The Set List

Set Your Cell To Positive Vibration

Bob Marley ringtones are available again to Verizon Wireless users after the mobile company took exception to Chris Blackwell's statements on Thursday. Seems the company believes its contracts with Universal Music are sufficient, regardless of the opinion of the Marley estate.
Seeing as how Verizon's website is more keen on advertising the availability of Kanye West tunes than the Marley classics, it took a little digging to get to all of them. Daughter No. 2, who once had "Legend" stuck in her car CD player for three months, noticed that the service is offering far more ringtones than ringbacks and that his best-known material was not offered as a ringback. She was able to download two of her two faves, "Redemption Song" and "Trenchtown Rock."

No Woman, No Ringtone, No Cry

Verizon Wireless is removing all Bob Marley music and images from its online and mobile offerings just as a lawsuit was aboiut to be filed.
The Bob Marley estate, Fifty Six Hope Road Music, had prepared a lawsuit claiming trademark infringement, based on Verizon Wireless’s failure to receive permission from the family. Verizon Wireless had sought in an endorsement in March, which the Marley family said made it onto the company's  website.
The Marleys are also upset with the Universal Music, which distributes Markey's recordings.
"As a representative of the Marley Family, I am infuriated that Verizon would  go around the estate and initiate partnership with Universal Music Group," estate consultant Chris Blackwell said. "It is disturbing that these companies refuse to give the musicians the respect they deserve. We cannot  and will not allow Bob Marley's name and likeness to be used in such a manner without the authorization of the family.
"It  is not just a legal issue but a matter of principal to protect the rights of artists and their beneficiaries.   We will act aggressively toward any such a violating acts.”

The Familiar Ring of AC/DC: Oldies Phone in Profit

On a monthly basis, the RIAA likes to tout the number of singles, albums and ringtones that have hit gold and platinum status. Songs like “Buy U A Drank,” which has shipped – a term that gets mighty vague in the digital age – 2 million copies.
But beyond the awards given to Justin Timberlake, Rascal Flatts and T-Pain, there are those mastertones from the catalogs being rewarded with plaques on the wall. June’s oldies that kept phones and cash registers rigning were:
Platinum: "Sexual Healing" by Marvin Gaye and “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi  Lauper.
The Gold winners are: AC/DC's  “Thunderstruck,” “Highway To Hell,” “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “Hell's Bells”;Charlie Daniels Band’s “The Devil Went Down To Georgia”; Henry Mancini’s “Pink Panther Theme”; Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and the instrumental version – sorry Dave Bickler - of Survivor’s “Eye Of The Tiger.”