INXS Signs New Recording Agreement With Epic Records/SonyBMG; New MSN Website
Submitted by publisher on Thu, 07/07/2005 - 13:40.
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Source: Epic Records/SonyBMG
12/31/1969 - 17:00
INXS Signs New Recording Agreement With Epic Records/SonyBMG
INXS to Record New Album Featuring Winner of Upcoming CBS Series Rock Star: INXS
The multi-platinum rock band INXS is about to kick off a new phase of its storied career. On the eve of this summer's much-buzzed-about CBS reality series Rock Star: INXS (premiering Monday, July 11, 9:00-10:00PM ET/PT), which follows the famed Australian band on its quest to find a new lead singer, INXS has inked a worldwide recording agreement with Epic Records/SonyBMG. The band will release its long-awaited new album in late 2005.INXS' debut album for the label will feature the winner of the Rock Star: INXS competition. The ambitious series, executive-produced by Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice), goes where no show has gone before, spanning 22 cities and 6 continents in its search for singers. Following the week of premiere, Rock Star: INXS will be seen regularly on Mondays (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT), Tuesdays (10:00-11:00 PM ET/PT) and Wednesdays (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
INXS' Andrew Farriss said: "We're very happy to be joining the Epic family and can't wait to get back into the studio to record again. It's been too long! Everyone in the band is truly looking forward to the months ahead and this great new chapter in our career."
For the following 13 weeks INXS (Andrew, Tim and Jon Farriss, Kirk Pengilly and Garry Beers) will assess a group of 15 candidates in everything from songwriting to live performance. The winner will record an album with the band -- their first since the death of frontman Michael Hutchence in November 1997 -- and embark on a worldwide arena tour spanning more than 100 cities.
Legendary A&R man John Kalodner (Aerosmith, Jimmy Page) will serve as A&R consultant on the band's album.
Over the course of their 25-year-career, INXS has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and scored #1 hits on 4 different continents. They've racked up 23 UK hits, 17 U.S. Billboard hits (7 of which were top 10), 33 Australian hits and 6 consecutive top ten UK and US albums. They've performed over 4,000 live shows for more than 25 million people in almost 50 countries.
Source: Epic Records/SonyBMG
NEW YORK, July 7, 2005 /PRNewswire/ --
MSN Launches Official Web Site for Mark Burnett Productions' 'Rock Star: INXS,' Giving Viewers New Ways to Engage With Reality Show
Interactive Rockstar.msn.com Site Includes Weekly Online Voting, Exclusive Video, Contestant Blogs, Music Downloads, Rock-and-Roll Trivia, Photo Galleries and More
MSN is giving fans new ways to take part in the reality-show craze by launching http://rockstar.msn.com/ , the official Web site for Mark Burnett Productions' "Rock Star: INXS."The show, which aims to find a new lead singer for the multiplatinum rock band INXS, premieres July 11 on the CBS Television Network in the U.S.
The fully interactive Web site will complement the TV show and bring viewers further inside the competition through weekly online voting, exclusive video, contestant Web logs (blogs), music downloads and more. The site marks the first time a Mark Burnett Productions TV reality show has used online voting to influence the outcome on a weekly basis.
Rockstar.msn.com extends and enhances "Rock Star: INXS" by giving fans unique opportunities to connect with the contestants and with one another. Fans who log on will get the inside scoop on the contestants' dreams and struggles from childhood through today, as well as the fights and friendships that develop when 15 ambitious rockers are put together in one house.
Rockstar.msn.com also includes exclusive community-building features that allow fans to connect with one another to talk about their favorite songs and contestants as they vote on who will make it to the next round.
Beginning July 11, viewers can do the following:
-- Vote for their favorite contestants through http://rockstar.msn.com/ and
MSN(R) Messenger, which allows people to vote while chatting with
friends about the show in real time. Wireless voting also will be
available.
-- Watch exclusive "Rock Star: INXS" video not seen on TV, available only
through MSN Video.
-- Watch streaming video of contestant performances on MSN Video to relive
the highlights and the lowlights before casting a vote.
-- Purchase the contestant performances on MSN Music. Not only can fans
download and own their favorite musical moments from the show,
downloads of the original artists' versions of contestant performance
songs also will be available for purchase on MSN Music.
-- Read contestant blogs on MSN Spaces that tell fans about everything
from their backgrounds to what it's really like onstage, offstage and
backstage.
-- Chat with other "Rock Star: INXS" fans through MSN Messenger and
download special "Rock Star: INXS" emoticons, dynamic display pictures,
backgrounds and winks to spice up their instant messaging (IM)
conversations.
-- Play rock-and-roll trivia games created by Cranium Inc. for MSN
Encarta(R).
-- Sign up for MSN Alerts and a weekly newsletter that give fans the scoop
on everything related to "Rock Star: INXS."
-- View weekly "Rock Star" photo galleries and rock-and-roll fashion
features.
-- Buy merchandise featured on "Rock Star: INXS" through MSN Shopping.
-- Get weekly fashion tips from the "Rock Star: INXS" official show
stylist.
Beginning July 18, visitors to http://rockstar.msn.com/ also can enter the "You Be a Rock Star" sweepstakes to win a trip to Los Angeles, where one winner be treated like rock royalty. The winner will stay at a luxury Hollywood hotel, spend an afternoon at an L.A. celebrity spa, and be whisked by limo to the red-carpet finale of "Rock Star: INXS" and the exclusive post-show party. The winner also will receive $1,000 spending money, a digital music player with 100 free downloads from MSN Music, and a rock-and-roll makeover from the "Rock Star: INXS" official show stylist. Sweepstakes details and full rules can be found at http://rockstar.msn.com/ .
"We're thrilled to work with MSN to not only give fans the opportunity to get to know this incredibly talented group of contestants, but also bring them inside the competition," Burnett said. "MSN's great combination of high-quality video and music services and interactive communications tools like MSN Spaces and MSN Messenger give fans an amazing opportunity to develop a powerful connection with the show and with fellow 'Rock Star: INXS' fans watching around the world."
"The contestants on 'Rock Star: INXS' are an amazing group of people -- talented, fun and unbelievably charismatic," said Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of the MSN Information Services & Merchant Platform division at Microsoft Corp. "Working with 'Rock Star: INXS' gives us the opportunity to work with one of the best television producers in the game, while giving fans a great interactive experience and a taste of what it's like to live the rock-star dream."
"Rock Star: INXS" will be broadcast on CBS three times a week beginning with a special one-hour premiere on Monday, July 11 (9-10 p.m. EDT/PDT), followed by a one-hour broadcast on Tuesday, July 12 (10-11 p.m. EDT/PDT) and a half-hour edition on Wednesday, July 13 (9:30-10 p.m. EDT/PDT). Beginning the following week, "Rock Star: INXS" will be seen regularly on Mondays (9:30-10 p.m. EDT/PDT), Tuesdays (10-11 p.m. EDT/PDT) and Wednesdays (9:30-10 p.m. EDT/PDT).
The show also will be aired in Canada, Australia and some Asian countries. Airtimes, stations and voting windows will vary by market.
