DMX
Photo: Ethan Miller/ Getty Images

A judge issued an arrest warrant for DMX (real name Earl Simmons) on Wednesday (June 28) after the rapper failed to appear in court, The Associated Press reports. "We have granted him a number of courtesies. It ends now," City Court Judge Barbara Leak said in a White Plains, New York, court. DMX's lawyer said the rapper was ill but that he would be in court Thursday. ...

Britney Spears has refused to pose nude for magazines in the past, but she said yes to Harper's Bazaar, which photographed the six-months-pregnant singer Thursday for a feature story and cover of the August issue. Photos from the shoot have already leaked online, and they reveal the singer holding her baby, lying on a terry-cloth-like robe and glamming it up in a black dress to match her new black hair. The issue hits newsstands July 25. ...

Rihanna kicks off her three-month summer tour — her first road trip as a headliner — Saturday in San Diego. The singer will be joined by Field Mob at the beginning of the trek, which makes stops in cities including Las Vegas (July 3), Cleveland (July 10), Toronto (July 16), New York (August 1), Chicago (August 10) and Detroit (September 3) before wrapping up at the Los Angeles County Fair on September 16. While she's on the road, Rihanna will also take the stage at the Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay, Jamaica (July 22), and Fashion Rocks events in Los Angeles (September 6-7) and New York (September 8). ...

Juvenile is bringing his raps to several U.S. military bases this summer. Juvi and openers the Youngbloodz will begin performing for the troops Friday at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Oahu's Kaneohe Bay. After that they'll head to Korea for five dates, ending July 11 at Camp Humphreys in Pyongtaek, South Korea. ... Lauren "LC" Conrad says she's not doing "The Hills" because she wants to be famous — she wants a job in the fashion industry. The "Laguna Beach" alumna told Seventeen for its August cover story that she hopes to create her own line, "specifically for younger girls — more fun, trendy things." But in order to make that dream come true, "you have to have a name," she said. And in order to make the show work for her, she's quit drinking. "You either have a social life or a successful career. ... Now I barely go out." LC says she's also learned that she has to be "on" all the time now, even when the cameras are off. "You can't be rude if someone comes up to you and you're just in a bad mood," she explains. "I have days where I don't want to talk to anybody. I just want to go to the grocery store and get my soup — but I can't do that without having to smile. I mean, you only get one chance to make a first impression." (Check out photos of LC in Seventeen.). ...

Waiting until July 4 to play Ozzfest's second stage wasn't working for Ozzy Osbourne, so he's decided to step into the small time three days early. Ozzy is giving up his mainstage headlining spot to make his second-stage debut Saturday at San Francisco's Shoreline Amphitheatre. ... Korn have a buy-two-get-two-free deal for fans who pick up their "Live on the Other Side" DVD. The first 70,000 copies of the disc include a voucher for two free lawn tickets to the Family Values Tour, redeemable after the purchase of two lawn tickets. ... DJ Quik surrendered to authorities in San Bernardino County, California, on Thursday and is currently in custody, serving a 150-day term for violating a probation order, according to court records. Quik was sentenced in 2005 to two years of supervised probation on charges related to a 2003 incident in which his sister alleged she was assaulted by the rapper. ...

The short, intense life of musician Jeff Buckley is headed for the big screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, writer/ director Brian Jun ("Steel City") will write and direct a feature based on Buckley's life that will be co-produced by the late musician's mother, Mary Guibert. Buckley, an emotional singer whose three-and-a-half-octave range gave his vocals a haunted, angelic quality, drowned in Memphis in 1997 at age 30. No release date or casting details have been announced. ...

Phish are bringing a little bit of Brooklyn, New York, to Burlington, Vermont, next month. The world premiere of the band's "Live in Brooklyn" concert film — shot in Coney Island on June 17, 2004 — will be hosted at Burlington's Waterfront Park on July 9. The rain-or-shine free screening starts at 8:15 p.m. Fans who can't get to Burlington (or who just prefer watching the show in multiplex comfort) can see the movie on the big screen July 10 at 9 p.m. BigScreenConcerts.com has a list of participating theaters. The "Live in Brooklyn" DVD is in stores July 11. ... Muse's Black Holes and Revelations is also due July 11, but the British band's fans don't have to wait any longer to hear the album. Their latest batch of new music is streaming in its entirety at the band's MySpace page. ...

Does bad karma smell this bad? A judge has ordered Boy George (born George O'Dowd) to spend five days working for New York's Department of Sanitation, AP reports. The singer's community service is the result of his falsely reporting to police that his apartment had been burglarized earlier this year.

06.27.2006

Britney Spears has made it clear that she wants the press to give her a break, and she told OK! Weekly magazine that she's beginning to think her pleas aren't falling on deaf ears. "With the media, it's like, 'You really just have to leave me alone right now.' I think they are getting the picture. It's a blessing and I'm really thankful for it." The pregnant singer, who poses in the magazine to accent her baby bump, says she's not sure how she'll balance family life with her music career. "I'm still trying to figure that out — taking it day by day," she explained. ...

Michael Jackson is going through another shake-up. While awaiting his civil case with former business partner Marc Schaffel, the singer has severed ties with much of his team. Jackson has fired his accountants, business managers and his Bahrani attorneys, hiring New York counsel and naming his publicist as manager instead. The singer is still planning to put out an album, which he says will be coming out in 2007, and he plans to tour within the next several months as well. And he won't be staying in the Middle East much longer — he plans to relocate to Europe in the near future, his representative said. ...

Paris Hilton frolics on a beach with a hot guy in the video for "Stars Are Blind," but she doesn't want you to think she's the kind of girl who cozies up to strangers. "It was kind of embarrassing, making out with some guy on the beach," she said. "And I'm worrying that [paparazzi] are going to use the pictures and make up some lie when it's really just a music video, so that was kind of uncomfortable." Hilton says she has readied another version of the video that will explain everything. "You see more of the love story and how I know the guy." ...

New mom Gwen Stefani knows what time it is — time to debut a line of L.A.M.B. watches. The singer/designer will have 28 timepieces in stores this July, with more due in time for the holiday season. The watches, which include pieces inspired by L.A.M.B. clothing as well as more classic signature pieces designed by Stefani, will debut at Nordstrom's before hitting department stores and boutiques worldwide. ... 50 Cent and Jermaine Dupri were named Songwriters of the Year at the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards on Monday. The rapper and the producer were each lauded for their contributions to five hit songs. LL Cool J was presented with the ASCAP Golden Note Award, while 50's "Candy Shop" took the Ringtone of the Year prize. ...

"Promiscuous" is a hit in the U.S., "Maneater" is tearing up Europe, and now Nelly Furtado is contemplating which single she'll release next. "There's this hot track that we're thinking about," Furtado told MTV Radio. "It's called 'Te Busque.' It's a Spanish track featuring Juanes from Colombia." But U.S. fans shouldn't count out "Maneater" yet. "Maybe 'Maneater' will come to the States after it's done invading Europe," she said. ... The U.S. Supreme Court decided Monday not to weigh in on the contract dispute between TVT Records and the Island Def Jam Music Group regarding Ja Rule's recording career, The Associated Press reports. Island Def Jam was originally ordered to pay TVT $132 million for backing out of a deal that would have the independent label releasing Ja Rule music. A New York appeals court voided the decision in June 2005, reducing the damages to $126,000. Lawyers for TVT sought to have the appeal overturned by the Supreme Court. ...

The Arcade Fire have recorded 15 songs for their new album and hope to make a trek to Budapest next month to record a few more with a full orchestra. That's according to frontman Win Butler, who took a break from the recording process — currently under way in a church in the band's home city of Montreal — to post an update on ArcadeFire.com. In addition to big-upping the World Cup, Butler also wrote that the bandmembers are focusing on learning to play new instruments, including "a big f---ing pipe organ. ... It's going to be really interesting [to see] how we're going to fit all of these new sounds on a tour bus." There's still no release date for the follow-up to the Arcade Fire's breakout 2004 album, Funeral, but Butler promises that he'll know more very soon. "The next couple of weeks we will be pulling our hair out," he wrote. "I will say hi when we come up for air." ...

For the first time in more than 35 years, former MC5 members Michael Davis, Wayne Kramer and Dennis Thompson will share a bill with fellow Detroit rock pioneers Iggy Pop and the Stooges. The bands are playing this year's All Tomorrow's Parties Festival, curated by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and set for December 8-10 at Butlins Minehead in Somerset, England. ... British rockers Starsailor have set an August 22 release date for their third album, On the Outside. Rob Schnapf (Beck, the Vines) produced the album in Los Angeles. ...

Leigh Nash, who used to sing for Sixpence None the Richer — remember "Kiss Me"? — is releasing her debut solo album, Blue on Blue, August 15 on her own One Son Records. Nash worked with Pierre Marchand (Sarah McLachlan, Rufus Wainwright) on the release. ... Stacie Orrico will follow up her self-titled 2003 release with Beautiful Awakening, due August 29. The first single is called "I'm Not Missing You." ... Barenaked Ladies have released online the 16 individual studio tracks for their new single, "Easy," allowing fans to easily remix the tune. The band will do the same for four more new songs and then release a benefit EP collecting its favorite fan remixes of each. The band's full-length Barenaked Ladies Are Me is due September 12.

• Lauren 'LC' Conrad In 'Seventeen' Magazine

• DMX
• Britney Spears
• Rihanna
• Juvenile
• Jeff Buckley

The Raveonettes are back on the chain gang again, the Chain Gang of Love, that is. The group's major-label debut will lead with the single "That Great Love Sound," and a dark video shot by Sophie Muller (Coldplay, Radiohead) in which the Danish duo try to kill each other.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club follow up their 2001 debut, B.M.R.C, with Take Them On, On Your Own, a rock record through and through, best seen on "Stop" and "Six Barrel Shotgun."

Linkin Park reissue their "Frat Party at the Pancake Festival," a DVD of the group's videos from Hybrid Theory, including "Crawling" and "Points of Authority," as well as concert footage and a peek into a day in the life of Linkin Park.

Jeff Buckley re-releases Live at Sin-e, except this time the album contains more than two more hours of music than the original, plus a bonus DVD featuring more music and a poem by Buckley. The extended version of the album features Buckley covering Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan and Nina Simone.

Beth Orton finds herself on The Other Side of Daybreak, a remix album of last year's Daybreaker. Orton's music gets tinkered with by the likes of the Chemical Brothers and Roots Manuva.

The soundtrack to "Party Monster," the upcoming film starring Macaulay Culkin as nightclub kingpin turned murderer Michael Alig, features "The La La Song" by Marilyn Manson, "Seventeen" by Ladytron, and such classic dance songs as Stacy Q's "Two of Hearts" and Shannon's "Give Me Tonight."

Finally, the soundtrack to the vampire flick "Underworld" mostly features new songs including material by Wes Borland, John Frusciante, A Perfect Circle and David Bowie.

Out Tuesday, September 2:

• 31knots - It Was High Time to Escape (54º40' or Fight!)
• 93 Million Miles - 93 Million Miles (EP, Simba)
• Ace - Sounds Still Hungry (Snapper)
• The Actual - Songs on Radio Idaho (Eyeball)
• Airport Girl - Do You Dream in Color? (EP, Matinee)
• Corey Andrew - We're All Stars (A1s)
• Anti-Establishment - Oi! Collection (Captain Oi!)
• Barcode - Hardcore (Progress)
• Gene Bertoncini - Acoustic Romance (Sons of Sound)
• Black Box Recorder - Passionoia (One Little Indian)
• Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Take Them On, On Your Own (Virgin)
• Michael Bolton - Vintage (Passion Group)
• Jeff Buckley - Live at Sin-e (DVD, Sony)
• Buttless Chaps - Love This Time (Mint)
• The Caseworker - These Weeks Should Be Remembered (Manifesto)
• Cerberus Shoal - Claiming the Knoblessone (North East Indie)
• Chateau - Fight to the Last (Castle)
• Jesse Cook - Nomad (Narada World)
• Chris Cortez - Hold It Right There (Blue Bamboo)
• Crackdown - Rise Up (Progress)
• Pernell Disney - Severn Way (Disney Whirl)
• Linda Eder - Storybook (Angel)
• Either Orchestra - Neo-Modernism (Accurate)
• Fingertight - In the Name of Progress (Columbia)
• Daggers - Light Up Your Daughters (Unity Squad)
• Dead End Cruisers - Patron Saints of Wheeless Lane (Unity Squad)
• Destruction Made Simple - Revolution Evolution (One Shot)
• Devante - Ready or Not (A1s)
• Disrespect - Hit the Ceiling (Progress)
• Elegy Radio Ensemble - Elegy (Chairkickers)
• Elektrofant - Flipstick (Beatservice)
• Erika - Devuelveme la Vida (WEA)
• Erotic - Million Empty Lives (A1s)
• Evil Devil - Breakfast at the Psychohouse (Crazy Love)
• F-Minus - Sweating Blood (Bridge Nine)
• Find Him and Kill Him - Cut Them to Pieces (Happy Couples Never)
• The Fitness - Call Me for Together (The Control Group)
• Five Deez - Kinkynasti (K7)
• Freebase - My Life, My Rules (Progress)
• Freedom and Whiskey - Freedom and Whiskey (Progress)
• Goldblade - Strictly Hardcore (Thick)
• Holland - Little Monsters (Wounded Bird)
• Mike Holober - Canyons (Sons of Sound)
• Jesus and Mary Chain - BBC Live in Concert (Strange Fruit)
• Danko Jones - Born a Lion (Simba)
• Mick Karn - Each Path a Remix (United States)
• Knifehandchop - Rockstopper (Tigerbeat)
• Landmine Spring - Are We the Culprits? (Abstract Sounds)
• Graham Lindsey - Famous Anonymous Wilderness (Catamount)
• Little Wings - Discover Worlds of Wonder (K)
• Lee Mallory and Joey Stec - Japan (Sound City)
• Los Halos - Leaving VA (Loveless)
• Los Kung-Fu Monkeys- End Transmission (One Shot)
• Rick McLaughlin - Study of Light (Accurate)
• The National - Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers (Brassland)
• Scout Niblett - I Am (Secretly Canadian)
• No-Man - Together We're Stranger (Snapper)
• Okkervil River- Down the River of Golden Dreams (Jagjaguar)
• Beth Orton - The Other Side of Daybreak (Astralwerks)
• Penance - Spiritualnatural (Martyr)
• The Raveonettes - Chain Gang of Love (Columbia)
  Read: "Raveonettes Attempt To Commit Murder In New Video"
• Noel Redding & Friends - Live from Bunker-Prague (Track)
• Riot Squad - Jump! (Castle)
• Rogue Nation - Sedition (Uprising)
• Dan Rose - Fountains (Midlantic)
• Roughnecks - Real Deal (Crazy Love)
• Alejandro Sanz - No Es Lo Mismo (Warner Music)
• Ken Schaphorst - Indigenous Technology (Accurate)
• Sham 69 - At the BBC (Strange Fruit)
• Naja Shiri - Dat Bomb (On the Block)
• Slipside - World Can Wait (Matinee)
• Soul-Junk - 1958 (Sounds Familyre)
• Speed Dealer - Bleed (DeAd Teenager)
• Spoken - A Moment of Imperfect Clarity (Solid State)
• Strangeways - Living in the Danger Zone (Castle)
• Stray - Time Machine: Anthology 1970-76 (Castle)
• There Were Wires - Somnambulists (EP, Iodine)
• Thou Shalt Not - The White Beyond (Dancing Ferret)
• Thug Law - Thug Life Outlawz, Chapter 2 (Riviera)
• Up to Vegas - Voodoo Truckin' (Crazy Love)
• Brad Upton - Lionheart (Black Orchid)
• The Wailing Souls - Souvenir from Jamaica (AO!)
• Woven Hand - Blush Music (Sounds Familyre)
• Richard X - Presents His X Factor, Vol. 1 (Astralwerks)
• Various artists - #1 Pop Hits (Madacy)
• Various artists - Aliens, Psychos, and Wild Things, Vol. 3 (Arcania)
• Various artists - Attack of the Killer Rock Sound (Columbia)
• Various artists - Definitive American Songbook, Vols. 1 and 2 (Capitol)
• Various artists - Fado: Exquisite Passion (Narada World)
• Various artists - Orange Twin Sampler (Orange Twin)
• Various artists - "Party Monster" soundtrack (TVT Soundtrax)
• Various artists - String Quartet Tribute to Jeff Buckley (Also John Cougar and Iron Maiden, Vitamin)
• Various artists - A Tribute to AFI (Also Ministry and Mudvayne, Big Eye)
• Various artists - "Underworld" soundtrack (Lakeshore)
• DVD: Linkin Park - Frat Party at the Pancake Festival (Warner Bros.)

September 9:

• John Mayer - Heavier Things (Sony)
  Read: "John Mayer Tries Hip-Hop With Help From Roots' ?uestlove"
  Buy Now: Heavier Things (Sony)
  
• Seal - Seal (Warner Bros.)

September 16:

• Elvis Costello - North (Universal)
• Bubba Sparxxx - Deliverance (Interscope)
  Read: "Bubba Sparxxx Softens Bumpkin Image, Teams Up With Justin For A 'Hootnanny' "
  
• Carnie Wilson - For the First Time (KMA)

October 7:

• Jin - Almost Famous (Virgin)
  Read: "Ruff Ryders' New Dog: Jin"

October 14:

• Mariah Carey - Remixes (Sony)

• Linkin Park
• The Raveonettes
• Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
• Beth Orton
• Jeff Buckley

Marilyn Manson recently shot scenes for "Beat the Devil," the next film from director Tony Scott ("True Romance"), which co-stars Gary Oldman ("Bram Stoker's Dracula") and James Brown. "I am proud to have gotten a signature from the Godfather of Soul on my very own Bible," Manson posted on his Web site. ... Sebastian Bach has signed to star in a year-long national tour of "Jesus Christ Superstar," beginning November 1 in California, according to the hard rocker's Web site. The former Skid Row frontman has previously appeared on stage in Broadway's "Jekyll & Hyde" and "The Rocky Horror Show." ...

Robbie Williams emerged victorious from a case to evict a cybersquatter who was using www.robbiewilliams.info to direct users to Oasis' Web site, according to Reuters. Howard Taylor of Southampton, England, who said his intention was to use the URL as a fan site for Williams and made the Oasis link as a joke, was required by the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization to transfer the site to Williams. ... Eleven previously unreleased tracks by crooner Jeff Buckley will be released on October 15. The album, Songs to No One, was culled from demos and live performances Buckley recorded with Gods and Monsters founder Gary Lucas. ...

Guitarist Erik Rutan has parted ways with death metal standard bearers Morbid Angel in order to focus on Hate Eternal, a project he formed in 1996. "Being in Morbid Angel for the past nine years has been the greatest time in my life," Rutan said in a statement released via Earache Records, home to both bands. ... Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted will be releasing a split CD from two of his long-running projects — IR8 and Sexoturica — through his own Chophouse imprint, according to the label's Web site. IR8 features Newsted, Tom Hunting of the Bay Area thrash band Exodus and Canadian Strapping Young Lad mastermind Devin Townsend, while Sexoturica includes Sepultura guitarist Andreas Kisser. ...

The Rolling Stones played a surprise gig in Toronto on Thursday at the Palais Royale, treating lucky fans to such Stones classics as "Wild Horses." The band has been rehearsing at a Toronto school for its upcoming world tour that kicks off on September 3 in Boston. ... Sheryl Crow, Sting, John Mellencamp and Don Henley have been confirmed to play both "Music to My Ears: In Celebration of Timothy White" concerts on October 7 in Boston and October 8 in New York. The concerts, benefiting the family of the late Billboard editor-in-chief, will also feature James Taylor and Billy Joel in Boston and Jimmy Buffet and Brian Wilson in New York, among others. ...

Course of Nature, newcomers who are currently touring with Nickelback, will appear in season premiere of "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" on the WB on September 20. In the episode, Sabrina encounters the band (fronted by Melissa Joan Hart's real-life boyfriend Mark Wilkerson) at their rehearsal space, playing their single "Caught in the Sun." ... Glenn Lewis' duet with Amel Larrieux, "What's Come Over Me," will be the third single from the "Barbershop" soundtrack, due August 27. Lewis' Hennessy Privilege Music Tour with Kelly Price and Dave Hollister kicks off September 25, ... Eddie Money, Loverboy and Survivor will hit the road on what is being dubbed the Triple Shot of Rock Tour. Opening night is August 22 in Cleveland. ...

08.16.02

Backstreet Boy Nick Carter has pushed the release of his debut solo album, Now or Never, back a week to October 29. "Help Me," the first single from the LP that features tracks written by Carter, the Matrix, Mark Taylor, Steve Mac, Max Martin and Rami, will hit radio on August 20. ... P. Diddy has started his own market research company, called Blue Mindset, which will release a national survey on a different topic each week, according to the Associated Press. Last week's debut poll was a survey on the national economy, while this week's was about September 11. ... 8Ball & MJG, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Lil' Jon & the Eastside Boys and Lady May are going on the road together for the Grey Goose Vodka Music Tour. Starting on September 17 at New York City's BB King's and ending on October 14 at Club Level in Miami, the tour has 19 confirmed dates so far. ...

LIFEbeat: The Music Industry Fights AIDS is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a benefit concert featuring the Hives, Jimmy Eat World, Sugarcult and Pete Yorn on August 28 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. Tickets and updates of performers are available at Lifebeat.org, the organization's official Web site. ... India.Arie played a free show in New York's Bryant Park on Wednesday night, according to the Associated Press. The thousands of fans who turned out for the event were treated to a preview of some new songs from the songstress' follow-up to Acoustic Soul, due next month. ...

On the heels of the release of their second single from The Guest, "Lonely Day," Phantom Planet will headline an East Coast U.S. tour beginning September 2 in Chicago and ending in Plainview, New York, on September 20. They will then tour as the opening act for Elvis Costello & the Attractions beginning September 23 in Seattle and wrapping up October 7 in Houston. ...Nickelback lead the nominees for the Prairie Music Awards in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with four honors including Entertainer of the Year. Prairie Music Week kicks off on September 26 and ends with a bang with the awards show on September 29. ...

Melissa Auf Der Maur's new project Hand of Doom, a Black Sabbath tribute band that features the ex-Hole/Smashing Pumpkins bassist on lead vocals, will release their debut album on October 22. The band also boasts Nick Oliveri (Queens of the Stone Age) handling Ronnie James Dio's lead vocals on "Mob Rule," Pedro Yanowitz (ex-Wallflowers/ Natalie Merchant drummer) behind the kit, Guy Stevens on guitar, Joey Garfield as DJ and Molly R. Stern on bass. ... Kevin Murray, the California senator working closely with Don Henley and the Recording Artists Coalition, has pulled back the state bill he introduced in January that would have abolished the music industry's exemption to a state law that prevents contracts from lasting more than seven years. Murray now plans to introduce a broader legislative package on artists' rights next year that will address accounting practices and health care and pension benefits.

• Marilyn Manson
• Sebastian Bach
• Robbie Williams
• Jeff Buckley
• Loverboy

Jeff Buckley
Photo: Columbia

Fans of the late singer/songwriter Jeff Buckley this week became the latest Napster users to find themselves booted off the file-trading service by representatives of their favorite artist.

But as it turns out, they weren't ejected for the usual reasons — such as when Dr. Dre and Metallica kicked thousands of users off Napster earlier this year for sharing songs from their albums.

The issue for Buckley's estate — which is stewarded by Buckley's mother, Mary Guibert — was not that fans were circulating the singer's commercially released recordings. Instead, the estate said it feared that fans were inadvertently violating the late singer's wishes by sharing unreleased studio tracks and live recordings that weren't up to Buckley's standards.

"Jeff made it very clear that certain songs and materials were not for publication," Fun Palace Entertainment, which handles the estate's business affairs, said in a statement released Monday to MTVi News. "He was religiously protective of the quality of the recordings released for public consumption. For Jeff's mother and those of us who work with her, his known wishes are sacrosanct." If possible, Buckley's estate simply would have banned unreleased tracks from appearing on Napster, Fun Palace said, but Napster's current policy allows only for copyright-infringing users to be banned. Instead, Fun Palace only targeted users who shared unreleased recordings, allowing those who shared the singer's commercially available material to remain on Napster.

Napster foes Metallica have taken the exact opposite approach — although they strongly object to fans trading their official recordings, Metallica have allowed them to circulate unreleased concert recordings on Napster.

Sony Music — which recently helped to ban users from Napster for sharing tracks by one of its acts, Rage Against the Machine — was not involved in the Buckley ban, although Buckley was signed to their Columbia label, according to a source close to the situation, who requested anonymity.

"Sony has occasionally experimented with doing Napster actions, but they're not aware of [the Buckley ban]," the source said. Fans who shared tracks by another Sony artist, Sade, recently were banned from Napster by Sony Music Europe, according to the source.

Rage called the banning of their fans a "horrible mistake," and said the group's management company failed to consult the band before taking action. Rage promised to help users get back onto Napster, and they released free music on their Web site to try to make amends.

Buckley's estate said it hopes the singer's fans will try to understand the reasons for the ban.

"We're not interested in waging war with understandably angry (often young) banned Napster users, whose only real 'crimes' are a fervent love of Jeff's music and ignorance of Jeff's wishes and the law," Fun Palace said in the statement. "We'd rather they were enlightened, not inflamed."

Napster, Inc. declined to comment on the Buckley ban through its spokesperson at the Girlie Action publicity firm.

Buckley — whose passionate singing style combined a near-operatic range with influences ranging from world music to Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant — drowned while swimming in the Mississippi River in Memphis, Tennessee, in May 1997 at the age of 30. He was in Memphis to record his follow-up to his debut album, 1994's Grace. Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk — a two-CD set featuring unreleased demos and music recorded during sessions for his second album — was released in 1998. A live album, Mystery White Boy, followed this year.

For complete digital music coverage, check out the Digital Music Reports.

• Jeff Buckley

Almost three years after Jeff Buckley's tragic drowning death in Memphis, Columbia Records plans to celebrate and commemorate the singer-guitarist's all-too-short career with a new live album and home video, both due out on May 9.

• "Dream Brother" (recorded in Hamburg, Germany - 3.14.95)
• "I Woke Up In A Strange Place" (recorded in Melbourne, Australia - 2.28.96)
• "Mojo Pin" (recorded in Lyon, France - 7.4.95)
• "Lilac Wine" (recorded in Melbourne, Australia - 2.28.96)
• "What Will You Say" (recorded in Lyon, France - 7.4.95)
• "Last Goodbye" (recorded in Paris, France - 7.7.95)
• "Eternal Life" (recorded in Melbourne, Australia - 2.28.96)
• "Grace" (recorded in Melbourne, Australia - 2.28.96)
• "Mood Swing Whiskey" (recorded in Melbourne, Australia - 2.28.96)
• "The Man That Got Away" (recorded in San Francisco - 5.4.95)
• "Kanga Roo" (recorded in Sydney, Australia - 9.6.95)
• "Hallelujah/ I Know It's Over" (recorded in Seattle - 5.7.95)

• "Dream Brother"
• "Lover, You Should've Come Over"
• "Mojo Pin"
• "So Real"
• "Last Goodbye"
• "Eternal Life"
• "Kick Out The Jams"
• "Lilac Wine"
• "What Will You Say"
• "Grace"
• "Vancouver (instrumental)"
• "Kanga Roo"
• "Hallelujah"

• Jeff Buckley

The late singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley was remembered by friends and fellow musicians Wednesday night at a New York

• Jeff Buckley

Beth Orton and Katell Keineg will be among the artists performing at a tribute to Jeff Buckley which will place on what would have been the late singer's 32nd birthday, Wednesday, November 17.

-- Brian Ives

• Jeff Buckley
• Katell Keineg
• Beth Orton

Like Jimi Hendrix, the late Jeff Buckley had a painfully short career, which abruptly ended in May 1997 when he drowned in Memphis. And also like Hendrix (not to mention many other late rock stars), that doesn't mean that fans won't get any more new music.

• Jeff Buckley

Singer, songwriter and occasional model Duncan Sheik will release his sophomore album, "Humming," on October 6, and the record marks Sheik's first real chance to pay tribute to his late friend, Jeff Buckley.

For "Humming," Sheik wrote and recorded "A Body Goes Down," a memorial for Buckley, who drowned while swimming in the Mississippi River in May 1997. Playing drums on that track -- and most of the rest of Sheik's album -- is Matt Johnson, who also played drums on Buckley's first record, "Grace."

As we previously reported (see "Brandy Talks About Wilhelmina/Atlantic Records Modeling Deal" ) Sheik was among the first group of artists from Atlantic Records to be paired with the Wilhelmina modeling agency, although he has yet to appear in any print or broadcasting advertisements arranged through the pact.

• Jeff Buckley
• Duncan Sheik

Shudder To Think has wrapped up the soundtrack to "First Love, Last Rites," and the result is an album that sees the group team with Smashing Pumpkins Billy Corgan, Jeff Buckley, Liz Phair, and many others.

On nine of the album's 15 tracks, the band brings in a rotating cast of singers to front the band, which in addition to Corgan, Buckley (whose last recorded work is featured on the album), and Phair features Cheap Trick's Robin Zander, Nina Persson of the Cardigans, X's John Doe, Angela McClusky of the Wild Colonials, Lena Karlsson, and Matt Johnson of The The.

As we first reported a year ago (see "Shudder To Think Know The (Film) Score"), the band took to film scoring after vocalist Craig Wedren emerged from his battle with Hodgkin's disease. After guitarist Nathan Larson provided music for the 1997 MTV News special "Abducted," the band hooked up with video director Jesse Peretz (the man behind the Foo Fighters' "Big Me" clip) to score his big screen debut, "First Love." The film stars Natasha Gregson Wagner and Giovanni Ribisi, and should arrive in August, when the soundtrack is also slated to hit stores.

When the album does arrive, here's what you'll find on it:

• "I Want Someone Badly" - with Jeff Buckley
• "Erecting A Movie Star" - with Liz Phair
• "Diamonds, Sparks & All"
• "When I Was Born, I Was Bored" - with Billy Corgan
• "Appalachian Lullaby" - with Nina Persson of the Cardigans
• "Airfield Dream"
• "Automatic Soup" - with Robin Zander of Cheap Trick
• "Lonesome Dove"
• "Speed Of Love" - with Jon Doe
• "Day Ditty" - with Angela McClusky of Wild Colonials
• "The Wedding Is Over" - with Lena Karlsson
• "Jelly On The Table" - with Matt Johnson of The The
• "Just Really Wanna See You"
• "I Want Someone Badly"
• "Final Dream"

• Jeff Buckley
• Liz Phair
• Shudder to Think
• The Smashing Pumpkins