WASHINGTON – Seventeen musical acts earned their first Gold or Platinum digital single download awards from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in August and September, according to the RIAA’s newest monthly G&P Program certifications reports. In addition to the new award highlights featured below, fans are encouraged to “Like” the RIAA’s G&P Facebook page (www.facebook.com/GoldandPlatinum) for breaking news, artists’ award photos, certification-inspired playlists, a historical timeline dating back to the program’s 1958 launch and much more!
August and September’s first-time Platinum award winners, recognizing the sales of more than one million downloads, include British singer-songwriter Alex Clare for “Too Close” (Universal Republic), Louisiana country artist Hunter Hayes’ “Wanted” (Atlantic Records), The X Factor finalist Cher Lloyd’s “Want You Back” (Epic), NY rapper Outasight’s “Tonight Is The Night” (Warner Bros. Records), American Idol winner Phillip Phillips’ “Home” (Interscope/Geffen/A&M), and Tennessee crooner Chris Young’s “Tomorrow” (RCA Nashville). (See photos of RIAA’s recent Platinum plaque presentation to Phillip Phillips here).
Gold certifications, representing more than 500,000 digital songs sold, were awarded to 11 first-time recipients. The Golden group included rapper Ca$h Out for “Cashin’ Out,” Nashville starlet Jana Kramer’s “Why You Wanna,” country band Love And Theft’s “Angel Eyes,” lyricist Loverance’s “Up,” hip hop act Machine Gun Kelly’s “Wild Boy,” folk rockers Of Monsters And Men’s “Little Talks,” Georgia rapper Travis Porter’s “Ayy Ladies,” reggae band The Dirty Heads’ “Lay Me Down,” Colorado folk rock band The Lumineers’ “Ho Hey,” and punk troupe The Naked And Famous’ “Young Blood.”
In the album arena, popular summer records from two Florida rap stars received Gold certifications in August and September. Miami’s Pitbull earned his second Gold for “Planet Pitt” (RCA Records), while Carol City act Rick Ross took home his fourth for “God Forgives, I Don’t” (Def Jam).
Debut album releases by NYC-based Atlantic Records band Fun. and two-time Grammy award winning duo The Civil Wars, “Some Nights” and “Barton Hollow” respectively, earned the acts their first RIAA Gold album awards.
Platinum album certifications were awarded to Kelly Clarkson, Rihanna and Carrie Underwood for their respective latest releases “Stronger” (RCA Records), “Talk That Talk” (Def Jam), and “Blown Away” (19/Arista Nashville).
RIAA awarded 94 digital single and 19 album certifications in August and September. All certifications are calculated by Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman. Complete lists of all album, single, mastertone and video awards can be accessed at www.riaa.com.
Please allow me to introduce our company Palace Music Group, LLC. We were established in 1996 as a distribution company. We specialize in Online Digital Distribution, Television and Movie Rights Synchronization. Palace Music Group, LLC is comprised of knowledgeable individuals operating with the right mixture of leadership, talent cultivation, foresight, planning, timing and game plan execution. Palace Music Group distributes unsigned independent artists from ALL genres.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Tyler Perry Explains Kim Kardashian Casting Drama
Tyler Perry is on top of his game. Since 2006, the actor and filmmaker has released at least one film per year, and last year alone he earned over $130 million. He also topped Forbes' list of Entertainment's Highest-Paid Men. But with so much success also comes criticism, and Perry revealed in the November issue of ESSENCE that he's learned to tell the difference between criticism and vitriol - specifically when it came to casting Kim Kardashian.
Perry tapped the famous socialite for his new film, The Marriage Counselor. "My hand to God, I didn't know who she was," he said.
Despite the negativity, Perry insisted that Kardashian did a good job and that his producers recommended her because of her huge following.
The cover star said he's learned to take a philosophical approach to his detractors and that his mission to tell uplifting stories hasn't changed. "Life is not getting any easier, I'm just getting better," he said.
As far as his audience, Perry made it clear that he is still in tune with who they are. "I know my audience is 2 years old to 80," he said. "I know they cross all classes and races."
The Marriage Counselor, which is scheduled to hit theaters next March, tells the story of a counselor who falls in love with one of her clients. Other stars in the film include Vanessa Williams, Brandy Norwood, Lance Gross and Jurnee Smollett.
MIKE EPPS WILL PLAY RICHARD PRYOR IN NINA SIMONE BIOPIC
In the Cynthia Mort written-and-
The film, which stars Zoe Saldana in the title role, starts shooting this week in Los Angeles. Ealing Studios is behind the movie and handling foreign sales.
Epps is coming off a spectacular showing in "Sparkle," Screen Gems' musical that proved to be Whitney Houston's last movie, and recently wrapped a gig in Warners' tentpole comedy "The Hangover Part III". He also has the thriller "Vipaka," with Forest Whitaker and Anthony Mackie, in the can.
NEW VIDEO: T.I. (FEAT. LIL WAYNE) - "BALL" (TEASER)
Can't wait for T.I. & Lil Wayne to drop their video for "Ball"? Here's a quick preview of what to expect.
Tip & Weezy take it back to the hood with their latest video. Although it's only a 30 second clip, we can already see the mood they set up in this upcoming hyphy banger.
"Ball" wil appear on T.I.'s upcoming album Trouble Man, set to hit stores December 18th.
Watch the teaser clip for T.I. & Lil Wayne's "Ball" video below:
Can Beyonce Top Madonna's Super Bowl Halftime Record?
Now that Beyonce has been officially announced as the performer at the 2013 Super Bowl on Feb. 3, can she top Madonna's record for most-watched U.S. telecast of all time? The Material Girl's performance during this year's Super Bowl reached over 116 million viewers, according to Nielsen, watched by more viewers than the game itself.
Super Bowl Spurs Sales for Madonna's New (and Old) Material
But advertising and branding executives think that Beyonce has an appeal wide enough - not to mention a buzzy post-Blue Ivy narrative - to draw an even bigger crowd.
"She's one of the biggest stars in the world, music or otherwise, and she's got an incredible reputation. She's an incredible performer and is great with brands," says Russell Wallach, president of Live Nation Network. "The Super Bowl is an incredible marketing platform for any artist, and this puts her in front of the biggest worldwide television audience. That is obviously incredibly powerful for her."
Although ad time bookending the halftime show during the second and third quarters is already sold out, according to executives who spoke with Billboard, there is still potential for advertisers associated with Beyonce to synch their spots based on their ad buys. Salesforce.com, for example, was able to secure a spot featuring Will.I.Am just before the Black Eyed Peas' performance in 2010, while M&M's bought ad time just before Madonna's halftime show featuring LMFAO, whose "Sexy & I Know It" was featured in the candy ad. 30-second spots for this year's telecast, which will air on CBS, are expected to match and potentially exceed the rates of $3.7 to $3.8 million advertisers paid last year.
Super Bowl Synch Report: 8 Placements Each for EMI, Warner/Chappell; Budweiser Prepping 4
"For people who have bought media time in the second and third quarter, that's a good thing. There's going to be a lot of happy CMOs," says Colin Jeffery, executive creative director for Los Angeles ad agency David&Goliath, whose client Kia bought a lot of time last year for its campaign featuring Motley Crue. "The Super Bowl still skews slightly male, so she'll bring the wider female audience. She also skews young and old, so you'll probably see some record numbers for sure."
The anticipation of Beyonce returning to the stage as a performer is also quite high. Though she performed a short series of concerts at Atlantic City's Revel casino earlier this year and has popped up onstage during a few of husband Jay-Z's recent gigs, she's been largely out of the spotlight since giving birth to Blue Ivy in January.
"Fans have missed her music and eagerly anticipate her return to the stage," says Jennifer Hageney, managing director of media agency MEC Access. "In this case, the world's biggest stage, where she is expected to perform her top hits and unveil new music. Social media conversations have exploded - with more excitement than we've seen in recent years. Collaborations with big names like Jay-Z, Gaga or a Destiny's Child reunion are rumored and adding fuel to the Super Bowl fire."
"I can't imagine why everyone wouldn't be really excited to see what she brings next - few people have a way of really doing that," adds Christianne Brooks, group creative director at entertainment agency mOcean. "With how fast society is moving and how much they want the next big thing, she really embodies that."
Beyonce could also potentially leverage the Super Bowl to debut new music, as Madonna did last year with single "Give Me All Your Luvin'" featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., which later debuted at No. 13 on the Hot 100. The strategy can also backfire, however, as it did for Janet Jackson, whose 2004 album "Damita Jo" suffered following the uproar surrounding her "waldrobe malfunction" with Justin Timberlake months prior.
Super Bowl Spurs Sales for Madonna's New (and Old) Material
But advertising and branding executives think that Beyonce has an appeal wide enough - not to mention a buzzy post-Blue Ivy narrative - to draw an even bigger crowd.
"She's one of the biggest stars in the world, music or otherwise, and she's got an incredible reputation. She's an incredible performer and is great with brands," says Russell Wallach, president of Live Nation Network. "The Super Bowl is an incredible marketing platform for any artist, and this puts her in front of the biggest worldwide television audience. That is obviously incredibly powerful for her."
Although ad time bookending the halftime show during the second and third quarters is already sold out, according to executives who spoke with Billboard, there is still potential for advertisers associated with Beyonce to synch their spots based on their ad buys. Salesforce.com, for example, was able to secure a spot featuring Will.I.Am just before the Black Eyed Peas' performance in 2010, while M&M's bought ad time just before Madonna's halftime show featuring LMFAO, whose "Sexy & I Know It" was featured in the candy ad. 30-second spots for this year's telecast, which will air on CBS, are expected to match and potentially exceed the rates of $3.7 to $3.8 million advertisers paid last year.
Super Bowl Synch Report: 8 Placements Each for EMI, Warner/Chappell; Budweiser Prepping 4
"For people who have bought media time in the second and third quarter, that's a good thing. There's going to be a lot of happy CMOs," says Colin Jeffery, executive creative director for Los Angeles ad agency David&Goliath, whose client Kia bought a lot of time last year for its campaign featuring Motley Crue. "The Super Bowl still skews slightly male, so she'll bring the wider female audience. She also skews young and old, so you'll probably see some record numbers for sure."
The anticipation of Beyonce returning to the stage as a performer is also quite high. Though she performed a short series of concerts at Atlantic City's Revel casino earlier this year and has popped up onstage during a few of husband Jay-Z's recent gigs, she's been largely out of the spotlight since giving birth to Blue Ivy in January.
"Fans have missed her music and eagerly anticipate her return to the stage," says Jennifer Hageney, managing director of media agency MEC Access. "In this case, the world's biggest stage, where she is expected to perform her top hits and unveil new music. Social media conversations have exploded - with more excitement than we've seen in recent years. Collaborations with big names like Jay-Z, Gaga or a Destiny's Child reunion are rumored and adding fuel to the Super Bowl fire."
"I can't imagine why everyone wouldn't be really excited to see what she brings next - few people have a way of really doing that," adds Christianne Brooks, group creative director at entertainment agency mOcean. "With how fast society is moving and how much they want the next big thing, she really embodies that."
Beyonce could also potentially leverage the Super Bowl to debut new music, as Madonna did last year with single "Give Me All Your Luvin'" featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., which later debuted at No. 13 on the Hot 100. The strategy can also backfire, however, as it did for Janet Jackson, whose 2004 album "Damita Jo" suffered following the uproar surrounding her "waldrobe malfunction" with Justin Timberlake months prior.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Gunplay in Custody For Armed Robbery Charge
Maybach Music Group’s Gunplay turned himself into the Miami Dade Police Department last Thursday, after a warrant was issued for his arrest. This news comes shortly after the rapper’s involvement in the highly publicized brawl with 50-Cent’s crew members at the BET Hip Hop Awards but it’s not related.
The warrant, which was issued in May, stems from a robbery charge. Gunplay, née Richard Morales, faces armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and aggravated assault charges for attacking his accountant. The rapper is currently being held with no bond. If convicted Gunplay could spend life in prison.
The whole incident was caught on surveillance camera and it shows Gunplay pulling a firearm on the victim. Watch it below:
In an interview with TMZ last Thursday, Gunplay’s attorney Mike Grieco said, ” Gunplay voluntarily surrendered today without incident There’s been an open arrest warrant for armed robbery with a firearm.”
Michael S. Simon Named President/CEO Of Harry Fox Agency
Simon, previously the organization's senior VP of business affairs/ general counsel/chief strategic officer, has been with HFA since 2001, when he joined as head of the licensing division.
"Michael Simon has been a strong advocate to modernize HFA and move the company into new lines of business, progressively overseeing more of HFA and proving himself a leader and visionary within the organization," HFA chairman of the board and National Music Publishers Assn. chairman Irwin Z. Robinson said in a statement. "I know that Michael will continue to expand HFA's position as the foremost rights licensing partner in the U.S. as well as strengthen the focus on customer service for publishers and licensees."
Robinson said the board was grateful to Churgin for leading HFA through its technology transformation "while also navigating some of the most radical changes to music licensing in the past fifty years."
In a statement, Simon said he is committed to working to aggressively grow HFA's Slingshot services, which is a suite of information management and technology solutions that include end-to-end back-office support for database management, licensing, royalty calculation, collection, distribution, and reporting.
"With our Slingshot service, which simplifies the licensing and royalty payment process for clients, we are delivering HFA's expanded rights management expertise to all music distributors and music publishers," Simon said. "I am also committed to supporting HFA's current music publishing and licensee base and delivering to them the support they need to run their businesses most effectively."
Prior to joining HFA, Simon was executive VP of business affairs and general council for Razorfish, Inc. where he helped guide them from a small private organization of 18 people into a public company of over 2,000 employees and several hundred million dollars in revenues and oversaw 18 acquisitions worth nearly $1 billion.
Before Razorfish, he founded Simon Ventures, an artist management and consulting company, and before that he was senior director of legal affairs at Polygram Records. He also served as an associate in the entertainment and intellectual property law practice of Levine Thall Plotkin & Menin as well as in the corporate, litigation and entertainment practice of Rubin Baum Levin Constant & Friedman. Simon graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College and received his Juris Doctor from the Columbia University School of Law, according to the announcement.
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