December 31, 2003

'Somewhere I Belong' is most popular download
posted by Jas, 12/31/03
Hindustan Times reports that Linkin Park's 'Somewhere I Belong' is one of the most popular downloads of 2003.

Nielsen SoundScan Year End Music Industry Report
Business Wire, 12/31/03
Nielsen SoundScan, the entertainment industry's data information system that tracks point-of-purchase sales of recorded music product, and Nielsen BDS, the music industry's leading song monitoring service, have announced their 2003 year end sales and airplay monitoring data through December 28, 2003. In the Top 10 Selling Albums of 2003, Linkin Park's Meteora is at #3 with 3,478,361 units sold.

'From The Inside' video
Warner Music, 12/31/03
You can now watch the 'From The Inside' video at Warner Music Italy website.

December 30, 2003

Rap, rock ruled; sales slid
New York Daily News, 12/30/03
50 Cent's "Get Rich or Die Tryin' " pushed 6.4 million copies this year — on a par with 2002's mightiest title, from 50's benefactor, Eminem, with 6.9 mil of his "Eminem Show" moved. Both those numbers far outdistanced 2001's biggest seller, Linkin Park's "Hybrid Theory" at 4.8 million. But the past three years all limped far behind the biggie from 2000, 'N Sync's "No Strings Attached," at 9.9 million. Among 2003's bright spots, rock looked strong. This year, no fewer than four of the top 10, and six of the top 20, come from guitar-oriented bands. Compare that with 2002, when no rock act made the top 10 and just four appeared in the top 20. And two of those were holdovers from the year before (Creed, and an earlier CD from Linkin Park).

December 29, 2003

LP is 2003's best-selling rock act
MTV, 12/29/03
It looks like Linkin Park will edge out Evanescence for 2003's best-selling rock act. Meteora, which has sold more than 3.3 million since March, gives Linkin Park a perfect platinum streak through their first three releases. Reanimation, their 2002 remix album, was certified platinum, and their 2000 debut, Hybrid Theory, earned an eight-times platinum plaque.

Lionel Richie's son is a LP fan
posted by Jas, 12/29/03
Sarah wrote in to say that she heard on BBC Radio 2 that Lionel Richie's 9 year old son likes Linkin Park.

December 28, 2003

Waiting for the revolution
NY Daily News, 12/28/03
Pop music heads for a huge shakeup after a year of bad sales & boring CDs. Rock also has real impetus to change. Some of its biggest bands, including Korn and Limp Bizkit, aren't selling like they used to. And other than the creatively tired Linkin Park and Evanescence, no rock band has broken through with major sales numbers in the last year. The world isn't tired of guitars. It's just that someone - or some scene of players - is going to have to come up with as fresh an approach to the instrument as the Seattle crew did in '92.

The K-Rock Awards
K-Rock Radio, 12/28/03
Linkin Park has won all three awards they were nominated for in the K-Rock Awards. They were named Best Artist of the Year, Best Song of the Year for 'Faint' and Band Your Girlfriend likes the Most. In addition to that Claus-Fest was named Best Concert of the Year

December 27, 2003

Best of '03: CDs that made the year complete
Dayton Daily, 12/27/03
Surprise of the year: How good Linkin Park's Meteora turned to be; following up the huge-selling Hybrid Theory was tough, and they pulled it off. Now, if we can only learn how to tell the members apart. .

LP on the charts
Billboard, 12/27/03
Linkin Park's "Numb" was No. 1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart for the seventh week in a row. "Numb" also took control of the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, leapfrogging Puddle Of Mudd's "Away From Me," which slipped to No. 2.

December 26, 2003

Translation of One interview
posted by Jas, 12/26/03
Thanks to Adelle, here's a translation of and interview with Mike from Dec/Jan 2004 issue of One magazine (France)

December 24, 2003

Mike and Phoenix on MTV News
posted by Jas, 12/24/03
I was told that Mike and Phoenix was on MTV News doing the 12 Days of Christmas with other bands and Phoenix said "5 days off from tour" instead of "5 golden rings". If anyone caught it and can make a digital video clip of it please email me

New Metal is gone?
Seattle PI, 12/24/03
The new format battleground in Seattle radio is alternative rock. Infinity Broadcasting last week jettisoned its 1980s format on KYPT-FM (96.5), marketed as The Point, in favor of what it's calling 96.5 K-Rock. The new format, Infinity says, will feature core grunge artists, including Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden, mixed with alternative groups from the 1980s and 1990s, including New Order, The Cure, The Police and R.E.M. Infinity's announcement followed by one day the announcement from Entercom's KNDD-FM (The End, 107.7), that it is changing its on-air staff, the music it plays and the way that music is presented. The End's moves might be seen as a preemptive strike against a would-be competitor. Program director Phil Manning said the move was driven solely by what The End listeners have indicated they want. KNDD, meanwhile, said it is adding more music from heritage bands, such as Green Day and The Clash. What it means is less of bands such as Limp Bizkit, Korn and Linkin Park. "Frankly, new metal is gone," Manning said.

December 23, 2003

KROQ Almost Acoustic highlights
posted by Jas, 12/23/03
KROQ has posted video hightlights of the bands performing at this year's Almost Acoustic Christmas show. LP playing 'Faint' is the clip shown.

The End's Deck The Hall Ball Interview
posted by Jas, 12/23/03
The End 107.7 has posted photos and audio interview with Mike, Phoenix and Joe backstage at the Deck The Hall Ball concert. Click here to listen to the interview.

Not So Silent Night photos
posted by Jas, 12/23/03
WRZX has posted photos of LP's Not So Silent Night concert.

December 22, 2003

Audioslave, Trapt Lead Modern Rock
Yahoo, 12/22/03
The self-titled debut from Audioslave -- the band comprising former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell and three-fourths of Rage Against the Machine -- polarized music critics. But what do they know? The disc spawned enough hit singles to propel the act to the top of the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart for 2003. Coming in at No. 2 on the year-end chart is the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army," which has helped the duo's V2 set "Elephant" sell more than 1.1 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Audioslave's "Like a Stone" is No. 3, followed by Chevelle's "Send the Pain Below" and the Linkin Park singles "Faint" and "Somewhere I Belong."

December 20, 2003

New CA show added to Meteora Tour
LinkinPark.com, 12/20/03
The band has added another show to their Meteora Tour, they will rock Long Beach Arena on February 15. Pre-sale tickets for LPU members starts Tuesday, Jan 6 and on sale to the public on Jan 10.

Court throws out net music legal tactics
MSN Money, 12/20/03
In a surprise setback for the recording industry, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Friday that record labels must abandon their favorite method to track down those who illegally copy music online. Recording companies must file a formal lawsuit if they want Internet providers to turn over the names of customers who may be copying music illegally, the court said, adding the industry's legal basis for inundating Internet providers with thousands of subpoenas "borders upon the silly.'' The decision complicates the beleaguered industry's efforts to stamp out online song copying over "peer to peer'' networks such as Kazaa, a practice the industry believes has contributed to plummeting CD sales. "In some ways it's kind of a mixed blessing for the recording industry, because they're not going to end up having the grandma in Massachusetts who is accused of having Linkin Park and hip-hop music on her computer,'' said Gigi Sohn, president of Public Knowledge, a Washington think tank.

Meteora Tour: Ticket sales for Sunrise, FL
posted by Jas, 12/20/03
Linkin Park, with P.O.D. and Hoobastank, roar through Sunrise's Office Depot Center on March 4. Tickets are $34.50 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday.

LP on the charts
Billboard, 12/20/03
Linkin Park's "Numb" cruised to its sixth-straight week atop Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks tally, while Puddle of Mudd's "Away From Me" topped Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for the third week in a row.

Linkin Park puts finishing touches on North American tour itinerary
LiveDaily, 12/20/03
Linkin Park--which next month heads out on a U.S. run that also features P.O.D., Hoobastank and Story of the Year--has locked down the outing's remaining dates and venues. Venues have now been confirmed for the tour's February stop in Dallas and five March dates for which venues had previously been listed as "To be announced." Additionally, the group has juggled its March dates slightly, dropping a planned stop in Pensacola, FL, and replacing it with a Lexington, KY, engagement.

Do something good this Christmas
Boston Herald, 12/20/03
What better way to spread the Christmas spirit than by making a donation in your giftee's name to their favorite band's favorite cause? Aggro-rockers Linkin Park support an organization called Boarding For Breast Cancer, Coldplay is hot for human rights mainstays Amnesty International and the Dixie Chicks, unsurprisingly, want you to Rock the Vote. All of these groups offer links from their official homepages to Web sites where donations can be made.

December 18, 2003

MTV makes offer they can't re-FUSE
New York Post, 12/18/03
MTV is taking notice of upstart rival music channel Fuse. For one thing, MTV has long had deals with music labels that allow the network to pay a fee to lock up exclusivity on videos to keep them off the airwaves on other networks. MTV, sources say, has lately been exercising its exclusivity rights more often. For example, MTV has locked up exclusivity on many popular videos recently - including ones by Linkin Park, Puddle of Mudd, P.O.D. and Beyonce, sources say. While record labels collect a fee for this, music industry execs say that not being able to air the videos simultaneously on Fuse hurts the labels' ability to market their artists. But the battle extends beyond videos. Just last week, Linkin Park, a band signed to Warner Bros. Records, bowed out of a deal with Fuse that would have had the network sponsor its upcoming tour after MTV intervened, according to music industry sources. Sources close to the situation say that Linkin Park first offered the sponsorship to MTV, but the network declined. The band then began negotiating with Fuse, and a deal was close at hand before MTV stepped in and made it known that such a sponsorship with Fuse would hurt the band's relationship with MTV, according to sources.

Whobastank? Nobody recognizes them, but they don't mind
posted by Jas, 12/18/03
It's not Linkin Park news but since they will be touring with our guys next year, thought it doesn't hurt to get to know them.

December 17, 2003

Almost Acoustic concert pics
posted by Jas, 12/17/03
Getty Images, Film Magic and LFI have posted pictures from the KROQ's 2003 Almost Acoustic Christmas concert. Is it me or did Chester wear the same shirt he wore for the same show in 2001?

More pics from Fuse IMX show
posted by Jas, 12/17/03
Added more pics of LP from Fuse's IMX show.

K-Rock Radio Awards
posted by Jas, 12/17/03
Linkin Park has been nominated for 3 K-Rock Radio Awards, Best Artist of the Year , Best Song of the Year for 'Faint' and Band Your Girlfriend likes the Most. Now, as a good and law abiding Linkin Park-er, go vote for the LP.

Review of KickAss X-Mas 2003
The Pittsburgh Channel 12/16/03
You knew coming into this show that Linkin Park was going to be the headliner. Their first CD, "Hybrid Theory," makes me think of one of Casey Kasem's best lines: "And the hits, they just keep on coming." That CD was so good, you could just press "play" and let it ride. Song after song after song, it delivered. The concert was the same thing, but LIVE! The band has a unique style -- two lead singers, Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda, who trade off lyrics within each song. Chester acted like he was on crystal meth the whole show. He was bouncing up and down like the Energizer bunny. He had so much energy, and he put it into his voice. He and "Shinodes" went back and forth like they had been singing these songs together for the last 10 years. It was very impressive. Their lead guitarist wore the "old" style of huge headphones during the whole show. He also bore a certain resemblance to Wes Borland, the former bandmember of Limp Bizkit. They played almost everything from "Hybrid Theory," including "Papercut," "One Step Closer," "With You," "Crawling (in my skin)" and "By Myself." From the new album, which is almost as good as the first, they played "Don't Stay" and "Somewhere I Belong." They played a three-song encore, which is almost unheard of these days. An incredible job by a band that is at the top of its game and doesn't show any sign of letting go. At the end of their last song on the encore, Shinoda was held above the front of the crowd by two security guards and he sang while hovering over the crowd. An outstanding show featuring top notch performances by Puddle of Mudd and Linkin Park.

December 16, 2003

2003 Almost Acoustic Christmas
posted by Jas, 12/16/03
Review of Almost Acoustic from Variety:
Linkin Park leaned on samples as well, and also introduced a couple unreleased songs, including a stripped-down "Breaking the Habit," which opened simply with keyboards and only one of their two vocalists.

Speaker has teachers rapping
Bridgeton News, 12/16/03
Millville-- It was called by one student at Lakeside Middle School the best assembly he's ever attended. And given the response from students at Lakeside who exceeded the noise level of an ordinary lunch period in the cafeteria, it's safe to say nationally renown motivational speaker Reggie Dabbs made left his mark here Friday, making three stops in the city to bring a message overflowing with hope, love, and laughter. From his respect talk, Dabbs smoothly segued into his drug speech by turning the stage over to the group of college students, who presented an edgy music video dramatization of Linkin Park's "Nobody's Listening,'' depicting a host of poor choices and traps that prey on adolescents.

December 14, 2003

Chester calls into the Ben Harvey Show
posted by Jas, 12/14/03
K-Rock has posted an audio clip of Chester's phone call to the Ben Harvey Show. Click here to listen

Download Breaking The Habbit live (asf)
posted by Jas, 12/14/03
This was recorded during the webcast of KROQ's Almost Acoustic concert last night, right click here and save. File won't be online for long, it will be taken down when there's excessive use of bandwidth.

Almost Acoustic concert pics
posted by Jas, 12/14/03
Wireimage has posted some backstage pics of day 1 of KROQ 106.7 FM - Almost Acoustic Christmas concert last night

From The Inside single on the radio
posted by Jas, 12/12/03
For Singapore fans, LP's From The Inside is one of the singles added to the list of Perfect 10's What's New This Week. Expect to hear alot of airplay for FTI through out the day next week.

Deck The Hall Ball concert review
posted by Jas, 12/14/03
A review of Linkin Park's Deck The Hall Ball concert in Seattle on Thursday from Seattle PI:
The punk-rock passion stirred up the crowd, but headliners Linkin Park stole the show. The rap-rock sextet, which features two vocalists and a DJ, performed more than an hour of material from its two multi-platinum albums. During "Faint," singer Mike Shinoda took an audience member from the crowd to play guitar. Other than a few mistimed notes, the fan played perfectly. To close the night, A.F.I's singer Davey Havok shared vocal duties with Chester Bennington for the song "One Step Closer."

December 12, 2003

Meteora World Tour Player
posted by Jas, 12/12/03
Click here to launch the Meteora World Tour Player.

Sour grapes theory
DotMusic, 12/12/03
Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington says he was "insulted" that his group didn't receive more Grammy nominations. The band was only nominated for one award this week for 'Session', a track which does not include vocals and was therefore nominated in the "Best Rock Instrumental Performance" category. Speaking to Launch Radio Networks he said: "I personally feel that this record is better than 'Hybrid Theory'." "I think there are certain songs that definitely exceed the quality of even 'Crawling'. And to not even be nominated for a track that was an album track - I mean it was an instrumental, like an interlude - personally, I'm kind of insulted. I think I'd rather be not nominated for anything than to be nominated for a track that's not even a band track. "I definitely was thrown off a little bit, but who cares, really." Last year Linkin Park were nominated for three awards including "Best New Artist", "Best Rock Album" and "Best Hard Rock Performance".

Meteora World Tour Tickets On Sale
posted by Jas, 12/12/03
From LPU Newsletter: The second round of Meteora World Tour ticket sales for the public starts this Friday and Saturday, December 12th and 13th respectively and many shows are already on sale now! Make sure you're prepared for the on-sale as tickets have been going quickly for this tour featuring Linkin Park, supported by P.O.D., Hoobastank, and Story of the Year. Please note that not all tickets are being sold through Ticketmaster. Check out the tour section of LinkinPark.com or LPUnderground.com for details on how to purchase tickets.

Review of Live in Texas
Jerusalem Post, 12/12/03
A review of Live in Texas from Jerusalem Post: Live in Texas shows an electrifying performance which includes all the band's greatest hits. Keeping the songs true to the original recordings, the band doesn't go out on a limb even once. And by sticking to its formulaic anthemic sound, with soft verses and loud (really loud) choruses, Linkin Park gives the kids exactly what they want. Fed off the audience's energy, the band doesn't disappoint. An added bonus is the inclusion of a music CD of the band's performance. On the downside, however, Linkin Park's sound is so standardized that it's virtually impossible to distinguish between the songs. Linkin Park is a band that you love or love to hate - and if you are over 30 you probably have never heard of them. This DVD is strictly for fans.

LP on the chart this week
Reuters, 12/12/03
On the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, Puddle Of Mudd's "Away From Me" leads for the second week, and Linkin Park's "Numb" fronts the Modern Rock Tracks tally for a fifth week.

December 10, 2003

2003 Billboard Music Awards
posted by Jas, 12/10/03
The 2003 Billboard Music Awards will be telecast on FOX tonight at 8 pm ET/PT. Linkin Park is nominated for 2 awards, Duo/Group artist of the year and Modern rock artist of the year. Good Luck guys! Update: Sadly LP didn't win. The first award went to 3 Doors Down and the Moden Rock Artist of the year award went to Audioslave.

Claus Fest 2003 pictures
posted by Jas, 12/10/03
Film Magic has posted 93 pictures from the Claus Fest concert and there are 16 at Wireimage. If anyone out there has an account and would like to share the larger pics please email me. I'm willing to form a partnership and share the cost.

Kick Ass X-Mas pictures
posted by Jas, 12/10/03
The X website has posted pictures from the Kick Ass X-Mas concert.

LP's one of Top 10 Bands of 2003
posted by Jas, 12/10/03
The Lycos 50 has announced the Most Popular Search Terms of 2003. For Top 10 Bands of 2003, Linkin Park is at #6.

Review of Live in Texas
posted by Jas, 12/09/03
A review of Live In Texas from Yahoo Launch.

December 9, 2003

Translation of Bravo article
posted by Jas, 12/09/03
Thanks to Kamo I now have the translation of the Bravo article, it's an old article.

Linkin Park rocks with innovations
Indystar, 12/09/03
A review of Monday night's "Not So Silent Night" concert at the Pepsi Coliseum. 'Breaking The Habit' was on the setlist.

Meteora World Tour 2004 player
LinkinPark.com, 12/09/03
The band will launch a new Meteora World Tour 2004 player in a couple of days. Be sure to check it out at LinkinPark.com. Tickets for several of the shows are now onsale at Ticketmaster outlets. More details on the official site.

December 8, 2003

Linkin Park promises tour surprises
Billboard, 12/08/03
When Linkin Park hits the road next month for a North American tour with P.O.D., Hoobastank and Story Of The Year, singer Mike Shinoda tells Billboard.com the act has plenty of surprises in store for loyal fans. "I'm really excited about the tour," says Shinoda. "We're playing an all-new set and we've added some songs that people haven't heard us play live before and some songs we haven't played live in a long time. So, even though I know a lot of our fans are going to check out [the new CD/DVD] 'Live in Texas,' the set that we will be playing in January and February is longer, has more songs and it has a lot of stuff that people haven't heard."

Pictures: Fuse's IMX present Linkin Park
posted by Jas, 12/08/03
Linkin Park appears on Fuse's IMX show at Fuse's IMX Studios in Penn Plaza December 4, 2003 in New York City. These pictures One, Two and Three are from Getty Images

LP scans from One and Bravo magazines
posted by Jas, 12/08/03
Karine sent in scans of Linkin Park interview from the Dec/Jan 2004 issue of One magazine (France) and another interview from Bravo magazine (Germany) but not sure when it is dated. Download the hi-res images now before I crop them. If there's anyone out there who can translate these articles please email me and I'll send you a larger scans.

Interview with LP at Claus Fest 2003
posted by Jas, 12/07/03
K-Rock has posted an audio backstage interview with Chester, Brad and Rob at the Claus Fest 2003. Click here to view the photos.

Live in Texas out now in Malaysia
posted by Jas, 12/08/03
The Star reports that LP's Live in Texas CD/DVD combo is now in stores in Malaysia. Every purchase of the album will entitle you to a free exclusive limited edition 24" X 24" Linkin Park poster.

December 7, 2003

All is not quiet on the Coliseum front for X-103 show
IndyStar, 12/07/03
Monday: Silent night? Forget about it when Linkin Park, Puddle of Mudd and Ill Nino hit the Pepsi Coliseum stage for X-103's annual "Not So Silent Night" concert at 7 p.m. Frontman Chester Bennington leads headliner Linkin Park through its blend of hip-hop, metal and electronic music. The band received the American Music Award last month for top alternative artist. General admission tickets are $32.50 and are on sale at the fairgrounds Administration Building, all Ticketmaster outlets and by phone at 1-317-239-5151.

The 10 best-selling debut albums
SignonSanDiego, 12/07/03
As of last month, these are the best-selling debut albums ever in the United States, according to the Recording Industry Association of America: #10 (tie) Norah Jones, "Come Away With Me"; Lauryn Hill, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill; Christina Aguilera, "Christina Aguilera"; Stone Temple Pilots, "Core"; Nelly, "Country Grammar," Linkin Park, "Hybrid Theory"; Toni Braxton, "Toni Braxton" (8 million)

LP ringtones at MTV.com
posted by Jas, 12/07/03
Download LP ringtones at MTV.com, tracks include Numb, Papercut, Runaway, One Step Closer, In The End and A Place for My Head.

December 4, 2003

Linkin Park nominated for a Grammy
LinkinPark.com, 12/04/03
Linkin Park's 'Session' has been nominated for Best Rock Instrumental Performance when the Grammy nominations was announced today. The 46th Annual Grammy Awards will be presented on February 8 in Los Angeles. Congratulations guys!

December 2, 2003

Linkin Park on IMX
LinkinPark.com, 12/02/03
LinkinPark.com reports that the band will be on IMX, Fuse's live daily show on Thursday, December 4 at 6 pm ET. Show will re-air at 11 pm same night.

December 1, 2003

Mike and Rob on Rockline tonight!
LinkinPark.com, 12/01/03
LinkinPark.com reports that Mike and Rob will be on Rockline tonight from 8:30 pm - 10 pm PST. You can listen to Rockline live at wrif.com or rocklineradio.com. Update: Linkin Park World has posted mp3 of the the entire show on their site. Check it out!

LP Meteora World Tour Presale tickets
posted by Jas, 12/01/03
At 12pm today, presale tickets for Linkin Park's Meteora World Tour will go on sale. If you're an LPU member head over to LPUnderground.com for more details and on how to purchase your tickets. Each member will be able to purchase 4 tickets.

Hard rock giants unite for winter outing
Rolling Stone, 12/01/03
P.O.D. and Linkin Park are hitting the road together in January for more than a month's worth of co-headlining dates. "They got a hold of us," P.O.D. frontman Sonny Sandoval says. "They said, 'Hey, we really want to take you guys out and just do something big.'" The two bands have toured together before, but that was before Linkin Park's 2000 debut Hybrid Theory, which went on to be the biggest-selling album of 2001. Sandoval saw Linkin Park's success coming. "Before their album was even out," he says, "we took them out, knowing that they would be huge someday." When the invitation was extended in the other direction, it was an easy decision to accept. "We always connected with those guys more on the human side of things rather than music," Sandoval says. "We know they're good people, and they know we're good people. It's important to tour with bands that you get along with." (Similar report on ChartAttack.com)

LP nominated for Billboard Awards
Billboard.com, 12/01/03
Linkin Park has been nominated for 2 Billboard Awards, Duo/group artist of the year (against 3 Doors Down, Dixie Chicks, Matchbox Twenty) and Modern rock artist of the year (against Audioslave, Chevelle, Foo Fighters). The awards show will be broadcast live on Fox at 8 p.m. ET (tape-delayed on the West Coast).

Someone's Birthday today!
posted by Jas, 12/01/03
Hey! it's Brad's birthday today! Happy Birthday Brad!

Live In Texas review
posted by Jas, 12/01/03
Review of Linkin Park's Live In Texas CD/DVD from Soundgenerator