Music News Roundup - July 11, 2011
Adele Breaking Records
Adele’s sophomore album, “21”, is unstoppable. It has spent its first 19 weeks in the top three of the Billboard 200, a feat which hasn’t been accomplished since the Backstreet Boys’ “Millennium” did so 1999, and it will likely extend this reign to 20 weeks when the charts are refreshed on Thursday. “21” is also set to reach 1 million digital sales this week, one week after Eminem’s “Recovery” became the first album to do so—and will also pass “Recovery” as the top selling digital album ever. “21” is also the top selling record of 2011 so far, helping the record industry achieve its first year of album sales growth since 2004.
Changes in Internet Radio
Two large developments in the Internet Radio were announced this morning. First, Spotify, which has been hugely successful in Europe, is set to launch in the U.S. later this week. The company has promised advertisers that it will have 50 million users in its first year, and it has been said that Spotify has the potential to radically alter the music industry. Second, Clear Channel is revamping iHeartRadio, an online music service similar to Pandora. It’s launching the new service in September with a two-day concert in Las Vegas that features a list of famous acts ranging from Lady Gaga to Coldplay.
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/digital-and-mobile/spotify-u-s-is-probably-launching-this-week-1005270602.story
Rebecca Black Releasing New Music
Rebecca Black, of internet sensation “Friday” fame, plans to release a new single on July 18th. It is titled “My Moment” and was written by Brandon “Blue” Hamilton, who also wrote a track for Justin Bieber’s “Never Say Never: The Remixes”. The track is one of five from her upcoming EP, which will be released later this summer in August. After previously working with Ark Music Factory on “Friday”, Black is currently unsigned and will release the EP without the help of a label.
http://www.billboard.com/news#/news/rebecca-black-to-self-release-new-single-1005270572.story
“Watch the Throne” Listening Party
Jay-Z hosted a listening party of “Watch the Throne”, his new joint album with Kanye West, this past weekend for music journalists and friends. He requested that they refrained from live-tweeting the event, but allowed them to take notes. After the album finished playing, he invited them to “have a conversation” for a few hours rather than hold a typical interview. “Throne” is available for pre-order, but the release date is still unknown.
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/genre/randb-hip-hop/watch-the-throne-inside-jay-z-s-private-1005268752.story
