Taylor Swift and Aloe Blacc are amongst artists taking a stand against streaming giants Pandora, Spotify, and more for their “unfair compensation of artists.”

Indeed, Blacc – who has wielded such recent top hits as ‘I Need A Dollar’ and ‘I’m the Man’ – made headlines this week after alleging his hits have been spun over 168 million times on the top streaming web sites.  His compensation for the spin?   A measly $4000.

He’s not the only one.

Music’s darling right now, ‘Shake It Off’ songstress Taylor Swift, has unceremoniously shaken off Spotify by yanking her music from the popular streaming site.  A bold move she accompanied with this quote:

“I’m not willing to contribute my life’s work to an experiment that I don’t feel fairly compensates the writers, producers, artists and creators of this music. I just don’t agree with perpetuating the perception that music has no value and should be free.”

Spotify’s CEO Daniel Elk feels Swift’s assessment is unfair.  Read his response below and tell us how you feel:

(more…)

R&B songstress Marsha Ambrosius lands on the cover of Kontrol magazine’s latest issue.

The former Floetry maestra styled and profiled in support of her critically acclaimed album ‘Friends & Lovers’, which arrived in stores earlier this year.

And while we feel she looks great, a number of the star’s Facebook fans took issue with the sensual tone of the cover, as well as its tag line “Marsha Ambrosius Is Bringing Sexy Back”.

Uncharacteristically, the singer-songwriter didn’t let the digs go unaddressed and personally responded to many.

Check out the exchanges after the jump…

(more…)

‘Va Va Voom’ vixen Nicki Minaj saw her name zoom right to the top of the Anti-Defamation League’s hitlist after her latest lyric video ‘Only’ hit the net recently.

Assisted by Chris Brown and fellow Young Money crew members Drake and Lil Wayne, the visual instantly came under fire after fans likened its imagery to Nazi themes.  The uproar prompted Abraham Foxman, the League’s director and Holocaust survivor himself, to issue a statement on the group’s behalf:

Nicki Minaj’s new video disturbingly evokes Third Reich propaganda and constitutes a new low for pop culture’s exploitation of Nazi symbolism. The irony should be lost on no one that this video debuted on the 76th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the “night of broken glass” pogrom that signaled the beginning of the Final Solution and the Holocaust.

This video is insensitive to Holocaust survivors and a trivialization of the history of that era. The abuse of Nazi imagery is deeply disturbing and offensive to Jews and all those who can recall the sacrifices Americans and many others had to make as a result of Hitler’s Nazi juggernaut.“

Their outcry did not fall on deaf ears. Just in time for Veteran’s Day, find out what Minaj had to say in response below:

(more…)

Sadly, the late, great Whitney Houston is no longer with us. However, her legacy is being celebrated with the release of ‘Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances’ – which hit stores this week.

Pieced together by the diva’s longtime mentor Clive Davis, the retrospective set – which we’ve had on replay here at TGJ – is earning rave reviews from critics.

Whitney, of course, is tragically not here to bless the masses with more showcases of her iconic voice, however Davis called on one of today’s most gifted vocalists, Jennifer Hudson, to help him pay homage on the Today Show this morning.

The Oscar and Grammy winner was drafted in to perform the classic Nippy cut ‘One Moment In Time’.

Watch her soar after the jump…

(more…)

Beyonce skews more elusive these days, as evidenced by the scant promo, interviews, and performances that have defined the campaign for her mega-selling visual album.

However, one place the superstar is ever-present is on Instagram.

Over the last year, the singer has ramped up her use of the platform to share everything from fashion snaps to quotes, to personal pics of her family.

Her approach has paid off handsomely. Because, as of this week, the 33-year-old has become the most followed female Pop star on the site.

Details below…

(more…)

With ‘Bang Bang’ still blazing the charts, it’s proven that Ariana Grande and Jessie J make for a winning team.

As such, it’s little surprise that the powerhouses look set to reunite next year. However, it’s the track they’re alleged to be teaming up for that has many jaws on the floor.

Full story below…

(more…)

Omarion is building on his ‘Love & Hip-Hop: Hollywood’ buzz.

The Maybach Music Group crooner has been teasing new album ‘Sex Playlist’ for the longest, however it appears the VH1 show has helped expedite the release process for the project. Because, today brought with the arrival of its official lead single ‘Post To Be’.

Featuring Chris Brown and Jhene Aiko, the club cut (produced by DJ Mustard) awaits below. Check it out….

(more…)

With music sales dwindling, artists are being forced to cultivate cutting edge ways to push their product.

And while some, such as U2, Taylor Swift and Beyonce, have managed to innovate and elevate effectively, others…not so much.

Case in point Usher.

The star, who is currently on tour after scrapping the release of his new album ‘UR’, has teamed up with cereal giant Honey Nut Cheerios to release a new song.

Details on the odd deal below…

(more…)

Legendary comedian and television star Bill Cosby got a legendary roasting on Monday, courtesy of his legion of Twitter followers.

He’s arguably America’s favorite TV dad, but as of late – per a collection of shocking rape allegations – his reputation faces tarnish.  That pending tarnish was in full effect when the star, much like Robin Thicke and R. Kelly learned the hard way, took to Twitter to ask users do answer a question or perform a task.

Cosby playfully asked fans to “meme” a photo, but some of the captions they came up with were so unflattering that he immediately yanked down the photo.  See some of the best of the worst below:

(more…)

August brought with it news that R&B’s top beaus Chris Brown & Trey Songz were joining forces and hitting the road in support of their most respective sixth albums ‘X’ and ‘Trigga’ – both of which topped the US R&B charts upon their release.

Now, after giving fans a taste of what’s to come with a series joint remixes, the Virginian duo finally unveil the full list of their forthcoming 2015 tour dates.

Will the heartthrobs be collecting hearts and panties in a city near you?  Find out below:

(more…)

It looks like our girl Fantasia isn’t the only one set to hear wedding bells soon!

If reports are to be believed, eccentric Urban popstress Solange is en route down the aisle to longtime boyfriend Alan Ferguson. With details kept under wraps for quite some time, news has it the ‘I Decided’ diva has decided to say “I do” soon – and we mean soon!

Find out the details below:

(more…)

In a bid to ensure that you’ll be buying her new album ‘Anybody Wanna Buy A Heart,’ songstress K. Michelle is wasting no time keeping the promo rolling in support of the project.

In addition to sending fans into a frenzy by unveiling photos from the set of her forthcoming single ‘If They Knew’ with the Biggest Bawse Rick Ross (seen after the jump), the southern Belle’s sharp tongue can be heard ringing on the small screen again via her new VH1 reality show.

As if that’s not enough, Miss Michelle keeps the good times rolling with a new lyric video for her next single ‘Maybe I Should Call.’ Get into it below and let us know how you feel: 

(more…)