F.B.T. Productions, the publishing company that handles the rights to cranky MC Eminem’s back catalog, is going to court today, where it’ll take on Universal Music Group in a battle over digital royalties. The jury in the trial is being charged with figuring out whether a download deal is a licensing agreement or a distribution agreement—and, by extension, whether or not Universal has to fork over more money to Eminem, as well as other bars in its stable.
There was an incident at the Memphis airport yesterday wherein the owner of a bicycle displaying a sticker from Florida punks This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb was arrested, presumably on suspicion of having a bicycle that also doubled as a pipe bomb. A terminal had to be cleared, causing traffic problems and PO’ed travelers, though no flights were delayed and no formal charges have been filed. Dude wasn’t even there to fly—just to see somebody off. On a bike. At the airport?
Ron Strykert, one of the founding members of the saxtastic Australian band Men At Work, was arrested last Friday on a charge of making criminal threats… against Men At Work singer Colin Hay.
One week after being arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats during the course of an altercation with his girlfriend, Rihanna, pop singer Chris Brown released a mea culpa to the press: “Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired. I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God’s help, to emerging a better person.” It goes on to refute claims that Chris took to his Facebook page for the purpose of smack-talking Rihanna and making backchannel statements about the incident:
In 1969, seven people involved on the yippie side of the riots at the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago were put on trial on anti-riot charges slipped into the Civil Rights Act of 1968. The defendants decided to “put the system on trial,” as it were, and consistently disrupted courtroom proceedings, which many considered (perhaps rightly) to be a mockery. The net effect may not necessarily have been positive, as Rick Perlstein argues in Nixonland, but while the methods were questionable, the cause was undoubtedly sound. Some 40 years later, we have another trial, with the defendants employing the same sort of tactics, except the cause here is… music piracy. Welcome to your new millennium, everyone!
MTV News has a story on its Web site with the sensational headline “Chris Brown’s Songs, TV Appearances Yanked From Air.” In theory, this development makes some sense; when someone is facing felony charges for assault, the idea of hearing that person coming through your speakers singing a pop song might be somewhat unappealing. One station went so far as to issue a press release saying that it was removing Brown from its playlists immediately. But are others following suit?
The Wrigley company has announced that it’s… More »
