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Justin Bieber Doesn’t Want To Work With Mariah Carey!

March 24, 2010

When you’re as successful as the Biebster you can afford to be picky, right? But dissing Mariah Carey is NOT something you want to do, Justin!

Justin Bieber’s got game – there’s no denying it. But has fame gone to the 16-year-old tween sensation’s head? He’s definitely picking a battle with the wrong person – none other than la diva herself – Ms. Mariah Carey!

Although the young singer will be collaborating with British chanteuse Corinne Bailey Rae, he knocks any chance of working with Mariah, 39. “I don’t love her new music, it’s not the same [as her old stuff],” the Canadian singer told UK paper The Sun. “It’s like Michael Jordan coming back out to play in the NBA. She is past her best.”

Ouch, Justin! You better be ready to face the wrath of both Mariah AND her hubby Nick Cannon for that one!

Although Justin may be selective when it comes to his musical collaborators, he wants the world to know that he’s just a normal kid at heart, and there’s nothing ‘diva-esque’ about him!. “I’m just a regular 16 year-old kid. I make good grilled cheese and I like girls. I have to do my homework, which is a chore,” he said.

Justin may even consider going to college! “I don’t want to limit my options, you never know how things are going to turn out.”
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Universal betting on lower prices to boost CD sales

March 23, 2010

Universal Music Group (UMG) is embarking on one of the most ambitious efforts yet to boost U.S. CD sales, with the test of a new pricing structure designed to sell most new releases by current artists at $10 or less at retail.

The major’s “Velocity” pricing program responds to the continuing plunge in CD sales, taking aim at brick-and-mortar retail stores that have scaled back on floor space dedicated to music. The pricing adjustments will also bring CD prices more in line with what consumers pay for digital albums at online retailers like iTunes and Amazon.

“We think it will really bring new life into the physical format,” Universal Music Group Distribution chairman/CEO Jim Urie says.

Universal, which accounts for 28.7 percent of year-to-date U.S. album sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan, will cut UMG’s main wholesale price point of $10.35 to about $7.50 or less for front-line releases, which are generally by established current artists. It’s also breaking with prevailing industry practice by putting suggested retail prices on CDs, ranging from $6 to $10.

UMG is betting that it can offset the loss in revenue per CD with increased sales volume and the rollout of greater numbers of higher-priced, higher-margin deluxe editions of albums. The new CD pricing structure could also spur UMG imprints to find ways to reduce CD costs, such as embracing less elaborate packaging on standard single CD releases or placing fewer songs on albums in order to reduce mechanical royalty payments to songwriters.
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