LimeWire to pay record labels $105 million

The operators of LimeWire agreed to pay record companies $105 million, ending a federal trial over copyright infringement damages owed by the once popular but now defunct file-sharing service.

The settlement with 13 record companies, including labels owned by Sony Corp, Vivendi SA, Warner Music Group Corp and Citigroup Inc’s EMI Group, followed mediation, and ends nearly five years of litigation.

US District Judge Kimba Wood in Manhattan had ruled last May that LimeWire’s parents, Lime Group and Lime Wire LLC, wrongfully assisted users in pirating digital recordings.

She shut down LimeWire in October, leaving open the question of damages that could have exceeded $1 billion on roughly 10,000 recordings released since 1972. A jury trial over that issue had begun last week.

“Lime Wire and its founder, Mark Gorton, are pleased that this case has concluded,” according to their law firm Willkie, Farr & Gallagher, which announced the settlement.

The record labels include Arista, Atlantic, BMG Music, Capitol, Elektra, Interscope, Laface, Motown, Priority, Sony BMG, UMG, Virgin and Warner Brothers.

“We are pleased to have reached a large monetary settlement,” RIAA Chief Executive Mitch Bainwol said in a statement. He called the accord a victory for music providers that “play by the rules.”

Founded in 2000, LimeWire has been a thorn for record companies because millions of fans used it as an easy means to find and download music for free. Its owners have said the service once had more than 50 million monthly users.

LimeWire shut down five years after the US Supreme Court, in a 2005 case involving file-sharing service Grokster Ltd, said companies could be sued for copyright infringement if they distributed services designed to be used for that purpose, even if the devices could also be used lawfully.

Warner Chief Executive Edgar Bronfman testified at the trial that he was frustrated that LimeWire did not shut down or convert to a “legal service” after the Grokster ruling. “It’s devastating, frankly.”

In March, Lime Group settled a separate copyright lawsuit by more than 30 music publishers. Terms were not disclosed. Record companies own copyrights to recordings while publishers can own copyrights to the songs themselves.

The songs that fueled the beef: B.o.B & OF Tyler the Creator

As promised the songs that fueled whatever it is between BoB and Tyler the Creator.

Tyler the Creator- Yonkers…

BoB – No Future

Who do you think would win the battle? Odd future/Tyler the Creator or B.o.B?

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Tyler the Creator beef with Bruno Mars AND BoB?

BoB and Bruno Mars united

Tyler the Creator disses them both on yonkers

Bruno Mars has responded to a diss track from Tyler, the Creator, saying the rapper should “wait in line”.

Those cynical about the potty-mouthed Odd Future leader might say he was picking on an easy target when he threatened to “stab Bruno Mars in his goddamn oesophagus” on breakthrough track Yonkers. But the Hawaiian crooner has responded in apparently good spirits.

Mars said: “(Tyler) has to wait in line if he wants to stab me. (Tyler’s) definitely not the first guy that’s said something like that to me and he’s not going to be the last.”

Speaking to Spin magazine backstage at a New York show, Mars continued: “Oh, man. How did I feel about it? That’s what coming up is. You pick up some fans and a handful of haters along the way.”

Mars’s response is certainly more measured than his collaborator BoB. Tyler picked a fight with the rapper, referencing his track Airplanes featuring Paramore’s Hayley Williams: “What you think of Hayley Williams?/ Fuck her/ I’ll crash that fucking airplane that the faggot nigga BoB is in.”

BoB, aka Bobby Ray Simmons Jr released a response track in March, punningly named No Future, warning: “I’m way too high for you to even look at/ The future ain’t looking promising for these rookies/ This is target practice but I don’t even pull the trigger any more, ’cause it’s just a waste of bullets.”

Tyler then used the weapon of sarcasm to respond via Twitter: “I’ve never heard him spit like that. Took me by surprise, cus it’s tight.” In a separate tweet, he offered an appraisal of BoB’s music: “Same chord progression as fucking Love the Way You Lie and that one song by Katy Perry.”

I’ll post  both songs in my next post, so you can judge the intensity of the “beef” for yourselves.

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MIA’s Ex-boyfriend Accuses Her of Glamorising Terrorism

Diplo criticises "she left herself open for attack"

Diplo has launched a scathing attack on MIA, accusing the singer and rapper of “glamorising terrorism”.

The star’s former producer, who is also her ex-boyfriend, blamed MIA’s political rhetoric for the failure of her last album, Maya.

 The pair found mainstream succcess with the track Paper Planes, which made an international star of MIA after featuring on soundtracks for Pineapple Express and Slumdog Millionaire, but broke up soon after.

 Diplo, aka Wesley Pentz, has explained what happened. He told WWD: “She got famous after Paper Planes. She had already thrown in the towel when that record came out. Before that she was like, ‘I’m retiring. I’m going to marry this guy, fuck it.’ Then Paper Planes blew up and she was like: ‘Oh shit, I gotta take advantage of this. I’m actually an artist now.'”

But 2010’s follow-up album Maya did not build on her success, and was overshadowed by an article by New York Times writer Lynn Hirschberg, which suggested the supposed radical was a truffle-fry eating fake.

Of the album, packed with references to Sri Lankan terrorists, Diplo said: “Maya left her open for attacks. She’s not an easy artist to criticise because she’s very left-leaning, she’s progressive, she’s a woman. But when it comes to die-hard, facts-on-the-ground politics, she’s at zero. She’s nothing. I told her at the beginning of the third record, do not bring politics into this … You just can’t glamorise terrorism, it’s not cool … you can’t hide behind that shit. But she totally did … And Lynn Hirschberg just ate it up. If she didn’t, the critics would have ate her up anyway because the record wasn’t good.”

Diplo recently assisted with the production on Beyoncé’s single Run the World (Girls).

Sorry Mirror Online, Ed Sheeran is NOT Lady Gaga Protege

It seems the Mirror online have developed that disease many of us call idiocy.

They’ve only gone and claimed that our favourite ginger, Ed Sheeran, is Lady Gaga’s protege!

Where they even found that correlation is beyond me. You’d think a national paper such as themselves would search facts and sources before publishing an online story such as that.

I report to tell you now Ed Sheeran is NOT a protege of Lady Gaga. I repeat NOT!

At least they were correct in mentioning that Ed is set for the top after his track ‘A Team’. O and he did in fact have a little boogie woogie with Princess Beatrice at a charity gig in Nobu, Park Lane.

I refuse to make an account just to correct The Mirror of their mistake. So long as I know the truth, you know the truth and of course he knows the truth, then its all roses here.

But just out of curiosity, does anyone happen to see the link between Lady Gaga and Ed Sheeran??

Ed Sheeran- The A Team

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What’s Love Got To Do With It?

Sweet whispered nothings you blew against my ear

and here I thought

you were sprinkling words of love

like fairydust into my life.

Showing me there was no wrong in your right.

On your knees, begging and pleading

to let you show me

how much love you had inside to give.

Telling me that my passion for you

should be the reason I’d want to receive it.

And all your “baby please?” pleads and “are you ready?” kisses

were good tricks, they never missed their target.

Like a corrupted cupid, all your aims remained heartless.

Regardless.

Your sugared words soon wore off when I realised my worth.

It was after I noticed that you wouldn’t walk

with the bare soles of your feet

to the ends of the earth for me.

And like your whispers,

your actions gave me nothing.

No Promise. No Love.

So I traded back your gold

for someone who could give me the world.

“Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up.” – James Arthur Baldwin

Facebook re-launch music offerings

Facebook one step closer to becoming the new Myspace

Well, well, well look what the cat coughed up. It seems Facebook have decided to re-launched its music offering.

 The social networking giant describes the new look as follows: “The Music on Facebook Page is for music fans of all kinds. Whether you’re a musician yourself, have a job in the music industry, or simply love good tunes, this is the page to stay up-to-date with what is happening in music on Facebook.”

The new Music On Facebook site offers dedicated free page builds for musicians, venues and fans.

Artists can send tour updates, upload music and photos and manage direct marketing and engagement with fans. The site also offers musicians advice on how best to use the platform to communicate with their existing fans and reach new ones.

While Myspace built its profile by courting musicians, Facebook consciously stayed out of music, allowing third-party companies such as RootMusic and damntheradio to offer social networking and music solutions to musicians.

The decline, however, of Myspace’s traffic and uncertainty about its future has created a new opportunity for Facebook to push music deeper into its user base of 600m people globally.

Apple attempted to move into the music-based social networking space in September lat year with the launch of Ping within iTunes, but uptake so far has been underwhelming. Ping was initially intended to integrate with Facebook but talks between the two companies collapsed and Facebook withdrew at the last minute.

Can you say “Takeover”?

I’m sure this will be pleasing to all those aspiring artists trying to make sure as many people as possible hear their music. Now you’ll have Twitter, YouTube, Myspace if you want AND Facebook #Winning

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Chris Brown New Music Video “She Ain’t You”

 

Chris Brown has come back in 2011 sexier than ever

Chris Brown has released his latest music video “She ain’t you”. If you haven’t seen it yet then I guess it’s lucky I’m around! Heads up it IS a tribute to Micheal Jackson (RIP), he wanted to dedicate the video to his biggest inspiration of all time. If you hadn’t noticed he samples MJ’s ‘Human Nature’ in the second verse, the first is SWV ‘Right Here’.

This is Breezy’s 4th music video release off his debut album F.A.M.E. First he told us to say “Yeah x3”,  boosted our confidence when he called us ‘ Beautiful people’, said  ‘Look at me now’  as he laughed at us ’cause we couldn’t get in the club.  Now I’m not sure if his plans were to butter us up and make us feel special, or simply remind us we are all not hot, famous celebrities… Like Hmmm

Chris Brown- She Aint You

Maybe it’s just me (I doubt it) but doesn’t it feel like every song Breezy has made since his break up with Rihanna two years ago, is about her?

I’m not the only one that sees this right?

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Lady Gaga Sparks Anger With New Music Video Judas

"Doesn't matter how much money you have in your pu**y" @ Mineapolis concert

Sooooooo according to The Mirror online Lady Gaga has brought out her new video, Judas.

Hmm interesting name for a song. Maybe it’s just coincidental that it happens to be released the same time as Easter.

The video features Gaga, 25, playing Mary Magdalene, no surprise to hear that its caused an outrage amongst religious groups then eh?!

Bill Donahue, president of The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, rants: “She is trying to rip off Christian idolatry to shore up her talentless, mundane and boring performances.

Another ex-Catholic whose head is turned around… Is this the only way to jet up her performance?”

Talentless, mundane and boring… I like this guys style, although I’m pretty sure mundane and boring are the same thing. Guess he ran out of words *shrugs*

This should be interesting. Look out for the video, or don’t. Personally I would go with don’t.

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Lupe Fiasco To Grace The Cover Of XXL Magazine

Lupe on the cover of XXL

I come baring good news, especially if you’re a Lupe Fiasco fan.

Chicago Native Lupe Fiasco has quietly moved more than 200,00 copies of his third studio album“LASERS” in his first week, as well as watched his first single “The Show Goes On” produced by Kane Beatz rise up and go Platinum! Something Lupe has somehow only done twice in his career, his only previous platinum record was “Superstar” from his second album.

Lupe also will be gracing the cover of XXL Magazine for the very first time and it’s only right with the numbers and obstacles Lupe has overcome in the past few years. (Damn Atlantic Records)

Lu admitted that he made a more poppy sounding album than he would have liked with Lasersand isn’t proud of the artistic compromises he had to make. While he might not feel comfortable making pop music, Lupe is confident with his skills on the mic; even going as far as calling himself one of the best lyrical MCs in the game at the moment. “I can actually make the argument, seriously, that, Yo, I’m better than all y’all,” he boasted. “You have people who can say that. Jay-Z can say that. Eminem can say that. Canibus can say that—if we are going line for line. If you want to relate me to the newer cats, let’s go. Let’s go line for line and bar for bar. If it’s all about spitting and metaphors and MCing and lyrics and entendres, I will eat 99 percent of you dudes up.”

Easy with the confidence though Lu, we know you’re dope, you know you’re dope but when you say it hmmm….

So I would like to take this time to congratulate Lupe, he should know that his devoted fan base will forever have his back.

And also good one to all the Lasers out there for not giving up on him!

WOOP WOOP!

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