MUSIC NEWS CONT (3)

• Star tenor Villazon to sing in Vienna next March

  AP – Mon Dec 7, 6:39 am ET

  VIENNA - The Vienna State Opera says star tenor Rolando Villazon will appear on its stage next March. Full Story »

• Jazz artist Whalum in the spirit with "Gospel"

  Reuters – Fri Dec 4, 9:03 pm ET

  LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum credits adversity for inspiring the genre-bridging, live-recorded project he started in 1998, "The Gospel According to Jazz." Full Story »

• "Rolling Stone" to rock first restaurant

  Reuters – Fri Dec 4, 7:42 pm ET

  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hungry like the wolf? Rolling Stone is ready to serve you. Full Story »

• Apple acquires music service Lala

  Reuters – Sat Dec 5, 10:49 am ET
  AFP/DDP/File

  SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apple Inc has acquired digital music service Lala, as the dominant online music retailer explores new models for selling songs. Full Story »

• Friendlier Obama tune on Cuba brings musical detente

  Reuters – Fri Dec 4, 3:38 pm ET

  HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban musicians are returning to perform in the United States after a long freeze on such visits, seizing the opportunity of friendlier overtures toward Havana from U.S. President Barack Obama. Full Story »

• NYC Rock & Roll Hall of Fame annex to close

  Reuters – Fri Dec 4, 6:38 pm ET
  Reuters

  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Just one year after opening, the New York City annex to Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will close its doors on January 3, according to one of the corporate partners in the venture. Full Story »

• Beyonce leads Grammys, Taylor Swift close behind

  Reuters – Wed Dec 2, 11:51 pm ET
  Reuters

  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - R&B singer Beyonce led the field of Grammy contenders with 10 nominations on Wednesday, closely followed by teen country sensation Taylor Swift with eight, and both will compete for coveted album of the year. Full Story »

• Jay-Z's "Empire" reigns again on singles chart

  Reuters – Thu Dec 3, 7:47 pm ET

  NEW YORK (Billboard) - Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind" held at No. 1 for a third week on the Billboard Hot 100, increasing its lead over Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance," which remained in the No. 2 spot. Full Story »

• Cuba singer barred by Bush visits U.S., sees official

  Reuters – Fri Dec 4, 3:39 am ET

  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Cuban musician barred from the United States by the Bush administration performed in Washington on Thursday and had lunch with a White House official in a new sign of a thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations. Full Story »

• Country Music Association chief Tammy Genovese resigns

  Reuters – Thu Dec 3, 1:36 pm ET

  NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - The Country Music Association's chief executive, Tammy Genovese, has resigned, the CMA Board of Directors said on Thursday. Full Story »

• MySpace hopes high as launches music site in UK

  Reuters – Thu Dec 3, 2:56 pm ET
  AFP/File

  LONDON (Reuters) - MySpace expanded its presence in the entertainment market on Thursday with the British launch of its music service, as the social networking site seeks to reinvent itself after being eclipsed by rival Facebook. Full Story »

• Julian Lennon pays tribute to "Lucy"

  Reuters – Thu Dec 3, 3:26 am ET

  NEW YORK (Billboard) - After a decade-plus hiatus, Julian Lennon is making music again, and on his own terms. Full Story »

• A Minute With: Bill Bailey and his remarkable Orchestra

  Reuters – Thu Dec 3, 11:58 am ET

  LONDON (Reuters) - Bill Bailey is a comedian familiar to millions of British television viewers from his appearances on TV pop quiz trivia show Never Mind the Buzzcocks. Full Story »

• Stevie Wonder named U.N. peace messenger

  Reuters – Wed Dec 2, 4:02 pm ET

  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - American Grammy Award-winning singer Stevie Wonder has been appointed a U.N. "messenger of peace" with a special focus on people with disabilities, the United Nations announced on Wednesday. Full Story »

• University turns iPhones into musical instruments

  Reuters – Thu Dec 3, 10:54 pm ET
  Reuters

  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Welcome to an orchestra of the 21st century. iPhones are being used as musical instruments in a new course at an American university. Full Story »

• Susan Boyle makes smash debut on U.S. album charts

  Reuters – Wed Dec 2, 3:10 pm ET
  Reuters

  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - British singing sensation Susan Boyle's first album soared to No. 1 on U.S. album charts on Wednesday with sales of 701,000 copies, beating new releases by Adam Lambert and Rihanna and becoming the best-selling debut of 2009. Full Story »

• Taylor Swift inks Comcast video-on-demand deal

  Reuters – Wed Dec 2, 7:03 pm ET

  NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - In another sign of its commitment to building content strength, Comcast unveiled an exclusive video-on-demand partnership with country singer Taylor Swift on Wednesday -- a day ahead of a likely announcement of a deal that would give the cable giant a 51 percent stake in NBC Universal. Full Story »

• Arcade Fire plots spring tour

  Reuters – Wed Dec 2, 8:43 pm ET

  NEW YORK (Billboard) - The Arcade Fire, the acclaimed Canadian indie rock band that exploded onto the international scene with 2003's "Funeral," is nearing completion of its as-yet-untitled third album and plans to return to the stage in 2010.