Glee Star Found Dead

In a police press conference, Acting Police Chief Doug LePard said the cause of death had not be confirmed, but there were no indications of foul play. An autopsy has been set for Monday. more on this story

Lady Gaga Announces 'ARTPOP' Release Details

(popmusiclife) Lady Gaga has revealed the release plans for her new album, "ARTPOP." The album – and accompanying app – will be released on November 11; the project's first single will debut August 19.

The app is described as "a musical and visual engineering system that combines music, art, fashion, and technology with a new worldwide community — 'the auras.'"

Further, the plan is to "Alter the human experience with social media" and to "bring ARTCulture into POP in a reverse Warholian expedition."

Each user "will share in the singer's 'adrenaline of fame' by building and sharing their own projects and interacting with one another." more on this story

Justin Timberlake Releases New Single 'Take Back The Night'

(Radio.com) After a preview on Wednesday (July 10), Justin Timberlake is ready for the world to hear "Take Back The Night." The singer dropped his new single, the lead off of the second part of his 20/20 Experience album, due out Sept. 30.

Timberlake went old school and debuted the track on radio stations across the country simultaneously at 12:01 p.m. ET on Friday The singer and his marketing team issued an edict to stations not to pre-promote the song (other than Timberlake's vague social media tease 12 hours before), but to just drop the needle on the record.

And so the world had an unexpected sort of concurrent music experience — for those who happened to be tuned in to pop stations nationwide.

The song went live on Timberlake's website at the same time. It was produced by Timbaland, Timberlake and Jerome "J-ROC" Harmon and written by the same team plus James Fauntleroy. more on this story

Dierks Bentley AZ Firefighter Benefit Sells Out

(Radio.com) The Country Cares Concert in Prescott Valley, Ariz., is now officially sold out. More than 6000 tickets have been sold for the July 22 event, a benefit for families of the 19 firefighters killed while battling the Yarnell Hill wildfire in Arizona last month.

Dierks Bentley was announced earlier this week as the concert's headliner. He's joined on the bill by newly announced guests The Band Perry, Randy Houser, and David Nail.

"We feel very blessed this concert sold out so quickly," said Tim Richards, program director of KMLE Country 107.9 (a Radio.com station). "Thanks to these artists for putting together such an amazing event in such a short amount of time. W

"e hope families of the firefighters know how much the Arizona community cares about them." Based in nearby Phoenix, KMLE is organizing the event along with Bentley and Northern Arizona's 92.9 KAFF Country.

"This is a really important thing that I feel strongly about," Bentley told KMLE in an interview last week. "And I'm honored to get a chance to be a part of this concert. We're going to honor the memory of these guys and start spreading some good will among the community. And try to raise as much money as possible to help out these families and get them on the road toward a better place."

Bentley hinted during that interview that he'd spoken with some "fellow singers" who wanted to participate as well. more on this story

Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams Tops Misquoted Song List

(Gibson) Eurythmics have topped a British survey to determine the most misquoted song in the U.K. The synth-pop classic "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" took top honors, with 28 percent of respondents saying they believed Annie Lennox sang, "Sweet dreams are made of cheese, who am I to disagree?"

Other artists finishing in the Top 10 included Aerosmith, whose "Dude Looks like a Lady" was misconstrued as "Do it like a lady," and Elton John, whose main lyric in "Tiny Dancer" ("Hold me closer, Tiny Dancer") was misheard as "Hold me close now, Tony Danza."

1,350 British music fans were polled by Spotify in the survey. Slightly more than 50 percent of respondents admitted that hearing someone getting lyrics wrong is a source of frustration, while 35 percent confessed they feel very embarrassed when they themselves sing a lyric incorrectly. Seven percent claimed they never get lyrics wrong. Check out the full list.

Randy Travis Still In Critical Condition After Surgery

Randy Travis publicist announced on Friday that the country star has been under heavy sedation since he came out of surgery late Wednesday night, July 10th, and is resting comfortably.

Kirt Webster said in a statement that Travis is still in critical condition and that his family continues to ask his fans, and those concerned, for their prayers and support.

As we reported last Thursday, Travis suffered a stroke on Wednesday and had to undergo surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. Webster stated that the stroke was a complication of Travis's congestive heart failure. Read that report.

T.I. Drops New Video For 'Problems' Featuring B.o.B

(Radio.com) Atlanta own's T.I., still supporting his most recent full-length, Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head, has been doing double-duty as a label boss, promoting G.D.O.D., an even newer mixtape showcasing acts on his Grand Hustle imprint as well as such marquee artists like Young Jeezy, Meek Mill and French Montana.

On Friday, T.I. released a new music video for a track called "Problems," a song from G.D.O.D. that features B.o.B, Trae the Truth and Problem.

The clip showcases the three rappers trading hardcore lines inside an industrial warehouse, with special effects that have the featured artist covered in flames during their individual verses. more on this story

Diplo Denies Saying Beyonce Scrapped New Album

(Radio.com) Diplo has elevated to one of the world's most in-demand music producers, crafting hit songs for a an ever-expanding list of A-list artists including Usher ("Climax"), Justin Bieber ("Thought Of You") and Snoop Dogg's current reggae incarnation as Snoop Lion.

During a recent interview with British newspaper The Sun, Diplo discussed working with Beyonce on music for her long-awaited fifth studio album, but said that the pop star might not use the results.

"I just did two songs for her new album, well, I tried. I think she scrapped the record," he admitted. "The record was supposed to be done and they have been hitting me up for brand new ideas."

Given the extreme anticipation for a new Beyonce album, Diplo's quote about the tracks he worked on for here were misinterpreted by some media outlets as him saying she's scrapped her entire new album. He quickly hopped on Twitter to set the record straight.

"When I say 'record,' I'm talking about one song," the producer posted. "Music journalism sucks."

Tom Thorogood, the writer of the original piece in The Sun, took offense to the tweet, and fired back at Diplo. more on this story

Skylar Grey Addresses Heavy Issues On New Album

(Radio.com) Skylar Grey is anything but shy on her new album Don't Look Down, released last week by Interscope and featuring the likes of Big Sean, Angel Haze and Travis Barker.

Executive produced by Eminem and Alex da Kid, the album includes songs about domestic violence, unexpected pregnancy and even first love. "The album tells a lot of different stories from my life and growing up," she told Radio.com on album release day.

"It's about growing up and coming into your own. For me that was going through a lot of different struggles as a kid. I look back into the past, into my childhood on this album."

This isn't her first time working with Eminem, for whom she wrote the 2010 monster hit "Love the Way You Lie," featuring Rihanna. The same week she wrote "Love The Way You Lie," Grey penned another deeply personal song that appears on Don't Look Down, titled "Final Warning." "It was inspired by the same relationship [as 'Love The Way You Lie']," she said. "I think you can pick up on that."

Eminem, who also appears on the album's first single "C'mon Let Me Ride," encouraged her to trust her gut and make something that takes an honest, hard look at where she's been.

"Working with Em has been one of the most amazing things in my entire life to have ever happened and probably that will ever happen," she said. "He's been so great about giving me feedback and I really trust his opinion. With this album, [him] being executive producer, I was able to bounce everything off of him and see what he has to say. The biggest thing that I learned from him was just to be myself and listen to my instincts." more on this story

Katy Perry Inspired By Freddie Mercury's Killer Queen Lyrics

(Radio.com) Katy Perry's new perfume, Killer Queen, is more than a fragrance. It's a look at where she is in her life right now. The singer told WWD that her third fragrance, available in August, is more mature than her previous two fragrances—2010's Purr and the following year's Meow—and will evoke the direction of her upcoming album, which is her first since her divorce from Russell Brand.

"It's for someone sophisticated, who wants a little edge and can wear it all day, and still wants that sexiness," she explained of the scent of Killer Queen.

Named after the Queen song from 1974, Perry told the mag that the song's lyrics really spoke to her when she was a teenager and still inspire her today.

"Freddie Mercury painted the lyrics of this woman who I wanted to be," Perry explained. "She seemed very powerful, and she captivated a room when she walked in. I named my company Killer Queen after those lyrics.

"I feel like, after all this time, it was appropriate to use that name in association with something I did. I feel like I'm falling, finally, into that woman Freddie painted." more on this story

Nicki Minaj Pushes Mario Out A Window In 'Somebody Else' Video

(Radio.com) Cheaters never win and in Mario's latest music video, cheaters meet heaters. Car heaters, specifically — like the one Mario finds his rear end resting on when Nicki Minaj's charater pushes him out of the unfinished window of a skyscraper (allegedly).

The push is never seen in the video, but all signs point to it being a revenge move. Minaj pulls some faces, wears all black (including a long black wig) and on a second watch of the clip it becomes clear that the opening sequence is actually capturing her turning away from the window she's just shoved Mario out of.

"Somebody Else" is one of those rare tracks that doesn't put Minaj's guest rap right up front, instead holding her back to the last half of the song. That turns her into a secret weapon in the video, the bomb you spend duration of the clip waiting to go off. Check it out.

The World According To The Cure's Robert Smith

(Gibson) The Cure are one of the most talked-about acts slated to play Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits this year, and with a new wave of fans discovering the band's classic alternative tunes, it's suffice to say the Cure are hot. The band would be little without its legendary frontman Robert Smith, and in honor of the Cure's upcoming U.S. festival run, we decided to look back on Smith and his eyeliner-wearing, goth-laced legacy with these choice quotes.

On what he remembers from being a very new band, as told to Word (via CraigJParker.blogspot.com): "When we started doing this, I was still at school. When we did Three Imaginary Boys it was spiky, it wasn't really me. I remember bending Lol's ear to be a bit more like XTC. I played with the Banshees [after their guitarist John McGeoch suddenly left] through our first tour, and it allowed me to think beyond what we were doing. I wanted to have a band that does what Steve Severin and Budgie do, where they just get a bassline and the drum part and Siouxsie wails."

On gaining mainstream success, as told to SPIN in 1993 (via The Guardian and Rock's Backpages): "I'm sort of worried about the fact that we've become quite popular in America, but this is it – we've hit our level. We won't get any bigger, which is a relief in a way!"

On what he was listening to when the Cure were first getting their feet wet, as told to Word (via CraigJParker.blogspot.com): Nick Drake and Van Morrison were my touchstones. And funnily enough, Space Oddity. But I also listened to the Gayane Ballet Suite by Khachaturian, which sounds terribly pretentious, but if anyone listens to it, they'll discover the most brilliant sound. I wanted to incorporate all that into an album, and that was what Seventeen Seconds was all about. My dream was to be someone who could go anywhere and play music: in some ways that's still my dream.

On not wanting the single "Let's Go To Bed" to ever be released, as told to the Rock 'n' Roll Alternative Show in 1983 (via Impression of Sounds): "It wasn't as dumb as I wanted it to be. It was really me reacting against the Cure's image, the states we've gone through. So I wanted to do something that was really, really dumb and pop. The words mean nothing. Once I recorded it I thought maybe this isn't quite right. And it was taken over and taken to its logical conclusion and released... Looking back maybe it wasn't such a bad thing. But at the time I was really, really angry 'cause I didn't want it released." More

The 1975 Channel John Hughes Spirit For New Album

(Radio.com) Though relatively young, The 1975 have been making music together for the last decade, since they were teenagers. Interestingly enough, it's this phase of life that inspired the Manchester pop-rockers' self-titled debut, set for a Sept. 10 release on Interscope.

The band says their new album is "the sum of our adolescence, of our formative years." Moreover, they describe the album as sounding "very '80s," saying it would work well in one John Hughes' iconic teen flicks.

"We're massive fans of John Hughes," frontman Matt Healy recently told Radio.com. "We wanted to make a record [that] was almost a soundtrack to our teenage years. If he made a movie about us, this would be the soundtrack."

While it's hard to place the band's blend of '80s pop, rock, R&B and electronica into one genre, they don't seem to mind. "There's a big musical stylistic polarity in our material," Healy said. "It's just a reflection of who we are as people. We know exactly who we want to be and what we want to do. There's a lot of R&B, there's a lot of Michael Jackson. We were brought up on black American music."

Drummer George Daniel explained that the band embodies hip-hop oriented tempos and shuffle rhythms and have often been categorized as art pop, which Healy thinks works as a descriptor. "Art pop. I like that, that'll do," he said. "There's a lot of groove." more on this story

Wait there is more!