| |
 | Posted by unnep
| Mon, August 22, 2011 at 3:28 AM |
 BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is close to rolling out its own music streaming service that will work across its mobile devices, according to four people familiar with the plans.
The new service is likely part of an attempt by RIM to improve its BlackBerry Messenger service as it competes with the mobile media platform strengths of rival Apple Inc and Google Inc's Android.
RIM is in late-stage negotiations with major labels, including Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group, Sony Corp's Sony Music, Warner Music Group and EMI Group. The new service is expected to be announced by Labor Day in the United States, September 5.
RIM has been enhancing its BlackBerry Messenger offering, popularly known as BBM, since announcing its "social platform" at last September's DevCon event where it unveiled the PlayBook tablet computer.
A RIM spokeswoman declined comment on the report but said BBM is one of the largest mobile social networks in the world.
RIM's BlackBerry smartphones have been hit by a sharply declining market share in the United States, even as the company has expanded sales in other parts of the world, partly because of BBM's popularity.
Analyst Matthew Thornton at Avian Securities said he doubted the music service would attract new users but might help the company keep its existing BlackBerry customers interested.
"I just don't think trying to replicate Apple is really going to change their situation near term," he said.
"For RIM it's going to be the new OS 7 product first and foremost ... and then it's about QNX and making that transition."
RIM has just launched an updated operating system on three new touchscreen devices intended to catch up with the technical specifications of Android and other rivals. The company plans to launch the first BlackBerrys using the QNX software, used on its PlayBook tablet, early next year.
The PlayBook comes loaded with the music store of 7digital, half-owned by HMV. 7digital's store includes some 13 million tracks, and purchases made via a PlayBook can be moved to other devices.
BlackBerry smartphones do not offer a RIM-enabled way to buy music, although audio and other files can be loaded onto the devices from a computer.
BlackBerry users can also download music apps from RIM's store, including Slacker, Rhapsody and Pandora.
The Waterloo, Ontario-based company says some 45 million people use BBM, which allows BlackBerry users with data plans to pass text messages, pictures and other files to each other without incurring charges from their network carrier -- 70 percent of them use it daily.
Its latest version allows independent developers to incorporate BBM into their applications, meaning users can stay in a news, sports or games app while sharing it with their BBM contacts.
BBM is touted as a major attraction for younger BlackBerry users and customers in emerging markets because of its lower cost and immediacy. The service runs over RIM's proprietary network and tells a sender when a message has been received at the other end.
RIM's shares closed 3.8 percent lower on Thursday at $25.76 on Nasdaq and down 3 percent at C$25.49 in Toronto. The stock has lost more than half its value since the start of the year.
($1=$0.99 Canadian)
By Yinka Adegoke and Alastair Sharp | Reuters
(Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Robert MacMillan and Rob Wilson  Share on Facebook ·  Bookmark on Delicious Ja Rule could learn soon when he should expect to start his prison term in a New York gun case.
The platinum-selling rapper and actor is due in court Wednesday to get a sentencing date. He pleaded guilty in December to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. His plea deal calls for a two-year prison term.
Police said they found a loaded gun in a rear door of his luxury sportscar when it was stopped for speeding after a July 2007 concert.
Ja Rule was nominated for a 2002 best rap album Grammy Award for "Pain is Love." His movie credits include the 2001 film "The Fast and the Furious" and 2003's "Scary Movie 3."
The 34-year-old was born Jeffrey Atkins New York, NY - Critically acclaimed artist Cee Lo Green has signed a management deal with New York City-based Family Tree / Primary Wave Talent Management, with veteran artist manager Michael “Blue” Williams at the helm. Primary Wave’s full-service marketing division will also play a key role in all future ventures involving Mr. Green, including the release of his upcoming album, The Lady Killer, due in stores on November 9 on Atlantic Records. The Lady Killer contains Cee Lo Green’s current hit single, “F*** You”, which is currently #1 on European music charts and quickly rising up the U.S. charts.
Cee Lo’s latest masterful concoction, The Lady Killer, will be released – several months earlier than scheduled, due to ravenous demands by his increasingly fervent fanbase. The Lady Killer features the current hit single “F*** You”, a song that set off a global viral sensation, garnering over 13 million plays on YouTube in less than two months and racking up #1 chart positions across Europe.
Cee Lo Green first came into the limelight with Southern-rap pioneers Goodie Mob, releasing their debut album Soul Food in 1995. After being signed as a solo artist to Arista Records, Cee Lo released a duo of brilliant Southern-tinged urban albums – Cee Lo Green and his Perfect Imperfections in 2002, and in 2004, Cee Lo Green ... is the Soul Machine. Green finally reached the lexicon of public attention befitting an artist of his caliber, teaming with hip-hop producer Dangermouse on Gnarls Barkley, procuring the first number 1 single strictly compiled of digital sales with the monster song “Crazy”.
“Cee Lo Green is an incredibly talented artist, and I couldn’t be more proud to represent him,” says Williams. “Cee Lo and I have known each other for over 15 years and over that time I’ve seen him grow monumentally as a performer. From the first time I saw him perform through today, I’m still utterly amazed each and every time I see him or listen to his music, and I’m so ecstatic to help bring his talent to the world.”
Family Tree Entertainment recently joined forces with Primary Wave Music to become an artist management force to be reckoned with. Family Tree is led by visionary Michael “Blue” Williams, who is responsible for breaking artists such as Outkast, Macy Gray, Donnell Jones and Monica. Additionally, Williams has lent his talents to established acts like Nas, who clamored to bring his expertise on board. Family Tree/Primary Wave Talent Management is also currently managing teen phenom Cody Simpson, Big Sean, who is signed to Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music label, and the Trio Lords and Lady.
Cee Lo Green says, “Finally a firm with foresight! Fearless and focused, fighting on the front lines for the fundamentals of franchise. In short – I like these guys!”
About Primary Wave Talent Management Primary Wave Talent Management is part of one of the largest independent music publisher and music marketers in the United States, managing artists such as Cee Lo Green, Cody Simpson, Lords & Lady, Big Sean, Saving Abel, Taddy Porter, Volbeat, and 4 Troops . Primary Wave Music is a global music company that markets its unique publishing repertoire, which includes an interest in the Beatles songs written by John Lennon, the catalogs of Kurt Cobain/Nirvana, Steven Tyler/Aerosmith, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Robert Lamm, Jimmy Pankow, and Lee Loughnane of the band Chicago, Maurice White (Earth, Wind & Fire), Steve Earle, Daniel Johnston, Marvin Hamlisch, The Matrix , Lamont Dozier and Steven Curtis Chapman. And Developing Arti  | Posted by atlremix
| Fri, October 15, 2010 at 8:48 AM |
Gotta Be Karim talks about his background and the inspiration for his latest project Bullets and Books. Originally from University City, Missouri, he also talks about the music scene from the area and why he feels Nelly doesn't fully represent St Louis.
Follow Gotta Be Karim on Twitter at http://twitter.com/gottabekarim  Singer LeToya Luckett and friends support Big Tigger Celeb Weekend  Big Tigger and Street Corner Foundation Director Darlene Stukes are honored Big Tigger held his 9th annual Celebrity Classic in DC a couple of weeks ago to raise awareness for HIV prevention. There were several celebrities on hand to help celebrate the weekend, including Lyfe Jennings, Shawne Merriman, Tank, LeToya Luckett, Josh Howard, Wale, Kevin Durant, Denyce Lawton, and DJ Clue.
Check out some of the pictures from the event:
Click For MORE Pics From Big Tigger 9th Annual Celebrity Classic Weekend
 | Posted by djcisco
| Thurs, February 11, 2010 at 8:00 AM |
 A new VH1 documentary series titled Famous Crime Scenes, will look into the murders or deaths of a number of famed celebrities including the murders of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.
Shakur was gunned down on the Las Vegas strip in September of 1996 and died from his wounds on September 13 at University Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, was gunned down just six months later, in front of the Peterson Auto Museum in Los Angeles, California, on March 9, 1997.
Five other artists who died violently will also be featured in Famous Crime Scenes, which includes pieces on John Lennon, Anna Nicole Smith, Selena, Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson. The show is part of VH1's new programming lineup, which features the debut of nine new series, including Transform Me, a series about for trans gendered women who give fashion tips to one of their friends and Don't Forget the Lyrics, which is a game show that challenges contestants to remember the words to various songs.
Famous Crime Scenes will debut on VH1 February 12.  | Posted by news
| Mon, November 09, 2009 at 11:19 AM |
Copyright Criminals, a documentary produced by Benjamin Franzen and Kembrew McLeod, examines the creative and commercial value of musical sampling, including the ongoing debates about artistic expression, copyright law and (of course) money.
Copyright Criminals showcases many of hip-hop music's founding figures like Public Enemy, De La Soul, and Digital Underground along with emerging artists such as audiovisual remixers Eclectic Method. The film also provides an in-depth look at artists who have been sampled, such as renowned drummer Clyde Stubblefield, the world's most sampled musician, best known for his work with James Brown, as well as commentary by funk legend George Clinton, another highly sampled musician.
Copyright Criminals premieres January 19th on the PBS Documentary Series "Independent Lens."
| |
