Which is a bigger surprise? Guns N’Roses doing a Las Vegas residency or Axl Rose conducting interviews to promote it? Glass-half-full: the years have loosened up both Axl and his audience. Glass half empty: desperation.

Tonight was the opening evening of a 12-date residency for the reconstituted Gunners at the Hard Rock Hotel’s Joint, a venue of such financial pulling power that The Who will be there soon. In dubbing the show “Appetite For Democracy”, we were promised a “unique” setlist which brought together the best of the two disparate albums Appetite For Destruction and Chinese Democracy.

In honour of the two records, posters promoting the show around Vegas combined the cover art from each. And although the panties were airbrushed out of Appetite‘s famous ‘robot rapist’ painting, the picture caused controversy with the local council – right on cue for the first show.

Despite the promise of special cocktails and an unprecedented setlist, this three-hour marathon set is actually more like “Use Your Appetite For Democracy.” The highlights were, in my opinion, mostly from the 1991 simultaneous release of Use Your Illusion I and II.

Chinese Democracy, Welcome To The Jungle, It’s So Easy and Mr Brownstone shoot by, centrifugal force pulling fans who had chosen seats towards the GA floor area – where they are stopped smartly by security.

The highlight of the entire show is fifth, the lilting piano refrain of Estranged leaving fans staring into the distance and pondering some epic but doomed love affair Rose had two decades ago.

The best song on Democracy, Better, follows soon afterwards and is almost a tortured sequel, speaking as it does of a troubled heart and “the melody inside of me”. Later, You Could Be Mine is fearsome, while Rose isn’t giving up best live rendering of Civil War to the soaring Myles Kennedy without a fight.

This reviewer saw Guns on New Year’s at the same venue and there are precious few differences in either the set list or the staging – although the catwalks suspended from the ceiling are an eye-catching addition.

But here is where Rose can’t win. If he comes on late and plays a short show, punters feel gyped. If he comes on late and plays a long show, reviewers lampoon the flat spots. Tonight’s show goes for three hours. Guitarist Richard Fortus plays Blacklight Jesus Of Transylvania in the first solo spot of the night. Bassist Tommy Stinson later performs Motivation, guitarist Bumblefoot offers Glad To Be Here, keyboardist Dizzy Reed performs No Quarter and Rose warbles part of Another Brick In The Wall pt II.

Neil Young’s Don’t Bring Me Down is covered, with AC/DC’s Riff Raff an unfortunate omission before it’s restored for subsequent shows.

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Lady Gaga’s canceled Born This Way Ball – which was set to run 22 more nights at arenas through March 20th – will lead to nearly $30 million in refunds, according to estimates based on Pollstar data. And that’s not counting the huge potential income losses from merchandise, food, beer and parking sales. “It was definitely a blow,” says Bernie Punt, sales and marketing director for the Bryce Jordan Center at Pennsylvania State University, which had nearly sold out its 12,500 capacity for Gaga’s March 2nd gig. “Trust me, I’ve been hearing nothing for the past 48 hours of so many saddened fans that were looking forward to this. Everybody bought those tickets for Christmas or Hanukkah gifts.”

Gaga announced on Tuesday that she was forced to cancel all remaining dates on the tour due to a labral tear to her right hip, requiring surgery. Her world tour in 2012 had grossed $161.4 million, according to Pollstar, behind only Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Roger Waters and Coldplay; her early dates this year had consistently sold out between roughly 9,000 and 15,000 tickets at each U.S. arena. As pop-star injuries go, this wasn’t as devastating as Bono’s back surgery before a U2 tour in 2010 – but Gaga’s tour, at least so far, was completely canceled rather than postponed, so the revenue is gone.

“It’s such a huge disappointment,” says Alipa Patel, marketing and communications manager for Copps Coliseum, where Gaga canceled this weekend’s show in Hamilton, Ontario. “It’s pretty marquee for a city like Hamilton to get a Lady Gaga. We’ve had a lot of big names come through, like Bruce Springsteen and Elton John, but with Lady Gaga being so current, it was really something that was going to put us on the map.

Read More At http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/cost-of-lady-gagas-tour-cancellation-could-exceed-30-million-20130215

As every week, the new radio programme is available on the website of TalentCast. This time the Song of the Week winner is Julie Lamb, a rock-based singer-songwriter from New Zealand.
Before focusing on her own music, Julie Lamb played in various bands, from Channeling Janis - a tribute band, to 10dd - an acapella band of 14 singing 10cc numbers.
Now, Julie Lamb performs with her own 12-piece band (Julie Lamb Originals Band - the Lambinators). Their sound is a fusion of rock, blues and jazz with a touch of progressive metal.
In July 2012, Julie Lamb released her second album “Trippin’ the Light”, which, as she says, “wrote itself… it was only helped a little bit”. The album received great reviews and was soon picked up by UK radio stations and blogs. “Trippin’ the Light Fantastic”, has become one of 20 songs chosen for “1st Renaissance”, a UK compilation for Reddragon Ltd.. Another song from the album, “Time Flies”, is about to become part of the compilation “Jack and Jill” in Australia. The songs “Undone” and “Time Flies” are played on US radio. On Reverbnation, Julie Lamb is currently on No. 1 in Wellington Rock Charts and in New Zealand Rock Charts. The album can be purchased on Julie’s website, Bandcamp or iTunes.
Julie Lamb has recently signed up on SellaBand to raise funds for music videos for two songs from the album: “Waterproof” and “Trippin’ the Light Fantastic”, this week’s winning song.

https://www.sellaband.com/en/news/728-talentcast-song-of-the-week

These are the voices that seem to be getting drowned out. In a talk at SF MusicTech Summit this week, Cracker and Camper van Beethoven founder David Lowery argued that near-zero investment and greediness from companies like Apple are making artists worse off than ever before. The well-articulated argument, dubbed “Meet the New Boss, Worse Than the Old Boss,” was also outlined on Facebook ahead of the talk. Here it is, in Lowery’s words.

“We know this empirically. The facts and evidence are in. Let’s start with the best case scenario. Let’s just look at the division of gross revenues and expenses. The scenario where the artist puts out the record themselves on their own label. Okay, the vast majority of sales take place on iTunes and Amazon. How much does the artist get paid? Well if you are independent, you get 61% of gross, because you need either a distributor or an aggregator to get onto iTunes. iTunes itself keeps more than 30% for simply hosting the songs on their servers. They do absolutely nothing else.

“This is why Steve Jobs was a genius. He was not afraid to be greedy. So now an old-style record deal might have netted the artist 20-35% of gross (most reports of artists deals are wrong and low because they don’t include the mechanical royalties). “The old deals weren’t great at first glance, but then if you start digging into it they weren’t as bad as people think. And as I will show you were in most cases a better deal for the artists than the new model. 61% of gross is a lot better than 20-35% of gross until you consider the fact that under the new model the artist is responsible for all aspects of the record’s production, marketing and distribution.

“The artist pays for the recording, the artist pays for all publicity, promotion and advertising. And here is the key thing. The artist absorbs the costs of touring. You know only a handful of artists make a living touring right? Most artists need another job to go back to or they get tour support from the record label.

“In fact under the old model record labels used to pay artists to tour (actually they still do). Once you factor in the Tour Support labels once paid to artists the model is actually shittier to the artist. Unless of course you don’t tour.

“Plus the new model makes the artist absorb ALL THE RISK. The risk of making a recording that doesn’t recoup. The risk of going on tours that don’t increase sales enough and become a loss.

“Now consider iTunes and Amazon who are now the biggest music companies of all. They put up ZERO CAPITAL and ZERO RISK and they get 30% of the gross in return. At least the old record label system shared some of the risk! Wow the old labels were not so evil compared to the new labels.

“Now of course the independent artist can still sell so many albums that the higher percentage of gross 61% overwhelms the higher initial costs. But I bet this is not the case for most of your favorite artists. The increased costs and responsibilities make THE NEW MODEL a worse deal. The artists that do better under the new model are few and far between. That’s why so many artists that seemingly could go independent do not. They still use record labels. Look carefully at your favorite artists latest record. Is it still on a standard record label? A lot of smart well managed bands still on labels. Why? Because the NEW MODEL is actually worse. “But you didn’t even need this whole complex argument to see this right? You’ve already spotted the main problem right?

“In the new model you have these parasitic entities (iTunes, etc.) that take 30% of gross and provide no added value. As screwed up as the old business was there wasn’t this giant parasitic entity sucking out 30% of gross for nothing. This should suggest to any intelligent person that there is something seriously wrong with the NEW MODEL.

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Way back in May, we wrote about Paul McCartney’s plan to go back and record some standards for his next album, saying “It’s my dad’s style of music.
I’ve wanted to do that kind of thing forever, since the Beatle days.” Saturday, a few more details emerged including a name, My Valentine, and a release date of February 7.
Concord Music, which will release the album on their Hear Music label, has announced more information on the album, including a confirmation of the release date, but they don’t confirm the name.
Here’s the text of the release:
WHILE many a musician is often asked about the tunes that have influenced their songwriting, it is not a question Paul McCartney ordinarily gets to answer ’ until now. Paul is about to offer a glimpse into ‘the songs which inspired the songs’ with the upcoming release of a brand new album of those standards he grew up listening to in his childhood-plus two brand new McCartney compositions: the album, which is currently untitled, will be released on Hear Music/Concord Records on February 7th 2012.
With the help of Grammy Award-winning producer Tommy LiPuma and Diana Krall and her band-as well as guest appearances from Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder, McCartney’s new album is a deeply personal journey through classic American compositions that, in some cases, a young Paul first heard his father perform on piano at home. As authentic and daring a musical statement as he could make, this is the album Paul has been thinking about making for more than 20 years - and probably the last thing his fans are expecting. ‘In the end it was ‘Look, if I don’t do it now, I’ll never do it,’ he says.
In short, Paul believes it is about time ‘the songs me and John based quite a few of our things on’ received the recognition they deserve. Moreover, the record also features a couple of new original McCartney compositions in the spirit of those classics.
‘When I kind of got into songwriting, I realised how well structured these songs were and I think I took a lot of my lessons from them,’ Paul explains. ‘I always thought artists like Fred Astaire were very cool. Writers like Harold Arlen, Cole Porter, all of those guys - I just thought the songs were magical. And then, as I got to be a songwriter I thought it’s beautiful, the way they made those song’.’

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What it Is: The Alesis MultiMix 8 USB 2.0 is an 8 channel high-resolution mixer with multichannel usb 2.0 interface capabilities. You get four high-gain mic line XLR inputs with phantom power, 2 stereo ¼” inputs, 100 onboard 28-bit preset effects including reverbs, delays, chorus, flanging, pitch and multi–effects, and a very nice feature, a stereo digital out and 2 return inputs for monitoring via the USB 2.0 audio interface.

Why This Is A Great Opportunity: Not only is the Alesis MultiMix a great compact mixer with awesome digital effects, but it also is a USB 2.0 multitrack recording interface. The Multi-Mix 8 is perfect for duos and small combo groups who don’t need a lot of inputs. Run your instruments though the mixer for pa support at a live show, and record a live mix via the USB 2.0 to your computer at the same time. Back at the studio, use the MultiMix for your recording interface direct into the included Cubase recording software. The MultiMix is compatible with both Mac and PC operating systems, and offers great dual-purpose usefulness at a very fair price.

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Alesis SR-16 - 16 Bit Stereo Drum Machine Alesis S R16 16 Bit Stereo Drum Machine The SR-16, a stereo drum machine featuring stereo samples, is an easily programmable, portable and affordable instrument. The sounds are clean, well recorded, and useful; nothing esoteric here, but a drum sounds like a drum, and, with the Dynamic Articulation functionality embedded in the pads, responds like one as well. The SR-16 has a nice feel not always associated with a 96 PPQ resolution, and the pattern presets were composed and played in by actual DRUMMERS, who’ve imparted some genuine musicality and usefulness to what are often odiously lifeless little demos. Those who are novices will appreciate the instant grooves, those inclined to roll their own will appreciate the intuitive design and responsiveness of the machine as a musical instrument. A 7-position panner is available for a nice stereo spread, and the MIDI implementation is appropriate. The sounds are served seasoned and sampled with cushy reverbs, or dry, for console processing, and sent to a pair of assignable 1/4” stereo outputs. There’s no obsolescence built into well recorded musical sounds, which is one of the reasons why this machine has been around for. a while, so, anyone from a solo clubdate performer to a songwriter or programmer will probasbly be using the SR-16 for a while, too. Alesis SR-16 - 16 Bit Stereo Drum Machine Alesis SR16 Professional AudioMIDI InstrumentsDrum Machines & SequencersDrum Machines / …

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This year, we bid farewell to Amy Winehouse, Clarence Clemons and Heavy D and said hello to ‘Lulu.’ R.E.M. called it quits, while Creed began work on a new album. Axl Rose took Guns N’ Roses back on the road, but Izzy, Slash and Duff were still nowhere to be found. Clearly, 2011 has been less than perfect.

But the news hasn’t been all bad, and if New England’s 17th century pilgrims — a group of people even crankier and more self-righteous than today’s indie-rock fans — could find it in their hearts to co-invent Thanksgiving, we here at Spinner can show our gratitude for what blessings the year has brought.

So, in the spirit of the season, consider us thankful …

… R.E.M. split up before making their dubstep album. Why couldn’t Korn have done likewise?

… jurors in California and coroners in Britain have brought some closure to the deaths of Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse. We prefer to remember these tragic heroes for their music, not for who or what did them in.

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I’m a songwriter and guitarist from the south west of England. A bit of a musical nomad, I write acoustic based tunes with touches of electronica. Music that shifts from style to style with my many musical obsessions. From bossa nova, experimental electronica, alt country and folk to lounge music and feel good pop! A full set of tunes can be found at BANDCAMP.

To Hear Richard’s Music Click On MIXPOSURE WEBSITE

The term ‘rock star’ tends to evince a different image depending on who you ask. Me, I imagine a hard-drinking, guitar-shredding womaniser who can turn a subdued crowd of spectators into an exigent stampede. I picture Axl Rose, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain. I don’t think of The Beatles or The Who, though many will. Images of a tongue-wagging Gene Simmons or microphone-raising Freddie Mercury are what pop to mind. Yes, it’s fair to say rock star is a polarising term.

There is rock royalty of course, many of whose members huddle under the umbrella term ‘monsters’. So-called monsters of rock generally include Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, and Iron Maiden, their modus operandi comprising a blend of gigantic riffs, superabundant solos and memorable antics, both off stage and on. They are the big guns, the Hall of Famers. Kicking ass and taking no prisoners, the monsters have assured their place in history, and provide fertile ground for modern rock stars to thrive. But is the rock dinosaur extinct?

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Music thieves steal because it is fast, convenient and cheap. An album that can be listened to from beginning to end without skipping a song is a diamond in the rough.
Many music thieves use illegal download of music before deciding whether to buy an album or not. What initiated this movement of stealing intellectual property?
Our artists are not producing albums worth the cost. Most music thieves say, “Artists are already rich, I’m not hurting them by downloading a few songs,” but what people fail to realize is that several other million people are saying the same thing Music piracy not only affects the music artist, but hundreds of others jobs that make music distribution possible such as song-writers, back-up singers, arrangers, the sound mixers and engineers, the  musicians, the truck drivers who deliver the CDs, the plastic companies who produce the CD materials, the factory workers, the CD label designers, the printing companies who print the labels for the CDs, the people who install the sound-proofing for the studio, the advertising and public relations workers, and other administration even down to the cleaning crews at the studios. .

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Two cousins from salford manchester renya szuilmowski.age 14 and lauren pratt age 12 .both singers.. renya plays the guitar and lauren the drums both practice in laurens garden shed.hence the name ..out of the shed.. both have been on cbbc the big perfomance 2 and will be playing live on children in need this year..

To hear Music From OUT OF THE SHED Click On:MUSIC BY “OUT OF THE SHED”