Archive for the ‘News’ Category
NEW YORK (Billboard) – Fan anticipation is already building for Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now,” after the pop-country superstar revealed on Ustream that the follow-up to her multiplatinum album “Fearless” will be out October 25.
But anticipation of a different sort is building among music retail and label executives: Can “Speak Now” top U.S. debut-week sales of 1 million units? And if Swift can’t attain that now-elusive milestone, can anyone?
The last album to do so was Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter III,” which sold slightly more than 1 million units in its first week, the period ended June 15, 2008, and has sold 3.5 million units to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Since then, the closest any album has come to matching that performance was AC/DC’s “Black Ice,” which bowed with 784,000 units in the week ended October 24, 2008, and has sold a total of 2.2 million, according to SoundScan. Eminem’s “Recovery,” the sales champ of 2010 so far, debuted with 741,000 units in the week ended June 27 and has racked up total U.S. sales of 1.5 million, according to SoundScan.
Other highly anticipated albums to be released later this year include titles from Susan Boyle, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Linkin Park, Kid Rock, Norah Jones, Diddy and Lil Wayne.
In an informal survey of a dozen recording industry executives conducted by Billboard, Boyle, West and Wayne each drew votes as contenders for million-unit debut weeks. But most said they believe Swift has the best shot.
‘SHE COULD BE THE ONE’
“It feels like if anybody can do it now, she could be the one,” said Will Botwin, president/CEO of Red Light Management and ATO Records. “She has the sales base and heat from the last few albums. And with all the amazing things she has going on, she is as likely as anybody to reach a million units, especially with the efforts of Big Machine and Universal behind her.”
Executives at Swift’s label, Big Machine Records, and her distributor, Universal Music Group Distribution, couldn’t be reached for comment. But retail sources said UMGD expects to ship 1.5 million units for the album’s release date and that it’s projecting first-week sales of 750,000 units.
It has been confirmed that Taylor will be performing at the All for the Hall fundraiser on September 23rd!
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s All for the Hall fundraiser will return to Los Angeles for a second consecutive year. The event, which will take place on Thursday, September 23, at Club Nokia, will again follow a “guitar pull” format featuring performances by Country Music Hall of Fame members Emmylou Harris and Kris Kristofferson, superstar Taylor Swift, and a very special fourth chair that must remain anonymous.
The evening offers a unique opportunity to see these acclaimed singer-songwriters interact with one another as they take turns swapping songs, stories and personal recollections. The “guitar pull” is a Nashville specialty; it originated in the homes of Nashville songwriters who gathered to try out new compositions for their peers. Nashville’s most storied guitar pulls were hosted by Johnny and June Carter Cash. The hallmarks of a great guitar pull are spontaneity and camaraderie.
The Museum launched All for the Hall, its first-ever non-bricks-and-mortar fundraising campaign, in 2005. The campaign addresses the Museum’s need for long-term financial security and will provide a safety net for the institution and its work. This is the fourth year the Museum has taken its “annual giving” event on the road, hosting previous All for the Hall events in New York in 2007 and 2008 and in Los Angeles in 2009.
“This year especially, the event will provide much needed support as Nashville works to recover from the devastating impact of a once-every-500-years flood,” said Director Kyle Young. “While our exhibits and collections are all on upper floors and never in danger, flood waters did reach ‘five feet high and rising’ in our ground-floor Ford Theater.”
Last year’s event, also held at Club Nokia, featured performances by Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Dwight Yoakam and Melissa Etheridge; special guests included Chris Isaak, who also acted as host, Kara DioGuardi and Michael McDonald.
Read the rest HERE
Pollstar released the list of the top grossing tours of 2010 this week. Bon Jovi tops the list, playing 38 shows and selling more than a half million tickets for a total gross of $52.8 million. Country stars in the top 10 include Taylor Swift at #3 with $34.2 million, George Strait (with Reba McEntire and Lee Ann Womack) at #5 ,and Tim McGraw (with Lady Antebellum) at #8. See the entire list, which also includes Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, and more HERE.
Chat is also on MySpace.com/TaylorSwift & Facebook.com/TaylorSwift.Fans can submit questions into the liveUstream chat window on all sites.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Singer Taylor Swift will host a live chat to talk with fans about a new album.
Swift said she’s always getting questions from fans via the Internet and social networking sites. Next Tuesday she’ll be providing answers about her follow up to “Fearless” and more.
“I‘ve gotten so many questions from fans — on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, my website, everywhere really, and it’s so incredible to see how excited everybody is about what’s next,” Swift said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. “I want them to be the first to know about my new music, and I can’t wait to talk to everybody as directly as I can!”
Swift will host the chat from Nashville at 5 p.m. EDT. Fans will be able to submit questions on Swift’s website, social networking platforms and Ustream.tv.
Swift was recently ranked No. 3 on Forbes’ list of the most powerful celebrities on social media. She has 7 million Facebook friends and 3.6 million Twitter followers.
“Fearless” was the top-selling album of 2009 and netted Swift every major award, including two Grammys.
New pictures have been released of Taylor filming the music video of her new single (rumour has it, it’s called ‘Mine’). I have added them to the gallery!
From Allie, Andrea & Jackie: Taylor Swift shooting her new music video in Cape Porpoise Maine on Thursday July 8. It was a blast to watch! Both Taylor and the guy in her video seemed to be having tons of fun and at one point where….he proposes and they kissed he looked up at the camera crew and said ‘She said no by the way.’ The scene lasted about 30 minutes and then they started filming in the house again.
X22HQ//Shooting Music Video (New Single released late-2010)
Here’s some more news about country weddings, but this time it’s only for a video: Taylor Swift got married at the Christ Church in Kennebunk, Maine, on Thursday (July
with Rev. Janet Leighninger presiding. And the groom? Who knows. Just some drop-dead gorgeous actor playing his part in Swift’s upcoming music video. Some of the folks on the scene said the song may be called “Mine,” but whatever the song is, it sounds like the video will be just as fairytale-like as some of Swift’s past work. The white-steepled church, built in 1827, was embellished with all kinds of ribbons and flowers and guest extras blowing bubbles at the “bride” and “groom.” Other scenes for the video were shot at a private estate in nearby Cape Elizabeth. According to the local news, the video should be on the air by the end of the year.
Not one to limit showing her gratitude to fans in a brief acceptance speech, Taylor Swift is going to devote an entire day to thanking her admirers.
At the June 13 CMA Music Festival, the country star will host a 13-hour meet and greet.
“My favorite thing about CMA Music Fest has always been getting to spend time with the fans,” Swift – whose Fearless tour wraps this Saturday at Boston’s Gillette Stadium – said in a statement. “So this year I waned to figure out a way to meet as many of them as possible.”
Her day will begin at 8 a.m. at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, followed by a short acoustic performance around 2 that afternoon. The event, which is free and open to the public, will wrap up at 9 p.m.
“Thirteen is my lucky number,” says Swift, 20, “and the 13th is during Music Fest, so I think spending 13 hours with my fans is going to be amazing!” (Source)
Don’t forget, Brooks & Dunn: The Last Rodeo airs tonight on CBS! The special starts at 8 pm eastern. Media will be posted for it tomorrow.
I’ve added some caps from various promos CBS has been airing this week to promote the special to the gallery.
Taylor Swift has installed a fireplace and treadmill on her tour bus.
The country music star, 20, says she was desperate to make her life on the road more comfortable and enjoyable so decorated her bus with some expensive items.
“I put in a fireplace, a flip-down treadmill and a really comfortable bed,” she said.
“I feel like I’m home whenever I’m on my tour bus.”
Taylor recently admitted she often feels like she leads a double life. “Sometimes I feel like I lead a double life. One minute I’ll be negotiating a contract and the next I’ll be at home with my friends,” she said earlier this month.
“It’s always been like that, even at school. I went to class, studied for tests and had crushes on boys, and then after school I’d go downtown to Music Row in Nashville and write songs.” (Source)
It was just announced that the 20-year-old songstress will be awarded the Hal David Starlight Award on Thursday, June 17!
The award honors songwriters at a high point in their careers who are impacting the industry with songs they’ve written themselves. Phil Collins (Lily’s dad) and music producer Phil Ramone also will receive special awards at the event. (Source)
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