Last week, it was reported that RapGenius.com was among 50 lyrics sites that were sent take-down notices by the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA), requesting that the sites either obtain licenses to publish lyrics or remove copyright lyrics from their sites. Now, Rap Genius has revealed that it obtained a licensing deal with Sony/ATV Music…

“I really do believe that the world can be saved through design, and everything needs to actually be “architect-ed.” “I believe that utopia is actually possible–but we’re led by the least noble, the least dignified, the least tasteful, the dumbest, and the most political.” – Kanye West…

It’s hard out there for a grunge drummer. At 50, Matt Cameron is a member of the two biggest remaining Seattle shredders of the ’90s: SPIN profile subjects Soundgarden, and the Lightning Bolt-wielding Pearl Jam. As it turns out, both groups will be hitting the road next year, and Cameron has decided to hit skins with…

Perhaps no company showed how the Internet could turn sharing into a global phenomenon more than Napster. At its peak in 2000, tens of millions of people around the world used the service to trade music files. But it was never able to turn all that sharing into a profitable business. In today’s Internet sharing…

We’re living in a very interesting time in the music business. Unlike when the industry was caught off-guard by the MP3 revolution, the industry powers that be are totally on top of the one that’s happening now – streaming music – and they’re being proactive about dealing with it. Interestingly enough, they’re way ahead of…

The intended premiere of a documentary charting the life and times of departed Wu-Tang Clan rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard turned into a peculiar farce last night when a cease and desist order prevented the screening at the Brooklyn Academy of Music from going ahead. The night also saw the Clan’s head honcho, RZA, telling the…

Research from online anti-piracy company MUSO has discovered that the Beatles are the most-pirated artist in the world by a significant margin. MUSO compiled its top ten most-pirated artists by monitoring site which respond to its own takedown requests. This list doesn’t include the likes of The Pirate Bay. The Fab Four’s material was found…

In the continuing saga of Barneys’ alleged racial profiling scandal, Jay Z has released a second statement concerning his continued partnership with the company. On Life + Times, the rapper continued to defend his partnership with the high end retailer. “While I await the findings of the Attorney General’s Office, I have agreed to move…

When Eddie Van Halen came on the scene in the late 70s, the guitar world was literally rocked with a new sound and new style of playing. EVH had a skill level and dexterity that hadn’t been seen before, but the songs were good too, which soon put the band at superstar level. Here’s the…

Top Dawg Entertainment Chief Executive Office, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, Addresses GQ Man Of The Year Story In 2004, I founded Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) with the goal of providing a home for west coast artists and a platform for these artists to express themselves freely and to give their music to the world. From…