Court Decides Custody of Michael Jackson's Children

Jackson's mother, Katherine, also asked for more say in guiding the matters of Jackson's estate, which has been valued at more than $500 million but is expected to grow given the huge demand for his music since he died of cardiac arrest.
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Lil Wayne's Young Money Tour Carries On Without Drake

Billboard reports: Lil Wayne's Young Money Presents: America's Most Wanted Music Festival hit Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre in New York Saturday night (Aug. 1) without the rapper's protege Drake, who took a nasty onstage spill the night before and aggravated an already-serious knee injury.

Though news and footage of Drake's fall had permeated the Internet by Saturday afternoon, most fans gasped in dismay when Lil Wayne announced midway through his set that Drake would not take the stage.

"We had a technical difficulty yesterday," Wayne told the crowd. "[Drake] fell...he's going into surgery tomorrow, so y'all keep him in your prayers." - more including the video

Brother Ali Teases Us

PR reports: Brother Ali's new record Us is out September 22nd on Rhymesayers Entertainment. Watch the teaser video for the title track here

A profound personal glimpse into a vulnerability seldom seen or heard in music, Us touches on the strengths and flaws of the human condition, exploring drug abuse, divorce, homophobia and many more topics that most people are scared to touch in their own lives, much less on an album for the world to see.

As with previous endeavors, the beats here are courtesy of Ant, whose production work seems to be getting more soulful and lush by the minute. The guest appearances only accentuate Brother Ali's strengths, with Chuck D, Freeway, Joell Ortiz and Stokley Williams of Mint Condition making strong appearances. - more on this story

Maia Sharp Releasing New Album

PR reports: Maia Sharp has written songs for Bonnie Raitt, the Dixie Chicks, Keb' Mo', Trisha Yearwood and numerous other artists. But with the August 11th release of Echo, her fourth full-length solo album, the spotlight is on her.

Lead single "John Q. Lonely" was #1 Most Added in its first two weeks at Triple A radio and is generating Top 5 phones in cities such as San Diego, CA, Charleston, SC, Pittsburgh, PA and Portland, ME, among others. Produced by Don Was and released by Crooked Crown Records, Echo features Jim Keltner on drums throughout and Bonnie Raitt on background vocals on the track "Death By Perfection."

Sharp is in the midst of a highly successful U.S. headlining tour, selling out numerous shows and drawing more than 1,000 fans to Los Angeles' Pershing Square last Thursday night. - more on this story

MySpace Passion Pit

PR reports: Check out MySpace Music's latest "Transmissions" session featuring Cambridge-based electro-pop band Passion Pit. Since first emerging onto the music scene in late 2007, Passion Pit has been met with support and encouragement from the MySpace Music community and has received consistent exposure on the site through featured artist promotions, the exclusive premiere of their debut album "Manners," and even a special segment in the launch episode of the MySpace Music Feed, the company's weekly news program.

Passion Pit's "Transmissions" is now live at http://www.myspace.com/transmissions, and will allow all MySpace users to download free, stripped-back renditions of the songs performed and recorded during the session, including: 1) "Sleepyhead" 2) "Moth's Wings" 3) "Little Secrets" 4) "I've Got Your Number"

You can catch Passion Pit performing at several summer festivals including Lollapalooza, Monolith, Austin City Limits & Treasure Island, and they'll join Phoenix in September for two SummerStage shows on Sept 25th and 26th.

For more information and tour dates, visit the band's - official MySpace Music profile

Jer Coons Speaks

PR reports: While most kids his age study for midterms, singer-songwriter Jer Coons studies pop. While most twenty-year-old guys attend shows to sneak drinks and hit on girls, Jer Coons watches from the back, observing the guitarist's pedal board and the singer's in-ear monitors (the girls then approach him - an old trick). While most young people pick the music they listen to because it is trendy, Jer Coons listens asking, "What makes this popular" and "Are my songs as memorable?" Despite his idiosyncrasies, from every tweet he posts to every lyric he writes, Jer Coons is instantly familiar and engaging.

Two decades into life, it seems Jer's studies have finally paid off. The young Vermonter will release his debut CD Speak on September 29. From the graceful power chords of the title track that open the album to the closing, endearing ballad "The Only Trace," listener's can hear Jer's persona captured within each song. There are no "album tracks" or "filler tracks" as they all stand alone as well-executed pop songs, crafted with maturity well beyond Jer's years. His backing band of musicians - all Vermonters as well - keep the songs radio friendly without playing anything they can't recreate live; a feat that many bands spend their whole career trying to achieve.

Though Speak isn't out until fall, the world got a little taste of Jer Coons this June. His first slick and impossibly catchy single "Legs", was featured on the Hollister June in-store play list. While other artists have songs that find their way into a store, most don't get the same reaction. As the song played through out the day in over 6,000 stores, his MySpace plays skyrocketed to over 4,500 per day with "Legs" alone getting 3,000+. All this traffic has turned Jer into the 3rd most popular artist on MySpace from the Green Mountain State after Phish and Grace Potter. At the same time he sold over advance 4,000 singles across the month of June on iTunes. All this is without any other promotion. - more on this story

Rob Murat Debut

PR reports: Rob Murat, a New York-bred R&B singer, composer, and producer, is very proud to announce the release of his debut album, So Much To Say. The album, a completely independent release, is available via Rob Murat's own production company, Quench Entertainment Group Inc.

Rob Murat joins the newest breed of today's musicians - do-it-all and do-it-yourself, informed and headstrong, tackling all the ever-changing facets of the music industry at once. While understanding the business side of music is crucial for an artist's career, Rob Murat realizes that the music still comes first. He encompasses a triple-threat of skills as a singer, songwriter, and producer - a quality that gives his apt production and original, genre-blending compositions a unique cohesiveness.

His debut album, So Much To Say, is the epitome of Rob's unique style, "There are many different ways to get a point across musically than are typically used. Being involved in music seemingly ever since birth, I've been exposed to quite a few musical styles. I began playing the piano at the age of 8, I played the trumpet in bands and orchestras, and I directed and sang in choirs and a cappella groups. I grew up in a Caribbean household, so you definitely hear Caribbean influences in some of my songs. And on the other end of the spectrum I'm a Hip Hop head." - more on this story

Trinumeral Music and Arts Festival

PR reports: Trinumeral Productions and Under One Beat Entertainment is proud to announce the 9th annual Trinumeral Music and Arts Festival, taking place at Deerfields Retreat & Music Park in Mills River, NC. The event which takes place September 9th through September 13, kicks off with The Official Trinumeral 9*9*9 Launch Party at the Orange Peel on Wednesday, 9*9*9 in Downtown Asheville. The rest of the weekend will be staged at the majestic Deerfields Music Park, just twenty minutes south of Asheville. Trinumeral is the only major music event this summer at Deerfields, which is known as the premier outdoor music venue in the Southeast US, and is truly one of the most pristine and gorgeous concert locations.

This year's festival features some of the hottest electronic music acts in the country, as well as a strong line up of regional bands, DJs, musicians, sculptors, visual artists and more. Topping the bill for the weekend are the San Francisco based producer collective, The Glitch Mob, and the wildly popular live breakbeat producer, Pretty Lights. The Glitch Mob, which is the brainchild of west coast producers, Ooah, edIT, & Boreta, all noted fixtures in the West Coast underground scene, have made a name for themselves with their relentless sonic assault on the dance floor, complete with ferocious drums, catastrophic sub bass, and otherworldly sounds. This summer has seen the act grow in to one of the top touring draws, and they just finished a full tour sharing the bill with the legendary techno pioneers the Prodigy, as well as stealing the show at this year's Rothbury Festival with their dynamic late night set.

Pretty Lights is the musical vision of the versatile Colorado-based producer Derek Vincent Smith. Fresh off one of the most talked about sets at Bonnaroo, Pretty Lights has been touring constantly in support of their debut album, "Filling Up the City Skies." The album has been downloaded over 30,000 times, helping Pretty LIghts become a household name in the electronic music genre. But it is in the live setting where the music truly shines. In just a few short years, Pretty Lights has gone from an unknown act to headlining some of the biggest festivals in the country and selling out clubs in almost every city on their tour. - more on this story

Bloody Beetroots Release Debut

PR reports: From "Butter" to "Cornelius" to the Steve Aoki assisted "Warp 1.9," The Bloody Beetroots have put out banger after banger in the past year, dominating clubs and inspiring countless remixes. These tracks, along with a heap of brand new gems will make up The Beetroots' highly anticipated debut album, Romborama. out August 25th on Dim Mak Records.

In addition to Aoki, the album also boasts guest appearances by as The Cool Kids, Justin Pearson (The Locust, Head Wound City), Ed Banger artist Vicarious Bliss, and many more.

Since bursting onto the scene in 2007, The Bloody Beetroots, a.k.a. Italian producer and polymath Bob Rifo, has brought a sense of danger to dance floors across the globe. Armed with an endless supply of infectious beats, Rifo injects his thunderous grooves with the chaos and larger-than-life persona of late 70's British punk and Oi! - more on this story

Har Mar Superstar Return

Girlie reports: After a five year hibernation since 2004's The Handler, Har Mar Superstar, sexy as ever, is ready to unleash Dark Touches on the masses (on October 13th, since the PR didn't bother to include in the text).

On Dark Touches, Sean Tillmann – the singer, songwriter, and producer behind the Har Mar moniker – delivers his most club-friendly collection of jams yet. Tillmann's silky smooth croon and tongue-in-cheek lyrics lead a nonstop dance party that blends everything from synth-pop to R&B, with ample hooks around every corner.

Dark Touches builds a bridge between the worlds of indie and top 40 dance music, thanks in part to an eclectic group of collaborators. The albums many guests include John Fields (Andrew WK, Jonas Brothers, Rooney), The Faint's beatmakers Clark Baechle and Jacob Thiele, singer-songwriter Adam Green, P.O.S. of the Rhymesayers collective, Neon Neon's Boom Bip, Flowers of Doom, and Samaire Armstrong. The Bird and The Bee's Greg Kurstin, who has also produced tracks for Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, and Lily Allen, co-wrote and lent his studio wizardry to "Tall Boy." The track was originally intended for Spears and, with the unchanged lyrics, takes on a vibrant new life in the hands of Har Mar. - more on this story

Shonen Knife North American Tour

PR reports: What follows is a long winded announcement for Shonen Knife's North American tour that takes a while to get to the point. So we figured we'd tell you up front, so you knew what in the hell was going on here. Here is the announcement:

Shonen Knife is the legendary all-female Japanese pop-punk band formed in Osaka, Japan in 1981. Heavily influenced by 1960s girl groups, pop bands, and early punk rock acts, such as The Beach Boys and The Ramones, the trio plays stripped-down songs with infectious melodies and simplistic, exuberant lyrics sung both in Japanese and English. Despite their pop-oriented nature, the trio maintains a distinctly underground garage rock sound rooted in edgy instrumentation and D.I.Y. aesthetics. The bands twenty-seven-year career has seen them tour the world with Nirvana (on the Nevermind tour), Sonic Youth, The Breeders and as part of Lollapolooza. They recorded sessions for John Peel, appeared on MTV's Beavis and Butthead, 120 minutes, the Conan O'Brian show and recorded "Buttercup (I'm a Supergirl)" for that for the hugely popular cartoon 'The Powerpuff Girls'.

Shonen Knife's return to being a trio. Since the original member and bassist Atsuko moved to Los Angeles and left the band, Naoko and Etsuko played with support bassists. On the new album Super Group, support bassist Ritsuko has joined the band as an official member. Now Shonen Knife has become a 3 piece band again and a super group was born. - more on this story

Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds The Game

PR reports: With Quentin Tarantino's latest WWII ensemble, Inglourious Basterds, less than a month from release, everyone is encouraged to nurture their inner soldier by playing Inglourious Basterds: The Game.

Pick up your bat and fight like Sargent Donny Donowitz, aka: "The Bear Jew" played by actor, director and writer Eli Roth.

Players who tally the highest scores from August 3rd to August 4th at 9am, will be in the running to win a pair of tickets to the Los Angeles premiere of the highly anticipated film. - Play Inglourious Basterds: The Game at the soundtrack's official site

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