The only three bands that achieved platinum status last year were Mumford & Sons, The Black Keys, and a lesser known hard rock act from Wisconsin called Skillet. In fact, Skillet is a Christian band.

“Skillet’s success seems to signal a growing acceptance of Christian rock at a time when rock is generally declining in cultural importance. While it is not unusual for Christian acts to score an occasional hit on mainstream radio, Skillet has become a regular presence there, emerging as a leader among Christian bands that have crossover appeal, among them Thousand Foot Krutch, P.O.D., Flyleaf and Switchfoot.” Read more

Darling Parade who we featured last year went to New York City recently played at MTV Studios Time Square for the MTV/VH1/CMT O Music Awards. They took home the award in the “make a band famous” category, were named an MTV “Artist to Watch”, and will also play VMA weekend in August. The band is starring in a national TV campaign for Supercuts “Rock the Cut”, with commercials that begin airing nationally July 1st. Check out the track Ghost.
Contact: jon@page2music.com

Buzz Track: Shut Up & Sing

The voice of Greta Svabo Bech captivated the Dance world, when she worked with Deadmau5 on their Grammy Nominated “Raise Your Weapon”, and more recently with Bloody Beetroots on “Chronicles of a Fallen Love” (October 2012). This summer, the songstress is debuting new material releasing a run of singles. The first of these, “Shut Up & Sing” is available from 8th July, with a video and remix package following shortly after.
Contact: contact@gretasvabobech.com

The pop genre has hit a new low with Both Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke releasing videos with nude women only to boost videos streams. Both artists are suffering a mid life crisis, potentially falling into the Justin Bieber category, will pull any tactic to stay in the limelight. They are also taking advantage of a new music business model.

In the case of both singles, more than 1m views were achieved just days after they were uploaded. Whether viewers were revelling in their laddish audacity or fuming about the objectification of women, the clips led to a frenzy of social media debates, news bulletins and views. Based on their success, it’s likely that similar dirty tactics could be used to gain attention for future new releases. Ever since Billboard announced that it would take paid-for streams into account when compiling its Hot 100 chart, online videos have become an increasingly vital tool for artists operating in the US market. The Recording Industry Association of America determined that 100 streams would now equate to one single physical purchase of a single. This means that that an artist could now go platinum after 100 million streams. Read more…

Buzz Track: Driftin

Since forming in California, Y LUV has released several EP’s and have racked up some impressive tour stats playing alongside The Crystal Method, Tokyo Police Club, Penguin Prison, The Knocks, and Robert DeLong among others. Y LUV will play Bonnaroo and Glastonbury this summer. Taking cues from The Killers, Bloc Party, Arctic Monkeys- check out the track Driftin.
Contact: drake@billsilva.net