Can Lime Wire Reinvent Itself As A Legitimate Music Service? Lime Wire best known for file sharing and music pirates has opened a store that offers two million+ songs for 99 cents. “We’d love to work with the entire music industry,” said Lime Wire CEO George Searle. “I think there are some people in the majors who see the potential of Lime Wire.”

We have iTunes, eMusic, MSN Music, Music Match, Amazon, Music Now, Napster, Rhapsody, etc., and music label EMI is planning to setup their own digital music store. How many digital stores do we need selling music?

Some of the most added songs this week to rock radio are Hoobastank “My Turn”, Five Finger Death Punch “Stranger Than Fiction”, Rise Against “Re-Education (Through Labor)”, Smashing Pumpkins “G.L.O.W.”, Tantric “Fall Down”, Slipknot “Dead Memories”, All That Remains “Two Weeks”, Mudvayne “Do What You Do” and Nickelback “Gotta Be Somebody. Will these artists rejuvenate rock radio?

Recommended Show: A Company of Thieves tonight at Mercury Lounge (NYC).

New Video Stream: Check out the new video from Alterbridge for the song
‘Watch Over You‘ that splices in Celebrity Rehab footage. Will this breathe new life into the record? It could with the recent sales spike, the single jumped from 107 to 1,315.

New Music: what is the Long Island music scene producing these days? If you like Blink 182 and New Found Glory, then try Friday Nights In Elwood.

Recommended Listening: Shh I’ve Got A Secret by Oh, Hush! When did disco make a comeback? Oh, Hush! who hails from Scranton, PA defines themselves as Rock/Pop/Disco House. Oh, Hush! certainly won’t resurrect disco, but that doesn’t mean it’s a first bad effort. The band just released the ‘Yellow Album.

Cali act Under the Influence Giants tried to bring disco back with
In The Clouds, but the Kings of Disco were the Bee Gees. You need to write something a little better than Tragedy which is the ultimate groove song. If you can accomplish that, we certainly want to hear from you – tips@kingsofar.com.

Eminem Needs A Novelty Hit: Eminem is plotting for a big return with a new album expected to be released by years end. Some wonder if Eminem will recapture the glory days when massive record sales, critical acclaim and priceless street cred converged to make him one of the world’s most recognizable celebrities. Behind the scenes, say some close associates, he’d begun questioning his own ability to “hear a hit.” “The lesson of Kid Rock is that nobody is more than one great song away from a resurgence,” Ross said.

Eminem is certainly one of those artists that can expect solid sales on iTunes but I would be doubtful that he will resurrect himself as the album artist. Eminem has always wrote novelty songs that lasted only for a season, in fact, do you hear Eminem songs spun on the radio today? Of course not. If Eminem is surely seeking a comeback, he needs to write that big novelty hit.

Fighting Noise with Noise: Do we need thousands of sites streaming music? Well add one more to the list. Facebook is looking at the possibility of entering the digital-music business according to the Post. Facebook is talking with song-streaming services including Rhapsody.com, iMeem.com, iLike.com, and Lala.com.

New Streams:

My Turn by Hoobastank
Ricocet by Shiny Toy Guns
Why Can’t You See by Saosin

A Highway To Success: AC/DC who has sold more albums than the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin refuses to sell its music online. “It’s like an artist who does a painting,” Angus said. “If he thinks it’s a great piece of work, he protects it. It’s the same thing: this is our work.” The band has said it does not want to break up its albums to sell individual songs as iTunes usually requires. “They have a purist approach,” said Steve Barnett, the chairman of Columbia Records and former AC/DC manager. “Their instinct was always to do the right thing for fans, think long term and not be influenced by financial rewards.”

Touring Takes a Downturn? Rolling Stone Mag published an article titled ‘Tour Biz Strong in a Weak Economy‘ and they point to blockbuster tours from Tom Petty to the Police. Dave Matthews Band, Coldplay, the Police and Rush did their usual solid business. And the Jonas Brothers sold out amphitheaters everywhere, averaging almost 18,000 people a show and grossing more than $11 million. Acts that appeal to a less affluent audience like NIN and Maroon 5 were hit with a few sellouts. Warped Tour founder, Kevin Lyman, “People were holding their money tighter to their vests this summer.” In response, many amphitheater tours, including Stevie Wonder’s, Motley Crue’s and Maroon 5/Counting Crows’, reduced lawn prices drastically to fill the venues.

Rising To The Top: Punk band Rise Against sold an impressive 64,701 copies this week of their new album titled ‘Appeal To Reason‘. Check out the Rolling Stone review of the album and listen to the track Savior.

Metallica’s ‘Death Magnetic‘ has been certified platinum only after 4 weeks and sold 65,741 this week. Kid Rock’s ‘Rock N Roll Jesus‘ is double platinum and remains in the top 10. Ironically, after 12 weeks on the charts Miley Cyrus ‘Breakout‘ hasn’t reached a million in sales, which means 11 year olds are fickle and the hype is over.

New Music: Paige Williams hailing from Los Angeles has been nominated for Best Rock Artist and Pop single for the 2008 LA Music Awards, listen to the track Wasting Away.

Signings: The Dallas outfit Rescue Signals has signed with New York based label Rock Ridge Music and Florida rock band Crooked X have signed with Capitol Records

Let’s welcome Chris Nathan, a Nashville prodigy artist. Nathan has the spunk of Kid Rock and musically falls towards bluesy artists such as Black Crowes and Gavin Degraw which makes him our CMJ pick. Our favorite songs include radio ready Bonnie and Clyde and I Wouldn’t Change A Thing.

Show Dates:

Oct 16 Â Â Â World of Beer – Tampa, Florida
Oct 18 Â Â Â World of Bee r- Tampa, Florida
Oct 23 Â Â Â CMJ Music – Sullivan Hall – New York, New York
Oct 25 Â Â Â State University of New York – Geneseo, New York

Lil’ Wayne even makes emo rock hits? Take Tennessee emo rockers
Framing Hanley who have scored more reaction and radio play from their cover of Lil’ Wayne’s hit “Lollipop” than from any song off their Silent Majority Group debut album. Would you dismiss it as a harmless cover or could this seriously help the band gain momentum heading into their second album? Either way, the track has turned some heads at alternative and active rock radio.

Lil’ Wayne also doesn’t have to say much to help propel a virtual no name to the top of the pop charts. Singer/songwriter/producer, industry veteran
Kevin Rudolf has paid his dues over the past ten years and is on the verge of a top 10 Pop hit with his debut single, “Let it Rock”. Call it generic, or call it catchy, it’s a hit.

A singer/songwriter who hasn’t instilled the help of Cash Money/Universal or Lil’ Wayne is the newly independent Butch Walker. Readying his first independent release on his own label Power Ballad (in=2 0conjunction with Original Signal & RED) since the major label botching of what I thought were surefire hits in his songs “Mixtape” & “Don’t Move”. Walker may have his best shot at radio success since those tracks on 2004’s Letters with his new single, “The Weight of Her”, where he can contend on the Triple A charts. Download the track for free here.

Alkaline Trio recently asked for fan input as to what their second single should be between tracks “I Found Away” & “Calling All Skeletons”. Check out the latter on their myspace and you might agree that “Calling All Skeletons” could be the catchiest and one of the most memorable tracks the band has produced in recent memory. It’s got my vote.

Quick Picks:

The Constellations – CLove is a Murder” (feat. Cee-Lo) – If no one in the U.S. is going to pick these guys up, the UK could be very fertile ground for this band. See: Iglu and Hartly & Orson

Starewell – “Broke and Out of Money” – Some comments on here have asked where the rock went? These Canadians are at least attempting to bring some of it back.

Ryan Star – “Right Now” – Star may have his pop/Hot AC hit with the track he just debuted called, “Right Now”. Check out the last minute of the track to hear this singer’s great voice – click on his audio player

Brightwood – “Swan Songs” – Check out this DIY Alternative rock band and their new album, “Wake”.

Soundcheck is written by Dallas Osborn who currently attends San Francisco State University and works on the Live 105 (KITS) Action Team.