Biggest Loser Gets Vinny, Grainge Talks A&R, Lady A Fans Scavenge

Big Vinny

>>Big Vinny from Trailor Choir (aka Vicent Hickerson) is set to become a big loser this coming year as he competes on season 12 of the NBC hit reality show The Biggest Loser. Big Vinny will be one of 15 contestants weighing over 400 pounds and hoping to win the $250,000 prize. The season premiere begins Sept. 20.

Lucian Grainge

>>“A&R people are an indication of your commitment to new music and to new artists,” Universal Music Group Chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge tells the New York Post. “There are so many categories of A&R people; some are talent scouts, some have an instinctive sense of marketing, and others are brilliant at making records…The demographics are constantly changing—there are so many scientific factors and analytical tools—but some things will never change: the magic of innovation and raw talent.”

>>Lady Antebellum is giving fans something to get excited about, even before they release new album Own The Night, by launching an online scavenger hunt. Cameo Carlson, who heads Borman Entertainment’s digital business division told Billboard, the campaign increased Facebook activity by 40% and Twitter by 18% in the first six days. Plus it helped add 21,000 net emails to Lady A’s list. “We’re getting not just email addresses, but email addresses of fans who are really engaged,” Carlson says. “But it’s doing it in a more interesting way than just asking them to sign up for a newsletter.” Clues are revealed daily which send fans across the Internet to find a keyword. The album is set to launch on Sept. 13