Pussycat Dolls added new group members!

Robin Antin told MTV News today, that when the girls do return from their hiatus, there will be some "new faces" joining frontwoman Nicole Scherzinger. She didn't reveal who might be leaving, saying, "It's Nicole and a few ... a couple new faces. Some of the girls want to go and do their own thing. We're moving on. We're excited. We're looking at new girls. It's phase three of the Pussycat Dolls because we did our first album, our second album and now we're going on to our third. We're touring ... a lot is coming up."

 

As for the group's lineup, she said, "Nicole is going back in the studio. We're working on new music right now. There will be a few new faces in the Pussycat Dolls. I've been really putting that out there. I'm really excited about it. Inside every girl, inside every woman, is a Pussycat Doll and I always want to bring in new faces to really show there are so many Pussycat Dolls out there. It isn't about one forever. So I'm excited about that."

http://www.artistdirect.com/entertainment-news/article/pussycat-dolls-will-have-some-new-faces-after-hiatus-robin-antin-says/0bct9wzcPC6Hl

~Rachel August Millas

Susan Boyle's 'I Dreamed A Dream' the biggest album of the year

The UK native story is about a voice that captured the world's attention and a modern day success story where a rare talent has captured the imagination of music fans.  She showed that there is no need for gimmicks or controversy to make people want to hear your music- you just need to have a voice they want to hear! With that in mind, Susan Boyle continues her record setting ways this week.

 Her first album released by Columbia Records dominates the charts holding down the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 for the third consecutive week with 581,966 copies sold. Also, YouTube announced today that Susan Boyle’s “I Dreamed A Dream” from “Britain’s Got Talent” is their most watched video of 2009.

 In addition, 'I Dreamed A Dream' made history two weeks ago as the largest-ever debut for a female artist on the Billboard 200 in the Soundscan era, and marked the highest first, second and third-week sales for any album in 2009.

http://www.antimusic.com/news/09/dec/16Susan_Boyles_I_Dreamed_A_Dream_The_Biggest_Album_of_the_Year.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dayinrock+%28Day+in+Rock+Report%29

~Rachel August Millas

Leighton Meester...a music star!?!

Leighton Meester may be best know as the star of “Gossip Girl”, but her music’s about to take center stage.

The actress was recently cast as a country singer opposite Gwyneth Paltrow and Tim McGraw in the upcoming movie, “Love Don’t Let Me Down”, and her still-untitled solo album is reportedly set for release in February or March.

Meester ’s first single, “Somebody To Love” hit the airwaves in October.

Fans can expect a mix of sounds. “I have a million influences,” she said. “There’s definitely faster, more rocked-out stuff, and then of course there’s slower stuff. It’s a variety for every taste.

http://music.aol.com/news/

~Rachel August Millas

ABBA to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

ABBA made the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, reported Los Angeles Times. The group will join Genesis, the Hollies, the Stooges, which had been nominated to the Hall of Fame on seven occasions, and Jimmy Cliff in the New York induction ceremony on March 15. The group will also be playing at a reunion performance at a ceremony. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts artists who have released at least 25 years before being inducted into the Hall. ABBA had been nominated in previous years but failed making it into the final cut.

 

http://thecelebritycafe.com/feature/abba-be-inducted-rock-and-roll-hall-fame-12-16-2009

~Rachel August Millas

Apple Strikes Deal to Buy Music Start Up Lala

New York Times- December 4, 2009- Brad Stone- San Francisco

Apple bought LaLa (based in Palo Alto, CA) as an alternative means to attract new customers to buy their digital music. Lala lets people play music they own from the internet-commonly referred to as "cloud-based streaming". If Apple introduces this new form of streaming to itunes, it's consumers who buy digital music will never have to download music they purchase or synch up their music with portable computers and mobile devices. Bascically, Apple is out to rule the world, at least as long as EVERYONE in the world has a super speedy internet service if you want to listen to any of YOUR music. Lala on the otherhand seems to be an up and commer in the business world with this Apple business, the Google agreement to let "GoogleMusic" easier for consumers to find, and another with facebook to allow its users to give free songs to your friends as gifts. My internet is extremely shitty when its even working, so it would probably be a nightmare for someone like me to buy into this but, still....pretty cool.
By: Erik Anderson

DIY Houses Prove to be Savior for Smaller Music Acts

ChicagoTalks- by Nick Tallid - Feb 23, 2009

The article starts out by stating that before DIY houses started arising, the underground scene was looking pretty non-existent. Touring musicians referred to Chicago as a "Black Hole" of the midwestern circuit, causing many good bands to skip it altogether. Basically he contributes this to a lack of motivated action on the listeners part who in his words "were stuck at home with nothing to do but blog about it." This lack of musicians coming through Chicago has nothing to do with a lack of venues, there's plenty of top-dog rockstar venues where bigger bands can come make a fortune; but not a lot of room for the less known underground bands. At the very least these venues require an impressive full press-kit to even be considered. Playing live shows is the key to collecting a following, but if the "Big Venues" that Chicago often boasts about will only take bands with tracks on the Top 100 lists it leaves little or no room for the talented small timers.
DIY established venues are made with the help of the common people's basements, living rooms, and loft areas; for bands whose self-promotion is realistically limited to a Myspace pageand a trip to kinkos for CD covers. These spaces help to open doors between the average local underground music listener and the small time artist without the expensive drinks, bands that all sound like creed, and hundreds of screaming, jumping 12 year olds with their dads watching from the minivan across the street from the venue. The article goes on to mention the Go-Go Town, and Castaway House which are two of the main and most widely known spaces in Chicago. (Though I'm pretty sure niether of them are functioning today) All in all an interesting read about the less profitable, but no less talented bands who come through Chicago.
by: Erik Anderson

Google Closes the Loop on Music Search

wired.com - by Eliot Van Buskirk - October 29,2009

So, I guess Google announced its newest addition to its search engine that apparently makes the steps of searching for an artist and actually hearing the on the internet easier. The new "OneBox" search feature displays a pop-down box of streamable search results that will direct the user to whatever track they want. This new development was made possiblewith the help of other online music radios and DL sites like Lala, Myspace's new "iLike", Pandora, and Rhapsody.
Although this application seems somewhat useless (because anyone who knows how to work the internet can find the music they want, probably free), I feel that it will certainly prove as a useful marketing tool for the named download/stream subscription sites who feed off of the less internet savvy music listeners of the world. As a whole I'm sure it will make the more mainstream bands easier to get to through Google and will definetly help both the search engine and the music providers to develop more online hits/users.
By: Erik Anderson