Billboard.biz - Retail Industry News

Exclusive: Hard Rock International Launches Record Label, Signs Rosco Bandana

Andrew Hampp, New York — 2012-05-30 07:00:00.0

Hard Rock International is launching Hard Rock Records, an in-house record label for the cafe, hotel and casino chain. Its first signing, Mississippi-based rock band Rosco Bandana, will issue its debut album in September and perform at a kickoff party for the label June 19 at Hard Rock Cafe Nashville.

Folk Musician Doc Watson Dies In NC Hospital At 89

Martha Waggoner, Associated Press — 2012-05-29 20:23:00.0

Doc Watson, the Grammy-award winning folk musician whose lightning-fast style of flatpicking influenced guitarists around the world for more than a half-century, died Tuesday at a hospital in Winston-Salem, according to a hospital spokeswoman and his management company. He was 89.

Nashville Knowledge: Billboard Country Music Summit To Examine Genre's Wild Success

Ray Waddell (@billboardtour), Nashville — 2012-05-29 16:45:00.0

Sophisticated, ever-evolving and wildly successful, the country music business will be explored from every angle at the third annual Billboard Country Music Summit June 4-5 at Nashville’s Cannery Ballroom. Here you'll find Q&A's with Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam and CAA's Rob Light; a Luke Bryan "Artist Development Study;" a roundtable with Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney and Jason Aldean's managers; a touring panel with Live Nation Country and TMG/AEG Live execs; and much, much more...

No Doubt to Argue Lawsuit Against Activision In Front of Jury

Anthony McCartney, Associated Press — 2012-05-29 16:25:00.0

No Doubt's attorneys can argue to a jury that the band was misled by gaming giant Activision Publishing Inc. about how its likeness would be used in the video game "Band Hero," a judge ruled Tuesday.

Samsung Debuts Online 'Music Hub,' Challenges iTunes With 19 Million Tracks

Dan Rys, New York — 2012-05-29 12:15:00.0

Samsung is debuting an online music store called the Samsung Music Hub, which will be available initially via its new Galaxy S III in Germany, Italy, the U.K., France and Spain.

John Mayer, MercyMe, Slash, Sara Bareilles On Course for Top 10 on Billboard 200

Keith Caulfield, Los Angeles — 2012-05-25 17:09:00.0

John Mayer seems far and way the likely next act to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as his "Born and Raised" set should easily debut atop the list next week. As for the rest of the top 10 next week, Christian band MercyMe seems on course for its second top 10 album. And guitar god Slash may be in line for the third-highest bow with "Apocalyptic Love."

Business Matters: Google Shines a Light on Huge Effort to Fight Piracy at Google Search

Glenn Peoples, Nashville — 2012-05-25 13:59:00.0

Google has lifted the veil on its anti-piracy efforts by launching an online Transparency Report that offers details on the issuers and targets of removal requests for Google’s search results. Also, guitar dealers suffer collateral damage from the Gibson Guitars v. Lacey Act battle; and Tom Silverman says monetizing passive fans is a way forward for the music business.

Chart Moves: Garbage Returns to Billboard 200 Albums Chart, 'Newsies' Cast Recording Rebounds

Keith Caulfield, Los Angeles — 2012-05-25 10:24:00.0

Garbage returns to the Billboard 200, while Pantera, Michael Jackson, Guns N Roses, and Journey all make gains.

Chart Moves: Rihanna Rises on Hot 100, Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw's 'Star' Fades

Gary Trust, New York — 2012-05-25 09:00:00.0

Beyond Carly Rae Jepsen and Gotye owning the tops of the Hot Digital Songs and Billboard Hot 100 charts, respectively, there's lots of lower echelon machinations brewing: Songs by Rihanna, David Guetta featuring Sia, Grouplove, and Gym Class Heroes featuring Ryan Tedder all make gains while Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw's latest flags.

Lionel Richie's 'Tuskegee' Becomes Year's Second-Biggest-Selling Album

Keith Caulfield (@keith_caulfield), Los Angeles — 2012-05-24 17:29:00.0

One of 2012's biggest surprise success stories just got even more surprising and successful: This week, Lionel Richie's smash "Tuskegee" album becomes the second-biggest selling album of the year with a total of 789,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

John Mayer Going for Third No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart

Keith Caulfield, Los Angeles — 2012-05-23 21:18:00.0

John Mayer's new album "Born and Raised" is heading for No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart next week. Industry sources suggest it could sell around 220,000 to 240,000 copies by week's end on May 27. The new Billboard 200 chart's top 10 will be revealed on the morning of May 30.

Donna Summer's Album Sales Skyrocket 3,277% Following Death

Keith Caulfield (@keith_caulfield), Los Angeles — 2012-05-23 17:13:00.0

The late Donna Summer impacts Billboard's music charts this week, following her death on May 17. Billboard's new sales charts reflect only four days since Summer's passing, but in that time the Queen of Disco had four albums enter the Billboard 200 up 3,277% from the week before; and 187,000 song downloads (up from 4,000) topped by "Last Dance" and "On the Radio.”

Music Apps For the Summer Time -- Last.fm Festivals, Blog DJs, Chart Playlists, More

Knar Bedian, Evolver.fm — 2012-05-23 14:48:00.0

As the thermometer consistently tops 70 degrees here in New England, it's safe to say summer is coming in. For music lovers, that means music festivals. This week's batch includes Last.Fm's Festivals app, designer playlist apps, and chart-based apps that allow you to stream some of the most popular music on the U.S. charts.

The Great GoogaMooga Fest to Refund 'Extra Mooga' Tickets Amid Attendee Backlash

Dan Rys, New York — 2012-05-23 13:07:00.0

Complaints against the inaugural Great GoogaMooga festival, held in Brooklyn last weekend, said the event was marred by impossibly long lines, nonexistent cell phone service, food and drink running out, and a breakdown of the wine and beer tent payment system. Now the fest's promoter, Superfly Presents, is issuing full refunds for the $250 'Extra Mooga' tickets (general tickets were free). The event included performances by the Roots, Hall & Oates, Fitz & The Tantrums, James Murphy and others.

Fool's Gold's Nick Catchdubs on The Goldmine, Indie Label's New Premium Digital Service (Q&A)

Emmanuelle Saliba (@ignitethesound), New York — 2012-05-23 08:05:00.0

Fool’s Gold, the Brooklyn-based indie label, just launched The Goldmine, a premium digital subscription service. Here, label co-founder Nick Catchdubs explains the service's genesis; the challenge of translating the label's physical retail experience to digital ("you're not going to see A-Trak"), and how the Holy Ship! cruise inspired the first release.

Business Matters: Pre-release File Sharing Helps Album Sales, Says a Study. So Why Not Replicate This Legally?

Glenn Peoples, Nashville — 2012-05-22 21:17:00.0

A study by an assistant professor at North Carolina State University posited that file sharing before an album's release date helped boost sales for established and popular artists, rather than hurt them. So, how can the music industry take advantage of this data in a legal way? Elsewhere, Facebook's stock dropped again, and opinions differ as to its value.

Sony Music Unlimited, More Open Than Ever, Takes the iOS Plunge on Friday

Eliot Van Buskirk, Evolver.fm — 2012-05-22 15:08:00.0

Sony Music Unlimited is dipping into the iOS, expanding its service to Apple's iPhones from its previously Android-only model. It's service, which contains over 15 million songs, can also be synched across all Sony devices.

Michael Jackson's 'Bad' Turns 25; Epic/Legacy to Release 3-CD, Concert DVD Box Set This September

Dan Rys, New York — 2012-05-22 14:03:00.0

Epic/Legacy Recordings will be re-releasing Michael Jackson's iconic 1987 album "Bad" as part of a 3-CD, 1-DVD box set with remastered tracks, unreleased demos, and the first DVD of Jackson's July 16, 1988 performance at London's Wembley Stadium ever released.

Backbeat: ?uestlove's Fried Chicken Invades David Chang's Momofuku For Charity

Harley Oliver Brown, New York — 2012-05-22 11:18:00.0

Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson of The Roots’ signature “Love’s Drumsticks” got their 15 minutes this Sunday night, when Momofuku mastermind David Chang let ?uest's secret recipe take center stage at his restaurant for one night only.

Exclusive: Starbucks To Release 'Cafe Con Musica,' Nacional Records Latin Alt Compilation

Leila Cobo (@Leilacobo), Miami — 2012-05-22 09:36:00.0

Starbucks, which rarely carries Latin music in its stores, has partnered with Latin indie label Nacional Records to release an exclusive compilation of Latin alternative music. “Café con Música" will feature such Nacional artists as Aterciopelados, Diego García, Ana Tijoux and Nortec Collective and will be available only at Starbucks beginning June 19.

Hip Hop Hall of Fame Finds NYC Home

Associated Press — 2012-05-22 08:53:00.0

Organizers say the Hip Hop Hall of Fame Museum has found a home in midtown Manhattan, which will reportedly include a restaurant, arcade, concert lounge, television studios, marquee, community and corporate rooms and gift shop. An awards show will return to television in November that will be broadcast from the Apollo Theater.

Business Matters: Triton Media Helping Pandora Seem More Like a Radio Company

Glenn Peoples, Nashville — 2012-05-21 17:48:00.0

Pandora is now being measured by Triton Digital, giving it information it can provide to advertisers that speaks the same language as terrestrial radio companies, allowing Pandora to sell to more easily to advertisers. Elsewhere, Hastings is the latest company to blame low quarter earnings on the weak CD release schedule, and the Financial Times thinks Sony undervalues Sony Music and Pictures.

How To Improve Music Discovery and Sales On TV: A Billboard Special White Paper

Glenn Peoples (@billboardglenn), Nashville — 2012-05-21 16:45:00.0

This special Billboard white paper was undertaken as a joint project among Billboard, NARM’S DigitalMusic.org division and TAG Strategic towards developing steps to improving music discovery on TV. The content is based on a session at the National Assn. of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) conference, Music Biz 2012, titled “Music & TV: Enabling Discovery for the Connected Consumer” that was organized by DigitalMusic.org and TAG Strategic.

Keane Holds Off Tenacious D Atop UK Album Charts; Rita Ora Has No. 1 Single

Paul Sexton, London — 2012-05-21 07:53:00.0

Sunday’s new U.K. sales data from the Official Charts Company showed a second week atop the album chart for Keane’s “Strangeland” and on the singles survey for “R.I.P.” by Rita Ora featuring Tinie Tempah. The album top ten also included debuts from Tenacious D, Ren Harvieu and Garbage.

Adele Tops Billboard Music Awards, Hot Performances By Justin Bieber, Jordin Sparks, Stevie Wonder, More

Billboard Staff — 2012-05-20 23:05:00.0

Adele had another one of those nights at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on Sunday, taking home a whopping twelve awards including Top Artist and Top Billboard 200 Album during an evening of scorching performances by the likes of Katy Perry and Justin Bieber, a tribute to the late Whitney Houston, and a once-in-a-generation Icon Award for Stevie Wonder.

Donna Summer's Album Sales Surge, Despite Lack of Availability

Keith Caulfield, Los Angeles — 2012-05-19 10:54:00.0

Despite how nearly half of the late Donna Summer's studio albums are off the market, the diva's catalog is due to make waves on the Billboard charts next week.

Tenacious D, 'Glee' and Garbage Headed for High Debuts on Billboard 200 Chart

Keith Caulfield, Los Angeles — 2012-05-18 18:16:00.0

While it seems that Adam Lambert is on the verge of his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with Trespassing, a number of other acts are set to debut in the top 20 next week, including Tenacious D, Garbage, and the 'Glee' cast.

Chart Moves: Keane & Karmin's Albums Debut, Pitbull's Not-Quite Career-Spanning Hits Set Arrives

Keith Caulfield, Los Angeles — 2012-05-18 09:55:00.0

Carrie Underwood held on to the No. 1 slot on the Billboard 200 while Adele climbed back to No. 2, Keane and Karmin debuted, and Damien Rice made a surprise re-appearance on the chart.

Donna Summer - In Memoriam: There Will Always Be a You

Michael Paoletta, Guest Writer — 2012-05-18 08:44:00.0

Michael Paoletta for ten years was Billboard's esteemed dance/electronic music editor. He not only interviewed Donna Summer (and her producer Giorgio Moroder) on several occasions, but grew up with and was inspired by Summer's seminal music, meteoric success and sustained stardom. As such, there may be no better person to help put her greatness and loss in perspective.

Adam Lambert Headed for No. 1 on Next Week's Billboard 200 Albums Chart

Keith Caulfield, Los Angeles — 2012-05-16 15:49:00.0

The Good News: Adam Lambert is vying for his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart next week. The Bad News: His "Trespassing" set may only sell around 70,000 to 80,000 copies, the smallest sum at No. 1 on the chart since last August.

Carrie Underwood's 'Blown Away' Album Nabs Second Week At No. 1

Keith Caulfield (@keith_caulfield), Los Angeles — 2012-05-16 11:00:00.0

Carrie Underwood holds at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a second week, with "Blown Away" selling another 120,000 copies (down 55%, according to Nielsen SoundScan). It's Underwood's third No. 1 album, but first to spend more than a week at the top.