From NPR:
Last year, American Idol winner Phillip Phillips released the song “Gone, Gone, Gone” from his debut album The World from the Side of the Moon. The song went to #1 on the Adult Alternative and Adult Contemporary charts and peaked at #24 on Billboard‘s pop song chart, the Hot 100. For Gregg Wattenberg, one of three credited co-writers of “Gone, Gone, Gone,” the song’s chart performance was of particular interest because it translated indirectly into cash.
“U.S.-only hit songs — when I say ‘hit’ I mean like top five, not like No. 20 — can generate anywhere from one to two million dollars in ASCAP monies,” Wattenberg says. CONTINUE READING
Buzz Track: Lights Out
Kings favorite Tommy Burr who gained traction from our last post will soon release a new EP which features the new single Lights Out. Tommy is a singer-songwriter generating a great deal of attention with his hist last 5 song EP. His video for the track Get Up has 100k views on YouTube and he co-produced the songs with Kristoffer Eriksson (also in Violet Days) and Herman Gardarfve. He’s been performing at several venues in Stockholm.
Contact: magnus@catapult-music.com
For instance, Pharrell Williams single Happy had 36,159 paid downloads on iTunes within the last 24 hours. Katy Perry’s single Dark Horse had 29,265 paid downloads.
Buzz Track: I Want To Know
Alt rock act KONGOS have been big in South Africa since 2012. The four brothers who spent a good chunk of their childhood in South Africa and lived in London before settling in Paradise Valley, with all four attending Chaparral High School — are conquering the U.S. airwaves, having inked a major-label deal with Epic Records. The band signed to Epic as “Come With Me Now,” a track from their self-released “Lunatic” album, was gathering steam on alternative radio. Last week, the song was the most-added single at U.S. alternative-rock stations.
After a last-minute approach to NBC, the reality mogul heads back to Britain as insiders debate his “grumpy uncle” appeal in a changed TV landscape.
A version of this story first appeared in the Feb. 21 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
Weeks before Fox officially lowered the curtain on The X Factor, sources say its creator and star Simon Cowell quietly reached out to NBC to find a new home for his TV baby. “Simon himself was involved in this process,” says an executive familiar with the approach on behalf of Cowell’s Syco production company and partner FremantleMedia. (A Cowell source vehemently denies a pitch was made, adding, “Fox and Syco/Fremantle looked at plausible other options in the U.S. without him but decided these weren’t viable.”) But NBC already has The Voice and the Cowell-produced America’s Got Talent — and, more importantly, X Factor was damaged goods.
In fact, now that the show was canceled Feb. 7, observers are divided on Cowell’s future on U.S. television as well as the steps Fox will take to replace its failed franchise. CONTINUE READING
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