Saturday, May 10, 2014
The Muse's News
The Muse's News
An E-zine For And About Songwriters.
Issue 17.2
May 2014
In This Issue:
* Editor's Musings
* Music Reviews - None this month - Send in your music! :)
* New Artist Spotlight Additions
* Songwriting Book Review - by Tim Zbikowski
* Musical Notes - Songwriting Contests & Market Info.
* Muse's Clues - Songwriting Web sites that inspire -by adventurer and songwriter, Richard Miller.
* Featured ArticleQuick Tip: What Do Rubber Bands, Sneezes, and Melodies Have In Common? by Brad Dunse
* On Site Featured Article - An article (or articles) already online for your viewing pleasure.
* Classifieds & Useful Services
* Contact information
ISSN 1480-6975. Copyright 1998-2014 - Jodi Krangle.
For more contact information, see end of issue.
FIND THE PERFECT GIFT FOR THE SONGWRITER IN YOUR LIFE!
All sorts of products and services especially for songwriters, negotiated so that you get the best price possible. You'll find means of promotion and distribution, songwriting aids, educational products, musical instruments and their accessories, and lots more. Any of these items would make a fantastic present for a songwriter in your life (even if it's you! :-) ) Have a Look!
NEED A NEW WEB HOSTING SERVICE FOR YOURSELF OR YOUR BAND?
I personally use HostDime - and LOVE them. Really. Their service is superb and prompt, they really know what they're doing, you can chat with them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and their pricing (The Muse's Muse uses a dedicated server) is very reasonable. Check them out!
Sponsor Message:
(Many thanks to the sponsors that help support this newsletter!)
Write Better Songs with MasterWriter 2.0 - at a New Price!WRITE BETTER SONGS WITH MASTERWRITER 2.0 - NEW PRICE!
(And Muse's News readers *still* get a special discount!)
Looking for something really special for that songwriter in your life? (Maybe it's you!) MasterWriter 2.0 is the most powerful suite of songwriting tools ever assembled in one program. MasterWriter is endorsed by ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, NSAI and is used by some of the world's leading songwriters including Gwen Stefani, Rob Thomas, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Jimmy Webb, Kenny Loggins, Trent Reznor, Clint Black, and many more.
In addition to giving you Rhymes, Close Rhymes, Phrases, Pop-Culture, Synonyms, and the Definition, new features include Word Families and Parts Of Speech, two unique and revolutionary reference dictionaries that will open up a new world of possibilities for descriptive words and ideas. There have been updates and improvements to the existing features, including greatly expanded Sound-Alikes (close rhymes), and a completely redesigned Interface. These are serious tools for the serious songwriter.
MasterWriter's NEW price is now only $199 - but you'll still get a *$20* discount (your price is just $179!) by ordering through The Muse's Muse! Take the Tour, Download a Free Trial, and get a $20 discount! Note that the auto-inserted discount number 3004 will apply the $20 discount when ordering online. Windows and Mac compatible.
Editor's Musings:
Well folks, for those of us just coming out of the deep freeze, I salute you. :) Honestly, it's been a bit quiet around here. That can be nice sometimes. To me, it anticipates a *really* busy summer. Hope it does for you guys too!
Unfortunately, David M Taylor II discovered he'd overextended himself and had to step down as our new Muse's Clues writer. We have a replacement, however. And I'm really excited about this because I think he'll bring you some great options for both online resources *and* apps for your iPad, iPhone or android device. His latest article is included below so I hope you'll join me in welcoming, Richard Miller. I think you'll really enjoy his unique perspective.
Moving right along, the raffle winners this month are:
Miguel Capelo, from Durban, South Africa, has won a copy of Virtual Studio Systems' Lyricist software.
Bethany Bastura from Austin, TX, has won a copy of James Moore's digital music marketing book, "Your Band Is A Virus - Expanded Edition". This edition is the bigger and better version of the bestselling book "Your Band Is A Virus - Behind-the-Scenes & Viral Marketing for the Independent Musician". Almost double the size of it's predecessor, it's the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands.
Rose Johnson, from Briarcliff Manor, NY, has won a free 3 month membership to SongU, an Internet-based learning environment providing online coaching, co-writing and pitching opportunities, in addition to over 70 multi-level courses developed by award-winning songwriters.
Terri Evenson from Nashville, TN, has won a 6 month membership to GuitarMasterClass.net. GMC has tons of helpful videos, instructors and lessons along with a forum for chatting with teachers and students 24/7, recording collaborations, attending video chats, & content for bass, drums, singing, piano, etc.
DO YOU WANT TO WIN A RAFFLE PRIZE?
If you'd like to be considered for a raffle prize yourself, have a look at the various prizes offered at the top of The Muse's News webpage, decide which prizes you'd most like, and email me with your top two choices along with your mailing address so that I can get the prizes to you. Yes, it's really that simple. :) (And yes, the mailing address is kinda important. I promise it won't be used for any other reason than to send you your raffle prize - and to mention your approximate location in the notice of raffle winners you see above here.)
Really glad to have you with us and I hope you have a wonderfully inspirational spring!
All the best,
--Jodi
Return to the Top
Contact Info & Credits
Jodi Krangle, Editor: editor@musesmuse.com
The Muse's News is a free monthly newsletter for and about songwriters. Subscribers are welcome to recirculate or reprint The Muse's News for nonprofit use as long as the appropriate credit is given and the ENTIRE text of the newsletter is included (including credits and information at the end of each issue). Others should contact me at editor@musesmuse.com. All articles copyrighted by their authors.
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Monday, March 17, 2014
New Sanctions Against Russia
U.S. Imposes New Sanctions on Russia
President Obama announced sanctions aimed at President Vladimir V. Putin’s inner circle.
Following is a transcript of President Obama’s announcement of new sanctions in response to Russian actions in Ukraine, as provided by the White House.
MR. OBAMA: Good morning, everybody. In recent months, as the citizens of Ukraine have made their voices heard, we have been guided by a fundamental principle -- the future of Ukraine must be decided by the people of Ukraine. That means Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected, and international law must be upheld.
And so, Russia’s decision to send troops into Crimea has rightly drawn global condemnation. From the start, the United States has mobilized the international community in support of Ukraine to isolate Russia for its actions and to reassure our allies and partners. We saw this international unity again over the weekend, when Russia stood alone in the U.N. Security Council defending its actions in Crimea. And as I told President Putin yesterday, the referendum in Crimea was a clear violation of Ukrainian constitutions and international law, and it will not be recognized by the international community.
Today, I’m announcing a series of measures that will continue to increase the cost on Russia and on those responsible for what is happening in Ukraine. First, as authorized by the executive order I signed two weeks ago, we are imposing sanctions on specific individuals responsible for undermining the sovereignty, territorial integrity and government of Ukraine. We’re making it clear that there are consequences for their actions.
Second, I have signed a new executive order that expands the scope of our sanctions. As an initial step, I’m authorizing sanctions on Russian officials -- entities operating in the arms sector in Russia and individuals who provide material support to senior officials of the Russian government. And if Russia continues to interfere in Ukraine, we stand ready to impose further sanctions.
Third, we’re continuing our close consultations with our European partners, who today in Brussels moved ahead with their own sanctions against Russia. Tonight, Vice President Biden departs for Europe, where he will meet with the leaders of our NATO allies -- Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. And I’ll be traveling to Europe next week. Our message will be clear. As NATO allies, we have a solemn commitment to our collective defense, and we will uphold this commitment.
Fourth, we’ll continue to make clear to Russia that further provocations will achieve nothing except to further isolate Russia and diminish its place in the world. The international community will continue to stand together to oppose any violations of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, and continued Russian military intervention in Ukraine will only deepen Russia’s diplomatic isolation and exact a greater toll on the Russian economy.
Going forward, we can calibrate our response based on whether Russia chooses to escalate or to de-escalate the situation. Now, I believe there’s still a path to resolve this situation diplomatically in a way that addresses the interest of both Russia and Ukraine. That includes Russia pulling its forces in Crimea back to their bases, supporting the deployment of additional international monitors in Ukraine, and engaging in dialogue with the Ukrainian government, which has indicated its openness to pursuing constitutional reform as they move forward towards elections this spring.
But throughout this process, we’re going to stand firm in our unwavering support for Ukraine. As I told Prime Minister Yatsenyuk last week, the United States stands with the people of Ukraine and their right to determine their own destiny. We’re going to keep working with Congress and our international partners to offer Ukraine the economic support that it needs to weather this crisis and to improve the daily lives of the Ukrainian people.
And as we go forward, we’ll continue to look at the range of ways we can help our Ukrainian friends achieve their universal rights and the security, prosperity and dignity that they deserve. Thanks very much. And Jay, I think, will be available for questions. Thank you.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Aron Lyrd
How many members does a band need to create a good sound? Many may say maybe three or four, while those who are more aware of the music scene today could say that a duo is enough. But the fact is that even one single great musician can create what one group of six people are hardly able to do. However, few are those who can go beyond creating great music to creating something truly special. This is the case of Aron Lyrd.
In his latest release, Lucid Dreams, this great composer and guitarist from Philly brings a style that reminds us of different bands from Matchbox 20, Oasis, and David Bowie to the legendary Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath. Some of this can be seen in the first song, “Gasoline,” where guitar riffs mix with powerful bass lines and drum beats. Subtly aggressive and original Lyrd vocals are responsible for giving us a reason to shake our head, go crazy, dance, and turn on the engines.
“Becoming Extinct” is a catchy sound, and it has a While The Killers meets Smashing Pumpkins vibe with a little mess in between, like a cat fight. On the other hand, “Beginning” has that Chilli Peppers style (think “Under the Bridge”) with rather bleak voices.
“Come Again” is funky, fun, and entertaining, like a cross between Red Hot and Lenny Kravitz. It gets us up and down. The bass is definitely the star of this track. “Everybody Loves An Event” is going for a more Bon Jovi sound, and as far as production is concerned, it is quite different from the others.
“Grassy Banks” brings different elements. Tribal drum beats with an acoustic guitar give a Latin touch to the song.
“Hey, Hey” is quite eighties. As a soundtrack to movies like The Breakfast Club or any of John Hughes’s teen films. Entertaining, easy to listen tp, again it has those guitar chords and drum beats with faint melodious vocals by Lyrd; everything fits perfectly.
“Made In A Minute” contains new instruments such as a synthesizer that reminds us a little of Tears For Fears and Duran Duran. The rhythm guitars and riffs are excellent. The drums again make an appereance, guiding our feet to the beat of the song and along with the bass lines, all are present at this event. It’s epic and amazing. You can see some influence even of Oasis and MUSE.
“Shadows On Me” is like Third Eye Blind and Bruce Springsteen had a baby. It’s really catchy, and once again there are the acoustic chords and pretty much the same things we have been hearing in the other tracks.
In conclusion, each song has its special touch. One may be better than another one, but in the end, they all sound excellent and are worth listening to. Returning to the roots of this wonderful genre, Aron Lyrd ends up delighting us with something we can call rock.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Justin Bieber just won't behave: Five revelations from Rolling Stone's new issue
Justin Bieber just won't behave: Five revelations from Rolling Stone's new issue
Feb. 27, 2014, 10:45 AM EST
Rolling Stone
©
There's a fine line between having more fun than any teenager alive and completely melting down. Justin Bieber seems determined to find it — and Rolling Stone goes inside the egg-throwing, hard-partying, drag-racing, arrest-resisting, brothel-patronizing, lightning-quick fall of a pop icon in our new issue (on stands Friday). Contributing editor Claire Hoffman gets the dirt on the 19-year-old's most recent troubles, uncovering events that would make the singer's core Beliebers lose their faith. Here are five of the most shocking revelations:
Also from Rolling Stone: From "Baby" to bad boy: track Justin Bieber's life in photos
One of Justin's wildest nights went down at a Miami strip club called King of Diamonds Gentlemen's Club. Bieber puffed a G Pen weed vaporizer and blew through the $75,000 in small bills his bodyguards brought for him in the VIP room, accepting lap dance after lap dance. The occasion? The January birthday of Bieber's pal, rapper Lil Scrappy. Two days later, Justin was arrested for drag racing in a rented Lamborghini.
Insiders blame Bieber's dad for encouraging Justin's bad behavior. Bieber's 38-year-old pop Jeremy split with Justin's mom when he was a toddler, but has reappeared in a big way. "His father's not a great influence," says a source. "They're almost not like father and son — it's more like two best friends." Jeremy was in the strip club with Justin, enjoying the overflow of his son's parade of strippers, and was also present when Bieber was busted for drag racing (he was accused of helping block off traffic).
As early as 2010, Bieber began to show signs of stress. Justin broke down in tears backstage one day, bemoaning his lack of privacy. "If you want the Michael Jackson career, you have to grasp that you are never going to be normal again," his manager Scooter Braun told him.
Also from Rolling Stone: Justin Bieber's wild decline: a timeline of the Canadian idol's spiral Three authority figures confronted Justin after his night in jail – but that didn't slow his wild behavior. After his night in jail, Bieber left Miami for Panama, with his gal pal Chantel Jeffries. Usher, Bieber's mother and Braun flew to Panama to have a serious talk about his the singer's behavior, shipping Jeffries back to Miami. A source close to the Bieber camp said the trip wasn't an intervention, but "a conversation, reminding him of the people who care about him, and to consider things to do about it."
After the non-intervention, Bieber and his dad took off on an even more out-of-control trip. Justin and Jeremy rented a private plane to take them from Toronto to Teterboro Airport outside New York for the Super Bowl. According to a leaked incident report, the pair were so verbally abusive to a flight attendant, she hid in the cockpit with the pilots. The pilots were so overcome by the weed smoke, they had to wear oxygen masks to fly the plane.
Also in this issue: Tim Dickinson on the minimum wage, David Fricke on the making of Green Day's Dookie, Sabrina Rubin Erdely on the story of an autistic teen targeted by an undercover cop, inside True Detective and more.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Monday, February 17, 2014
GROOVEATECH
ABOUT GROOVEATECH
FEATURING 11 EMMY AND GRAMMY AWARD WINNER CHIELLI MINUCCI OF SPECIAL EFX AND, GRAMMY AWARD NOMINEE PHILLIPE SAISSE, NOVECENTO, MATT MARSHAK, MARC ANTOINE JEFF KASHIWIA, AND MARCUS ANDERSON
Records to great critical acclaim.The album utilizes elements of jazz, funk, and electronica, flawlessly showcasing the expertise of Grooveatech’s many musicians. Composed of a staggering twenty-seven musical artists from various time-zones around the globe, Grooveatech Orchestra is the brain child of Aaron Wider, who also produces, composes, arranges and performs as vocalist on the record.
Grooveatech’s artists come not only from a myriad of different locales around the world, but also from a surprisingly diverse array of musical backgrounds, including (but by no means limited to) groove, funk, pop, rock, and smooth jazz. The result is both a classic, warm tone familiar to music aficionadoes while maintaining a radically unique signature sound.
The release of “One More Time” was not a simple matter. Many of Grooveatech’s musicians perform in their own bands or even multiple projects, the artists’ individual releases exceeding a monstrous two-hundred and seventy albums. Many go on tour throughout the year.
Most have families and professional jobs on the side. Still, the end products of this gigantic and remarkable collaboration never sound rushed, slipshod, or amateur. Even with so little time afforded its members, Grooveatech has managed to record audio and video in multiple locations.
The video for the single “One More Time” required sixteen video shoots worldwide with fourteen participating musicians.
Though the monumental undertaking took eight months to complete, the video for “One More Time” has gone viral.
All the best, Aaron Wider Charting
BILLBOARD/ BDS CHARTED AC # 30
BILLBOARD/BDS CHARTED SMOOTH AC # 8
MEDIA BASE CHARTED AC# 33
MEDIABASE CHARTED SMOOTH AC # 19
FMQB CHARTED AC # 8
AMERICA AMUSIC CHARTS AC # 33
Links ONE MORE TIME VIDEO VEVO
http://web18.vevo.com/watch/grooveatech-orchestra/one-more-time/USQY51263915 http://www.wave.fm/articles/view/grooveatech-orchestra-one-more-time
http://top40-charts.com/news.php?nid=78826
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/grooveatech-orchestra/id515544992
http://www.amazon.com/One-More-Time-Grooveatech-Orchestra/dp/B007RL58E8
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Toni Braxton & Babyface's "Love, Marriage & Divorce" debuts at No. 4.
Toni Braxton & Babyface's "Love, Marriage & Divorce" debuts at Billboard's No. 4.
By Billboard Magazine Staff
After a two-week rule of the No. 1 slot on the Billboard 200—and four weeks atop the list overall—the Frozen soundtrack steps aside, letting the new Now 49 hits compilation open atop the list.
Now 49 debuts with 98,000 copies sold in the week ending Feb. 9, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Meanwhile,Frozen slips to No. 2 with 88,000 (down 6%).
Now 49 is just the 24th various-artists compilation to reach No. 1 since the Billboard 200 became a regularly published weekly chart in 1956. Of the 24 compilations to rule the list, 17 of them were "Now" albums. (However, the last non-"Now" compilation at No. 1 did happen to have the word "Now" in its title: the charity set Hope for Haiti Now in February 2010.)
Now 49 is also the first No. 1 for the long-running Now That's What I Call Music! series since Now 43, which debuted at No. 1 on the Aug. 25, 2012, chart.
All 49 of the regular (numbered) "Now" albums have reached the top 10, and all but the first debuted in the top 10. The last "Now" set, "Now 48," debuted at No. 3 with 114,000 sold in November. The "Now" series has also scored top 10s with four of its non-numbered titles: Now That's What I Call Christmas! (No. 3 in 2001), Now That's What I Call Christmas! 3 (No. 10, 2006), Now That's What I Call Country (No. 7, 2008) and Now That's What I Call Country Vol. 2 (No. 10, 2009).
The milestone Now 50 compilation is scheduled for release on May 6. A track list has not been announced.
The debut of Now 49 comes almost exactly 15 years after the first Now album reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200 (on the chart dated Jan. 23, 1999).
As for Frozen, its cumulative sales increase to 952,000 this week, after 11 weeks in release. At its current sales rate, it should surpass 1 million next week.
Bruno Mars' Unorthodox Jukebox climbs 7-3 with 81,000 (up 92%) in the wake of the first full week of impact after his Super Bowl halftime performance on Feb. 2. His first album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, just misses re-entering the top 10 as it glides 19-11 with 26,000 (up 58%).
The last time a Super Bowl halftime performer was in the top 10 the week after the big game was in 2009. That year, Bruce Springsteen's brand-new Working On a Dream fell from No. 1 to No. 2 in the week after the game—the album's second week on the chart. The album was released the Tuesday before the Super Bowl, and debuted at No. 1 with 224,000. It then sold 102,000 in the week after the game.
Rather excitingly, this is the first post-game week where an older album by a halftime performer has been in the top 10 since 2003. The week after the game that year, Shania Twain's Up! jumped back into the top 10, rising 12-8 with 67,000 (up 41%). (Twain co-headlined the show that year with No Doubt.)
At No. 4 on the Billboard 200 this week is the chart's second-highest debut: Toni Braxton &Babyface's Love, Marriage & Divorce with 67,000. The album starts stronger than expected, as last week industry sources had forecasted the set to start with perhaps 60,000.
It's the highest-charting album for Braxton since her Libra also debuted (and peaked) at No. 4 in 2005 and the highest-charting album ever for Babyface. The latter has visited the top 10 twice before, going as high as No. 6 with 1996's The Day.
Broken Bells and Little Mix are up next in the Billboard 200's top 10, as their latest efforts start at Nos. 5 and 6, respectively.
Broken Bells' After the Disco bows with 44,000, while Little Mix's Salute starts with 43,000. It's the second album, and second top 10 set, for both acts. Broken Bells' self-titled debut reached No. 7 in 2010 (49,000 first week) and Little Mix's debut, DNA, launched at No. 4 in 2013 (50,000 first week).
As for the rest of the top 10 this week: Beyonce's self-titled album dips 5-7 with 38,000 (down 20%), Lorde's Pure Heroine falls 3-8 with a little more than 35,000 (down 48%), the 2014 Grammy Nominees compilation tumbles 2-9 with 35,000 (down 60%), and Katy Perry's PRISM descends 9-10 with 27,000 (down 12%).
Over on the Digital Songs chart, Perry's "Dark Horse" continues to reign at No. 1, though it has a significant drop in sales. The song sold 291,000 downloads in the most recent tracking week, down 22%. The sales erosion is owed to how the song earned a big 27% gain a week ago, following Perry's performance on the Jan. 26 Grammy Awards. Without the awards show exposure this week, the song's sales naturally decline.
Pharrell's Oscar-nominated "Happy," meanwhile, continues to gain, as it climbs 3-2 with 252,000 (up 15%). Jason Derulo's "Talk Dirty," featuring 2 Chainz, is pushed back 2-3 despite a gain of 3%. (It sold 242,000 last week.) Passenger's "Let Her Go" steps 5-4 with 182,000 (up 3%). A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera's "Say Something" is up 6-5 with 171,000 (up 12%).
Idina Menzel's "Let It Go" flies 16-6 with 138,000 (up 28%)—the song's second-largest sales week. It only sold more during Christmas week, when it shifted 153,000 downloads. Bastille's "Pompeii" is up two rungs to No. 7 with 131,000 (down 6%); Pitbull's "Timber," featuring Ke$ha, is steady at No. 8 with 130,000 (down 9%); and Aloe Blacc's "The Man" rises 13-9 with 125,000 (down 3%). Lorde's "Team" rounds out the top 10, as it ascends 12-10 with 113,000 (down 13%).
Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending Feb. 2) totaled 4.5 million units, down 3% compared with the sum last week (4.6 million) and down 22% compared with the comparable sales week of 2013 (5.8 million). Year-to-date album sales stand at 27.5 million, down 15% compared with the same total at this point last year (32.3 million).
Digital track sales this past week totaled 23.6 million downloads, down 1% compared with last week (23.8 million) and down 14% stacked next to the comparable week of 2013 (27.3 million). Year-to-date track sales are at 151.4 million, down 11% compared with the same total at this point last year (171 million).
Next week's Billboard 200 competes with the same week in 2013 when: the week after the Grammy Awards, Mumford & Sons' Babel, which won album of the year, returned to No. 1, selling 185,000 (up 242%).
This story first appeared on Billboard.com.
By Billboard Magazine Staff
After a two-week rule of the No. 1 slot on the Billboard 200—and four weeks atop the list overall—the Frozen soundtrack steps aside, letting the new Now 49 hits compilation open atop the list.
Now 49 debuts with 98,000 copies sold in the week ending Feb. 9, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Meanwhile,Frozen slips to No. 2 with 88,000 (down 6%).
Now 49 is just the 24th various-artists compilation to reach No. 1 since the Billboard 200 became a regularly published weekly chart in 1956. Of the 24 compilations to rule the list, 17 of them were "Now" albums. (However, the last non-"Now" compilation at No. 1 did happen to have the word "Now" in its title: the charity set Hope for Haiti Now in February 2010.)
Now 49 is also the first No. 1 for the long-running Now That's What I Call Music! series since Now 43, which debuted at No. 1 on the Aug. 25, 2012, chart.
All 49 of the regular (numbered) "Now" albums have reached the top 10, and all but the first debuted in the top 10. The last "Now" set, "Now 48," debuted at No. 3 with 114,000 sold in November. The "Now" series has also scored top 10s with four of its non-numbered titles: Now That's What I Call Christmas! (No. 3 in 2001), Now That's What I Call Christmas! 3 (No. 10, 2006), Now That's What I Call Country (No. 7, 2008) and Now That's What I Call Country Vol. 2 (No. 10, 2009).
The milestone Now 50 compilation is scheduled for release on May 6. A track list has not been announced.
The debut of Now 49 comes almost exactly 15 years after the first Now album reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200 (on the chart dated Jan. 23, 1999).
As for Frozen, its cumulative sales increase to 952,000 this week, after 11 weeks in release. At its current sales rate, it should surpass 1 million next week.
Bruno Mars' Unorthodox Jukebox climbs 7-3 with 81,000 (up 92%) in the wake of the first full week of impact after his Super Bowl halftime performance on Feb. 2. His first album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, just misses re-entering the top 10 as it glides 19-11 with 26,000 (up 58%).
The last time a Super Bowl halftime performer was in the top 10 the week after the big game was in 2009. That year, Bruce Springsteen's brand-new Working On a Dream fell from No. 1 to No. 2 in the week after the game—the album's second week on the chart. The album was released the Tuesday before the Super Bowl, and debuted at No. 1 with 224,000. It then sold 102,000 in the week after the game.
Rather excitingly, this is the first post-game week where an older album by a halftime performer has been in the top 10 since 2003. The week after the game that year, Shania Twain's Up! jumped back into the top 10, rising 12-8 with 67,000 (up 41%). (Twain co-headlined the show that year with No Doubt.)
At No. 4 on the Billboard 200 this week is the chart's second-highest debut: Toni Braxton &Babyface's Love, Marriage & Divorce with 67,000. The album starts stronger than expected, as last week industry sources had forecasted the set to start with perhaps 60,000.
It's the highest-charting album for Braxton since her Libra also debuted (and peaked) at No. 4 in 2005 and the highest-charting album ever for Babyface. The latter has visited the top 10 twice before, going as high as No. 6 with 1996's The Day.
Broken Bells and Little Mix are up next in the Billboard 200's top 10, as their latest efforts start at Nos. 5 and 6, respectively.
Broken Bells' After the Disco bows with 44,000, while Little Mix's Salute starts with 43,000. It's the second album, and second top 10 set, for both acts. Broken Bells' self-titled debut reached No. 7 in 2010 (49,000 first week) and Little Mix's debut, DNA, launched at No. 4 in 2013 (50,000 first week).
As for the rest of the top 10 this week: Beyonce's self-titled album dips 5-7 with 38,000 (down 20%), Lorde's Pure Heroine falls 3-8 with a little more than 35,000 (down 48%), the 2014 Grammy Nominees compilation tumbles 2-9 with 35,000 (down 60%), and Katy Perry's PRISM descends 9-10 with 27,000 (down 12%).
Over on the Digital Songs chart, Perry's "Dark Horse" continues to reign at No. 1, though it has a significant drop in sales. The song sold 291,000 downloads in the most recent tracking week, down 22%. The sales erosion is owed to how the song earned a big 27% gain a week ago, following Perry's performance on the Jan. 26 Grammy Awards. Without the awards show exposure this week, the song's sales naturally decline.
Pharrell's Oscar-nominated "Happy," meanwhile, continues to gain, as it climbs 3-2 with 252,000 (up 15%). Jason Derulo's "Talk Dirty," featuring 2 Chainz, is pushed back 2-3 despite a gain of 3%. (It sold 242,000 last week.) Passenger's "Let Her Go" steps 5-4 with 182,000 (up 3%). A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera's "Say Something" is up 6-5 with 171,000 (up 12%).
Idina Menzel's "Let It Go" flies 16-6 with 138,000 (up 28%)—the song's second-largest sales week. It only sold more during Christmas week, when it shifted 153,000 downloads. Bastille's "Pompeii" is up two rungs to No. 7 with 131,000 (down 6%); Pitbull's "Timber," featuring Ke$ha, is steady at No. 8 with 130,000 (down 9%); and Aloe Blacc's "The Man" rises 13-9 with 125,000 (down 3%). Lorde's "Team" rounds out the top 10, as it ascends 12-10 with 113,000 (down 13%).
Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending Feb. 2) totaled 4.5 million units, down 3% compared with the sum last week (4.6 million) and down 22% compared with the comparable sales week of 2013 (5.8 million). Year-to-date album sales stand at 27.5 million, down 15% compared with the same total at this point last year (32.3 million).
Digital track sales this past week totaled 23.6 million downloads, down 1% compared with last week (23.8 million) and down 14% stacked next to the comparable week of 2013 (27.3 million). Year-to-date track sales are at 151.4 million, down 11% compared with the same total at this point last year (171 million).
Next week's Billboard 200 competes with the same week in 2013 when: the week after the Grammy Awards, Mumford & Sons' Babel, which won album of the year, returned to No. 1, selling 185,000 (up 242%).
This story first appeared on Billboard.com.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Motown figure Anna Gordy Gaye dies at 92
Berry Gordy Jr. on the passing of his sister Anna Gordy Gaye
By Brian McCollum
Detroit Free Press Pop Music Writer
“My sister Anna was the glamour girl of the family. She was beautiful, sexy, playful, lovely. Men loved her but she lived for her family, especially her younger brothers of which I was lucky enough to be one.
“She backed me up on everything I tried to do and gave me the confidence to be what I wanted to be.
“She gave me all the love that a sister could give a brother.
“When I first came to California as a teenage boxer, Anna lived there and I knew I would have a place to call home.
“I will miss her so dearly. What I’m grateful for most was that she lived to see me reach my goals and shared them all with me in happiness and joy.”
“She backed me up on everything I tried to do and gave me the confidence to be what I wanted to be.
“She gave me all the love that a sister could give a brother.
“When I first came to California as a teenage boxer, Anna lived there and I knew I would have a place to call home.
“I will miss her so dearly. What I’m grateful for most was that she lived to see me reach my goals and shared them all with me in happiness and joy.”
Anna Gordy Gaye, a crucial force in Motown’s rise and an ex-wife of Marvin Gaye, died early this morning, a Motown representative confirmed. She was 92.
Gaye “transitioned early this morning surrounded by her loving son Marvin Gaye III and other family members,” read a statement from Universal Music.
The Georgia-born Anna Gordy was the third-oldest of the eight children in Detroit’s entrepreneurial Gordy family, and following the 2011 death of Esther Gordy Edwards, was the only remaining sister. She is survived by younger brothers Berry Gordy Jr., 84, and Robert Gordy, 82.
TMZ reported that she died of natural causes at her home in Los Angeles.
Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
Her name was emblazoned on some of Berry Gordy’s earliest record productions via the Anna Records label, which she founded in 1958 with sister Gwen Gordy. The label was formally absorbed into Berry Gordy’s Motown Records in 1961, several months after notching its biggest national hit, “Money (That’s What I Want)” by Barrett Strong.
In 1963, at age 41, she wed 24-year-old Marvin Gaye after more than a year of dating. She famously served as the inspiration for the singer’s first top-10 pop hit, 1963’s “Pride and Joy.”
Mickey Stevenson, the song’s cowriter and head of Motown’s A&R department, said Anna Gordy Gaye became an important liaison between the mercurial singer and the Motown operation.
“She helped me with Marvin a lot,” he said today. “Whenever he was missing out there someplace, she’d say: ‘Don’t worry, I’ll find him for you. I’ll get him there.’ She saved me a lot of trouble.”
Anna Gordy Gaye — “tall, gorgeous and fine,” in Stevenson’s words — was a picture of “style and class, and she brought a strong personality that the young female artists picked up on quickly,” he said. “It was her walk, her smile, her talk.”
She occasionally contributed to Marvin Gaye’s songwriting, including a pair of compositions on his career-defining 1971 album, “What’s Going On.”
They had one son, Marvin Gaye III, born in 1966. The family moved to Los Angeles amid Motown’s migration west in the early 1970s.
The Gaye marriage was often tempestuous, the couple’s fights chronicled in later years by biographers. They divorced in 1976, and the split fueled Marvin Gaye’s subsequent album, “Here, My Dear,” including the track “Anna’s Song.”
“I found myself in the studio crying in the microphone,” he told the Free Press several years later.
The two reconciled before Marvin Gaye’s 1984 death, and Anna was a guest of her ex-husband at the Grammy Awards in 1983.
Contact Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 orbmccollum@freepress.com.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
John Schneider - Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
John Schneider, born in 1949 in Fort Lauderdale, FL, almost immediately started playing his Elvis guitar from morning to night as a child. After taking a few guitar lessons, John, found even more joy in hammering out notes on the grand piano in his grandmother's home.
Later, he started playing drums and started his own band, "The Electric Harpoons," which played in South Florida's first so-called Love-In.
John's family owned a nationally-recognized amusement park (which was on the cover of LIFE magazine) and so John was continually surrounded by actors and celebrities.
Soon, the acting bug bit him and he was taking parts in every play in the community, high school and college that he could get his hands on. After graduating from a junior college in Palm Beach, Burt Reynolds provided John with a college scholarship to pursue his acting career.
Before long, he was attending the Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City while the William Morris Agency was sending him out on auditions. John took several parts in plays, but Burt Reynolds was instrumental in producing a short film, "The Eighth Daffodil," and John soon stepped into to take the lead role. Later in his musical and acting career, John started directing plays and producing short films. Musically, he continued to produce his own orignal songs and played live in a variety of venues. Today, John lives at the Jersey Shore and performs frequently at local venues.
Recently, he played at Jon Bon Jovi's restaurant, "Soul Kitchen," in Red Bank, NJ. He also produced a song and music video called "Everybody's Gonna Go" to support the Jersey Shore's relief efforts John also founded two companies: Original Music Factory which produces musical soundtracks and CreateAVision Media whch produces documentary and promotional films. Whenever possible, John is also a substitute teacher at the local high school and volunteers to help the local communities. People say I sing and play "lovin' country music with a lick of the rockin' devil." I guess that's true!
I do love country music, but I have a deep-rooted need to put a little edge in my music once in a while. I have to thank Garth Brooks who challenged me when he became the rocker "Chris Gaines" and so I had to do the same thing just to show him he wasn't the only one who could do it. That's why I created "John Nicole" and produced a few albums under the pseudonym. Meanwhile, Music Reviewer Zack Daggy says I have a rich smooth-toned voice wiht the charismatic quality of Bono.
I don't know what he's been drinking, but I appreciate the complement. I'll let you be the judge as you listen to "Country Free." "Country Free" is my fifth or sixth album and I'm proud of it. Yes, there are a few familiar tunes which I've remixed, but hopefully I made everything sound a bit better. I'm just so grateful for the folks who are listening to the ablum, paying for it and then letting me know how they feel. "Happy Life" is one of my all-time favorite tunes! I surprised even myself when it was first written. It has a nice feel to it and Laura Baron sings it so sweetly with me. Her career just seems to be taking off and I'm happy for her.
Nadia Fauteaux from Memphis, TN, also does an incredible job with our duet of "Love Me Tender." I've never heard the song as a duet, but it seems to work well. Hope you like it, too. Nadia also sings in French on the song "Beyond Words (Au-Dela des Mots)" and I think she'll become an international sensation if she plays her cards right. Of course, I do sing some standards like "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" and I certainly hope Mr. Zimmerman likes what I did to his great song. He's such a legend.
I was also privileged to have one of Chuck Berry's piano players, Daryl Davis, perform on my rendition of "Johnny B. Goode." Of course, I also played along with him on my own keyboard, but he was much better than me! I'm also extremely happy Karen Oliver saddled up to sing with me on a little story-tellin' song, "Take Me Home." She's provided lots of backup vocals in the past and this time she's stepped a little closer to the microphone. Nice job, Karen.
There are some more original and cover tunes in this album and most of them are just sort of calm and easy going. There's nothing too edgy on the album except maybe "Play Ground," which has more of a darker theme than I normally write or sing about.
Well, that's about it. I'm grateful that you listen to my music. And I appreciate the opportunity to play around once in a while. Hopefully, it's keepin' me young just like Garth Brooks.
John Schneider
Later, he started playing drums and started his own band, "The Electric Harpoons," which played in South Florida's first so-called Love-In.
John's family owned a nationally-recognized amusement park (which was on the cover of LIFE magazine) and so John was continually surrounded by actors and celebrities.Soon, the acting bug bit him and he was taking parts in every play in the community, high school and college that he could get his hands on. After graduating from a junior college in Palm Beach, Burt Reynolds provided John with a college scholarship to pursue his acting career.
Before long, he was attending the Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City while the William Morris Agency was sending him out on auditions. John took several parts in plays, but Burt Reynolds was instrumental in producing a short film, "The Eighth Daffodil," and John soon stepped into to take the lead role. Later in his musical and acting career, John started directing plays and producing short films. Musically, he continued to produce his own orignal songs and played live in a variety of venues. Today, John lives at the Jersey Shore and performs frequently at local venues.
Recently, he played at Jon Bon Jovi's restaurant, "Soul Kitchen," in Red Bank, NJ. He also produced a song and music video called "Everybody's Gonna Go" to support the Jersey Shore's relief efforts John also founded two companies: Original Music Factory which produces musical soundtracks and CreateAVision Media whch produces documentary and promotional films. Whenever possible, John is also a substitute teacher at the local high school and volunteers to help the local communities. People say I sing and play "lovin' country music with a lick of the rockin' devil." I guess that's true!
I do love country music, but I have a deep-rooted need to put a little edge in my music once in a while. I have to thank Garth Brooks who challenged me when he became the rocker "Chris Gaines" and so I had to do the same thing just to show him he wasn't the only one who could do it. That's why I created "John Nicole" and produced a few albums under the pseudonym. Meanwhile, Music Reviewer Zack Daggy says I have a rich smooth-toned voice wiht the charismatic quality of Bono.
I don't know what he's been drinking, but I appreciate the complement. I'll let you be the judge as you listen to "Country Free." "Country Free" is my fifth or sixth album and I'm proud of it. Yes, there are a few familiar tunes which I've remixed, but hopefully I made everything sound a bit better. I'm just so grateful for the folks who are listening to the ablum, paying for it and then letting me know how they feel. "Happy Life" is one of my all-time favorite tunes! I surprised even myself when it was first written. It has a nice feel to it and Laura Baron sings it so sweetly with me. Her career just seems to be taking off and I'm happy for her.
Nadia Fauteaux from Memphis, TN, also does an incredible job with our duet of "Love Me Tender." I've never heard the song as a duet, but it seems to work well. Hope you like it, too. Nadia also sings in French on the song "Beyond Words (Au-Dela des Mots)" and I think she'll become an international sensation if she plays her cards right. Of course, I do sing some standards like "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" and I certainly hope Mr. Zimmerman likes what I did to his great song. He's such a legend.
I was also privileged to have one of Chuck Berry's piano players, Daryl Davis, perform on my rendition of "Johnny B. Goode." Of course, I also played along with him on my own keyboard, but he was much better than me! I'm also extremely happy Karen Oliver saddled up to sing with me on a little story-tellin' song, "Take Me Home." She's provided lots of backup vocals in the past and this time she's stepped a little closer to the microphone. Nice job, Karen.
There are some more original and cover tunes in this album and most of them are just sort of calm and easy going. There's nothing too edgy on the album except maybe "Play Ground," which has more of a darker theme than I normally write or sing about.
Well, that's about it. I'm grateful that you listen to my music. And I appreciate the opportunity to play around once in a while. Hopefully, it's keepin' me young just like Garth Brooks.
John Schneider
Saturday, January 18, 2014
George Stinney, Black Boy Executed in 1944 to get a New Trial - Why? He's Dead
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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Supporters of a 14-year-old black boy executed in 1944 for killing two white girls are asking a South Carolina judge to take the unheard-of move of granting him a new trial in hopes he will be cleared of the charges.
George Stinney was convicted on a shaky confession in a segregated society that wanted revenge for the beating deaths of two girls, ages 11 and 7, according to the lawsuit filed last month on Stinney's behalf in Clarendon County.The request for a new trial has an uphill climb. The judge may refuse to hear it at all, since the punishment was already carried out. Also, South Carolina has strict rules for introducing new evidence after a trial is complete, requiring the information to have been impossible to discover before the trial and likely to change the results, said Kenneth Gaines, a professor at the University of South Carolina's law school. "I think it's a longshot, but I admire the lawyer for trying it," Gaines said, adding that he's not aware of any other executed inmates in the state being granted a new trial posthumously.
The request for a new trial is largely symbolic, but Stinney's supporters say they would prefer exoneration to a pardon. Stinney's case intersects some long-running disputes in the American legal system — the death penalty and race. At 14, he's the youngest person executed in the United States in past 100 years. He was electrocuted just 84 days after the girls were killed in March 1944.
The request for a new trial includes sworn statements from two of Stinney's siblings who say he was with them the entire day the girls were killed. Notes from Stinney's confession and most other information deputies and prosecutors used to convict Stinney in a one-day trial have disappeared along with any transcript of the proceedings. Only a few pages of cryptic, hand-written notes remain, according to the motion. "Why was George Stinney electrocuted?
The state can't produce any paperwork to justify why he was," said George Frierson, a local school board member who grew up in Stinney's hometown hearing stories about the case and decided six years ago to start studying it and pushing for exoneration. The South Carolina Attorney General's Office will likely argue the other side of the case before the Clarendon County judge. A spokesman said their lawyers had not seen the motion and do not comment on pending cases. A date for a hearing on the matter has not been set. The girls were last seen looking for wildflowers in the tiny, racially-divided mill town of Alcolu about 50 miles southeast of Columbia. Stinney's sister, who was 7 at the time, said in her new affidavit that she and her brother were letting their cow graze when the girls asked them where they could find flowers called maypops.
The sister, Amie Ruffner, said her brother told them he didn't know and the girls left. "It was strange to see them in our area, because white people stayed on their side of Alcolu and we knew our place," Ruffner wrote. The girls never came home and hundreds of people searched for them through the night. They were found the next morning in a water-filled ditch, their heads beaten with a hard object, likely a railroad spike. Deputies got a tip the girls had been seen talking to Stinney.
They came to Stinney's home and took him away. His family wouldn't see the boy again until after his trial. Newspaper accounts suggested a lynch mob was nearly formed to attack the teen in jail. Stinney's dad worked for the major mill in town and lived in a company house. He was ordered to leave after his son was arrested, said Stinney's brother Charles Stinney, who was 12 when his older brother was arrested. Charles Stinney's statement explains why the family didn't speak to authorities at the time. "George's conviction and execution was something my family believed could happen to any of us in the family.
Therefore, we made a decision for the safety of the family to leave it be," Charles Stinney wrote in his sworn statement. Charles Stinney said he remembered the events vividly because "for my family, Friday, March 24, 1944, and the events that followed were our personal 9/11." Both statements were made in 2009. Lawyer Steve McKenzie said he planned to file the request for a new trial then, but heard from a man in Tennessee who claimed his grandfather was with George Stinney the day of the killings.
McKenzie thought the information from someone not related to Stinney would be especially powerful, but the person suddenly stopped cooperating after stringing the lawyers along for years. The request for a new trial points out that at 95 pounds, Stinney likely couldn't have killed the girls and dragged them to the ditch. The motion also hints at community rumors of a deathbed confession from a white man several years ago and the possibility Stinney either confessed because his family was threatened or he was given ice cream. But the court papers provide little information and the lawyers also wouldn't elaborate.
At 14, Stinney was the youngest person executed in this country in the past 100 years, according to statistics gathered by the Death Penalty Information Center. Newspaper stories from his execution had witnesses saying the straps to keep him in the electric chair didn't fit around his small frame and an electrode was too big for his leg. Executing teens wasn't uncommon at that time.
Florida put a 16-year-old boy to death for rape in 1944 and Mississippi, Nevada, Ohio and Texas executed 17-year-olds that year. Lawyers also filed a request for to pardon Stinney before the state Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services in case the new trial is not granted. There is precedent for that. In 2009, two great-uncles of syndicated radio host Tom Joyner were pardoned by the board nearly 100 years after they were sent to the electric chair in the death of a Confederate Army veteran.
Joyner's lawyers showed evidence the men were framed by a small-time criminal who took a plea deal that saved his life and testified against them. But Frierson said a pardon would be little comfort to him in the Stinney case. "The first step in a pardon is to admit you are wrong and ask for forgiveness. This boy did nothing wrong," Frierson said.
Friday, January 3, 2014
TOP 10 STATES WITH HIGHEST TEEN PREGNANCY BIRTH RATE 2013
By EditorALW
The study focused on 1,000 pregnant teens aged 15-19 per state. The following data is based on teen pregnancy birth rate report that was recently made available by the Guttmacher report.
1. Mississippi – 64/1,000
Sex education wasn’t high on the priority list in Mississippi. But lawmakers in this number one state with the highest teen pregnancy birth rate have allowed not only sex education in schools, but abstinence classes as well.
2. New Mexico – 61/1,000
New Mexico also ranks in the top 50 when it comes to poverty and crime. While you can’t solely blame poverty and crime for teens getting pregnant, they are definitely contributing factors.
3. Texas – 61/1,000
Star state high teen pregnancy birth rate. According to the Pregnancy Resource Center, 30 pregnant teens come in per month.
4. Arkansas – 60/1,000
In the south many of the sex-education programs are abstinence-based due to the high pregnancy rates. Teens don’t need to be told what not to do, but need more preventative options.
5. Oklahoma – 58/1,000
Oklahoma ranks ninth in highest teen pregnancy rates and a few spots higher in number of births.
6. Arizona – 54/1,000
Pregnancy rates have actually gone down in the desert state. According to the government report from 2007-2010, rates have gone down 29 percent. The decline is attributed to prevention programs.
7. Louisiana – 54/1,000
This southern state is so fed up with teen pregnancy, that some schools have even banned teens from attending classes if they become pregnant.
8. Kentucky 53/1,000
Initiatives put into placed has slowed down this state’s teen pregnancy rate, but According to data released by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Kentucky remains 10 points over the national rate.
9. Tennessee – 52/1,000
While the nation was buzzing about the 17 teens that got pregnant at the same time in Massachusetts, a whopping 90 teens in both middle and high school combined got pregnant in Tennessee.
10. South Carolina – 51/1,000
Reportedly, the state’s tax payers had to shell out $197 million annually for these births.
Read more at http://americanlivewire.com/top-10-states-with-highest-teen-pregnancy-birth-rate/
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