Rolling Stones turn back clock with hit-filled comeback

Mick Jagger performs with the Rolling Stones at the O2 Arena in London November 25, 2012. The Stones took to the stage on Sunday after a five-year hiatus to celebrate the golden jubilee of one of the most successful and enduring bands in rock and roll history. Now in their mid-60s to early 70s, lead singer Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood and drummer Charlie Watts were joined by former members Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor for concerts in London and the United States.

Credit: Reuters/Toby Melville

By Mike Collett-White

LONDON | Sun Nov 25, 2012 11:16pm EST

LONDON (Reuters) - The Rolling Stones turned back the clock in style on Sunday with their first concert in five years, strutting and swaggering their way through hit after familiar hit to celebrate 50 years in business.

Before a packed crowd of 20,000 at London's O2 Arena, they banished doubts that age may have slowed down one of the world's greatest rock and roll bands, as lead singer Mick Jagger launched into "I Wanna Be Your Man".

More than two hours of high-octane, blues-infused rock later, and they were still going strong with an impressive encore comprising "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash".

In between there were guest appearances from American R&B singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige, who delivered a rousing duet with Jagger on "Gimme Shelter" and guitarist Jeff Beck who provided the power chords for "I'm Going Down".

Former Rolling Stones Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor were also back in the fold, performing with the regular quartet of Jagger, Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards on guitar and Charlie Watts on drums for the first time in 20 years.

"It took us 50 years to get from Dartford to Greenwich!" said Jagger, referring to their roots just a few miles from the venue in southeast London. "But you know, we made it. What's even more amazing is that you're still coming to see us...we can't thank you enough."

The Sunday night gig was the first of two at the O2 Arena before the band crosses the Atlantic to play three dates in the United States.

The mini-tour is the culmination of a busy few months of events, rehearsals and recordings to mark 50 years since the rockers first took to the stage at the Marquee Club on London's Oxford Street in July, 1962.

There has been a photo album, two new songs, a music video, a documentary film, a blitz of media appearances and a handful of warm-up gigs in Paris.

"STYLE AND PANACHE"

The reunion nearly did not happen. One factor behind the long break since their record-breaking "A Bigger Bang" tour in 2007 has been Wood's struggle with alcohol addiction, while Jagger and Richards also fell out over comments the guitarist made about the singer in a 2010 autobiography.

But they eventually buried the hatchet, and Richards joked in a recent interview: "We can't get divorced - we're doing it for the kids!"

Critics were fulsome in their praise of the first comeback gig.

"Keith Richards has said that the beauty of rock and roll is that every night a different band might be the world's greatest. Well, last night at the O2 Arena, it was the turn of the Rolling Stones themselves to lay claim to the title they invented," wrote Neil McCormick of the Daily Telegraph.

"And they did it with some style and panache."

The big question on every fan's lips is whether the five concerts lead to a world tour and even new material. The Stones sang their two new tracks "Doom and Gloom" and "One More Shot", which appeared on their latest greatest hits album "GRRR!".

Richards has hinted that the five concerts ending at the Newark Prudential Center in the United States on December 15 would not be the last.

"Once the juggernaut starts rolling, it ain't gonna stop," he told Rolling Stone magazine. "So without sort of saying definitely yes - yeah. We ain't doing all this for four gigs!"

The band has come in for criticism from fans about the high price of tickets to the shows - they ranged from around 95 pounds ($150) to up to 950 pounds for a VIP seat.

The flamboyant veterans, whose average age is 68, have defended the costs, saying the shows were expensive to put on, although specialist music publication Billboard reported the band would earn $25 million from the four shows initially announced. A fifth was added later.

"Everybody all right there in the cheap seats," Jagger asked pointedly as he looked high to his left at the arena. "They're not really cheap though are they? That's the trouble."

Among the biggest cheers on the night were for classics including "Wild Horses", "It's Only Rock and Roll" and "Start Me Up".

There was even time for the odd reference to their advancing years.

"Good to see you all," said Richards with a mischievous grin. "Good to see anybody."

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)

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Russian court throws out Madonna anti-gay compensation claim

Singer Madonna performs at Staples Center as part of her MDNA world tour in Los Angeles, California October 10, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

ST.PETERSBURG, Russia | Thu Nov 22, 2012 12:45pm EST

ST.PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - A Russian court rejected a $10 million compensation claim against U.S. pop star Madonna on Thursday by a group of anti-gay activists who accused her hurting their feelings by promoting homosexuality at a St.Petersburg concert.

Performing in black lingerie with the words "No Fear" scrawled on her back, Madonna attacked a city law adopted in March that imposed fines for spreading homosexual "propaganda". She had earlier called the law a "ridiculous atrocity".

The activists based their case on a video recording where they claimed Madonna could be seen trampling on an Orthodox cross and asking spectators to raise their hands with pink bracelets in support of the gay movement.

Judge Vitaly Barkovsky did not explain his decision but also ruled the activists should compensate legal expenses to companies which organized Madonna's concert. The activists said they will appeal the court ruling.

"Our position is the same. We believe there was a case of the breach of law, namely gay propaganda among minors," said activist Darya Dedova.

Homosexuality, punished with jail terms in the Soviet Union, was decriminalized in Russia in 1993, but much of the gay community remains underground as prejudice runs deep.

(Reporting by Liza Dobkina; Editing by Jon Hemming)

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U.S. musician Marcus Miller hurt in Swiss bus crash

U.S. jazz bassist Marcus Miller performs onstage during the tribute to Miles Davis evening at the 45th Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux July 13, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Valentin Flauraud

ZURICH | Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:30am EST

ZURICH (Reuters) - U.S. jazz musician Marcus Miller was injured on Sunday along with members of his band when their bus crashed in Switzerland, killing the driver, police said.

The two-time Grammy winner was travelling with 10 members of his band from Monte Carlo in Monaco to Hengelo in the Netherlands when the bus crashed on the highway near the town of Schattdorf in central Switzerland.

A Swiss police spokesman said the driver died from his injuries. The reserve driver, Miller and the members of his band were all injured but not seriously, he said, declining to give further details.

Miller, who plays keyboard and clarinet as well as electric bass, has collaborated with Miles Davis and Luther Vandross and was on tour to promote his album Renaissance.

Earlier this year, 22 children and six adults returning from on a ski trip organized by a Belgian school were killed in a bus crash in Switzerland.

(Reporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Jon Hemming)

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Rihanna's "Unapologetic" tops Billboard album chart

Singer Rihanna performs at The Forum in Kentish Town in London November 19, 2012. Rihanna is in the UK to promote her latest album ''Unapologetic''.

Credit: Reuters/Dylan Martinez

LOS ANGELES | Tue Nov 27, 2012 8:41pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - R&B singer Rihanna shot straight to the top of the Billboard 200 album chart on Tuesday with her seventh record "Unapologetic," scoring her first No. 1 album despite mixed reviews.

"Unapologetic," which topped iTunes charts in 43 countries just hours after its release on November19, sold 238,000 copies according to Billboard, scoring the 24-year-old singer from Barbados her best opening sales week to date.

The album's lead single "Diamonds" landed at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart last week, giving Rihanna her 12th No. 1 single and tying her with Madonna and The Supremes for the fourth-most chart-topping singles in Billboard history.

"Unapologetic" left some critics unsettled by the singer's harder sound and close-to-home lyrics. One track in particular that had everyone talking is "Nobody's Business," Rihanna's collaboration with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown, who was charged with assaulting her three years ago.

The album has been promoted extensively by Rihanna, who embarked on a seven day tour across seven cities around the world, accompanied by a plane full of fans and journalists.

The full Billboard charts will be released on Wednesday.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy, editing by Jill Serjeant)

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McCartney joins lineup for UK soccer disaster song

Musician Paul McCartney performs during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium July 27, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Mike Blake

LONDON | Thu Nov 22, 2012 7:59am EST

LONDON (Reuters) - Former Beatle Paul McCartney has joined the lineup for a Christmas single raising money for the families of those who died in the 1989 Hillsborough soccer stadium tragedy in northern England, organizers said on Thursday.

Already committed to the song are artists including Robbie Williams, ex-Spice Girl Melanie C, Frankie Goes to Hollywood's Holly Johnson and Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers.

The version of "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" will hit the shelves on December 17 and is among the frontrunners to claim the coveted Christmas No. 1 slot in the British singles chart.

The charity single will benefit Hillsborough families who campaigned for more than 20 years to overturn official accounts of the tragedy that smeared fans, blaming them for being drunk, ticketless, and intent on forcing their way into the packed ground.

Ninety-six Liverpool supporters died after a crush at the Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield, and an independent inquiry earlier this year concluded that police tried to deflect the blame on to fans to cover up their own incompetence.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)

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What Else? WMG+Google, Scan-and-Match, Chuck Berry, UMG Nashville, Pandora, Savile...

Warner Music Group has finally signed a deal with Google Play, the end of a year-plus holdout specifically tied to the music vertical.  Now, millions of Google's Android users will have a far more complete catalog of MP3s to buy, including Green Day, Madonna, Neil Young, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and hundreds more.    

The deal also allows Google to launch its version of a scan-and-match feature for its music service in two weeks, first in Europe and then in the United States.  Scan-and-match will allow users to quickly upload and store their music on a Google-hosted service, then stream those songs from anywhere.

The 86-year-old Chuck Berry recently revealed that he is going to release his first studio album since 1979 -- that is, as soon as he finds a business partner. He has about six unheard songs written 16 years ago, and would love to share them with fans.

Universal Music Group Nashville announced the restructuring of its company with the integration of Capitol/EMI Records Nashville.  Former Capitol and EMI SVPs will take on much of the same responsibilities at UMG, as well as other many other management positions to ensure the best transition.

Elsewhere, Pandora has announced a slate of new features for its mobile apps, including embedded lyrics and better sharing functionality.  The upgrade brings the mobile experience closer inline with the internet-based version, and creates a more attractive mobile platform for advertisers.

And, the very messy fallout from disgraced BBC host Jimmy Savile continues.  Now, retired appeals court judge Dame Janet Smith is heading an inquiry into the circumstances that allowed Savile to sexually abuse hundreds of victims without any retribution.  Separately, Gary Glitter has been arrested in a connected probe, with a serious spotlight also spilling back onto the BBC.  Savile passed away last year at 84; this is the second BBC-commissioned investigation.

And, yes, that gig on the eastern seaboard and especially New York City has undoubtedly been canceled.  That includes Wall Street and almost every other office, public service, and institution as Gotham climbs out from an unprecedented deluge of water and associated fallout.  Please stay as safe and dry as possible; we're rooting for you New York. 

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Tim Westergren Has Dumped More Than $9 Million of Pandora Stock This Year...

Tuesday, October 30, 2012
by  paul

Pandora cofounder Tim Westergren is now dumping roughly $1 million in company shares a month, part of what appears to be a broader divestment schedule that started in January.  That has generated payoffs of roughly $9.23 million in 2012, according to published details and forms from the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC).  The sell-offs, specifically tied to pre-IPO shares, were first tipped by music industry attorney Christian Castle on MusicTechPolicy.    

Castle notes that the schedule probably started after a mandatory, post-IPO freeze of 6 months.

"This is almost always a sign of what is probably an insider selling plan (used to be called a 10b5 plan and maybe still is).  These plans are designed to allow insiders like Westergren to cash out their stock positions (especially pre-IPO stock options for which they have exercised) even if they are in possession of material nonpublic information at the time of the sale.  (No buying and selling or 'trading', just selling)." 

In other words, authorized insider trading, according to established rules on the matter.  Generally speaking, officers and executives of a company are prohibited from dumping (or acquiring) their own shares based on specific, actionable information not available to the public, but can freely trade based on generally-available information.  

The series of divestitures are detailed in a series of publicly available, SEC documents like this one.  SEC Form 4 (secform4.com), a site focused on insider trading, also shows the pattern quite clearly using federally-mandated disclosures.

We talked to Tim Westergren, who pointed to a fairly routine practice.  "As is common for folks in my position I've filed to sale a minority of my position over the first couple years of being public (at which point I will have been at Pandora for over 14 years)," Westegren emailed Digital Music News.  "I will still hold the great majority of my position and remain very bullish on the company's future."  

That is subject to debate.  One Wall Street insider noted that executives often hold shares if they truly anticipate an increase, though selling can also be smart diversification.  But Castle sees something far more duplicitous, especially since Westergren's campaign to reform radio royalties comes ahead of a 2015 rate-setting adjustment.  That is considerable lead time, and according Castle, neatly fits a schedule designed to dump roughly $30 million in these shares over a two-year period, based on the pattern established so far.  

That valuation is predicated on some level of stock price stability, which is hardly a given for Pandora.

"That means that as of this month, [Westergren] will have fully liquidated his position in 24 months if he continues selling 85,000 shares a month which seems to be the plan.  So by keeping Wall Street focused on the bright and shiny object of price fixing through the IRFA legislation, is he more or less likely to keep Pandora’s stock price propped up long enough to finish his exit?  And bank roughly $30 million?"

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Based In New York? Please, Let Us Know How You're Doing...

Monday, October 29, 2012
by  paul

New York, one of the greatest cities in the world with an unmatched musical legacy, is now facing one of its most difficult and expensive catastrophes in history.  Of course, New York is also a major music industry hub, and home to a broad range of companies, associations, and groups.  The short list includes A2IM, TuneCore, Harry Fox Agency (HFA), Glassnote Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, The Orchard, SoundExchange, Billboard, The Knitting Factory, Juilliard, Steve Gordon Law, NYU Steinhardt, CMJ, MTV, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall... the list goes on and on.        

And, that list gets bigger when you consider the broader New York metropolitan area, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Boston, and the entire affected Eastern US.  Most businesses in New York are currently shut down, though unfortunately business hasn't stopped.  Which means contingency plans, satellite offices, and emergency measures are underway.

Thanks, the entire global music industry is rooting for you.

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What Else? Bon Jovi, McCartney on Rdio, Swift, Gobbler, Rihanna, Grammys...

Bon Jovi's 2013 Because We Can world tour is going to sell tickets starting at just $20. After fans had to spend between $160 and $640 to attend The Rolling Stones 50th anniversary tour, Bon Jovi requested the more affordable pricing structure.  Rob Hallet, Bon Jovi's UK tour promoter, said, "After all, rock and roll always was... the music of the people, and that means everyone."     

Paul McCartney is now available on Rdio! Several of his albums can now be shared and streamed; every week through mid-December more albums will be continuously added.  That follows an earlier pulldown across all streaming services, with the expressed purpose of remastering for streaming before Spotify got the first uploads. Separately, Rdio metal fans are also being rewarded with Century Media Group artists such as Napalm Death, Morgoth and In Flames.

Any questions? Taylor Swift's Red sold an impressive 1.2 million copies in its first week, in the US alone.  That's roughly double the first-week result recently achieved by Mumford & Sons, and seems to support a Spotify-free launch strategy.  The tally, from Nielsen Soundscan, was just tweeted by the artist.

Gobbler, a cloud-based digital media service, has just teamed up with Avid Pro Tools, creator of digital audio and video technology for award-winning films, music recordings, television shows, and news broadcasts. This integration will allow users to send files, mixes, and entire sessions directly from the Avid interface, along with other unique capabilities that will reduce complications and ensure back-up of all files.

Rihanna's Diamonds Executive Platinum Box is scheduled to hit stores on December 11th for a whopping $250. It includes a t-shirt, seven art-print lithographs, a vinyl record of remixes of "Diamonds," a 40-page booklet of lyrics and notes, and more stuff for those who have the guap to spend.

Apple is delaying its iTunes 11 launch until the end of November, according to a company spokesperson.

The Grammys are to the music industry what the Oscars are to the film industry, but ours is way cooler. That being said, the great honor of hosting this year's Grammys Nominations goes to LL Cool J and Taylor Swift.  Additional presenters and performers will be announced later.

Pitchfork introduced a new technology column dubbed "Ordinary Machines." It will cover music, technology, and identity in the 21st century.  

Last but not least, this past Saturday's Haunted Coliseum dance party (featuring Swedish House Mafia's Sebastian Ingrosso, Alesso, and Otto Knows) in Long Island was shut down by police due to reports of dangerously intoxicated teens. Adding fuel to the chaotic fire, a private helicopter attempted to land on the stadium grounds to airlift an attendee, putting many people at risk for injury.  The helicopter is currently impounded.  

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TuneCore Tells Digital Music News: Keep Jeff Price's Name Out of This...

Tuesday, October 30, 2012
by  paul

Some divorces are messier than others.  And this one's definitely personal: after abruptly chopping longtime leader and cofounder Jeff Price, Tunecore now seems determined to erase the memory of Price entirely.  In fact, as a condition for interviewing a TuneCore executive about future plans for the company, we were asked to keep Price completely out of it.    

After beating around the bush a bit, this was flatly emailed to us by TuneCore's press relations group during setup:     

The interview never happened. 

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Any Questions? Taylor Swift Just Sold 1.2 Million First-Week Albums...

Wednesday, October 31, 2012
by  paul

You could still argue that Taylor Swift would have sold even more if she'd licensed Spotify.  But most likely, she would have sold less: according to stats just released by Nielsen Soundscan and tweeted by the singer, Red shifted an unbelievable, record-setting 1.2 million copies during its first week alone.  And, this is in the US only.  

The result puts a recent, Spotify-powered success story by Mumford & Sons into a totally different light.  Leading into the Taylor release, Mumford's Babel set a massive streaming record on Spotify, and still went on to sell a sizable 600,000 first-week units.  The strategy of granting full access obviously worked, but in the end, Babel sold half of what Red sold.  These are different artists with different audiences, with different consumption behaviors. 

And, Red sold an almost unthinkable number of units, especially in such an album-challenged era.  Swift surpassed the previous million-plus first-week seller, Lady Gaga's Born This Way, by roughly 100,000 units, but Gaga received a tremendous boost from a sharply discounted, 99-cent album bonanza on Amazon.  That was a near-freebie for fans, and a subsidized attention-getter for Amazon.  

Yet Taylor's camp decided against such a ploy: in fact, Swift's label, Big Machine Records, expressly restricted Red from appearing on Amazon MP3 (and Google Play, for that matter).  The reason was simple: Big Machine wanted to prevent that sort of price-chopping from happening, a development that would have devalued the full-priced integrity for exclusive partners like iTunes, Target, and even Papa John's Pizza.

Which means, in the end, Red sold 1.2 million the old-fashioned way: at full price, and through a highly-controlled list of retail partners.  And the last album to reach that first-week tally was The Eminem Show, released in 2002 - before Spotify, before Amazon MP3, and even before the iTunes Music Store.

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13 Extremely Scary Things About the Music Industry Today...

Wednesday, October 31, 2012
by  paul

The music industry: it's scary all year round!  And with that, here are 13 extremely scary things about our modern-day, post-apocalyptic biz...

So if you need radio play, a chart position, or broad-scale distribution, just give one of them a call.

That goes for the richest, like Google Play and Spotify, all the way down to the deceased, like Imeem.  Because if you need a license for your startup, the memo is clear: be prepared to pay millions upfront and offer sizable ownership shares, all without the guarantee that every signed artist will participate (just ask Spotify).  

And, those terms are renewable every few years.

...according to estimates from TuneSat.

...and 95% from iTunes, Spotify and Amazon MP3, according to stats from AIM.

...according to Nielsen Soundscan.

...according to Live Nation.

...and both are trying to get out of those payments entirely, or legislate them downward.

Here are the calculations.

...and probably more, according to Kim Dotcom.

...just ask TuneCore.

Like, just last week.

Though of course, she eventually handed out treats for everyone.

 Trick or treat!

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If It Sounds the Same, Is It Plagiarism? The Case Against Carly Rae Jepsen...

Wednesday, October 31, 2012
by  paul

There are only 12 notes in a scale, and only so many ways to arrange those notes into a pop-friendly sequence. Which raises the question: can two separate songwriters easily come up with the same hook, independently of one another?  In other words, can you copy a song - or melody, chorus, or hook - purely by accident?  

Welcome to the latest copyright lawsuit, this time against Carly Rae Jepsen and Owl City.  The duet recently released "Good Time," a totally upbeat and infectious track.  But the real hook is that the main motif sounds almost exactly like the one used in "Ah, It's a Love Song," by singer-songwriter Allyson Nicole Burnett.

The lawsuit, which names songwriters Adam Young, Matt Thiessen and Brian Lee atop the list, along with a list of publishers, shows that Burnett's version had significant visibility starting in 2010.  That includes background slots in 'The Hills' and 'Friendzone,' not to mention availability across physical and digital outlets like iTunes.  The rest gets really granular really fast, delving into theoretical discussions of keys, rhythms, and the use of a non-lyrical hook. 

But is this a case of accidental simility, or a flat-out rip-off?

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The Latest! Remastered Led Zepellin, Smashed Bass Guitar, Glee, DJZ, Bandpage, and Soundscan

Jimmy Page is now remastering the Zeppelin discography for a re-release in 2013. They will be in the form of one box set per album.

The bass guitar smashed by Kurt Cobain in the video for Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" will be auctioned off in London. It is expected to be sold between $24,000 and $40,000.

It was to be expected. Glee is taking on PSY's "Gangnam Style" for an episode airing in late November. Actor Kevin McHale of FOX's crazed musical show said, "You know we had to do it."

Turntable.fm founder Seth Goldstein has just launched DJZ.com, an electronic dance music news hub website. With obnoxious reds, pinks, blues, and yellows, DJZ features  artist profiles, a feed of dance music news, a Soundcloud-powered music player, and upcoming shows and festivals.

BandPage, formerly RootMusic, is hosting a session on Google+ Hangouts with CEO J Sider and Incubus manager Steve Rennie. This public music talk show will start at 1:30 and end at 2:00 pm PST today, Nov. 1. Following the hangout, both Sider and Rennie will take open questions from people in the music industry.

This week’s Soundscan charts reveals that (hidden in the shadow of Taylor Swift's Red)Kendrick Lamar's Good Kid M.A.A.D City hit #2 with a little over 240,000 sales. Jason Aldean's Night Train claimed the third spot with 115,976, and Mumford & Sons's Babel dropped to fourth with 53,441.

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The World Still Loves American Music. But Why, Exactly?

Monday, October 29, 2012
by  paul

It's an age-old question: if music is pouring out of every corner of the globe, why is American music so popular on the world stage?  Especially in a borderless, digitally-liberated media environment?  And even in countries that deeply resent America, or whose cultures are radically different?  

Sitting in a Starbucks in Seoul, South Korea, which is right next to a Dunkin' Donuts, the question is impossible to avoid.  Outside of the obvious language differences, this looks exactly like a Starbucks in LA, almost down to the music.  I'm listening to Norah Jones, Nancy Sinatra, even Bobby McFerrin, but not one Korean singer. 

It's not that Korean music isn't all around.  There's K-Pop and PSY, of course, and also lots of syrupy Korean ballads.  But even the Korean music video channel finds Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Beyonce, and Britney Spears heavily layered into rotation.  Flip on a Korean baseball game, and it's Nickelback and Earth, Wind & Fire (yes) during the breaks.  Watch the Korean-commentated World Series, and its 30 Seconds to Mars to transition back from the commercials.

This is deeper than just music in the background; American pop culture and music are deeply seeped into this culture - consciously or otherwise.  While searching for my hotel, I was saved by a young woman who graciously guided me through the Seoul maze.  She was wearing a stylized army jacket with Guns n' Roses emblazoned on the back, yet she'd never really heard of the group.  I told her it was mostly an 80s and 90s thing, but a legendary rock group to this day.  "Sort of like Nirvana," she responded.  We left it at that.

You can say this is isolated, but American music - and the celebrities attached to it - travel extremely well.  While lingering around France after MIDEM died down last year, I started to meet some locals.  Once the networking and industry crowds left, the hotel kept playing American pop non-stop; a local limo driver showed me pictures of the time he escorted members of Black Eyed Peas around.  The hotel concierge, who also worked for a yacht reservation company, loved to tell me about Diddy's failed pissing contests with Russian billionaires on the Riviera.  These were highlights... yes, for French people. 

It's even seeped into abandoned junkie houses in Siberia.  Edgy magazine Vice once took their cameras into the region's most depressing, heroine-infested buildings, and the discussion turned to Rihanna.  The junkies were discussing whether they liked the singer, pointing to a magazine cover.  What?

Of course, American music doesn't play well everywhere, and its not like other cultures (like the UK) don't also export well.  But American music oftentimes permeates the most foreign environments, often with little-to-no protection against piracy.  It's almost like an extension of the US itself: decimated and demoralized, major labels still retain the power to break major music superstars, but lack the ability to monetize it properly.  It's hard to say if this is a machine that keeps going, or what happens after it breaks down.

Report by publisher Paul Resnikoff, in Seoul.

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A Minute With: Rapper RZA putting on "Iron Fists" for new movie

RZA poses for a photograph while promoting the upcoming film The Man With the Iron Fists in West Hollywood, California, October 24, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Jonathan Alcorn

By Zorianna Kit

LOS ANGELES | Wed Oct 31, 2012 2:51pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rapper and music producer RZA is best known as the leader of the hip-hop group the Wu-Tang Clan which also includes such popular members as Method Man, Ghostface Killah and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard.

RZA branched out into film, taking on small acting roles and scoring music, including the soundtrack for Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill: Vol. 1."

Now, nearly a decade later, 43-year-old RZA has combined his childhood love of martial arts movies to co-write with Eli Roth the feature film "The Man With the Iron Fists," which he also directs and acts in the title role.

Shot on location in China, and co-starring Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu, Iron Fists is set during the 19th century and sees several groups of warriors and assassins descend on a village in search of gold. The quiet and unassuming local blacksmith (RZA) ends up being the village defender.

RZA, whose real name is Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, sat down with Reuters in Hollywood to talk about the film and the future of the Wu-Tang Clan.

Q: You had to pull double duty, working simultaneously in front and behind the camera. How did you balance that?

A: "My spirit had to be extra strong to pull this off. It was difficult because in the morning (as the director) I'm worrying about everybody else, I'm talking fast. Then I have to get ready for the scene and I gotta sync my voice down to this guy. I gotta sync my spirit to him. He doesn't smile once in the film. I smile. I'm not this morbid dude. He's almost empty."

Q: This is your biggest acting role to date. What did you learn as an actor?

A: "The thing about playing him that I could attest to as an actor was that I was lonely in China. I was personally lonely. And I think that shows on screen (in the character)."

Q: You're in an exotic location with Russell Crowe and some of the biggest names in martial arts. How could you be lonely?

A: "I had no love, yo. You know what I mean? Going into a massage parlor is not gonna give you no love. I was yearning for it. For a brief minute there, I learned why actors fall in love with their co-stars."

Q: How's that?

A: "Because the only girl I had was (co-star/love interest) Jamie Chung. We all went out one night after shooting and Jamie had a guy friend with her. I looked over and I was so jealous. I felt weird. I told my buddy, 'I'm about to punch this guy in the face!' In that moment, I just felt that she was my woman. And the sad thing for me is, it would have been a one way street because she wasn't interested in me at all."

Q: Looking back on your first experience directing a studio movie, what do you think?

A: "It was hard work. It was 18 hour days. It was cold. The food was terrible sometimes and the language was an issue. But I kept it fun. I didn't let nothing deter me from this path. I'm grateful and happy I had a chance to learn this craft and express it. I feel that out of everything I do as an artist - I make music, I write lyrics, I'm into fashion and clothing - filmmaking is the perfect medium and accumulates it all. I found what I should be doing. I matured into being this kind of person."

Q: So many members of the Wu-Tang Clan are doing their own thing. Will you be assembling again soon for another album?

A: "Only time will tell. For now, I will say Iron Fists is Wu-Tang. We have all the members participating on the soundtrack. And if you look closely, you'll notice that when (Rick Yune's character) needs a second suit of knives, there are W's on that second suit. You gotta look closely though. So the Wu-Tang is there. I made it subtly into the film so fans can enjoy it and feel the energy."

Q: Some groups have their time in the spotlight and disappear. Others manage to evolve and stay relevant. Where is Wu-Tang at?

A: "To me, film is the medium that Wu-Tang needs to be at. I don't think Wu-Tang needs to be in clubs while we gettin' drunk and dancing. We need to be in theaters now where we sitting with our families and really appreciating our childhood in a different way. This is the reason why (movies like) 'Iron Man', 'Captain America', 'Thor', 'The Avengers' all work. Because we are adults who read comics and now we want our children to understand what we love."

Q: So Iron Fists is the beginning of that for Wu-Tang - having others understand and appreciate the martial arts you all love?

A: "If Iron Fists goes over well and people accept it, we got great ideas for part two already. We've got a great sequel for all the characters and back stories that are so remarkable."

Q: Sounds like you're creating your own Marvel universe in a sense.

A: "Essentially, yes."

(Reporting by Zorianna Kit, editing by Jill Serjeant)

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Armstrong rehab stint forces Green Day cancellations

Green Day lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong performs during the 2012 iHeart Radio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada September 21, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Steve Marcus

NEW YORK | Mon Oct 29, 2012 2:15pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Green Day said on Monday they are canceling their fall club tour and postponing early 2013 dates as frontman Billie Joe Armstrong continues treatment for substance abuse.

"Obviously the timing for this isn't ideal, but Billie Joe's well-being is our main concern," band member Mike Dirnt said in a posting on Green Day's website.

"We are happy to say that Billie Joe is doing well, and we want to thank you all for the outpouring of support and well wishes that we have received, and we can't wait to see you all again soon," he added.

Armstrong, lead singer and guitarist for the Grammy-winning rock band, sought substance abuse treatment late last month following an angry, guitar-smashing on-stage outburst in Las Vegas. Details of his substance abuse have not been released.

Green Day also announced on Monday it was moving up the release date of "iTré!," part of an ambitious trilogy of albums that marks their first collection of new music since 2009, to December 11 from its original date of January 15, in part to make up for the canceled and postponed dates.

"If we couldn't be there to play it for you live, the least we could do was give you the next best thing," said drummer Tre Cool.

The band's latest tour, including dates in Seattle, Sacramento and Reno, was due to wind down in Tempe, Arizona, on December 10. The website said tickets for the club shows would be refunded, and that new dates for the postponed shows would be announced shortly.

The California-based punk rock band, formed in the late 1980s, has sold more than 65 million records worldwide and won five Grammys, including best alternative album for its 1994 major-label debut, "Dookie," and best rock album for "American Idiot" and "21st Century Breakdown."

(Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Jill Serjeant, Gary Hill)

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Rolling Stones memorabilia auctioned after divorce

By Andrea Burzynski

NEW YORK | Sun Oct 28, 2012 6:29pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - An assortment of Rolling Stones memorabilia and artwork provided by Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and his ex-wife was sold in a two-day auction, Julien's Auctions said on Sunday.

The collection featured memorabilia spanning four decades from the guitarist's work with the band, and included several worn leather and velvet jackets, real and cardboard guitars, tour ephemera and a signed lithograph of Eric Clapton.

Among the items were a white leather coat worn by Wood that sold for $8,960, and a lithograph of Eric Clapton drawn by Wood that features his signature as well as Clapton's that fetched $5,120.

Despite being made of cardboard, a guitar cutout gifted to Wood by Keith Richards sold for $6,875. The real thing commanded almost nine times that price, with a 1955 Fender Stratocaster guitar often played on stage by Wood bringing in $60,800.

Bidding took place live online as well as in person and by phone at Julien's Beverly Hills gallery on Friday and Saturday.

The auction comes ahead of the release next February of the memoirs of Wood's ex-wife Jo, which promise to reveal her tales of life as the wife of a Rolling Stone.

Ronnie and Jo Wood were married for 23 years before separating in 2008 when Ronnie left her for a young cocktail waitress named Ekaterina Ivanova. The couple's divorce was finalized in 2011.

After the auction was announced in September, the former couple issued opposing statements feuding about the ownership of the auction items, but seemed to have worked out their disagreements. Julien described the items for sale as jointly owned and said that they were part of the couple's divorce settlement.

Part of the proceeds from the auction will go to MusiCares, the Grammy Awards charity that offers help to people in the music industry with finance and addiction.

Wood has recently been focused on his visual art career, but is best known as a musician with the Rolling Stones and The Faces. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.

In addition to her upcoming memoirs, Jo Wood - a former model - has also founded a skincare line.

(Reporting by Andrea Burzynski, editing by Gary Crosse)

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Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood engaged to marry

Ronnie Wood of the The Rolling Stones walks away after posing at the opening of the exhibition ''Rolling Stones: 50'' at Somerset House in London July 12, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Ki Price

LONDON | Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:41am EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood is engaged to be married to a 34-year-old theatre producer named Sally Humphreys, his spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The twice-married, 65-year-old musician and artist separated from his second wife Jo Wood in 2008 and had a public disagreement with her over the auction of some memorabilia in Los Angeles which went ahead earlier this month.

News of the impending wedding comes just after the Stones played a warm-up gig in Paris for 350 people and announced four dates in London and New York to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

It also comes ahead of the release next February of Jo Wood's memoirs, which promise to reveal her tales of life as the wife of a Rolling Stone.

Wood has recently been focusing on his visual art career and in April opened a New York City art show entitled, "Faces, Time and Places", featuring portraits of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and other celebrities.

But he is still best known for his music and in April was inducted for a second time into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with other members of his former group The Faces, including Rod Stewart and Kenney Jones.

The Rolling Stones, which Wood joined in 1975 after Mick Taylor left the band, were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989.

(Reporting by Paul Casciato; editing by Steve Addison)

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Court rules against Polish rocker who tore up Bible

Nergal, also known as Adam Michal Darski, the guitarist of Behemoth performs during the Hellfest music Festival in Clisson, western France in this June 20, 2010 file photo.

Credit: Reuters/Stephane Mahe/Files

By Grzegorz Szymanowski and Christian Lowe

WARSAW | Mon Oct 29, 2012 8:54pm EDT

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's Supreme Court opened the way on Monday for a blasphemy verdict against a rock musician who tore up a Bible on stage, a case that has pitted deep Catholic traditions against a new desire for free expression.

Adam Darski, front man with a heavy metal group named Behemoth, ripped up a copy of the Christian holy book during a concert in 2007, called it deceitful and described the Roman Catholic church as "a criminal sect".

His supporters say it was an act of artistic expression, but conservatives say he offended the sensibilities of Catholics in Poland, the homeland of the late Pope John Paul II and one of the religion's most devout heartlands in Europe.

The Supreme Court was asked to rule on legal arguments thrown up by the musician's trial in a lower court on charges of offending religious feelings.

It said a crime was committed even if the accused, who uses the stage name Nergal, did not act with the "direct intention" of offending those feelings, a court spokeswoman said.

That interpretation closed off an argument used by lawyers for Darski, who said he had not committed a crime because he did not intend to offend anyone.

The lower court will now decide if he is guilty. The maximum sentence is two years in jail, under Poland's criminal code. However, it is extremely rare for anyone convicted of this kind of crime in Poland to serve prison time.

"(The decision) is negative and restricts the freedom of speech. The court decided that this is allowed in a democratic system," Jacek Potulski, a lawyer for Darski, told Reuters.

He said he was not giving up. "We are still arguing that we were dealing with art, which allows more critical and radical statements," the lawyer said.

Ryszard Nowak, a conservative former member of parliament who has for years been lobbying for the musician's conviction, said he had been vindicated.

"The Supreme Court said clearly that there are limits for artists which cannot be crossed," Nowak told Polish television.

The Catholic church and its teachings have been at the heart of Polish life for generations, but changes in society are challenging the dominance of the faith.

Opinion polls show that while 93 percent of Poles identify themselves as Catholics, the proportion who attend church or pray regularly is in decline, especially among young people.

Large parts of Polish society have also started to drift away from some of the church's teachings, especially its ban on contraception and its opposition to homosexual partnerships.

"When it comes to bishops' opinions on controversial social issues, I listen to them, but I don't treat them as an absolute authority," said Aleksandra Pulchny, a 22-year-old law student from Rybnik, in southern Poland.

In one indication of the changes in society, the blasphemy trial does not appear to have harmed Darski's show business standing. He is one of four judges on "The Voice of Poland," a talent show broadcast on national public television.

(Additional reporting by Rob Strybel; Editing by Michael Roddy)

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Stravinsky feted in top London dance house season

By Michael Roddy

LONDON | Tue Oct 30, 2012 12:05pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - London dance house Sadler's Wells will mark the centenary of the riotous premiere of Russian composer Igor Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" with a commission that uses neither the original music or scandalous choreography, opting instead for a piece inspired by it.

Olympics opening ceremony choreographer Akram Khan's "ITMOi (in the mind of Igor)", with music by three composers that will in part draw on Stravinsky's groundbreaking work of musical brutalism, will have its first public performance on May 29, 2013, Sadler's Wells said on Tuesday.

That will be 100 years to the day after a near-riot broke out at the premiere of the ballet, choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky, at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris.

Sadler's Wells will also revive a modern choreography by Michael Keegan-Dolan of Stravinsky's rhythmically ferocious and paganistic ballet that changed the course of 20th century music, the venue said at a news conference announcing its new season.

Other venues around the world will mark the centenary, including 14 performances of various versions and tributes to the work at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees, starting on the anniversary day with the Ballet of the Mariinsky Theatre and conductor Valery Gergiev in a re-creation of Nijinsky's original.

Khan, whose dance piece for the 2012 Summer Olympics was intended as a tribute to the 52 victims of bombing attacks on the London public transport system in July 2005, said that given the brilliance of Nijinsky's work, and a more recent version by Pina Bausch, he had decided to go in a different direction.

"It's not really a piece about Stravinsky, it's inspired by his concepts...but it's still about the story of the 'Rite of Spring'," the British-Bangladeshi choreographer said.

He said he had asked three composers to provide the music because "I just wanted to make things more difficult" - partly in the spirit of paying homage to the sense of rhythmical and musical rupture that he senses in Stravinsky's score.

He said that one of the vivid memories Stravinsky recalled from his youth was the sound of ice breaking on the river in St. Petersburg: "He would never forget the sound so the idea of rupture fascinated me."

Sadler's Wells executives said the venue had presented 677 performances in its 2011/12 season, an increase of 53 shows on the previous year.

Artistic Director Alistair Spalding decried recent proposals by the Conservative-led government to drop dance from the core curriculum under a sweeping revamp of the British education system, saying the move would likely reverse a trend of more young people learning dance in school and choosing dance as a profession.

"The predominance of dance in the Olympic ceremonies shows how rewarding and involving it can be," Spalding said. "It will be deeply damaging to reverse this investment."

He said dance was the second most popular activity in British schools, after football, and ranked first for girls.

(Editing by Stephanie Pett and Paul Casciato)

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Taylor Swift to co-host Grammy nominations in Nashville

Singer Taylor Swift performs on stage during ABC's 'Good Morning America' in New York, October 23, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Lucas Jackson

LOS ANGELES | Mon Oct 29, 2012 2:35pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Country-pop star Taylor Swift will co-host the Grammy nominations live on television from Nashville, the capital of country music, the Recording Academy said on Monday.

Swift, 22, who has won six Grammy awards, will join rapper-actor LL Cool J to announce nominees in some of the major categories during a one-hour live telecast on December 5, featuring performances from country artist Luke Bryan and pop-rockers Maroon 5.

The singer is currently on a touring blitz to promote her latest album, "Red", and has become an awards show favorite, most recently premiering her new single at the MTV Video Music Awards in September.

Swift's addition to the roster is part of the Grammy organization's celebration of country music this year, moving the nominations concert from Los Angeles to Nashville, home to the Grand Ole Opry and dozens of recording studios that have spawned artists such as Swift, Carrie Underwood and Lady Antebellum.

Organizers began televising the nominations in a live show five years ago in a bid to boost TV viewership for the annual Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles in February. This year, 39.9 million viewers tuned in to see British singer Adele sweep the awards with six major wins.

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Dale Hudson)

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Confidante put drugs in Britney's food, singer's mom testifies

Judge Britney Spears poses at the season two premiere of the television series ''The X Factor'' at Grauman's Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California September 11, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

LOS ANGELES | Fri Oct 26, 2012 8:56pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The one-time confidante of Britney Spears said he crushed up drugs in the pop singer's food to help her sleep and disabled her phone lines during the height of her meltdown five years ago, Spears' mother testified on Friday.

Lynne Spears told the Los Angeles jury in a civil trial that Sam Lutfi, Britney's self-styled manager at the time, described his actions to her in a January 2008 exchange at her daughter's Los Angeles home.

"Those were his exact words," Lynne Spears said on her first day on the witness stand. "I was very worried and I didn't know what to do so I tried to get her away from there."

Lutfi is suing Lynne Spears for defaming him in her 2008 book "Through the Storm," in which she related some of Lutfi's actions in 2007 when he became the singer's closest friend, and moved into her house.

Lynne Spears admitted under cross examination that she did not call police despite her concerns about her daughter.

She also acknowledged she had been estranged from her daughter for months in 2007, and that Lutfi told her he wanted to help reunite them.

Lynne Spears' book also claims Lutfi tried to cut the singer off from her family, and portrays him as a figure who controlled her every move.

Lutfi, who met Spears in a nightclub in 2007 and has said he tried to wean her off drugs, testified tearfully earlier this week he received death threats after the book was published.

The week-long trial has lifted the lid on the much-publicized meltdown by Spears in 2007 and early 2008, in which she went through a divorce, lost custody of her two kids, shaved her head and wielded an umbrella at paparazzi.

Lutfi is also suing Spears for a portion of her earnings at that time, claiming the "Toxic" singer hired him as her manager.

Lutfi further alleges Britney's father, Jamie Spears, punched him in the chest in 2008, during a period when the singer was twice held in a psychiatric ward in a Los Angeles hospital.

Jamie Spears was later named conservator of his daughter's personal and business affairs, and the family took out restraining orders against Lutfi.

Spears, now 30, has since made a comeback with world tours hit albums and a new job as a judge on TV talent show "The X-Factor". She is not expected to attend the trial.

(Reporting By Jill Serjeant; editing by Todd Eastham)

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Songwriter Bill Dees,"Oh, Pretty Woman" co-writer, dead at 73

LOS ANGELES | Thu Nov 1, 2012 5:46am EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Singer-composer Bill Dees, best known for his songwriting collaboration with Roy Orbison on the hits "Oh, Pretty Woman" and "It's Over," has died at age 73 in Mountain Home, Arkansas, according to an obituary posted online by a local funeral home.

Dees, a Texas native who got his start in the 1950s with a high school band called the Five Bops, is credited with writing scores of songs in all, some recorded by such performers as Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn and Glen Campbell.

But Dees' most fruitful collaboration was his work with fellow Texan Orbison, with whom he teamed up to write Orbison's signature 1964 hit, "Oh, Pretty Woman." which was featured years later in the soundtrack to the movie "Pretty Woman," starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.

The band Van Halen also scored a hit with a cover version of "Oh, Pretty Woman."

According to various accounts, the song's refrain grew out of an offhand comment Dees made when Orbison's wife, Claudette, walked into the room where the two men were writing together, and Orbison asked her if she needed any money.

Dees cracked, "Pretty woman never needs any money," and the song took shape from there, with the bulk of the composition coming together in less than hour.

As recounted in one biography posted on Dees' official website, Dees also contributed uncredited harmony vocals on the record.

"Oh, Pretty Woman" went to No. 1 in United States and topped the charts in Britain, as did the 1964 Orbison ballad co-written by Dees, "It's Over," a considerable achievement given the dominance of the Beatles and other British groups on both sides of the Atlantic at the time.

Other Orbison singles Dees co-wrote included "Born on the Wind," "Crawling Back," "Communication Breakdown," "Walk On," "Windsurfer" and "So This Is Love."

Dees died last week, on October 24, at Mountain Home, where he had lived since 1989, according to an announcement posted on the website of the Kirby & Family Funeral Home, where a memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, November 3.

(Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Eric Walsh and W Simon)

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