Pharrell Williams, Robert Plant to play Latin Lollapaloozas

NEW YORK | Robert Plant and Pharrell Williams will be among the Lollapalooza headliners in March in Argentina, Brazil and Chile, among the first dates on the global festival calendar.

The South American editions of Lollapalooza, which started as a traveling alternative rock festival before finding a permanent home in Chicago and expanding overseas, will take place in Santiago on March 14-15, in Buenos Aires on March 21-22 and in Sao Paulo on March 28-29.

The headliners — the same for all three venues — include Williams, who is known for his global smash hit “Happy,” and Plant, the legendary vocalist of Led Zeppelin who this year released his first album of new material in a decade.

Other headliners include the Smashing Pumpkins, the 1990s alternative scene heroes who are soon releasing a new album, along with White Stripes rocker Jack White and the DJ Calvin Harris.

The Lollapalooza South American lineups, which were announced Monday by organizers, offer an idea of some of the musicians who are likely to be on the global festival circuit throughout 2015.

Lollapalooza, founded by Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell in 1991, earlier announced an expansion to Europe next year with a September 12-13 edition in Berlin.

The number of festivals has grown around the world in recent years, with big musical showcases increasingly becoming a vital source of revenue for artists.

source: interaksyon.com

Marvin Gaye’s family sues Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams over ‘Blurred Lines’

LOS ANGELES | Family of late soul singer Marvin Gaye sued R&B recording artists Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams for copyright infringement on Wednesday, accusing them of stealing from the Motown legend’s musical composition for the hit single “Blurred Lines.”

The suit was filed as a counter-claim to a case brought preemptively by Thicke and Williams in August seeking a court ruling to establish that “Blurred Lines” did not infringe on Gaye’s rights to his 1977 hit, “Got to Give it Up,” as members of his family had said publicly.

The suit by three of Gaye’s children cited excerpts of magazine interviews given by Thicke to support their contention that he had admitted to drawing on “Got to Give it Up” when producing and recording “Blurred Lines.”

Thicke sang the raunchy, percussive R&B song, which topped song charts around the world this year and ranked as the biggest U.S. pop hit of the summer, at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards in a provocative performance featuring pop singer Miley Cyrus.

Gaye’s daughter, Nona Marvisa Gaye, and his sons Frankie Christian Gaye and Marvin Gaye III also said in the suit that Thicke’s 2011 song “Love After War” amounted to “unlawful copying” of Gaye’s 1976 song “After the Dance.”

Their lawsuit also named Thicke’s wife, actress Paula Patton, who collaborated with her husband on “Love After War,” along with Interscope Records, Universal Music Group Recordings and Sony/ATV Music, among others.

The suit further accuses EMI, which also happens to manage the copyrights for Gaye’s music, of breach of contract and trust agreements.

The family is seeking damages of up to $150,000 per infringement as well as a portion of the profits from the success of “Blurred Lines” and “Love After War.”

source: interaksyon.com