Morning Music Notes – His Master’s Voice Has Gone Silent
HMV Goes into Administration in the UK
Music retailer HMV, with 239 stores in the UK and Ireland, has gone bankrupt (aka ‘entered administration’ in the UK) after one final push to secure funding did not work (via Yahoo). Accounting firm Deloitte will cook the books try and keep the stores open as they look for a buyer.
HMV was first opened on Oxford Street in London in 1921, and became a massive and recognizable music store. After great heights in the 1990s, online music and the lack of physical album purchases led to a decline in sales. Even a shift to DVDs and games couldn’t help out HMV. Is this a surprise? Sadly, no – people in Toronto know all about the closing of music stores (goodbye Sam the Record Man and Tower Records, to name a few).
Guess Who Tied a Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen Chart Record? Calvin Harris. Who?!
Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, has had a massive 7 tracks from the same album reach the top 10 in the charts, tying a record with better known dudes like Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen. Harris’ track, Drinking from the Bottle (which flu doctors everywhere hate), hit number 5 in the UK, making it the seventh track in the top 10. The other 2 albums are Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA (via Gigwise).
Pharrell Williams Sues Over His Qream with a Q Alcoholic Beverage
Pharrell Williams is an all-star producer and member of the Neptunes and N.E.R.D. But did you also know he has an alcoholic beverage with Diageo? It’s called Qream with a Q – he’s a beats maker, not a name maker – and he is suing Diageo for claiming that they didn’t distribute the drink as per their contract (via Hollywood Reporter). He is seeking a cool $5 Million, and a lifetime supply of limes for his beverages.
The lawsuit claims that Diageo told Williams that it would stop distributing Qream after two years, while Williams claims he “turned away other concrete opportunities to collaborate with other alcoholic beverage distributors on a partnership, in favor of proceeding with Diageo.” The matter will be settled over an epic match of beer pong.
Listen! Cold War Kids – Miracle Mile
California band Cold War Kids are about to release album number 4. Rather than tease us with that only that news, which is something cruel that I would do, the band have released the track Miracle Mile as well. The upbeat number features piano, guitars, and a big, soaring chorus – what’s not to like? The album, Dear Miss Lonelyhearts, is out on April 1.
