Music News Roundup - September 21, 2011
R.E.M calls it quits after 3 decades together
After 31 years together, the band members of R.E.M have decided to go their separate ways. As stated in the band’s official statement, “”As lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band”. The band’s legacy lives through their 15 previously released albums. For the complete story and full official statement from the band, check out Rolling Stone’s article
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/r-e-m-break-up-after-three-decades-20110921
Lady Antebellum score their second consecutive #1 album with “Own The Night”
Country trio, Lady Antebellum, have officially debuted in the top spot on the Billboard 200 with their most recent release of “Own The Night”. Selling 347,000 copies in the first week, the album marks the largest sales week by a band since the 2010 release of Sade’s “Soldier of Love”. For more on the chart success of Lady Antebellum’s “Own The Night”, as well as the complete listing of this week’s Billboard 200 Top 10 albums, check out the article from Billboard.
Australian Live Music Industry Worth More Than $1.2 Billion
The APRA has announce this Monday that the Australian live music industry is worth a tremendous $1.2 billion. This figure includes the revenue gained from ticket sales as well as food and drink sales. In another staggering figure, an estimated 41.97 million individuals have attended shows within the reporting period, meaning that every citizen of Australia have each attended on average 2 shows a year. For more information on the country’s booming live music industry, check out the article from Billboard.
Simon Cowell dishes on the premier season of ‘The X Factor’ USA
After a year hiatus since his departure from “American Idol”, Simon Cowell is returning to television with “The X Factor”. The show is wildly popular in the UK and has produced global superstars such as Leona Lewis. Billboard.biz interviewed the judge asking him what to expect from the upcoming season of the singing competition. For the full interview, check out Billboard’s article here.
Radiohead’s Thom Yorke shares future plans with BBC Radio 1
Radiohead lead singer, Thom Yorke, recently dished to BBC Radio 1 on his musical plans for 2012. To the excitement of Radiohead fans everywhere, he stated that the band will in fact tour next year. In addition, he is very close to completing his album with second band, Atoms For Peace. To read more on the breaking news, as well as hear the interview in its entirety, check out the article at Pitchfork.
