Two veteran acts Maroon 5 and Linkin Park are set to release their anticipated albums on June 26th. Each are hoping for the #1 spot and I’m surprised their respective teams did not push back one of the releases considering both are projected to debut with 200k in the first week. The competition is close. Both Maroon 5 and Linkin Park’s previous album were released with disappointing results and had many wondering if their luck ran out. It seems each band could re-capture some of the fan base they lost.

NBC’s The Voice gave the Maroon 5 front man Adam Levine his second life. He also replaced his funk rock routine with electronic dance that apparently worked for him. He came out with 2 big hits this year – ‘Moves Like Jagger‘ featuring Christina Aguilera and his featured role on the Gym Class Heroes’ ‘Stereo Hearts’.

Linkin Park’s new single Burn It Down sold close to 400k. The fan enthusiasm is quite noticeable this time around compared to their last failed Rick Rubin produced album ‘A Thousand Suns’ (2008).

We recently reported that Justin Bieber is set to have the biggest debut of the year with his new album ‘Believe‘ which is projected to sell 400k within the first week. But to put everything in perspective Bieber is falling below expectations and could be a sign that his star power is cooling off. His most recent single ‘Boyfriend’ was floundering on the charts and his label had to beef up marketing and promotion to give it new life. Showbiz says this:

“His TV special last night on NBC, “All Around the World,” was a bust. For an 8pm show aimed at pre-teens, it finished fourth out of five shows at that hour. Bieber got a very lackluster 0.9 rating in the 18-49 demo and scored just 3.3 million viewers– about half the number of top rated “So You Think You Can Dance” on Fox. It was also beaten by “Dogs in the City.”

“On the charts, Bieber released a new album this week called “Believe.” On iTunes, it’s number 1, hands down. But on amazon.com, “Believe” is struggling both digitally and in physical sales. Amazon has it doing best at number 9 of all its different versions. But in reality “Believe” is no knock out hit. Hitsdailydouble.com is claiming that “Believe” will end up around 410,000 copies for the week. That seems high given that the impact is low and the reviews–if they mean anything–are not great.

Indeed, Justin Bieber is starting to hit the Britney Spears trend. His original deluded fans are growing out of their age range, and new fans are hard to come by. I have never understood how or why he was popular. At best, he’s a YouTube creation using a heavy dab of Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake. He has the sex appeal of celery. He also really doesn’t have any songs anyone knows. I defy the average person on the street to name one of his hits.

This was the Jonas Brothers’ problem, too. And look what happened to them. Teen fame is fleeting.It won’t be long before Bieber is playing the Artful Dodger in “Oliver!” on Broadway.

Bieber Has Believers: Even with mixed reviews Justin Biebers new album ‘Believe’ is set to sell 400 to 500k in the first week of its release. “If “Believe” does sell in the 400,000 to 500,000 range, that would easily secure Bieber his largest sales frame yet. His highest week thus far came when “My World 2.0” sold 291,000 in its second week on the chart in April, 2010. “Believe” could also land the largest debut this year for an album. It would surpass the start of Madonna’s “MDNA,” which launched with 359,000 (which became this years biggest flop) according to Nielsen SoundScan. (The best sales frame overall in 2012 was registered by Adele’s “21” in the wake of her multiple Grammy Awards wins in February. It sold 730,000 in the week after the Grammy show.)

The Modern Drumer: Cobus Potgieter, a drummer who posted videos of performing covers on YouTube has received over a hundred million views. He is funding My YouTube Band Project (MYBP) via Kickstarter which reached its goal of $35,000 and is getting close to $45,000 as of Monday morning June 18th. He is taken the YouTube star status to the next level by selling recordings, drum lesson videos and drum-related merch. Cobus was recently noted for a Top 10 South African-associated Facebook page. Currently he’s auditioning musicians for My YouTube Band Project which will bring musicians together in Los Angeles to record an album.

Interesting opinion piece on Digital Music News called ‘ Just Make Great Music? It Could Be the Worst Advice You’ll Ever Get…’

“For example, would that have been the best advice to give to pop success stories like LMFAO, Pitbull, Katy Perry, or Flo Rida? Or, a manager like Scooter Braun (Justin Bieber), or someone like Jive founder Clive Calder (Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync)? No way. This is a complex industry with different specialties and audiences, many of whom care little for deeply complex and meaningful music. Judge however you want, but the pop stars catering to this crowd are distinct animals with specific goals, and their m.o. is more about creating catchy, mass market connections than toiling over redeeming, ‘good’ music.

“These artists aren’t challenging Mozart – or Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, deadmau5, Radiohead, or Bruce Springsteen. It’s more about a hook, a feel-good moment. Sure, you might be listening to one of their songs five years from now, but probably only for nostalgia or fun. But right now, this is the furthest thing from a niche.

In fact, it’s the most-listened-to music in the world. The top 10 songs are Call Me Maybe (Carly Rae Jepsen), Somebody That I Use To Know (Gotye), Payphone (Maroon 5), Die In Your Arme (Justin Bieber), Pitbull (Back In Time).

And yes, pop-driven careers typically go ‘poof’ after a period of years – a phenomenon that major labels deeply understand. But if the game is played right, that’s a period of that features cash, endorsements, paid appearances, and other pop-driven benefits. And then, goes away (and gets documented by TMZ).

But not always: amazingly, this musical candy can sometimes spawn long-term success. Dish on Kenny G as much as you want, but he’s one of the longest-spanning, wealthiest artists alive. Barring that longevity, a short stint can generate a one-hit wonder that gets played decades from now – on the radio, in clubs, at stadia – and generates a royalty stream that lasts a lifetime. Or, it can return in a freakishly-campy celebration (ie, Rick Astley), or get re-celebrated in a genuinely nostalgic way (ie, insert 80s band here). And, even the Beastie Boys – responsible for some of the greatest music in modern history – were panned as a mere shock-driven gimmick after Licensed to Ill.

Perhaps most surprising is that ‘pop’ as we’ve defined it has managed to survive the modern, digitally-democratized era. Just last week, we found that radio-driven, sugary pop is not only clogging charts like BigChampagne’s Ultimate 100 and Billboard’s Hot 100, but also permeating the top-ranked songs on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube. It’s the most popular stuff on all of these platforms, with little variation despite infinite choice and access.

It’s not ‘good,’ ‘great,’ or long-lasting material, but it’s still a meaningful and lucrative market in 2012. No matter how despised by the rest of us.” (Digital Music News)