MySpace and Record Companies Create Music Site

According to the NY Times, In the latest effort by the ailing music industry to bolster its declining prospects, three of the four major music companies have struck a deal with MySpace to start an music Web site.As part of the deal, MySpace will spin out its popular MySpace Music service as an independent joint venture in partnership with Universal Music, Sony BMG and Warner Music Group. EMI, the fourth major label, is not a part of the deal at this time, but people involved in the negotiations said it would probably join soon. The music companies will own minority stakes in the venture and will make their entire music catalogs available.

Chris DeWolfe, chief executive of MySpace, a division of News Corporation, described the new service, which will be introduced later this year, as a one-stop source for all music, in all its various digital incarnations.

Visitors to the site will be able to listen to free streaming music, paid for with advertising, and share customized playlists with their friends. They will also be able to download tracks to play on their mobile devices, putting the new site in competition with similar services like Apple, Amazon and eMusic.

Jay – Z on Verge Of $150 Million Live Nation Deal

According to the NY Times, Jay-Z is on the verge of a deal with concert promoter Live Nation worth about $150 million that rivals the biggest music contracts ever, the New York Times reported on its Web site on Wednesday.Jay-Z was said to be planning to leave his longtime record label, Def Jam, for a package with Live Nation, which includes financing his own entertainment venture as well as recordings and tours over the next decade.

The deal, which sources told the newspaper should be finalized this week, comes after Live Nation earlier this week announced a 12-year agreement to handle the merchandising, digital and branding rights and touring of Irish group U2.

Live Nation, which unveiled a $120 million deal with Madonna five months ago, has been expanding its business model to develop more far-reaching and deeper relationships with artists beyond just handling their touring as CD sales plunge.

No one at Live Nation was immediately available to comment on the Jay-Z report.

Like many other performers, Jay-Z — whose real name is Shawn Carter — has seen his record sales fall but he has also pursued other business ventures such as a clothing line, Rocawear, which he sold last year for $204 million, and a chain of 40/40 nightclubs.

This has kept him at the top of Forbes magazine’s annual list of “Hip-Hop Cash Kings” with estimated earnings of $34 million in 2006.

The New York Times said the deal with Live Nation would involve the concert promoter funding a start-up of a venture called Roc Nation that would be an umbrella for the rapper’s outside projects which are expected to include his own label, music publishing, and talent consulting and managing.

The venture would split profits with Jay-Z.

Danity Kane tops the charts

It’s official, Bad Boy divas Danity Kane have outsold fellow label mates and “Making the Band” crew Day 26 in their first week sales figures.

DK opened with 236,000 sales at the No. 1 spot last week. While Day 26’s self-titled debut hit the charts at No. 1 too, bumping DK from the throne, the boy band only moved 190,000 copies, according to the Nielsen SoundScan, significantly less than DK’s Welcome to the Dollhouse debut.

Meanwhile, Dollhouse’s sales took a 62% hit this week as DK sold only 89,000 units this week and fell to No. 4.

Day 26 is the first new male group to open at No. 1 since 2001 when Eminem and D12’s Devil’s Night topped the charts.

Sean Levert’s body still unclaimed

The Cuyahoga County Coroner tells TMZ that no one has come to claim the body of Sean Levert.

According to the Coroner, the body remains a “guest” at the Coroner’s office while Levert’s wife tries to decide whether to hold a private or public service. The 39-year-old died late Sunday after being restrained in a Cleveland jail.

Since the death of his older brother Gerald — and fellow Levert singer — last year, Sean had been trying to get the band back together.

No Lawsuit for Brandy

Brandy has made amends in the lawsuit that has been weighing on her conscience for quite some time. No, not that one.

The Scientolosinger settled a lawsuit with a landscaper who claimed she never paid her $3,576 bill. It turns out Brandy never got the bill in the mail

Sean Levert Dies

Sean Levert, son of O’Jays singer Eddie Levert and brother of late R&B legend Gerald Levert, died over the weekend while in a Cleveland jail.

Levert had reportedly been in the Cuyahoga County Jail serving time for failing to pay roughly $80,000 in child support when he collapsed late last night. The warden of the jail tells TMZ that after Sean collapsed, he was immediately rushed to the hospital. He says Sean died at the hospital, not the jail as others have reported.
The warden says that they were unaware of any condition Sean may have been suffering from. The Coroner confirms they have received his body and are currently investigating the cause of death.

Sean, who as member of the 80s group Levert, hit it big with the song “Casanova.” He was also featured in a few movies, including “New Jack City.” His brother Gerald died in his sleep in November 2006.

Beanie Segal gets 3 months

Sigel was sentenced to three months in prison for giving his probation officers a fake a urine sample. Oh yeah, he had also tested positive five times this month for Xanax and Percocet.

Sigel, who, thank God, changed his name from Dwight Grant (that’s sooo white collar), was in the middle of serving a six-month term in a halfway house for violating a prior supervised release. Even if you aren’t following this precisely, you’re getting the point.

Oh yeah, in 2004, he was sentenced to a year in prison for weapons and drug charges. But Sigel had some good news, too — in 2005 he was acquitted of attempted murder charges.

Remy Ma’s Shooting Victim Drops Civil Suit

 

The woman who was allegedly shot by Remy Ma has dropped a $20 million civil lawsuit against the rapper, but meanwhile her criminal trial continues on.

Makeda Barnes-Joseph, a close friend of Remy Ma, was shot in Lower Manhattan outside of a nightclub in July 2007.

According to her testimony, the two friends were arguing over $2,000 which went missing from Remy Ma’s purse, when the Bronx rapper allegedly pulled out a gun and shot her twice in the stomach.

Barnes-Joseph was subsequently hospitalized for 16 days.

Ivan Fisher, Remy Ma’s defense attorney, maintains that the shooting was accidental.

Remy Ma, born Remy Smith, was arrested for attempted murder, first-degree assault, and weapons possession. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Yo! MTV Raps Turns 20, MTV Pays Tribute

In honor of its 20^th anniversary, MTV is set to kick off a month long tribute to the groundbreaking video show Yo! MTV Raps, beginning next month.

The tribute is scheduled to span the entire month of April, beginning April 1, and will be spread across various MTV networks and online properties, including MTV, MTV2, MTV Tr3s, MTV Jams, MTV Radio and MTV On Demand among others. The network will be launching several online initiatives via both their MTV.com and ThinkMTV.com sites showcasing the impact and influence of the show.

Special programming for the month will include “Yo! MTV Raps Top 10 Episodes”, “Yo MTV Raps Top 20 Videos Countdown” and “Yo! MTV Raps Top Artists Then And Now”, a show which will highlight artists in hip-hop with a considerable amount of longevity throughout their careers.

Beanie Sigel sent back to the slammer

According to the philadelphia daily news,Sigel, who spent a year in jail after being sentenced in 2004 for drug and weapons offenses, was back in federal court yesterday for violating terms of his supervised release for a third time. Authorities said Sigel, whose real name is Dwight Grant, gave a false urine sample to probation officials on Feb. 29 and also tested positive five times earlier this month for controlled substances, including Xanax and Percocet.

The former is used to treat anxiety and the latter is typically used to treat moderate to severe pain, but is considered very addictive.

U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick sentenced Sigel, 34, to three months in prison and one additional year of supervised release, which he is to continue in a drug-treatment program.

Surrick rejected a request by defense attorney Fortunato N. Perri Jr. to permit Sigel to “self-surrender,” meaning that he would surrender to authorities after getting his affairs in order.