[billboardemail] Daily Music Update From Billboard.com
August 3, 2001
IN TODAY'S UPDATE: Whitney Houston, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, John
Prine, Nanci Griffith, Bruce Cockburn, Mike Watt, Ron Townson, MTV, Ben
Folds, Gov't Mule, the Roots, the String Cheese Incident, Burning Spear,
The Funky Meters, MC Hammer, Ice-T, Foo Fighters, Clint Black, Super
Furry Animals, Blink-182.
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BREAKING NEWS
Read these stories in Billboard's Daily News section:
http://www.billboard.com/billboard/daily/index.jsp
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Whitney Houston has signed a new, exclusive multi-album deal with
Arista, valued at more than $100 million. The deal, which the label
says is the biggest in its history, would appear to top Mariah Carey's
recent signing to Virgin Records, which was said to be worth about $20
million per album.
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Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, John Prine, Nanci Griffith, and Bruce
Cockburn will perform at a Sept. 20 acoustic concert at the Warner
Theatre in Washington, D.C., sponsored by Campaign for a Landmine Free
World. All of the artists performed at various North American shows in
support of the cause last December. Additional acts will be added to
the bill in the coming weeks.
.............
Punk icon and van-touring heavyweight Mike Watt is hitting the road
again this fall with a new three-piece band for a herculean 50 shows in
52 nights. Fresh off a globe-spanning tour with J. Mascis and the Fog,
Watt will jump in his Ford Econoline van with drummer Jerry Trebotic
and guitarist Tom Watson (collectively known as "The Jom and Terry
Show") for a U.S. headlining trek that begins Sept. 11 in San
Francisco.
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Ron Townson, centerpiece singer for the Grammy-winning pop group the
5th Dimension, died yesterday (Aug. 2) at his home in Las Vegas. He was
68. The singer suffered renal failure as a result of a four-year battle
with kidney disease, according to Bobette Townson, his wife of 44
years. "Ron always felt that he would get well enough that he would
perform again," his wife said. "He never lost his desire to do that."
.............
When it comes to throwing parties for itself, no TV network does it
quite like MTV. The network's 20th anniversary celebration -- which
took place Wednesday at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom -- was part
concert, part reunion, part pop-culture spectacle. MTV televised the
special live, and repeats of the program have been, and will continue
to air, through the week.
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Former Ben Folds Five frontman Ben Folds has announced details for his
maiden U.S. solo tour, set to kick off Sept. 7 in Carrboro, N.C., just
outside his hometown of Chapel Hill. The trek comes in support of
Folds' Epic solo debut, "Rockin' the Suburbs," due Sept. 11.
Beforehand, the artist will play a handful of international dates,
including the U.K.'s V2001 Festival on Aug. 18-19.
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Gov't Mule, the Roots, the String Cheese Incident, Burning Spear, and
the Funky Meters are among the acts set to play at the Summit, a
three-day music festival held the weekend of Aug. 17-19 at Mariaville,
N.Y.'s Indian Lookout Country Club. Patterned somewhat after the
Gathering of the Vibes festival, held earlier this summer in Red Hook,
N.Y., the Summit will also feature arts and crafts and on-site camping.
.............
Rapper/producer MC Hammer (real name: Stanley Burrell) is aiming to
make a comeback through the WorldHit Music Group. Launched Wednesday as
the entertainment arm of the entertainer's Hammertime Holdings Inc.,
WorldHit has plans to release four albums in the fourth quarter of this
year.
.............
Billboard Bits has news on Ice-T's life story, Foo Fighters' secret
show, and Clint Black's hosting gig.
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INSIDE THE INDUSTRY: Judge: Radio Stations Must Pay Royalties On
Simulcasts.
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ARTIST OF THE DAY: Super Furry Animals
Without a doubt, Super Furry Animals are one of the most imaginative
bands of our time. What other 7-year-old pop groups have released six
LPs in two different languages, toured the European festival circuit in
a techno-blaring tank, and released a complete "visual album" on DVD?
http://www.billboard.com/feature
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PLUS:
BILLBOARD RADIO : A new streaming radio show based on Billboard's
charts, posted each Tuesday.
http://www.billboardradio.com
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS: Check out new music from R.E.M., Syleena Johnson,
Melissa Etheridge, k.d. lang, The Black Crowes, Echo & The Bunnymen,
and more.
http://www.billboard.com/downloads/
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THIS DAY IN MUSIC:
1963 - Final Beatles' performance at Liverpool's Cavern Club.
For more of the day's events, visit This Day In Music on the Web at
http://www.billboard.com/billboard/thisday/thisday.jsp
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HITS OF THE WEB: A new feature that gathers rankings of music activity
at a variety of Internet music sites and audio services.
http://www.billboard.com/hotweb
LIVE REVIEWS: Eric Aiese basks in the youthful irreverence of a
Blink-182 set in Boston.
http://www.billboard.com/livereviews/
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For more charts, reviews, and news, visit Billboard.com
"We Give Music Fans The Business"
http://www.billboard.com
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