“While working on 30 Seconds to Mars’ new album, frontman Jared Leto is fawning over a well-traveled instrument. “That has played on many records, I think ‘Achtung Baby,’ ‘Violator,”” Leto tells Spinner, pointing excitedly to a Sys700 synthesizer, and “beast of a machine,” in the corner of the Studio City, California home studio where he and his bandmates have been recording their third album, ‘This Is War,’ for the last year.

The synth comes courtesy of producer Flood (U2, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode) and allows Leto to enjoy his musical past. “It’s a phenomenal piece of machinery and there is something that is really nostalgic for me,” he says. “You can hear the soundtrack to your life roll by when you play around with it.”

Aside from the synth, Flood has brought a lot to the album — due out October 20 — after the band settled their $30 million lawsuit with Virgin Music. “He really encouraged us and helped us kind of realize our vision,” Leto says. “He seems to have this karmic, uncanny ability to be with bands at pivotal creative moments in their careers, whether it’s U2, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode or PJ Harvey. Whoever it is, he has the ability to be with them, and I really thought we were at that point in our lives creatively. We were at a pivotal moment for us where we were at creatively, ready to make a step or leap.”

And then of course there is that piece of rock history he brings with him, one Leto has become perhaps too enamored with. “I’m going to have to send him a very polite letter informing him he will never get his $5 billion synthesizer back. There are only a few in the world and I must claim ownership to one,” Leto says joking. We think.”

Source: Spinner.com

“They’ve called it “one of the best things we’ve done as a band,” but aside from that, 30 Seconds to Mars have remained tight-lipped about “The Summit,” the fans-only gathering/recording session they held last month at Hollywood’s Avalon club.

We know they used the audience as a sort of “musical instrument,” recording their vocals — among other things — for use on their new album. But aside from that … not much. The whole experiment is made even more compelling by the fact that — aside from a few snippets of video shot by fans and the band itself — no one has seen (or heard) anything that went on inside the Avalon.

Until now, that is. Earlier in the week, the band sent MTV News footage of the event, and after a few days of back-and-forth, we’re finally able to show it to you.

The video shows Jared Leto and his bandmates leading the audience through a variety of audio experiments, including synchronized stomping, shouted “Heys!” and “Ooh-Ooh-Oohs!” and — most impressively — a rising, whisper-quiet-to-ear-splittingly-loud hum. We also see Leto’s brother Shannon directing a drum exercise, with fans arranged around him in a circle banging on cardboard boxes (surely this is the “percussive expression” Jared told MTV News about a few weeks back).

It’s not known just how much of the recordings will actually end up on the 30STM album — which will be hitting shelves in September on Virgin Records. It’s also not clear if any of the footage the band shot during the Summit will end up on the long-gestating film Leto is editing in his L.A. home.”

Exclusive Footage video

See the news here

Source: Mtv.com

“As musical journeys go, the one taken by 30 Seconds to Mars has been one long, strange trip. Since breaking through to new heights with the rock hit “The Kill,” and then making history by shooting a music video in China, the band has been comparatively quiet for the past year, in part because it was tied up in business disputes with its record label. But despite the drama, 30STM singer and co-founder Jared Leto tells Buzznet that the band is ready to blast off once again.

In an exclusive interview with Buzznet, Leto revealed that the band has been recording songs “for a year,” and that creatively, “we’ve undergone a transformation of sorts. There’s an evolution that’s happened. There’s a place that we’ve arrived at that we’ve been looking for for quite some time. And it’s a nice feeling to get there.”

30STM also made a special effort to include their fans in the recording process, using a gathering of roughly 1,000 fans in Los Angeles last week to experiment with crowd sounds….”

Read and listen to the whole entreview here

Source: Buzznet.com

Back on the same page after months of legal wrangling over royalties and whatnot, 30 Seconds to Mars is once again recording for longtime label Virgin Records.

The Jared Leto-fronted rock band’s third studio album, currently titled This Is War, is slated for a fall release following a truce between the EMI-owned label—which had sued the group for $30 million—and talent (who in turn had really lashed out at Virgin).

“So here we are, after almost a year at war, and the time has come,” Leto wrote yesterday on 30 Seconds’ website. “The time to make peace, to move ahead, and to begin again. We are finally and thankfully at a place where we are excited and relieved to put behind us one of the most challenging battles of our entire careers.”

That good place was probably arrived at after the two sides had satisfied each other’s monetary concerns, judging by how Leto described the conflict-resolution process.

“There are many reasons that have contributed to this decision but overall the willingness and enthusiasm by EMI to address our major concerns and issues, the opportunity to return to work with a team so committed and passionate about Thirty Seconds to Mars, and the company’s dedication to changing the status quo of the business of recorded music made this choice possible,” the actor-musician wrote.

“Throughout, we always looked for opportunities to make peace, and stayed open to compromise and resolution. But not at any cost. We were prepared to continue down this path as long as we needed to. This was a fight we believed in wholeheartedly. A fight about art. A fight about truth. A fight about fairness. And a fight about freedom.

“This was the first time we had to defend ourselves in litigation and hopefully our last. It was never for a single moment something we wanted, something we enjoyed, or something we treated lightly.”

And in case you were wondering, “litigation is not fun.”

Nick Gatfield, EMI Music’s president of A&R labels, North America and U.K., said in a statement: “We are thrilled to have set aside our differences and signed a new agreement with 30 Seconds to Mars. Our relationship has been extremely rewarding and successful, and we’re eager to move forward and put our global team to work.”

30 Seconds—Leto, his brother Shannon and Tomo Milicevic—have been busy cranking out This Is War, which will feature guest vocals by Kanye West, for nearly a year. They recently opened their studio to residents of Los Angeles’ Children of the Night program, which rescues kids from prostitution, and offered up free concert tix to their musically inclined guests.

source

“EMI vs. MARS
So here we are, after almost a year at war, and the time has come. The time to make peace, to move ahead, and to begin again. We are finally and thankfully at a place where we are excited and relieved to put behind us one of the most challenging battles of our entire careers.

For almost a year now we have been in Los Angeles, California, putting our hearts, hopes, and dreams into making a record that means absolutely everything to us. In addition to this incredible and creative adventure, we have had the added challenge of carrying the rather heavy burden of a 30 million dollar lawsuit filed against us by EMI records. Not the most ideal of conditions to make a record under but an integral part of our story nonetheless.

We are now nearly finished with our new record and have found ourselves in a place ready to accept an end to the arduous conflict with our former label. There are many reasons that have contributed to this decision but overall the willingness and enthusiasm by EMI to address our major concerns and issues, the opportunity to return to work with a team so committed and passionate about Thirty Seconds to Mars, and the company’s dedication to changing the status quo of the business of recorded music made this choice possible. We have decided it best for the music, for the fans, and for Thirty Seconds to Mars to accept a resolution with EMI.

Throughout, we always looked for opportunities to make peace, and stayed open to compromise and resolution. But not at any cost. We were prepared to continue down this path as long as we needed to. This was a fight we believed in wholeheartedly. A fight about art. A fight about truth. A fight about fairness. And a fight about freedom.

This was the first time we had to defend ourselves in litigation and hopefully our last. It was never for a single moment something we wanted, something we enjoyed, or something we treated lightly. A 30 million dollar lawsuit is serious business and we always respected the trepidatious path we were walking down. But we knew this was an important and worthy fight, and unfortunately unavoidable.

In case anyone is wondering, litigation is not fun. At all. My suggestion; avoid it at all costs. We tried. And tried, and tried again. Unfortunately, we eventually arrived at a place where it was impossible to continue working with EMI and necessary to terminate our contract. Citing a California labor law that protects the individual against unfair contractual obligations we gave notice to EMI of our intention.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivia_de_havilland)

A little back story…

All of this started once we had finally, and thankfully, achieved some success around the world, only to learn that although we had sold millions of records we would never see a single solitary penny. On top of that, we were then told that we were also millions of dollars in debt. As you can imagine, that was more than confusing so we began to educate ourselves and started to discover what a strange situation we were in. For more of the reasons we went to war in the first place, here’s a link to the previous letter I wrote addressing it all.

http://thirtysecondstomars.forumsunlimited.com/index.php?s=3ac0c01d67e3d912640f6ddb1d52b9b3&showtopic=312534

Over the past eight months, there was plenty of internal debate about our future, about how far to take this fight, about what is important to us as artists, as individuals, as a band. About whether to put our new album out through a traditional record company or to experiment and break new ground. Many feel that the system now is antiquated and that with the help of new technologies and available platforms the conventional method is quickly on its way out. Others feel no one does it better than the experienced companies that have serviced most of us with the majority of music we love. It’s a great and endless debate. We are in the death throws of one system and the birth of another, which is as exciting at times as it can be painful.

After carefully considering all of our options, what would be gained, what could be potentially lost, we ultimately decided that reuniting with EMI/Virgin would be the absolute best route for the music and that no matter what, sharing this latest creative adventure with you all in the most timely manner possible is the most important part of any of it.

In the future, whether there are record companies or not, whether you put your music out only through the internet or sell it from an ice cream truck, you still need the help of individuals. And at the end of it all the biggest reason for us to reunite with EMI is exactly that. The people. It isn’t for business or finance or contracts or the end of lawsuits. It is for the chance to rejoin the people who remain, who have been a part of our phenomenal journey throughout, and for the limitless possibilities of those wonderful new individuals who will be helping us along this new path.

We are more than happy that this has all come to a close and we can begin to put it behind us. It’s not only a good thing, it may even be great.

We always left the door open for resolution and peace throughout this process, and we are thankful it did not fall on deaf ears. We look forward to a new beginning with EMI, and to sharing our new music with you in the very near future.

We will never forget the unrelenting support from all our friends, family and fans around the world.

A very wise man once said “We make war that we may live in peace”.

And I suppose sometimes we must fight in order to be free.

With love

Jared Leto”

Source: Myspace.com’s 30 Seconds To Mars profile.

The producer wrote on his blog that he was recording with actor/ singer Leto when Brandon happened to stop by.

He said in his typical upper case way: “I WAS WORKING ON THIS DOPE ASS SONG WITH JARED AND BRANDON STOPPED BY.

“I PLAYED THEM SOME OF THE NEW JEEZY BEATS AND BEFORE EVERYBODY BOUNCED BRANDON HOPPED ON THE KEYBOARD AND I HOPPED ON THE MPC. SHIT WAS DOPE.”

Referring to the picture he posted Kanye added: “OH AND YES THOSE ARE SWAROVSKI CRYSTALS ON BRANDON’S SHIRT BY DRIES VAN NOTEN.”

Well we’re glad you cleared that up Mr West!

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By Ayala Ben Yehuda (Reuters/Billboard)

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – 30 Seconds to Mars, the alternative rock band formed by actor Jared Leto and his brother Shannon, has kept busy since its 2005 studio release, “A Beautiful Lie,” selling more than 3 million albums and singles, touring the world and recording a new album.

The band is also fighting a $30 million lawsuit filed last year by Virgin/EMI over 30 Seconds to Mars’ termination of its contract, in which the band cited a California law that governs the ability of entertainers to end their contracts after seven years. The band countersued the label in the fall, alleging breach of contract and “creative accounting” that it says resulted in unpaid royalties. There isn’t yet a release date for the new album, but the band and producer Flood talked to Billboard about what to expect.

Billboard: What experiences did you have on the road that you brought into this album?

Shannon Leto: There’s a song that we have that encapsulates the sound of 30 Seconds to Mars these days, called “Kings and Queens.”

Jared Leto: I had written a verse right as we were going to the airport — I literally almost missed the flight because I picked up the guitar and this song came out. You have that moment of discovery that’s exciting.
By Ayala Ben Yehuda

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – 30 Seconds to Mars, the alternative rock band formed by actor Jared Leto and his brother Shannon, has kept busy since its 2005 studio release, “A Beautiful Lie,” selling more than 3 million albums and singles, touring the world and recording a new album.

The band is also fighting a $30 million lawsuit filed last year by Virgin/EMI over 30 Seconds to Mars’ termination of its contract, in which the band cited a California law that governs the ability of entertainers to end their contracts after seven years. The band countersued the label in the fall, alleging breach of contract and “creative accounting” that it says resulted in unpaid royalties. There isn’t yet a release date for the new album, but the band and producer Flood talked to Billboard about what to expect.

Billboard: What experiences did you have on the road that you brought into this album?

Shannon Leto: There’s a song that we have that encapsulates the sound of 30 Seconds to Mars these days, called “Kings and Queens.”

Jared Leto: I had written a verse right as we were going to the airport — I literally almost missed the flight because I picked up the guitar and this song came out. You have that moment of discovery that’s exciting.

Billboard: Flood, what was it like working with these guys, compared to working with the Smashing Pumpkins and other bands?

Flood: Every band I’ve worked with brings something unique. These guys wanted to move into a different place, and that’s always a big challenge. They’ve established themselves very firmly in one arena, but when Jared first talked to me, it was about trying to make a “classic album.” And that’s by pushing themselves and me and all of us to a place that you may not have expected to go.

Jared Leto: He has a karmic ability to be with bands at pivotal moments in their creative lives. And I said to him that I really felt like that is where we were at as a band, ready to take new chances and ready to challenge ourselves in ways we hadn’t before. And I think all the years on the road, all the years of struggle, the battles we’ve fought, have really helped make us who we are. We were ready to say something unique in creative terms and Flood was the perfect person to help us achieve those goals.

Billboard: In light of the lawsuit that Virgin filed against the band, how do you insulate yourself from that strife?

Jared Leto: You can’t. You try. But we always felt, and we still feel, like it was the right thing to do, because what we fought for and what we’re still fighting for is fairness and for what we believe is right. It’s interesting that all of this is happening along with the madness of the financial crisis, the creative challenges, the lawsuit. It’s an intense time, and I think you can feel that on the record.

Billboard: Where are you right now with the lawsuit? Is it close to a resolution?

Jared Leto: You never know with these things. Some days you think there could be a resolution, and other days you prepare yourself to take it all the way. It’s dependent on a lot of moving parts. We certainly have always been a band that has had a very rewarding, and more than civil, and enjoyable relationship with our record label and the people in our lives that we’ve done business with. We’ve always been really, really grateful. But there came a time with (EMI), where it just didn’t make sense for us to continue moving forward with the conditions that were there, and I think any reasonable person (looking) at the facts and the options would readily agree.

Billboard: Will you end up releasing this album independently?

Jared Leto: There is a very real possibility of that. We’re looking at all our options, and there are some wonderful, really exciting options out there, and we’re really grateful for that.

Billboard: The band has become popular in many countries. How do you explain that global appeal, regardless of language and culture?
Flood: Watching them at a few concerts, it seems to be that people who are disaffected or don’t fit into normal groups seem to feel a sense of attraction to this band, because they don’t feel as though they’re outsiders.

Jared Leto: It’s more the collective consciousness than it is just us. We really share ownership. I really believe that our fans have a sense of how much this means to us as well, that we’re not just chasing a single or an album or just a song or a piece of merch or a party. They know this runs deep, and it’s everything for us.

Reuters/Billboard