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Weekend Round Up: 2012 Billboard Awards

Last night was the 2012 BIllboard Music Awards held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. I’m sure no one is shocked that Adele was the big winner of the night, taking home 12 awards including the coveted Top Artist award. The night was largely dominated by the Majors and their artists, but there were a couple of “Indie” wins last night including Jason Aldean, Lil Wayne, and Nikki Minaj. LMFAO kicked the party off right with a string of their hottest songs and Chris Brown performed his hit, Turn Up the Music, later on in the show, but the most “interesting” performance had to have been Usher. I didn’t get it, but thankfully, we don’t have to get it for his talent to translate in his performance.

The highlights of the night for me were the tributes to the late Whitney Houston and MCA from the Beastie Boys, as well as the tribute to the very much alive Stevie Wonder, who was awarded the Billboard Icon Award this year. John Legend and Jordin Sparks belted out amazing renditions of “The Greatest Love of All” and “I Will Always Love You” while Ceelo Green and Goodie Mob honored the late MCA with their rendition of “Fight For Your Right To Party.”

Overall, it was a good night for music. Congrats to all the winners! For the full list, click here:

Weekend RoundUp: Festival Season 2012

Finally, it’s starting to feel Summer! With summer, comes some amazing concerts! Coachella and SXSW have passed, but there are still so many amazing festivals on the horizon. We’ve broken it down for you guys month-by-month so you can plan your summer accordingly. Happy Camping!

…..wait….do people still camp at these things anymore?

MAY

The Bamboozzle 2012 – Ashbury Park, NJ - May 18th-20th
Ever want to go to an Ocean Front festival? Now’s your chance. Bamboozle is a three-day festival, with a main stage on the beach and eight other stages covering the best in mainstream pop, rock, metal, comedy and more. The festival evolved out of the Skate and Surf Festival, prominent years ago. This year, Bamboozle is bringing back favorites from that era including a re-creation of the Skate and Surf in the Convention Hall Complex as well as a $10,000.00 B-Boy Challenge. Artist’s this year include: Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters, Blink 182, Skrillex, Incubus, Mac Miller, and over 50 other artists.

Also in May:
Hangout Music Festival – Gulf Shores, Alabama – May 18th-20th
Electric Daisy Carnival NY 2012 – East Rutherford, NJ – May 19th-20th
Sasquatch! 2012 – The Gorge, WA – May 25th-28th

JUNE

Bonaroo Music Festival – Manchester, Tennessee – June 7th-10th
Bonaroo is a hallowed named among festival lovers. If you couldn’t tell back in January, Bonaroo is one of the major festivals that we’ve been keeping our eye out for. The festival is the definition of eclectic. You can find almost any style of musician on any one of the four days of the festival. This years line-up features: Radiohead, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Foster the People, The Roots, SBTRKT, The Shins, and the Alabama Shakes, I’m ready for it to be June already!

Also in June:
Vans Warped Tour 2012 – Nationwide – June 15th-August 5th
Wanderlust 2012 – Stratton, VT – June 21st – June 24th
Spring Awakening 2012 – Chicago, IL – June 16th-17th

JULY

Pitchfork Music Festival – Chicago, IL – July 13th-15th
The three-day event is a chance to catch 40 of the best independent acts of today’s music scene all in one place. You can catch Hip Hop underground giants like A$ap Rocky, Big K.R.I.T. and, Kendrick Lamar. If Indie and Electronic Music’s more your scene, Atlas Sound, Beach House, Dirty Projectors, OuterMinds and Wild Flag will all be in attendance.

Also in July:
All Good Music Festival – Thornville, OH – July 19th-July 20th
The Underground Music Showcase – Denver Colorado – July 18th-22nd
Firefly Music Festival 2012 – Dover, Delaware – July 20th-22nd

AUGUST

Lollapalooza – Chicago, IL – August 3rd-5th

Do I really need to tell you what Lollapalooza is? If your even half the music lover that we are at Altavoz, I’m sure you this epic festival needs no introduction. Grant Park is going to be the craziest this year with artists like Black Sabbath, The Black Keys, Frank Ocean, Florence + the Machine, Childish Gambino, and the list goes on. Watch the video below for the full line up, and get your tickets now……if they’re not already sold out.

Also in August:
Outside Lands 2012 – San Francisco, CA – August 10th-12th
Rock The Bells 2012 – Nationwide – TBA
Electric Zoo 2012 – Randall Island Park, New York City, NY – August 31st-September 2nd

Weekend Round-Up: In The News Around The World

Music is global. It’s probably the greatest gift that music can give us, that is, the ability to connect with people from all different walks of life from every corner of the world. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in what’s going on in our immediate vicinity, that we forget to check on our friends in other parts of the world. Since Altavoz is a global distributor, it seems only natural that we take a break once in a while from the American Indie landscape, and give you guys a peak into the Indie scene around the world.

Record Store: The European Way
As you all know, April 21 marked the release of Music That Changes The World, to all retailers. It also just so happened to be Record Store Day 2012! Record Store Day isn’t just celebrated here in the US. People all over the world participate in this global event, after all, Indies are everywhere! Our friends over in Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Belgium all participated this year for the first time. France, who’s only in their second year of joining in on the festivities (they call it Disquaire Day) had over 176 stores participating and selling over 150 exclusive records and rarities to the masses.

Jack White getting ready to boot Adele from the number one spot on the U.K. Charts
Jack White‘s first solo effort, Blunderbuss took the #1 spot from his fellow XL Recordings artist, Adele yesterday night on the UK album charts. Also noteworthy is that three of the top 6 albums on the UK Charts are from Indie Artists! Go indie!!

Australian iTunes getting the Probe
Apple and Microsoft are just two of the companies in Australia being asked by the country’s government to explain why Australians pay a significantly larger amount for music and movies then in other parts of the world. Private investigations have shown Australian albums as having, on average, a 73% markup on albums that are also available in the United States. Companies in similar ruts with geographical pricing have tried to blame differing operation costs and the fact that Australia is a much smaller economy than the United States, but we’ll soon know the truth after the Australian House of Representatives conducts their investigation.

Billboard 2012 Latin Music Awards

Last Thursday night, Billboard’s 2012 Latin Music Awards were happening in the BankUnited Center in Downtown Miami, the undisputed home of Latin American Music in the United States. Big winners of the night included Don Omar and Prince Royce, both tied with eight awards, Shakira, and Pitbull. Marc Anthony also received a billboard Hall of Fame honor that night.

R.I.P. Todd Simko

Todd Simko was, the guitarist for Pure, as well as a producer and engineer, is presumed to have drowned on April 29th after going missing. Witnesses say he was dragged under the waves. His body has yet to be found, but his family has confirmed his death. He was 45.