MTV Newsroom ›

It's MTV's second annual Musical March Madness! MTV News took the 64 biggest names in rock, split them up into four regions, assigned them seeds and puts them up against one another in a single-elimination series of match-ups in a winner-take-all contest. We're leaving it to you to decide an actual champ in this field of 64, so over the next few weeks, fan voting will determine who will emerge as this year's champion. It's all about the fans, and the artist with the most passionate fan base will score the awesome Musical March Madness trophy!

With the unveiling of the match-up below, the Sweet 16 is entirely open for business. You can now vote for your favorite bands in all eight of the pairings, and many of them are super-tight battles between large-scale bands. The competitions promise to go right down to the wire, so stay diligent!

Voting for all Sweet 16 match-ups will close on Tuesday, March 29 at midnight. As always, you can follow all the voting here.

(2) Radiohead vs. (3) My Chemical Romance
This is what the Sweet 16 is all about: Two powerhouses going nose-to-nose in a conflict for the ages. In one corner, Radiohead advanced past TV on the Radio and Owl City with ease. In the opposite corner, My Chemical Romance (last year's finalists) have notched victories over Panda Bear and Rage Against the Machine. Who will survive, and what will be left of them? Vote to find out!

Check out Dick Bagwell and Vincent Twice previewing the Sweet 16!

Check out the Musical March Madness bracket and be take a look at the hoops-centric photos of some of the tournament's biggest bands.

Tags #MMM, March Madness, My-Chemical-Romance, Poll, Radiohead, video

By Adam Stewart

On Sunday (March 27), Beatport Beach played host to the fourth annual Beatport Music Awards, and for the first time the presentations was made on a live stage. The awards are broken down in to three categoires: Top Tracks (based on record sales), Community Choice (determined by over 10,000 fan ballots) and Staff Picks (selected by the by the Beatport team).

The Top Track award winners included Skrillex (who won Top Dubstep Track for his massive "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites") and Wolfgang Gartner and Deadmau5 (for their collaboration on "Animal Rights").

Also receiving Top Track honors were Martin Solveig's Dragonette-assisted "Hello (Club Mix)" and Swedish House Mafia's "One."

In the Community Choice categories, the Swedes again took honors with "One" (which was named Track of the Year) and Deadmau5 (who snagged Artist of the Year).

Umek was named Artist of the Year in the Staff Picks Category, and Art Department picked up a BMA for Track of the Year with "Without You." The industry and Beatport also honored one of the greats, handing out their Lifetime Achievement Award to Carl Craig.

For the full list of winners, be sure to check out Beaportal.com, and follow our MTV News crew on Twitter (@AdamMTVNews and @ASBhansali) for all of the action out of Miami Music Week!

Photo: Jordan Loyd

Tags Beatport, Deadmau5, miami, MMW, UMF

It's MTV's second annual Musical March Madness! MTV News took the 64 biggest names in rock, split them up into four regions, assigned them seeds and puts them up against one another in a single-elimination series of match-ups in a winner-take-all contest. We're leaving it to you to decide an actual champ in this field of 64, so over the next few weeks, fan voting will determine who will emerge as this year's champion. It's all about the fans, and the artist with the most passionate fan base will score the awesome Musical March Madness trophy!

The Sweet 16 is almost entirely rolled out, and the next step is the East region. Perhaps the most unpredictable of all the portions of this tournament, the East is completely up for grabs. Who will make the final push to the Final Four?

Voting for all Sweet 16 match-ups will close on Tuesday, March 29 at midnight. As always, you can follow all the voting here.

(4) The Strokes vs. (16) Sum 41
Sum 41's run through the first two rounds has been incredible, as they have taken down fellow Canadians Arcade Fire and then laid waste to international superstars Coldplay. Their next challenge? The Strokes, who have ridden the positive vibes surrounding their new album Angles to a Sweet 16 berth after besting fellow indie stars MGMT and Phoenix. Will they make a stand for New York, or will Canada continue to rule? Vote now!

Check out Dick Bagwell and Vincent Twice previewing the Sweet 16!

Check out the Musical March Madness bracket and be take a look at the hoops-centric photos of some of the tournament's biggest bands.

Tags #MMM, March Madness, Poll, Sum 41, the-strokes, video

Every day a multitude of stars wander through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

Over the weekend, Lady Gaga's Monster Ball tour made a stop in Phoenix, Arizona for another fantastically theatrical presentation of her excellent batch of pop songs. This particular stop was extra special because it was attended by a recent inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as Alice Cooper (who makes his home in the Arizona desert) visited the venue to check out the show. Cooper, who in many respects is the godfather of the over-the-top rock show, stopped backstage to say hi to the artist (who happens to be celebrating her birthday today, March 28th) and pose for a picture. Gaga was so excited that she didn't even bother to clean up after her show's bloody climax, and she posed for a photo with Cooper while still drenched. "I just died and went to hell," Gaga tweeted right after the picture was snapped. The two even talked about the possibility of collaborating in the future, which would end up being an eye-popping tag-team indeed.

She wasn't the only star out in the world, as Thom Yorke of Radiohead handed out newspapers in London to promote his band's new album The King of Limbs and Justin Bieber made his way through the streets of Paris on a press tour. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted" archive, which features over 500 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Eminem, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Madonna, the Jonas Brothers, Justin Timberlake and Kanye West!

Tags Alice-Cooper, Lady Gaga, photo, Spotted!

It's MTV's second annual Musical March Madness! MTV News took the 64 biggest names in rock, split them up into four regions, assigned them seeds and puts them up against one another in a single-elimination series of match-ups in a winner-take-all contest. We're leaving it to you to decide an actual champ in this field of 64, so over the next few weeks, fan voting will determine who will emerge as this year's champion. It's all about the fans, and the artist with the most passionate fan base will score the awesome Musical March Madness trophy!

Sweet 16 voting has already been fast and furious, as fans get in their votes early to build leads for their favorite bands in this smaller voting window. The round continues with another key match-up in the South regional semi-finals. Like most of the remaining field, either one of the teams below could make a push to the top of the heap.

Voting for all Sweet 16 match-ups will close on Tuesday, March 29 at midnight. As always, you can follow all the voting here.

(2) Muse vs. (14) Tokio Hotel
Muse squeaked by Cobra Starship in the first round and then made quick work of Weezer in the second, which now puts them in the unenviable position of taking on Tokio Hotel. Last year's big Cinderella team certainly seems to be wearing the glass slipper again, as they have bested Mumford & Sons and Adele despite their lower ranking. Will they continue their push toward the championship, or will Muse fans continue to galvanize and help their favorite band stand tall? Vote and find out!

Check out Dick Bagwell and Vincent Twice previewing the Sweet 16!

Check out the Musical March Madness bracket and be take a look at the hoops-centric photos of some of the tournament's biggest bands.

Tags #MMM, March Madness, muse, Poll, Tokio-Hotel, video

It's MTV's second annual Musical March Madness! MTV News took the 64 biggest names in rock, split them up into four regions, assigned them seeds and puts them up against one another in a single-elimination series of match-ups in a winner-take-all contest. We're leaving it to you to decide an actual champ in this field of 64, so over the next few weeks, fan voting will determine who will emerge as this year's champion. It's all about the fans, and the artist with the most passionate fan base will score the awesome Musical March Madness trophy!

The Sweet 16 spotlight is now pointed directly at the South region, which features another quartet of bands who could easily find themselves holding the 2011 MTV Musical March Madness trophy aloft when all is said and done.

Voting for all Sweet 16 match-ups will close on Tuesday, March 29 at midnight. As always, you can follow all the voting here.

(1) Linkin Park vs. (5) Paramore
Linkin Park have cruised through the first two rounds of the tournament, besting Sleigh Bells and R.E.M. on the way to the Sweet 16. They'll take on their strongest challenger yet in Paramore, who have come through two intense battles against No Doubt and Kings of Leon to emerge as a power in the South region. Which one of these platinum-sellers will continue their push to the finals? Vote to find out!

Check out Dick Bagwell and Vincent Twice previewing the Sweet 16!

Check out the Musical March Madness bracket and be take a look at the hoops-centric photos of some of the tournament's biggest bands.

Tags #MMM, Linkin-Park, March Madness, Paramore, Poll, video

If today feels a bit more celebratory, that's probably because it's time for Stefani Germanotta — the woman known to the universe as Lady Gaga — to commemorate her birth. The international pop sensation is 25 years old today, and she has managed to accomplish quite a bit in her quarter century (including three chart-topping singles).

But what has she accomplished in comparison to Madonna, her clearest antecedent, when she was 25? The Material Girl turned 25 in 1983, just after releasing her debut self-titled album. She was already starting to build up her following, and the singles "Holiday," "Lucky Star" and "Borderline" were about to help her bust out of the clubs and onto mainstream radio. When she was 25, she also recorded and released her second album Like a Virgin, released the hit single of the same name (which became her first chart-topping single) and performed said song on the very first MTV Video Music Awards.

Gaga had a bit of a head start, as her debut album broke out slightly earlier than Madonna's. As stated above, Gaga already has three chart-toppers and not only has performed on the MTV Video Music Awards but has also taken home a handful of trophies. Gaga also has five Grammy awards to her name (Madonna didn't win her first until 1992, and that was for Best Long Form Video).

So at age 25, that puts Gaga slightly ahead of Madonna on the cards. She has a lot to maintain over the next few decades if she is going to match Madge's resumé, but she already seems to be on the right track. In fact, she has proven herself to be a top-shelf collaborator, as she not only teamed up with Beyoncé on her own "Telephone" and also on B's "Video Phone."

Tags Birthday, Lady Gaga, video

It's MTV's second annual Musical March Madness! MTV News took the 64 biggest names in rock, split them up into four regions, assigned them seeds and puts them up against one another in a single-elimination series of match-ups in a winner-take-all contest. We're leaving it to you to decide an actual champ in this field of 64, so over the next few weeks, fan voting will determine who will emerge as this year's champion. It's all about the fans, and the artist with the most passionate fan base will score the awesome Musical March Madness trophy!

The Sweet 16 has created some truly awesome head-to-head pairings, including the second one in the West region. Which one of these two titans will move on and which one will go home? It should be a slobberknocker, so be sure to check it out.

Voting for all Sweet 16 match-ups will close on Tuesday, March 29 at midnight. As always, you can follow all the voting here.

(2) Blink-182 vs. (3) Green Day
In what is possibly the biggest of all the Sweet 16 match-ups, Green Day take an incredible amount of momentum into their confrontation with Blink-182. Billie Joe Armstrong and the boys got past Adam Lambert and then engaged in a knock-down, drag-out battle with former collaborators U2 to get to this point. Meanwhile, Blink-182 topped All Time Low and the Red Hot Chili Peppers on their way to the Sweet 16, both of whom proved to be able adversaries. Which icons of California punk will find themselves in the Elite Eight? It's up to you!

Check out Dick Bagwell and Vincent Twice previewing the Sweet 16!

Check out the Musical March Madness bracket and be take a look at the hoops-centric photos of some of the tournament's biggest bands.

Tags #MMM, Blink-182, green-day, March Madness, Poll

It's MTV's second annual Musical March Madness! MTV News took the 64 biggest names in rock, split them up into four regions, assigned them seeds and puts them up against one another in a single-elimination series of match-ups in a winner-take-all contest. We're leaving it to you to decide an actual champ in this field of 64, so over the next few weeks, fan voting will determine who will emerge as this year's champion. It's all about the fans, and the artist with the most passionate fan base will score the awesome Musical March Madness trophy!

We're at the point in the tournament where every single match-up could lead to a potential champion getting sent home early from competition. The West region has four bands left, and each one could easily hoist the trophy at the end of the tournament. But only two can survive to make the Elite Eight, and only one has the chance to stand tall as the winner of the whole deal.

Voting for all Sweet 16 match-ups will close on Tuesday, March 29 at midnight. As always, you can follow all the voting here.

(1) 30 Seconds to Mars vs. (5) Panic! at the Disco
30 Seconds to Mars are one of two remaining number one seeds in the Musical March Madness tournament, and they have advanced to the Sweet 16 by taking down the likes of Yellowcard and Train. This will be their toughest test yet, as they square off against a very strong Panic! at the Disco team who have stomped on Avril Lavigne and Florence and the Machine. Both bands have tremendously intense fan followings online, but which one will be stronger? The votes will decide their fates!

Check out Dick Bagwell and Vincent Twice previewing the Sweet 16!

Check out the Musical March Madness bracket and be take a look at the hoops-centric photos of some of the tournament's biggest bands.

Tags #MMM, 30 Seconds to Mars, March Madness, Panic! At The Disco, Poll

Of all the hip-hop icons who have died well before their time (and there are far too many), perhaps nobody is missed more deeply than Ol' Dirty Bastard. The clown prince of the Wu-Tang Clan delivered a playful, unhinged energy that was both hilarious and dangerous, and personalities like that are far too rare in the current rap climate. Though his recorded output is by far the smallest among the core members of the Wu, his first two solo albums are both stone cold classics. On this day in 1995, ODB dropped Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, his first solo album, the second solo joint from a Wu member following the release of Return to the 36 Chambers and one of the greatest rap collections of the '90s (and of all time).

ODB's delivery was uniquely unhinged, and he stood out among his Wu-Tang brethren because he was not a technical mastermind like Raekwon nor a math-obsessed wizard like RZA. ODB's raps were full of absurd imagery, strange boasts, gritty street details and plenty of junk culture references. When juxtaposed with RZA's sparse, jagged beats, the result was a sound that was constantly at odds with itself. The whole thing was held together by ODB's boundless charisma, which overflows from Return to the 36 Chambers.

Just about all of the tracks on Return to the 36 Chambers are keepers in some way, from the eerie "Don't U Know" to the playful "Raw Hide" to the claustrophobic "Brooklyn Zoo." But the key track also happens to be the album's biggest single, as "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" happens to capture everything that was wonderful about ODB in the span of three minutes.

Tags Ol' Dirty Bastard, video, Wu-Tang Clan