The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) honored the world's finest songwriters of the most performed country songs of the past year at the 44th Annual ASCAP Country Music Awards, held October 23, 2006 at two of Nashville's most distinctive landmarks -- the historic Ryman Auditorium and the BellSouth Building. Co-hosted by ASCAP CEO John LoFrumento and ASCAP Senior Vice President Connie Bradley, over a thousand of Nashville's most distinguished songwriters and artists, as well as music industry professionals from around the world, gathered at the star-studded celebration, proving once again that ASCAP songs are at the heart of country music's enduring success.

Among those in attendance were Kenny Chesney, John Rich, LeAnn Rimes, Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley, Glen Campbell, Bon Jovi, Mayor Bill Purcell, Representative Marsha Blackburn, Kellie Pickler, Rodney Crowell, Carrie Underwood, Billy Currington, John Anderson, Cowboy Troy, Blaine Larsen, Carolyn Dawn ...

Consumers today are overwhelmed with hundreds of channels of television content. However, despite having more viewing choices than ever, consumers report that TV does not align with what they really want to watch. According to a survey conducted by TotalVid.com, an online video download service that offers instant access to hundreds of premium, hard-to-find videos, consumers would overwhelmingly choose to watch programming that specifically relates to their favorite hobbies such as mountain biking, playing guitar or photography; instead of any of the 10 most highly rated primetime television shows. The survey uncovered several interesting statistics on television viewing habits and consumer preference, including: QUANTITY OVER QUALITY

Consumers participate in a growing array of hobbies, many of which aren't represented on traditional television. For example, according to the International Mountain Biking Association, nearly 40 million people in the U.S. participate in mountain ...

With the release of its first CD for Hannibal/Rykodisc, "The Sad Machinery of Spring," the internationally acclaimed band of genre-leaping musical adventurers known as Tin Hat (formerly Tin Hat Trio) begins a new chapter in its remarkable decade-long career. The album is slated for release on January 30, 2007. Tin Hat will also perform nationally in support of the new album beginning on January 26 at Symphony Space in New York City with additional dates to be announced soon.

Founded by composers and multi-instrumentalists Mark Orton, Carla Kihlstedt and Rob Burger in 1997, Tin Hat moves effortlessly between genres, creating a new kind of acoustic chamber music that melds elements of jazz, folk, classical, and various American and World roots music. The group's concert performances and recordings have earned widespread critical praise and an ever-growing legion of fans around the world.

When Rob Burger left the trio in 2004, Orton and Kihlstedt were faced with a daunting task ...

Greg Kihn, the inimitable Beserkley Records recording artist of the 1980s, is known for his chart-topping songs and MTV videos "Jeopardy" and "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em Like That)," from his records featuring titles based on inane puns of his name, such as "Next of Kihn," "Kihnspiracy," "Citizen Kihn," "Kihntinued," and "Unkihntrollable." In the years since his last hit record, Greg has reigned supreme as San Jose's leading morning man on Clear Channel's KFOX 98.5 FM Classic Rock radio, with a daily listening audience that includes greater San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley.

Greg Kihn has turned out to be much more than just the hit-making songster he started out to be. In fact, Greg can easily be called the hardest working man in Northern California Show Business.

While Greg feeds his creative passions as a radio personality, a prolific award-nominated author of six novels, spoken-word artist, screenwriter, fundraiser, investor and most of all, husband and fat...

Long known as an artist who follows his own rules, Neil Young is releasing his acclaimed 2006 album "Living With War" in a brand new form. Remastering the tapes of the live trio recordings -- which featured Young on guitar and vocals, Rick Rosas on bass and Chad Cromwell on drums -- "Living With War-Raw" is a stripped-down and powerful version of an already incendiary release, and will be available via digital download on Election Day, November 7th. Also available on iTunes that day are four videos directed by Neil Young of songs from the album: "After The Garden," "Families," "Lookin' For A Leader" and "America The Beautiful."

In a special CD/DVD limited-edition package, available on Reprise Records in stores on December 19th, the set will include videos directed by Young of every song on the album. Using a wide range of visual sources, both from the Iraq war as well as demonstrations in the United States, and Al Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth," the videos are a stunning state...

If you thought that Men, Women, and Children could ever stop dancing, think again. With their dance-rock-infused and P-Funk-inspired songs, there's no way you can ignore these infectious grooves. In a world of doom and gloom music, M, W, & C see the fun in life and plan on spreading it on tour this fall.

First on the agenda, M, W & C will take on the MTV $2 Bill tour. David Sullivan-Kaplan (drummer) says, "We are joining the MTV tour armed with funk... get ready." Alongside 30 Seconds to Mars, Cobra Starship and Envy on the Coast, the tour begins in Minneapolis on October 17, 2006 and ends on Halloween night. On off days, the band will play three shows w/Cobra Starship in Des Moines, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo.

After the MTV $2 Bill tour, the band will play one solo date in Boston, MA before jumping on tour with Kasabian. Todd Weinstock (guitar) says, "It's definitely a great honor to be asked to tour with Kasabian, being a huge fan of UK bands in general. I also think ...

Flip/Atlantic Records has announced details of Staind's first-ever hits collection, "THE SINGLES: 1996-2006." The album arrives in stores on November 14th. A separate companion DVD, entitled "STAIND: THE VIDEOS," will be released simultaneously.

The 16-track album will feature such #1 rock radio smashes as "It's Been Awhile," "For You," "So Far Away," and "Right Here." In addition, it will include never-before released live acoustic cover versions of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb," Alice in Chains' "Nutshell," and Tool's "Sober," plus a live acoustic version of "Everything Changes." The version of "Outside" appearing on the album will be the version that originally appeared on the "FAMILY VALUES TOUR 1999" album with Fred Durst.

"STAIND: THE VIDEOS" will include two bonus videos recorded live, in addition to a complete collection of the band's music videos.

With worldwide sales of over 15 million records, Staind's last three albums have entered the Billboard 200 in the...

The American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP) has announced the winners of the 39th Annual ASCAP Deems Taylor Awards for outstanding print, broadcast and new media coverage of music. The winners will be honored at a special reception on Thursday, December 7, 2006 at The Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Allen Room, Broadway at 60th Street, New York City. Over the years, tens of thousands of dollars have been distributed in cash prizes to winning authors, journalists and broadcast producers and personalities.

The ASCAP Deems Taylor Radio Broadcast Award honors two programs this year. They are "The Bob Edwards Show" (Bob Edwards, host; Ed McNulty, producer; and Tish Valva, executive producer), which is produced at XM Satellite Radio; and "World Café" (David Dye, host and producer; Kimberly Junod, producer and Bruce Warren, executive producer), which originates from WXPN in Philadelphia and is nationally syndicated. Cited in the ...

Originally conceived by Kurt Cobain the year after the release of Nirvana's "Nevermind," "Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!" makes its DVD debut on November 7th, 2006. First issued on VHS in 1994, "Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!" (Geffen/UMe) has now been color-corrected, digitally remastered for the first time in 5.1 surround sound and expanded from its original 83 minutes to include several previously unreleased performances.

A powerful and personal chronicle of the band's 1991-1992 world tour, and continuing through 1993, the period during which Nirvana became one of the most iconic and important bands in rock music, "Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!" features 15 complete songs plus interviews, behind-the-scenes exploits and excerpts from the group's home video archives. The original video was completed with great care by band members Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl after Cobain's death.

The performances featured in their entirety on the original home video include "Aneurysm," "About A Girl," "...

Belinda Carlisle's "Voila!," her first new album in a decade, and her first record sung entirely in French, is a radical departure for the pop diva and lead singer of the Go-Go's. Working with producer John Reynolds (U2, Sinéad O'Connor, Indigo Girls, Hothouse Flowers), Carlisle has fashioned a traditional pop album that pays tribute to the classic French chansons and pop music of the '40s, '50s and '60s. Just in time for Valentine's Day, the album is set for release on February 6, 2007.

"After I moved to France, I became familiar with the classic French chansons and a lot of French pop music," Carlisle explains. "I realized there was a whole world of artists and singers I was not familiar with. As I discovered all these amazing songs, I came to love this music and wanted to record some of them with a playful, contemporary feel."

Carlisle and Reynolds went into the studio with a musical dream team including Brian Eno on keyboards, guitarist Fianchna O'Braonain (Hothouse Fl...