We’d forgotten Puff Daddy even existed. Oh wait, he doesn’t. We’d forgotten P Diddy, umm, Diddy even existed until this latest bit of news came in. Apparently rap’s blandest performer is being sued to the sum of $19 million by a former associate for music recorded by the late Notorious B.I.G.
James Sabatino apparently flew Biggie to Miami in 1994 to record some material, which was then supposed to belong to Sabatino because he had paid for the flights and expenses.
Diddy bought the music and video footage after Biggie’s death in 1997 for $200,000, although he only paid $25,000 up front. Because Sabatino was initially linked to the death of Notorious B.I.G., Diddy was reluctant to give him money at such a sensitive time.
In another twist, Sabatino eventually ended up in jail on unrelated charges, and that’s where he remains today, still asking P Diddy Sean Combs for his money. Somehow, lawyers have assessed that all this adds up to $19 million.
This case makes so little sense on so many levels. For a start, it’s been 10 years since the material was first sold. Secondly, how does $200,000 turn into $19 million? While we aren’t big fans of Puff Daddy (yeah, let’s call him that), we think Sabatino must have a few wires crossed.
The case continues, and we still don’t know who killed Biggie either.
Another music reunion is on the cards. This time it’s Blur who might be hoping to rekindle some of that lost magic. Uber-geek and the coolest member of the band, Graham Coxon left Blur in 2002 and pursued a moderately successful solo career. Blur were never the same without their main guitarist, and Damon Albarn continued focusing on weird tribal music that nobody could really understand.
Well, Damon, Graham, and the other two blokes from Blur sat down for lunch October 1 for the first time in five years. The foursome met to discuss a possible reunion.
Don’t get your hopes up just yet though, because the band announced on their official website that the music won’t arrive for a long time yet. There aren’t actually any plans for Blur to record any new material or play live together again – yet.
Together since 1989, a Blur reunion would be kind of cool, but it’s certainly not the most exciting prospect to look forward to in the next few years. Does the world really need Blur to get back together?
Damon Albarn’s side projects have always been interesting, if a little strange. The only one we liked was his Gorillaz outfit, although the concept of that lost its shine some time ago. We’ll have to wait and see if the Blur guys can still make decent music.
Amid all the controversy, after that her disastrous performance at the MTV Awards, after getting charged for driving without a license – even after all of that, Britney Spears’ latest single “Gimme More” has reached number one in the Billboard Digital Song Chart with 179,000 downloads. The song also sits at number three in the Billboard Hot 100.
How does she do it? It seems that the negative publicity has actually benefited Britney Spears, because she really couldn’t have hoped for anything better than this for her comeback. Although her live performances are still looking shady, at least her single is doing well.
Now we can hope that Britney starts seeing sense and gets her ass in gear and back in shape to become the pop princess we once adored. The new album is slated for release November 13 and we’re really excited about the prospect of it.
Although she’s had a terrible week in which she had to give up custody of her children to rapping idiot Kevin Federline, this should give Britney some positive to build on so that she can avoid going completely insane.
While he’s got the kids, K-Fed must be a little jealous, because there’s sure no way he could ever notch up a top five single. Suck on that, Kevin.
Remember Jammie Thomas? Yeah, you know, the woman taken to court by six large record label for making music available for people to share on the Internet. Well, get this: she’s not only been found guilty, but she’s been ordered to pay $220,000 in compensation. $220,000!
Thomas was fined $9,250 for every song she illegally made available on her Kazzaa account, which she said she didn’t own in her defense. She was found guilty of sharing 24 songs, although what these songs are was undisclosed. Apparently she shared some 1,702 songs in all.
The lowest she could have been made to pay was $750 per song, so you can be sure that they are trying to make an example out this poor woman with the massive amount of money they’ve called her out for.
This is a landmark ruling, and it’s one that’s sure to send ripples through the music industry. Are we to all live in fear now that the record labels are starting to bite back? This is just the beginning, and you can be sure that more cases will follow.
What’s big news here is the excessive amount of money Jammie Thomas has to pay. The 24 songs are worth, what, $24? Thomas did the same as millions of people around the world do every day.
The world has gone mad.
Record companies plan to keep on suing people for downloading music illegally. Come on now! Although we don’t condone it, many, many people do it? Music downloading is easy and quick, and it’s half of the reason why some people own computers.
Six major record companies have taken Jammie Thomas from Minnesota to court for illegally downloading and sharing music online. This woman is a mother of two, not that that has anything to do with this.
This is the first time such a case has gone to court. They are making an example out of this woman. Thomas is apparently linked to a Kazzaa account, but the trial is only focused on 24 songs, rather than the 1,702 initially discussed.
Thomas could faces fines of up to $150,000… per song. It’s a good job they aren’t trying her for all of the songs. The record companies only have to prove that Thomas made the songs available, not that she transferred them to anybody.
The record companies involved are big players: Sony BMG, Arista Records LLC, Interscope Records, UMG Recordings Inc., Capitol Records Inc. and Warner Bros. Records Inc.
We’re going to be watching this one with interest. Whose side are you on?
Those boys from Radiohead are a clever bunch. After being left with the freedom of not having a record company to make music for, the band decided to release their latest album, In Rainbow, online. Not only that, but it has no fixed price, so whatever you want to pay for Radiohead’s latest LP, that’s the amount you will be charged. It sounds ridiculous, but it’s genius.
As each buy enters the amount they want to pay, they must question why they are choosing that amount, leading to a moral dilemma. You could get the new album for just a penny, or you could pay a fair price. Our guessing is that most people will do the latter.
The new Radiohead album will be available October 10 and you can bet that the number of downloads will be phenomenal. EMI Capitol Records no longer has the privilege of releasing Radiohead’s albums, so there are no executive costs to cover, and also no costs of CDs. Nobody has heard the new Radiohead album and no copies have been sent to press.
The hype building up to October 10 is unreal, and rightly so. Here is the biggest band on the planet doing something unheard of in the music industry. Only a band with the fanbase of Radiohead could do this.
For more information visit www.inrainbows.com