Iconic producer Andy Johns who worked with Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Rolling Stones died at 62. Johns began his career as a tape operator for Olympic Studios in London where he worked with Rod Stewart, Jethro Tull and Humble Pie. He worked with the Rolling Stones from 1968-1973 helping to capture the sounds for “Exile On Main Street” from Keith Richards’ mansion in the South of France.

Next week Justin Timberlake, Al Green, Queen Latifah, and many others will perform at the White House in a “Memphis Soul” concert, the White House announced today.

“As part of their ‘In Performance at the White House’ series, the President and First Lady will invite music legends and contemporary major artists to the White House for a celebration of Memphis Soul music. The program will include performances by Alabama Shakes, William Bell, Steve Cropper, Al Green, Ben Harper, Queen Latifah, Cyndi Lauper, Joshua Ledet, Sam Moore, Charlie Musselwhite, Mavis Staples and Justin Timberlake, with Booker T. Jones as music director and band leader. The President’s remarks will be pooled press and the entire event will be streamed live on www.whitehouse.gov/live starting at 6:55 PM ET. ‘In Performance at the White House: Memphis Soul’ will be broadcast Tuesday, April 16 at 8 PM ET on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings). The program will also be broadcast at a later date via the American Forces Network to American service men and women and civilians at U.S. Department of Defense locations around the world,” the press release reads. Read more

Veteran music manager Peter Mensch who has handled the career for Madonna, Metallica and Def Leppard says the writing’s on the wall for Justin Bieber. He also blamed incompetent management.

“He said: ‘His manager Scooter Braun is scared s***less.
‘I don’t know what Bieber’s problem is. His career is over in three years anyway,’
He also told the Sun he does have one trick up his sleeve that he thinks would help the troubled teen.
He said: ‘I’d take Bieber to the woodshed and spank him.’

“It has been a difficult year already for the teen star. He has been dumped by his fellow popstrel and movie actress Selena Gomez , following a string of allegations he had been unfaithful. He has also been late for concert dates, and was taken to hospital in London after collapsing during his run of concerts in the English capital. Perhaps the most noteworthy incident was when he had to be held back by his own minders when he tried to get into a fistfight with photographers. But even more seriously, it is now likely he will be facing criminal charges for allegedly spitting on and threatening his neighbour”

Phil Ramone, a record producer and engineer who worked with some of the biggest music stars of the last 50 years, including Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, Billy Joel and Barbra Streisand, died on Saturday in Manhattan. In his 2007 memoir, “Making Records: The Scenes Behind the Music,” written with Charles L. Granata, Mr. Ramone defined the role of record producer as roughly equivalent to that of a film director, creating and managing an environment in which to coax the best work out of his performers. Read more

Nearly two years after launching in the U.S. primarily via word-of-mouth, Spotify will air its first in a series of U.S. TV ad commercials on NBC’s “The Voice” Monday night as part of a larger branding campaign valued at over $10 million in media spend. The campaign, titled “For Music,” will feature digital and social media ads, with additional TV spots to air on NBC’s “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” as well as Viacom’s MTV, MTV2, VH1 and other networks in the coming weeks.

A trio of spots released online Monday afternoon, created by ad agency Droga5, take a more existential approach to the streaming music service, focusing more on the feelings that music evokes rather than any specific product offerings. It’s an interesting tactic for a company that recently touted its 6 million paid worldwide subscribers at South By Southwest earlier this month.

One spot, which airs tonight on “The Voice,” features a crowdsurfer sailing across a sea of packed fans at a concert, with a voiceover posing the question, “Why can a song change the world?” The speaker then offers a list of answers, including, “Because we were all conceived to a 4/4 beat. Because music can’t be stopped. Can’t be contained. It’s never finished.” Read more