Group items tagged

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2012/0928/1224324532192.html BUSINESS INTERVIEW: As executive vice president of digital media for MTV's music brands, Dubliner Dermot McCormack is confronting head-on the challenges all media companies face in an ever-changing digital landscape IT'S HARD TO know what to envy Dermot McCormack for most - his 17th-floor, corner office (the sign, in America, at least, that you have truly arrived) overlooking Times Square, or the fact that Bono has a nickname for him: Digital Dermot from Dublin. To be fair, he has earned it. McCormack is now executive vice president of digital media for MTV's music brands - including MTV itself, VH1, Country Music Television (CMT) and Logo TV. "My job is to move these cable TV brands into new platforms, expand the brands, expand the audience and make money while I'm doing it," says McCormack - who is originally from Ballyfermot - as though this were easy peasy. Few know quite as well as him, however, just how tricky the internet can be. An early pioneer of new media in the 1990s, McCormack was around for the dot com bubble (the first one, as some would argue). In fact, he was right at the heart of it. Having moved to New York in the early 1990s (the day after he graduated from DIT Kevin Street with a degree in electronic engineering - "My poor Mom," he says. "I never came back!"), McCormack was among those who built some of the earliest websites. Eventually, he went to work in advertising for the hottest new things around at the time - a website called iVillage.com. (So early on in the web age was this that McCormack talks about having approached Toyota about web advertising before the company had any sort of presence on the internet.) The iVillage group of websites still exists today, but you would be hard pushed to find any sign of the fact that, when the company went public in 1999, it was the biggest IPO in history. Shares in the comp

My BlackHawk Mines Music requires that all visitors to its Blog adhere to the following Terms of Use. By accessing or using this Blog, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree with these Terms of Use, you should not use this Blog. My BlackHawk Mines Music reserves the right to change these Terms of Use at its sole discretion and at any time without notice to you. If My BlackHawk Mines Music makes a material change to these Terms of Use, My BlackHawk Mines Music will update this page and post a notice for a reasonable period of time. Your continued use of the Blog constitutes your acceptance of any changes. My BlackHawk Mines Music owns, operates, licenses, controls, and provides access to this Blog. All past, present, and future information, materials, applications, software, and other contents of the Blog are the property of My BlackHawk Mines Music unless otherwise noted. Except as expressly set forth in these Terms of Use or otherwise expressly granted to you in writing by My BlackHawk Mines Music, no rights (either by implication, estoppel or otherwise) in or to this Blog or their contents are granted to you. The use, copying, sale, leasing, renting, lending, distribution, modification, downloading, creating of derivative works, posting or publication by you, directly or indirectly, of any of the contents of this Blog, or any other use of such content, except pursuant to the express limited grant of rights hereunder, is strictly prohibited. This Blog may allow you to upload or submit information, software, text, images, audio, video, and other materials to, through or on this Blog. My BlackHawk Mines Music does not endorse any User Uploaded Information and your use of any User Uploaded Information is at your own risk. My BlackHawk Mines Music reserves the right, to delete, move or edit User Uploaded Information, in whole or in part, for any reason in its sole discretion. My BlackHawk Mines Music undertakes no obligation to

http://myblackhawkminesmusic.posterous.com/black-hawk-mines-music-mtv-boss-bono-calls-di BUSINESS INTERVIEW: As executive vice president of digital media for MTV's music brands, Dubliner Dermot McCormack is confronting head-on the challenges all media companies face in an ever-changing digital landscape IT'S HARD TO know what to envy Dermot McCormack for most - his 17th-floor, corner office (the sign, in America, at least, that you have truly arrived) overlooking Times Square, or the fact that Bono has a nickname for him: Digital Dermot from Dublin. To be fair, he has earned it. McCormack is now executive vice president of digital media for MTV's music brands - including MTV itself, VH1, Country Music Television (CMT) and Logo TV. "My job is to move these cable TV brands into new platforms, expand the brands, expand the audience and make money while I'm doing it," says McCormack - who is originally from Ballyfermot - as though this were easy peasy. Few know quite as well as him, however, just how tricky the internet can be. An early pioneer of new media in the 1990s, McCormack was around for the dot com bubble (the first one, as some would argue). In fact, he was right at the heart of it. Having moved to New York in the early 1990s (the day after he graduated from DIT Kevin Street with a degree in electronic engineering - "My poor Mom," he says. "I never came back!"), McCormack was among those who built some of the earliest websites. Eventually, he went to work in advertising for the hottest new things around at the time - a website callediVillage.com. (So early on in the web age was this that McCormack talks about having approached Toyota about web advertising before the company had any sort of presence on the internet.) The iVillage group of websites still exists today, but you would be hard pushed to find any sign of the fact that, when the company went public in 1999, it was the biggest IPO in history. Shares in the compan

MY BLACK HAWK MUSIC: As executive vice president of digital media for MTV's music brands, Dubliner Dermot McCormack is confronting head-on the challenges all media companies face in an ever-changing digital landscape. IT'S HARD TO know what to envy Dermot McCormack for most - his 17th-floor, corner office (the sign, in America, at least, that you have truly arrived) overlooking Times Square, or the fact that Bono has a nickname for him: Digital Dermot from Dublin. To be fair, he has earned it. McCormack is now executive vice president of digital media for MTV's music brands - including MTV itself, VH1, Country Music Television (CMT) and Logo TV. "My job is to move these cable TV brands into new platforms, expand the brands, expand the audience and make money while I'm doing it," says McCormack - who is originally from Ballyfermot - as though this were easy peasy. Few know quite as well as him, however, just how tricky the internet can be. An early pioneer of new media in the 1990s, McCormack was around for the dot com bubble (the first one, as some would argue). In fact, he was right at the heart of it. Having moved to New York in the early 1990s (the day after he graduated from DIT Kevin Street with a degree in electronic engineering - "My poor Mom," he says. "I never came back!"), McCormack was among those who built some of the earliest websites. Eventually, he went to work in advertising for the hottest new things around at the time - a website callediVillage.com. (So early on in the web age was this that McCormack talks about having approached Toyota about web advertising before the company had any sort of presence on the internet.) The iVillage group of websites still exists today, but you would be hard pushed to find any sign of the fact that, when the company went public in 1999, it was the biggest IPO in history. Shares in the company peaked at just over $100 shortly after the initial public offering, before plummeting to al

My BlackHawk Mines Music requires that all visitors to its Blog adhere to the following Terms of Use. By accessing or using this Blog, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree with these Terms of Use, you should not use this Blog. My BlackHawk Mines Music reserves the right to change these Terms of Use at its sole discretion and at any time without notice to you. If My BlackHawk Mines Music makes a material change to these Terms of Use, My BlackHawk Mines Music will update this page and post a notice for a reasonable period of time. Your continued use of the Blog constitutes your acceptance of any changes. My BlackHawk Mines Music owns, operates, licenses, controls, and provides access to this Blog. All past, present, and future information, materials, applications, software, and other contents of the Blog are the property of My BlackHawk Mines Music unless otherwise noted. Except as expressly set forth in these Terms of Use or otherwise expressly granted to you in writing by My BlackHawk Mines Music, no rights (either by implication, estoppel or otherwise) in or to this Blog or their contents are granted to you. The use, copying, sale, leasing, renting, lending, distribution, modification, downloading, creating of derivative works, posting or publication by you, directly or indirectly, of any of the contents of this Blog, or any other use of such content, except pursuant to the express limited grant of rights hereunder, is strictly prohibited. This Blog may allow you to upload or submit information, software, text, images, audio, video, and other materials to, through or on this Blog. My BlackHawk Mines Music does not endorse any User Uploaded Information and your use of any User Uploaded Information is at your own risk. My BlackHawk Mines Music reserves the right, to delete, move or edit User Uploaded Information, in whole or in part, for any reason in its sole discretion. My BlackHawk Mines Music undertakes no obligation to pre-screen User

American Idol judge Steven Tyler announced that he won't be back for another season of the show. The 64-year old rock icon and frontman of Aerosmith said that his exit after two seasons of judging in the show is because he think "it's time to bring rock back". Tyler said in a statement, "After some long … hard … thoughts … I've decided it's time for me to let go of my mistress 'American Idol' before she boils my rabbit." He explained that his departure from the show is to allow him to focus more on his band, Aerosmith, which has been around for 40 years. His decision makes sense as their band is expected to come out with a new album this fall and also set to go on tour. "I strayed from my first love, Aerosmith, and I'm back - but instead of begging on my hands and knees, I got two fists in the air and I'm kicking the door open with my band." Though it is interesting to note that at the start of his judging gig in American Idol, he said on Black Hawk Mines of his bandmates' reaction, "At first, they were jealous because they heard it through the press and not from me. But four months ago they were looking for another lead singer." Tyler's departure is just one of the changes awaiting the next season as co-judge Jennifer Lopez is still undecided about staying. Since the latest season wrapped up with the smallest ratings, there has been many speculations as to what changes will be done by Fox for the next season - and who will remain as Idol judges. The singing reality show has its sharpest decline in ratings last season, which was 30% or 21 million viewers compared to its peak in 2003 with 38 million, sending warning signals on the network. Looks like the only sure thing about the Idol series is its host, Ryan Seacrest, who renewed his contract for 2 years for USD 15 million.

BLACK HAWK MINES : DAVY JONES OF MONKEES DEAD AT 66 The past few months have been a particularly tough time for the music industry as the death of The Monkees' lead singer came after those of Etta James and Whitney Houston. Davy Jones, 66, died after a heart attack while in his stable in Florida on the morning of February 29. He was found in his car suffering from chest pains and was promptly rushed to a hospital in Stuart. However, he was pronounced dead due to severe heart attack. His sudden death has a considerably strong impact for someone that belongs in a band that has almost never gotten any musical respect in the industry. Jones first gained the public's attention as an actor where he was even nominated for a Tony award for his part on the Broadway in Oliver!. Afterwards, and on the same time that The Beatles are gaining popularity, he became part of a singing group that has their weekly sitcom called The Monkees. The funeral in Florida is expected to be private but there will be public services in England and New York to honor Jones. The singer's death seems to hit many people so hard, even those who are not claiming to be a fan, perhaps owing to the Monkees' influencing generations. The height of their career came in the 60s but reruns of their show were aired in the 70s. Jones propelled to popularity during the 60s as The Monkees TV show became a household name. Though the series only lasted for 2 years and the band eventually broke up, they have left chart-topping hits such as "Daydream Believer" and "Im a Believer". At 18 years old, Jones had his first performance in The Ed Sullivan Show where he sang his piece from Oliver!. Incidentally, that same night The Beatles also performed for the first time in the show.

MIDDLE EAST: PRESIDENT Barack Obama has condemned a rocket attack on an American Consulate which left the US Ambassador to Libya dead. Ambassador Chris Stevens, 52, died alongside three guards, as he went to the Benghazi consulate to try to evacuate staff as the building came under attack by a mob firing machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades. MIDDLE EAST: Muslim anger over perceived Western insults to Islam has exploded several times. The violence, fuelled mostly by religious zealots, reflects the tension between Muslims and the secular West that followed the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. MIDDLE EAST: A film-maker whose movie attacking Islam's prophet Mohammed sparked assaults on US missions in Egypt and Libya, where an American diplomat was killed, said today he had gone into hiding. California-based writer and director Sam Bacile remained defiant, saying Islam was a cancer and he intended his film to be a provocative political statement condemning the religion. EUROPE: Eurozone countries have been asked to hand control of their banks to the EU in an attempt to solve its crippling financial crisis. In a proposal that represents one the most significant surrenders of national sovereignty since the creation of the euro in 1999, the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, wants to make the European Central Bank the single supervisor for all 6,000 banks in the 17 countries that use the currency. GREECE: A fresh wave of anti-austerity strikes has hit Greece as its leaders struggled to agree further spending cuts for the coming two years - without which the country will lose its vital rescue loans. State hospital doctors, teachers and local authority employees walked off the job to protest over planned salary and funding cuts. AMERICA: Americans marked the anniversary of the September 11 2001 attacks with tearful messages to loved ones and moments of silence, but the smaller ceremonies gave a sense of moving on 11 years aft

Taylor swift continues to step a notch everyday, country-pop singer started at a very young age and from then on she struggled on her way up. Her hardships didn't last long. She found her big break and here she is as how we know her. Hardships are really paying off, singer's album "Red" topped the U.S. album chart for a second week despite a big percentage drop. Singer-songwriter Swift has undoubtedly paved the way to stardom on her own. She gained the respect of her fans by being one of them. Teen girls idolize her by being her, she's reasonably gorgeous even in ballet flats. She's awkward but speaks her mind through her song. She's a geek chic oozing with sex appeal. And above all, she's a star but she is approachable. It was not a surprise that her forth album "Red" is another big hit. Released October 22, 2012 through Big Machine Records, Red is the fourth studio album by singer-song writer Taylor Swift. According to Nielsen SoundScan data for the week ending Nov. 4, "Red" retained the apex with 344,000 copies sold, may sound much but actually it has a decline of 72% from 1.21 million sales on the first week. Despite the big difference in terms of sales, Red maintained to be on top on the second week and until now on its third week. There is no stopping "Red", industry forecasters put forward that the album will spend a third straight week atop the Billboard 200 chart next week. The new Billboard 200 chart's top 10 will be revealed on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 14. Red is a 16-song geyser of willful emotions, Swift's songs grows with her as well. As she ages her songs matures with her. Album includes songs entitled, 1. "State of Grace" - a not typical Taylor at all is what you will see in this song, she was blindsided by love. Lush and dreamy, a drum driven song is what you can expect in "State of Grace". 2."Red"- this song is a different shade for Taylor, it talks about how impossible it is moving on from a

There is no doubt that Psy's "Gangnam Style" has taken over the world, it is a Phenomenon! It has been topping the hit charts of every country. Psy's quirky dance moves and the songs upbeat music make the whole world addicted to the song. Although the song is in Korean it is so catchy with its sing-a-long chorus making the whole world sing and dance to it. In a span of merely few weeks, Psy (real name Park Jae-Sang), a chubby 34-year-old, made everyone a Gangnam Stylists. South Korean singer has become an overnight international sensation with his bizarre-but-amazing 'Gangnam Style' clip, in which he does a "horse dance" in toilets, saunas, elevators, carparks and even a horse stable. The catchy tune, an endearing, if hopelessly draft, dance became an overnight viral sensation. Instead of feeling aggrieved at his rapid, effortless rise, appearances on the US TV chatshow circuit and myriad copycat routines, they must thank Psybecause he shoved open the door for other Korean pop artists hoping to make it to US market as well. Gangnam Style breaks Guiness world book of records, when this viral song smashed a world record, it became the most popular video in YouTube history. The singer was presented with a certificate by Guinness World Records in London on Thursday for the achievement. Singer even signed with Justine Bieber's manager. Racking up nearly 48 million Youtube streams Psy beats up Justine Bieber's "As Long as You Love me" to number 1 on the US iTunes chart, and spawning internet cover versions and flash mobs, this surprise Korean singer because he didn't think that the song would be a smash. English speaking listeners handled the song very passionately even though the lyrics contain only one English line "Hey, sexy lady!" Gangnam is a hipster district in South Korea's capital city, Seoul. Here is part of the song translated in English: "Girls, your big brother is Gangnam Style". A girl who loo

A look into Whitney Houston's life by Blackhawk Mines Updates Whitney Houston, along with the late Michael Jackson, has helped in paving the way for black artists to utilize mainstream media and gain global support in the music industry. The cousin of singer Dionne Warwick, Houston shot into international fame after her discovery in the 80s. In 1992, she got married to another artist, Bobby Brown, who seem to have the opposite upbringing than her. However, her career made a turn for the bad after her marriage. During the late 90's, she was already notorious for cancellations of appearances, late arrivals and no-shows. Rumors started to circulate that she was doing drugs with her husband. Houston was arrested in 2002 for having marijuana but during a prime-time TV interview, she denied ever having or using drugs. Houston's marriage ended in 2007 and she entered a rehab for drug use. But she admitted herself that her drug use was not halted even after finishing the rehab program. After 2 years, Houston launched a comeback album (after seven years), 'I Look To You' and promoted it during an interview with Oprah Winfrey. But as the events of the past several years have proven, rehab had not been effective for Houston as opposed to how it had redeemed Robert Downey Jr. Recently, people are speculating that her fall from fame has dried out her fortune. Having no planned albums in the future, her only comeback appearance was the film Sparkle which will be released in August. She played a supporting role alongside singer Jordin Sparks -- her first in almost 6 years. There were also rumors that Houston was one of the possible choices as a judge in the singing competition, 'The X Factor' but those were flatly denied by Simon Cowell. Just hours into the 54th annual Grammy Awards, Houston was found dead in her hotel room with the cause of death remaining unknown. Coroner's officials are not going to release details regarding the autopsy on Sunday due to the request of

Whitney Houston, along with the late Michael Jackson, has helped in paving the way for black artists to utilize mainstream media and gain global support in the music industry. The cousin of singer Dionne Warwick, Houston shot into international fame after her discovery in the 80s.

The one-time leading social networking site Myspace has reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over the privacy probe recently conducted. Myspace was charged with representing its privacy policies to its users, which brings to mind similar deals agreed upon by Google and Facebook on respective FTC investigations involving them. FTC announced last week that despite Myspace's telling users that it will not share personally identifiable data with others; it gave advertisers "Friend ID" numbers of users. This enabled advertisers to search the users' publicly available personal data such as full names and could even lead to discovery of their web activity. The terms of the settlement specified that Myspace is not going to misrepresent its privacy policies while implementing a comprehensive privacy program. In addition, the two parties agreed to a regular independent privacy audits every other year for 2 decades. Myspace had been the most popular social network since it launched in 2003 but was overshadowed by the arrival of Facebook. Specific Media of Irvine California is the current owner of Myspace after News Corp sold it for USD 35 million last year. Black Hawk Mines said that it had already conducted a complete assessment of Myspace's privacy and advertising practices after its acquisition and had "successfully improved upon its historical practices", taking the now social media platform to the forefront of industry's best practice for ad delivery. Moreover, any questions about Myspace's pre-acquisition ad practices were apparently put behind. Back in 2011, FTC and Google also reached a settlement over charges that the search engine a breach of its own privacy policy had happened in launching the now defunct social platform named Buzz. Their agreement will require Google to get user permission first before sharing consumer data with third parties or if it is going to change a service and use the data in a

PRSYNC PRESS RELEASE ON ENTERTAINMENT - MY BLACK HAWK MINES MUSIC - The former leading social network site Myspace announced in Monday that it's getting a resurgence in popularity due to their introduction of a new online music player. Over a million new users have registered at myspace.com in the previous month, averaging 40,000 accounts activated daily. Its new owners attribute this positive response mainly to Myspace's integration with Twitter and Facebook. The ousted social network star has transformed into an online community for music enthusiasts and appears to be growing into a platform that is ready to co-exist with Twitter and Facebook. Instead of competing with Facebook, it is now going head to head with online music services like Rdio, Jango, Pandora and Spotify. Myspace is now claiming they have the biggest catalog of tracks online with 42 million songs. MySpace was purchased by News Corp for USD 580 million in July 2005. But according to Rupert Murdoch himself, the chief executive of News Corp, their purchase has been a big mistake and that it was mismanaged in every way possible. So it was not at all surprising for them to sell it in June 2011 to Specific Media for only USD 35 million, a mere 6% of their original valuation. The new owners, Chris and Tim Vanderhook, along with artist Justin Timberlake invested and reinvented Myspace. They managed to shift the site's focus from social networking into an entertainment portal. Since its launch of the new music player 2 months ago, there has been an increase in registrations and a significant rise in the amount of site traffic. Myspace appears to have a number of assets in its possession including a huge song library, large traffic and brand recognition that if the firm can sustain its new-found upward trend, the new owners may certainly have gotten a bargain. This new MySpace player boasts of unlimited and free music streaming fr

PRSYNC PRESS RELEASE ON ENTERTAINMENT - MY BLACK HAWK MINES MUSIC - The former leading social network site Myspace announced in Monday that it's getting a resurgence in popularity due to their introduction of a new online music player. Over a million new users have registered at myspace.com in the previous month, averaging 40,000 accounts activated daily. Its new owners attribute this positive response mainly to Myspace's integration with Twitter and Facebook. The ousted social network star has transformed into an online community for music enthusiasts and appears to be growing into a platform that is ready to co-exist with Twitter and Facebook. Instead of competing with Facebook, it is now going head to head with online music services like Rdio, Jango, Pandora and Spotify. Myspace is now claiming they have the biggest catalog of tracks online with 42 million songs. MySpace was purchased by News Corp for USD 580 million in July 2005. But according to Rupert Murdoch himself, the chief executive of News Corp, their purchase has been a big mistake and that it was mismanaged in every way possible. So it was not at all surprising for them to sell it in June 2011 to Specific Media for only USD 35 million, a mere 6% of their original valuation. The new owners, Chris and Tim Vanderhook, along with artist Justin Timberlake invested and reinvented Myspace. They managed to shift the site's focus from social networking into an entertainment portal. Since its launch of the new music player 2 months ago, there has been an increase in registrations and a significant rise in the amount of site traffic. Myspace appears to have a number of assets in its possession including a huge song library, large traffic and brand recognition that if the firm can sustain its new-found upward trend, the new owners may certainly have gotten a bargain. This new MySpace player boasts of unlimited and free music streaming from unsigned and established artists.

If you're an artist, and you've spent at least five minutes looking for ways to advance your career, chances are you have already encountered a wide variety of music services displayed to you through ads. They're highly prevalent on any website related to music, on Google searches, in Gmail (if any of your emails are music-related), on YouTube, and in physical sources like print magazines or classified ads. Isn't it great that in an industry that is seeing the entry of tens of thousands of new musicians every year, there are so many nice businesses out there looking to help them? Yeah, right! The truth is, there are plenty of sleazy individuals and business entities that have been observing the decline of the traditional recording industry. They have noticed all the new artists cropping up, looking for fame and fortune. They smile when they see the common portrayal of artists on MTV and VH1 as rich, living extravagant and glamorous lifestyles, getting huge "record deals", and so on - even though that image is extremely distorted. All of this has created a prime market for services and products targeted towards musicians who want to make it big, and unfortunately for us, the majority of these are scams. So, what are you supposed to do? Ignore any seemingly-pleasant emails from important-sounding people that are "interested in your music"? Definitely not. While illegitimate organizations looking to take advantage of artists are prevalent, there are still honest people in the business, and some of them really might be interested in you, personally. Since that's the case, if you're interested in maximizing your opportunities and minimizing the time and money spent on potentially useless services, it's important to learn how to detect and avoid scams. As you read all of the points below, do keep in mind that just because some factors may warrant more caution, you should always evaluate opportunities thoroughly. An offer might have one or two red f

If you're an artist, and you've spent at least five minutes looking for ways to advance your career, chances are you have already encountered a wide variety of music services displayed to you through ads. They're highly prevalent on any website related to music, on Google searches, in Gmail (if any of your emails are music-related), on YouTube, and in physical sources like print magazines or classified ads. Isn't it great that in an industry that is seeing the entry of tens of thousands of new musicians every year, there are so many nice businesses out there looking to help them? Yeah, right! The truth is, there are plenty of sleazy individuals and business entities that have been observing the decline of the traditional recording industry. They have noticed all the new artists cropping up, looking for fame and fortune. They smile when they see the common portrayal of artists on MTV and VH1 as rich, living extravagant and glamorous lifestyles, getting huge "record deals", and so on - even though that image is extremely distorted. All of this has created a prime market for services and products targeted towards musicians who want to make it big, and unfortunately for us, the majority of these are scams. So, what are you supposed to do? Ignore any seemingly-pleasant emails from important-sounding people that are "interested in your music"? Definitely not. While illegitimate organizations looking to take advantage of artists are prevalent, there are still honest people in the business, and some of them really might be interested in you, personally. Since that's the case, if you're interested in maximizing your opportunities and minimizing the time and money spent on potentially useless services, it's important to learn how to detect and avoid scams. As you read all of the points below, do keep in mind that just because some factors may warrant more caution, you should always evaluate opportunities thoroughly. An offer might have one or two red f

MIDDLE EAST: PRESIDENT Barack Obama has condemned a rocket attack on an American Consulate which left the US Ambassador to Libya dead. Ambassador Chris Stevens, 52, died alongside three guards, as he went to the Benghazi consulate to try to evacuate staff as the building came under attack by a mob firing machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades. MIDDLE EAST: Muslim anger over perceived Western insults to Islam has exploded several times. The violence, fuelled mostly by religious zealots, reflects the tension between Muslims and the secular West that followed the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. MIDDLE EAST: A film-maker whose movie attacking Islam's prophet Mohammed sparked assaults on US missions in Egypt and Libya, where an American diplomat was killed, said today he had gone into hiding. California-based writer and director Sam Bacile remained defiant, saying Islam was a cancer and he intended his film to be a provocative political statement condemning the religion. EUROPE: Eurozone countries have been asked to hand control of their banks to the EU in an attempt to solve its crippling financial crisis. In a proposal that represents one the most significant surrenders of national sovereignty since the creation of the euro in 1999, the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, wants to make the European Central Bank the single supervisor for all 6,000 banks in the 17 countries that use the currency. GREECE: A fresh wave of anti-austerity strikes has hit Greece as its leaders struggled to agree further spending cuts for the coming two years - without which the country will lose its vital rescue loans. State hospital doctors, teachers and local authority employees walked off the job to protest over planned salary and funding cuts. AMERICA: Americans marked the anniversary of the September 11 2001 attacks with tearful messages to loved ones and moments of silence, but the smaller ceremonies gave a sense of moving on 11 years after nearly 3,000 people

http://www.topix.com/forum/music/TAM6MOFBICKA3HHI9 The music industry has given a judicious endorsement to European Union moves intended at limiting Internet piracy. The copyright directive was "a workable proposal", said the industry's umbrella group, the International Federation of Phonographic Industries. IFPI, representing around 1400 major and independent record companies worldwide, said the newly-adopted UK legislation, requiring measures from ISPs to curb piracy on their networks, sets a powerful example to other countries. IFPI chairman John Kennedy said: "The passing of the Digital Economy Act in the UK recognizes that if a country is to have world-class creative industries, then it also needs laws that will effectively protect their rights from the crippling problem of digital piracy. "The new UK legislation is a decisive step towards dealing with P2P and other forms of illegal distribution in a way that can substantially reduce the problem. Most importantly, it recognizes that effectively addressing piracy needs active cooperation from internet service providers, in helping curb infringements on their networks. "The move by the UK creates momentum for the graduated response approach to tackling piracy internationally. Governments increasingly understand that, in the digital economy, creative industries like music, film, books and games can drive growth and jobs for many years to come if they are provided with the right legal environment and with a modern system of enforcement in which ISPs actively cooperate. "The UK has today joined the ranks of those countries who have taken decisive and well-considered steps to address the issue. We hope this will prompt more focus and urgency for similar measures in other countries where debate is underway." "There are enough elements here for the music industry to speed up the offering of music to consumers in a wider range of ways," IFPI Chairman Jay Berman said soon after the result was announced. "The dire

et's predict the future by analyzing culture and trends today. Last year has been the year for the solo female pop vocalists like Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, etc. Solo male vocals were also hit last year like Psy, Eminen, Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, etc. These guys churning out all Top 20 hits all over the world. There has been much collaboration with featured singers, with all the rapping, dub step and dance music. But what genre or style of music will be dominant this 2013. If 2012 meant to the dub step it is not the case this year because 2013 cannot come quick enough. Although it will just be a passing phase this year because the lasting strong points of the year seem to be turning to the indie alternative gone pop. It seems that 2013 will focus more on the artist which made 2012 only its transition. Some made the prediction that guitar music may return to radio playlist in the near future. It is expected that new guitar music is to be a fusion of something that will be playing in the radio stations this year. This is actually already been starting. More attention seems to be leaning towards the young singer-songwriter who plays the instrument and the hot tween pre-made dance talent is slowly vanishing. This could mean Justin Bieber may be on his way out sooner than expected. May this be a warning for him so that he can mature in terms of his music. Songs like his built trend for the next wave and pop music could use some wake-up call wit more artist that could make a mainstream impact. 90's R&B will go even more mainstream, this is due to almost every artist feels compelled to reel off their R&B influences. When you go night out, you will never fail to endure repeated plays of R Kelly's She's Got That Vibe. With many artists sprouting in every corner, attention span grows short regarding the choice or artist that listeners will listen to. Those who cannot reinvent

Let's predict the future by analyzing culture and trends today. Last year has been the year for the solo female pop vocalists like Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, etc. Solo male vocals were also hit last year like Psy, Eminen, Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, etc.

AMAZINE MUSIC ARTICLE - BLACK HAWK MINES MUSIC - The former leading social network site Myspace announced in Monday that it's getting a resurgence in popularity due to their introduction of a new online music player. Over a million new users have registered at myspace.com in the previous month, averaging 40,000 accounts activated daily. Its new owners attribute this positive response mainly to Myspace's integration with Twitter and Facebook. The ousted social network star has transformed into an online community for music enthusiasts and appears to be growing into a platform that is ready to co-exist with Twitter and Facebook. Instead of competing with Facebook, it is now going head to head with online music services like Rdio, Jango, Pandora and Spotify. Myspace is now claiming they have the biggest catalog of tracks online with 42 million songs. MySpace was purchased by News Corp for USD 580 million in July 2005. But according to Rupert Murdoch himself, the chief executive of News Corp, their purchase has been a big mistake and that it was mismanaged in every way possible. So it was not at all surprising for them to sell it in June 2011 to Specific Media for only USD 35 million, a mere 6% of their original valuation. The new owners, Chris and Tim Vanderhook, along with artist Justin Timberlake invested and reinvented Myspace. They managed to shift the site's focus from social networking into an entertainment portal. Since its launch of the new music player 2 months ago, there has been an increase in registrations and a significant rise in the amount of site traffic. Myspace appears to have a number of assets in its possession including a huge song library, large traffic and brand recognition that if the firm can sustain its new-found upward trend, the new owners may certainly have gotten a bargain. This new MySpace player boasts of unlimited and free music streaming from unsigned and established artists. They also offer customized radio mode and an e

American Idol judge Steven Tyler announced that he won't be back for another season of the show. The 64-year old rock icon and frontman of Aerosmith said that his exit after two seasons of judging in the show is because he think "it's time to bring rock back". Tyler said in a statement, "After some long … hard … thoughts … I've decided it's time for me to let go of my mistress 'American Idol' before she boils my rabbit." He explained that his departure from the show is to allow him to focus more on his band, Aerosmith, which has been around for 40 years. His decision makes sense as their band is expected to come out with a new album this fall and also set to go on tour. "I strayed from my first love, Aerosmith, and I'm back - but instead of begging on my hands and knees, I got two fists in the air and I'm kicking the door open with my band." Though it is interesting to note that at the start of his judging gig in American Idol, he said on Black Hawk Mines of his bandmates' reaction, "At first, they were jealous because they heard it through the press and not from me. But four months ago they were looking for another lead singer." Tyler's departure is just one of the changes awaiting the next season as co-judge Jennifer Lopez is still undecided about staying. Since the latest season wrapped up with the smallest ratings, there has been many speculations as to what changes will be done by Fox for the next season - and who will remain as Idol judges. The singing reality show has its sharpest decline in ratings last season, which was 30% or 21 million viewers compared to its peak in 2003 with 38 million, sending warning signals on the network. Looks like the only sure thing about the Idol series is its host, Ryan Seacrest, who renewed his contract for 2 years for USD 15 million.

American Idol judge Steven Tyler announced that he won't be back for another season of the show. The 64-year old rock icon and frontman of Aerosmith said that his exit after two seasons of judging in the show is because he think "it's time to bring rock back". Tyler said in a statement, "After some long … hard … thoughts … I've decided it's time for me to let go of my mistress 'American Idol' before she boils my rabbit." He explained that his departure from the show is to allow him to focus more on his band, Aerosmith, which has been around for 40 years. His decision makes sense as their band is expected to come out with a new album this fall and also set to go on tour. "I strayed from my first love, Aerosmith, and I'm back - but instead of begging on my hands and knees, I got two fists in the air and I'm kicking the door open with my band." Though it is interesting to note that at the start of his judging gig in American Idol, he said on Black Hawk Mines of his bandmates' reaction, "At first, they were jealous because they heard it through the press and not from me. But four months ago they were looking for another lead singer." Tyler's departure is just one of the changes awaiting the next season as co-judge Jennifer Lopez is still undecided about staying. Since the latest season wrapped up with the smallest ratings, there has been many speculations as to what changes will be done by Fox for the next season - and who will remain as Idol judges. The singing reality show has its sharpest decline in ratings last season, which was 30% or 21 million viewers compared to its peak in 2003 with 38 million, sending warning signals on the network. Looks like the only sure thing about the Idol series is its host, Ryan Seacrest, who renewed his contract for 2 years for USD 15 million.

American Idol judge Steven Tyler announced that he won't be back for another season of the show. The 64-year old rock icon and frontman of Aerosmith said that his exit after two seasons of judging in the show is because he think "it's time to bring rock back". Tyler said in a statement, "After some long … hard … thoughts … I've decided it's time for me to let go of my mistress 'American Idol' before she boils my rabbit." He explained that his departure from the show is to allow him to focus more on his band, Aerosmith, which has been around for 40 years. His decision makes sense as their band is expected to come out with a new album this fall and also set to go on tour. "I strayed from my first love, Aerosmith, and I'm back - but instead of begging on my hands and knees, I got two fists in the air and I'm kicking the door open with my band." Though it is interesting to note that at the start of his judging gig in American Idol, he said on Black Hawk Mines of his bandmates' reaction, "At first, they were jealous because they heard it through the press and not from me. But four months ago they were looking for another lead singer." Tyler's departure is just one of the changes awaiting the next season as co-judge Jennifer Lopez is still undecided about staying. Since the latest season wrapped up with the smallest ratings, there has been many speculations as to what changes will be done by Fox for the next season - and who will remain as Idol judges. The singing reality show has its sharpest decline in ratings last season, which was 30% or 21 million viewers compared to its peak in 2003 with 38 million, sending warning signals on the network. Looks like the only sure thing about the Idol series is its host, Ryan Seacrest, who renewed his contract for 2 years for USD 15 million.

Comments: Features Details Include: Interior etched floor boards, interior wall framing, ore bin, platforms, stairs, a grizzley, stamp frames, removable roofs, plank siding that is engraved on the interior and exterior wall surfaces, boiler room, windows and doors that can be positioned open or closed and include laser-cut glazing, and can be built with the metal siding or without! ■Out trademark EASY to follow FULLY Illustrated Step-By-Step instructions make building easy! ■Precision Laser cut wood construction. ■Includes our corrugated material, "metal" siding, and tar paper roofing. ■Footprint N = N/A ■Footprint HO = 5.0" x 8.3" ■Footprint S = 6.8" x 11.3" ■Footprint O = 9.0" x 15.0" ■Based on measurements by Joe Crea and Mike Pyne. Additional material provided by Keith Pashina. ■With all of kits, we include some way for you to customize our structures right out of the box. This allows you to add you own personal touch to fit your layout. See "The Design" section below for some of the included options. History (continued...) The "Little Red Mill", like many other mine and mill structures in this area, is constructed of rough-sawn wood sheathing over a heavy timber frame. This was then covered at some point with flat metal siding and painted to further repel the harsh weather. No machinery remains inside, only timbers that once supported the mill's operations. (red-iron oxide paint was commonly used to repel the elements because it was both economical and provided the longest protection-the reason we call it the "Little Red Mill!) Today, the hillsides of Gilpin County, once stripped of their wood for the mines, have regrown with pines and aspen trees, and the mill silently weathers away in the sun. But someday, this mill will succumb, like many others, to time, the elements, and/or progress of the area. The Design: Today, the existing structure has been converted to a storage/junk building on the -

The former leading social network site Myspace announced in Monday that it's getting a resurgence in popularity due to their introduction of a new online music player. Over a million new users have registered at myspace.com in the previous month, averaging 40,000 accounts activated daily. Its new owners attribute this positive response mainly to Myspace's integration with Twitter and Facebook. The ousted social network star has transformed into an online community for music enthusiasts and appears to be growing into a platform that is ready to co-exist with Twitter and Facebook. Instead of competing with Facebook, it is now going head to head with online music services like Rdio, Jango, Pandora and Spotify. Myspace is now claiming they have the biggest catalog of tracks online with 42 million songs. MySpace was purchased by News Corp for USD 580 million in July 2005. But according to Rupert Murdoch himself, the chief executive of News Corp, their purchase has been a big mistake and that it was mismanaged in every way possible. So it was not at all surprising for them to sell it in June 2011 to Specific Media for only USD 35 million, a mere 6% of their original valuation. The new owners, Chris and Tim Vanderhook, along with artist Justin Timberlake invested and reinvented Myspace. They managed to shift the site's focus from social networking into an entertainment portal. Since its launch of the new music player 2 months ago, there has been an increase in registrations and a significant rise in the amount of site traffic. Myspace appears to have a number of assets in its possession including a huge song library, large traffic and brand recognition that if the firm can sustain its new-found upward trend, the new owners may certainly have gotten a bargain. This new MySpace player boasts of unlimited and free music streaming from unsigned and established artists. They also offer customized radio mode and an easy integration with