Will.i.am to make more than music

Performer will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas is branching out from music into other endeavours. Picture: AP Source: AP

WILL.I.AM wants to be known as a maker - not just of music, but things, from cars to headphones.

The Black Eyed Peas frontman is computer chip-maker Intel's "director of creative innovation". He's also partnered with Coca-Cola to create a new brand of products from recycled bottles and cans, including headphones and clothes.

Not that the seven-time Grammy winner - who produces, writes, sings and raps - has lost his ear for hits. Three songs from his new album, "(hash)willpower" - featuring Justin Bieber, Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus - are now in the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.

It's his fourth solo album but the first in six years and the first since the Peas became global megastars with hits like Boom Boom Pow and I Gotta Feeling. As a solo artist, he has yet to match the Peas' success in album sales; his latest debuted at No.9 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart this week with 29,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

But will.i.am is looking well beyond pop charts to measure future success. The 38-year-old Los Angeles native sat down with The Associated Press in a recording studio for a conversation that touched on topics ranging from the Notorious B.I.G. to his late grandmother.

AP: In one song on the new album, you quote a Notorious B.I.G. line about being on the cover of Fortune magazine. But you actually did it recently. Does that make you reflect on how far hip-hop has come?

will.i.am: The line is, 'Willy be flossing/Geeking on the cover of Fortune/Five double-oh sending flows to Martians.' The fact that I sent a song to Mars is like 'Whoaaaa!' And then being on the cover of Fortune magazine and Biggie Smalls saying that in a rhyme never having been on the cover of Fortune was just like 'Whoa!' Just 'whoa' moments. ... My music career had nothing to do with that. The cover of Fortune came from recent disciplines and sacrifices and dreams I've been having in the other part of my career. That's philanthropy, being an entrepreneur and thinking outside the box.

AP: Can you envision yourself doing that and not making music anymore?

will.i.am: I'll still make music. You've still got to promote the (stuff) you make. So I'll use my music to bring awareness to the things I make. ... It's the original use of music. It's just that the people making music never participated in the things that were sold around it. For example, before there was a music industry, people played music in speakeasies and juke joints. ... Music still sells alcohol in bars. ... And music sold radios and turntables and CD players. But the musicians never participated in that business. And if they dared sell anything outside of that circle of products, they were sellouts. ... Now, Dr. Dre has Beats. And his music and everything it stood for sells other products: headphones. ... So hopefully musicians get hip to the fact that we should be selling the things that we want to make. Making us makers. And our music sells the stuff that we bring to market.

AP: The Black Eyed Peas announced their hiatus two years ago. When did you start working on the album?

will.i.am: I started working on '(hash)willpower' for about two, two-and-a-half years. And when you're in a group like The Black Eyed Peas and you're successful, a lot of times the company that you're with wants you to do just that. And they don't see that you can be successful outside of that. So I had to do '(hash)willpower' all by myself - fund it, pay for it. ... There's a lot at stake. You don't succeed, you mess up your group. ... Very few people succeed outside their group when their group is successful. So it's been a hurdle.

AP: You dedicated the album to your late grandmother Sarah Ann Cain (who died last Thanksgiving). How did she influence you?

will.i.am: We're from the projects - East L.A. On welfare the majority of our lives. A lot of my friends are dead and in prison. Just like any urban person that comes from areas like I'm from. But my grandma was supergrandma. Ain't nobody mess with our family in my neighbourhood because everybody loved my grandma. She was the one that prayed for everybody. ... We were one of the first families in the projects. And I moved them out. Music allowed me, helped me move my family out of the projects. ... If there was anybody who sculpted me, who moulded me - my mind, my perspective, my heart: my grandma. ... She's not here anymore. But she's still here.

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Twitter acquires music site

Twitter has acquired the emerging music software firm We Are Hunted, sparking rumours it could launch a music service.
Source: The Australian

TWITTER has acquired the emerging music software firm We Are Hunted, amid reports the popular messaging platform was readying its own music service.

"Welcome to Twitter! @wearehunted," a tweet from the company said late Thursday.

San Francisco-based We Are Hunted was launched in 2007 in Australia, and allows its users to follow emerging music trends and artists. Its software continuously updates lists of top music around the world.

Neither company indicated plans, but the We Are Hunted site strongly hinted the deal means Twitter will be launching a long-rumoured music application.

"There's no question that Twitter and music go well together," a statement posted on the wearehunted.com site said.

"Artists turn to Twitter first to connect with fans, and people share and discover new songs and albums every day. We can't wait to share what we've been working on at Twitter. We wish we could say but we're not yet ready to talk about it. You'll hear more from us when we are."

For now, the existing service will be shut, the statement said.

The Dow Jones-owned website AllThingsD said the music service could be launched as soon as this weekend at Coachella music festival in California.

The report said users will be able to listen to clips of music from inside the app, using third-party services and watch music videos from Vevo, which is operated by Universal Music and Sony.

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Justin Timberlake's music still loved

The latest celebrity and entertainment headlines including Lil Wayne leaves the hospital, Timberlake launches new album and Princess Diana gowns fetch 1.2 million dollars at auction. Lindsay Claiborn reports.

• Justin Timberlake debuts at number one with new album
• Macklemore & Ryan Lewis have third number one single
• Album of the week: Justim Timberlake 20/20 Experience

JUSTIN Timberlake's comeback has been given the fan seal of approval with new record The 20/20 Experience smashing straight into No.1 on the ARIA charts.

Already tracking to be one of the biggest selling albums in the world this year, Justin Timberlake also made big leaps on the singles charts with Mirrors jumping 14 spots to arrive at No.12 and the album's first taster Suit and Tie back up to No.30.

Justin Timberlake may be Jay-Z 'daddy'

The 20/20 Experience has achieved gold status after just one week, with more than 35,000 copies out in the market.

Musician and actor Justin Timberlake revealed on Twitter that he will be releasing new music.

The love for Macklemore & Ryan Lewis continues unabated in Australia with their third single Can't Hold Us claiming No.1 on the ARIA top 50.

Chart expert Gavin Ryan reports Kylie Minogue was the last artist to have all three first single go to No.1 - Locomotion, I Should Be So Lucky and Got to Be Certain, 25 years ago.

Boss fever generated by his current Australian tour has also spurred fans onto to acquire more Bruce Springsteen releases with his Collection: 1973 to 2012 jumping up to No.8, Wrecking Ball re-entering the top 50 at No.16, Born In The USA at No.41.

Justin Timberlake's album return goes straight to number one on ARIA charts.

Bruce Springsteen's Wrecking Ball tour hits Melbourne

Another tourist reaping rewards on the charts is the legendary folk artist Rodriguez, the subject of the cult documentary Searching For Sugar Man.

That soundtrack arrived at No.25 off the back of his shows last week, the Cold Fact album leapt to No.30 while another record Coming From Reality is rising through the top 100.

Justin Timberlake has issued an apology over a video shown at his wedding of homeless people sending their good wishes.

Ed Sheeran's triumphant Australian tour also pushed his debut record back up to No.3.

Justin Timberlake Video Playlist

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Museum cans 'exploding music' gig

The Victoria and Albert Museum has cancelled a gig by Napalm Death, pictured, amid fears the building might collapse from the noise. Source: Supplied

BRITAIN'S Victoria and Albert Museum has cancelled a concert by Napalm Death because of fears the music will quite literally bring the house down.

The British band had been scheduled to play a daring concert at the museum on Friday through a ceramic sculpture which - if all had gone to plan - would have exploded under the force of their music.

But the museum has now concluded that not only would the ceramic sculpture explode, but chunks of the rest of the 150-year-old building might come down with it.

"It is with regret that we have taken the decision to cancel the one-off Napalm Death performance in collaboration with our ceramic artist-in-residence Keith Harrison," it said in a statement.

"This was due to take place in the Europe Galleries which are currently being refurbished and a further safety inspection has revealed concerns that the high level of decibels generated by the concert would damage the historic fabric of the building."

The V&A said that while it wanted to stage "exciting" events, "the safety of our visitors and building remains our priority at all times".

The band, whose albums include titles such as From Enslavement to Obliteration, were not available for comment.

Vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway said before the cancellation that the band liked to explore the concept of "sound as a weapon".

"The noise element of music should never be understated and this exhibition at the V&A will hopefully demonstrate that music can do interesting things beyond the realms of clipped production techniques," he said.

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Textbook says rock music 'criminal'

Kosovo rock band Troja lead guitarist Florent Bajrami performs in Pristina. Source: AP

Textbook author Bajram Shatri holds a copy of the disputed book in Pristina. The disputed line should say rock music is 'commercial', not 'criminal', he said. Picture: AP Source: AP

KOSOVO teachers and students have been told to ignore a paragraph in a high school textbook that labels rock music as criminal.

The citizenship textbook states that "rock music, pornography, violence on television - all not good acts - have been proven to be totally criminal.''

The Ministry of Education ordered teachers to disregard that part and said the paragraph will be deleted in future editions.

The textbook has been in circulation for at least eight years, but sparked outrage when the news of the contentious paragraph emerged on Kosovo's public television last week.

"Rock and roll is not a crime'', said Bujar Berisha, the front man of leading Kosovo rock band Troja.

"It is rebellious but it is a positive rebellion. It has always been the voice of the people against injustice, from Vietnam to Kosovo.''

The author said the entire embarrassing episode is a technical mistake.

"It should say 'commercial,' not 'criminal,''' Bajram Shatri, who wrote the book alongside an author from Albania, told The Associated Press. Mr Shatri apologised to Kosovo rockers, but insisted not all music is good for body and soul.

"Some musical content can negatively affect the children,'' Mr Shatri said, acknowledging that his children listen to rock music.

Kosovo authorities say the paragraph must go although no one can put an estimate on how many generations of teenagers may have been turned away from electric guitars and long hair.

"The publishers are asked, when they republish the book, to immediately eliminate this shortcoming,'' said Ramush Lekaj, an official in Kosovo's Ministry of Education that oversees the content of textbooks.

Kosovo is a majority ethnic Albanian former province of Serbia that seceded in 2008.

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Music downloader 'can't pay' $222,000

The music industry filed thousands of lawsuits in the early to mid-2000s against people it accused of downloading music without permission and without paying for it. Source: AFP

A woman at the centre of a long-running court fight over the unauthorised downloading of copyrighted music said there's still no way she can pay record companies the judgment she owes.

The judgment against her is for US$222,000 ($214,000).

The US Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal Monday.

The justices did not comment on their decision. Attorneys for Jammie Thomas-Rasset, of Brainerd, Minnesota, argued the amount was excessive.

The music industry filed thousands of lawsuits in the early to mid-2000s against people it accused of downloading music without permission and without paying for it. Almost all the cases settled for about $3500 apiece.

Thomas-Rasset is one of only two defendants who refused to pay and went to trial. The other was former Boston University student Joel Tenenbaum, who also lost and was ordered to pay $675,000.

The industry initially sued Thomas-Rasset in 2006. Since then, her case has gone through three trials and several appeals. The industry presented evidence that Thomas-Rasset made available over 1700 songs to other computer uses via the file-sharing service Kazaa, though the lawsuit targeted only 24 songs.

"I'm assuming that since they declined to hear the case it's probably done at this point," she said. But she also said she needed to consult with her attorneys to determine what happens next.

Thomas-Rasset, 35, who works for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe tribal government, maintained - as she has all along - that she can't afford to pay.

"There's no way that they can collect," she said. "Right now, I get energy assistance because I have four kids. It's just the one income. My husband isn't working. It's not possible for them to collect even if they wanted to. I have no assets."

Thomas-Rasset added that she became a grandmother in June.

The Recording Industry Association of America offered to settle for $5000 when it first sued, and offered to settle for a $25,000 donation to a charity for music industry people in need after her second trial. She refused both times.

"We appreciate the Court's decision and are pleased that the legal case is finally over," the trade group said in a statement. "We've been willing to settle this case from day one and remain willing to do so."

Thomas-Rasset's attorney, Kiwi Camara, of Houston, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

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Music downloader 'can't pay' $222,000

The music industry filed thousands of lawsuits in the early to mid-2000s against people it accused of downloading music without permission and without paying for it. Source: AFP

A woman at the centre of a long-running court fight over the unauthorised downloading of copyrighted music said there's still no way she can pay record companies the judgment she owes.

The judgment against her is for US$222,000 ($214,000).

The US Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal Monday.

The justices did not comment on their decision. Attorneys for Jammie Thomas-Rasset, of Brainerd, Minnesota, argued the amount was excessive.

The music industry filed thousands of lawsuits in the early to mid-2000s against people it accused of downloading music without permission and without paying for it. Almost all the cases settled for about $3500 apiece.

Thomas-Rasset is one of only two defendants who refused to pay and went to trial. The other was former Boston University student Joel Tenenbaum, who also lost and was ordered to pay $675,000.

The industry initially sued Thomas-Rasset in 2006. Since then, her case has gone through three trials and several appeals. The industry presented evidence that Thomas-Rasset made available over 1700 songs to other computer uses via the file-sharing service Kazaa, though the lawsuit targeted only 24 songs.

"I'm assuming that since they declined to hear the case it's probably done at this point," she said. But she also said she needed to consult with her attorneys to determine what happens next.

Thomas-Rasset, 35, who works for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe tribal government, maintained - as she has all along - that she can't afford to pay.

"There's no way that they can collect," she said. "Right now, I get energy assistance because I have four kids. It's just the one income. My husband isn't working. It's not possible for them to collect even if they wanted to. I have no assets."

Thomas-Rasset added that she became a grandmother in June.

The Recording Industry Association of America offered to settle for $5000 when it first sued, and offered to settle for a $25,000 donation to a charity for music industry people in need after her second trial. She refused both times.

"We appreciate the Court's decision and are pleased that the legal case is finally over," the trade group said in a statement. "We've been willing to settle this case from day one and remain willing to do so."

Thomas-Rasset's attorney, Kiwi Camara, of Houston, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

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Aussie music producer jailed, banned from US

Nick Bertke, AKA 'Pogo', is a popular remix artist and musician from Perth. After many visits, he's been banned from visiting the USA. Credit: YouTube/fagottron

WEST Australian electronic music producer, Pogo, has posted a video online asking for assistance in overcoming a 10-year ban from entering the United States.

Pogo, the stage name of 24-year-old Nick Bertke, was incarcerated for three weeks in the US - two in a county jail and one in a federal detention centre – after being apprehended without a working visa while touring in America in September 2011. The ban took effect the following month but Bertke has just launched his online campaign this week.

"America is really the last place on earth I want to be banned from," he says.

According to Bertke, his promoters the Agency Group failed to advise him about appropriate documentation and subsequently removed him from their list.

"I have close friends in America, I have unique work opportunities there and I've been speaking with lawyers and consulates who are telling me the odds are very heavily against me," he says on the video.

Bertke says he was unaware he was unable to work in the United States as he had always previously travelled there on a visa waiver. "This was news to me because I have toured the States before," he says. "I've played shows in the States, I've given talks …. And I've done all of this on a visa waiver."

Bertke is best known for his mash-ups created from film fragments, such as Upular, which was entirely composed using chords, bass notes and vocal samples from the Disney Pixar film Up.

"It's been my passion since I was about 16 to take small bits of voice, chords, musical sequences, sound effects from my favourite films and piece these sounds together to create completely new music that hopefully captures the essence of that film," he says.

Electronic music producer Nick Bertke, 24, better known as Pogo, is facing a ten-year ban from entering the United States.Picture: www.youtube.com/user/Fagottron

He has more recently set out to create a "world remix", funded on Kickstarter.

"The goal of my project is to travel the world capturing sights, sounds, voices and chords, and use them to compose and shoot a track and video for each major culture of the world," he says. He has already created tracks for Bhutan, Johannesburg and New York City and next up is Tibet.

"I see the potential here to travel the world in search of sights and sounds of our cultures, religions, people and their passions, their lifestyles and piece those sounds together to create tracks and videos that capture the human spirit," says Bertke.

Bertke has over 22 million views on YouTube and more than 230,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel.
 

Nick Bertke received a ten-year Order of Removal issued in October 2011 after working in the US while on a visa waiver.

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50,000 punters pack Future Music festival

View over the main stage at Future Music festival from the First Class VIP area. Sydney. Picture: File Source: news.com.au

IT may be all about the Harlem Shake at the moment, but Gangnam Style had a return to form at Future Music festival in Sydney yesterday.

Tens of thousands of punters packed into Randwick Racecourse yesterday to see the Psy star perform the iconic dance in the flesh.

Despite the K-Pop star still only having one well-known song, his performance was dubbed the gig of the day by many.

Rita Ora, The Temper Trap, Stone Roses, The Prodigy, Dizzee Rascal, Bloc Party, Fun, Rudimental and Azealia Banks were also among the star-studded line-up who performed to over 50,000 fans.

Rhiannon Fish and Reece Mastin in the First Class lounge. Picture: File Source: news.com.au

Wedged in between the two main stages, the festival First Class played host to a slew of celebrities and music industry types.

It was the place to be seen, with uninterrupted views of all the big acts and offered the best spot of the festival for people-watching.

Lil Jon, Samara Weaving, Rhiannon Fish, Reece Mastin, Ryan "Fitzy" Fitzgerald, Tom Williams, Tyler Atkins, Nathan Jolliffe, Hugh Sheridan and Isabelle Cornish were among some of the big names to call the First Class lounge home for the day.

Punters revel in the foam at the Strongbow summer foam party. Picture: news.com.au Source: news.com.au

Elsewhere at the festival, side stages such as the Strongbow summer foam party offered festival-goers new and interesting places to mosh.

From early on in the day music-lovers were getting messy in a foam pit that ended up resembling a giant bubble bath by the end.

Kele of Block Party plays a packed barell house. Picture: Supplied Source: news.com.au

The Jack Daniels barrel house also played host to acts such as Rudimental, Van She and Bloc Party front-man Kele Okereke who took to the decks.

Punters who decided to forgo the main stages were delighted with an alternative, more intimate music experience.

The festival hits Melbourne today and Adelaide on Monday after touring Brisbane and Perth last weekend.

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Hillsong flying up the music charts

THE Hillsong Church is set to be Australia's next big musical export.

Hillsong United's latest album Zion is on track to debut in the Top 5 of the Billboard chart in America next week. Zion has sold more than 35,000 copies in the US since its release last Friday.

The Hillsongers will share the top end of next week's chart with Bruno Mars, Mumford & Sons and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

Zion entered the ARIA chart in Australia at No.1 this week, selling 6400 copies.

The church displaced Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at the top of the chart.

Zion has hit No.39 on the Dutch chart and No.10 on the UK alternative chart. The church's 2011 album Aftermath made No.1 on the Billboard Christian Albums chart, and made No.17 on the Billboard Top 100.

Zion will be their first time cracking the mainstream Top 10 in the US.

Meanwhile Guy Sebastian's Battle Scars is still climbing the US chart, sitting at No.77 this week after a rise in radio play.

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Big Ask with music idol Keith Urban

Catch Keith urban on American Idol. Thursday, 7.30pm, Channel 10. Source: Supplied

MANY of us knew him as the music star whose career took him from Tamworth to Tennesee, and for his marriage to Nicole Kidman.

After appearing as a judge on The Voice, however, Keith Urban's profile skyrocketed.

Urban was a standout "discovery" on the ratings hit, which showcased his charm and musical cool like never before. No wonder American Idol producers swooped on Urban and poached him for a reported $4 million.

 Q: When you think about how you find confidence as a singer, what's it like to watch the Idol singers find their confidence?

A: It's tremendous. I never forget the environment they're working in, too. You're young, 18 or whatever, and you're standing there in front of us and countless millions watching at home, but you've got limited time to do your thing. I have a tremendous amount of empathy for the environment that they're working in.

 Q: You and Nicki Minaj clearly admire each other.

A: When we got into shooting what I really liked about Nicki was her straight shooting. For me, growing up in Australia, I like being around people that are just absolutely raw and straight and tell it like it is.

 Q: You have been nice on the show. How do you approach being critical?

A: I feel like I've been able to do that when I need to. I'm just trying to think if it's something I can say that isn't something that's just straight soul crushing and not helpful for them. I don't see any worth in that. I'm trying to give specific direction. And it's just my opinion. It's not to say it's a fact.

Q: American Idol has millions of fans. Are your daughters two of them?

A: They actually came down (to the set) for a little while. Nic and I love them being around that kind of environment, watching people sing, perform and being around the music.

Q: Do they have musical promise?

A: I don't know. It certainly won't be through lack of access to it all. We have instruments around the house and I sit at the piano and play with both the girls. Just this morning, I had the music cranked up during breakfast and they would sort of eat a bit and then start dancing and then go back and eat a bit more. I just thought: 'What an awesome way to start the morning.'

Q: Your schedule is crazy with concerts, tours, appearances, Idol and being a husband and dad. Do you have plans to take it down a notch?

A: It's a huge honour that I get to do all of it. I have an extraordinary team around me because it really does take a village. And I have an extraordinary wife in Nic who's an amazing mother. She just does a beautiful job of helping keep it all in balance.

American Idol, Channel 10, Thursday 7.30pm

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Ray of hope for music industry

Hitmakers Bruno Mars and Rihanna perform with Ziggy Marley at the Grammys on Feb 10. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

MORE than a decade after online file swapping tipped the music industry into turmoil, record executives may finally be getting a sliver of good news.

Industry revenue is up. A measly 0.3 per cent, but it's still up.

"For the global music business, it is hard to remember a year that has begun with such a palpable buzz in the air," said Frances Moore, whose International Federation of the Phonographic Industry put together the figures released Tuesday.

"These are hard-won successes for an industry that has innovated, battled and transformed itself over a decade," she said in a statement.

"They show the music industry has adapted to the Internet world."

Justin Timberlake, left, and Jay-Z perform on stage at the Grammys earlier this month.

That adaptation has been a long time coming. Online song sharing popularised by services such as Napster at the turn of the millennium seriously destabilised the industry, which reacted with a barrage of lawsuits and lobbying.

But the war on piracy failed to stem the tide of free music, and by the time executives finally began making legal music available through download services such as Apple's iTunes, the industry was in a free fall.

Since its 1999 peak, the global music industry's revenues have crashed more than 40 per cent. Tuesday's figures, which show a rise in global revenue from $US16.4 billion ($15.9 billion) in 2011 to $US16.5 billion in 2012, are the first hint of growth in more than a decade.

Mark Mulligan, of U.K.-based MIDiA consulting, warned that Tuesday's figures did not mean the industry had put its misery years behind it.

Singer Adele performs her Oscar-winning Skyfall song during the Academy Awards on Feb 24. Picture: AP

"We're probably near the bottom," he said, "but it's so marginal we could easily have another year or two where it could get worse."

The physical music market continues to contract, losing another $US500 million in revenue between 2011 and 2012, according to Tuesday's IFPI figures. The industry group has placed its bets on downloads, streaming, and subscription services to make up for lost ground, but there's still a long way to go.

Downloads and streaming audio now account for most of the music sold in the US and Scandinavia, but physical music - everything from vinyl records to DVDs - still accounts for the majority of industry revenue worldwide.

Mr Mulligan said he believed some of the lost revenue may never be recovered, with many casual users who used to buy the odd CD turning to free services such as YouTube, television music channels, or Internet radio instead.

"This is a case of managed decline," he said, predicting "a sustainable but smaller market built around more engaged music fans."
 

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