Bono: The Billion Dollar Business Man
I always saw Bono as a savvy business man. Tom Petty is a traveling rock star, but Bono with his oversized sunglasses is on his way to the respectable “Trump” status. The savior of the third world and his private equity group Elevation Partners, a $1.9 billion media and entertainment buyout firm bought major shares in Forbes Magazine and became the first outsider to invest in its business media properties. Bono set up Elevation Partners, named after a U2 song, last year with five former senior figures from the world of business, including the former chief financial officer of Apple Computers.
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Performance Videos Are Passe.
Don’t waste your money on cliche performance videos anymore unless of course your showmanship is a cut above the rest. YouTube changed everything and it changed they way stars are born. The fact is, kids are bored with peformance videos and are more intriqued by videos with a creative twist (IE: OK Go’s “Here it Goes Again” – viewed 2 million times on YouTube). Just think about it, a real video that would be suitable for MTV/VH1 would cost 150k and that is the on the low side. OK GO spent peanuts on a video and it landed on Fuse, VH1 followed by major press including Wall Street Journal, N.Y. Times, and Washington Post. Spending money doesn’t equate to a successful video nor video play. Creativity is more important. What a beautiful success story that bears truth.

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NY Singer Builds Big Following With Web Exposure
Jamie Kristine Seerman has been offered major labels deals but turned them down even though she has no financial backing and a marketing plan. She has faith in the Internet, iTunes and inexpensive recording, and would rather maintain control of her work. She released a five-song EP on the Internet site www.insound.com and on her MySpace page. Her song “Gray or Blue” became a top-selling folk song on iTunes and her EP made the top 100 albums.
Paste magazine music editor Jason Killingsworth said the music industry is so fragmented that for many artists, “there is no compelling reason to sign up to a major record label.”  (Reuters)

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**send your demos and new music to KOAR. We want to hear your new music. If your an artist and believe you are the “real deal� send an email to dean@kingsofar.com and provide us a link to your music.

-Rapper/ producer Dr. Dre and Interscope Records CEO Jimmy Iovine have filed a lawsuit against a Delaware based company over an oral breach of contract.

–Clear Channel Communications said Tuesday its second-quarter earnings fell more than 10percent on higher operating costs, despite a 7 percent increase in revenue. To stem the loss of listeners to satellite radio, Clear Channel has cut back on commercials, but raised its rates.

-Victory Records signs Ohio hardcore screamo act Beneath the Sky

-Los Angeles based indie pop/rock band The Hanks have signed to Cobra Music distributed by Fontana/Universal. Legal rep is Ben McLane, Esq and management: Jennifer Dare

-Billboard executive editor Ken Schlager and bureau chiefs Melinda Newman and Phyllis Stark were axed as part of a bigger overhaul triggered last month when the magazine’s VNU parent bought radio trade publication Radio & Records and closed down Billboard Radio Monitor. A total of 26 employees were let go from editorial, sales and operations, including nine from Billboard (Hits).

-According to Hits , P.O.D. split with Atlantic Records. Although the band has sold 7 million records, the last two records failed to react with a larger audience.

– MTV VMA’s nominates Alternative act 10 Years (pictured) Wasteland Video for ‘Best Direction and ‘Best Art Direction’. The band who is currently on the Family Values Tour has sold close to 350,000. New single ‘Waking Up” will impact radio 8/15.

Vol 22 Now That’s What I call Music
TW 127,156
Total 883,125
**An album full of Hits.

Come (Whatever) May
Stone Sour
TW 80,786
Total 80,949

All The Right Reasons
Nickelback
TW 43,545
Total 3,209,312
**Incredible

Taking The Long Way Home
Dixie Chicks
TW 32,012
Total 37,336
**Cancelled 14 shows after slow ticket sales.

Greatest Hits
Guns N Roses
TW 13,195
Total 3,093,530

Simon wants to change how talent is developed and exposed.He wants to develop blossoming artists who might meet obstacles financially, stylistically or otherwise in trying to break through mainstream standards. Just as “Idol” does with novice singers, the goal is to empower all kinds of performers and “push the boundaries.”Simon will take American Idol to the next level with a songwriting competition that will be incorporated into the show and produce a song that will be sung by the next “American Idol.” Anyone can now compete and write a song that will be sung by the two finalists, broadening the choices for possible finale songs and bring in a whole new competition for fans to follow.

“What drives me is moving forward. That is what my brain is focused on,” he said. “What really excites me is fulfilling my vision. I now have the resources to do everything I want to do.”

MIke Darnell, executive vice president of alternative programming and specials for Fox, called Fuller “a genius” for coming up with a show that other networks call “the tsunami, the tidal wave. It just can’t be stopped.”

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Not Surpringsly, Hawthorne Heights is suing Victory Records. It was a matter of time.

Due to recent events we have decided to leave Victory Records. Our departure is anything but amicable. We have decided to leave Victory, in part due to the actions of the man who sits at the head of the label, Tony Brummel. Tony Brummel is a man that cares more about his ego and bank account than the bands themselves. Tony is a man whose greed knows no bounds. After selling more than 1.2 million copies of The Silence In Black and White and If Only You Were Lonely, we have never seen a single dollar in artist royalties from Victory Records. Tony will claim that we have not recouped, a term used by those in the music business which means the label has spent more money in advertising than has been made by CD sales.

You may be wondering, why now? Why did they wait three years before saying something? Why did they sound happy in that interview??? Like being in an abusive relationship, we let certain things slide as we were afraid, as many of the bands on Victory are, to stick our neck out for fear of being beaten, in this case represented by the threat of not being promoted as has been the case with certain bands on the roster. Were done being abused. The reasons stated above represent the final straw in a huge pile of hay that broke our backs.
– Hawthorne Heights

The complaint consist of damages including lost record sales, lost publishing revenues, lost merch revenues, lost touring revenues, and damage to Hawthorne Heights reputation. Victory also sent out an email blast to street teamers without the bands consent directing those to misplace copy of CDs of “Ne-Yo” to boost record sales of Hawthornes sophmore record. According the document, Tony Brummel referred to this as a “joke”. KOAR fell for the joke.

Courtrooms are filled with jokes. Check out the PDF of the complaint (via Velvet Rope)