Similar Music Magazines

Q Magazine Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs then still a new technology. Q was first published in October 1986, setting itself apart from much of the other music press with monthly production and higher standards of photography and printing. In the early years, the magazine was sub-titled "The modern guide to music and more". Originally it was to be called Cue (as in the sense of cueing a record, ready to play), but the name was changed so that it wouldn't be mistaken for a snooker magazine. Another reason, cited in Q's 200th edition, is that a single-letter title would be more prominent on newsstands. Content The magazine has an extensive review section, featuring: new releases (music), reissues (music), music compilations, film and live concert reviews, as well as radio and television reviews. It uses a star-rating system from one to five stars; indeed, the rating an album receives in Q is often added to print and television advertising for the album in the UK and Ireland. It also compiles a list of approximately eight albums, which it classes as the best new releases of the last three months. Much of the magazine is devoted to interviews with popular musical artists. Every issue of Q has a different message on the spine. Readers then try to work out what the message has to do with the contents of the mag. This practice known as the "spine line" has since become commonplace among British lifestyle magazines, including Q's sister publication, Empire and the football monthly FourFourTwo. Usual features include The Q50, wherein the magazine lists the top 50 essential tracks of the month; Cash for Questions, in which a famous celeb/band answers question sent in by readers who win 25 if their question is printed; Ten Commandments, wherein a particular singer creates their very own ten commandments by which to live; and Rewind, in which they take us back in time through the history of music via archive issues of Q. On March 4, 2007, Q named Elvis Presley the greatest singer of all.

NME Magazine The New Musical Express, popularly known by the initialism NME, is a music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, in the 14 November 1952 edition. In the 1970s it became the best-selling British music newspaper. During the period 1972 to 1976 it was particularly associated with gonzo journalism, then became closely associated with punk rock through the writing of Tony Parsons and Julie Burchill. An online version of NME, NME.COM, was launched in 1996. It is now the world's biggest standalone music site, with over 7 million users per month. Mike Williams was named as NME editor on 31 May 2012, taking over from Krissi Murison on 25 June 2012. NME.COM is currently edited by Luke Lewis. Recent Prints From the issue of 21 March 1998 onwards, the paper has no longer been printed on newsprint, and more recently it has shifted to tabloid size: it has full, glossy, colour covers. In the early 2000s the NME also attempted somewhat to broaden its coverage again, running cover stories on hip-hop acts such as Jay-Z and Missy Elliott, electronic music pioneer Aphex Twin, Popstars winners Hear'say and R&B groups like Destiny's Child, but as in the 1980s these proved unpopular with much of the paper's readership, and were soon dropped. In 2001 the NME reasserted its position as an influence in new music and helped to introduce bands including The Strokes, The Vines, and The White Stripes. In 2002 Conor McNicholas was appointed editor. It focused on new British bands such as The Libertines, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party and the Kaiser Chiefs who emerged as "indie music" continued to grow in commercial success. Later, Arctic Monkeys became the standard-bearers of the post-Libertines crop of indie bands, being both successfully championed by the NME and receiving widespread commercial and critical success. In May 2008 the magazine received a redesign, aimed at an older readership with a less poppy, more authoritative tone. The first issue of the redesign featured a free seven-inch Coldplay vinyl single. Circulation of the magazine has fallen continuously since 2003. In the second half of 2011, the magazine's circulation was 23,924, 66% down on a 2003 figure of 72,442.

Clash Magazine Clash is a popular music and fashion magazine based in the United Kingdom, and is published 12 times a year. The magazine alternates between modern bands such as The Horrors, Florence & The Machine and Jamie xx as well as hip-hop artists like DJ Shadow, Kanye West and Beastie Boys, who have all had cover spots in recent issues. It concentrates on music and fashion, and often their effect on surrounding culture, as well as film and technology. However they do also have a common theme throughout their reviews of slandering musicians who don't coincide with their almost extremist views and ideals of music - possibly for comedic value and entertainment for those who read the magazine. The magazine won the Best New Magazine award in 2004 at the PPA Magazine Awards and has won further awards in England and Scotland. Most notably, Magazine of the Year at the 2011 Record of the Day Awards. At the turn of 2011, Clash Magazine took on an entirely new look, ditching the previous glossy feel and music led design, for an altogether more artistically led approach. The publication is based around the larger Clash brand, which extends to live events around the country and festival partnerships/parties (such as RockNess, Snowbombing, SXSW), and the website ClashMusic.com. 2011 saw Clash partner Levi's and Spotify to bring Primal Scream to London's Electric Brixton for one of their final shows with the former Stone Roses member, Mani. In September 2008, the magazine received a grant of 230,000 from the Scottish government, to develop its online presence. History Clash magazine was bred out of long running free listings magazine Vibe based in Dundee, Scotland. Re-launching as Clash Magazine in 2004 it won Best New Magazine award at the PPA Magazine Awards and Music Magazine of the Year Record of the Day Awards 2005 and 2011.

Top of the Pops Magazine Top of the Pops magazine is a monthly publication published by BBC Magazines. It features chart information, star gossip, fashion and beauty advice, quizzes, song lyrics and posters. It is a supplementary magazine for the TV show Top of the Pops. The magazine was launched in February 1995, and is famous for giving girl group The Spice Girls their nicknames. Alongside a revamp of the TV show, it was originally marketed as the missing link between Smash Hits and NME, but its format was gradually changed, with less music content and a demographic shift to young girls. It is still in publication despite the cancellation of the TV show. The title has had several editors over the years, including Peter Lorraine, Corinna Schaffer and Rosalie Snaith, and contributing editors including Adam Tanswell. Its current editor is Peter Hart. Features

Oops, Shameful Celeb Slip UpsThe magazine picks the funniest celebrity pictures and associates them with a witty quote. Your OopsReaders send in the most shameful stories. Gossip 2 GoThe month's hottest celebrity gossip. The Wonderful World Of The Wanted-A page written by The Wanted. Don't MissThe magazine picks some of the hottest films, TV programmes and games, plus the latest single reviews by a random celebrity. Top Of The ShopsThe magazine picks out some of the hottest bargains, where you can buy them, and their price. Real LifeThe magazine draws our attention to situations that happen in the real world. The SurgeryOriginally called Star Therapy, this was hosted by a random celebrity who tries to sort out readers' problems. Along with the name change, the section is now hosted by BBC Radio 1's Aled and BBC Slink's Dr Mel. Your LettersHosted by Dick and Dom who take a look at some of our readers' gossip about stars, clothes or just real life situations. One Direction page with your questions and their answers, 1D fan of the month.

Institutions
Bauer Media Group

Type Industry Founded Headquarters Area served Revenue Employees Subsidiaries Website

Private (KG) Publishing, Broadcasting 1875 Hamburg, Germany Europe, USA, China, Russia / Turnover 2.129 Billion Euro (2010) 6,400 Bauer Radio Box Television (50% stake) www.bauermedia.com

Bauer Media Group is a multinational media company headquartered in Hamburg, Germany which operates in 15 countries worldwide. Since the company was founded in 1875, it has been privately owned and under management by the Bauer family. It was formerly called Heinrich Bauer Verlag KG, abbreviated to HBV and usually shortened to H. Bauer. Worldwide circulation of Bauer Media Group's magazine titles amounts to 38 million magazines a week History Bauer Verlagsgruppe has been managed by four generations of the Bauer family. Originally a small printing house, The Bauer Publishing Group has grown into a worldwide publishing and media company. The Bauer Publishing Group comprises 282 magazines worldwide in 15 countries, as well as TV and radio stations. Bauer started in the UK with the launch of Bella magazine in 1987 and as H Bauer Publishing became Britain's third largest publisher. Bauer further expanded in the UK with the purchase of Emap Consumer Media and Emap Radio in 2008 to become the UK's biggest publishing group. The group acquired Australia's largest magazine publisher, Australian Consolidated Press from private equity paymasters, CVC in 2012, increasing the companys value to more than 2 billion. The company trades as H Bauer Publishing - MD David Goodchild, and Bauer Consumer Media - CE Paul Keenan.

Bauer Media Brands Q Magazine Q started out as a music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. Originally it was to be called Cue (named after the act of cueing a record to play), but the name was changed so that it wouldn't be mistaken for a snooker magazine. Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth felt the music press of the time ignored a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs then still a new technology from artists such as Paul Simon, Level 42, and Dire Straits. Modeled after Rolling Stone, Q was first published in 1986, setting itself apart from much of the other music press with monthly production and higher standards of photography and printing, with an emphasis on style. The Q music brand has expanded to Radio and Television, with Q Radio and Q TV being music entertainment that specializes in indie, rock and alternative. Q also holds annual music awards in the UK, known as Q Awards. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards have become one of Britain's biggest and best publicized music awards, helped in no small part by the often boisterous behaviour of the celebrities who attend the event. In spring 2010, Bauer caused controversy with its attempt to unilaterally impose a new contract on all photographers and writers, which takes away their copyright and off-loads liability for libel or copyright infringement from the publisher onto the contributor. 200 photographers and writers from Q and Bauer's other music magazines, Kerrang! and MOJO were reported as refusing to work under the new terms. Kerrang! Kerrang! is a brand that specializes in Rock Music. It originally began as a magazine and in 2004 Kerrang Radio was launched. A Kerrang TV channel also exists and as of 2005, all of its programme content is music videos, the majority of which is open scheduled, for text requests from their playlist.

IPC Media

Parent Company Founded Country of Origin Headquarters Location Website

Time Inc. 1958 United Kingdom London www.ipcmedia.com

This is about a British publishing company. For the American publisher affiliated with the Communist Party USA, see International Publishers.

IPC Media (formerly International Publishing Corporation),a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Inc., is a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year. History Origins The British magazine publishing industry in the mid-1950s was dominated by a handful of companies, principally the Associated Newspapers (founded by Lord Harmsworth in 1890), Odhams Press Ltd, George Newnes Publishers, C. Arthur Pearson, and the Hulton Press, which fought each other for market share in a highly competitive marketplace. Fleetway In 1958 Cecil Harmsworth King, chairman of a newspaper group which included the Daily Mirror and the Sunday Pictorial (now the Sunday Mirror), together with provincial chain West of England Newspapers, made an offer for Amalgamated Press. The offer was accepted, and in January 1959 he was appointed its chairman. Within a few months he changed its name to Fleetway Publications, Ltd. after the name of its headquarters, Fleetway House in London's Farringdon Street Shortly thereafter, Odhams Press absorbed both George Newnes and the Hulton Press. King saw an opportunity in this to rationalise the overcrowded women's magazine market, in which Fleetway and Newnes were the major competitors, and made a bid for Odhams on behalf of Fleetway that was too attractive to ignore. Fleetway took over Odhams in March 1961 International Publishing Corporation In consequence, King controlled publishing interests which included two national daily and two national Sunday newspapers (the newspaper interests being informally tagged The Mirror Group), along with almost one hundred consumer magazines, more than two hundred trade and technical periodicals, and various book publishing interests. This included the combined business interests of Fleetway, Odhams, and Newnes. All of the companies involved had been acquired without any significant change in management, save for the appointment of Mirror Group directors as chairmen. In 1963 all the companies were combined by the creation of a parent (or "holding") company called the International Publishing Corporation (known informally as IPC). All of the existing companies would continue to exist, but as IPC subsidiaries

Pop music
Traditional pop Rhythm and blues Jazz Stylistic origins Folk Doo-wop Dance Classical Rock and roll Cultural origins 1950s, United Kingdom and United States Vocals Synthesizer Drum machine Sequencer Sampler Bass guitar Drums Keyboards Acoustic guitar Piano Occasional use of various other instruments

Typical instruments

Pop music (a term that originally derives from an abbreviation of "popular") is a genre of popular music which originated in its modern form in the 1950s, deriving from rock and roll. The terms popular music and pop music are often used interchangeably, even though the former is a description of music which is popular (and can include any style), whilst the latter is a specific genre containing qualities of mass appeal. As a genre, pop music is very eclectic, often borrowing elements from other styles including urban, dance, rock, Latin and country nonetheless, there are core elements which define pop. Such include generally short-to-medium length songs, written in a basic format (often the verse-chorus structure), as well as the common employment of repeated choruses, melodic tunes, and catchy hooks. So-called "pure pop" music, such as power pop, features all these elements, using electric guitars, drums and bass for instrumentation; in the case of such music, the main goal is usually that of being pleasurable to listen to, rather than having much artistic depth. Pop music is generally thought of as a genre which is commercially recorded and desires to have a mass audience appeal.

Origin of the term The term "pop song" is first recorded as being used in 1926, in the sense of a piece of music "having popular appeal" Hatch and Millward indicate that many events in the history of recording in the 1920s can be seen as the birth of the modern pop music industry, including in country, blues and hillbilly music. According to Grove Music Online, the term "pop music" "originated in Britain in the mid-1950s as a description for rock and roll and the new youth music styles that it influenced The Oxford Dictionary of Music states that while pop's "earlier meaning meant concerts appealing to a wide audience. Since the late 1950s, however, pop has had the special meaning of non-classical music, usually in the form of songs, performed by such artists as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, ABBA, etc." Grove Music Online also states that "... in the early 1960s [the term] pop music competed terminologically with Beat music [in England], while in the USA its coverage overlapped (as it still does) with that of rock and roll." Chambers' Dictionary mentions the contemporary usage of the term "pop art"; Grove Music Online states that the "term pop music ... seems to have been a spin-off from the terms pop art and pop culture, coined slightly earlier and referring to a whole range of new, often American, media-culture products". From about 1967 the term was increasingly used in opposition to the term rock music, a division that gave generic significance to both terms. Whereas rock aspired to authenticity and an expansion of the possibilities of popular music, pop was more commercial, ephemeral and accessible. According to Simon Frith pop music is produced "as a matter of enterprise not art", is "designed to appeal to everyone" and "doesn't come from any particular place or mark off any particular taste". It is "not driven by any significant ambition except profit and commercial reward ... and, in musical terms, it is essentially conservative". It is, "provided from on high (by record companies, radio programmers and concert promoters) rather than being made from below. Pop is not a do-it-yourself music but is professionally produced and packaged".

Influences and development MTV helped give rise to pop stars such as Michael Jackson and Madonna. Jackson (pictured) has been given the honorific titled of "King of Pop" for his contributions to the genre. Throughout its development, pop music has absorbed influences from most other genres of popular music. Early pop music drew on the sentimental ballad for its form, gained its use of vocal harmonies from gospel and soul music, instrumentation from jazz, country, and rock music, orchestration from classical music, tempo from dance music, backing from electronic music, rhythmic elements from hip-hop music, and has recently appropriated spoken passages from rap. It has also made use of technological innovation. In the 1940s improved microphone design allowed a more intimate singing style and ten or twenty years later inexpensive and more durable 45 r.p.m. records for singles "revolutionized the manner in which pop has been disseminated" and helped to move pop music to a record/radio/film star system. Another technological change was the widespread availability of television in the 1950s; with televised performances, "pop stars had to have a visual presence". In the 1960s, the introduction of inexpensive, portable transistor radios meant that teenagers could listen to music outside of the home. Multi-track recording (from the 1960s); and digital sampling (from the 1980s) have also been utilized as methods for the creation and elaboration of pop music. By the early 1980s, the promotion of pop music had been greatly affected by the rise of Music Television channels like MTV, which "favoured those artists such as Michael Jackson and Madonna who had a strong visual appeal". Pop music has been dominated by the American and (from the mid-1960s) British music industries, whose influence has made pop music something of an international monoculture, but most regions and countries have their own form of pop music, sometimes producing local versions of wider trends, and lending them local characteristics. Some of these trends (for example Europop) have had a significant impact of the development of the genre. According to Grove Music Online, "Western-derived pop styles, whether coexisting with or marginalizing distinctively local genres have spread throughout the world and have come to constitute stylistic common denominators in global commercial music cultures". Some non-Western countries, such as Japan, have developed a thriving pop music industry, most of which is devoted to Western-style pop, has for several years has produced a greater quantity of music of everywhere except the USA. The spread of Western-style pop music has been interpreted variously as representing processes of Americanization, homogenization, modernization, creative appropriation, cultural imperialism, and/or a more general process of globalization.

Popular Pop Artists Of 2012

Ed Sheeran Flame-haired singer/songwriter, beatboxer, and guitarist Ed Sheeran's eclectic blend of acoustic pop, folk, and hip-hop has been championed by everyone from the underground grime scene to American Oscar winners. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England in 1991, Sheeran released his first EP, The Orange Room, while still at school, and his first two albums, his self-titled debut and Want Some, by the age of 16. After moving to London to gain more live experience, his performance of the selfpenned "You Need Me, I Don't Need You" on YouTube channel SB.tv gained half a million viewers and attracted the attention of actor/R&B star Jamie Foxx, who invited him to appear on his Los Angeles Sirius radio show. Securing a deal with Elton John's management company, he supported Example on his U.K. tour and, after signing with Atlantic Records, he became only the third artist to score a Top 75 album purely on download sales, when his No.5 Collaborations Project, a starstudded seven-track EP featuring Wiley, JME, and Devlin, charted at number 47 in 2011. That same year he released his debut studio album, +. In 2012, Sheeran returned with the EP Slumdon Bridge.

The Script A self-described "Celtic soul" trio, the Script were founded by guitarist Marc Sheehan and vocalist Danny O'Donoghue in 2001. The two musicians had previously performed together in Mytown, an Irish-based boy band that enjoyed moderate success at home but failed to generate international acclaim. After the group disbanded, Sheehan and O'Donoghue spent several years in Los Angeles, where they worked as producers alongside the likes of Teddy Riley, the Neptunes, and Rodney Jerkins. They later relocated to Dublin and recruited Glen Power as their drummer, trading promising careers in production for a blend of contemporary R&B and polished, anthemic pop/rock. Forging a unique sound based on a diverse list of influences (including U2, the Neptunes, Timbaland, and Van Morrison), the Script saw their debut single, "We Cry," receive heavy airplay in both Ireland and Britain, as well as a nod from the influential BBC Radio DJ Jo Whiley. After signing with Phonogenic Records, the group relocated to London and scheduled both a debut album and an appearance at the Glastonbury Festival for summer 2008. The album proved to be a meteoric success, topping the charts in multiple countries and establishing the Script as 2008's most popular newcomer. The buzz carried through to 2009, when Paul McCartney and U2 both enlisted the band to open several sold-out shows. ~ Katherine Fulton & Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide.

Rihanna Rihanna established her dance-pop credentials in summer 2005 with her debut smash hit, "Pon de Replay," and continued to demonstrate such hit potential in subsequent years (e.g., "S.O.S." in 2006; "Umbrella" in 2007; "Disturbia" in 2008). However, it was the singer's third album, Good Girl Gone Bad that made her a full-fledged international pop star with a regular presence atop the charts. Born Robyn Rihanna Fenty on February 20, 1988, in Saint Michael, Barbados, she exhibited a certain star quality as a young child, often winning beauty and talent contests. Because she lived on the fairly remote island of Barbados in the West Indies, however, she never foresaw the sort of stardom that would later befall her. That stardom came courtesy of a fateful meeting with Evan Rogers. The New Yorker was vacationing in Barbados with his wife, a native of the island, when he was introduced to Rihanna. Rogers had spent years producing pop hits for such superstars as *NSYNC, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Kelly Clarkson, Laura Pausini, and Rod Stewart, and he offered the talented Rihanna a chance to record. Along with Rogers' production partner, Carl Sturken (the other half of Syndicated Rhythm Productions), Rihanna recorded several demos that sparked the interest of the Carter Administration -- that is, the newly appointed Def Jam president Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. This led to an audition, and Rihanna both received and accepted an on-the-spot offer to sign with Def Jam. Come summer 2005, Def Jam timely rolled out "Pon de Replay," the lively leadoff single from Music of the Sun. Produced almost entirely by Rogers and Sturken, the song synthesized Caribbean rhythms with urban-pop songwriting. "Pon de Replay" caught fire almost immediately, climbing all the way to number two on The Billboard Hot 100 and contesting the half-summer reign of Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" atop the chart. The debut album spawned one other hit, "If It's Lovin' That You Want," which also broke the Top 40. Rihanna's follow-up effort, A Girl Like Me, saw even greater success and spawned three sizeable singles: a chart-topper ("S.O.S.") and two Top Ten hits ("Unfaithful," "Break It Off"). Rihanna's third album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), continued her success while signaling a change of direction. Whereas her past two albums had been imbalanced -- often weighed down by faceless balladry and canned Caribbean-isms -- Good Girl Gone Bad was a first-rate dance-pop album, stacked with several chart-topping singles and boasting collaborations with Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, Timbaland, and StarGate. The lead single, "Umbrella," shot to number one, as did "Take a Bow" and "Disturbia." Its success turned Rihanna into one of the planet's biggest pop stars. Rated R (2009) was released in the wake of a physical altercation with romantic interest Chris Brown, who pled guilty to felony assault. The album's lead single, "Russian Roulette" -- written with Ne-Yo -- was one of the year's most controversial singles. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide.

Maroon 5 A mix of polished pop/rock and neo-soul sex appeal made Maroon 5 one of the most popular bands of the 2000s, with such radio-ready songs as "This Love," "She Will Be Loved," and "Makes Me Wonder" all topping the charts worldwide . Previously, bandmates Adam Levine (vocals/guitar), Jesse Carmichael (keyboards), Mickey Madden (bass), and Ryan Dusick (drums) had spent the latter half of the '90s playing in the modern rock outfit Kara's Flowers, releasing their debut album for Reprise Records while still attending high school. The record tanked, however, and Kara's Flowers found themselves dropped from the Reprise roster. After briefly attending college, the bandmates regrouped as Maroon 5, added former Square guitarist James Valentine to the lineup, and embraced a more R&B-influenced sound. Several years later, the quintet had officially risen to the forefront of popular music with the multi-platinum releases of Songs About Jane and It Won't Be Soon Before Long. Songs About Jane propelled the band into the mainstream, but the album was not an immediate hit. Octone Records had signed the newly christened Maroon 5 in 2001, and the debut album Jane received a lukewarm response upon its in June 2002. "Harder to Breathe" became a radio staple 17 months later and was soon followed by the omnipresent "This Love," whose steamy video (featuring frontman Levine and a barely clothed girlfriend) effectively wooed the TV-watching crowds at MTV. Songs About Jane finally entered the Billboard Top Ten in August 2004, more than two years after the album's release, and subsequent singles like "She Will Be Loved" and "Sunday Morning" helped the album move over 2.7 million copies by year's end. Maroon 5 toured exhaustively in support of Jane's slow-developing success, issuing two stopgap recordings -- 2004's 1.22.03.Acoustic and 2005's Live Friday the 13th -while canvassing the world alongside the Rolling Stones and John Mayer. Their schedule was especially trying on percussionist Dusick, who sustained wrist and shoulder injuries and was often unable to play. By fall 2006, Dusick had been officially replaced by Matt Flynn (the former drummer for Gavin DeGraw), and the revised band released its sophomore effort in May 2007. It Won't Be Soon Before Long proved to be less popular than its predecessor (which had sold more than four million copies in the U.S. alone), but it still enjoyed double-platinum certification while spinning off the chart-topping single "Makes Me Wonder." Maroon 5 had cemented their status as pop/rock heavyweights, and they now had the powerful connections to prove it. Released in late 2008, Call and Response: The Remix Album reinterpreted the band's catalog with remixes by such influential figures as Mary J. Blige, Mark Ronson, and Pharrell Williams. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide.

Beyonc One of the most recognizable characters in modern-day R&B, Beyonc first rose to fame as the siren-voiced centerpiece of Destiny's Child before embarking on a multi-platinum solo career in 2001. Booming record sales, Grammy awards, movie roles, and a romance with rapper/CEO Jay-Z combined to heighten her profile in the 2000s, making the singer a virtual mainstay in the entertainment world. While some media outlets derisively championed Paris Hilton as "the next Marilyn Monroe," Beyonc was a much better contender for the role, her glittering pop culture persona only matched by her success onscreen and on record. Born in Houston in September 1981, Beyonc Giselle Knowles began performing at age seven, winning upwards of 30 local competitions for her dancing and vocal abilities. She also joined her cousin Kelly Rowland and classmates LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett in forming an adolescent vocal group. Mathew Knowles, Beyonc's father and Rowland's legal guardian, signed on to be the girls' manager, eventually quitting his full-time job to focus on their efforts. This situation would ultimately lead to the creation of one of the most popular female R&B groups of all time -- Destiny's Child. Destiny's Child gained momentum throughout the 1990s, appearing on Star Search in 1992 (under the name Girl's Tyme) and weathering several lineup changes before signing to Columbia Records in 1997. Four studio albums later, the group has officially become the best-selling female group of all time, with such smash hits as "Jumpin' Jumpin'," "Bills, Bills, Bills," "Say My Name," and "Survivor" bolstering the girls' momentum despite a continued string of lawsuits from former members Roberson and Luckett (who contested Mathew Knowles' management, claiming he withheld profits and unjustly favored his daughter and niece). In 2001, Beyonc, Rowland, and replacement member Michelle Williams allowed themselves a break from the group to pursue individual solo careers. Before landing several movie roles, Beyonc became the first African-American female artist and second woman ever to win the annual ASCAP Pop Songwriter of the Year Award. An appearance in the MTV drama Carmen: A Hip Hopera quickly followed, but it was her role as Foxxy Cleopatra in 2002's Austin Powers in Goldmember that established Beyonc as a true Hollywood star. While her inclusion on the movie's soundtrack failed to chart nationally, Beyonc's full-length solo debut, 2003's Dangerously in Love, reached multi-platinum status. Featuring collaborations with Sean Paul, Missy Elliott, OutKast's Big Boi, and romantic interest Jay-Z, the album spawned a total of four Top Ten singles and garnered the singer five Grammys. Destiny's Child reconvened the following year to release Destiny Fulfilled; upon completing the resulting tour, the group issued one final album, a greatest-hits compilation entitled #1's, and subsequently disbanded. Beyonc turned her full attention to her burgeoning solo career, releasing the sophomore effort B'day in September 2006 and, three months later, turning in an award-winning performance for the movie musical Dreamgirls. The singer then

embarked on the Beyonc Experience concert tour, releasing a live DVD in November 2007. The following year proved to be another busy one as Beyonc Knowles landed the role of Etta James in Cadillac Records, a musical biopic that explored the heyday of Chicago's Chess Records. Shooting commenced in February 2008, with Beyonc also serving as co-executive producer. One month before the film's December release, the singer released her third studio album, I Am Sasha Fierce. The doubledisc effort emphasized her two distinct personalities, allowing Beyonc to explore both mainstream sounds and traditional R&B. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide.

McFly Similar to fellow British pop act Busted, London-based McFly came together and quickly won over the youth masses with their boyish charm and lively tales of adolescence. However, while Busted shared commonalities with the punkedged accessibility of acts like blink-182 and Simple Plan, McFly owed a bit more musically to bands like the Beach Boys. Naming themselves after Michael J. Fox's character from the Back to the Future series, the guys -- Danny Jones (guitar/vocals), Tom Fletcher (guitar/vocals), Dougie Poynter (bass/vocals), and Harry Judd (drums) -- released Room on the Third Floor in the fall of 2004 on Universal. The album went straight to number one in the U.K., an achievement that landed them in The Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest band to ever do so. It produced a slew of Top Five hits as well, including "Five Colours in Her Hair," "Obviously," "That Girl," and "Room on the Third Floor," the first two of which peaked at number one on the U.K. charts. McFly started off 2005 with a Best Pop Award win at the Brits, and later in the year released the charity single "All About You," which also contained a B-side cover of Carole King's "You've Got a Friend." The proceeds from the single benefited African communities affected by HIV/AIDS, and as a result, the band spent some time early in the year visiting with some of these villages in Uganda. McFly issued their followup record, Wonderland, in the U.K. in August 2005; filmed during a show in Manchester, the subsequent Wonderland Tour 2005 DVD appeared that fall. The bandmembers next surfaced with roles as themselves in the spring 2006 Lindsay Lohan teen movie Just My Luck. A record of the same name, though not the movie's soundtrack, was released that May in the United States, which contained tracks from their other albums. The full-length Motion in the Ocean followed that fall. One of its singles, "Please, Please," caused an initial stir among gossip columns and bloggers as it was apparently written by members of McFly (everyone but Judd, that is) about Judd's alleged romantic relationship with Lindsay Lohan on the film's set. ~ Corey Apar, All Music Guide.