FMQB interviews RCRD LBL Co-Founder And CEO Peter Rojas: Online blogs focusing on celebrities and music is the latest trend. Peter Rojas talks about intergrating online blogs and music distribution.Â

“We’ve been approached by a handful of major labels. I’m not going to say “no,” that I would never work with a major label, but it’s not critical to our business model. What is critical to our business model is that the artists we work with are good. I wouldn’t want to work with a major label and have them say, “Okay, we’re going to put out the next Paris Hilton single on your site.”

Musicians Sue Universal: A dozen recording artists are sueing Universal Music claiming they had been cheated out of more than $6 million in royalties since 1998. Universal says the claims are baseless.

Writer’s Block: USA Today has profiled songwriters that have written songs for Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Usher, Celine Dion, Beyonce, etc. KOAR hopes more pop artists take a stab at songwriting than relying on professionals. For instance, Alicia Keys can entirely write her own material and her audience knows it and loves her for it. Check out these tips for overcoming writer’s block.

War On Music Piracy: Another article discusses illegal file sharing and how the Rudd Government is considering a three-strikes policy against computer users who download songs illegally. The policy would mirror legislation being introduced in Britain, which would require ISPs to police the activities of users.Â

Guitar Hero: There has been a series of articles talking about the video game Guitar Hero and its effect on music sales. Check out the article ‘Bands’ sales are feeling the ‘Guitar Hero’ effect’ that discusses the success of the metal band, DragonForce.

New Music: Its been 4 years since Gavin DeGraw has released new music. Gavin who began his career in NYC clubs will finally release his new record in April through J Records. His first single ‘In Love With a Girl’ has been posted on his myspace, it’s good.

Comcast Blocks File-Sharing Sites: Comcast told the Federal Communications Commission that blocking some file-sharing by its subscribers was a justifiable way to keep Web traffic flowing for everyone. “Comcast says it must curb some file-sharing traffic because some subscribers would otherwise hog the cables with their uploads and slow traffic in their neighborhood”.

Anticipated Releases: Tough-knuckled critic Roger Friedman spent more than an hour at Island/DefJam Records previewing the new CDs from Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey. Each is highly anticipated, and with good reason, they’re pretty damn good says Friedman. He said Janet is back to hooks, catchy rhythms and defined singing and Maria Carey’s new record “E=MC2” will have sustainable success, the will last as long as “Emancipation,” spinning off singles, remixes and videos.

Disney and EMI: The managers who handle the Disney act, Jonas Brothers, are asking Disney to come up with an alternative to EMI to distribute the record, citing uneasiness over looming staffing and structural upheaval at the recorded music giant.”Disney’s international distribution pact with EMI expires in a year, and with EMI in flux, a source close to Disney said the company is keeping its options open in deciding whether to renew or go elsewhere”.

Signings: Tooth and Nail records has signed Tulsa, Oklahoma pop act
Capital Lights. Check out the Coheed and Cambria-esque track ‘Can I Get An Amen‘

Recommended Listening:

Long Island Sound by Cass Dillon

Movies by Forever Falls

Digital Albums Making Impact: Digital album sales are finally making headway. Johnson shifted 375,000 copies of Sleep Through the Static (Brushfire), of which 37 percent were digital according to Digital Music News. The digital album sales total of 137,000 is a new record, according to Nielsen Soundscan.

Off The Market: Digital music wholesaler Snocap is being bought by music streaming site Imeem.

MySpace to Merge? The News Corporation chairman is in talks over merging his MySpace social networking site and other online businesses with Yahoo!

Celestial Jukebox: Rob Wells, Universal Music Group SVP of Digital said on a recent panel..”The start and endgame for Universal and, indeed, the industry worldwide, is providing consumers with blanket access through a celestial jukebox anytime, at home, in the car. This is the next step in the utopian future for music…”

The Pay What You Want Model Lingers On: Butch Walker who is an artist/producer and had 4 major label deals is set to release his new Live album “Leavin’ the Game on Luckie St.” via therecordbusinessisfucked.com which re-routes to www.butchwalker.com using the Radiohead pay what you want model. Read the full Butch rant here.

Sexy Marketing: The Bravery is the first act to release a new track each week for 4 weeks on iTunes from their upcoming album relaunch, ‘The Sun and the Moon Complete’ with a reworked version of ‘Believe’. The single is currently on the Top 10 Modern Rock single, whose video was added to MTV, MTV2, VH1, and FUSE this week, following its premiere at Yahoo.

Borders New Retail Strategy: Borders, the second largest bookstore chain is now offering a digital center where you can download music or books, burn CDs, print pictures and order leather-bound books crammed with family photos.

“Staffers will guide customers through the process of burning music to CDs, downloading songs to most digital music players (except iPods, which, for now, work only with Apple software) or books to a Sony digital reader. They’ll even print the cover art and fold it into a CD cover for you”.

Starbucks Drops T-Mobile: Instead of dropping an artist, Starbucks decided to drop T-Mobile as their Wi-Fi provider and replaced them with AT&T. Starbucks says that their previously announced deal to tie in with iTunes will continue under AT&T. For now AT&T isn’t offering free Wi-Fi to iPhone users, but says it expects to accommodate them soon.

Yoko To Sue Lennon: Yoko Ono also known as the arts advocate and minister of peace has decided to pick up her sword and sue a 25 year old singer-songwriter Lennon Murphy who is signed to Arista and hails from Tennessee. Lennon Murphy said she filed all the necessary paperwork, got the blessing from Yoko, and was granted by the United States Patent & Trademark office the ownership in the name Lennon for musical use. After eight years of using the name, the Yoko camp decided to flip flop and accused Lennon Murphy of falsely representing herself and causing confusion in the market place. Poor Girl!

MTV Unveils New Digital Strategy: MTV plans to branch out in new directions. They plan on spending $500 million into video games. MTV’s goal is to convince music fans it is still an arbiter of youth culture. When you enter the ‘convincing’ business, something tells me the train is about to derail.

Recommended Listening: Check out Brooklyn, NY based rock act
Deadbeat Darling. DBD recorded a 4 song EP with producer/engineer Chris Coady (TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Blonde Redhead). Listen to the reggae infused track Let Go (mp3). contact

New Music: Check out the developing artist Overscene that hails from Fort Worth, Texas. Listen to the track Here I Am that does not stray to far away from bands like Staind, Three Days Grace, and Breaking Benjamin. Texas has always been the breeding ground for rock bands. Pantera and Drowning Pool came out of Dallas and El Paso is the home to The Mars Volta. contact

Third Least-Watched: According to the Associated Press, Nielsen Media Research said this year’s Grammys would make it the third least-watched Grammy Awards show ever if later estimates confirm that number. Preliminary estimates Monday indicate the Grammy Awards telecast was watched by 17.5 million people and while 20 million viewers watched last year.

True Rock ‘n’ Roll: Keith Richards on Amy Winehouse, ‘She should get her act together…Apart from that, I have got nothing to say to the bitch’. Keith has the old school Guns N’ Roses Attitude, and that’s what makes him a rock star.

Change is Coming: According to macworld via coolfer the UK government is considering applying rules that will see people who illegally download music and films kicked off the internet. The BBC reports six million people each year are estimated to download such media illegally. ISP’s which fail to implement these rules could be prosecuted, and details of individual file-sharers would be released to the courts.

Sixx Denies Live Nation Rumors: In his blog, the Motley Crue bass player says “Motley Crue has not signed any deals. Any information reported to the contrary is false and misleading”.

Illegal Sharing Is not Caring: The co-founder of the illegal file sharing site Pirate Bay is against “greedy” corporations which in return gives him the right to steal. The man behind the #1 illegal site argues that he is not doing anything morally wrong and has redefined stealing to the likes of sharing. Watch this creep in this youtube video as he desperately defends his shallow convictions….

Recommended Listening: Check out the UK rock act Zico Chain. They are locked up in a studio preparing for a summer release but their 2007 release got rave reviews by hard to please critics. The best review came from Big Cheese “…kind of how we’d imagine the streets of the Sunset Strip to sound if they formed a band – which is awesome”. Listen to the track Junk and Anaemia.

New Music: Have you heard the new Tooth and Nail act Secret and Whisper? Their bio makes a bold claim ” The fact is, the truly iconic, the truly special bands are those select few who are not afraid to make sonics, melodies, and unique sounds their utmost priority”. Listen to the track XOXOXO and see if they can live under their own principles…we think they do!