Eric Clapton slammed the music industry claiming that it’s obsessed with Reality TV and Award Shows. Not suprisingly, he is right.

His exact words:

In an interview with The Times, Clapton revealed: “Right now, the power of music sits with Simon Cowell and Coldplay and U2, who are really people who just attend awards shows.

“From just listening I can’t tell the difference between Coldplay and U2. The one in Coldplay (Chris Martin) even dances like Bono.”

Hot Topic that targets goth inspired emo kids have suffered from a deep decline in sales in the first quarter. Why? trends are changing.

According to the LA Times, “The company, which sells apparel and accessories, posted a loss of $1.4 million, or 3 cents a share, in the quarter ended April 29″.

“The retailer has struggled as fashion trends have turned to more preppy styles rather than the rock-music-inspired and gothic designs that Hot Topic carries.”

In their 23 year existence, after releasing 9 studio albums, 9 number one rock singles, selling over 50 million copies worldwide, and being recognized as icons in rock music, The Red Hot Chili Peppers have hit a new milestone in their career selling 442,500 copies of Stadium Arcadium their first week, giving them their first number one album in the US. As the best and most diverse artist coming out of the 1980s Alternative Rock movement in LA, The Red Hot Chili Peppers were the precursor to multiple movements in rock, influencing bands from Korn and Rage Against The Machine to No Doubt and Incubus. With each member of their current line up being considered a master of their craft, The Red Hot Chili Peppers show no signs of slowing down and will surely see more great weeks ahead.

Red Hot Chili Peppers – 442,469
Nick Lachey – 171,657
James Blunt – 70,856
Godsmack – 50,981
Jewel – 43,276
Nickelback – 41,311
Taking Back Sunday – 33,436
Panic! At The Disco – 29,395
Fray – 28,226
Blue October – 18,432
Arctic Monkeys – 7,409
Shinedown – 7,048

 
James Blunt jumped 22% from 58,153 to 70,856, this guy is on the roll. The Red Hots had a great opening week, BUT!….The double disc Stadium Arcadium isn’t as strong as the previous efforts. Regardless, still need to give the RHCP props because they are well..RHCP. Arctic Monkeys continue to plummet. Panic! At The Disco (pictured) jumps from 27k to 29K with a total of 585+.

According to Hits, Richard Branson sold its stake in V2 Records to Morgan Stanley.  Branson, an English entrepreneur best known for Virgin supposedly chose its name because a female friend involved in setting up the initial record label commented “We’re all virgins at business“. Branson who is known for his outlandish media events has signed such groups as The Sex Pistols and Culture Club. Branson is currently working a new space tourism company, Virgin Galactic, which will license the technology behind SpaceShipOne to take passengers into suborbital space.

We hear Branson is working on a compilation called “See You On the Moon”……….