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INDUSTRY NEWS

Ross Zooms By 'NOW,' Snoop To Debut At No. 1
RICK ROSS By Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.
Miami rapper Rick Ross scores his second straight chart-topper on The Billboard 200 as "Trilla" (Slip-N-Slide/Def Jam) debuts at No. 1. The set sold 198,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, an improvement over the 187,000 copies shifted by 2006's No. 1, "Port of Miami."
The multi-label "NOW 27" compilation is new at No. 2 with 169,000, the lowest opening week for a regular "NOW" album since the first edition bowed in 1998 with 48,000. Of the 27 installments of the regular "NOW" line, all but four have debuted with more than 200,000.
Snoop Dogg's "Ego Trippin'" (Geffen) debuts at No. 3 with 137,000, fueled by the top 10 Hot 100 success of the single "Sensual Seduction." However, this is the lowest first-week sales total for any of the veteran rapper's studio albums.
Jack Johnson's "Sleep Through the Static" (Brushfire/Universal) slips 2-4 with 55,000 (-14.6%), while Alan Jackson's "Good Time" (Arista Nashville), which topped the chart last week, plummets 55.4% to No. 5 with 53,000.
New at No. 6 is rapper Fat Joe's "The Elephant in the Room" (Imperial), which sold 46,000 copies. Sara Bareilles' "Little Voice" (Epic) holds at No. 7 in its 24th chart week, with sales of just over 40,000 units, a 2.3% uptick. Janet Jackson's "Discipline" slips 3-8 in its third frame on a 34.5% decline to 38,000.
Erykah Badu's "New Amerykah: Part One (4th World War)" (Universal Motown) is down 6-9 to 35,000 (-16%), while Miley Cyrus' "The Best of Both Worlds Concert" (Walt Disney) arrives at No. 10 on sales of 34,000.
Just below at No. 11, the "NOW That's What I Call 80's" compilation lands with about 400 copies short of the Cyrus album. "NOW 80's" was also available in an 80-track edition exclusive to Apple's iTunes Store. The latter is charting separately and its sales are not counted in the 20-track version's tally.
The only other debut in the top 50 comes from "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson's "Randy Jackson's Music Club: Vol. 1" at No. 50. The set, released on his own Dream Merchant 21 imprint through Concord, sold 13,000 copies. Its first single, "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow," features fellow "Idol" judge Paula Abdul.
The Columbia soundtrack to the film "August Rush" re-enters the chart at No. 55 with 12,000 copies sold this week. The movie's "Raise It Up" was recently nominated for a best original song Oscar. Metal outfit Meshuggah arrives on the chart at No. 59 with "Obzen" (Nuclear Blast) which sold 11,000 copies.
Album sales this week are up 3.4% over the prior week to 7.94 million, but down 6.6% over the same week in 2007.
Sweat Works Up New Album, Tour
KEITH SWEAT
By Gail Mitchell, L.A.
R&B veteran Keith Sweat returns May 6 with new album "Just Me." His first new studio album since 2002's "Rebirth," the Keia/Atco/Rhino release features cameos by Keyshia Cole (on the track "Love Your Better") and Athena Cage ("Butterscotch"), who was Sweat's duet partner on the 1996 No. 1 R&B/No. 3 pop hit "Nobody."
In addition to co-writing and producing most of the album, Sweat collaborated with, among others, Teddy Riley, Roy Battle and the Ambassadorz.
Produced by Wirlie "Wyl-E" Morris, sexy lead single "Suga Suga Suga" featuring Paisley Bettis moves 45-39 on Billboard's current Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and climbs into the top 10 on Adult R&B.
"This new album is something I've been working on for a while "You hear other artists out here who make the mistake of trying to be trendy. But I'm staying true to who I've always been as an artist. When radio stations think their core audience doesn't fit my core audience, that's wrong. I get just as many 18-34 listeners at my shows as 25-plus listeners. Radio is missing a whole audience out there by not checking for veteran artists."
Presently on a 19-city tour to promote "Just Me," Sweat is slated to perform next in Oakland, Calif. (March 28), and New York (May 17). The singer/songwriter, who charted his first crossover hit in 1987 with "I Want Her," just celebrated his first anniversary as host of Premiere Radio Networks' "The Keith Sweat Hotel."
Airing Sunday through Friday from 7 p.m. through midnight, the syndicated show has welcomed such guests as Robin Thicke, Alicia Keys and John Legend since debuting in February 2007 with 12 stations. That number has more than doubled, with KMJM in St. Louis, KSSM-FM in Killeen, Texas, and WXBT-GM in Columbia, S.C., being the latest additions to the station lineup.
EMI Aims To Join Nokia's Music Offering
EMI said on Wednesday it was in talks with mobile handset maker Nokia to offer its songs as part of Nokia's new "Comes with Music" offering.
"We want to be part of it. I believe strongly that when it launches we will be there, with a full offering," Wemppa Koivumaki, head of EMI Finland, told a news conference.
Nokia is set to start selling phones under its "Comes With Music" brand in the second half of 2008, offering unlimited access to millions of songs.
The world's largest music label, Universal, signed up for the program last December.
MIDEM 2008 IN SYNC WITH THE CHANGING INDUSTRY The evolution of the music industry was clearly reflected at the 42nd edition of MIDEM, with significantly increased attendances from companies involved in the digital, live music and music management sectors. In addition, MidemNet, devoted to new technologies and new business models, welcomed a record number of delegates.
This yearâ€™s international music market brought together 9,093 participants and 4,545 companies from 88 countries. Reflecting the main trends in the industry, MIDEM 2008 saw increased attendance in three key sectors: the biggest hikes were in the digital sector, up 18%; the live sector, up 21% and music management which saw attendance rise by 4%.
â€œMIDEM has responded to the needs of an industry undergoing a profound revolution. It has succeeded in attracting all sectors in the value chain by creating new events like MIDEM Talent Only and the International Manager Summit, and by continuing to offer both a series of top-level debates, a high-quality place for exchange and many concerts,â€ says Dominique Leguern, Director of MIDEM. â€œThis year, MIDEM 2008 has again been the platform of choice for many major industry announcements,â€ she adds.
The highpoints of this 42nd edition were numerous, including the prestigious MIDEM opening evening hosted by China; the Personality of the Year Award presented to Peter Gabriel during a gala dinner which included performances by artists from his Real World label; the presence of celebrated German mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig as patron of MIDEM Classique & Jazz, who was also honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award during the MIDEM Classical Awards; and the first MIDEM Green World Awards presented to three pioneers of a more environmentally-friendly live sector: Kevin Wall, founder and CEO of Live Earth (USA), Henrik Rasmussen, Director of the Roskilde Festival (Denmark) and Daniel Rossellat, President of the PalÃ©o Festival Nyon (Switzerland).
The 9th MidemNet, the international forum for discussion on new music technologies and economic models, beat all attendance records. A total of 1,398 participants â€“ up 6% - came to hear the views of key industry players including Jean-Bernard LÃ©vy, CEO, Vivendi (France); Bob Ezrin, Producer & Chairman, Live Nation Recordings (USA); Chad Hurley, Co-Founder & CEO, YouTube (USA); Janus Friis, Co-Founder & Co-Chairman, Joost, Co-Founder, KaZaA & Skype (UK); Prof. Lawrence Lessig, author of â€œFree Cultureâ€ & CEO, Creative Commons (USA); Joanna Shields, Global President, Bebo (USA); Tero Ojanpera, EVP & Chief Technology Officer, Nokia (Finland) and Jim Oâ€™Mahony, CEO EMEA, Asia, Australasia & Latin America, Saatchi & Saatchi (USA).
During the first International Manager Summit, U2 manager Paul McGuinness made waves with his appearance, during which he called on ISPs to take responsibility for sharing internet revenues with music content providers.
This year, MIDEM was once again the preferred platform for major industry announcements, including the Qtrax campaign launch; the announcement by the French Culture Minister Christine Albanel of her â€œPlan for the Future of the Music Industryâ€; the launch of â€œIndependence Dayâ€ for independents, an initiative from the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN); the announcement of the new Impala board; the agreement between SACEM and Universal Music Publishing Group to make the French rights collection body the sole receiver for UMPGâ€™s European digital rights; the agreement between Omnifoneâ€™s MusicStation service, EMI, and the British and German royalty collection societies, PRS and Gema respectively; the agreement for online and mobile licensing between Spanish and British rights collection societies, SGAE and MCPS-PRS Alliance respectively; the Asian expansion of the on-line licensing platform Ricall via a partnership with the Ocean Butterflies group; Sony Ericsson fleshing out the PlayNowâ„¢ Arena catalogue with five million new titles by signing with 10 of the biggest labels; the announcement of French market figures by the SNEP, and of the best overseas sales by the French Music Export Office; and the annual IFPI report on digital music.

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Member Since: 10/16/2006
Band Website: arhits.com
Band Members:

AR HITS

AR HITS: FEATURED ARTIST

HANKADON WONâ€™T FAIL
While many assumptions are entertained regarding Hip-Hop reaching its crossroads, those who are entrenched in the culture know, every so often a rapper such as Hankadon comes along to keep the momentum rising. The Orlando, Florida native is widely regarded as a lyrical shining light in this modern era of Rap music where artists are heard today but forgotten tomorrow.
In a small but productive amount of time, Hankadon has already amassed a list of albums and mixtapes including the streetsâ€™ favorite Six Slugs, Triggastate Trendsetters Compilation, Hankadon Wonâ€™t Fail and the most recent Hankzilla. With features in Grind Magazine and the Patiently Waiting section of OZONE Magazine, along with a spotlight on the cover of the Southâ€™s premiere magazine, the spitfire emcee is becoming a media magnet in and outside of the Sunshine State. As if that didnâ€™t raise the bar enough, his appearances on mixtapes by DJ Smallz (Fear Factor Florida), DJ Drama, and DJ Purfiya surely helped place him in the upper stratosphere of the Rap world.
Many of his most notable songâ€™s where performed while opening up for T.I., Lil Wayne, Baby and Mike Jones at various clubs in Central Florida including Icon, Firestone, and Roxy. The crowd reaction to his skillfully performed songs is most gratifying to the Orlando native. He says, â€œWhen I see people dancing and moving and going crazy off of my music, itâ€™s the biggest high. When everyone in the club puts their middle fingers up and says â€˜Fuck that Shit, Iâ€™m From Floridaâ€™, you canâ€™t get any better than that. Itâ€™s beautiful when people appreciate all the work I put in.â€
A bevy of support from DJ Greg G, DJ Nasty, DJ Shizm, DJ C Nasty, DJ Brooklyn and DJ Smallz not only catapulted his career, but it positioned him to appear in concerts during the Florida Classic in his hometown and the Southern Smoke College Tour.
The innovation and swagger displayed on â€œFloridaâ€, â€œMerkedâ€, and â€œDas Dat Bullshitâ€ have become mixtape favorites on the underground and continue to resonate with his growing fan base. Not surprisingly, Level 5 Music Groupâ€™s grind landed them a nominated for the coveted Best Underground Group at the Gainesville Music Summit in 07.
Acting as the leading general for Level 5 Music Group, along with business partner Jak, is an important undertaking for Hankadon. â€œI orchestrate the music situation while Jak handles the business side of the label,â€ he reveals. â€œI want to develop artists and make Orlando a good place for music, like Atlanta. We got a lot of talent coming out of the O; we got a lot of talent coming out of Florida period. I really want to build a network in music that encompasses every part of the industry. I plan to own a high end clothing company, a radio station, a magazine, every type of media,â€ he concludes.

AR HITS: FEATURED ARTIST

MILS I was born on June 10, 1984 and raised in Far Rockaway Queens, NY. My birth name is Darryl Whitner and I'm currently 23 years of age. It wasn't until the age of fourteen when I started to pick up the pad and pen. I eventually became inspired by artist such as Slick Rick, LL Cool J, Nas, 2 Pac and Notorious B.I.G. But it was two local artists Matlock and Track which made me go hard none the less.
While attending Far Rockaway High School, I began to stir up a buzz. Not too many people knew I was a rapper due to the fact I was more known for being a ladies man. As time went on the word started to circulate through out the hall ways that I was doing my thing. That's when one of my friends Chris Breland introduced me to a local producer named Andre "Goldenchyl" Fennell. After meeting up with Andre and his partner Dewayne Shippy of Downstairz Entertainment, it pretty much became the starting point of my career.
Even though I wanted to, I really couldn't put a 100% into my music as I would have liked too. The reason for this was simple I had to deal with school and maintaining a steady job. While some my friends were out selling, making the quick buck I promised my mother Patricia and father Harold Whitner, I wouldn't hustle. So as time went by I felt like everybody was getting real money and I was stuck with the 9 to 5. That's when the frustration kicked in. But still I tried my best not to break my promise. Eventually, I found a new type of hustle, "the music grind".
The name C-MIL$ became a statement after appearing on mix tapes such as DJ Fantasy, and Hot 97's own DJ Envy's "Please Listen To My Demo Vol.1". I also started buzzing after doing shows in Manhattan like Downtimes, Club City, Don Hills, Remote Lounge, The Sugar Bar, Club Speed, S.O.B's and the Gallery in Jersey City with DJ Kay Slay. Three shows in particular landed me on an underground promo radio station 91.9 with MR. Raw, an interview with Power 105.1's Mony Love, and "Whats Really Hood DVD".
Most recently, I have two huge notches on my belt. One was an independent video shot by Scenario, an on the rise director who's worked with many great names as well, such as Grafh and Consequence from Kanye West's label "Good Music". The Video then began to circulate through the public access market in NYC, as it appeared on "Up and Cumin Entertainment". The other is rather spectacular. Through Urban Threshold Entertainment, I took home an Underground Music Award on August 22nd, 2005 for "Most Promising Male Rapper". The same night, as Remy Martin, Papoose, and Ralph McDaniels.
What started off as a kid with a dream has now became a step towards reality. I just hope that I'm fortunate enough to share my life and music with the world.