MUSIC NEWS: THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017
CAMILA CABELLO SAYS SHE WAS UNCOMFORTABLE WITH FIFTH HARMONY'S SEXY IMAGE
Former Fifth Harmony singer Camila Cabello felt like she was pushed to portray herself in a more sexualized way than she felt comfortable. Cabello did an interview with Lena Dunham for Dunham's Lenny Letter prior to Cabello leaving the group. Cabello, who is 19, says a few things made her uncomfortable enough to take a stand. She says, ``Unfortunately, sex sells.'' Cabello says her advice to young women is, ``If you're not ready for it, put your foot down.''
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RICHARD CARPENTER SUES FOR ROYALTIES FROM DIGITAL SALES
Richard Carpenter of The Carpenters is going to court for unpaid royalties. Carpenter is suing Universal Music Group for money he and the estate of his sister, Karen Carpenter, are owed for online services like iTunes. He's seeking more than $2 million. Carpenter says he has been unable to resolve the dispute without suing. A representative for UMG did not return a request for comment.
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STREAMING OF MARIAH CAREY SONGS JUMPS AFTER NEW YEAR'S EVE PERFORMANCE
The upshot of Mariah Carey's botched New Year's Eve performance is that people are more interested than ever in her song ``We Belong Together.'' Billboard reports streams of that song have jumped 251 per cent, to 4.5 million streams in the U.S. in the week ending January 5. That was one of the songs she performed on ``Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve'' when she had technical difficulties that kept her from hearing herself. She also performed ``Emotions,'' which had a 111 per cent rise in streams that week, to 335,000 plays. Her version of ``Auld Lang Syne'' had a 927 per cent gain, to 1.2 million streams.
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BON JOVI HOLDS CONTEST FOR OPENING ACTS
Bon Jovi is hoping to give a hand up to budding musicians by letting them be the opening act. Bands or individual artists can enter a contest to be the opener on Bon Jovi's tour that begins next month by uploading videos of themselves performing original music. Concert promoter Live Nation will choose 10 finalists, and Bon Jovi's management will pick the winners.
Singer Jon Bon Jovi says every great band starts small and builds a reputation one show at a time. He says his band was given that opportunity, and now they want to pay it forward.
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PRINCE ESTATE DEAL MAY BRING HIS MUSIC TO BIGGER AUDIENCE
A deal signed by Prince's estate could make his music more widely available. The performing rights company Global Music Rights has agreed to represent Prince's music, including unreleased songs. GMR will take charge of royalties generated from plays on the radio, in restaurants and in other public places. GMR also will work to make Prince songs available on streaming sites.
Prince was famous for restricting his music online. Meanwhile, a court hearing will be held today outside Minneapolis to work out some of the details of Prince's estate.
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NOTHING BUT THIEVES REMEMBER THEIR EARLY FANS
Nothing But Thieves guitarist Dominic Craik figured the band was starting to make inroads when he saw someone wearing their T-shirt and he had no idea who she was. Craik says he initially thought his grandmother had given away the shirt to a thrift shop and someone else ended up with it. A bit later, he says he heard a car blasting one of their songs and he didn't know the driver. He says that's when he realized they were building a fan base.
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BLAKE SHELTON ADDS SUNDANCE HEAD TO TOUR
Blake Shelton will stay loyal to his team on ``The Voice'' by taking two members on tour with him. Shelton's opening act on his upcoming tour will bring the newest champion, Sundance Head. RaeLynn from Season 2 of ``The Voice'' also will be an opening act. Shelton's tour begins February 16 in Bakersfield, California. Shelton also will perform on the People's Choice Awards on January 18. He's nominated for three awards.
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LORETTA LYNN'S CAREER WILL BE ON DISPLAY AT COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME
Loretta Lynn says the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum better have a lot of space, because she has a lot of stuff. The museum will open an exhibit on Lynn on August 25. The museum will run separate exhibits this year on Shania Twain and Jason Aldean.
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SKY ARTS GIVES FIRST LOOK AT JOSEPH FIENNES AS MICHAEL JACKSON
The British TV network Sky Arts is giving a glimpse at actor Joseph Fiennes playing Michael Jackson. Sky Arts has released the trailer for its ``Urban Myths'' series that promotes an episode about a supposed road trip taken by Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando in 2001. Fiennes is white and Jackson was black, but Fiennes has said the project does not promote stereotyping. Another ``Urban Myths'' episode deals with a supposed incident in which Bob Dylan goes to Dave Stewart's house and has tea with Stewart's wife while he waits, except Dylan got the wrong house and the wrong Dave.
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BONNAROO ANNOUNCES LINEUP
Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Weeknd will join U2 as headliners for the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.
Other performers include Chance The Rapper, Major Lazer, Flume, The xx, Lorde, Cage The Elephant, The Strumbellas and Tegan and Sara. Bonnaroo will be held June 8-11 in Manchester, Tennessee.
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MIDDLELANDS FESTIVAL BLENDS EDM, HIP-HOP AND MIDDLE AGES
The Middlelands festival outside Houston is setting itself up as the perfect merger of the Renaissance and electronic dance and hip-hop music. The headliners for Middlelands are Major Lazer and Rae Srummurd. Other performers include Bassnectar, Crystal Castles, Kaskade, Marshmello, Phantogram and Jurassic 5. Kristian Nairn, who plays Hodor on ``Game of Thrones,'' is listed as a performer. The festival will have five stages with Middle Ages themes. Middlelands will be May 5-7.
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JUSTIN BIEBER IS SELLING FERRARI
Justin Bieber's customized Ferrari is for sale. Barrett-Jackson auctions has listed Bieber's blue 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia F1. The listing notes the interior was created to the Canadian pop star's specifications and includes a 2,000-watt 10-inch subwoofer. However, the listing also notes the car was involved in a rear-end collision in California in 2014. An estimated sale price was not given.
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BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN COLLECTION AT UNIVERSITY WILL EXPAND
Monmouth University in New Jersey will expand its collection of Bruce Springsteen memorabilia to include his personal archives. The school has housed the Bruce Springsteen Special Collection since 2011. The new archive will include Springsteen's personal collection, as well as memorabilia on Frank Sinatra, Woody Guthrie and other musicians.
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(The Associated Press)
