Alicia
Key's 'Diary' due out in December
Alicia Keys sophomore set
The Diary of Alicia Keys,
will be out come December 2nd. The album was originally scheduled
for a November 18th release but was pushed back in order to accommodate
the multi-talented, classically trained singer/songwriter's yet-to-be
announced touring plans.
The singer explains in a statement. "It is very important
to me to spend more time on the road playing for my fans, in order
to make it to all the cities I wanted to play, we needed to extend
the schedule; therefore the release date has changed. I love my
album and can't wait to share my new music with the people that
have been so supportive from the beginning."The album features production
by Keys, as well as Kanye West
and Kerri Brothers of Krucial
Keys. Rappers Nas
and Rakim collaborated with
Keys on 'Streets of New York'
which samples the track of the same name from Nas' 1994 Columbia
debut, 'Illmatic'.
"Havin' Nas and Rakim
together with me on one record is crazy," Keys says. "It's
something so special and just truly unforgettable for me personally
and anybody who grew up livin' and lovin' hip-hop. We were all
born and raised in New York. This represents the real NYC! To
me this is a New York anthem!"
Other tracks that will appear
on the set include 'If I Ain't Got You',
'If I Was Your Woman'. 'You
Don't Know My Name' and 'Diary'.
Missy Elliott also appears
on a yet-to-be identified cut.
.
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Kazaa
files suit against the record labels
 'You
normally hear the record companies going after the file sharing
programs but last week the tables were turned on record labels
themselves when KaZaA, the
makers of the most popular file-sharing network at present countered
by suing the companies for copyright infringement.
Sharman Networks, the owners
of the KaZaA file-sharing software, filed a federal lawsuit last
Monday (Sept 22nd) accusing the labels of using unauthorized versions
of its software in their efforts to snoop out users.
Sharman said the companies
used KaZaA Lite, an ad-less replica of its software, to get onto
the network. The lawsuit also claims efforts to combat piracy
on KaZaA violated terms for using the network. Labels have allegedly
offered bogus versions of copyrighted works and sent online messages
to users. Sharman's lawsuit also revives
its previous allegation that the labels violated antitrust laws
by stopping Sharman and its partner from distributing authorized
copies of music and movies through KaZaA. U.S. District Judge
Stephen V. Wilson rejected
those claims in July but last week allowed Sharman to try again.
Last year, the labels filed suit against Sharman, accusing it
of providing free access to copyrighted music and films.
The RIAA (Recording Industry
Association of America) called their "newfound admiration
for the importance of copyright law" ironic and "self-serving."
Universal Music Group and
Warner Music Group declined
comment on the lawsuit.
- Source: billboard.com
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50
Cent take top honors at UK's MOBO Awards
-
 The
rapper won big last month at the MTV
VMA awards and last Thursday 50 Cent came out the
big dog at the Eighth Annual MOBO Awards
that took place at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The rapper
appeared in person to the awards for Best
Hip-Hop Artist, album (Get
Rich or Die Tryin') and Best
Hip-Hop Single - 'In Da
Club'
Other winners on the night include Big
Brovaz who won for Best
Newcomer and shared the honors for Best
U.K. Act of the Year with Punjabi
MC. Justin Timberlake
beat out Ashanti, Beyoncé,
Kelly Rowland and Terri
Walker to win Best R&B
Act.
George
Benson was honored with a Lifetime
Achievement Award and Kool
& the Gang was presented with an Outstanding
Achievement Award. Channel
4 in the UK aired the event yesterday (Sept 28th)
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UK's
Urban Music Seminar takes center stage
 The
UK's Urban Music Seminar
took center stage last week. In its sixth year, the event took
place at London's Royal Festival Hall on the 20th and 21st of
September and featured the likes of artists and DJs alike including
JD aka Dready,
Norman Jay,
Big Brovas, Lemar,
Jamelia, Jaimeson,
David Lynden Hall, Kele
Le Roc and Wayne Williams.
The Urban Music Seminar
was formed in 1998 as a non-profit making organisation with
a goal in mind to inform and educate young people with aspirations
of working in the music industry. Advice is given by celebrities
and top music industry executives, who appear at a series of
panels, master classes and talks over the course of the two
day event. It is the only free event of it's kind to date.
A new addition to the event this year was a new 60 page magazine
which was handed out to everyone who attended. The mag offers
informed writings from experienced music journalists and features
interviews with established stars as well as advice on how to
make your own way in the music industry. A handy directory of
services supplied by International Showcase - The Music Business
Guide will make the magazine a useful resource for attendees
both during and after the seminar
Founding Director Kwame
Kwaten (of D' Influence
fame) states 'It will be a hard task to surpass the success
of last year's event, but we have the team on board to do it"
. "We are lucky to have an amazing pool of supporters from
every area of the music industry who make the Urban Music Seminar
so inspirational for all those who attend."
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