plus: Various industry items. 5th Dimension member obit. Henry Rollins [ tickets ] on youth vs. maturity. Chubby Checker's Nobel Prize/Rock Hall letter.

Arista Records announced that it just signed Whitney Houston [ tickets ] to a more-than-$100 million contract.

Nothing against Ms. Houston, but if you had just agreed to pay a singer more than $100 million, would you be bragging about it?

Slipknot [ tickets ] announced that it is canceling its Monday (8/6) show in Portland, Maine, in order to prepare for a "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" appearance.

The Portland show is part of the Big Day Off (from Ozzfest) tour, featuring Papa Roach, Linkin Park, Disturbed and Mudvayne.

From Friday's (8/3) Los Angeles Times:

It was just one year ago that Clear Channel, the operator of 1,200 radio stations bought the dominant national concert promoter, SFX Entertainment. ...

Traditionally, promoters hired by touring musical acts purchase advertising on radio stations playing the acts' songs ...

Now, some broadcasters say Clear Channel is keeping the tickets and ad dollars for its own radio stations.

[Competing promoters] say they fear the conglomerate is using airplay on its 1,200 radio stations as leverage in dissuading acts from hiring other concert promoters. ...

"I think that because we're big and because we're successful, we're going to be a target," said [chief operating officer of Clear Channel Steve] Smith, whose division generates about $1 billion in annual revenue and owns or operates 135 concert venues worldwide. ...

"There is no policy, in stone or suggested, that the radio stations have to do stuff for free for [the concert division], or that we ignore the best interests of the artist for the benefit of the radio stations. We're just all trying to win," Smith said.

According to published reports, two congressmen--Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) and Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah)--have introduced a bill that essentially says:

If a record label wants to license its music to an online music service, it must make licensing available to all online services.

If you type Borders.com into your web browser, it now takes you to Amazon.com.

ZDNet reported on Friday (8/3), "A federal court upheld a decision by the U.S. Copyright Office that radio stations putting their programming online should pay royalties to record labels ..."

Ron Townson of the 5th Dimension died on Thursday (8/2) at age 68 following a battle with kidney disease, the Associated Press reported.

Henry Rollins, as quoted on CleveScene.com:

Anything I wrote at any one time, I felt very passionate about, but I can look at it years later and go, "Well, that's a little much." But everything's a little much when you're 23. Your girl leaves you, dah dah dah! Everything is traumatic. But you get older, and you go, "Ah, it's Thursday. I guess it's time for the chick to leave."

Excerpt from Chubby Checker's letter to both the Nobel Prize nomination committee and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination committee:

This is my message to the Nobel Prize nominators and the nominators of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Should you choose me I'll consider it honorable. However, I have conditions for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

What follows are those conditions:

To Place the "Twist" symbol that's on Chubby Checker's Beef Jerky, this statue on top of a thirty foot or so pedestal in the courtyard of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I would like to be alone thank you. I changed the business. I am often call the wheel that Rock rolls on as long as people are dancing apart to the beat of the music they enjoy. ... Dancing Apart to the Beat is the dance that we do when we dance apart to the beat of anybody's music and before "Chubby Checker" it could not be found! ...

He's probably right.

Chubby Checker changed everything. He gave movement to a music that never had this movement before. The styles changed. The nightclub scene is forever changed. Chubby Checker gave birth to aerobics. ...

The "Twist" [is] the only song, since time began, to become number one twice by the same artist. Oh yes, we're talking about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But lets face the truth. This is Nobel Prize Territory. ...

Dick Clark said, and I quote, "The three most important things that ever happened in the music industry are Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Chubby Checker". Now I ask you. Where is my more money and my more fame? God bless and have mercy. You know I Love You.

Elsewhere on the website, Checker explains where his name came from:

Chubby Checker was born Ernest Evans on October 3, 1941 ... While in the studio, [Dick] Clark’s wife, Barbara walked in and said to him, “Chubby... Chubby Checker. You’re going to be Chubby for Fats and Checker for Domino.”

Good Lord, now that's power:

"You there! I'm changing your name!"