iStandard event at The Highlands

We went out to The Highlands last night on Hollywood Blvd for day 1 of the iStandard Producers event where upcoming and aspiring producers showcase in front of label reps, etc. The venue was crazy! It was on the fifth floor overlooking the city. Going back tonight for day 2.

Copyright Criminals Trailer

Copyright Criminals examines the creative and commercial value of musical sampling, including the related debates over artistic expression, copyright law, and (of course) money.

Copyright Criminals from IndiePix on Vimeo.

Pots and Pans

Big Boi Signs New Deal With Def Jam

After over a year of wrangling over release dates with his label Jive Records, Antwan Patton has found a home with Def Jam and Island Def Jam Chairman/CEO L.A. Reid — the man who gave OutKast their first deal with now-defunct LaFace Records over 15 years ago. That means Big Boi’s long-awaited Sir Lucious Leftfoot: Son of Chico Dusty album — which seemed dangerously close to becoming another Detox — will finally see the light of day.

It’s scheduled for a May 2010 release.

Diddy In Talks To Purchase London Soccer Team

Sean “Diddy” Combs is aiming to branch out in the world of sports, with the purchase of The Crystal Palace soccer team.

According to U.K.’s Daily Mirror, Combs is planning to make a £360million bid for the South London Crystal Palace team, which went into bankruptcy January.

Representatives for Comb’s confirmed he has been looking into a number of teams to become involved with, but is interested in Crystal Palace, because of the name.

Combs joins fellow mogul in an attempt to gain a piece of the lucrative soccer market in Europe.

In 2005, Jay-Z was looking to purchase a stake in London’s Arsenal Gunners as well as the Chelsea Football Club.

If the deal goes through, Combs will be the first U.S. Hip-Hop mogul to own a stake in a European soccer team.

Lifestyle / Fashion : Zoo York: The East Coast's Pioneer Skate Brand

This is an interesting article about the start of the ZOO YORK brand. Launched by a small band of NYC skaters, ZOO made its mark in 1993 as the "East Coast's first true skateboard-inspired lifestyle brand" with its blend of graffiti, hip hop, punk and military style. With an abundance of pro skaters, designers, musicians and more backing the brand, ZOO continues to expand and adapt to the times, introducing new cut-and-sew pieces, clean denim and more. Read on...

Lifestyle / Fashion : Zoo York: The East Coast's Pioneer Skate Brand

Posted using ShareThis

This weeks album sales

Grammy-winning rapper Ludacris' Battle of the Sexes made its way onto the charts this week opening at No. 1. According toNielsen Soundscan, the Southern emcee's compilation disc has sold 137,300 records after seven days in stores.

Animated rap group Gorillaz's Plastic Beach also debuted on the charts this week landing at No. 2. With a week in the books, the group's new album has shelled out 112,300 copies.

Renowned singer Sade's Solider of Love fell out of the Top 5 this week moving down four slots to No. 6 with 52,000. Headed into her sixth week, the singer's comeback album rests at 951,400 sold records to date.

Incarcerated rapper Lil Wayne's Rebirth remained at No. 12 this week moving 27,200. With six weeks passed, the emcee's experimental rock album now stands at 420,400 sold copies.

Music newcomer Ke$ha's Animal slid down a notch to No. 14 with 26,600. After ten weeks in stores, the singer's new album has sold 463,600 records to date.

Grammy-winning singer Rihanna's Rated R remained at No. 22 with 21,700. Moving into her 17th week, the singer's new release has sold 731,900 albums.

Grammy-winning singer Alicia Keys' Element of Freedom dropped out of the Top 20 this week moving down four slots to No. 23 with 19,600. With 13 weeks under her belt, the singer's latest effort rests at 1,146,200 sold copies.

R&B singer Raheem DeVaughn's Love & War Masterpeace took a hard hit falling 15 slots to No. 24 with 19,300. After two weeks on the charts, the singer's new album has sold 64,500 records.

R&B singer Trey Songz's Ready remained at No. 25 this week with 19,000. After 28 weeks of availability, the crooner's new album has sold 593,600 records.

Singer Jason Derulo's self-titled release fell hard moving 18 spots down to No. 29 with 16,800. After two weeks, the singer's debut rests at 59,100 sold copies.

The Queen of R&B Mary J. Blige's Strong fell one slot to No. 30 with 16,400. After three months in stores, the singer's latest effort rests at 689,200 scanned discs.

R&B singer Jaheim's Another Round dropped ten slots to No. 33 with 15,100. With five weeks under his belt, the singer's new album has sold 209,000 records.

The Young Money compilation, We Are Young Money, dribbled down three slots to No. 35 with 14,300. After three months of availability, the compilation project has moved 375,600 records.

Evening things out in Top 50 is Melanie Fiona's Bridge which dropped 13 slots to No. 50 with 11,000 copies. After 19 weeks on the charts, the Roc Nation singer's new album stands at 259,200 records.

Although Kidz in the Hall failed to chart on SoundScan's Top 200, the duo's new album Land of Make Believe reportedly sold 2,900 copies in its opening week.

EMI may soon be history

The “big four” record labels may soon become the “big three,” if a deal regarding a division of EMI comes to fruition. Times Online reports private equity firm KKR is working with Warner Music, another “big four” label, on making a bid to break up EMI, which is expected to be put on sale this summer.

In case you need clarification on how major this move could be, EMI’s library includes recordings by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Nat King Cole, Bobby Darin, Black Sabbath, and Queen. Current EMI artists include Coldplay, Katy Perry, Beastie Boys, Daft Punk, Gorillaz, and Robbie Williams. You get the idea.

KKR is eyeing EMI’s music publishing arm, while Warner wants the recorded music division. They will likely not get both, as The Wall Street Journal notes, due to antitrust concerns. In 2000, EMI and Warner had a merger set before European Union regulators stepped in.

KKR/Warner have made no actual contact with EMI yet; EMI is busy preventing the possibility of its lender, Citigroup, taking over the company in June. The label is currently in debt to Citigroup for billions and must come up with a rescue plan in the next three weeks.

To add insult to injury, Pink Floyd kind of owned EMI last week. In summary, EMI isn’t doing too well and it looks like Radiohead bailed just in time.

Papoose performs Law Library PT. 5 with live band?

Was going through some older footage and came across this video of Papoose performing Law Library PT. 5 with a live band in NYC.

A visit to Hollis Famous Burgers in Queens, Ny

We were out in NY for biz and were hanging out with Darryl (our friend and rep in NY). He took us around his way and so we paid a visit to Hollis Famous Burgers. Met Jam Master Jay's brother, Marvin, while we were there. Nice place to eat and check out the museum's collection of memorabilia from local Hip Hop legends from Queens.

Meth, Ghost, and Rae - Wu-Massacre (Artwork)

We are big fans of Art and we got to say this new Wu artwork is official! Check it out...

This is the artwork for Raekwon, Ghostface, and Method Man's upcoming album Wu-Massacre. They are releasing three different collector's edition covers. Raekwon's is the third and final variant. Illustration by Chris Bachalo. Art direction & Graphic design by Alex Haldi.

Lupe Fiasco - Steppin' Laser Tour Dates

Lupe released info for the first official round of dates for his Steppin’ Laser tour. Joined by B.o.B the U.S. leg kicks off in March!

Friday 3/5 - Bridges Auditorium - Claremont, CA - (w/B.o.B)

Saturday 3/20 - Bob Hope Theatre - Stockton, CA

Wednesday 4/07 - House of Blues - Boston, MA - (w/B.o.B)

Friday 4/09 - House of Blues (Atlantic City) - Atlantic City, NJ - (w/B.o.B)

Saturday 4/10 - The Fillmore NY at Irving Plaza - New York, NY - (w/B.o.B)

Tuesday 4/13 - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC - (w/B.o.B)

Wednesday 4/14 - Royal Oak Theatre - Detroit, MI - (w/B.o.B)

Friday 4/16 - Eagles Ballroom - Milwaukee, WI - (w/B.o.B)

Saturday 4/17 - Lund Arena (Gustavus Adolphus College) - St. Peter, MN

Sunday 4/18 - Midland Theatre - Kansas City, MO

Tuesday 4/20 - Peoria Civic Center Theatre - Peoria, IL - (w/B.o.B)

Friday 4/23 - UNC – Charlotte - Charlotte, NC - (w/B.o.B)

Saturday 4/24 - Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Worcester, MA

Monday 4/26 - House of Blues - Houston, TX - (w/B.o.B)

Tuesday 4/27 - House of Blues - Dallas, TX - (w/B.o.B)

Thursday 4/29 - Ogden Theatre - Denver, CO - (w/B.o.B)

Saturday 5/01 - House of Blues (Las Vegas) - Las Vegas, NV - (w/B.o.B)

Sunday 5/02 - House of Blues (Sunset) - Los Angeles, CA - (w/B.o.B)

Wednesday 5/05 - Regency Ballroom - San Francisco, CA - (w/B.o.B)

Friday 5/07 - Showbox SoDo - Seattle, WA - (w/B.o.B)

Record Labels: Change Or Die

Came across this article about Record Labels....Good read, check it out!

copy and paste link.

http://gizmodo.com/5481545/record-labels-change-or-die

NBA Jam! It's Back (Video Game Trailer)

Boxing: Pacquiao vs. Clottey Face-Off w/ Max Kellerman

Crowd of 40,000 Expected For Manny Pacquiao Vs Joshua Clottey Fight

Dr. Dre featured in HP's $40 Million Ad Campaign

Superstar Hip-Hop producer Dr. Dre will be part of a $40 million dollar advertising campaign being launched by Hewlett-Packard this weekend.

The eight-week campaign is titled “Let’s Be Amazing” and features Dr. Dre, comedian Rhys Darby, photographer Annie Leibovitz and others.

The spots are part of Hewlett-Packard’s attempt to redefine itself to their consumer base, in addition to giving the company some “personality and distinction.”

Dr. Dre’s commercial features the Aftermath Entertainment CEO in his recording studio expounding on the benefits of the HP Beats computing system.

The producer’s HP ENVY 15 Beats limited edition notebook PC is a collaboration between Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine of Interscope and HP’s engineers.

“The laptop is the new stereo for a lot of people and that’s why we’re putting out this computer with incredible sound,” Dr. Dre said of his new notebook PC.

The Fundamentals Of Mechanical Royalties

Here's a video of lawyer Chris Cabbot breaking down the fundamentals of mechanical royalties. It's very important to stay educated in this game and atleast understand the more important aspects such as copyrights, royalties, publishing, etc.

Nas & Damian Marley - Distant Relatives (Tracklist)

1. As We Enter

2. Tribal War (feat. K'NAAN)

3. Strong Will Continue

4. Leaders

5. Wisdom (Sabali)

6. Count Your Blessings

7. Disappear

8. The Promised Land (feat. Dennis Brown)

9. Nah Mean

10. Angola (Friends)

11. My Generation (feat. Lil Wayne and Joss Stone)

12. Africa Must Wake Up (feat. K'NAAN)

13. BONUS TRACK Ancient People (feat. Junior Reid)

All songs produced by Damian Marley.

IFPI: $1 Million To Break An Act

Check out this new article from Billboard.com outlining the record labels' investment in music talent.

IFPI: $1 Million To Break An Act

Album sales this week.

Music veteran Sade's Soldier of Love moved down a slot this week with 79,200 records. According to Nielsen Soundscan, Sade's comeback album has sold 899,400 copies after a month in stores.

Award-winning group Black Eyed Peas' E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) slid out of Top 5 moving four slots to No. 8 with 46,400. With 39 weeks in the books, the group's latest offering has moved 2,227,800 copies.

R&B singer Raheem DeVaughn's Love & War Masterpeace opened up on the charts this week landing a slot at No. 9. After seven days of availability, the singer's new album has pushed 45,200 records out of stores.

R&B singer Jason Derulo's self-titled release also found high placement on the charts this week landing at No. 11. With seven days in the books, the singer's debut album has shelled 42,300 copies.

Incarcerated rapper Lil Wayne's Rebirth moved out of the Top 10 by six slots landing at No. 12 with 31,900. Going into his sixth week, the rapper's experimental rock album stands at 393,300 scanned discs.

Music newcomer Ke$ha's Animal also fell from the Top 10 moving down six positions to No. 13 with 30,000. After nine weeks of availability, her new album rests at 437,100 copies.

Def Jam South president DJ Khaled's Victory debuted onto the charts this week earning a spot at No. 14. The popular deejay's latest release was able to move 28,000 records after a week in stores.

Grammy-winning singer Alicia Keys' Element of Freedom dropped six slots to No. 19 with 24,600. Headed into her 13th week, the singer's new solo project stands at 1,126,600 scanned discs.

Video vixen Rihanna's Rated R dropped out of the Top 20 moving down eight positions to No. 22. With 15 weeks in the books, the singer's new album stands at 710,200 sold records.

R&B singer Jaheim's Another Round also fell from Top 20 moving eight slots to No. 23 with 22,200. After a month in stores, the singer's latest effort has shelled out 193,800 copies.

Fellow R&B singer Trey Songz's Ready received a one-slot boost to No. 25 with 20,200. After 27 weeks, the crooner's new project rests at 574,500 scanned discs.

The Queen of R&B Mary J. Blige's Stronger fell from Top 20 moving eight slots to No. 29 with 18,200. Headed into her third month of release, the singer's new album has moved 672,800 records to date.

The Young Money compilation, We Are Young Money, slipped three slots landing at No. 32 with 15,500. Moving into its third month, the project has sold 361,300 albums to date.

Roc Nation singer Melanie Fiona's Bridge dropped ten spots to No. 37 with 13,500. With 18 weeks in the books, the singer's new solo project has sold 248,300 records to date.

Rap mogul Jay-Z's The Blueprint III also lost a bit of ground this week moving six positions to No. 43 with 12,400. Headed into his 27th week, the rapper's latest chart-topping release has moved 1,657,300 copies.

Evening things out in Top 50 is R&B singer Robin Thicke's Sex Therapy which took a hard hit falling 19 slots to No. 50 with 11,100. After three months in stores, the singer's new album has sold 336,800 records to date.

New Lupe Fiasco & Kenna - Resurrection prod. by Mike Shinoda

Our people back home getting busy..

Crazy!

Welcome!

What up world!

Welcome to our new blog. We officially moved out to Los Angeles for the new year with plans to expand our brand as music producers/composers. We are loving it so far. Weather is great, landscapes are beautiful, and we are meeting some good people. We will be updating the blog daily with new projects we are working on, new music, videos, art, movie trailers, pictures, and anything we find interesting. Feel free to stop through anytime.

"Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon."- Johnny Nunez

Be easy,

The Psyclones
(Gian & Meak)