New Year = New Me

Hey guys! It’s been a while since you’ve heard from me on here, but I just wanted to take the time to explain why I haven’t written as much as I used to.

I think, in life, we all go through phases. We never really stay put, and we change what we like doing the most with the passing of the wind.

In the past few months, writing for my blog became more of a chore and I think that’s the time to move on from something – when you no longer enjoy doing it.

My focus in life has turned towards (and has been turning towards) health – both mentally and physically. I’m much more interested in taking the time to study sages, positive thinkers, and average joes to glisten gold nuggets from them. I’m much more interested in being the best me I can be, and in positively influencing those around me to do the same.

^^^ One of the best quotes ever ^^^

Personal development, spending time with the love of my life, and still going to 2390423798 concerts a year is where I’m at in my life.

I’m going to see Madonna, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and Rihanna this year! How bout that, Nashville?! YES!!!

I can’t wait to see Rihanna!!!

Music, art, self-expression, creativity, and passion at whatever it is someone enjoys doing will always be things that I celebrate and admire.

As for Music Row Girl, I’m signing off.

I had fun writing and connecting with people throughout this crazy ride, but it’s high time for me to move on and focus on my own personal truths and passions that I cannot deny.

Absolutely no disrespect to news and media outlets. You all do a wonderful job and serve your purpose.

These writings were stepping stones in my life on the way to blessings I never thought would happen in my lifetime (like meeting the love of my life) and I won’t forget the kindness of every artist, band, manager, blogger, and fan that reached out to me!

I’m blessed to have made contact with so many lovely people along the way.

And recently I met Rian from All Time Low…

…on my walk to work! 😀

I’m going to keep the domain for a year or so, if in fact I find another way to develop the site into something I want to do as a musical project for independent artists and bands only, to support them…I’m not sure yet, but as for now, I’m taking a bow.

Blessings to you and yours! Many thanks to everyone for supporting my passion for writing all throughout my life.

– MRG

#HeresLookingAtYouKids

Dixie Chicks announce 2016 US tour!

Can you even believe it?! Today I’ve learned that…

…the Dixie Chicks are going on a US tour!

Waking up to this news is like the absolute sign that this week is going to be great! Am I right or am I right?!

The Dixie Chicks are one of my favorite bands of all-time and next year, not only are they going on a world tour (like we already knew), they are also taking a trip to see us right here in the good ol’ U S of A!

The official announcement came on their Facebook page around 1:30 in the morning here and 11:30 if you live in California! HAHA

They posted a video with a tour announcement that US dates have been added…which include Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and a show at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa, Florida…so basically me AND my extended family get to go 😀

Can’t thank them enough!

And this ain’t even some rinky dink tour of New York and LA, OH NO! It’s over 40 US dates starting June 1st in Cincinnati and ending on October 10th at the Hollywood Bowl in LA!

Check out the DCX MMXVI World Tour Dates:
June 1 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
June 3 – Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Amphitheater
June 4 – Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
June 5 – Chicago, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
June 8 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
June 10 – Pittsburgh, PA @ First Niagara Pavilion
June 11 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
June 13 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
June 14 – Boston, MA @ Xfinity Center
June 16 – Bangor, ME @ Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion
June 17 – Hartford, CT @ Xfinity Theatre
June 18 – Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion
June 21 – Toronto, ON @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
June 22 – Toronto, ON @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
June 24 – Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium
June 25 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
July 7 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
July 8 – Seattle, WA @ White River Amphitheater
July 9 – Portland, OR @ Sunlight Supply Amphitheater
July 12 – San Francisco, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater
July 13 – Sacramento, CA @ Toyota Amphitheater
July 15 – San Diego, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheater
July 16 – Las Vegas, NV @ Las Vegas Arena
July 17 – Phoenix, AZ @ AK-Chin Pavilion
July 20 – Irvine, CA @ Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre
August 5 – Dallas, TX @ Gexa Energy Pavilion
August 6 – Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchel Pavilion
August 7 – Austin, TX @ Austin360 Amphitheater
August 10 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Farm Bureau Live
August 12 – Raleigh, NC @ Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
August 13 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
August 14 – Atlanta, GA @ Alpharetta Amphitheater
August 17 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
August 19 – Tampa, FL @ MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheater
August 20 – West Palm Beach, FL @ Perfect Vodka Amphitheater
August 24 – St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
August 25 – Indianapolis, ID @ Klipsch Amphitheater
August 27 – Minneapolis, MN @ Minnesota State Fair
August 30 – Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
September 1 – Denver, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
September 2 – Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheater
October 10 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl

I’m sure there are more Google searches for “MMXVI” than any day of the year, because of the name of their tour. It means 2016 in roman numerals which is pretty cool if you ask me! It reminds me of the Super Bowl! HAHA

#MMXVI

There is no news of a new album as of yet, but just the fact that the Chicks are going on a proper tour of the US and the world is incredibly promising! Stay tuned for a MMXVI album announcement…I think!

After all, they haven’t released a new album since 2006, so it’s about time they put pen to paper and came up with a DCX album…the first in 10 years!

The Dixie Chicks were my first concert ever! I didn’t know 1 song, but I left there as a superfan! They are so talented and their harmonies are out of this world!

Congrats to the Dixie Chicks! I can’t wait to see you!

Justin Bieber announces world tour!

Today is a great day because my buddy Justin Bieber…

…has announced he’s going on tour in 2016!

Justin, Justin, JUSTIN! It’s all about that Biebs here at Music Row Girl! Sorry for the lapse in time! I’ve been so busy and it’s been tough to get my new MWF 3x per week schedule setup due to my car being in the shop so I haven’t had the best amount of time to get my writing out…quality not quantity! Am I right?!

Back to the Bieber Fever! Can you freaking believe that Justin is going on a world tour?! I mean, I totally can, but still, it doesn’t take away my excitement 😀

Everyone knew a world tour was coming because his brand new album “Purpose” comes out THIS FRIDAY 11/13! It’s usually like this…

Album + Tour

Justin’s first tour in 3 years! My goodness, it’s about time don’t you think?!

Let’s pause and reflect on how we’re less than 48 hours away from Justin’s brand new album! Now THAT is enough to make me do a backflip, but throw in a world tour and I’m like…

#FullOnFloorRoutine

Why do you get so excited about Justin Bieber? I feel like that must be what my audience is asking me. Well, to be honest with you, I have people in this world that I just love, you know, have a place in my heart for…and JB is one of them! He’s cool, trending, a beefcake, funny, and he’s a heck of an artist!

Justin announced his world tour on Ellen today as part of what she’s dubbing “Justin Bieber Week” which is unintentionally the same title of my week 😉

Check out the 2016 dates for his world tour here:

March 9: Seattle, WA – KeyArena at Seattle Center
March 11: Vancouver, BC – Pepsi Live! at Rogers Arena
March 13: Portland, OR – Moda Center at the Rose Quarter
March 15: Sacramento, CA – Sleep Train Arena
March 17: San Jose, CA – SAP Center at San Jose
March 18: Oakland, CA – Oracle Arena
March 20: Los Angeles, CA – STAPLES Center
March 21: Los Angeles, CA – STAPLES Center
March 25: Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
March 26: Fresno, CA – Save Mart Center
March 29: San Diego, CA – Valley View Casino Center
March 30: Glendale, AZ – Gila River Arena
April 2: Salt Lake City, UT – Vivint Smart Home Arena
April 4: Denver, CO – Pepsi Center
April 6: Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center
April 7: Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
April 9: Houston, TX – Toyota Center
April 10: Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
April 12: Atlanta, GA – Philips Arena
April 19: St. Louis, MO – Scottrade Center
April 20: Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
April 22:- Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena
April 23: Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena
April 25: Auburn Hills, MI – The Palace Of Auburn Hills
April 26: Cleveland, OH – Quicken Loans Arena
April 28: Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center
April 29: Washington, DC – Verizon Center
May 4: Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
May 5: Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
May 7: Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
May 10: Boston, MA – TD Garden
May 13: Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre
May 14: Quebec City, BC – Videotron Centre
May 16: Montreal, BC – Bell Centre
May 18: Toronto, ON – Air Canada Centre
May 19: Toronto, ON – Air Canada Centre
June 11: Winnipeg, MB – MTS Centre
June 13: Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
June 14: Edmonton, AB – Rexall Place
June 16: Saskatoon, SK – Credit Union Centre
June 18: Fargo, ND – FARGODOME
June 19: Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
June 21: Lincoln, NE – Pinnacle Bank Arena
June 22: Des Moines, IA – Wells Fargo Arena
June 24: Cincinnati, OH – U.S. Bank Arena
June 25: Indianapolis, IN – Bankers Life Fieldhouse
June 27: Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
June 29: Jacksonville, FL – Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
June 30: Orlando, FL – Amway Center
July 2: Miami, FL – AmericanAirlines Arena
July 6: Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum
July 7: Baltimore, MD – Royal Farms Arena
July 9: Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
July 10: Hartford, CT – XL Center
July 12: Buffalo, NY – First Niagara Center
July 13: Pittsburgh, PA – CONSOL Energy Center
July 15: Atlantic City, NJ – Boardwalk Hall
July 18: New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden

First of all, I have to note that Justin is having an album release party in LA on Friday night at the Staples Center! See details here:

I would have no idea what to ask him! LOL

He sold those tickets for $22 including a copy of the album and $18 without the album! How ’bout that?!

I’m happy to see he’s coming to Nashville! YES! I don’t know what I would have done if he didn’t besides go on a cross country roadtrip 😀

I hope I’ll see some of your smiling faces on the last Monday in June in Nashville. I almost want to invite my mom to go with me! I want to let everyone shake off their Bieber hate and become Beliebers with me! HAHA It’s time to beliebe!

I’m really proud of Justin! He took time off from music, found himself, realized he was being arrogant, apologized, got roasted by Comedy Central, learned to laugh at himself, made a new album, won over so many people, made new fans, and now he’s going out on the road again!

I think it’s remarkable how far he has come! He made his fan-base not only bigger, but he tested the extent of their loyalty…and come to find out, we’re not going anywhere!

Congrats Justin on your big week & your world tour!

Justin Bieber covers Drake’s Hotline Bling!

My Monday blues are gone because Justin Bieber…

…has covered Drake’s smash hit “Hotline Bling”!

Hotline Bling has been the hottest song to hit music in I don’t even know how long! For some reason this song has taken off in a social media rocket and zoomed it’s way through YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the like 🙂

Drake is unstoppable and everybody in the music business knows that. Every artist who’s any artist is capitalizing on his success by covering his hit songs!

Covering as in making, recording, and releasing their own version of it…which I’m sure you knew, but just to clarify for everybody.

Justin Bieber is not above that either, and over the weekend he posted his phone number on Twitter!

#FreakoutYourFans

And freakout they did! The line was soon tied up as you can imagine and what the line did contain was his version of Drake’s “Hotline Bling”! Sadly, it wasn’t Justin himself answering HAHA but I do think it’s genious that he premiered it on an actual hotline he created for fans to call! That was a smooth move!

Take a listen to that amazing cover song here:

#HotlineBling

Now you know me, of course I love it! Absolutely obsessing over it and trying to make it my ringtone! LOL

No word on what Drake thinks of it, but we know he’s a devoted Belieber so I can bet that he’s happy with it too!

Thanks Justin for your Hotline Bling! We love it!

Phil Collins is returning to music!

Oh boy, oh boy! Phil Collins just announced that…

…he’s making his comeback!

Last I reported that Phil said he’s done with music and never returning…and now…he’s setting himself up for a full blown comeback!

Phil Collins made his claim to fame as the lead singer of the rock band Genesis and most people know him as the guy who sings “In The Air Tonight”, but he’s seriously one of the best voices I’ve ever known in music and I love him 😀

#Genesis

Phil lives in Miami now in the mansion formerly owned by Jennifer Lopez that he purchased this summer for $33 million! Don’t we all wished we were his roommates! lol

#Paradise

PC just had major back surgery, but while he’s relaxing at home this week, he announced to the press: “I’m no longer officially retired. The horse is out of the stable and I’m raring to go.”

There hasn’t been a new album from Mr. Collins since 2002 but there was a Genesis reunion tour in 2007. Rest assured, the man is on a mission to release not only a new album, but to go on tour in support of it as well!

According to him: “My kids are now 10 and 14 and they want to see what their dad does. They were in nappies when I was last on the road. They love my music and I’d like to take them out so they can enjoy it.”

Aren’t they adorable?!

So we get it, he’s a family guy, but what about Genesis?? Phil said to the press: “I love the guys. I would just prefer to do this first. For now, let’s just see how this goes.”

So it’s solo first, and possibly a rock band reunion to follow! Sounds great to me! I can’t wait to have Phil back in action! He’s meant to sing 🙂

He’s in a really happy place now and he’s really ready to show his kids what their dad does! I love his motivation to get back out there! How sweet!

Congrats on your comeback Phil! You rock!!!

Carrie Underwood announces 2016 tour!

Much to my delight, Miss Carrie Underwood has…

…just announced her 2016 tour!

Hey guys! Long time no see!!! I’ve been on a 3 week hiatus. Hard to believe it’s been 3 weeks! No real point to it. Just busy and kinda on an eternal writers block.

It’s high time that I get back in the saddle, strap on my boots, and grab my MacBook Pro.

I know Adele’s comeback is in the works, of course I didn’t sleep through that HAHA I’m proud of her, but what I want to talk about today is the comeback of Carrie Underwood!

Carrie has had a busy and exciting life as well! She just gave birth to her firstborn, Isaiah, 8 months ago!

AWWWWWW!

She took time off from music to focus on the family which I can certainly respect!

Now CU is up and raring to go on tour again with her brand new album “Storyteller” that was just released last Friday, October 23rd! I can’t wait to listen to the whole thing over and over again 😀

#Storyteller

Miss Underwood’s music has been a staple in my life ever since she won American Idol in 2005! 10 years and counting! She’s unstoppable!

According to Carrie: “I can’t wait to play new music from Storyteller for the fans. I am so blessed to have this career and get to do to the things I do, but there is nothing like that moment when I get to step onto the stage to sing and all the fans are singing along with me.”

I’m sure that’s such an electrifying feeling for a singer to hear the crowd singing back to them!!

Go ahead & and check out her tour dates:

1/30 – Jacksonville, FL @ Jacksonville Veterans Mem. Arena
2/1 – Duluth, GA @ Infinite Energy Arena
2/3 – Greensboro, NC @ Greensboro Coliseum
2/5 – Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
2/17 – Pittsburgh, PA @ CONSOL Energy Center
2/20 – Hampton, VA @ Hampton Coliseum
2/22 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
2/23 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
2/25 – Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
3/11 – Glasgow, Scotland @ C2C/ Clyde Auditorium
3/12 – London, England @ C2C/ O2 Arena
3/13 – Dublin, Ireland @ C2C/ 3 Arena
3/17 – Youngstown, OH @ Covelli Centre
3/19 – Allentown, PA @ PPL Center
3/22 – Auburn Hills, MI @ The Palace of Auburn Hills
3/24 – St. Louis, MO @ Chaifetz Arena
3/26 – Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Bank Arena
3/29 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Broadmoor World Arena
3/30 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
4/1 – Las Vegas, NV @ ACM Party for a Cause Festival
4/5 – Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center
4/8 – Reno, NV @ Reno Events Center
4/10 – Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena
4/12 – Stockton, CA @ Stockton Arena
4/14 – Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Arena
4/16 – Las Cruces, NM @ Pan American Center
4/18 – San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
4/19 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
4/22 – Bossier City, LA @ CenturyLink Center
4/24 – Lafayette, LA @ Cajundome
4/27 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
4/28 – N. Little Rock, AR @ Verizon Arena
4/30 – Indio, CA @ Stagecoach
5/3 – Madison, WI @ Kohl Center
5/5 – Green Bay, WI @ Resch Center
5/7 – Grand Forks, ND @ Ralph Engelstad Arena
5/10 – Casper, WY @ Casper Events Center
5/12 – Billings, MT @ Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark
5/15 – Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
5/17 – Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena
5/18 – Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
5/24 – Buffalo, NY @ First Niagara Center
5/27 – Ottawa, ON @ Canadian Tire Centre
5/28 – Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
5/30 – London, ON @ Budweiser Gardens

Before I continue, are you thinkin what I’m thinkin?! CARRIE UNDERWOOD IS NOT PERFORMING IN NASHVILLE?!

#MassConfusion

You’ve got to think that a Nashville tour date will be added in there somewhere…otherwise: THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! I mean, she lives here full-time! Her husband plays for the NASHVILLE Predators! C’mon people! Every venue is a stone’s throw away from her driveway! LOL

Just so yah know, Easton Corbin and The Swon Brothers will be her opening acts! I’ve heard great things from those guys so I’m excited to see them on tour with her…IN NASHVILLE! I’m so sorry, but this joke never gets old HAHA

Don’t grab your torch and pitch forks just yet or boycott the Nashville Predators. Carrie HAS to play Nashville too on her tour. She knows it, we know it, and perhaps the delay will be worth the wait…back to back shows, a performance on the rooftop of Music City Center…who knows?!

Congrats Carrie on your tour & I know I’ll see you soon!

Why did Pandora buy Ticketfly for $450 million?

The world of technology never ceases to amaze me and now…

…Pandora has purchased the company Ticketfly for millions!

Pandora is one of the most powerful music streaming companies in the world…right up there with Spotify, Rdio, and Apple Music.

So besides starting with a “P”, what makes Pandora stand out so much?

Well, let’s started with the latest HUGE music business merger of:

#PandoraFly

$450 million! WOW! Half a billion dollars for a ticket selling company?! Why in the world???

The goal of purchasing a ticket selling company as a music streaming business is to not only push ticket sales, but to direct market to fans. They are taking it to a whole other level by including ticket purchasing in their wheelhouse! I think it’s an ingenious idea!

It’s Einstein good!

Pandora CEO, Brian McAndrews said: “This is a game-changer for Pandora — and more importantly — a game-changer for music. With Ticketfly, we will thrill music lovers and lift ticket sales for artists as the most effective marketplace for connecting music makers and fans.”

The thing is, Pandora was already being used to drive ticket sales and now it’s going to be responsible for the selling of those tickets as well!

The company is diversifying themselves by entering the concert ticketing business and I think it’s a very interesting move to make!

 

Pandora seeks to connect music listeners to their favorite artists and to also introduce them to artists they would love but don’t know of yet.

The music streaming giant already allows artists to send audio recorded messages to their fans which could include a password to purchase tickets to a show in their area!

Now THAT is COOL!

From artist messaging to ticket purchasing, Pandora is going to own it all! To be honest, I’ve purchased tickets from Ticketfly before and I really enjoyed the experience! No complaints here!

 

As for Ticketfly, they had amassed $87 million since their inception in 2008 which is pretty impressive if you think about it!

RIP Ticketfly!

When you purchase a company, you purchase their intellectual property, their data, and their system. I think Pandora made a very wise move here and they can only grow bigger and bigger because of it!

Congrats to Pandora on your big buy! You’ve got moxie!

Whatever happened to Lilith Fair?

There are many music festivals every single year…

…but whatever happened to Lilith Fair?

My question comes from the sister trio known as HAIM who said that they wanted Lilith Fair to make a comeback!

Lilith Fair was a famous festival back in the 90’s in which they sought to celebrate women in music, thus having an all-female lineup!

LF took place during the summers of ’97, ’98, ’99, and was revived again in 2010.

The festival was created by the singer Sarah McLachlan due to her frustration that concert promoters refused to feature two female musicians in a row.

#SarahMcLachlan

The festival seems to be a great celebration of women in music and it’s sad to see that it has been canceled indefinitely due to poor ticket sales in its revival tour in 2010.

Back in 1999, Sarah said: “We’re all well into our 30s now and we decided we wanted to have babies. This will be the last year for a good, long while. It could be three years, it could be 10 years, it could be forever.”

That public announcement was prior to the festival in ’99 and the revival run in 2010 flopped due to poor ticket sales.

Sarah took it in stride though and just settled in her mind that the festival wasn’t meant to be revived since 11 years is a long time in a marketplace to presume for her audience’s expectations and buying habits to be unchange.

Gosh, I loved marketing class! 😀

I can completely agree with her on that one and to me it makes perfect sense that buying habits change, however what was the lineup like in 2010?

They had Sara Bareilles, Miranda Lambert, Missy Higgins, Lights, Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow, Ingrid Michaelson, Heart, and many more amazing ladies!

I think the festival should have been a sold-out event, but I’m not sure if marketing was to blame or people were getting out from under the recession…who knows?!

All I know is Lilith Fair 2016 should happen! Who’s with me?

“Happy Birthday To You” is now in public domain!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you!…you know the rest…

…I am happy to say is now officially in public domain!

What is all the hubbub about?! Well, let me tell yah! Have you ever noticed when you’re in a restaurant and the servers bring a free dessert to the table for someone’s birthday and everyone sings a song? Of course you have! But what you may not have noticed is that the song is not the normal one you see above, it’s a special version that the restaurant made up to sing so that they won’t be sued for copyright infringement!

“Happy Birthday to You” was written in 1893 by Patty Hill and Mildred Hill. It is known to be the most recognized song in the English language! Pretty cool, huh?

Sisters, Sisters!!

What’s not pretty cool is that the song has been on lockdown in restaurants for celebration and I’m sure many movies have had to pay thousands of dollars to be able to sing it in them! All for a song that’s 4 sentences long?!

I’m sure you would be just as pleased as I am to know that yesterday in federal court, the judge ruled that Warner/Chappell Music does not own the rights to the song…effectively putting it into public domain!

#PublicDomain

So yeah! The birthday song that was once sooooooo expensive to use is now 100% free for the public to use! How sweet is that?!

In Judge King’s decision he said: “Because Summy Co. never acquired the rights to the Happy Birthday lyrics, Defendants, as Summy Co.’s purported successors-in-interest, do not own a valid copyright in the Happy Birthday lyrics.”

So because the lyrics were determined to not be protected by copyright, the song is now fair game! Apparently the copyright only applied to various piano arrangements.

Poor poor Warner/Chappell is now out the $2 million a year in licensing fees that they used to collect for the song, although I think they’ll still be just fine without it.

The HBD song lawsuit was filed in 2013 when the music company sued a musician who recorded the song during an event in San Francisco! Nothing would make me more regretful to celebrate a birthday for somebody than to be sued for it after the fact! Poor guy!

Public domain for “Happy Birthday to You”?! This seems like a dream to me, but I’m so glad that the most recognized song in the English language can be celebrated by all, anytime, anywhere!

Happy Birthday to you & Happy Birthday to me!

Kesha’s career may be over!

Don’t stop, Make it pop, DJ blow my speakers up! Tik Tok…

…everyone knows Kesha but did you know her career could be over?!

I was just reading through music news yesterday afternoon and what caught my attention the most was a legal update from Kesha (used to be Ke$ha but she’s dropped the “$”).

I know what you may be thinking…Legal update?! Yep! You heard me right! Kesha has been in a rather heated lawsuit with her producer, Dr. Luke, since last October! Nearly a year of legal proceedings and no resolution has come of it yet!

I used to side with Team Kesha, but now I’m not so sure. It’s her word versus his so I’m honestly not sure of whom to trust.

Team Luke or Team Kesha?

The lawsuit is…long story short…claiming that Dr. Luke drugged, raped, and mentally abused Kesha on multiple occasions so she is asking to get out of her record contract with Luke’s label Kemosabe Records, a Sony Music affiliate.

Problem is, Dr. Luke claims hogwash to every one of her allegations and wants her to hold to his many times renegotiated record deal that holds Kesha to release 6 albums! Well, she’s only released 2 so far!

2010’s Animal & 2012’s Warrior

I can’t believe that Kesha hasn’t released an album in almost 3 years! That’s crazy!! I’ve been a fan of her since the beginning when I first heard “Tik Tok”, I’ve seen her front row twice, and met her once! I was an “animal” HAHA Just like Lady Gaga has her Little Monsters, Demi Lovato has her Lovatics, and Justin Bieber has his Beliebers…Kesha has her Animals.

The reason why everyone was whispering yesterday about her career might be ruined, kaput, and effectively over is that unless Kesha gets an injunction (via Google: a judicial order that restrains a person from beginning or continuing an action threatening or invading the legal right of another, or that compels a person to carry out a certain act, e.g., to make restitution to an injured party) she won’t have creative control over her career and the alleged abuse with Dr. Luke will have to continue for 4 more albums until she can be set free from the contract!

Famous celebrity attorney (representing Kesha), Mark Geragos said: “Until this Court rules on the declaratory judgment claim, Kesha is at an impasse. She cannot work with music producers, publishers, or record labels to release new music. With no new music to perform, Kesha cannot tour. Off the radio and stage and out of the spotlight, Kesha cannot sell merchandise, receive sponsorships, or get media attention. Her brand value has fallen, and unless the Court issues this injunction, Kesha will suffer irreparable harm, plummeting her career past the point of no return.”

Remember he represented Chris Brown?

The former President and CEO of Universal Music Group Distribution, Jim Urie said: “No mainstream distribution company will invest the money necessary to distribute songs for an artist who has fallen from the public eye, as is happening to Kesha at this very moment. Accordingly, if Kesha cannot immediately resume recording and having her music promoted, marketed, and distributed by a major label, her career is effectively over.”

According to the dismissal motion for Miss Kesha Sebert: “This admission — that Sebert never spoke of or reported the alleged misconduct — is fatal to each and every one of her claims against Sony and Kemosabe Records. In short, Sebert cannot have it both ways: She cannot claim that Gottwald (Dr. Luke) intimidated her into silence, then — as an apparent afterthought — seek to hold Sony and Kemosabe Records liable for failing to act on conduct that she did not report.”

I’ll be honest, I don’t think it’s looking too good for Kesha and for that I’m very sad. Now granted, if the abuse is legitimate, she shouldn’t have to succumb to it for 4 more albums BUT she didn’t report it at the time and I know the statute of limitations states that you have 3 years to sue someone from the time the abuse happened, BUT she said nothing to the label about his conduct which really hurts her case.

Artists and bands have tried to weasel their way out of recording contracts for years, and Kesha’s lawsuit doesn’t stand strong enough to prove that she’s not doing the same.

I hope there will be an answer soon and a decision made. Like my mom always used to say, “The truth will set you free”…but the longer you sit with a lie, the more lies you have to tell until you’re so tangled in a web and are trying to convince anyone that you’re not lying. It’s like the little boy who cried wolf. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Kesha and still love her as a person and a recording artist, but this kind of conduct is inexcusable.

Let’s hope for a decision soon and may it be fair under the law!