NEW YORK (AP) — Ne-Yo has a dream: He believes the record industry is segregated, and has hopes of changing that as the new senior vice president of artists and repertoire for Motown Records.

Even though Motown’s legend is rooted in black music, it was music that appealed to everyone, helping to unite a nation in sometimes divisive times. As a top exec at Motown, Ne-Yo wants to unite people musically once again.

“I want to get back to a place where everybody’s listening to the same thing no matter what race, color, creed you are,” the Grammy-winning singer said in an interview Wednesday after Universal Music made the announcement. “(Now) there’s music that’s specifically for black people and there’s music that’s specifically for white people, and I feel like the essence of … music is lost when you do that.”

The 32-year-old Grammy winner, who has multiple hits of his own and has also written smashes for others like Rihanna and Beyonce, says he is looking to sign artists that have a drive and a tremendous work ethic, not just one-hit wonders.

“I definitely plan on making sure the people I bring to the industry are going to be an asset to the industry as opposed to a liability,” said Ne-Yo, who also has his own label imprint called Compound Entertainment. “It’s more than ‘She looks good in a short skirt’ or ‘He looks good with his shirt off’ — it’s about somebody that has a talent.”

Ne-Yo, who is planning to release his fifth album this summer, will also move to the Motown Records roster. He has released his four albums on Island Def Jam Music Group; both Motown and Def Jam are subsidiaries of Universal Music.

He’s also an actor: Ne-Yo appears in the new George Lucas film “Red Tails” about the Tuskegee Airmen, who were the first black fighter pilots to serve in the U.S. military. It debuted at No. 2 with $19.2 million last weekend, despite some concerns that a black-themed film would not appeal to a mainstream audience.

“It always feels good to beat the odds,” he said.

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Online:

http://www.neyothegentleman.com/

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Mesfin Fekadu covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/musicmesfin

Article source: http://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/Ne-Yo-wants-to-integrate-music-as-new-Motown-VP-2726836.php

Before they take the SNL stage on February 11 (and hopefully receive a more positive response than other music newbie Lana Del Rey did), Karmin sends out the second single from their upcoming debut album, due this April. On the sunny “Broken Hearted”, frontwoman Amy Heidemann slips back and forth from singing to rapping, like a glossy, glitter-less Ke$ha, minus any sign of sleaze. Check it out below.

Karmin – “Broken Hearted”

We doubt Amy’s heart has been broken in awhile, as she is currently engaged to her bandmate Nick Noonan.

Article source: http://idolator.com/6157002/karmin-new-song-broken-hearted

The man behind the music on Glee and Rock of Ages is launching his own label.

‘Glee’ Star Lea Michele’s Behind-the-Scenes Fashion Shoot for Candie’s at Kohl’s (Video)‘Rock of Ages’ Trailer: Alec Baldwin Dons Long Hair, Tom Cruise Goes Shirtless, and Catherine Zeta-Jones Decries ‘Sex’ (Video)

Adam Anders, Executive Music Producer of the Fox series and Warner Bros. film, announced the debut of Deep Well Records on Thursday. Disney star Shane Harper (Good Luck Charlie, High School Musical 2) is the first artist on Anders’ roster, with a debut release slated for Valentine’s Day. Fans of Cody Simpson and Greyson Chance may remember Harper from his stint as their opening act in the spring of 2011.

Deep Well Records has teamed with Target to release Harper’s self-titled album exclusively on Feb. 14 — Harper’s 19th birthday.

“We are thrilled to have such an all around talented artist be the debut release on Deep Well and to have the support and partnership of a respected major retailer like Target speaks volumes towards the household name we believe Shane will be,” said Anders in a statement.

Added Harper, “It’s so incredible to record an album under the direction of someone I respect and is so extremely talented- his musical genius is very much appreciated in helping me put forth my debut album.”

Anders serves as executive producer on the album, which includes the singles “Rocketship” and “One Step Closer.” The 12 track release also includes collaborations with rapper Prophet and Harper’s on and off screen girlfriend, Bridgit Mendler.

Article source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/glee-rock-ages-shane-harper-deep-well-records-adam-anders-285359

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Lana Del Rey has announced plans to re-release her first album, recorded under her birth name, Lizzie Grant.

Yesterday, the controversial torch-pop singer told the BBC that she has bought the rights to her 2010 record, Lana Del Ray A.K.A. Lizzy Grant, which was released on the independent label Five Points Records but shelved two months after its debut on iTunes.

“I had signed to an independent label but they couldn’t fund the release of it,” said Del Rey. “People act like it’s so shrouded in mystery, the ‘forgotten terrible album.’ But if you look on YouTube, all 13 tracks are available with millions of views, so it’s not like no one’s heard them. We were all proud of it. It’s pretty good.”

Del Rey is eyeing late summer for the album’s re-release. Of her current infamy, she told the BBC that she feels the public’s reception to her image and music has been unfair. “My publicists, in their long career, say they have never seen someone be more fictionalized,” she griped.

Article source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lana-del-rey-to-re-release-first-album-20120127

Looking to take music lessons, give Wii Music a shot first. Coming to the Nintendo Wii on October 20th, you soon will learn how to jam like a “Wii” Pro Musician!

Guitar Hero and Rock Band. What is different between those two games and Wii Music? How bout 60 instruments to play on. That’s right folks, if you ever wanted to play the trumpet and rock out with a guitar, while keeping your rythym on the steel drums Wii Music is for you. The official release date for Wii Music will be October 20th.

If you’re looking to pre-order here’s a link to Wii Music for you.

A cool feature that Wii Music includes is the ability to create your own track, send it to a buddy via the Wii Music Messages boards. On his end, he can play the track you created or even modify the track and send it back. This feature will help players assist each other with their Wii Music tracks. I’m personally looking forward to playing any Super Mario level, and add my own twist! Popular, licensed, classical and Nintendo songs will be featured in the game. No word yet on what tracks will make the cut, but I know Nintendo will not disappoint.

Nintendo did a great job with Mario Paint, so look for good things to come from Wii Music!

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Article source: http://www.perezstart.com/nintendo/wii/wii-music-release-date-announced-oct-20th/12095/