Quote:The biggest change might be that the headliners themselves are choosing which artists open for them. The Red Hot Chili Peppers handpicked the Swedish outfit Little Dragon to open for them on their summer tour. Bonnie Raitt invited friend Mavis Staples as a supporting act. Justin Bieber chose Carly Rae Jepsen, the singer with the monster hit “Call Me Maybe,” although she missed the Pittsburgh show because of illness.

Rishon Blumberg, manager for the Clarks, says most record companies no longer have the financial leverage to push an opening act on an artist.

“Back in the heyday when labels were doling out large amounts of tour support and major labels ruled the land, there was a much stronger influence on support-act choices made by industry insiders,” he says. “ ‘We've rubbed your back ... now you rub our back and put on baby band X onto your tour.' ”

Quote:“I'd say support acts continue to be the norm,” Blumberg says. “In some cases, venues demand them.”

An opening act can help club owners ring up more drink sales, since some audience members gravitate to the bar during the opening band's set. But Blumberg says the Clarks also want to give fans their money's worth by adding an opener to the bill.

“In some instances, we add support because we want to give patrons as much entertainment as we can for their hard-earned dollars and also to introduce them to an artist that the band likes and thinks their fans would like,” Blumberg says.

(09-16-2013, 11:13 AM)Tom22 Wrote: Another thought I saw repeated elsewhere was the benefit of having a female dominated act opening for a male one and vice versa. The vise versa part helps to emphasize that it isn't a "cattyness" thing but a contrast thing.... while they might want a simlar overall sound they don't want "the same but worse" .

Quote:Justin Bieber chose Carly Rae Jepsen, the singer with the monster hit “Call Me Maybe,”

Quote:Selena Gomez ‏@selenahayley 13 Sep

IM SO DONE HOW DO YOU SIGN A GIRL YOUNGER THAN ME WHO CANT FUCKING SING BUT DROP CARLY FUCKING RAE JEPSEN I LOVE YOU BUT... @scooterbraun

Quote:Alex Bush ‏@AlexandraB9797 13h

@scooterbraun you lied about ALL of you going to the Carly Rae Jepsen Concert. Justin didnt go on stage and Cody was at home

Quote:"Of course, I saw it coming," (Ariana Grande) told E! News exclusively of her pal the Biebs. "I was like, ‘Whatever.' It's all silly, but whatever."

The infamous kissing pic, which caused a frenzy among fans, was posted back in August when Grande was opening several of Bieber's concerts. "You're crazy and nonna says thank you, she loves you," Grande captioned the pic.

Quote:2013 Style Awards got aired on 14th September and there was one celebrity who awed the world with her sheer singing talent. It was none other than Justin Bieber's alleged crush Ariana Grande..."

Quote:Interview: Paul McDonald
The American Idol alum recently released his new track, "Bright Lights."

Quote:Your new single, "Bright Lights" just premiered on Billboard the other day - it's awesome! Where'd you pull inspiration from for the track?

Thanks so much for the kind words! I’m glad you like it! I wrote "Bright Lights" back in March. The song is pretty simple. It’s about love and how you’ll always be there for someone, no matter what the circumstances. If things go wrong, or you ever lose your way, if time’s get hard - because they always will. I’ll be around, I’ll have your back, and I’ll cover you.

Quote:The video for "Bright Lights" was released this week - where'd you come up with the concept for it?

The idea really just fell into place with my good buddy and director Sean Hagwell. He was in town for a few days and we came up with a simple concept and some cool visuals that would get across the emotion of the song. We shot the bedroom scene in my friend Marc Scibillia’s studio/bedroom - the same room that we wrote "Bright Lights" and recorded the track. That night we went into the CMT parking garage around 2 in the morning to snag the parking garage shots. It was a fun day.

Quote:Back in 2011 you were a finalist on American Idol. How did being on the show shape your sound? What's the most valuable thing you learned during the competition?

To be honest, American Idol never really shaped any kind of “sound" for me. Idol was more of a fun break from the creative side of my brain and a heavy lesson in life and the music business. I learned so much from being on that show and met some phenomenal artists and people - some of my best friends. I also learned how to perform on television and in front of a large audience. I learned about major labels, big contracts, working with high profile people, attorneys, and seeing how a big business like 19 is really run. Shaping your own sound comes from years of development and trying new things on your own. Putting out records that fail, putting out records that people love, and exploring with your creativity and inner self- really finding exactly who you are as an artist. It doesn’t just happen overnight. I had been touring for almost six years full time and we were playing almost 200 shows a year before I auditioned for idol.

I also had put out multiple albums out and was really into songwriting, so I was already in the process of finding a sound, but I’m always growing as an artist and experimenting with sounds. I never want to stay stagnant - I want to continue to grow and explore - and push my own boundaries. I do know where I’m comfortable now and what feels good to me, and at this point in my career, I just want to create art that feels good and genuine to myself. I’d like to go to sleep at night feeling proud of the music I’ve written and know that I’m always moving forward on my personal musical journey. I feel like this new batch of songs has really done that for me.