Music Industry

Of all the things that can come betwixt band and record label, the gulf that emerged between Jared Leto's 30 Seconds to Mars and EMI appeared insurmountable. All that seemed to separate the two sides was $30 million or, as Leto once described it on the band's website, "30 gazillion." But reunions are standard business procedure in the music industry, and the actor-musician said Tuesday that 30 Seconds to Mars and EMI had reached an agreement. Expect a new album, tentatively titled "This Is War," this fall.

Can a band that's been on hiatus for five years -- during which time its lead singer launched a monstrously successful solo career -- return to find a meaningful place within a music industry that's gone into free fall while it was away? No Doubt. Much has changed since the rock foursome from Orange County bade fans adieu in 2004 with a short but potent tour to promote a greatest hits album: Singer Gwen Stefani birthed two children and two platinum-plus solo albums, not to mention establishing herself as a bona fide fashion designer, while bassist Tony Kanal, guitarist Tom Dumont and drummer Adrian Young broadened their music skill sets by writing, playing with and/or producing other artists.

Bob Greenberg, 75, a longtime music industry executive who held key positions at several record labels including Atlantic, Warner Bros., MGM/UA and Mirage, died Friday in West Hills, a day after suffering a stroke, his brother Jerry said. Born May 8, 1934, in New Haven, Conn., Bob Greenberg got his start in the business in the 1960s doing promotional work for Eastern Allied Associated Record Distributors. He moved on to oversee promotions for Warner Bros. in the Northeast, then arrived in Los Angeles in the early 1970s to run the company's West Coast promotions.

Bob Dylan, dressed for the Grammys in a pewter troubadour's coat and a dandy western tie, arrived backstage to greet the assembled press after winning the album of the year award for 1997, but before the first question he turned to his handlers and asked, "Is Bob out there?" Another night, a few years later, Bono peered out on sold-out Staples Center and told the story of U2's first visit to America and how a critic had thrilled the scruffy young band by declaring them a major new force in music.

Elliott Smith's wistful, melancholy songs in the film "Good Will Hunting" not only won him an Oscar nomination, but also contributed to the soundtrack selling more than 150,000 copies. The question now is how much can Smith add to that total with his own new album, "XO," which is due in stores Tuesday.

STACKING UP SALES Total album and single sales of CDs and cassettes for the week ended Aug. 9, compared with week-ago and year-ago levels, in millions of units: LATEST WEEK Albums: 12.4 Singles: 2.0 * WEEK AGO Albums: 12.3 Singles: 1.9 * YEAR AGO Albums: 11.7 Singles: 2.4 Atop the Charts Weekly and year-to-date record company market share as of Aug. 9, based on current albums sold. This is an indicator of music company performance. Figures do not include catalog sales.

N2K Inc., the No. 2 online music company, said it is tightening the focus of its Internet music business and will take a third-quarter charge of as much as $7 million for cutting jobs and other costs. The company said its N2K Encoded Music label will promote artists and releases that are popular with Internet users and will cut marketing and promotional costs. N2K executives declined to disclose how many jobs will be cut.

My mother was 80 last year when she decided to pass the torch to me, her only daughter--"the torch" being her beloved, well-used Favilla ukulele, accompaniment for family sing-alongs for as long as I can remember. I wanted to please. But, the ukulele? That comical little has-been guitar-wannabe? Sure it was fun to sing with, and my mother's expertise always delighted us, but shades of Tiny Tim, doo-wacka-doo, vo-do-de-o, grass skirts and Arthur Godfrey. . . . It was love at first strum.

Legendary Motown songwriting trio Holland-Dozier-Holland, creators of hits such as "Stop in the Name of Love" and "I Hear a Symphony," are singing to the tune of $30 million as they become the latest musicians to wrap up a security deal backed by future music royalties. The bond deal, which got a single-A rating from two major credit-rating agencies, will be backed by more than 300 of the trio's compositions, according to Pullman Group, which underwrote the private placement.

You might say the Beastie Boys were in the right place at the right time--much like another famous white boy, Elvis Presley, in an earlier era. The Beasties, who started out as a punk band in New York, saw that hip-hop was the future of pop music and embraced the sound. The surprise is that the hip-hop community embraced them back.