Buzz Track: Neverland

Jessica Ashley is a twenty-year-old singer, songwriter and producer from New York City. As a high school student, she posted cover songs on YouTube, quickly becoming a fan favorite, garnering millions of hits. Ashley has also used her talents as a songwriter, penning the song “Limbo”, a featured single on multi-platinum recording artist, JoJo’s, upcoming Interscope Records release “Jumping Trains.”
Contact: jesse.beer@hitsmagazine.com

With Ke$ha’s “Die Young” pulled from a number of radio stations in the wake of the shooting tragedy in Newtown, Conn., the RCA Records the singer had her own criticism for the hit song on Tuesday.

“i understand. I had my very own issue with ‘die young’ for this reason,” she wrote on Twitter on Tuesday evening. “I did NOT want to sing those lyrics and I was FORCED TO.”

The tweet was deleted not long after. An RCA rep had not returned a request for comment at press time. It was unclear at press time who she might have been claiming to have “forced” her to sing the lyrics. Ke$ha has a writing credit on the song, alongside Fun.’s Nate Reuss and producers Dr. Luke, Cirkut and Benny Blanco. Luke is also the head of Kemosabe, the label that releases her albums through RCA. She is managed by Vector Management.

She addressed the Connecticut events more directly with her next tweet, which remains published.

“I’m so so so sorry for anyone who has been effected by this tragedy.and I understand why my song is now inappropriate. words cannot express,” she tweeted. (Billboard)

Buzz Track: Second To None

Formed in 2010, a new fresh four-piece indie/ alternative pop rock band from Stockholm, Sweden is creating a buzz. The music glimmers of melancholy but never looses faith. Thoughtful but catchy! The self released album was self produced and just released in November.
Contact: matz@prettysolitude.com

Total Gross: $228,406,085     Number of Shows: 72
Total Attendance: 1,635,176   Number of Sell-Outs: 72
Artists are ranked by gross, compiled from Billboard Boxscores reported from Nov. 9, 2011, to Nov. 13, 2012. Read more here

Buzz Track: Golden

Nashville pop-rock quartet Farewell Fighter topped the Alternative Press Magazine’s list of the top unsigned bands in North America. The band self-funded a tour across America, spending the next 12 months on the road playing 150+ shows in more than 40 states and selling more than 5,500 copies of their self-released EP entitled The Way We Learn. In 2012 they took time off from the road to enter the studio with Motion City Soundtrack guitarist Josh Cain who has worked with Metro Station, You Me & Everyone We Know. The New album is slated for release March, 2013.
Contact:  farewellfighter@gmail.com

Music Investment Tops $600 Million In 2012 according to Digital Music News.

“Anyone who thinks investment in music is ‘drying up’ clearly hasn’t looked at the numbers.  Because with less than two weeks left in 2012, investment in music-related startups and companies has reached $619.3 million, a near-34 percent gain over 2011.

Spotify wasn’t the biggest catch, either.  Deezer claimed a monstrous $130 million round, while Sonos received a handsome $135 million in financing.  Those rounds, coupled with Spotify’s $100 million, accounted for roughly half the total pot.

Here’s the rundown of every financing round that we reported in 2012, typically confirmed by the participants (company, investors, or both), or filed publicly.  Other times, figures were reaffirmed by publications like the Wall Street Journal.  If we couldn’t solidly confirm the round, it wasn’t included.” Check out the chart here

Buzz Track: You Feel Amazing

Radical Something is an L.A.-based trio that formed in the Summer of 2011. The band’s sound embodies a feel-good California attitude through elements of hip-hop, reggae, R&B, Rock and Pop. The group’s first paid project No Sweat reached #6 on the iTunes overall album charts and #33 on the Billboard Independent Album charts. Songs have been produced by DJ Big Red, Goodwill & MGI (Akon, Pitbull). They have performed with SOJA, Sammy Adams, and Asher Roth. The band is planning a 2013 release.
Contact: amh@radicalsomething.com

The life of a celebrity can be quite alarming. In fact, cops have closed in on a real life  ‘Justin Bieber’ kidnapping case.

“Investigators say two would-be hit men from Albuquerque may have had their sights set on the teen mega star; Justin Bieber. They had it planned down to the ties they were going to use to strangle to the pop star and three other people. A warning, the details are pretty graphic. Justin Bieber played for a sold out house just a few weeks at Madison Square Garden in New York City.That’s where investigators say Mark Staake and his nephew Tanner Ruane planned to take down the teen sensation.Turns out their Bieber fever started long ago, at the state prison near Las Cruces.” Read more here