Melody Plant

In the wake of the passing of the King of Pop Michael Jackson, a realization comes to light as his music soars through the charts. In the past couple of days since his passing, the singer’s albums and singles have taken over the top 10 lists of almost every major music downloading site, including iTunes and Amazon. Michael’s biggest hits has since held 6 top spots on the iTunes list of top 10 songs and his 2005 5-disc retrospective release, ‘The Essential Michael Jackson’ took the top album spot. The late music icon is even more prevalent on Amazon as all the top 10 albums are currently all his.

The Veronicas are set to perform their single “Take Me On The Floor” live next week on So You Think You Can Dance! The Aussie duo will grace the stage of the results show on Thursday, June 25th. Tune in at 9pm (check local listings for more info) to see Lisa and Jess bring their electro-pop goodness to FOX’s dance phenomenon.
Watch the video for the track here and be sure to head over to iTunes to download your copy of the single today. Visit TheVeronicas.com for photos, tour dates and video updates.

“Take Me On The Floor” video:
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=58460771

Ashley Tisdale has just released a new music video for her new single ‘It’s Alright, It’s Ok’. In the video, Ashley is seen sharing a laugh with her new boyfriend/music video director Scott Speer. The single is now available on iTunes. The 23-year old singer and actress will be dropping her new album ‘Guilty Pleasure’ on June 16th. She talked about her upcoming album on her official website saying “I put to rest a lot of baggage from a previous relationship by venting about the frustration. Everyone can relate to those moments. That song is about how you need to stand up for yourself and not let someone walk all over you; it’s a message I wanted to get across to girls.”

Apple threatened to shut down iTunes in light of the Copyright Royalty Board in Washington DC considering a motion to increase the royalty rate paid by Apple to music publishers and record labels from 9 cents to 15 cents. However, the board rejected the raise in payouts but did not back up Apple’s suggestion of lowering rates. As of now, publishers will continue to receive their 9 out of 99 cents that iTunes charges for songs. iTunes VP Eddy Cue said that “Apple has repeatedly made clear it is in the business to make money and most likely would not continue to operate iTunes store if it were no longer possible to do so profitably.” In short, Apple wants to pay artists less so they can make more.

New Kids On The Block’s new track, “Single,” featuring Ne-Yo is available now on iTunes as is the pre-order for The Block which hits stores September 2nd and features the mellow jam “Summertime” as well as collaborations with some of the biggest names in pop music. In addition to “Single” with R&B superstar Ne-Yo, other collaborations include “Grown Man” (with The Pussycat Dolls and uber-producer Teddy Riley), “Put It on My Tab” (with the ubiquitous Akon), “Big Girl Now” (with NY dance-pop diva Lady GaGa) and the much-buzzed about “Full Service” (with fellow supergroup New Edition).

NKOTB will support The Block with a sold-out tour that started on September 18th in Toronto and continues through the end of November. NKOTB are also gearing up for an exclusive 90-minute live event, “New Kids on the Block: A Behind The Music Special Event” premiering on VH1. In a first-of-its-kind production, the special will celebrate the history of the New Kids On The Block while also documenting what inspired their 2008 reunion in their own words. Interspersed throughout the special will be live reports from Boston, counting down until VH1 airs a live broadcast of the first three songs from the world renowned group’s sold out concert at the TD Banknorth Garden in their hometown of Boston, Massachusetts.

I said, in not so many words, that Madonna was going to win over Mariah Carey in their unofficial diva battle. An industry expert explains why that is so. Mariah always gets to go first, with her song being on radio for more than a month while Madonna’s has only been on for a week. Mariah’s album also comes out before Madonna’s. Mariah’s song dropped on iTunes a day before Madonna’s. All that really means is that Mariah will have a strong first week and go down while Madonna’s will gain airplay and get stronger as Mariah drops. In short, Madonna still wins in the end.

With record stores going on respirators with the falling record sales, it shouldn’t be a wonder why a lot of artists are going digital with their releases. And it doesn’t apply to just the new artists. Take the Spice Girls as an example.

The 90s super girl group recently announced that their new Greatest Hits album wouldn’t be sold in traditional retail outlets. Their new record will only be available at online retailers, like iTunes, and Victoria’s Secret stores. Ladies, don’t forget to buy some lingerie while you’re at it.

Maybe they’re getting money from the store too just like a lot of artists being sponsored by retail brands.