Source: JAM!

By SANDRA COULSON -- London Free Press

LONDON, Ont. -- A.J., Howie, Nick, Brian and Kevin could be joining you for a meal some time soon.

And if you don't recognize the names, you obviously don't have a kid pestering you to go to Burger King every week for the next five weeks. The fast-food chain has teamed up with the Backstreet Boys for its latest promotion -- an offer of CDs and videos from the the singing sensations and action figures of each of the Boys.

People were lined up at some London Burger King outlets when they opened their doors at 7 a.m. yesterday, the first day of the promotion, said Dennis Winkler, owner of six of the London franchises.

"I'm expecting it to be as big as the first Pokemon one that we ever ran," he said.

"I ordered as many as I can get my allowance for and I'll probably run out of those early."

Burger King has organized the promo to encourage repeat business. A different action figure is to be offered each week and the CDs and videos will also change regularly, meaning fans have to come back week after week to get the whole collection.

The Backstreet bric-a-brac is marketed in combination with meal packages sold by the restaurants. The action figures are free with thekids' meals; the CDs and videos are an extra cost with different meal packages.

Source: Infobeat

(Launch) - Yaboom plans to launch a collection of singing locker posters and mini-CDs containing songs from Top 40 pop acts. The MCDs are portable keychains that play CD-quality, full-length songs. Britney Spears, 'N Sync, Chritina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys, Mandy Moore, TLC and Ricky Martin are just a few of the acts who have signed on to the new line of products retailing at nearly $10 each.

Source: MTV

Cheiron Studios, the recording facility in Stockholm, Sweden, where Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, and Celine Dion crafted some of their biggest hits, has announced plans to close by the end of the year.

Producer Max Martin, who worked with Spears on both "...Baby One More Time" and "Oops!... I Did It Again," as well as on the Backstreet Boys' self-titled debut and "Millennium" albums, and studio co-owner Tom Talomaa posted a statement on the Cheiron Studios Web site saying "It's time to move on."

In the message, Martin and Talomaa note that "Cheiron was created with the intention of having fun and not getting too serious about it. At the end of this year, we have fulfilled our commitments and are able to do as we please. The 'hype' of Cheiron has become bigger than itself, and it's time to quit while we're ahead."

The two also said that they were still pained by the loss of producer and friend Denniz Pop, who formed Cheiron with Talomaa in 1993 and was responsible for bringing Martin into the studio's fold.

"Denniz made all the incredible success we have experienced possible," Talomaa and Martin wrote in the statement, "and we want Cheiron to be remembered like it is today."

Pop, who died of cancer in August 1998, also worked with Martin on albums for the Backstreet Boys and Ace Of Bace, among others. Over the course of Cheiron Studios' seven-year run, the facility hosted and recorded such artists as 'NSYNC, Bon Jovi, LFO, Bryan Adams, M2M, Five, and Westlife.

-- David Basham

Howie Attends B-Day Party, Video Shot Already?

Source: Orlando Sentinel

Britney Spears joined `N Sync`s Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez and Lance Bass in celebrating the 40th birthday of their Orlando-based manager, Johnny Wright, on Saturday - `70s style.

Chasez was the craziest-dressed celeb of the 250 famed, friends and family who danced the night away in polyester and laminated passes to Wright`s "I Want You(th) Back Tour 2000."

"He had, like, aleisure suit with these big `70s glasses and this cap with his shirt opened up," said Erika Schwarz, Wright`s fiancée who kept the Planet Hollywood party a surprise by telling him they were going to a Miss America contestants reunion. Schwarz was first runner-up in 1997.

But it is Spears and Timberlake whom everyone will be talking about. The male and female hotties of the year, as named by the Teen Choice Awards, had fun dancing with all the other guests.

Howie Dorough flew in from L.A., where the Backstreet Boys are shooting a video, and A.J. McLean called in his greetings, proving that the highly publicized split with their former manager has healed.

Shaquille O`Neal, Dennis Scott and Jamal Anderson sent video greetings, Wild Orchid - Wright`s girl group - sang "Happy Birthday," and Jive Records president Clyde Caulder`s present to Wright was picking up the tab for food and drinks.

Source: Cheiron Studios Website

After eight years of incredible joy but also enormous pain (the death of our beloved partner Denniz Pop) it's time to move on. Cheiron was created with the intention of having fun, making a few hits and not getting to serious about it. At the end of this year we have fulfilled our commitments and are able to do as we please. We feel that the "hype" of Cheiron has become bigger than itself and it's time to quit while we're ahead. Denniz made all the incredible success we have experienced possible and we want Cheiron to be remembered like it is today.

We would like to thank everybody who shared their talent with us, to many to mention here, and hope we will see you in the future. We will continue to work together in various constellations in the spirit of Denniz Pop.

Stockholm August 2000

Tom Talomaa & Max Martin

Sweden's Cheiron Studio to Close

Source: Reuters/Yahoo News

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden's Cheiron Studio, where artists including Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys recorded, is to close, Radio Stockholm reported Wednesday.

``Cheiron is being shut down for emotional reasons, partly because of the death of Denniz PoP two years ago,'' studio co-owner Tom Talomaa told the radio station.

PoP owned the Cheiron label until his death at the age of 35 from cancer. It was PoP who brought Max Martin, 29, one of Sweden's brightest record producers, into Cheiron.

Martin's team produced the title track to the new Spears album ``Oops! ... I Did It Again,'' which sold 1.3 million copies in its first week, giving Spears the best debut- week album sales ever for a female artist.

Cheiron under Martin has been compared by the Los Angeles Times to a band that alternates singers -- writing the songs, playing the instruments, engineering and mixing the recordings then bringing in the artist near the end of the process.

It groups six or seven producers.

``They've decided to split up and go their separate ways,'' Radio Stockholm entertainment correspondent Viktor Petrovski told Reuters.

Among Martin's other hits at Cheiron were ``I Want It That Way'' by the Backstreet Boys, ``...Baby One More Time'' by Britney Spears, ``That's the Way It Is'' by Celine Dion and ``I Want You Back'' by 'N Sync.

Talomaa and Cheiron were not immediately available for comment.

Cheiron is part of the Swedish pop music phenomenon that also produced ABBA and Ace of Bace -- another Cheiron name.

A report last year showed that Sweden's music industry accounted for 0.5 percent of theScandinavian country's exports. That is an estimated one percent of the global music market worth some $40 billion -- not bad for a country of only 8.9 million.

Source: livedaily.com

Each CD will feature the new track "It's True."
by Rob Evans
LiveDaily Senior Writer

Participating Burger King restaurants in the U.S. and Canada will begin selling three exclusive Backstreet Boys CDs and a video on Aug. 28 as part of a five-week promotion centered on the group.

The three enhanced CDs will each feature the new track "It's True" from Backstreet Boys' upcoming album, which is due in stores on Nov. 21, and nine other tracks. The additional cuts include previously unreleased live versions of the group's hits as well as studio tracks and a capella songs.

The enhanced features on the CDs will include wallpaper and screensavers, a program that allows fans to create scrapbook pages from Backstreet Boys photos and quotes, and a program that allows fans "to learn which band member they are most compatible with," according to a press release issued by Burger King on Friday (8/18).

The 45-minute video, titled "For the Fans," will include interviews with the group's five members, live performances of some of the group's hits, and new backstage footage.

The CDs and the video will sell for a suggested price of $2.99 each at Burger King restaurants while supplies last.

Burger King has also signed on as the exclusive title sponsor of the group's tour in support of the new album. Details of the tour have not been finalized.

As part of the promotion, Backstreet Boys will be featured in three Burger King advertisements. Also, Burger King Big Kids Meals will include "Backstreet Project Cyber Crusader" toys based on a web animation series developed around the group.

Source: http://www.teenmag.com

This is from Teen Magazine Online (http://www.teenmag.com) under the Showbiz Buzz section for 8/7.

"Well, I got lots of e-mails from you all about the "MTV Video Music Awards," namely lots of questions as to why the Backstreet Boys weren't nominated for anything. Believe me, I was surprised too! When I asked my MTV source, I was told that it was really all about *NSync and Eminem this year, and that the BSB guys will probably be the act of the coming year, after their new album is released in the fall. Still, I know lots of BSB fans are way disappointed that the guys aren't up for a moon man trophy. But never fear . . . I hear they will make an appearance at the September 7 show, and MAY even be persuaded to perform a song from their upcoming disc!"

Source: billboard.com

The teen pop wave that has dominated the charts as of late has inspired retailers to tap into that audience with promotions involving some of today's top artists. On the heels of last week's launch of McDonald's Summer Music Event 2000 -- where patrons can purchase three exclusive CDs and/or a video featuring the likes of 'N Sync, Britney Spears, DMX, Mary J. Blige, Enrique Iglesias, and Carlos Vives -- comes details of similar promotion steaming with the Backstreet Boys and Burger King, and Christina Aguilera with Sears and Levi's.

The Burger King promotion will feature three Backstreet Boys CDs and a 45-minute video titled For The Fans." Each four-song CD will feature the single "It's True," along with live, studio, and a cappella versions of the group's hits, while the video will include backstage footage and one-on-one interviews with each member. Pricing information has not yet been released.

The promotion, which includes Burger King's exclusive sponsorship of the Backstreet Boys' fall tour, will run Aug. 28-Oct. 1 in the U.S. and Canada.

Last week, the group filmed commercials supporting the promotional campaign in Toronto. The group has been working on its next album with producer Max Martin in Stockholm's Cheiron Studios. The as-yet-untitled set is due in October.

Aguilera tour sponsors Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Levi's - - which jointly sponsored the Backstreet Boys' 1999 tour - - will kick off its campaign Aug. 6 to take advantage of the back-to-school season. The promotion will run through mid-October.

Three CDs are also at the center of this promotion, along with ticket promotions and Aguilera merchandise via "Christina Boutiques" in 650 Sears stores. Each enhanced CDs will feature unreleased tracks and remixes, interview footage, music videos, a biography, and downloadable graphics. The discs are available for $1.99 with a minimum $35 purchase. A tour poster will be given away with any Levi's denim purchase.

Each CD includes a game piece for a national sweepstakes promotion where a fan and four friends will win a trip to California to see Aguilera in concert and meet the artist. The winning fan will also introduce the artist onstage, sit in the front row, and win a $2,000 Sears shopping spree.

A special tour Web site at www.sears.com/christina will go live Aug. 6. Aguilera will also be seen in national ads, in both English and Spanish, for Sears and Levi'sproducts. "The power of Sears and Levi's brands enables us to maximize the exposure for Christina's first headlining tour," her manager Steve Kurtz said in a statmement. Aguilera's tour kicks off tonight at the Sandstone Amphitheatre in Kansas City, Kan.

Control Issues

Source: ew.com

The end of the teen music fad is near. EW's music critic explains why the writing's on the wall

YOUNG 'UN Aguilera wants to have more control of her music
by David Browne

''So when will this teen music thing finally be over?'' It's a question I'm asked at least once a week, usually when someone discovers I'm a music critic. Until recently, I've had no definitive answer, mumbling either ''Eventually, like all cyclical trends,'' or ''It's here to stay -- get used to it.'' But I now have a new response: ''The end of the teen boom? It's already begun.''

Like glow sticks at an 'N Sync show, all signs are in the air. For their next album, the Backstreet Boys are reportedly going to either write more songs or use their own band -- as opposed to employing Swedish songwriter-programmer-hit factory Max Martin. Britney Spears' latest album, ''Oops!...I Did It Again,'' includes her first attempt at composing, and Christina Aguilera has started bragging to the media that her next, ''much rowdier, really! ''record will feature her own songs. Last week, LFO made a similar vow, saying they'll take more ''control'' of their next, more rock-ish album. It's not uncommon to hear one of these acts dismissing the unavoidable hit that made them famous, and then claiming they want more creative input in order to dispel the impression -- completely unwarranted, of course -- that they're nothing more than puppets.

They're free to grab hold of their destiny with their young, wrinkle-free hands, but good luck. The history of pop has shown repeatedly that most bubblegum sensations see their careers deflate as soon as they start thinking of themselves as fonts of self-expression who no longer need the -- how shall we say it? -- assistance of skilled producers and songwriters. I bow to no one in my love of and nostalgic affection for the Monkees, but as a recent VH1 TV movie and ''Behind the Music'' episode showed, their curtain began to close once they dispensed with music supervisor Don Kirshner and took the reins of their increasingly self-indulgent records (blissful exceptions like ''Daydream Believer'' notwithstanding). In documentaries and his recent TV biopic, David Cassidy has repeatedly groused about how creatively stifled he was by those silly Partridge Family singles. He wanted to crank Hendrix riffs, damn it! What no one's bothered to state is that his post-Partridge albums (featuring a number of his own songs) were so dull and void they made the very fine ''I'll Meet You Halfway'' seem like Beethoven's Fifth.

One would think this pattern of overreaching would prove valuable, but those who don't know history are destined to repeat it -- or at least to dance the same doomed steps. Easily the worst track on Spears' ''Oops! ''is one she coauthored, the slurpy ballad ''Dear Diary.'' 'N Sync's Justin Timberlake co-penned a rare highlight on ''No Strings Attached'' (''I'll Be Good for You''), but JC Chasez's contributions are more sound effects than songs. Tellingly, none of 'N Sync's originals compare to their current ''It's Gonna Be Me,'' co-written by -- yep -- Max Martin. Song doctor 1, pop stars 0.

Before they watch their empires evaporate, today's pop set should ponder the upsides of being a marionette. Tom Jones still has a career singing covers. And although onetime teen idol Frank Sinatra knew the value of a good tune, we can be thankful that his few attempts at songwriting were limited to changing the lyrics of Jim Croce's ''Bad, Bad Leroy Brown'' from ''baddest man in the whole damn town'' to ''baddest ''cat.''..'' Helpful homework for today's approaching-20 teen stars would be to hunt down a copy of David Cassidy's 1975 concept album ''The Higher They Climb.'' First they should study the theme: the rise and fall of a pop idol. Then they should ''listen'' to the record. Finally, they should grab their cell phones and call their managers -- before it's too late.