iLike Press Coverage

LiveDaily "Year End: 2008 music news in review"

[Excerpt]

Year End: 2008 music news in review

By Tara Hall / LiveDaily Contributor

From extended tour plans to multiple court appearances, artists stayed busy in 2008.

One of the most innovative aspects of the year: album drops. Following in the footsteps of Radiohead [ tickets ]'s groundbreaking name-your-price digital release of "In Rainbows" in late 2007, a slew of artists unveiled new albums on similar terms, including Paul Westerberg [ tickets ]'s 49-cent release and two projects from Nine Inch Nails [ tickets ] mastermind Trent Reznor--one freebie ("The Slip") and another 36-track collection ("Ghosts I-IV") with various buying options. Multiple concert sell-outs for some resulted in longer stints on the road, while others nixed shows due to physical aliments and mental health issues. AC/DC returned and notched one of the top-selling albums of the year, despite the fact that it was a Wal-Mart exclusive. Madonna [ tickets ] notched the year's top-grossing North American tour. The cherry on top for many a music fan: the long-waited release of Guns N' Roses [ tickets ]' "Chinese Democracy," more than 10 years in the making.

Here's a month-by-month look at the major news stories of 2008.

March

R.E.M. streamed their new album, "Accelerate," at iLike.com as a preview for fans. Madonna debuted "4 Minutes," the first single from her April release "Hard Candy," in a television commercial for Sunsilk hair products. The Raconteurs released their sophomore album, "Consolers of the Lonely," just a couple weeks after its completion. XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio received approval from the Department of Justice to complete their $4.6 billion merger. Dr. Pepper offered a free soda to everyone in the country if Axl Rose released the long-awaited Guns N' Roses album, "Chinese Democracy," anytime in 2008. Rapper T.I. pled guilty to federal weapons charges in an effort for lighter sentencing come March 2009. U2 and Live Nation entered into a 12-year contract covering touring, merchandising and the band's website.

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(USA Today) Franti offers free 'Obama Song'

Just in: Michael Franti & Spearhead’s Obama Song, a tribute to the president elect Barack Obama, is available now for free download (MP3 format) at www.iLike.com/franti. 

(Live Daily) "Linkin Park is 'iLiked' by millions"

Linkin Park is 'iLiked' by millions

By Suzanne Kayian / LiveDaily Contributor

Linkin Park is the first band to be added by more than 4 million fans to their social networking profiles via iLike, the dominant music application on Facebook, according to a press release.

The 4-million iLike milestone essentially makes Linkin Park the most popular band on the music-discovery service. "Surpassing an online fan community of 4 million is a significant accomplishment, even for a prodigious band, and it's a testament to Linkin Park's commitment to cultivating a connection with their fans," iLike CEO Ali Partovi said in a statement. "This is not only the largest fan base on iLike, it may also be the largest fan community that any artist has built anywhere on the Internet."

Fans who join Linkin Park's iLike fan community will begin receiving notifications when the band posts new content for syndication across the web. They also will be alerted when the band posts new concert dates and will have immediate access to exclusive video messages from the band as well as other music and content.

In other Linkin Park news, the band was recently honored with an American Music Award for "Favorite Artist - Alternative Rock Music."

(MTV.com) "U2, Jay-Z, Coldplay And More Help Launch (RED)WIRE On World AIDS Day"

U2, Jay-Z, Coldplay, John Legend and Death Cab for Cutie helped launch the new music service (RED)WIRE today with exclusive performances to help fight AIDS in Africa in celebration of World AIDS Day. The premiere of exclusive songs on MSN.com also included performances from Dixie Chicks, the Killers and Elton John, the Police and Elvis Costello, and Sheryl Crow.

 

The exclusives are part of the launch of (RED)WIRE, a digital magazine that will be delivered to members’ desktops every Wednesday with music from artists from around the world, including exclusive weekly tunes from major acts as well as songs from up-and-coming acts and special content ranging from digital shorts to photographs or readings from artists or actors. Half of the $5 monthly subscription fee for the magazine will go directly to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. If you join before December 10, you can become a “Founding Member” of (RED)WIRE and receive the premiere issue on that day, as well as a special bonus song from Jay-Z.

 

Content from (RED)WIRE will also be regularly posted on the iLike social-discovery service for streaming and sampling and syndicated to iLike’s 30 million registered users.

(Digital Music News) "The Official (RED)WIRE Release: iLike, MSN, W Hotels On Board"

December 1, 2008

The splashy (RED)Wire charitable initiative is now officially debuting, a move that coincides with World AIDS Day.  The initiative, first reported by Digital Music News in early October <http://digitalmusicnews.com/stories/100608red> , is being spearheaded by Bono, backend provider Passalong Networks, and ex-Starbucks and Hear Music pioneer Don MacKinnon.

Now, that participant list also includes MSN, iLike, and the W Hotel chain.  On the artist side, the celebrity-heavy list includes U2, Jay-Z, Coldplay, John Legend, Dixie Chicks, The Killers, Elton John, The Police, Elvis Costello, Death Cab for Cutie and Sheryl Crow.  Exclusive content and performances from those artists can be found at red.msn.com throughout the day on Monday, December 1st.

Then, the action shifts towards an ongoing, magazine-style approach.  Every Wednesday, subscribers will receive a small package of songs and related content.  The monthly subscription fee is $5, half of which is being donated to the Global Fund <http://www.theglobalfund.org>  to fight AIDS in Africa.  The premiere issue, scheduled for delivery December 10th, will feature an exclusive track from Jay-Z.

The W Hotel is joining as a promotional partner, a commitment that involves kick-off parties at various locations throughout the United States.

(USA Today) "Musical (RED) Wire likes iLike

Bono’s new digital music service, (RED) Wire, has picked social networking website iLike for it’s official artist-to-fan outlet. The initiative, which launches today and offers exclusive tracks on iTunes, is the latest effort from Project RED, which raises money to fight AIDS in Africa. (RED) Wire content will be available for streaming and sampling on iLike.