There was a point in the pop culture timeline when "America's Sweetheart" Britney Spears seemed diametrically opposed to self-described "Antichrist Superstar" Marilyn Manson, but as the '90s fade into generalized nostalgia and the iPod era's musical inclusiveness reigns, it turns out the manufactured froth-pop of Britney and the contrived shock-rock of Manson suddenly don't seem all that mutually exclusive.
Read More »from Britney Goes Goth in Music Video Set to Marilyn MansonBritney Goes Goth in Music Video Set to Marilyn Manson
By Joseph Brannigan Lynch | Amplifier – Tue, Nov 15, 2011 2:04 PM ESTApple Finally Launched Their iTunes Match
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Tue, Nov 15, 2011 12:44 PM EST
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iTunes MatchFive months after Apple revealed plans to launch their iTunes Match, which would allow users to access their entire musical library through a digital storage locker, the computer giant finally activated the service yesterday. For $25 a year, people who use the Match software via their portable device can listen to their iTunes anywhere. Amazon and Google offer similar cloud-based services in the past few months, but since iTunes has always been the industry leader when it comes to digital music, Match has been the most anticipated of the three storage lockers. And based on some early reviews, Apple's version doesn't disappoint.Watch Sonic Youth’s (Possibly Final) Concert From Brazil’s SWU Festival
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Tue, Nov 15, 2011 11:00 AM ESTLast month, the indie music world was rocked by the news that Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore were separating after nearly three decades of marriage. Even though Moore and Gordon were splitting, the pair promised that Sonic Youth's South American trek would continue as scheduled, but "plans beyond that tour are uncertain." Given this cloudy forecast for the future of one of indie rock's most beloved and long-running bands, Sonic Youth's gig yesterday at Brazil's SWU Festival may very well be their last performance together.
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Read More »from Heavy D’s Cause of Death Still Unknown
Ben Rose/WireImage.comAn autopsy of Heavy D to determine the rapper's cause of death has come back inconclusive. The coroner will now wait several weeks for the results of a toxicology report in order to find out why the rapper passed away at 44 years old. "We need to see what's in his system," a coroner's spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times. Heavy D obviously dealt with some weight issues, but investigators believe that wasn't a factor in his death. Instead, they believe that the Overweight Lover's death was "medically related": The rapper had complained about a cough -- which may have been pneumonia -- to a doctor prior to his death on November 6th. Police do not suspect illegal drug use.Never, Under Any Circumstances, Show Courtney Love a Picture of Kurt Cobain
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Mon, Nov 14, 2011 5:46 PM EST
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Courtney LoveThere was once a rumor going around that Axl Rose kicked a fan out of Guns N Roses show last year because the concertgoer was wearing a shirt with a picture of Slash on it. While that story remains urban legend, a similar situation happened last night during Hole's performance at Brazil's SWU Festival after a fan kept raising a poster of Kurt Cobain in view of the volatile Courtney Love. "You know, I don't need to see a picture of Kurt, a------, and I'm going to have you f------ removed if you keep throwing that up. I'm not Kurt," Love yelled at the crowd. "I have to live with his f------ ghost, his dirt, his kid every day. Throwing that up is stupid and rude, and I'm going to beat the f--- out of you if you do it again." Then, for no reason whatsoever, Love next aimed her rage toward Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters.Mac Miller Is Now More Popular Than ‘Twilight’
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Mon, Nov 14, 2011 4:37 PM EST
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Roger Kisby/Getty ImagesIn August, Donald Trump called Mac Miller "the next Eminem" after the young Pittsburgh rapper named his popular single after the real estate mogul. It turns out, The Donald might be right: According to Billboard.biz, Miller is on the verge of topping the Billboard 200 with his new album Blue Slide Park. It's not like Mac is doing it without any competition, since his debut disc is competing against the Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 soundtrack from the Number One spot. With an estimated 180,000 copies sold, Mac's beating the Twilight series, which is amazing considering how those rabid Robert Pattinson fans are already waiting outside of movie theaters to see that movie. Blue Slide Park also stands to become the first independently released hip-hop album since Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle in 1995 to top the charts. So, who is Mac Miller?
Lady Gaga Loses Her Head and Her Creative Director
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Mon, Nov 14, 2011 3:20 PM ESTLady Gaga is such a nonconformist that she celebrates Halloween midway through November. After a lackluster performance at the MTV European Music Awards, Mother Monster responded with her one-woman rendition of Sleepy Hollow as she sang her new single "Marry the Night" on the U.K. X Factor. Someone has been watching a lot of American Horror Story. So many people pretend to Gaga on October 31st, its fitting that she opted for such a popular costume. While this "Marry" might be Gaga's noteworthy presentation since her egg stunt at the Grammys, like her EMA performance, Gaga herself doesn't do much dancing. There's a reason for that…
Read More »from Lady Gaga Loses Her Head and Her Creative DirectorTay Zonday Explains the Current Economic Crisis Better Than CNBC
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Mon, Nov 14, 2011 1:39 PM ESTUnless you majored in microeconomics or have a subscription to the Wall Street Journal, you might be puzzled as to why this country is in a recession and why people are occupying city parks across the U.S. and who are the 1%. Fortunately, Tay Zonday, the YouTube sensation that gave us the pseudo-smash "Chocolate Rain" four years ago (73 million views and counting!), is back to explain the current economic crisis. In "Mama Economy," Zonday — along with his 8-bit beats, incredibly strange haircut, and deep baritone voice that would make Barry White jealous -- breaks down how this nation found itself in financial turmoil.
Read More »from Tay Zonday Explains the Current Economic Crisis Better Than CNBCJay-Z’s ‘Occupy Wall Street’ Cash-In Tees Disappear from Rocawear’s Site (But Not eBay)
By Joseph Brannigan Lynch | Amplifier – Mon, Nov 14, 2011 12:14 PM EST
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Rocawear.comIf you were part of 1% of the 99% that was excited to paying $22 for an irony-free, corporate-made Occupy Wall Street t-shirt, then brace yourself for some bad news. Rocawear's "Occupy All Streets" tees are no longer listed on its website, probably a savvy move given the flack Jay-Z was taking for profiting off the movement without donating anything in return.Five Things We Learned From Axl Rose’s First TV Interview in a Decade
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Mon, Nov 14, 2011 11:18 AM ESTNational Metal Day (11.11.11) had its share of highlights, from the Black Sabbath reunion to that Tumblr dedicated to Spinal Tap's Nigel Tufnel. VH1 Classic's The Metal Show saved the best for last though by securing an interview with notorious media hater W. Axl Rose. The last time the Guns N' Roses singer allowed himself to be interviewed was for Billboard in the months following the release of 2008's Chinese Democracy, and even then he only granted the article because he could answer questions over email. That was Rose's first interview in a major music magazine in nearly nine years; this is his first televised Q&A in over a decade.
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