Universal Music Group news stories on Newser

Anonymous Deletes CBS Site

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:23:40 CST

Those pesky online pirates known as Anonymous struck again today, knocking CBS.com offline for "a good period of time" and deleting all of its files, Gizmodo reports. Unlike earlier strikes this week against the Justice Department and the Motion Picture Association of America, the hackers actually deleted everything, leaving...

Elvis Costello: Don't Buy My New Boxed Set

Rob Quinn — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 02:26:25 CST

Elvis Costello's new Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook boxed set is pretty good—but no way is it worth the current price Elvis Costello says. The special-edition set, which includes a CD and DVD of a concert from earlier this year, plus a coffee-table book, is selling for at...

New Jackson 5 Tracks Drop in Nov.

Harry Kimball — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:33:00 CDT

The Jackson 5 may well be back on the charts this November with the release of I Want You Back! Unreleased Masters , a collection of never-before-heard material and alternate versions of beloved tunes. One of the new songs, “That’s How Love Is,” can be heard on the group’s website, jackson5....

Apple Teams Up With Record Labels to Revive the Album

Rob Quinn — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:50:23 CDT

Apple has joined forces with four major record labels on a mission to get music buyers to start buying albums again instead of just single tracks, the Financial Times reports. The project—codenamed "Cocktail"—will bundle album downloads with lyrics sheets, sleeve notes, photos, and assorted interactive features in an...

Universal, YouTube Team Up for Music Video Site

John Johnson — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:31:32 CDT

At last, a little peace and harmony between the music industry and the tech world. YouTube and Universal Music announced a deal today to create a new website called Vevo.com to show music videos, CNET reports. It will launch later this year, with YouTube—and parent company Google—providing...

Warner Music Pulls Videos From YouTube

Wesley Oliver — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 16:40:00 CST

Warner Music ordered YouTube to remove all music videos by Warner artists today after talks to renew their licensing deal stalled, Reuters reports. The impasse could affect hundreds of thousands of video clips. The music group, home to artists such as Madonna and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, is demanding...

Stones Exit EMI, Jump to Universal

Jonas Oransky — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:00:31 CDT

After the latest skirmish between EMI’s new owner and the recording label’s bands, the Rolling Stones have fled for Universal—in a $15 million deal that includes rights to all Stones releases since 1971. Mick Jagger & Co. knocked EMI on the way out the door, the Times of London...

As Digital Gains, Album Sales Plunge 11%

Peter Fearon — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:35:12 CDT

CDs continue to go the way of the 8-track, losing further ground to digital music. Another big drop in CD sales is being driven by the closure of Virgin stores and reduced shelf space at outlets like Target. CD sales are off 16% over the last 12 months and total...

14-Year-Old Boy Sues 50 Cent

Jason Farago — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:00:00 CDT

50 Cent and Universal Music Group were sued yesterday for promoting a "gangsta lifestyle" that encourages violence. The plaintiff: 14-year-old James Rosemond, who was assaulted on a Manhattan sidewalk by 50's fellow G-Unit member Tony Yayo. Rosemond is the son of a record exec whose label represents The Game, a...