July 29, 2003

Cypress Hill is eyeing a fall release date for their first Columbia album since 2001’s “Stone Raiders.” Taking a quick break from the studio, the group is out on its first headlining mini-tour of the U.S. in nearly four years. Cypress Hill is playing several club gigs under Miller Genuine Draft’s “Pure Night Out” banner.
The group spoke to reporters before the show about a wide range of topics, including the new album, its recently-concluded supporting slot on the European leg of Eminem’s Anger Management tour and recent FCC rulings that aim to further deregulate radio station ownership. Speaking out about media conglomerates, Cypress Hill’s B-Real said, “We understand it’s a business, but it makes it harder for bands to get out there and do their thing.”
DJ Muggs said the group’s live sets will feature a lot of old material, including some favorites fans haven’t heard in years. But don’t expect to hear a sneak peak of the forthcoming album. “It doesn’t seem like hip-hop audiences are up for that,” he said.
The group added that it was listening to a lot of mix tapes and hip-hop as it puts together the new record, but didn’t go into any detail about potential guest MCs. “We’re just making the same phat product using the chemistry that got us here,” Muggs said.
Source Billboard.com.

By Christmas this year, Napster’s enigmatic cat logo will again lure consumers into downloading music. But this time it will discard its file-sharing heritage and be entirely legal, with a wealth of new capabilities.Chris Gorog, chairman and CEO of Napster’s parent company Roxio, said the completely revamped service will launch under the name Napster 2.0 to emphasize the changes.
Users will be offered their choice of how to access the company’s 500,000 tracks, including buying individual downloads, paying for professionally programd Internet radio and subscribing to receive unlimited monthly access. These options and others can be mixed to suit personal preferences.”Napster 2.0 is being built from the ground up to reflect the essence of independence and innovation that the brand is known for,” said Gorog. “Consumers want flexibility, and for the first time they will not have to choose between downloads or subscriptions.”
He thinks the two different business models are “synergistic,” although Napster’s marketing strategy was likely to emphasize individual downloads in the beginning, he said. “They’ll get involved, and after downloading 10 or 12 songs they’ll realize a subscription is far greater value,” Gorog added. “That will be especially true once people realize they can drive their home entertainment system with this product.”
He said the service also will offer a significant amount of original programming unavailable elsewhere. “We’re talking about the best ways of bringing artists into the Napster studios in Los Angeles, having them do video interviews and laying down exclusive live tracks just for our customers.”Additionally, Napster 2.0 will include several features to help in the music discovery process and to build communities.
Source etonline.com.

The Stereophonics are back with their fourth – and some say most rocking album – and are out to make good on its title. You Gotta Go There To Come Back pretty much sums up the Welsh band’s tour schedule, which finds the trio taking on Japan, North America, Europe and the U.K. all before year’s end.
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