Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week Pop Shots is hitting you with thoughts on everything from the pricey passes for Lollapalooza, to the sales dip the labels didn't see coming, to potentially costly legal troubles for Erykah Badu and Kanye West, and since it's Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude. Truly, it's a miracle, like f*ckin magnets.
* Lollapalooza has announced its headliners for this year and they're big, I mean REALLY big. Lady Gaga, Green Day and a reunited Soundgarden lead a lineup of more than 130 acts that are set to perform at the three day festival. Unfortunately, the price tag for the event is just as big, with three day passes going for $215 each. Admittedly, it's still less than Coachella's $269 three day pass, but both of them make you realize how great a deal the one day, 40+ band, Warped Tour is at under $30 a ticket.
* In news that the music industry didn't see coming, digital sales slipped during the first quarter of 2010 by nearly 1% when looking at a 13-week comparison. Apparently it has something to do with them jacking up the price of singles from 99 cents to $1.29. People are still willing to shell out the dough for the hits, but album tracks aren't selling quite as well. What's the over/under for how many more quarters of digital sales numbers slipping until the major labels realize the CD format was never the problem and that they really need to focus on putting out better music?
* Melissa Etheridge is attempting a bit of a comeback. Sure, she released an album in 2007, but it was, according to reviews, a "quieter effort." Fearless Love, on the other hand, is supposed to take people back to her rock roots. No word on whether or not David Crosby will have any "production" credits.
* Speaking of comebacks, Blur, the group that once bragged they got their head checked by a jumbo jet, will release their first single in seven years later this month. The two song, limited edition vinyl is part of an initiative to support Record Store Day, which falls on April 17th and is an annual event to raise awareness of our surviving indie record stores. There will only be 1,000 copies of the seven-inch single available. The band's label, EMI, will also be releasing special limited edition seven-inches of The Beatles and Lily Allen that day.
* Sometimes celebrities do really dumb things. Take, for instance, Erykah Badu's ill-advised foray into public nudity. The R&B singer stripped down in the middle of Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, faked being shot, and as she's lying on the sidewalk the word "Groupthink" was spelled out in blue blood. Filmed in one take, and without permission, the clip has resulted in some legal ramifications as Badu was charged with disorderly conduct and faces a $500 fine. The real icing on the stupidity cake, however, is that Groupthink, she explains, is something she's protesting. Had you ever heard of Groupthink before this? Me neither. So by protesting this organization, Badu gave them more free press than they could have ever hoped for. Great job.
* It's East Coast vs. West Coast all over again in the rap world, but this time the battle is happening in court as Suge Knight is suing Kanye West and Miami's Shore Club over an incident in 2005 where Knight was shot in the right leg and had a 15-carat diamond earring stolen from him. According to the AP, Knight is claiming that West and the club "failed to provide security necessary to keep out people with weapons." Uhh, you mean like ... you?
* Do you believe in miracles? Wait, better question; do you know what a miracle is? If you do you're one step ahead of Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J. The Insane Clown Posse duo just released their latest song, "Miracles," and it features no actual miracles in it, but plenty of things that can be explained by your average seventh grade science class, like "f*ckin magnets, how do they work?" And if ICP really thinks it's a miracle that their kids look like them perhaps there are some infidelity issues they need to address at home. Regardless, enjoy(?) the video.
And with that, my time is up for the week, but I'll be back next week with more shots on all things pop.
* Lollapalooza has announced its headliners for this year and they're big, I mean REALLY big. Lady Gaga, Green Day and a reunited Soundgarden lead a lineup of more than 130 acts that are set to perform at the three day festival. Unfortunately, the price tag for the event is just as big, with three day passes going for $215 each. Admittedly, it's still less than Coachella's $269 three day pass, but both of them make you realize how great a deal the one day, 40+ band, Warped Tour is at under $30 a ticket.* In news that the music industry didn't see coming, digital sales slipped during the first quarter of 2010 by nearly 1% when looking at a 13-week comparison. Apparently it has something to do with them jacking up the price of singles from 99 cents to $1.29. People are still willing to shell out the dough for the hits, but album tracks aren't selling quite as well. What's the over/under for how many more quarters of digital sales numbers slipping until the major labels realize the CD format was never the problem and that they really need to focus on putting out better music?
* Melissa Etheridge is attempting a bit of a comeback. Sure, she released an album in 2007, but it was, according to reviews, a "quieter effort." Fearless Love, on the other hand, is supposed to take people back to her rock roots. No word on whether or not David Crosby will have any "production" credits.
* Speaking of comebacks, Blur, the group that once bragged they got their head checked by a jumbo jet, will release their first single in seven years later this month. The two song, limited edition vinyl is part of an initiative to support Record Store Day, which falls on April 17th and is an annual event to raise awareness of our surviving indie record stores. There will only be 1,000 copies of the seven-inch single available. The band's label, EMI, will also be releasing special limited edition seven-inches of The Beatles and Lily Allen that day.
* Sometimes celebrities do really dumb things. Take, for instance, Erykah Badu's ill-advised foray into public nudity. The R&B singer stripped down in the middle of Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, faked being shot, and as she's lying on the sidewalk the word "Groupthink" was spelled out in blue blood. Filmed in one take, and without permission, the clip has resulted in some legal ramifications as Badu was charged with disorderly conduct and faces a $500 fine. The real icing on the stupidity cake, however, is that Groupthink, she explains, is something she's protesting. Had you ever heard of Groupthink before this? Me neither. So by protesting this organization, Badu gave them more free press than they could have ever hoped for. Great job.* It's East Coast vs. West Coast all over again in the rap world, but this time the battle is happening in court as Suge Knight is suing Kanye West and Miami's Shore Club over an incident in 2005 where Knight was shot in the right leg and had a 15-carat diamond earring stolen from him. According to the AP, Knight is claiming that West and the club "failed to provide security necessary to keep out people with weapons." Uhh, you mean like ... you?
* Do you believe in miracles? Wait, better question; do you know what a miracle is? If you do you're one step ahead of Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J. The Insane Clown Posse duo just released their latest song, "Miracles," and it features no actual miracles in it, but plenty of things that can be explained by your average seventh grade science class, like "f*ckin magnets, how do they work?" And if ICP really thinks it's a miracle that their kids look like them perhaps there are some infidelity issues they need to address at home. Regardless, enjoy(?) the video.
And with that, my time is up for the week, but I'll be back next week with more shots on all things pop.
[Tags] POP
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