That’s just music

British band Coldplay is planning to organise the charity auction, which is aimed at selling it’s musical instruments, equipment and concert clothing that was used during their «Viva La Vida Tour». Practically, it seems that they’re about to put on sale everything what was used by the band during this decade. «During the last ten years we have gained numerous guitars, keyboards, amps, posters, platinum disks and other things that cause nostalgia», noted musicians. As their official website says, all the money that they will receive from these sales should be put into Kids Company organisation, which supports kids from problematic families. Such activities are quite popular among musicians nowadays; they keep on selling or actucally giving out their precious (maybe not, who knows) instruments and equipment in order to have a better image or just because they have too much of them in their stash. Surely they help people, particularly by showing good charity example. After all, why not putting on sale instruments that simply outnumber the space metres were they should be located. Auction starts on December 17 and will last until December 31. The whole list of lots, which is supposed to incorporate them is not known yet, but Coldplay told it’s fans that very soon their official website will include a catalogue (.pdf).

Guns N’Roses vocalist Axl Rose had appeared in another paparazzi related scandal at the Los Angeles airport, said Blabbermouth.net. This incident took place on December 9 right before Axl’s departure to Taiwan were he is planning to perform with a new program, particulary it’s going to be the band’s most recent album «Chinese Democracy». As one of the National Photo Group’s agents who was working at the airport has told TMZ.com that Rose was together with a woman, and surely got very interested in making some photos. Right after he and his colleagues began to do their job she became quite angry and asked them to stop; Axl followed her and started to fight paparazzi. Witnesses say that Rose hit his head and this fact was documented by the airport cameras. Levine Communications Office PR company, which is representing Axl’s interests had given it’s own version of what had actucally hapenned at LAX. According to them, Rose did not start anything, but was protecting himself, so it was just a self defence thing. Problems of this sort take place all the time with musicians, paparazzis are constantly following them, and create dangerous situations by provoking scandals. After all, most of the famous people absolutely hate it.

Rolling Stone magazine is really working on making various lists and catalogues by the end of the year that include not only 2009, but the whole decade. In the nomination «the best albums of this decade» the first place was conquered by Radiohead’s «Kid A», the second one by The Strokes and it’s «Is This It» and the ‘bronze’ went to Wilco’s «Yankee Hotel Foxtrot». Nevertheless, the first ten list looks like this:

1. “Kid A” - Radiohead (2000)
2. “Is This It” - The Strokes (2001)
3. “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” - Wilco (2002)
4. “The Blueprint” - Jay-Z (2001)
5. “Elephant” - The White Stripes (2003)
6. “Funeral” - Arcade Fire (2004)
7. “The Marshal Mathers LP” - Eminem (2000)
8. “Modern Times” – Bob Dylan (2006)
9. “KALA” - M.I.A. (2007)
10. “The College Dropout” – Kanye West (2004).

The best songs of the decade according to the magazine belong to Gnarls Barkley «Crazy, «99 Problems» by J-Z and Beyonce «Crazy in Love».

1. “Crazy” - Gnarls Barkley (2006)
2. “99 Problems” - Jay-Z (2004)
3. “Crazy in Love” - Beyonce (2003)
4. “Hey Ya!” -OutKast (2003)
5. “Paper Planes” - M.I.A. (2008)
6. “Seven Nation Army” - The White Stripes (2003)
7. “Maps” - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2003)
8. “Rehab” –Amy Winehouse (2006)
9. “Beautiful Day” - U2 (2000)
10. “Stan” - Eminem (2000).

iTunes online music store had recently published the list of the best selling artists according to it’s own sales in 2009. As the Rolling Stone magazine wrote, the most copies (files) were sold by the American band King of Leon, and particularly their album «Only By the Night». The second spot went to the «Twilight» soundtrack. Third place (as it was expected by many music experts) belongs to «The Fame» by LadyGaga; in any possible way she is really making something very big in the pop scene right now and 2009 was her year. Here is the whole list of the first ten artists that were the best according to iTunes:

1.  “Only By the Night” - Kings of Leon
2. “Twilight” OST -Compilation
3. “The Fame” - Lady Gaga
4. “Fearless” – Taylor Swift
5. “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King” - Dave Matthews Band
6. “The Essential Michael Jackson
7. “The Fray” - The Fray
8. “The Blueprint 3″ - Jay-Z
9. “Relapse” -Eminem
10. “The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies)” - Black Eyed Peas

If looking only into separate songs, iTunes Store had produced another list, which is not very interesting because practically every song was quite expected to be on it.

1. “Boom Boom Pow” - Black Eyed Peas
2. “Right Round” - Flo Rida
3. “Poker Face” - Lady GaGa
4. “I Gotta Feeling” - Black Eyed Peas
5. “Gives You Hell” - The All-American Rejects
6. “Just Dance” - Lady GaGa and Colby O’Donis
7. “Party in the U.S.A.” – Miley Cyrus
8. “The Climb” – Miley Cyrus
9. “Dead and Gone (feat. Justin Timberlake)” - T.I.
10. “Use Somebody” - Kings of Leon

Rolling Stone magazine is planning to establish the network of restaurants; the first one is going to be opened in Los Angeles the next year (approximately in May), said LA Times. It should be located in a two-story building. The first floor will incorporate VIP bar only, but the second floor may be more available for the general public with it’s restararant and another bar. If comparing this new thing to it’s major rival Hard Rock Cafe, Rolling Stone restaurants must provide better quality and more expensive food. At the same time Rolling Stone is not going to copy neither Hard Rock Cafe nor another rival Planet Hollywood. As one of the founders Niall Donnelly (Irish businessman) said, restaurant’s design will not include things that belong to famous people. Instead of that the interior will be shaped by dark looking bricks and skin (hopefully not too dark). So far this is the only information about Rolling Stone’s new idea; there is nothing on when and where they’re going to open other places of this kind. Anyway, this looks quite interesting and most likely this plan will be finished in the positive sense. Rolling Stone is obviously not giving empty promises, at least it looked like this until today.

The evening of December 6 in Washington was marked with a Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. This prize was established in 1978 in order to award artists who have done something very special for the development of the American culture. As Reuters said, those who were particularly honoured are Bruce Springsteen, jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck, opera singer Grace Bumbry, comedy director Mel Brooks and actor Robert De Niro. The ceremony was visited by Barack Obama with his wife and the vice president Joe Biden with a daughter. While opening the act Obama said, “These five remarkable performers have helped us sustain and strengthen our nation”. Right before getting the award Bruce Springsteen has heard some good jokes about himself from one of the show’s presenters, comedy actor Jon Stewart, “Bob Dylan and James Brown abandoned the child on the New Jersey Turnpike, and the child was raised by ‘a pack of feral vaudevillians. That child is Bruce Springsteen”, notes Associated Press. Springsteen had underlined that this award is particularly important to him. “We worked really hard for our music to be part of American life and our fans’ lives. So it’s an acknowledgment that you’ve kind of threaded your way into the culture in a certain way. It’s satisfying”.

American pop singers Beyonce and Lady GaGa were recently nominated in four Grammy categories said the Academy’s official website. In nomination “Record of the Year” - “Halo” (Beyonce) and “Poker Face” (Lady GaGa) are currently seen as the most possible candidates to get the prize. “Album of the Year” nomination also belongs to these singers (“I Am… Sasha Fierce”, Beyonce) and (“The Fame”, Lady GaGa); “Song of the Year” will be theirs too. It looks like nothing else, but pop music is standing out, and nothing else gets attention. However, that’s the reason why they call it – pop music. It would be very cool to see and hear some new rock bands or let’s say underground trance DJs getting ‘them’ first spots. Besides these two celebrities singers such as The Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feeling”, King Of Leon “Use Somebody” and Taylor Swift “You Belong With Me”, Dave Matthews Band “Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King”, Maxwell “Pretty Wings” were nominated for “Record of the Year” and “Album of the Year” as well. “Debut of the Year” nomination should go to Zac Brown Band, Keri Hilson, MGMT, Silversun Pickups and The Ting Tings. Heavy stuff or underground music world was traditionally not represented.

Virgin Records label had finally finished and regulated legal issues regarding former and current members of the American rock-band The Smashing Pumpkins, said Associated Press. In July 2008 James Iha and D’arcy Wretzky, guitarist and bassist out of the band’s ‘golden lineup’ have asked for the financial compensation for money they’ve not received from the online music sales. Their suit claimed that Virgin Records have signed a contract with Billy Corgan alone, without actually consulting with the rest of the group. The sum two musicians wanted to get did not go public. On November 30 their lawyer Josh Glotzer, Virgin Records and The Smashing Pumpkins ex-members came to a mutual agreement, so the problem should be ‘nailed down’ by now. Besides that, Glotzer says that Virgin Records was able to resolve another conflict with Billy Corgan. Vocalist, guitarist and the leader of The Smashing Pumpkins wanted to get another compensation from the label while accusing it in breaking the band’s reputation and illegal selling of his music in promo-actions. Other sides of the conflict did not comment this issue so far. Practically, it’s another normal situation, which reflects the ongoing war between record labels and musicians; online sales only make it worse for both sides.

Industrial legend Nine Inch Nails, which recently had declared it’s wish not to participate in any kind of touring activities is about to sell the band’s instruments on eBay. As their official website says, musicians will sell instruments that were particularly used during NIN’s recent tour because they simply don’t need them anymore. So far their stash consists of twenty instruments, primarily electro, bass and acoustic guitars. NIN members have noted that in the following few weeks they will expose other equipment such as drums, keyboards and even wires. During the summer of 2009 NIN’ leader Trent Reznor said that his group is not going to give any concerts in the future. The last performance in the US took place on June 13, 2009 at the Bonnaroo festival; European fans had more chances to see Nine Inch Nails later. Right after this decision the band had begun to concentrate it’s attention on the studio work, something what Trent Reznor actually likes to do. Trent is famous for his online-talking to fans, regular reports about all sorts of recent activities, free music and video uploading, so he just went back to what he does very good. At the same time nobody knows if Trent will eventually change his mind and return to the stage.