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In a landmark move, the surviving Beatles and the the estates of John Lennon and George Harrison have agreed to license the group's music to MTV Games and Harmonix, creators of the "Rock Band" series. The game will make its debut in time for next year's holiday season. Video games have become a key market for musical acts such as Metallica and Aerosmith and in a statement on the lucrative deal, Sir Paul McCartney said: "The project is a fun idea that broadens the appeal of The Beatles and their music. I like people having the opportunity to get to know the music from the inside out." Beatles drummer Ringo Starr said via press release: "The Beatles continue to evolve with the passing of time and how wonderful that their legacy will find its natural progression into the 21st century through the computerized world we live in,"
Copyrights for most of The Beatles catalog are controlled by Sony/ATV, a joint venture between Sony Corp and trusts benefiting Michael Jackson. However, developers of the game will have input from McCartney, Starr, John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono, and George Harrison's wife Olivia Harrison. Grammy winner Giles Martin, son of The Beatles' producer George Martin, who produced the soundtrack to Cirque Du Soleil's "Love", will serve as music producer.
While the game will not be titled "Rock Band", it will work with the existing instruments - a guitar, drums and microphone.
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Additionally, developers also plan to introduce a keyboard for the first time in a music game. Alex Rigopulos, CEO of Harmonix, says: "I would say there will be interactive performances of The Beatles' music as well as new dimensions that you haven't seen from us before." In related Beatles news, three new CD releases should prove to be interesting for fans of the band. McCartney is getting ready to release the third installment of his project "The Fireman", a collaboration with Youth of Killing Joke. It will be released this month on his own MPL label. Additionally, original Beatles drummer Pete Best has releases his first new album of original material in over 40 years, titled Hayman's Green, and George Harrison's son Dhani has self released a new album with his group, Thenewno2, titled "You Are Here". Both releases are available through iTunes.
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FBI recommends misdemeanour charge for Guns N' Roses leaker
Kevin Cogill, the man accused of violating federal copyright laws by leaking several Guns N Roses tracks online has had his charges reduced.
Cogill seemed likely to face five years in prison if convicted under the original charge.
However, the FBI investigators are now believed to have recommended downgrading the charge from a felony to a misdemeanour, reports Yahoo Music.
If that is the case, Cogill is likely to face a maximum of one year in prison if convicted. |
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Scott Weiland has been pre-promoting his upcoming solo release by posting tracks online in advance of it's November 25th release date. A track entitled "Crash" is available for streaming on Spin.com. The cut will appear on the album, "Happy In Galoshes", which will be released via the artist's label Softdrive Records and distributed by New West Records/ RED/Sony.
The album, which was produced by Scott Weiland and Doug Grean (VELVET REVOLVER, SHERYL CROW, CRYSTAL METHOD), with select tracks recorded by Steve Albini. Guest appearance on the album include Adrian Young, Tony Kanal and Tom Dumont of NO DOUBT, who, along with Grean and Weiland, penned "Paralysis", which features Young on drums. Another track, "She's so Cold" was co-written by Gary Beers from INXS. Weiland will tour behind the new disc in January. |
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Los Angeles, CA, October 29, 2008 - JR Richards (Dishwalla) & Chris Blount (Everybody Hates Chris) will join Shoshana Bean (Wicked/Hairspray) and newly signed American Idol's Kady Malloy as a part of this years New Music Awards. Kid Rock, Kenny Chesney & Leona Lewis lead in their respective categories along with independent Sandra Crede, Alyson & Tom Savell. The show will be held on November 22nd at the Avalon Theatre in Hollywood and will honor major and independent recording artists, radio stations, program directors & record labels A pre-show celebrity filled red carpet will also be held prior to the
main event.
More information is available at: http://www.newmusicweekly.com/
You can also cast your vote in different categories now at http://www.newmusicweekly.com/nmwawards.php?d=y |
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James Blunt, Atlantic Records and Metro International today announced a global brand partnership that will see the acclaimed singer/songwriter guest edit the global edition of the Metro newspaper for a day. Metro is published in 20 countries and more than 150 cities, with a worldwide readership of over 20,000,000. Blunt will assume his duties on 17th November at the Metro Rome office. Alongside editing the paper and commenting on news affecting readers around the world, he will be involved in a feature on Médecins Sans Frontières, an international medical humanitarian organization James supports and which Metro Newspapers have worked closely with for a number of years.
For more visit http://www.metro.us/ |
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Hits Magazine reports Jane’s Addiction will reunite for one night, April 23 at the El Rey Theatre for a special NME US Awards Show. Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro and drummer Stephen Perkins are all confirmed, though it’s unclear whether original bassist Eric Avery or replacement Chris Chaney will be involved.
The band will be presented with the NME Godlike Genius Award for Extraordinary Services to Music during the show. Since breaking up in 1991, Jane’s has reunited three times, for tours in 1997 and 2001, and to record the Strays and headline Farrell’s Lollapalooza in 2003. |
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Ryan Adams & The Cardinals have released their new album Cardinology (Lost Highway). The record features the single "Fix It." The band is on tour with Oasis starting in December. A native of Jacksonville NC, Adams emerged out of the Raleigh music scene with Alt-Country rockers Whiskeytown in the mid '90s and remains best known for his song, "New York, New York" from Gold that soared to popularity following the 9/11 attacks. Besides his solo albums and work with Whiskeytown and The Cardinals, Adams has produced albums by his friend and fellow NYC artist Jesse Malin (The Fine Art of Self Destruction) and Willie Nelson (Songbird). Adams has also guested on albums by Toots and the Maytals, Beth Orton, the Wallflowers, Counting Crows, and Cowboy Junkies. In April of this year, Adams published "Infinity Blues" (Akashic Books), a collection of poems and short fiction. He is set to perform "Fix It" with The Cardinals on Late Night With David Letterman Wednesday October 29th.
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After word spread that Prince covered Radiohead's "Creep" at the Coachella festival, the tens of thousands who couldn't be there ran to YouTube for a peek. Everyone was quickly denied -- even Radiohead.
All videos of Prince's unique rendition of Radiohead's early hit were quickly taken down, leaving only a message that his label, NPG Records, had removed the clips, claiming a copyright violation. But the posted videos were shot by fans and, obviously, the song isn't Prince's.
In a recent interview, Thom Yorke said he heard about Prince's performance from a text message and thought it was "hilarious." Yorke laughed when his bandmate, guitarist Ed O'Brien, said the blocking had prevented even him from seeing Prince's version of their |
| song. "Really? He's blocked it?" asked Yorke, who figured it was their song to block or not. "Surely we should block it. Hang on a moment." Yorke added, "Well, tell him to unblock it. It's our ... song."
YouTube prohibits the posting of copyrighted material. If the site receives a complaint from a copyright owner, it will in most cases remove the video(s). Whether the same could be done for a company not holding a copyright is less clear, but Yorke's argument would seem to bear some credence according to YouTube's policies. YouTube, which is owned by Google, declined to comment. Prince also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The dispute was an interesting twist in debates over digital ownership, held between two major acts with differing views on music and the Internet. Radiohead famously released their most recent album, "In Rainbows," as a digital download with optional pricing. They also have a channel on YouTube.
When Prince performed at Coachella on April 26, he prohibited the standard arrangement of allowing photographers to shoot near the stage during the first three songs of his set. Instead, he had a camera crew filming his performance.
Prince, who founded NPG Records in 1993, has been innovative when it comes to music distribution, too. He released his 1997 album, "Crystal Ball," on the Internet and in 2006 was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Webbys. In 2007, he gave away copies of his disc "Planet Earth" in a British Sunday newspaper.
But the Purple One has also shut down his official Web site and last September said he would sue YouTube and eBay for not filtering unauthorized content.
Prince fans have organized to urge him to relent in his legal fights to control images and photographs of himself. As of yesterday, the most popular YouTube clip about Prince playing "Creep" is an expletive-laden rant from Sam Conti Jr., who describes himself as a "former Prince fan."
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rock band AC/DC will sell its new album only through Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the Wall Street Journal
reported on its website on Sunday, citing unnamed sources . The AC/DC album is expected to come out in the fall, the paper
reported. Wal-Mart did not have an immediate comment.
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Bo Diddley, a founding father of rock 'n' roll whose distinctive driving rhythm and signature guitar effects influenced countless other musicians, died on June, 2nd of heart failure at his home in Archer, Fla. He was 79. Diddley had suffered a heart attack in August, three months after suffering a stroke while on the road touring in Iowa and had recently returned to Florida to continue rehabilitation. He was a key figure in the transition of blues to rock 'n' roll. Diddley was a 1988 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was awarded a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame and picked up a lifetime achievement award in 1999 at the Grammy Awards. Born in Mississippi, "Ellas Otha Bates" migrated with his family to Chicago where he established himself as a prominent R&B singer and performer in the '50s and '60s. Diddley's string of hits included the rock classic, "I'm a Man," along with "Who Do You Love" and "Hey Bo Diddley," among others. In recent years he played at The White House for the elder President Bush and President Clinton.
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Folk singer, songwriter, poet, hobo, and labor activist Bruce "Utah" Phillips died on May 23rd of congestive heart failure in Nevada City, Calif. where he resided and hosted a nationally syndicated radio show, "Loafer's Glory," originating from KVMR Nevada City. He was 73. Phillips, the self-described "Golden Voice of the Great Southwest," was an iconic influence on artists such as Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Joe Ely, Joan Baez and Tom Waits, who have all recorded his songs. His career spanned nearly four decades and includes a collaboration with Ani DiFranco on the labor-themed 1999 album Fellow Workers which won them a Grammy award nomination in 2000 for best contemporary folk album. Phillips was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Folk Alliance in 1997.
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Radiohead kicked off their North American tour Monday (5/5) at the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida. The New York Times reported that the show was relatively "subdued" while Rolling Stone raved about "a stunning light show". After the concert, lead singer Thom Yorke remarked, "We've just spent the last three days in Miami Beach. For once I was proud to be white, pale, and English." The extensive North American tour - broken up by summer tour legs in Europe - wraps up in the U.S. September 28 at the Santa Barbara Bowl. The entire international tour winds up October 5 in Tokyo, Japan. RADIOHEAD NORTH AMERICAN TOUR.
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Shakir Stewart, Vice President of Def Jam Recordings, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound this past weekend. The 34-year-old executive was found in the bathroom of his house after having apparently shot himself with a handgun. He was prounounced dead at Kennestone Hospital. Stewart was named executive vice president of Def Jam about five months ago. He succeeded rap superstar Jay-Z.
Prior to signing on with Def Jam, Stewart signed a pre-superstar Beyonce to Antonio “L.A.” Reid’s Atlanta-based publishing company, Hitco. He was also an A&R consultant at Reid’s now-closed Atlanta imprint, LaFace Records, and Arista Records, to which he signed local Grammy winner Ciara. Since 2004 he had served as vice president and senior vice president of A&R for Def Jam, during which time he signed Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy and Miami hip-hop star Rick Ross. Stewart split his time between Atlanta and New York.
In a statement issued Saturday night, Island Def Jam Music Group said: “Shakir was an amazing man, in every sense of the |
word. A truly incredible friend and father who was an inspiration to not only our artists and employees, but to his family and the many people who had the privilege of counting him as a friend. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family at this very difficult time." |
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NON-COMMvention founder and producer and WXPN Philadelphia OM/MD Dan Reed has announced the dates for The 9th Annual NON-COMMvention, May 28-30, 2009 in Philadelphia, again hosted by WXPN and World Café Live. The NON-COMMvention has grown to become the premier annual conference for North America's non-commercial Triple A radio stations. The "NON-COMM" was originally created by Dan (then at WFPK Louisville) as an alternative to the annual commercial Triple A convention but the event now hosts a number of adventurous commercial Triple A stations as well. The focus of the NON-COMMvention is on networking, informative business panels, and plenty of music showcases. Last year's convention hosted close to 30 performances over three days. "We can't wait for May to come," said Dan. "2009's NON-COMMvention will be bigger and better than ever!" Dan will handle development of all panels and will book all the performing acts. Contact Dan via email. Look for additional registration and hotel information here in weeks to come.
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MTV Networks is looking to cash in on fans uploading video clips to the internet by pairing ads with clips on MySpace using Auditude's technology. Viacom Inc., owner of Paramount Pictures and MTV Networks, had previously filed a $1-billion copyright infringement lawsuit against Google Inc.'s YouTube, but the company now seems to be joinging the digital revolution. The Viacom unit will pair advertising with clips from "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," "Punk'd" and other shows that MySpace users upload to the social network site.
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British music giant EMI is reportedly in talks about turning over its distribution, sales and marketing operations in the United States to a rival in an attempt to cut its extensive losses. The company, whose catalog includes the Beatles, the Beach Boys and Coldplay - is talking to Warner Music (WMG), SonyBMG (SME) and Universal Music Group about assuming these functions in the U.S. A source familiar with the industry said all EMI wanted to do in the United States was outsource its CD distribution to retailers like Wal-Mart and Best Buy, a move which could save EMI as much as $300 million a year. The company is also reportedly considering licensing its jazz and classical division, whose labels include Blue Note and Angel. That rumor is strongly denied by EMI spokeswoman Jeanne Meyer; "EMI has no plans at this time to license its jazz and classical businesses."
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Bug Music Publishing, the largest independent contemporary music publisher in the world, has signed a major new deal with Southern rock innovators Kings Of Leon. Bug Music and Kings Of Leon have entered into both a publishing agreement, bringing all four band members exclusively under the Bug Windswept banner, as well as a joint venture agreement that allows the band to pursue ongoing creative projects by signing and developing artists under the Bug Music umbrella. Previously, Bug Music has administered the publishing of band members Matthew and Jared Followill throughout their career, while Windswept had handled Nathan and Caleb Followill through its joint venture with Combustion Music. Now that the companies are one, Bug Music will manage all future publishing interests for the next several albums of all four band members.
For more info check out http://www.bugmusic.com/ |
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Summer is traditionally the festival season, with high profile events such as Bonaroo, Coacella and Lollapalozza topping the
list in the States, and events such as Cropredy, The Green Man Festival, and Hydro Connect taking place in Europe. This year, however,over a dozen festivals have been cancelled due to poor ticket sales. Various causes have been sited by industry
pundits, ranging from high gas prices to just not enough people being in any given market to support the festivals.
Norway's Quart Festival was among the cancellations on the other side of the pond. The festival, the country's largest, was scheduled to take place between July 2-5, and was set to feature such hi-profile acts as The Enemy, Death Cab For Cutie, Dizzee Rascal and Future Of The Left. Apparently, the foundation behind the festival was planning to file for bankruptcy early this week.
Only 2,052 tickets had been sold, with little money to cover expenses at such a late date. Festival organizers had budgeted for at least 30,000. In the U.S., tickets for the
Outlands Festival in San Francisco are reportedly selling poorly, and attendence in Coachella was down as well. the trend is troubling for the music industry, as the summer festival circuit has become the cornerstone of many an artist's yearly touring schedule. Live Nation, which controls many of the largest of the summer festivals, mad a
significant investment to buy into many of them. However, some critics cite poor programming as the main cause in the decline. The company had booked Jay-Z as a
headliner for the Glastonbury festival, which is somewhat incongruous with the types of acts that have headlined the festival in the past. May feel that quality programming
to the core audience of a festival is essential to maintaining integrity and keeping attendance up.
The House committee held a hearing Wednesday, June 11 on a bill that would kill radio's long-standing exemption from performance royalties. A group of musicians led by
Nancy Sinatra are leading the ill-timed effort along with the musicFIRST Coalition. The Coalition says many stations would pay a "flat, affordable fee set by Congress" but
the NAB claims that amounts to a $7 billion tax on radio that benefits the RIAA and foreign-owned record labels. The MusicFirst coalition is comprised of the record labels, musicians and other music industry organizations. It is pushing for legislation sponsored by Reps. Howard Berman, D-Calif., and Darrell Issa, R-Calif.
Steve Gottlieb's TVT record label is reportedly about to auction off its assets in an effort to address debts of up to $24 million. The label filed for Chapter 11 earlier in the
year instead of filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy, but as of the auction date, which was June 13, 2008, many bands on the roster, such as Ambulance Ltd. and the Polyphonic
Spree have taken court action. Universal Music Group is reported to be taking their own legal action against the label.
TVT has an obligation to cure any breaches or unpaid monies before completing the sale, but has listed it's artist debt as $0.00, with few exceptions. Ambulance Ltd.
responded by filing papers objecting to TVT’s assumption that they can assign or sell its contract. Until the matter is resolved, the band is currently not allowed to release
any new music. UMG’s court action pertains to unpaid sample and licensing fees for artists such as Pitbull, Snoop Dogg and Tara Thomas, used on TVT soundtracks and compilations.
Lee Trink stepping down as president of Capitol Records
News has spread that Capitol Records President Lee Trink has resigned as president of the company. He was reportedly offered a position has head of North American Marketing, but passed. It is believed that this move may be a percursor to Trink joining Jason Flom when he makes his own anticipated exit from the label. Ian Ralfini will
act as interim president until a permanent replacement is named.
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MUSIC CONFERENCES AND FESTIVALS |
3rd-5th: Event Pro Forum - Las Vegas, NV (512) 448-4566 eventproforum@earthlink.net www.eventproforum.com
5th-7th: Country Radio Seminar-Nashville, TN (615) 327-4487 www.crb.org
5th-8th: Canadian Music Week - Toronto, Canada (905) 858-4747 www.cmw.net
6th: Billboard Music & Money Symposium - New York, NY (646) 654-4660 www.billboardevents.com
12th-15th: Red Gorilla Music Fest - Austin, TX (615) 251-4920 info@redgorillamusic.com
12th-16th: SXSW Music Conference - Austin, TX (512) 467-7979 www.sxsw.com
13th-16th: Invasion of the GoGirls - Austin, TX info@gogirlsmusic.com
20th-22nd: A3C Hip Hop Festival - Atlanta, GA www.a3cfestival.com
20th-April 5th: Savannah Music Fest - Savannah, GA (912) 234-3378 info@savannahmusicfestival.org
25th-28th: CIA Christian Music Summit - Franklin, TN www.ciasummit.com
25th-29th: Winter Music Conference - Miami, FL (954) 563-4444 www.wintermusicconference.com
31st: Billboard Mobile Entertainment Live Spring – (646) 654-4660 www.billboardevents.com
TBA: Music & Entertainment Educators Assoc Conference - Long Island, NY
(504) 865-3975 www.meiea.org
TBA: International Live Music Conference – London, England 44-207-284-5868 ilmc@ilmc.com www.ilmc.com
TBA: 38th Annual Recording Media Forum - La Quinta, CA (609) 279-1700 www.recordingmedia.org
1st-5th: Tin Pan South - Nashville, TN (615) 256-3354 www.tinpansouth.com
6th-10th: Billboard Latin Music Conference - Miami, FL (646) 654-4660 www.billboardevents.com
10th-12th: ASCAP I Create Music Expo - Hollywood, CA (323) 883-1000 www.ascap.com/expo/
10th-13th: 2008 Pop Conference at EMP|SFM Shake, Rattle: Music, Conflict, and Change - Seattle, WA (206) 770-2745 www.popconferenceregistration.empsfm.org
18th-19th: Dewey Beach Popfest - Dewey Beach, DE (302) 227-3888 popfest@deweybeachfest.com
19th-23rd: Gospel Music Week - Nashville, TN (615) 242-0303 www.gospelmusic.org
24th-27th: Merlefest - Wilkesboro, NC (800) 343-7857 merlefest@wilkescc.edu
25th-26th: McDowell Mountain Music Festival - Scotsdale, AZ (602) 343-0453 info@mmmf.net
25th-May4th: New Orleans Jazz Festival - New Orleans, LA (504) 410-4100 www.nojazzfest.com
25th-27th: Live Indie Rock Wars - Las Vegas, NV (888) 404-1168 info@blackmountainproductions.com
29th-30th: Ponderosa Stomp - New Orleans, LA www.ponderosastomp.com
TBA: MUSEXPO, 4th Int’l A&R & Artist Development Conference - Los Angeles
(323) 782-0770
TBA: Gospel Music Week Estes Park, CO (800) 462-3211 www.gospel.music.org
4th-7th: NARM - San Francisco, CA (856) 596-2221 www.narm.com
9th-10th: Dewey Beach Chickfest - Dewey Beach, DE (302) 227-1209 vwalls@deweybeachfest.com
14th-17th: Florida Music Festival and Conference - Orlando, FL ArtistRelations@FloridaMusicFestival.com
14th-18th: New Music West Music Festival and Conference - Vancouver, BC (604) 689-2910 info@29production.ca
6th-8th: Detroit Festival of the Arts - Detroit, MI (313) 577-5088
12th-15th: North by Northeast (NXNE) Music Festival & Conference - Toronto, CA
(416) 863-6963 info@nxne.com
12th-15th: Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival - Manchester, TN info@bonnaroo.com
13th-15th: City Stages Music Festival: Birmingham, AL (205) 201-1272 www.citystages.org
13th-15th: International Soul Music Conference - Dallas, TX (646) 764-0004 Fiona@thebloomeffect.com
18th-22nd: Athfest - Athens, GA (706) 548-1973 info@athfest.com
20th-22nd: Song Fest on Music Row - Nashville, TN (615) 424-1491 Popcorn@SongwritersFestival.com
26th-29th: South Park Music Tour and Conference - Fairplay, CO www.southparkmusictour.com
26th-29th: Roots Music Association Conference - San Antonio, TX convention2008@rootsmusicassociation.org
26th-July 6th: Summerfest - Milwaukee, WI (414) 273-2680 www.summerfest.com
4th-5th: 80/35 Music Festival - Des Moines, IA (515) 244-5537 info@desmoinesmc.com
1st-10th: Musikfest - Bethlehem, PA (610) 332-1300 info@fest.org
5th-8th: Ampflify Independent Music Comp-Fest - Las Vegas, NV www.amplifymusiccompfest.com
13th-17th: Cutting Edge & Music Business Conference – New Orleans, LA www.sonicbids.com
21st-24th: 1st Annual Indiegrrl Conference - Spencer, VA (276) 224-0485 www.indiegrrl.com
22nd-24th: Nedfest - Nederland, CO mike@michiganmike.com
30th-Sept.: 1st Bumbershoot Festival - Seattle, WA (206) 281-7788 info@onereel.org
9th: Billboard Mobile Entertainment Live Fall - San Francisco, CA (646) 654-4660 info@billboardevents.com
17th-21st: Baltimore Music Conference 2008 – Baltimore, MD www.sonicbids.com
17th-20th: Atlantis Music Conference – Atlanta, GA (770) 499-8600 www.atlantismusic.com
25th-28th: Dewey Beach Music Conference (302) 227-1209 vwalls@deweybeachfest.com
21st-25th: CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival – New York, NY www.cmj.com
4th-9th: Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp - London, England 1-888-Roc-band
12th-13th: Touring ’08 Billboard Touring Conference and Awards - New York, NY
(646) 654.4660 info@billboardevents.com
16th-20th: The Midwest Clinic – Chicago, IL (847) 424-5185 |
AC/DC TO SELL NEW ALBUM THROUGH WAL-MART 
FESTIVAL BUSINESS AT CROSSROADS