Van Halen‘s new single, “Tattoo” has been played on more than 160 stations since its release on January 10th.

#1 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Singles chart

#1 Most Played Song at Classic Rock Radio in its first week

#1 Most Added song at Mainstream and Active Rock Radio    

A Different Kind Of Truth, will be released in the U.S. by Interscope Records on February 7th.  The album is Van Halen’s first original studio album with singer David Lee Roth since the band’s diamond certified album 1984.

The band has confirmed a total of 48 shows kicking off February 18th in Louisville, Kentucky through June 26th in New Orleans, Louisiana. New dates include Manchester, New Hampshire; University Park, Pennsylvania; and St. Louis, Missouri.  R&B Superstars Kool and the Gang will join Van Halen on select tour dates.

New York Times : “Van Halen is still one of the most limber bands in hard rock, with a higher center of gravity than most.”

VIP Packages will also be available through VIP Nation, including premium seats, exclusive merchandise and more. For more information please visit: VIP Nation.

American Express Cardmembers will have early access to tickets for select U.S. dates starting Monday, January 23rd at 10am local time.

For complete ticket and tour information visit:  Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com.

“SiriusXM’s Town Hall with Ringo Starr” will air live on The Spectrum, channel 28, on Monday, January 30 at 4:00 pm ET, the day before the release of Starr’s new album, Ringo 2012. The special is part of SiriusXM’s “Town Hall” series, an intimate gathering with an iconic musician and a studio audience of SiriusXM listeners. Previous “SiriusXM Town Hall” specials have featured Bruce Springsteen, the surviving members of Nirvana, Tom Petty and Coldplay.

Hosted by Russell Brand, and moderated by Don Was, who is featured on Ringo 2012, the “SiriusXM Town Hall with Ringo Starr” will include the legendary singer/songwriter/drummer answering questions from the studio audience.

The “Town Hall” special will also feature an in-studio performance by Starr and his band. SiriusXM listeners will hear some of Starr’s classics as well as songs from his new album Ringo 2012.

“I am a massive fan of Ringo and of all his work, but like most people I am ignorant as to his life before he rose to prominence with Thomas the Tank Engine,” said Russell Brand. “Now we can unravel the enigma of Ringo.”

“As a member of The Beatles and with his enduring series of hits as a solo artist, Ringo Starr changed not only popular music, but pop culture,” said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM. “We are thrilled to give Ringo’s fans the chance to sit, talk and ask questions of this music icon as part of our Town Hall series.”

Ringo 2012 is Ringo Starr’s 17th solo studio album and was produced by Starr. The album, from Universal Music Enterprises, was recorded in Los Angeles and features nine songs – including covers of Buddy Holly’s “Think It Over” and Lonnie Donegan’s “Rock Island Line” plus two new versions of his own songs, “Wings” and “Step Lightly.” Special guests on the album include Joe Walsh, Dave Stewart, Edgar Winter, Charlie Haden, Van Dyke Parks and Don Was. For more information on Ringo Starr and Ringo 2012, visit www.ringostarr.com.

The Spectrum plays music spanning the past, present and future. Listeners will hear artists like U2, Dave Matthews, REM, Tom Petty, Coldplay, Wilco, David Gray, Neil Young, Counting Crows, Ryan Adams and more.

Rising to the Occasion – the Road to Hard Rock’s Main Stage

Hard Rock, in a partnership with online music services company ReverbNation, will host an open registration for bands wishing to participate in the global battle from Friday, January 6, 2012 through Tuesday, January 17, 2012. The combination of Hard Rock’s iconic brand and ReverbNation’s extensive network of over 1.8 million artists around the world, will give great undiscovered bands an international stage to jumpstart their careers.

“Hard Rock believes it is critical to support emerging artists and discover new musical talent through the Hard Rock Rising program,” said John Galloway, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Hard Rock International. “We are confident our partnership with ReverbNation will help us secure world-class talent that we can showcase to the international music community at this year’s Hard Rock Calling festival.”

“Hard Rock is a worldwide icon of music, the perfect brand to provide this opportunity to deserving artists,” added Mike Doernberg, ReverbNation CEO and Co-founder. “From day one here at Reverb, we’ve been all about the artist and opportunities like Hard Rock Rising extend that mission exponentially.”

To register future rock stars can visit one of eighty-six participating Hard Rock Cafe Facebook pages. Following open registration, fans decide who moves on to the live performance phase of the program and can vote on any Hard Rock’s city-specific, Facebook page by downloading free tracks from bands of their choice. For full rules and a list of participating locations visit www.hardrock.com.

After fans choose their favorites, participating Hard Rock Cafe locations around the world will host a series of live competitions featuring these local bands. One winner will be selected from each location by the other participating bands. These local winners will be narrowed down to the top ten bands worldwide via fan voting on participating Hard Rock Facebook fan pages. Finally a panel of celebrity judges and music industry professionals will select the top three winners.

The first place winner will be flown to London for the ultimate rock star treatment, including a spot on the bill at Hard Rock Calling 2012. Second and third prize winners will receive $5,000 and $2,500, respectively, in ReverbNation PROMOTE IT credits, a revolutionary tool that creates targeted, highly effective Facebook advertising campaigns for musicians and venues promoting songs, Facebook pages and concerts.

Greetings From Hyde Park – Hard Rock Calling 2012

Hard Rock Calling, an iconic festival now in its seventh consecutive year, has established itself as one of the UK’s premier outdoor music events. The 2012 festival will take place from Friday, July 13 to Sunday, July 15 in London’s Hyde Park. Headliners for the festival will include Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, who will take the Main Stage for their second Hard Rock Calling performance. Hard Rock Calling 2012′s performers will join a long line of rock ‘n’ roll greats who have taken the stage at this iconic festival including: Aerosmith, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, The Who, Pearl Jam, Peter Gabriel, The Killers, The Police, Rod Stewart and Bon Jovi.  Hard Rock Calling, produced by Live Nation and presented by Hard Rock International, is a unique and historic musical event with a main stage, second stage, renowned bands, on-site Hard Rock Cafe, as well as a variety of additional attractions. For further information on the 2012 artist lineup and ticket details, visit www.hardrockcalling.co.uk.

On February 28 , EMI will release ‘Immersion’ and ‘Experience’ editions of Roger Waters’ opus, Pink Floyd ‘The Wall,‘as the final installment of the recent ‘Why Pink Floyd?’ reissues and extended releases. ‘The Wall’ remains Pink Floyd’s biggest-selling release after 1973′s legendary ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon.’

Released in November 1979, ‘The Wall’ topped the album charts in the US, France, Germany, Sweden and Australia. “Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2″ – Pink Floyd’s first UK single since 1968 – became a Number 1 hit, selling more than one million copies within weeks of its release.

Between 1980 and 1981, Pink Floyd staged 31 performances of The Wall in the US, UK and Germany.  It was a spectacular show that included a 40-foot wall, constructed, brick by brick, across the front of the stage during the performance.  In 2010 and 2011 Roger Waters toured a new production of The Wall to huge international acclaim.  He was joined onstage in May 2011 at London’s 02 Arena by guitarist, David Gilmour and drummer, Nick Mason.  He continues to tour in the Southern Hemisphere and North America in 2012.

‘The Wall’ ‘Immersion’ 7-disc edition includes a DVD featuring a film clip from the 1980 tour and a ‘Behind The Wall’ documentary, plus, for the first time, CDs of excerpts from Roger Waters’ original demos and work-in-progress versions of songs on the final album. Additionally, among these previously unheard versions are David Gilmour’s original demos of “Comfortably Numb” and “Run Like Hell.”  The Immersion set also includes The Wall Live, compiled from the 1980-1981 original tour.

Both ‘The Wall’ Immersion box set and Experience edition include a rare recording of “Another Brick In The Wall Part 1.”  A highlight for fans, this demo showcases the evolution of the final track. Additionally, “The Doctor” explores the origins of the landmark track “Comfortably Numb,” giving further insight into Pink Floyd’s early demo recordings.

Following on from the ‘Immersion’ and ‘Experience’ editions of ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ and ‘Wish You Were Here,’ these new versions of ‘The Wall’ offer listeners a unique insight into another hugely successful chapter in the Pink Floyd story.

In 1978, after finishing Pink Floyd’s Animals stadium tour, Roger Waters devised the concept for the album ‘The Wall.’ The album is a partly autobiographical story about a fictional rock star named Pink looking back at his early life and reflecting on the nature of fame and success.

Waters presented his band mates David Gilmour, Richard Wright and Nick Mason with an extensive demo of songs. Pink Floyd recorded their eleventh album ‘The Wall’ throughout 1979 in France, New York and Los Angeles, assisted by co-producer, Bob Ezrin and engineer, James Guthrie.

An adjunct to the sessions was the famous addition of a group of pupils from London’s Islington Green School, who recorded their backing vocals (“We don’t need no education…”) on “Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2″ at Pink Floyd’s own Britannia Row Studios in London. This became the world’s introduction to the album with the release of its first single, an instant success, accompanied by a promotional film which included several of the groundbreaking images from the story, including Gerald Scarfe’s brilliantly realized marching hammers.

Pink Floyd: ‘The Wall’ Immersion box set, Experience edition and Collectors 180g 2LP Vinyl edition will be released February 28, 2012 through EMI. The 2CD remastered Discovery edition is out now.

www.pinkfloyd.com  / www.facebook.com/pinkfloyd

The Bamboozle, presented by Live Nation, will return to the beach at Asbury Park for the first time since 2005 and feature over 100 acts performing on nine stages spread throughout the beach and boardwalk including the renowned Convention Hall. Since its inception, The Bamboozle has evolved to become a respected institution within the music festival circuit.

Now in its 10th year, The Bamboozle has consistently featured the best musical talent from established to new artists spanning multiple music genres and has always been a one of a kind resource for artist development. Previously featured up-and-coming acts that have gone on to become breakout artists include Paramour, My Chemical Romance, Wiz Halifax, Fall Out Boy, Jonas Brothers, and many more. 

Bon Jovi has sold 130 million records and has played in over 50 countries to 34 million fans in their twenty-year career. The band won a Grammy Award for the #1 hit single 2005′s “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” which is currently used in the New Jersey state tourism commercials. Bon Jovi had the number one tour in 2008 and 2010.

In November of 2010, Bon Jovi released Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection, featuring all of the band’s biggest chart-topping hits, the most beloved fan favorites, and four new tracks, including the lead single, “What Do You Got.”

Headliners Foo Fighters will make their Bamboozle debut.  This appearance rides the momentum of their 2011 release Wasting Light, which debuted at #1 in the USA, and a dozen countries around the world.  2011 saw Foo Fighters playing to sold out crowds in garages, arenas, and stadiums around the world.

Wasting Light was recently nominated for six Grammy Awards, including the prestigious Album of the Year.  It was named iTunes Album of the Year and “Walk” was awarded Best /Rock Video at this year’s MTV Awards.

Blink-182‘s seventh album, Neighborhoods, was released September 27, 2011, and debuted at number 2 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.  Since their 1994 full-length debut, the band has sold more than 11 million albums and filled arenas and stadiums both in the U.S. and worldwide. All six of their previous albums have been certified either gold or double platinum, with 1999′s Enema of the State selling more than four million copies.

John D’Esposito, Vice President of Talent/Artist Development for Live Nation, said, “This year’s bill of headliners is truly one of the most exciting. It’s an honor and very fitting to have New Jersey’s own Bon Jove headline as The Bamboozle celebrates its 10th anniversary. Bringing headliners, the Food Fighters to the North Beach in Asbury Park is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Their performance will be nothing short of epic.”

Founded by New Jersey native D’Esposito, The Bamboozle was created more out of necessity than anything else. “I started The Bamboozle because I went to other music festivals growing up and felt there was a need for a pop-culture-oriented event that was diverse but also catered to a specific scene,” said D’Esposito.

As for the return to Asbury Park, D’Esposito said, “For the 10th anniversary, it was important to create an event that would leave a lasting impression. In order to do that we had to go back to where the seed had been planted, Asbury Park.”

Additional performers will be announced in the New Year for The Bamboozle, with more information to come about The Bamboozle Roadshow 2012. The annual “The Break Contest,” the official unsigned band competition of the festival returns and will be presented by Yuuzoo with the grand prize winner receiving a performance slot on the main stage and other prizes.  YuuZoo is the official Social Media Partner of The Bamboozle.

A special three-day package will go on sale Saturday, December 17 at 10:00 AM EST. For ticket information please visit: www.thebamboozle.com. Citi® card members will have access to presale tickets beginning today at 10:00 AM local time through Friday, December 16th 10:00PM local time through Citi’s Private Pass Program. For complete presale details visit www.citiprivatepass.com. Citi is the official credit card of The Bamboozle.

For an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to create The Bamboozle, see “The 2011 Bamboozle Festival Documentary,” filmed last year. AOL/NoiseCreep.com will be exclusively premiering the third installment of the documentary today at: http://www.noisecreep.com/2011/12/13/bamboozle-documentary-video/

Download Free Wallpaper of John Lennon, Statue of Liberty Artwork for your iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Apple products and computers http://bitly.com/LennonLiberty

Bob Gruen, an American photographer known for his iconic shots of legendary rock ‘n’ rollers, unveils his John Lennon “Peace & Freedom” Suite for collectors internationally.

This museum quality artwork, released in partnership with Depiction Art, is a 30 X 40 silk screen in archival colors on Coventry 320 gram paper and available in four distinct versions, titled Yellow Afternoon , Blue Morning , Sunset and Fireworks Nite . Each piece in the collection is a strictly limited edition of ONLY 210 museum quality works, hand numbered and hand signed by the artist, and comes with a certificate of authenticity, ensuring the quality and collectable nature of each piece.  Each artwork retails for $1500. Share the Free Peace & Freedom wallpaper with your family and friends http://bitly.com/LennonLiberty .

The quality and integrity of Bob’s photographic work has gained him the ultimate reputation as “Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Legendary Portrait Artist” and for this suite Gruen has worked with a production team that is well known for creating Pop Art with Warhol and Robert Indiana. New York’s Museum of Art [MoMA] installed a 20′ collage of Gruen’s work with Lennon as a central character and that honor was justified when Bob’s piece became a museum favorite. ROCK SEEN [Abrams Books 2011], spans Gruen’s remarkable 40 year career with striking portraits of music legends from Cab Calloway and Chuck Berry to The Boss and Madonna, from the Rolling Stones, Lennon, Dylan and Led Zeppelin to Bob Marley and Ozzy Osborne. What’s significant is not simply that he is the single-most important photographer of record to document the Punk, Proto-Punk and New Wave scenes of America and England, but that this seminal body of work reflects a profound commitment and long-standing personal friendship with the artists and personalities who shaped and defined the music of that remarkable era, and how these great artists have actually worked with Gruen to make him rock’s ultimate insider and incomparable documentary portrait artist www.depictionart.com.

In 1972, Gruen met John Lennon and Yoko Ono at a benefit concert, and later dropped some prints at their nearby apartment. This began a close friendship between Bob Gruen, John Lennon, and Yoko Ono. Throughout the 1970′s Gruen worked as their personal photographer, documenting concerts and press conferences, as well as capturing serene moments between John and Yoko, and the first images of their son, Sean Lennon. “Peace & Freedom” is a special moment in both rock and cultural history, where music, message and Lennon are united. The portrait was originally conceived by Gruen to help aid his friend John Lennon in his battle against deportation for incidental marijuana use. “I felt John stood for Peace,” Gruen has said of the portrait’s inspiration, “and that The Statue of Liberty stood for Freedom. More and more, I see the two ideas – Peace and Freedom – as something the world needs, and these two icons, John and Liberty, say it better than words could.”

Four decades later, the music of Queen hasn’t just survived, it’s thrived. The band, who recently received the “Global Icon Award” at the MTV European Music Awards, has sold more than 300 million albums, 16 of which were No. 1 chart-toppers.

They’ve written and recorded 18 No. 1 singles, played over 700 live concerts in every part of the world, have amassed a planet-wide fanbase whose members number in the hundreds of millions, and remain one of the most influential groups of all time. And to hear Queen drummer Roger Taylor tell it, they’re just getting started.  The last thing they are doing is standing still.

2012 will see the launch of “The Queen Extravaganza Tour,” a grand touring production booked by powerhouse agency CAA that will celebrate the music of Queen. Coming on board to ensure the touring show will match the design and excitement of Queen at its best will be such rock tour heavyweights as stage designer Mark Fisher (U2, AC/DC, Muse, The Rolling Stones, Cirque de Soleil) and lighting designer Rob Sinclair (Adele, Vampire Weekend, Goldfrapp, Peter Gabriel).

Taylor will oversee this royal road show, taking the role of producer and music director, with Brian May involved later in the production, but Taylor’s most important role, however, was leading the judges, Spike Edney (Queen’s keyboard player since the mid 80′s and Trip Khalaf (Queen’s eternal sound engineer) in hand picking the musicians that will be featured on the tour. And after 11 weeks of reviewing online auditions and weighing votes from Queen fans around the world, Taylor is ready to announce the line-up.

“As the audition videos began posting, we could see right away that the caliber of talent was very high,” says Taylor. “But when I got into the studio with the final 25 musicians, I realized that these guys are seriously good players. They went way beyond my expectations. It was an incredibly difficult decision to choose the final line-up. I wish I could’ve kept them all, but in the end, I’m very happy with this group of exceptional musicians.”

“The Queen Extravaganza” band line-up will be:

VOCALISTS
Jennifer Espinoza
San Antonio, TX
2nd audition http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg_zs-FIJus&feature=player_embedded
1st audition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kINOlAAO-Xc&feature=player_embedded

Marc Martel 
(Montreal, QC / Nashville,TN)
2nd audition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qmFEh5zsBY&feature=player_embedded
1st audition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dREKkAk628I&feature=player_embedded
Ellen DeGeneres Show: http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2011/10/marc_martel_performs_somebody_to_love_1003.php  

GUITARISTS
Tristan Avakian
Toronto, ON
2nd audition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBxAvY2hISI&feature=player_embedded
1st audition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4-JrlwSqPU&feature=player_embedded

Brian Gresh
Tulsa, OK
2nd audition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjQLlXl-J3I&feature=player_embedded
1st audition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxbZELeFOKA&feature=player_embedded

DRUMS

Tyler Warren
Camden, TN
2nd audition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfNszLK9GJk&feature=player_embedded
1st audition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WKNV7VTSic&feature=player_embedded

BASS
Francois-Olivier Doyon
Quebec City, QC
2nd audition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT_zCnHAZII&feature=player_embedded
1st audition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K8rCOdbgos&feature=player_embedded

“What an amazing and unexpected opportunity to come our way – not to mention the timing of it all for me,” said Marc Martel, whose audition video for “Somebody to Love” earned him an MTV O Award and an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.  “Having gotten to know the other contest winners a bit in LA, I’m confident we have what it takes to gel as a unit and give our best to do justice to some of the best rock music ever recorded.  I am so thankful for the chance to do this.  Gonna be Fun!”

THE QUEEN EXTRAVAGANZA AUDITIONS & TOUR
As part of this year’s celebration of Queen’s 40th anniversary, Queen drummer/songwriter/singer Roger Taylor launched a North American talent search that offered “s**t hot vocalists and musicians” the opportunity to star in the Queen Extravaganza Live Tour. Taylor endeavoured to assemble the most talented band to perform Queen’s music, outside of Queen themselves, of course, to carry on the celebration.  Auditions began online September 19th .  Final auditions took place on December 5 in Los Angeles, in front of Taylor, at the Foo Fighters’ Studio 606. The tour, booked by powerhouse agency CAA, launches in 2012.

“The Queen Extravaganza will not be a traditional tribute show,” says Taylor. “It’s a brand-new show specially designed to enable fans to celebrate the music of Queen in a heart-stopping event.”

The Queen Extravaganza will bring the glorious music and live experience of Queen to a new generation of fans in cities across the US in 2012.

“It’s going to be spectacular” says Taylor. “It’s going to be very visual, there are going to be some shocks and some tremendous surprises. It will be a rock celebration in the royal tradition. “It began on September 19, when Taylor launched a North American talent search via www.queenextravaganza.com to find players for a full band and several vocalists who could carry the tour.  The audition process involved two video audition rounds: the first round judged by Roger Taylor and a panel of appointed judges, the second round judged by public vote.  Taylor was present to judge the final audition round, which was held live in Los Angeles December 5.

For the first time ever, Ladd’s daily show will be broadcast to a national audience and will be heard exclusively on SiriusXM. The live show will air nightly starting in January 2012.

Ladd will continue to personally select all the music heard on his show, as he has done from the start of his legendary career on FM radio. He will also conduct regular interviews with classic rock legends that he has developed personal relationships with during his 40+ years as one of North America’s most beloved rock radio personalities.

“I am thrilled to bring the Jim Ladd free-form rock radio show to SiriusXM. By joining SiriusXM, I will be bringing my ‘free-form’ show nationwide,” said Jim Ladd. “Traditional FM radio has turned its back on the very thing that made rock radio the magical experience it was intended to be. SiriusXM is kicking down the doors of the stagnant, preprogrammed fodder that passes for radio today by encouraging me to do my free-form show so we can all share this experience live as it happens.”

“I will be playing everything I want, from Pink Floyd to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, from The Doors to Moby Grape, freely and with no play lists. As I have always done throughout my career, I will be choosing all my own music, creating thematic sets, inviting the biggest rock stars in the world, many of whom I am proud to call my friends, to join me in the studio, and commenting on the world around us by using the most compelling music of our time. I’ll also be taking phone calls from listeners all across America and instantly communicating with my audience through social media networks to help spread the word that true free-form rock radio is back and more powerful than ever.”

“Jim Ladd is a classic rock radio icon who turned curating a list of songs into an art form. We are proud and excited to welcome his free-form style to SiriusXM,” said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM.

Deep Tracks features deep cuts from classic rock. Listeners will hear artists like Bob Dylan, Allman Brothers, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Led Zeppelin, Beatles (and solo work by John, Paul, George and Ringo), Rolling Stones, The Who, Steely Dan, Kinks and Steve Miller Band.

For more information on SiriusXM, visit www.siriusxm.com.

The app was created by Rolling Stone, thanks in part to vjoon K4 and the integrated Adobe Digital Publishing Suite (DPS) as production tools and digital publishing specialist Managing Editor Inc. (MEI). vjoon, a leading provider of cross-media publishing platforms and a global reseller of Adobe DPS right from the start, announced that Wenner Media has now released its iPad app version of “The Beatles Ultimate Album-by-Album Guide” special-interest publication.

Wenner, the publisher of Rolling Stone and other popular magazines, is using vjoon K4 to manage the project from soup to nuts. MEI designed an iPad publishing workflow that operates alongside Wenner’s print process – Rolling Stone has been managed with the vjoon K4 Cross-Media Publishing Platform since 2008 – tapping into an all-new medium using existing content and familiar tools.

“With vjoon K4 we were able to implement a workflow that really highlights our traditional design and editorial strengths, but also helps us enhance that content by adapting it to a new platform,” said Paul Leung, system administrator for Wenner Media.

vjoon K4′s industry-leading connectivity with Adobe DPS also made this project much easier. By managing most of the project – including its interactive elements – within the vjoon K4 database, MEI enabled an efficient process for Wenner to port its print-based special-interest publication as a rich iPad app. The app was even bundled for release directly within vjoon K4, thanks to the deep integration with Adobe DPS. Another of the many ways vjoon K4 enhances productivity is by substituting automated processes for routine manual chores, such as automatically converting layout pages into tablet format. This allows publishers to focus on creative tasks.

Wenner Media looked to MEI’s team of digital-publishing specialists to help build the app using a combination of custom development and Adobe DPS. MEI guided the production process, including training on the Adobe DPS software, editorial workflow development, template creation, app construction and final submission to Apple.

“MEI worked closely with us to make sure the app captured all the great information from our print product and expanded it with immersive and visually appealing tablet features,” said Paul Leung. “Their expertise and custom development were integral to the success of this project.”

“The Beatles Ultimate Album-by-Album Guide” is a comprehensive companion to the 13 albums released by the legendary rock group. For each recording, the app provides a main article, a playlist with audio samples and a link to purchase the tracks, an extra “Testimonial” story, pictures and more. It takes the wealth of Beatles history showcased in Rolling Stone’s original print album guide and transforms it into a full-featured iPad experience, enhanced with interactivity and engaging content only available in the tablet version.

MEI engineered the specialized audio playlist, which streams song samples directly from iTunes. Not only does this make for a convenient user experience, allowing readers to instantly hear and purchase the music they’re learning about, it also provides a new revenue stream for Wenner – as part of Apple’s Affiliate Program, the publisher gets a percentage of iTunes sales made through the app. MEI also played a major role in the iPad publication’s layout by helping Wenner build templates and implement interactive features using Adobe DPS, including multi-state objects, hyperlinks and touch-activated buttons.

“We expect this app to be a huge hit, and we’re excited that vjoon K4 played a part in its creation,” said Andreas Schrader, CEO at vjoon. “During the production process the profound, substantiated and long-term integration of vjoon K4 with Adobe DPS paid off. It facilitated the production process very much.”

“The Beatles Ultimate Album-by-Album Guide” is now available in the iTunes store. Download it by visiting http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rolling-stones-beatles-album/id479662151?mt=8.

Ozzy’s Boneyard, channel 38, will feature classic hard rock and metal music from artists like Black Sabbath, Metallica, AC/DC, Jimi Hendrix, Pantera and Van Halen. The 24/7 music channel is expected to launch later this year.

SiriusXM listeners will hear Ozzy present music as well as share personal stories about his career as a solo artist and as front-man for Black Sabbath. The channel will also air shows and specials hosted by Ozzy family members, Sharon, Jack and Kelly.

“After everything I’ve been through in my career I never imagined I’d end up with my own radio channel on SiriusXM. This is f*****g amazing! Does this mean I can play whatever I want?” said Ozzy Osbourne.

“No one represents the evolution of hard rock and heavy metal more than Ozzy Osbourne,” said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM. “We know Ozzy’s Boneyard will be alive and kicking.”

Ozzy Osbourne recently announced that Black Sabbath has reunited to record their first new studio album in 33 years and that the band will launch a world tour in 2012.

Ozzy’s Boneyard joins SiriusXM’s roster of channels created in partnership with legendary musicians, including Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Radio, Pearl Jam Radio,  Eminem’s Shade 45, Willie Nelson’s Willie’s Roadhouse, B.B. King’s Bluesville, Elvis Radio, Jimmy Buffett’s Radio Margaritaville and Siriusly Sinatra.