Cirque Du Soleil To Recreate Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch

Cirque du Soleil plans to recreate Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch in Las Vegas, giving fans a place to celebrate his life as well as see some of the objects that were displayed at Neverland Ranch. The Mandalay Bay hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip plans to open the entertainment complex in 2013 and it will include a Jackson-themed lounge, an interactive memorabilia museum and a theater designed to replicate the iconic refuge of the King of Pop. "This place, Mandalay Bay, is going to become the home of Michael Jackson in many, many ways," Cirque du Soleil president Daniel Lamarre said, according to Billboard.com.

Steven Tyler To Release New Single, "(It) Feels So Good, May 9th, 2011

Singer and American Idol judge Steven Tyler will release a new solo single, "(It) Feels So Good," on May 9, with the song going on sale the following day at digital outlets. The video for the track is slated to debut on an episode of Idol, and the song will premiere on Ryan Seacrest's radio show on KIIS/Los Angeles as well. It was written by Tyler and frequent collaborator Marti Frederiksen. The song is reportedly a stand-alone thing and will not be part of a solo album, says Billboard.com, as Tyler has already started working on a new album with Aerosmith. The band, minus guitarist Joe Perry, convened with Frederiksen during late January and early February to start preparing new songs and they will regroup this summer to continue the recording process.

50 Cent Launches New Comedy Website ThisIs50Comedy.com

Today, 50 Cent is launching a comedy website called ThisIs50Comedy.com. The site will feature the debut of This Is 50 Comedy Show, which will be taped in front of a live audience in the Times Square Arts Center in New York City and will be streamed live online. The show will be hosted by comedian Young Jack Thriller and will return on the last Thursday of each month. Access to This Is 50 Comedy Show will cost $2.99, with the proceeds going towards Japan's relief fund.

Taylor Swift Breaks Digital Sales Record Moving Past Lady Gaga

The RIAA has announced its latest round of Gold and Platinum certifications for the month of March, while Taylor Swift set a new record for digital song certifications.

This is in contrast to then numerous stories in the media, depending on what you follow, that tend to paint the industry as going under or that piracy and P2P downloading sites is killing the industry. Yes these elements have played a part in changing the landscape of the business (revenue, performances, digital business), and it makes it that much tougher for artists to earn what they formerly did even just a few short years ago, but this plateau achieved by Swift nows sets a tone that all is not lost and recovery may still be on the way.

Swift has 22.5 million career digital song certifications, with "You Belong To Me" now Triple Platinum; and "Fifteen," "Forever & Always" and "Back To December" all certified Platinum. Swift moves past Lady Gaga, who had 20 million digital singles certified as of February (and could soon leap ahead thanks to Born This Way).

Beyonce Drops New Single on iTunes

Beyoncé dropped the official version of her new single, "Run the World (Girls)," on Thursday morning via iTunes, and it also was sent to radio. The girl-power anthem is a cleaned up version of the demo that leaked online earlier in the week. The new track was produced by Switch, Beyoncé and Shea Taylor, and Beyoncé also co-wrote the song with The-Dream. There is still no word on when the video might debut, but director Francis Lawrence has promised that it will be epic. "It'll be big, it'll probably be one of the bigger Beyoncé music videos ever done," he told MTV News. "And I can say that I think the song is unbelievable."

"Weird Al" Is Back With Parody Of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way"

Most tend to forget that Weird Al Yankovic sold a ton of records when he first released an album of Michael Jackson parodies like "Eat It" to the Jackson penned "Beat It" soundtrack. .. Now Yankovic is back again with a parody of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way", with "Perform This Way". Gaga has already granted permission to Yankovic to do the parody.

"Weird Al" Yankovic revealed online that he had recorded a parody of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way," and it had been slated as the lead single from his upcoming album.

Yankovic announced on Wednesday night that Gaga had approved the song after a misunderstanding.


He wrote in a blog post, "Gaga’s manager has now admitted that he never forwarded my parody to Gaga , she had no idea at all. Even though we assumed that Gaga herself was the one making the decision (because, well, that’s what we were TOLD), he apparently made the decision completely on his own. He’s sorry. And Gaga loves the song.

KISS Working In Studio On New Album

KISS is in the studio working on a new album and the band has already laid down basic tracks for five new songs. Gene Simmons has been posting some updates via Twitter, and he wrote on April 14, "Went into the studio today for day 1 of the new studio album. We've got some rockin' stuff." He followed that with a few other updates that read, "In studio. Lead guitars under way on new stuff. Killer," as well as "KISS 18 hole mini golf course in Las Vegas. It's coming."

2010 Top Earners In Rap Music

So you wanted to know who earned the most chippers in 2010 in the rap game? The proof is not in the pudding but in the bank accounts of some of these entertainment moguls who are not only some of the top earners in rap, but in the music business period. Diddy comes in at number one with earnings of $475 million thanks to his interests in Sean John clothing, Bad Boy Worldwide record label and, most significantly, his Diageo joint-venture vodka brand Ciroc. Diddy's fellow native New York rapper, music mogul and business man Jay-Z comes in at number two at just under $450 million, due to his ventures in Roc Nation, and his minor ownership in the New Jersey Nets. Dr. Dre, the West Coast super producer comes in at third with earnings of $125 million based on his music publishing interests from past projects from a who's who of the music industry including the catalogs from both Death Row and Ruthless Records, his Dr. Dre headphones, and specifically from having a hand in launching the careers of Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, who reaped a nine-figure payday from the sale of Vitamin Water to Coca-Cola, and from his album sales from G-Unit, comes in tied Cash Money Records cofounder Bryan "Birdman" Williams at $100 million completing the top 5 in the rap game. All these figures were courtesy of Forbes Magazine.

Wiz Khalifa to be joined by Big Sean, Chevy Woods On Rolling Papers Tour

With Wiz Khalifa's Rolling Papers tour coming this summer, the rapper has announced that he will be joined by Big Sean -- a Kanye West protege whose debut album, Finally Famous, is due on June 21 -- and Chevy Woods, a member of Khalifa's Taylor Gang crew. Tickets for the tour go on sale to the general public on April 20. The 30-city Rolling Papers trek will kick off on June 11 at the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, TN and run through August 3 in Canandaigua, NY.

L.A. Reid's Return To Music Industry Imminent

After leaving his post at Island Def Jam last month and signing on as a judge for Simon Cowell's X Factor, L.A. Reid says that his hiatus from the record business is only temporary and he will be announcing another label gig soon. Reid was interviewed by Angie Martinez on Hot 97/New York on Tuesday night, where he confirmed the news.

Aretha Franklin Announces Live Concert Series

Aretha Franklin has announced her first live concerts, following her undisclosed surgery late last year. The Queen of Soul will perform in Chicago on May 19, at Niagara Falls on May 28 and as part of the Toronto Jazz Festival on June 24, according to Consequence Of Sound.

Rumor Has It That Beyonce's New Video And SIngle May Be Out Soon

Rumor has it that Beyoncé is working on a new video from her forthcoming studio album. The website Ace Showbiz says the video will be directed by Francis Lawrence (Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Destiny's Child) and 200 African dancers and eight choreographers were reportedly hired for the clip. Rumors on several fan sites say that it could be for a club track called "Girl." Rumors also say that the new effort may drop in June. Sony Music Australia boss Denis Handlin recently told The Telegraph that: "She came in and played us six tracks from the album. She wants to do a big tour off the back of this record, which will include Australia. These songs, the best description I can give is groundbreaking. She's gone to another level."

Nicki Minaj To Be Opening Act For Britney Spears On Femme fatale Tour

It's official: Nicki Minaj will open for Britney Spears on the Pop star's summer Femme Fatale tour. The all-female lineup includes Jessie and the Toy Boys and Nervo. "This is the Femme Fatale tour and I'm thrilled to have the hot Nicki Minaj join me and Jessie and the Toy Boys and Nervo will get everyone on the dance floor," said Spears.

"Can't wait to take the Femme Fatales on the road." The tour begins in Sacramento on June 16 and runs til August 13 in Toronto. Minaj replaces Enrique Iglasias, who was briefly announced as the tour opener before dropping out.

Ashley Judd Singles Out Snoop Dogg and P. Diddy For Hip Hop "Rape Culture"

Actress/abuse victim Ashley Judd had harsh words for Hip-Hop music and its “rape culture” that has been created by lyrics that demean and degrade women.

RadarOnline.com posted snippets of Ashley Judd’s upcoming memoir All That Is Bitter and Sweet.


Ashley Judd name checked Snoop Dogg and P. Diddy in the memoir for helping fuel the misogyny in Hip-Hop music, before the country singer trashed most of the entire genre of the music.

Why Do Pop Divas Rule The Music Industry??

I've preached this equation for the past 5 years to artists looking to either expand their brand, or get into the business. Most would call going pop, "selling out", but who are you selling out to? Your fans, self, or those folks around you that want you to play the "keep it real" game, and stay behind with them? Keep it real with self, and your fans will link into your authenticity!! Everyone else may just be playing the "crabs in a bucket game", and don't want you to expand!

Fans are getting tired of the same old songs, the same old artists, the same old vibe. Songs come out today, a producer capitalizes off a certain sound, and here comes the 40 other producers copying off their sound, tricks they use, etc., I.e. the "autotune" craze now prevalent in a lot of urban records. I give T-Pain his propers for reintroducing the Zapp ftg. Roger sound. But the 50 million other folks now using it in every single one of their songs, come on already!!

Numerous artists have made the jump and it's not only the divas, but look at Snoop Dogg, Diddy, The Neptunes, Cee-Lo Green, B.O.B., Bruno Mars, Theophilus London, Travie McCoy, etc. These artists remain relevant, and some after many years in the business, because they continue to expand their brand, sound and stay on top of what is current in the business, from music, fashion, to social media, etc..

Stepping out of your or in this case, someone else's comfort zone, is the key to bringing new fans to your brand. Being afraid to expand your musical catalog may equate to instant death these days. In the case of Jonell Monae however that hasn't caught on yet, because fickle urban fans still want all the negative overtones in their music. Her team needs to get her touring specifically overseas where her style of music is appreciated or change her sound. Which brings me to Beyonce, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and yes even Britney Spears now. They all have benefited from stepping out of their comfort zones and expanding their brand with a new sound, style of dress, etc. I can even throw Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj in as well, but the aforementioned I must talk about because they are the artists that are the epitome of this entire posting.

Why are these pop divas ruling the charts? One answer is social media. Social media now can make something viral in seconds on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace (are they still relevant?), YouTube, Reverbnation, SoundCloud, etc. Another answer is promotions, promotions, promotions! These divas have teams that know how to place them in the market, in front of fans, and lifestyle companies so that their brand is fully exploited. They also pay attention to what their teams have to say and the advice that they give them, and they are involved in every step of the process. Without calling names, but there were some alternate examples of this on some reality shows recently, and that is why those artists continue to struggle in the business.

Beastie Boys Jump The Leak And Showcase New Video With Top Comedians

After their new single was leaked by anxious fans on the internet, the Beastie Boys jumped the leak express train, and the Boys decided to share it with fans themselves. "Make Some Noise" is the first single from the Beastie Boys' long-awaited new album, Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2, and it will hit digital retailers on April 11.

The trio posted the new single on their blog with a message from Mike Ad that stated: "This wasn’t really part of the plan, but since this track is out there we wanted to let you hear it here first, or maybe second. Enjoy."

The song also will be available as a 7 inch single on April 16. The band also debuted the trailer today for the Fight For Your Right - Revisited short film. The 30 minute movie features an all-star collection of comedians and actors, including Will Ferrell, Jack Black, John C. Reilly, Seth Rogan and many more.

New Social Media Site "Life + Times" Launched By Jay-Z

Seems Jay-Z has jumped on the social media bandwagon of numerous other celebs that want to express their social media awareness by launching Life + Times , a new lifestyle website showcasing the rapper's taste in high-end cars, clothes and gadgets. This falls in line with so many others before him that have capitalized off of their "brand", and I think it is a very smart move by him. If Mark Zuckerberg and other non celebs can benefit financially off of the media mountain, and in particular the brands of celebs, why can't Jay-Z and other celebs that have been exploited and had revenue earned off of their hard work do the same?

Girls-Only DJ Compilation Contest Launched By EMI Australasia

EMI Australasia is launching a new competition for female DJs with a global recording contract and a host of other prizes up for grabs.

According to the label, home to dance acts like David Guetta, Deadmau5 and Empire of the Sun, the She Can DJ contest is a new A&R project which will form part of their new dance strategy.


It opens tomorrow (April 7) through SheCanDJ.com and runs until May 6. Ten finalists will be announced with the ultimate winner decided by a panel of ambassador judges and unveiled in September.

They’ll score an EMI recording contract, a networking trip to Ibiza’s closing parties, a mix compilation under the She Can DJ imprint, an artist album release, a “producer masterclass” with an international producer in 2012 and SAE course in Electronic music production.