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Lil Waynes The Only Rapper In Top 20 Money Makers For 2008

Posted: 16 Jan 2009 07:50 PM CST

Lil Wayne takes home the 17th spot on this years LA Times top-grossing pop acts list. The list combines sales of concert tickets, albums and digital downloads to measure which acts were most popular with the broadest swath of music lovers. Weezy not only took home the 17th slot, but was the only rapper in the top 20.

For the year, there's also a total split between Nielsen SoundScan's ranking of the 10 biggest-selling performers of 2008 and Pollstar's Top 10 highest-grossing North American concert tours. In recent years the Pollstar and SoundScan rosters have veered away from one another. Typically, classic-rock acts that appeal to well-heeled baby boomers rake in the most money at box offices, while hot but still developing pop, R&B and hip-hop artists sell more albums.

1. Madonna ($120.1 million). The Material Girl took in $105.3 million from touring, in addition to $14.8 million from music sales. It's hard to decide what's more impressive. The average gross at her shows, mostly in stadiums, was an eye-popping $5.5 million, and she drew about 36,000 people per show. Additionally, the average ticket price was $153.88, easily the highest among Pollstar's Top 50 grossing tours. Worldwide, according to Pollstar, she amassed $281.6 million.

2. Celine Dion ($106.8 million). Dion has been a regular in the Ultimate Top 10, and she posted her highest finish in a decade after ditching her residency at the Colosseum in Las Vegas for an old-fashioned, if high-tech, tour. She grossed $94 million, added $11.4 million in album sales and $1.3 million in digital tracks. Average ticket price: $119. Dion finished at No. 8 last year.

3. Kenny Chesney ($95.7 million). This favorite son of Luttrell, Tenn., again proved the most popular country music act on the road last year, pulling in $72.2 million, and was the only artist to sell more than 1 million tickets in North America. Chesney sold $20.8 million worth of albums and $2.7 million in digital tracks. Average ticket price: $71.24. He's up from No. 4 on last year's list.

4. Eagles ($90.7 million). The group might have taken the long road out of Eden, but it was pretty near paradise on the concert trail with the band's take of $73.4 million. CD sales added $15.6 million and the veteran act notched $1.7 million worth of downloads. Average ticket price: $128.82.

5. AC/DC ($82 million). The new "Black Ice" album took the veteran Australian hard rock band back to the top of the charts and also made its concert tour one of the year's hot tickets. The band's Ultimate Top 10 tally was almost evenly divided, with $37.5 million coming at the concert box office and $44.5 million from album sales. Like Kid Rock, AC/DC doesn't do digital tracks. Average ticket price: $99.73.

6. Coldplay ($81.6 million). Although finishing sixth, Coldplay is in the enviable position of balancing its power in concert and at retail. About $40.8 million worth of concert tickets were bolstered with $35 million in CD sales and a solid $5.8 million worth of 99-cent track downloads. Average ticket price: $79.87.

7. Bon Jovi ($81.4 million). The New Jersey band posted another good year, with $70.4 million from 45 shows in 31 cities, plus $8.6 million in CD sales and $2.4 million in digital tracks. Average ticket price: $95.39.

8. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band ($79 million). It's been five years since the Boss topped the Ultimate Top 10 with a take of $132.8 million. Last year, he and the E Streeters pulled in $69.3 million on the road and, without a new album, added $7.9 million in catalog sales and $1.8 million in digital tracks. Average ticket price: $94.17.

9. Jonas Brothers ($77.9 million). The newest act to join the Ultimate Top 10 did almost equally well at the box office as at retail: $41.5 million worth of tickets, $30.4 million in albums and $6 million digitally. An average ticket price of $43.69 made theirs the least expensive ticket among Top 10 finishers.

10. Rascal Flatts ($77.1 million). It might be down three slots from its No. 7 finish in 2007, but this good-time country trio is becoming a concert juggernaut. This is the group's third consecutive year in the Ultimate Top 10, thanks to $55.8 million on the road, $18.2 million in album sales and $3.1 million digitally in 2008. Average ticket price: $59.47.

11. Neil Diamond ($70.5 million)
12. Taylor Swift ($62.2 million)
13. Michael Bublé ($59.5 million)
14. Metallica ($56.4 million)
15. Carrie Underwood ($54.9 million)
16. Dave Matthews Band ($51.6 million)
17. The Police ($51 million)
18. Lil Wayne ($50.8 million)
19. Tom Petty ($50.5 million)
20. Kid Rock ($50. 2 million)

Sony Cuts Hip Hop

Posted: 16 Jan 2009 07:48 PM CST

Major labels continue to make staff cuts, the latest being at Sony Music Entertainment. Yesterday Sony cut their Urban Music President, Kyambo "Hip-Hop" Joshua. Hip-Hop used to be an A&R for Roc-A-Fella Records and is currently the head honcho at "Hip Hop Since 1978" the production and management company that handles Kanye West and Just Blaze among others. While at Columbia, Joshua signed acts like The Clipse and Jim Jones.

In related news, yesterday it was reported that Jermaine Dupri, who was recently let go from his spot at Island Records [more here], will be moving his So So Def label to Sony. Sony Music owns twenty popular record labels including Arista Records, J Records, Epic, Columbia, Jive, LaFace Records, RCA, Verity Records, Windham Hill and more.

Death Row Records Auctioned Of For $18 Million Dollars!

Posted: 16 Jan 2009 07:47 PM CST

LOS ANGELES—Death Row Records, the bankrupt label behind iconic gangster rap albums by Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, has been auctioned off again, this time for $18 million to Toronto-based WIDEawake Entertainment Group Inc.

WIDEawake, a 3-year-old entertainment firm boasting production and film divisions and offices in Toronto and Los Angeles, submitted the winning bid to a U.S. bankruptcy court judge in Los Angeles, the company's Chief Executive Lara Lavi said Friday.

"Death Row in many ways is the Motown Records of the hip-hop world. It's an iconic brand," Lavi told The Associated Press.

Bids for Death Row have come and gone since a judge in 2006 ordered a bankruptcy trustee to take over the debt-ridden label founded by embattled mogul Marion "Suge" Knight.

The record company was auctioned in June for $24 million to New York-based Global Music Group Inc., but that company has pulled out. WIDEawake on Thursday beat out bids by Warner Music Group Corp. and Conquest Media Group.

Artie Davis, Global Music Group's artists relations manager, said the company's decision to pull out of the Death Row deal "wasn't a monetary thing. It just wasn't worth all the legal headaches and drama, all the litigation."

Death Row's expansive catalog includes such seminal rap records as Shakur's "All Eyez on Me," Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" and Snoop Dogg's "Doggystyle."

The label sold tens of millions of albums in the 1990s, highlighting


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a bling-heavy lifestyle. When the label collapsed into mismanagement, Knight filed for bankruptcy and has faced troubles since. Last month, a Nevada judge dismissed drug and battery charges filed against him after he was accused of beating a woman in a parking lot.

Lavi said WIDEawake's purchase of Death Row will usher in a new age. She said she wanted to start a "cross communication" between current artists and those who started on the legendary hip-hop label.

"The days of Death Row being associated with artists being devalued was over yesterday," said Lavi, who is also a pianist and one-time member of the American Indian group Songcatchers on A&M Records. "We're going to do this right and we're going to do this honorably. We wish Suge Knight well in his life."

She said WIDEawake was taking offers for a distribution partner, and that Warner Bros. had expressed interest.

"Barack Obama's in office, and it's a new day for Death Row Records," Lavi said.

DC Preps For Inaugural Parties For Obama

Posted: 16 Jan 2009 07:41 PM CST

Inaugural Ballin' With Barack: DC Gets Ready To Party

Inaugural balls celebrating the inauguration of Barack Obama include a wide range of themes and purposes. Here are some ball announcements featuring hip hop, RnB and urban stars.

The biggest hip hop gathering appears to be the Hip-Hop Inaugural Ball, on January 19th, featuring co-hosts ranging from Russell Simmons, T.I., LL Cool J, and Young Jeezy to Bow Wow and MC Lyte.

The Green Inaugural Ball, taking place on the 17th, features not only Wyclef Jean but also will.i.am., John Legend, Michael Franti and Al Gore.

Rihanna is the big star at the Presidential Inauguration Charity Ball held by Feeding America and the Recording Industry Association of America on January 20th. Guess the RIAA needs some good will.

Rahsaan Patterson and Alyson William are set to perform at a ball organized by Historically Black College and University Alumni on the 19th.

The Lincoln 2.0 Inaugural Ball will feature Anita Baker, Keb' Mo' and John Cruz. This event currently leads ProHipHop's extremely unofficial "Coolest Name for an Inaugural Ball Contest" and takes place January 18th.

Dionne Warwick and Ludacris will host simultaneous events on the 20th as part of the American Music Inaugural Ball, the Legends Ball and the Urban Ball, which Jalen Rose will attend as well as hosting Rock The Ball for Barack featuring NBA stars. I hope I got that right, it's kind of complicated!

The Stylistics featuring Russell Thompkins, Jr. will perform on the 19th at a gala held at the French Embassy by the National Black Chamber of Commerce and the National Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation.

On a down note, Louis Gossett Jr. has withdrawn from the Inaugural Purple Ball, scheduled for January 20th, "citing a lack of diversity and inclusion on the host committee and with the entertainment". He has also withdrawn the involvement of his Eracism Foundation, an especially strong statement given that the Foundation was to be the beneficiary of the event.

Off The Subject (But Not Really) Circuit City Gooing Out Of Business!!!

Posted: 16 Jan 2009 07:36 PM CST

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:00:00

Mega retailer Cicuit City has requested court approval to shut down its remaining 567 stores in the United States.

The shocking announcement was made today (January 16).

After failing to secure financing from creditors and lenders, bankrupt electronics vendor Circuit City Stores Inc. said Friday it will liquidate due to the economic downturn. The liquidation will affect more than 30,000 employees, adding to the rising number of U.S. job losses, which last year hit their highest level since World War II. (Market Watch)

Circuit City executives have confirmed the mass store closings.

"We are extremely disappointed by this outcome," James Marcum, acting CEO for Circuit City, said in a statement. "We were unable to reach an agreement with our creditors and lenders to structure a going-concern transaction in the limited timeframe available, and so this is the only possible path for our company." (CNN)

The company was once known as the largest electronics retailer in the nation.

Based in Richmond, Virginia, Circuit City was the biggest electronics retailer in the U.S. until the mid-1990s. The company lost market share to Best Buy Co. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. while Amazon.com Inc. and other online retailers undercut it with lower prices. In November, the company filed for bankruptcy, saying it planned to reorganize and exit court protection as a going concern. (Bloomberg)

The news comes in the same week that New York City's Virgin Mega Store announced its closing.

The store is being closed because its current owners can lease the space more profitably to another tenant. Virgin paid just $54 per sq ft in rent for the location, whereas the market rent in the area was about $700. Virgin has been the only major music chain in New York since 2004, when Tower Records declared bankruptcy and HMV pulled out of the US market. (BBC)

Black Moon & Smif N Wessun "Tribute To The Classics" Trail

Posted: 16 Jan 2009 07:31 PM CST