Rihanna is the world’s most illegally downloaded artist

Rihanna is the world’s most illegally downloaded artist

A survey by Musicmetric indicates that the artist Rihanna is the world’s most illegally downloaded music artist. The country recording the most illegal downloads is the U.S., followed by the UK.

A survey by Musicmetric has shown that Rihanna's latest album - Talk That Talk - was found to be the world's most pirated release, with some 1,228,313 downloads for the period January to July 2012.

In relation to the country recording the most illegal downloads, the US is at the top. For the same period, over 96 million illegal downloads were made. Second on the list was the UK, with some 40 million illegal downloads.

Following the U.S. and UK is Italy (33 million illegal downloads), then Canada (nearly 24 million illegal downloads), and Brazil (almost 20 million illegal downloads). The Musicmetric survey focused on BitTorrent files. BitTorrent is a way of obtaining files by downloading from many users at the same time.

Musicmetric is a music industry backed service which provides insights and understanding into consumer behavior online globally for the entertainment industry.

The figures do indicate global variation. Whilst Rihanna occupies the number one spot globally and in the USA, in the UK, according to the BBC, artist Ed Sheeran was number one, followed by Rizzle Kicks and then Rihanna. Sheeran’s album + (Plus) was downloaded on average 55,512 times every month, with the city of Manchester the are region in which the highest number of illegal downloads were made.

The survey was made following moves by Google to block file sharing websites from appearing in its search results.

The figures show that illegal downloading continues to be a major international issue. In terms of the artists listed, this data suggests, as the Daily Telegraph opines, that the main demographic for illegal downloading relates to younger people.

Rihanna and Chris Brown back together

Rihanna, Chris Brown back together, Yes Painful Omission

Rihanna recently revealed to Oprah that she still loves Chris Brown. I’m not sure about you, but this comes to no surprise to me.  With all of the ups and down, turmoil and the roller coaster rides that Rihanna and Chris Brown have been through this only confirms that they can’t stay away from each other.
When I heard this not so surprising revelation, Whitney’s song I Will Always Love You came to mind. When I look at Rihanna and Chris Brown I see two young kids confused and in love. This seems to be right on point by Rihanna’s  recent interview with Oprah, in which she revealed her undying love for Chris. She has confessed on Oprah’s Next Chapter that she still cares. Rihanna reflected on her life and the time spent with her ex-love Chris Brown.
Even with the public scrutiny and judgment calls from strangers Rihanna said to Oprah that “I think he was the love of my life. He was my first love, and I see that he loved me the same way. We ran free, we ran wild. We were going at a really rapid pace that we forget about ourselves as individuals. We needed something to completely shut that off.”
Rihanna also shared with Oprah that she and Chris Brown were still very, very close friends, but that she remains single. She says that she wants Chris Brown to be at peace stating, “I’m not at peace if he’s not happy or he’s still lonely.”
Well this gives the star hounds and haters more ammunition to work with. This makes for good headlines and it provides hours of gossip. But I wonder if Rihanna will ever heal from it all and if Chris will grow and learn from his mistakes.
I agree that domestic violence is wrong on so many levels. But it’s also not the place of others to tell Rihanna not to forgive Chris Brown, just as it is not for me to tell others not to forgive you. But if Rihanna is considering going beyond forgiving and rekindling their relationship she should think long and hard on that one because if Chris Brown has not changed it could be the life or death of her.

Rihanna and Frank Ocean added to packed MTV VMA roster

 

In the world of 21st Century American musical spectacle, the MTV Video Music Awards exists in a category all its own. Way less reserved than the Grammy Awards (but no BET Awards), the VMAs have over the years provided plenty of water-cooler fodder, and this year's upcoming show has just added more bang: Producers just announced the addition of pop singer Rihanna and R&B crooner Frank Ocean as performers.
The performance roster was already pretty thick with superstars: Slated to gig live at the Staples Center during the Thursday, Sept. 6, live broadcast are country-pop princess Taylor Swift, Bay Area punk vets Green Day, resurgent pop star Pink, and Brit boy band One Direction. With the addition of Rihanna and Ocean, the lineup is dense with some of today's biggest-selling artists.
Which isn't to say the music world will necessarily be altered the next day. We know what a Taylor Swift performance is like, and One Direction lacks the heft to cause a commotion, let alone a magical moment. Whether Pink swings through the air on a trapeze is relatively unimportant, and Rihanna will walk the tightrope, careful to be just risque enough to keep the delay button at bay. Green Day will play punk rock like punk rockers do and, based on the show I saw a few weeks ago, will probably be pretty great.
PHOTOS: Best & Worst moments of the 2011 VMAs
But the big question: What will Frank play? Will he be safe and do "Thinkin' About You," his lovely ballad? Or will the Los Angeles-based singer, whose full-length debut, "Channel Orange," is one of the best albums of the year -- and made news when Ocean openly discussed his bisexuality -- push the issue that propelled him into the spotlight and play "Forrest Gump"?
That song, one of the highlights of "Channel Orange," is a first-person account of his relationship with a pseudonymous man and was one of the highlights of his recent sold-out show at the Wiltern. It's as powerful a song as you'll hear this year, regardless of the sexuality of the protaganists. Having that message beamed into households around the globe would send a strong signal of tolerance and would, in fact, alter things the next day.
Whether Ocean plays it is an open question. Chances are he won't; Def Jam hasn't yet released it as a single (though it should, just to see how commercial radio programmers react), and Ocean may be uninterested in pressing the issue, understandably so. But if we're talking water-cooler moments, Ocean would be smart to play the song.

 

Mariah Carey Denies Inviting Rihanna To Move In 'To Save Her'

Mariah Carey Denies Inviting Rihanna To Move In 'To Save Her'

Reports have suggested that diva Mariah Carey has reached out to Rihanna and asked her to move into her Los Angeles home in an attempt to "save" her, a claim that Mariah's camp have denied. 

A recent report from Star magazine has claimed that the 'Where Have You Been' singer is "headed to rehab" because of her hard-partying ways. But the magazine reports that Mariah has stepped in because she's worried about the Bajan singer.
"Mariah has decided to swoop in and rescue the Barbadian beauty before she self-destructs," a source told the magazine.
Before adding that the new American Idol judge "was upset by rumours that Rihanna was reconnecting with Chris Brown", because of her own romantic history and failed marriage to Tommy Mottola.
"She sees a lot of herself in Rihanna and wants to protect her," the insider continued. They also claimed that as well as a roof over her head, Mariah wanted to collaborate on some new music.
The insider said that Mariah had been trying to convince thee 24-year-old "to chill out on the partying" and “suggest RiRi move in with her and that they do a few songs together.”
As if Mariah doesn't have enough on her hands - two young twins, a husbands who has hardly been at the top of health and a new job on top! Mariah's representative has reportedly told Gossip Cop that "there is no truth" to the magazine's story.
While we do believe Mariah's rep. We have to say that Rihanna has been dropping some big hints with her cryptic tweets - as she tweeted some of Chris Brown's lyrics earlier this week, seeming to suggest that she was pining for her former love.

Rihanna Shows Off Bikini Body, Lets Loose in St. Tropez

Rihanna Shows Off Bikini Body, Lets Loose in St. Tropez

Rihanna is a work hard, play harder kind of gal, it seems. She's been busy most of the year with touring and fending off Chris Brown relationship rumors, but her summer vacation has been filled with plenty of down time. The singer has traveled to NYC, Barbados, Italy, and now on a luxury yacht in the South of France.

Photographers caught up with the star and her pals in the middle of the ocean Saturday. They captured some awesome shots of her sporting a sexy bikini, getting some serious air on a jet ski, sipping Coronas, tanning with her pals, and more. There are even pictures of her visit from basketball star Magic Johnson! There are no hardships on that ship.

Of course, Rihanna has kept connected with her fans (her "Navy") and friends with the handy dandy onboard Wi-Fi connection. She's been tweeting pictures of her vacation as well as posting birthday messages to pals and updates about the paparazzi helping her friend who fell off a jet ski.

However, her at sea updates have also sparked a little scandal. She tweeted this message Friday: "Sorry, no phone service in the middle of the ocean! Just Internet! Call you back when I got signal boo! Miss ya" Of course, this got the Interwebs buzzing with even more speculation of her secret relationship ex-boyfriend Chris Brown. You know, because, "boo" can only refer to him, right?

Well, maybe that's the case. But, she called her pal Hayden Williams her "boo" when she shouted out a birthday message to him on Twitter today. "Happy Birthday to Designer/fashion illustrator my boo," she wrote. So, the "boo" thing definitely doesn't equal "boyfriend."

Regardless, it doesn't look like Rihanna is spending any time worrying about her love life these days, especially not this weekend. Cheers to the freakin' weekend, right, RihRih? 

Rihanna poses in her bikini

Love The Way You Lie: Rihanna poses in her bikini as she flaunts curves and stretches herself out aboard luxury yacht

She's been working and playing hard recently, taking her recording sessions and partying in between America and London.
But Rihanna is now hard at work enjoying herself as she relaxes on a sunny break in Sardinia.
The Umbrella hitmaker jetted in to the stylish region earlier this week and has spent the majority of her time aboard a yacht with her girl pals.

Rihanna, 24, posed in her bikini as she flaunted her body while posing a number of positions on the luxury boat.
She was joined by two girl pals, who also tweeted photographs of the singer in her summery finest.

In one image Rihanna can be seen smouldering at the camera with her lips covered in red lipstick.
She pouts at the camera seductively while her hair blows in the wind and her tattoo can be seen.
In another image she stretches across a boat next to one friend as they pose with the backdrop of a clear blue sky.

Rihanna also wears a turban over her long dark hair in one picture and in another she hugs a metal post.
She also poses on a bed with her legs in the air while wearing just the strapless bikini top and bottoms.
The super star recently had some time out in her native Barbados to mourn the death of her beloved grandma Dolly.

But she relocated to the Mediterranean island over the weekend.
The singer and her friends are staying aboard a luxury boat just off the coast and it is clear she is making the most of the opportunity to relax.
As she arrived on the island the Talk That Talk singer was seen clutching a bottle of Corona as she made her way across the airport tarmac - clearly in the mood to start the party early.
And she's sparked speculation her rumoured beau Drake is set to holiday with her in the Italian resort.

Rihanna puts on poor show

Rihanna puts on poor show after appearing 45mins late in Sweden

Rihanna, who headlined the annual Peace and Love Festival in Sweden, kept her fans waiting for 45 minutes, before she took the stage on Saturday. If that wasn’t bad enough, furious fans took to Twitter to claim that she appeared intoxicated and wasn’t singing live. “Really don’t feel like watching Rihanna under the influence gig. Who allowed her on stage in this state?,” the Daily Mail quoted one disgruntled fan as tweeting. 
Some fans questioned whether the Barbadian singer was under the influence of drugs as her performance was so bad, with one person calling her “disgusting and shameful.”
The Twitter user wrote “Rihanna is blatantly under the influence of drugs and is allowed to perform in front of children and young people. It is disgusting and shameful.”
Another added “Crowd walk-out from Rihanna concert at Sweden claiming she’s too high to sing properly.”
Although the crowd waited 45 minutes for Rihanna to arrive, many left soon after she started singing because of her poor performance
“Playback and being high as a kite is not rocking P&L Rihanna” another wrote.
Walking out of the gig wasn’t enough for one person who added “Rihanna is dead in my eyes… How can you be so  bad?
As if her shambolic performance wasn’t enough of an insult to the people of Sweden, Rihanna then dedicated ‘Redemption Song’ to Norway after getting the countries mixed up.
She was referring to right wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year.
A concertgoer tweeted “Note to Rihanna. Borlänge isnt’t Oslo and no people weren’t killed by Breivik here... But thanks for coming
Rihanna had played at the Kollen Festival in Oslo on Friday and had clearly confused the two countries.

Rihanna meet up with Chris Brown

Did Rihanna meet up with Chris Brown following bar brawl? Singer 'consoles singer and tends to his injuries the night after fight

She said she was partying with friends last night as she hit the clubs in New York.
But new reports suggest that Rihanna was also meeting up with someone else.
The Barbadian beauty, who is thought to have been the reason for the fight between Chris Brown, rapper Drake and their entourages at New York's WIP nightclub, reportedly meet up with Chris the night after the fracas.
Scroll down to see the post-fight footage

Secret meeting: Chris Brown and Rihanna reportedly meet up at Jay-Z's 40/40 club last night after the R&B singer got into a brawl with rapper Drake allegedly over the stunning singer

Sources say the singer, who has dated both musicians, was on hand to look after Chris' cut chin, which was a result of the incident.
An insider told RadarOnline.com: 'Chris and Rihanna hung out at Jay-Z's 40/40 Club all night and it was clear that she loved the attention he was giving her.
'Those two have a thing for each other that will never die, no matter what, and they're on their way to really being back together.

Attentive: Sources say the singer, who has dated both musicians, was on hand to look after Chris' cut chin

'Chris just adores her. And she tended to him, making sure the gash on his chin from the fight was okay.'
According to the insider, Rihanna and Chris shared a private room, where she was 'all over' the R&B singer.
'Chris would do anything for Rihanna, and she loves the way he showers her with attention,' the source added.

Who's that girl? Rihanna covered her face with a hooded sweatshirt as she left the nightclub last night

Helping hand: Fortunately she had a friend to guide her as she covered her eyes with her hood

'It's a win-win for them.'
Rihanna originally left Chris in 2009 after he assaulted her, leaving her badly bruised.
It was shortly after that time she hooked up with Drake, which started the feud between him and Chris.
Rihanna has also took to Twitter today to call for peace, somewhat cryptically writing: 'When Jah gives you a desire for something, He will give u peace along with it... Wait for peace (sic).

The aftermath: Broken glass can be seen strewn across the bar following the Chris and Drake fight

After admitting that she was feeling 'drunk' on her Twitter page, Rihanna hid her face under a hoodie as she left Jay-Z's 40/40 club last night, where she was reported to be partying with Chris.
Although she looked rather serious as she left the club, guided by a friend, she did admit she had had a fun night.

While waiting with her friends at the valet, Rihanna flashed a hint of her black bra under a cut-up T-shirt and light blue jeans with a grey pair of steel-toed combat boots bearing a smiley face.
With her black hair curled and up, the We Found Love singer finished her evening look with long yellow nails and a metal collar.

The night before a massive fight broke out between Chris and Drake, said to be over the singer, whilst they were partying at New York night club WIP.

The fracas between Chris and Drake's entourages happened just before 4 a.m. in the morning, as the last song was playing.
According to TMZ, Chris and Drake were hanging out in the VIP section when the Toronto rapper allegedly began pointing and yelling at the 23-year-old singer.
Brown yelled back, both entourages rushed in, shoving ensued, bottles went flying, and finally fists were thrown.
Five people required medical attention, including Brown who suffered a chin gash, his bodyguard whose head was injured, and an innocent Australian tourist named Hollie C who needed 16 stitches for her head wound.
WIP got just as beaten up and by the time the fight was through the Manhattan club's floor was littered with busted up tables, broken mirrors, and shattered lighting.
Yesterday morning, Drake's rep released a statement claiming a rapper named Meek Mill was responsible for the brawl -- not him, but, according to TMZ, Brown and his lawyer gave the New York Police Dept. detectives 'physical evidence' proving Drake's involvement.