Music Industry Forum

New Years Eve Shows

A quick round up of some shows happening on New Years Eve:
 
Atlanta: Gym Class Heroes, TPain, Lil’ Wayne at Philips Arena, The 
Whigs at Variety Playhouse and Julianne Hough at Underground Atlanta
 
New York City: Chuck Berry at BB Kings and My Morning Jacket at 
Madison Square Garden Arena
 
Los Angeles: Stone Temple Pilots at Club Nokia
 
Nashville: Lynyrd Skynyrd and Trace Adkins at Sommet Center CANCELED
 
Chicago: Hum at Double Door and Blues Traveler at House of Blues
 
Las Vegas: Akon at House of Blues and Kid Rock at The Palms
 
Denver: Widespread Panic at Pepsi Center

Any suggestions of other shows?  Leave them in the comments below...

James Taylor schedules 5 free concerts for Obama

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- James Taylor will play five free concerts in North Carolina as he tours the state to support Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Taylor has concerts scheduled in Charlotte, Asheville, Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Wilmington beginning Sunday. Taylor, who was raised in Chapel Hill, has at times used his musical celebrity to highlight political candidates in the state.

The Grammy winner will encourage Obama supporters to get out and vote early. One-stop voting begins Thursday in North Carolina.

Obama has been heavily investing in North Carolina to try and swing a state that hasn't voted for a Democratic president since 1976. Republican rival John McCain has been increasing his presence to defend the state.

American Music Award Nominees Announced

2008 American Music Awards (AMAs) host Jimmy Kimmel and recording artists Julianne Hough and Jesse McCartney revealed the American Music Awards nominees this morning from the Beverly Hills Hotel (see full list of nominees below). Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Taylor Swift, the Pussycat Dolls and New Kids on The Block were also announced as performers for the 36th annual AMAs, joining previously named performers the Jonas Brothers and P!nk. Additional acts and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks.

The live broadcast will take place at the NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23rd (8:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) on ABC. Tickets are now on sale (please visit http://www.ticketmaster.com or call 1-877-AEG-TICKETS).

For the second year, winners will be determined by online voting at amavote.com, the official voting location (votes will be collected from October 14 to November 7). Artists will be honored in the categories of Pop/Rock, Country, Rap/Hip-Hop, Soul/R&B, Alternative, Adult Contemporary, Latin and Contemporary Inspirational. Fans can go to the official homepage of the "2008 American Music Awards," ama.abc.com, to find performer and presenter announcements, artist information, etc ...

Music fans will also be able to vote for the T-Mobile "Breakthrough Artist" Award. The nominees for this special award are Colbie Caillat, Flo Rida, Jonas Brothers, Paramore and The-Dream. Fans can vote at amavote.com and/or via text-message for T-Mobile customers (Standard text-messaging rates apply). Voting for the T-Mobile Breakthrough Artist Award begins November 10th and concludes during the American Music Awards on November 23rd.

Alicia Keys leads the pack this year with five nominations, Favorite Female Artist in both the Pop/Rock and Soul/R&B categories, two Favorite Album nominations for her album, As I Am, in the Pop/Rock and Soul/R&B categories as well as an Artist of the Year nod. Coldplay garnered four nominations this year, Favorite Artist in the Alternative Rock category, Favorite Band Duo or Group and Favorite album, for Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends, in the Pop/Rock category and Artist of the Year. Eagles also earned four nominations; Favorite Band Duo or Group and Favorite Album in the Pop/Rock category, Favorite Artist in the Adult Contemporary category and Artist of the Year. In addition to Alicia Keys, Coldplay and Eagles; Lil Wayne and Chris Brown round out the 2008 Artist of the Year nominees.

Larry Klein, AMA producer stated, "From our nominees to performances, to Jimmy Kimmel's humor, this year's AMA's is sure to be a great evening. The show is a true reflection of popular culture and what is current to consumers of live and recorded music."

Orly Adelson, dick clark productions president stated, "Our 2008 show's impressive roster of talent makes November 23 a must-see night for any music fan; this is what is special about the AMA's. No matter what type of music you enjoy, the American Music Awards always delivers the hottest acts across all music genres. It is a music lover's night to celebrate."

About the Voting --

Initial nominees were selected by using ballots containing names compiled from data supplied by the music industry trade publication, Radio & Records and Nielsen Soundscan, which tracks retail music sales. The ballots were then sent to a national sampling of more than 15,000 people based among other things on what type of music they listen to, what they buy and how many albums they purchase per year. The top three vote getters in each category were determined to be the nominees for this year's American Music Awards (except in the Artist of the Year and T-Mobile Breakthrough categories which each have five Nominees). Winners will be determined by online voting at ama.abc.com as well as at amavote.com (votes will be collected from October 14 to November 7).

FINAL NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2008 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS

POP/ ROCK MUSIC

1. FAVORITE MALE ARTIST

1. Chris Brown
2. Kid Rock
3. Usher

2. FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST

1. Mariah Carey
2. Alicia Keys
3. Rihanna

3. FAVORITE BAND, DUO OR GROUP

1. Coldplay
2. Eagles
3. Daughtry

4. FAVORITE ALBUM

1. Coldplay/ Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
2. Eagles/ Long Road Out of Eden
3. Alicia Keys/ As I Am

COUNTRY MUSIC

5. FAVORITE MALE ARTIST

1. Garth Brooks
2. Kenny Chesney
3. Brad Paisley

6. FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST

1. Reba McEntire
2. Taylor Swift
3. Carrie Underwood

7. FAVORITE BAND, DUO OR GROUP

1. Brooks & Dunn
2. Rascal Flatts
3. Sugarland

8. FAVORITE ALBUM

1. Garth Brooks/ The Ultimate Hits
2. Rascal Flatts/ Still Feels Good
3. Carrie Underwood/Carnival Ride

RAP/HIP-HOP MUSIC

9. FAVORITE MALE ARTIST

1. Flo Rida
2. Lil Wayne
2. Kanye West

10. FAVORITE BAND, DUO OR GROUP

1. G Unit
2. Three 6 Mafia
3. Wu-Tang Clan

11. FAVORITE ALBUM

1. Jay-Z/American Gangster
2. Lil Wayne/ Tha Carter III
3. Kayne West/ Graduation

SOUL/RHYTHM & BLUES MUSIC

12. FAVORITE MALE ARTIST

1. Chris Brown
2. J. Holiday
3. Usher

13. FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST

1. Mary J. Blige
2. Alicia Keys
3. Rihanna

14. FAVORITE ALBUM

1. Mary J. Blige/ Growing Pains
2. Mariah Carey/ E=MC2
3. Alicia Keys/ As I Am

SOUNDTRACKS

15. FAVORITE ALBUM

1. Alvin And The Chipmunks
2. Juno
3. Mamma Mia!

ALTERNATIVE ROCK MUSIC

16. FAVORITE ARTIST
1. Coldplay
2. Foo Fighters
3. Linkin Park

ADULT CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

17. FAVORITE ARTIST

1. Daughtry
2. Eagles
3. Jordin Sparks

LATIN MUSIC

18. FAVORITE ARTIST

1. Enrique Iglesias
2. Juanes
3. Wisin Y Yandel

CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL

19. FAVORITE ARTIST

1. Casting Crowns
2. MercyMe
3. Third Day

20. T-MOBILE BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST

Colbie Caillat
Flo Rida
Jonas Brothers
Paramore
The-Dream

21. ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Lil Wayne
Chris Brown
Alicia Keys
Eagles
Coldplay

Beastie Boys to tour swing states

Beastie Boys have confirmed selected dates through the crucial swing states of the upcoming election. Joining the punk rock-meets-hip hop band in various markets will be Sheryl Crow, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Norah Jones, Crosby & Nash, Santogold, Tenacious D, and special guests.

Stops include Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Va. (October 28), Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul, Minn. (November 1), and U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee, Wis. (November 2). For ticket information, check BeastieBoys.com

Representatives from the Rock The Vote will be on hand at each stop to distribute information on local polling sites, including early voting locations.