greatest soundtracks ever. We're willing to rank every classic track. -
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.
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