ROCK STAR
And then there was one. It was the show rock music and
INXS fans have been waiting months to see. The final three contestants
for the spot of INXS lead singer were an international line up of Sydney's
own Mig Ayesa, Canadian JD Fortune, and American Marty Casey. But in
the end, the band told JD "You are the Rock Star - we are a whole
band again." While the 15 rockers were trying out for the job of
lead singer, INXS were in the studio working on their first new album
in eight years. Now JD will enter the studio to add his vocals to the
tracks. The new album 'Switch' is scheduled for a November 29 release.
INXS and JD will begin rehearsals for the world tour which will begin
in January. JD Fortune, the one time Elvis impersonator, almost didn't
make it to the second show when he found himself in the bottom three
on the first night of singing. Now the 32-year-old singer plans to spend
the next 20 or 30 years with INXS. For Rock Star fans, there is a Rock
Star compilation CD with songs from all 15 of the original line up.
The album 'Rock Star Live at the Mayan' will be released later this
month.
ILLEGAL FILE SHARING
Two recent court rulings on opposite sides of the globe
have helped the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and
the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in
their on going efforts against copyright infringement. In June, the
United States Supreme Court ruled that companies who promoted file sharing
could be held liable in copyright infringement cases. And just last
month, Federal Judge Murray Wilcox ruled that while they did not actually
bread any copyright laws, the file sharing site Kazaa and its owner
Sharman Networks encouraged those who used the site to share illegal
files. Until now, the RIAA could only file suits against individuals
by tracking the computers used to download the files. In both cases,
it was shown that the technology is available to install filters which
would prevent the sharing of copyrighted material. Judge Wilcox sited
that it had been in Sharman Networks financial interests not to install
such filters. The music industry has no objections to music being downloaded
over the internet - their problem lies with people doing it illegally
by breaking the copyright laws. In recent years, the downloading and
sharing of music over the internet has become very popular, especially
among younger users. But the popularity of legal music downloading sites
like Apple's iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, Ruretracks, and MSN have also
shown it can be done legally. Sharman Networks says it plans to appeal
Judge Wilcox's ruling.
UNICEF BENEFIT
A number of musicians have teamed up to record a satirical
comedy song "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?". The song's proceeds
will go to benefit UNICEF. The song will be released October 11 via
Vice Records. The line up of artists who are participating in the song
are: Beck, Sum 41, Sonic Youth, Arcade Fire, Sloan, Peaches, Yeah Yeah
Yeahs, Divendra Banhart, Feist, Buck 65, Wolf Parade, Postal Service,
Sparks, Malcolm McLorren (Sex Pistols), Gino Washingtron, Rocky Erickson,
Togaq, comedian David Cross, and it wouldn't be Halloween without the
Mistress of the Dark Elvira.
SIMPLY RED
English pop band Simply Red have had many changes to their
line-up over their 21-year career but the one constant has always been
red headed lead singer Mick Hucknail. Over the years, Simply Red have
put together a string of hit songs and albums that has enabled them
to sell over 50 million albums. On October 18, Simply Red will add to
that list with 'Simplified'. The new album is a mix of old tunes revisited
and new songs. In an age where musicians are going more high tech and
electronic, Simply Red have gone back and stripped down some of their
classic tunes to a more simplified acoustic level. The album's first
single is 'Perfect Love' with vocals by Cuban singer Danae. Earlier
this year, Simply Red became the first English pop band to visit Havana
when they performed at the Gran Teatro.
CYNDI LAUPER
After her last album of old standards, Cyndi Lauper has
decided to follow it up by going back to some of her old stuff. On November
8, Lauper will release 'The Body Acoustic' - acoustic versions of her
career highlights with a couple of new tunes thrown in. Lauper has also
enlisted a little help from her friends for the new album. There will
be appearances from Sarah McLachlan, Shaggy, Jeff Beck, Ani DiFranco,
Kelly Osbourne, Adam Lazzara (Taking Back Sunday), and Vivian Green.
NEW
Clear Channel and GarageBand.com have teamed up to offer
new artists a chance to have their music seen and heard. The new online
on demand service will feature 16 new artists each quarter. The service
allows each artist the opportunity to display a home video, five streaming
songs, plus a link to the artist's website. With more music fans using
the internet to find new music, the new service offers artists the chance
to have their music heard by millions of people. Check out this quarter's
featured artists at www.clearchannelmusic.com/new/. For artists who'd
like the chance of being one of 50 new artists featured each quarter
on GarageBand, go to www.GarageBand.com. And for new artists who have
signed recording contracts, get your record label to email new@clearchannel.com
for info on becoming a featured artist.
Sherrill Fulghum (US correspondent)
