L.A. REID TO BE REMOVED FROM UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP

HSK has received a handful of comments from people claiming hollywoodstreetking.com is a gossip site, but guess what? They are so fucking wrong.

I do not base HSK posts on gossip, they are based on facts, and information as we know it. For instance, it’s a fact that Doug Morris, CEO and Chairman of Universal Music Group, is reported to be retiring come June. It’s also a fact that Interscope Records is reported to be solely releasing singles, in the coming future — Ask Jimmy Iovine. My very credible inside sources also tell me that the only person to be guaranteed a job at Universal Music Group is Sylvia Rhone, because she made her start in the music business as Doug Morris’ assistant. I’m also told that Def Jam Records will no longer be a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, because it will folded under the umbrella of Universal Music Group. Plus, it’s reported that L.A. Reid is set to be removed from Universal Music Group — Ask Chris Lighty. (more…)

I demand to know why porn and music are available on the Internet…FOR FREE!?!?

Many small porn companies are quickly going out of business. Know why? Because their customers are no longer buying their DVD’s or paying to download their films — Why would they? They can get those same films for free on the net. (Please note: Vivid, Hustler and Playboy will stay strong, because these companies have the funds for celebrity involvement. So, be sure to keep a close eye out for numerous celebrities partaking in smut or posing nude, for the camera. They gotta get PAID too right?

This dilemma also applies to music — If today’s artist does not exhibit a theatrical show with a band, no one is going to pay good money to see them. That’s why Goth Metal bands are the ones who attract audiences who pay to see their concerts. It would take the collaboration of 3 or 4 top rap names, to have a successful tour. Alica Keys and Beyonce share their fan base of people who typically enjoy a Vegas show. So, you should expect to see the pair performing in Sin City soon. If black acts don’t start playing instruments again, they will starve. No one wants to pay to see a kid in a ball cap rapp’in a bunch of lies on a stage, when they can see that right in their own backyards. (more…)

It totally disgusts me to fall witness to what black music has become. In fact, it’s not really about music anymore. Now, it’s all about which ‘artist’ is cheating on their spouse, who has the latest beef, what he or she was wearing at some awards show, etc. — this leads me to ask: WHERE HAS ALL THE TALENT GONE???

Nowadays, production of what is called ‘music’ has taken a turn for the worst. Now, it’s some guy programming beats, another dude buying it from him…ultimately stamping producer on that track (Sean ‘Puffy’ Combs and Jermaine Dupri are notorious for this method).

The so-called ‘artist’ is some chic who can’t sing (but looks cute) — her vocals are pitched into the right note, because she cannot sing in key. This is the sad reality, and it’s exactly why all of today’s so-called ‘artists’ can’t give a solid live performance to save their lives.

After all is said and done, the consumer continues to purchase this rubbish. What’s worse is the consumer has caught on to the method of the illusion, so they too are now trying to become stars themselves — Can you blame them? (more…)

“TISHMAN & TISHMAN” – Here’s a company who’s ripping off wannabe stars. Here’s how – They’re promising to make people stars, and all the fame and fortune that follows. I for one can promise you that there are no guarantees of this possibly happening. I mean, the only real guarantee in life is death.

The “Tishman & Tishman” company is obviously pushing for their clients (and potential clients) to believe their bullshit, and that’s exactly who they are…fucking scam artists. The company charges their clients $5k to grant access to their connections (including record release parties (Interscope, Geffen and A&M Records), “Bossy Yacht Hopping Parties, and “Bossy Vacations,” just to name a few. According to “Tishman & Tishman”, the individuals on their staff include, “Top notch attorneys from NYC to LA (ATL and TX, and in between), our Legal Counsel makes sure that contracts are fair, and in the best interest of the client…And should things get a little rough, we have litigators too throughout the world.”

If you are one of the people who have fallen for this scam company, you deserve it! Know why? Because you didn’t do your research before forking out your $5,000. But, I wish the best for my readers. So, don’t be silly. Know why? (more…)

The former manager of Kid Cudi,  Sydney Macdonald claims to have been bumped by Kanye West’s management team. Cudi better thank whoever cuz dude got one hit on a record full of DUDS! Anyhow that’s the music industry for you. Lock you shit down on paper but to tell you the truth even that doesn’t  mean shit at the end of the day. Except for proof when you trying to claim CREDIT.

Ending a nine-month standoff, YouTube said Tuesday that it had reached a new agreement with Warner Music Group that would return the label’s music videos to the world’s largest video Web site.

Warner Music had demanded that its videos be removed last December after licensing talks stalled with YouTube, a unit of Google. The new deal means that YouTube has deals with the country’s four major record labels and four major publishers.

SOURCE

If you aren’t hip to the “Lefsetz Letter” you need to check it out. Bob tells it exactly how it is in this latest piece. End of discussion, HSK is way ahead of the curb!

Madonna was narcissistic, Kanye demonstrated he knows no limits, the Michael Jackson tribute was lacking oomph, a neutered Russell Brand was strangely unfunny, but none of that truly mattered. What we saw last night was a television network that was once different, playing to a disenfranchised younger generation, employing the same damn playbook as the networks. And have you caught the networks’ ratings recently?

In an era where the niche is king, where the mainstream is shrinking, MTV tried to be all things to all people. Like a cheerleader being nice to the nerds for a few hours. But didn’t MTV get the memo, THE NERDS RULE!

MTV established a monoculture. There was no longer an underground, there was no FM to compete with AM, it was what MTV played and everything else, winners and losers. And to think it was about music is to believe visual stimulation holds no weight, that seeing Britney Spears shake her hips titillates you not a whit. MTV was the paragon, driving hell-bent into the distance, defining youth culture, for those truly young and those who desired to be young. But, MTV never saw the cliff ahead, never saw the nascent Internet, a village off to the side. Hell, the whole entertainment industry didn’t see the Internet and still doesn’t. (more…)

Is BET really the Belly of the Beast?
An open letter from Andreas Hale

To friends, colleagues and those that should know,

As of today (September 8, 2009) I am no longer the Executive Editor of Music at BET.com.

Upon entering the position at BET I said that I needed one year to see what really went on inside the belly of the beast. I needed 365 days to sleep with the enemy and infiltrate the system. One year to see if they REALLY wanted change at BET.

As someone who has been critical of BET for many years, it surprised many that I would leave my post at HipHopDX last year to take a position at BET. But it was an opportunity I absolutely had to take. I could no longer be critical of this company without accepting the opportunity to change it when given. Although I was hired to bring about change, I was systematically shut down. I wasn’t hired to make noise, I was hired to be silenced. (more…)

Yet another missed opportunity by the labels. What better promotion of music to a demographic that would never search out said artists. Instead of dealing or innovating the major labels choose litigation. It’s a long lonely road to self destruction.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Some of the world’s largest recording companies are suing “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” claiming producers violated their copyrights by playing more than 1,000 songs without permission.

Many of the songs were played during the “dance over” segment of the show, when DeGeneres dances from the stage to the interview area, often through the audience. According to the suit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Nashville, when representatives of the recording companies asked defendants why they hadn’t obtained licenses to use the songs, defendants said they didn’t “roll that way.” “As sophisticated consumers of music, Defendants knew full well that, regardless of the way they rolled, under the Copyright Act, and under state law for the pre-1972 recordings, they needed a license to use the sound recordings lawfully,” the suit states. (more…)

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