Wednesday 30 June 2010, 11:08 | By CMU Editorial

Live Review: Steve Mason at Cargo

Live Reviews

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Cargo as packed as it was last week for the triumphant return of ex-Beta Band dude Steve Mason. He certainly didn’t disappoint either, as the assembled throng were treated to some fabulous sounding renditions of tracks off his new solo album, as well as a couple of Beta Band and King Biscuit Time classics thrown in for good measure. He started out onstage alone, just Steve and his guitar for a couple of tracks, including one of those Beta Band favourites in the form of ‘Dr Baker’. Then the bandmates arrived to fill out the sound for the songs that followed. Everything off brilliant new album ‘Boys Outside’ sounded great, particularly ‘Am I Just A Man’ (the next single release, he informed us) and ‘All Come Down’ right at the end. The laser was pretty spectacular as well, and made the whole show into a something of a visual treat. It’s great to see Mr Mason back. Hopefully this is just the start of fantastic things to come in the future. IM

Buy from iTunes
Buy from Amazon

Prince to release next album via Mirror

Releases Top Stories

Prince will once again release his new album in the UK via a newspaper giveaway. As you may remember, back in 2007 the purple one broke with convention and gave away his then brand new long player ‘Planet Earth’ via the Mail On Sunday. It was a controversial arrangement at the time, because while newspapers had been giving away cover-mount CDs for years, and artist-specific CDs for a while too, it was the first time a new album had been distributed this way.

Three years on, with other artists having followed Prince’s lead in the interim, it is unlikely his decision to release new record ’20Ten’ via the Daily Mirror, and its Scottish sister title the Daily Record, will ruffle so many feathers.

The Mirror say they will distribute 2.5 million copies of ’20Ten’ on 10 Jul, which will involve the tabloid increasing its circulation that day considerably – the combined Mirror and Daily Record circulation is normally closer to 1.6 million. Presumably the newspaper publisher believes the giveaway will seriously boost interest in its two titles that day.

It’s not known what fee Prince will receive from the Mirror deal. The Mail On Sunday were reported to have paid up to half a million to secure the rights to ‘Planet Earth’, and that would be in addition to the 7p MCPS royalty that is paid on every single cover-mount CD.

It’s unlikely the Mirror could afford anything like that figure – they have just laid off 200 editorial staff across their various national titles – but this time Prince will release his new album via similar media deals across Europe, so he was possibly less demanding fee wise in the UK.

In Belgium the album will be released via the Het Nieuwblad newspaper, in France by the Courrier International magazine, and in Germany via that country’s edition of Rolling Stone. It is thought in the US the album will get a more traditional release via a distribution deal with Warner.

Rapper denies advising Brown to cry at BET Awards show

Awards Top Stories

American R&B type Lloyd has denied explicitly telling Chris Brown to cry during his comeback performance at last weekend’s BET Awards.

As previously reported, popular wifebeater Brown attempted a comeback at the annual black music awards bash by performing a Michael Jackson tribute, the awards coinciding with first anniversary of Jacko’s death. After an apparently kick ass rendition of ‘Billie Jean’ he attempted to sing ‘Man In The Mirror’, but broke down as he started to sing.

American singer Lloyd was subsequently quoted as saying he had advised Brown he should cry at the awards show in a bid to publicly demonstrate his remorse for beating ex-girlfriend Rihanna unconscious at the start of last year, in a bid to win over those former fans and journalists and music business types who are yet to forgive him for that incident.

But Lloyd took to his website yesterday to say he had been misquoted, and that Brown’s tears at the BET show were genuine, not some pre-rehearsed cynical attempt to win renewed public approval from American R&B fans.

Lloyd wrote: “I never told him to go on stage and cry. We spoke recently, and I told him as a friend that people hadn’t really seen him be vulnerable about his situation last year. I thought he was holding back and needed to let that emotion out. [But] him crying at the BET Awards was real, I could feel it”.

He added: “I think he cried about a number of things. About the fact that he thought people would hate him forever because of one mistake. Feeling that love on stage was probably overwhelming. Plus [Jackson] being gone and him performing ‘Man In The Mirror’, that song is powerful, especially for his situation. It pushed him over the edge”.

So there you go. Given Lloyd was widely misquoted on this and is now seen by some as a cynical tear orchestrator who was making light of Brown’s Rihanna-beating crimes, he might now have to go on stage and cry too, and perhaps write a gentle ballad about being terribly misunderstood, so people love him again as well.

Folk singer sues over Led Zepp song of debatable origin

Legal

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has been landed with a copyright infringement lawsuit with regards the band’s song ‘Dazed & Confused’.

The origins of the 1969 Led Zepp track have long been debated, because of its links to an earlier song by folk singer Jake Holmes. It is generally accepted, I think, that Page did start with a copy of Holmes track when he started work devising ‘Dazed & Confused’, initially as a Yardbirds project, and later for Led Zepp.

By the time Page had finished devising the song, and Led Zepp had recorded it, everyone involved seemed to think the guitarist had created a new piece of work in which a new copyright existed, ie a copyright owned by Page not Holmes. The song was registered with US collecting society ASCAP as a new song penned by Page.

Nevertheless, musos have debated whether Led Zepp had, in fact, recorded a new song or, rather, covered Holmes’ folk original, for years. The debate has resulted in a particularly active Wikipedia entry for the song, with different contributors taking different viewpoints on the relationship between the Holmes song and the Page song.

Anyway, forty years later Holmes, for some unknown reason, has suddenly decided Page did, in fact, nick his song back in 1968, and in doing so infringed his copyright. And, according to TMZ, he has filed an infringement lawsuit against the Led Zepp guitar man.

The fact Holmes has waited forty years to take legal action shouldn’t, in theory, damage his case, though it will mean that if he wins he will only be able to claim some or all of the revenues generated by the Led Zepp song from the last three years.

Page is yet to respond.

Barat has new song for Libertines reunion

Artist News

Carl Barat has told NME that he has written a new song that could become a Libertines track. As previously reported, Barat, Pete Doherty, thingimy and the other one will reform as The Libertines for this year’s Reading and Leeds festivals, and will presumably primarily perform songs for the band’s two albums. But Barat says he has at least one new song he hopes the band will play.

Speaking to the music mag at last weekend’s Glastonbury Festival, Barat said: “The Libertines – we haven’t done any preparation yet, apart from being in touch. I am sending Pete a song – actually I must email that today – maybe we’ll do something with that. We’re going to rehearse before the gigs, obviously. It’s all pretty natural. Generally it just comes together – you’re starting to get me a bit worried now! Nah, it’s going to be great”.

No Doubt ink deal with Kobalt

Business News Deals Labels & Publishers

No Doubt have signed an administration deal with music publishing types Kobalt which will include the band’s entire back catalogue outside of North America.

Outside the US and Canada, Kobalt will administrate all the publishing rights in songs by the band, and solo work from each band member, including Gwen Stefani (who has worked with Kobalt for a few years now).

They will also represent the band in the non-American syncs domain, while on the outfit’s next album, currently being recorded, Kobalt will look after digital royalties within the US as well.

Q&A: Olafur Arnalds

Artist Interviews

Hailing from the Icelandic town of Mosfellsbær, Olafur Arnarlds may now be classified as a ‘neo-classical’ artist, but he previously drummed for hardcore/metal bands Fighting Shit and Celestine. His solo work is quite different, exploring the crossover between classical and pop music, mainly by mixing chamber strings and piano with edgy beats and discreet electronics.

Arnarld’s previous album ‘Eulogy For Evolution’ and EP ‘Variations Of Static’ have won acclaim from both contemporary and classical music types, while his ‘Found Songs’ project last year – in which he recorded a song a day over seven days and made them immediately available via Twitter – proves how much he likes to innovate.

Album number two, called ‘…And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness’, is just out via Erased Tapes. Tomorrow (1 Jul) he will play at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, playing the album in it’s entirety with the RNCM Symphony Orchestra. Ahead of that brilliant sounding concert, we spoke to Olafur to ask the Same Six.

Q1 How did you start out making music?
My parents sent me to music school when I was like five. I didn’t like the piano, because it wasn’t cool. So I turned to drums, which were much cooler, obviously! Though I later started playing piano secretly, on the side, and started writing more classical music when I was 14 or so, because I got really into movie scores and wanted to be a film composer.

Q2 What inspired your new album?
Life, relentless touring, hardships – but mostly getting over that hardship – that there is always light after the darkness. Hence the title.

Q3 What process do you go through in creating an album?
Well, for this one I wrote the songs over quite a long period of time. I think the oldest one is from 2007, the newest from 2009. I just wanted to get the right songs for me to be able to shape the album conceptually as I wanted to. Then I make demos of all the songs, and put them together and listen to it for a while, to see if they make sense together, and if I can create a total storyline throughout the album. Then I go into the studio and spend way too much time there making sure every detail is perfect… Think it was over 1000 hours this time… haha.

Q4 Which artists influence your work?
Mostly older classical artists, the creators of the theories we use in contemporary music today… Bach, Chopin, etc… But obviously everything I listen to, of course, influences me in some way or another, and in that sense – I listen mostly to just the common indie music, whatever is hip at the moment I guess…

Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
Don’t try to understand too much, just make up your own stories behind the music.

Q6 What are your ambitions for the new album and for the future?
I really hope this album will broaden my audience spectrum, make me able to play concerts for even more people and inspire more people. That’s all I want with this stuff really… to inspire…

MORE>> www.myspace.com/olafurarnalds

Slash to make live album available instantly

Releases

Slash’s upcoming gig at the Manchester Academy, taking place on Saturday, will be recorded for a limited edition live release. Just 1200 copies of the double disk live recording will be sold, with the CDs available from the venue immediately after the show itself.

It’s the first time the former Guns N Roses guitar man has been involved in an ‘instant concert recording’ project. The instant live recordings will also be on sale via Slash’s official website – www.slashonline.com. The guitarist is currently touring to promote his EMI-released eponymous debut solo album

Lennon reissues promotion planned for October

Releases

A year on from the big Beatles reissues project, EMI will re-release all of John Lennon’s solo studio albums this October, to mark what would have been his seventieth birthday. Yoko Ono is overseeing the project, which will see the albums digitally remastered from the original mixes ready for reissue. A hits album and rarities collection will also be released as part of the promotion, which will go by the name ‘Gimme Some Truth’.Commenting on the reissues project, Ono told reporters yesterday: “In this very special year, which would have seen my husband and life partner John reach the age of 70, I hope that this remastering / reissue programme will help bring his incredible music to a whole new audience. By remastering 121 tracks spanning his solo career, I hope also that those who are already familiar with John’s work will find renewed inspiration from his incredible gifts as a songwriter, musician and vocalist and from his power as a commentator on the human condition. His lyrics are as relevant today as they were when they were first written and I can think of no more apposite title for this campaign than those simple yet direct words ‘Gimme Some Truth'”.

There’s more info about the re-releases at www.johnlennon.com

Hurts announce debut album title

Releases

The always cheerful Hurts have announced their debut album will be called ‘Happiness’, which is nice. The long player is scheduled for release on 6 Sep. Confirming the title, one half of the electro duo, Theo Hutchcraft, tweeted yesterday: “Today is a day we never thought would arrive. We have completed a record. We feel proud, sad, joyous and numb. We shall call it ‘Happiness'”.

T ban the vuvuzela

Business News Gigs & Festivals Live Business

Organisers of T In The Park have apparently banned the vuvuzela from this year’s festival, which takes place the weekend after next. In an update email to ticket holders, organisers said the only incredibly irritating horn type instrument, made (un)popular by the World Cup of course, was “not suitable for a music festival”. Ticket holders were warned that any vuvuzelas brought on site would be confiscated.

Cameras won’t be confiscated though. Unless the dodgy London police officers who tried to use totally made up laws to stop this teenage photographer from snapping some soldiers in Essex recently happen to make it to Scotland. Do watch this YouTube video. The sixteen year old snapper may be a little precocious, be he is totally in the right.

Festival line-up update – 30 Jun 2010

Artist News Festival Line-Up Update Gigs & Festivals

EDGE FESTIVAL, Edinburgh, Scotland, 5 – 31 Aug: Mark Lanegan has been announced to play at this year’s Edge Festival, a music strand at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, along with The Boy Who Trapped The Sun and Dot Allison. They join the previously announced Dizzee Rascal, Mika and Plan B. www.theedgefestival.com

Casio and Myleene Klass launch Pianos In Schools project

Brands & Merch

Casio and the EMI Music Foundation are teaming up with that Myleene Klass chick to launch a new scheme called Pianos For Schools, which will aim to get more kids playing the old keys. Fifty pianos will be given to schools around the country, while Klass will presumably be on hand to explain why learning scales is cool.

Confirming her involvement in the programme, Klass told CMU: “The Pianos For Schools project with Casio and EMI Music Sound Foundation is something I feel passionate about and it’s a great chance to get the message out there that music in education is a great thing. I’m really pleased to be a part of this scheme as it’s so important to encourage music in schools and to give children the tools and passion for learning where we can”.

Casio’s Tim Gould added: “After three decades of successfully delivering musical products, Casio continues to bring music into the lives of enthusiasts of all ages. With our experience in the industry, we are in the perfect position to give children who otherwise may not have the opportunity to engage in music access to cutting-edge instruments and hopefully encourage our next generation of musicians”.

The programme is being staged to celebrate the fact Casio have been making digital pianos for thirty years. Klass will also be involved in the launch of some special anniversary editions of Casio’s pianos.

HMV sees sales and profits rise

Business News HMV Timeline Retail

Given some City types were still feeling gloomy towards HMV as recently as yesterday, the fact the music firm’s full year financials, released this morning, show a sales increase of 3.1%, taking sales to a record Ł2 billion last year, are pretty impressive. Profits were up 17.7% to Ł74.2 million for the financial year up to 24 Apr.

Gloom merchants might point out that sales at existing HMV stores were down 2.4% (ie the overall increase in the firm’s music store revenues was partly down to the number of shops increasing last year) and that the company’s books business Waterstones saw sales slump 6.2%. But the bigger picture is brighter, even more so when you consider HMV has dramatically diversified in the last 12 months, not least through its acquisition of the buoyant MAMA Group.

HMV boss Simon Fox, who said his company’s overall performance was “pleasing”, added that while diversification was in part securing the firm’s future, he and his team were also busy turning round the fortunes of the company’s more traditional high street operations, especially at Waterstones where new management has been put in place.

As previously reported, some commentators – us included – reckon a lot of City types are currently undervaluing the wider HMV group, which has benefited greatly from the demise of its old rivals Woolworths and Zavvi/Virgin Megastore, and which is now operating in some of the most profitable parts of the music business via its MAMA division. Some reckon that undervaluation by many analysts might, if it were to continue, make HMV a target for a private equity takeover.

BPI lobbying man to head up Publishers Association

Business News Industry People

Richard Mollet

The book industry’s Publishers Association has a new Chief Executive, in the form of Richard Mollet, who is currently Head Of Public Affairs at the record industry’s main trade body the BPI.

Mollet played a key role in presenting the record industry’s viewpoint while the Digital Economy Act, and especially its three-strikes launching copyright section, was being drafted and debated in parliament earlier this year.

He will join the Publishers’ Association later this year, taking over from current CEO Simon Juden.

NOTE: This story initially incorrectly stated that Mollet was joining the Music Publishers Association.

Dutch ISP criticises piracy body over BitTorrent demands

Digital

Dutch internet service provide XS4ALL has spoken out in support of one of its rivals, which has been targeted by the Netherland’s anti-piracy body BREIN.

The Dutch piracy body, which has been particularly active in recent times in its attempts to stop web-users in the Netherlands from accessing The Pirate Bay and other BitTorrent services, is currently taking legal action against Ziggo, the country’s biggest cable internet provider. Like most ISPs, Ziggo doesn’t want to have to play a more proactive role in policing piracy, whether that be by challenging customers who file-share or blocking access to websites which aid file-sharing.

And competitors XS4ALL are backing them on that issue. A rep for that company, Niels Huijbregts, told TorrentFreak recently: “The basic principle of the internet is that ISPs pass on traffic to their customers unfiltered, they are merely a gateway. The Pirate Bay website is not hosted on a Ziggo server, so Ziggo can’t be held responsible for restricting access to the website. BREIN is targeting the wrong people”.

Of course to be fair to BREIN, they have targeted The Pirate Bay directly, and successfully, through the Dutch courts, but that’s not stopped the rogue BitTorrent service from operating.

Google stop automatic redirect in China

Digital

Google have stopped automatically rerouting Chinese web-users to its Hong Kong-based search engine in a bid to stop officials in the country for turning off its URL there.

As previously reported, Google shut down its specific Chinese service in March, partly because of concerns over government enforced censorship of its searches, and partly because of a cyber-attack on the web firm’s US servers that it was believed emanated from China.

Since then Chinese users who go to Google.cn have been automatically redirected to the company’s Hong Kong-based search engine, which has a lot in common with the old Chinese Google platform, but was always exempt from many of the Chinese government’s censorship requirements.

But Google’s operating licence in China is up for renewal, and the web firm hopes to secure that renewal, despite them stepping down active operations in the country and their frosty relations with Chinese officials.

The automatic redirect is known to particularly piss off the Chinese government, because users in the country won’t necessarily know they are being taken to a service not based in mainland China. Google bosses, therefore, seem to hope having a holding page at Google.cn which then offers the option to click through to their Hong Kong site is enough to secure a licence renewal.

It remains to be seen if they are right to hope such things.

New music channel to target oldies

Media

A music channel aimed at the over 50s will launch later this year. Called Vintage TV, the channel will air on Sky and Freesat and will feature music from the 1950s to 1980s (including 500 videos especially made for the channel for rock and pop songs released in the era before the pop promo) as well as documentaries and interview shows based around music and popular culture from that era. The new channel is being headed up by David Pick, formerly an exec at EMI Music Publishing, with former ITV production chief Teresa Watts involved in programme making. Paul Gambaccini will be the new network’s flagship presenter.

Bieber grossed out by ‘mum to do Playboy’ rumours

And Finally

Justin Bieber has said he was “grossed and wierded” out by those previously reported rumours his mum was in talks with Playboy magazine about doing a naked photo shoot, which was probably the main aim of whoever started the rumours, so job done there mate.

Not that I’m especially sure what “wierded out” means. I don’t even really know what “weirded out” would mean either. But that’s how Justin felt when it was reported his manager mum Pattie Mallette was being tapped for a Playboy photoshoot. The Biebster tweeted this week: “My mum is a moral woman…let’s just leave that one for what it is…because that rumour just grossed and wierded me out”.

The pop tyke also responded to other online rumours, the customary one that said he was dead, and another which suggested he’d joined a religious cult. He tweeted: “Im not dead. I had to check on this one…but it turns out Im alive. [And] I have not joined the Illuminati or any other cult. Im a christian and I pray before every show and am thankful for every blessing”.

Of course that last sentence possibly contradicts the previous one. I met one of those Christians once and the whole thing seemed rather culty to me.

Perry picked Snoop for collaboration based on Wiki search

And Finally

Katy Perry claims she used Wikipedia to swot up on the rap world before asking Snoop Dogg to guest on her currently-number-one single ‘California Gurls’. I’m not sure I believe her, but Perry claims she wanted to make sure that the hip hopper that guested on her record was still “relevant”. She told Canadian radio station Kiss this week: “He [Snoop] did ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’ a couple years ago, he did ‘Sexual Seduction’ – he’s still Mr ‘Gin And Juice’, I mean he doesn’t age. He’s the Doggfather”.

Bennett to Stewart: “You sing like a girl”

And Finally

So, what does legendary crooner Tony Bennett make of Rod Stewart’s recent efforts to cover some of the classic songs of American film, theatre and popular culture through his ‘Great American Songbook’ albums? Well, let’s see.

“It’s not as good as Nat Cole or Frank Sinatra”, Tony muses. “He has a kind of a female voice. It’s not definitive performances. The game is really how can you own a performance of a song? And that’s the game of communicating as a performer – to own that song that you’re doing”.

Approved: Alan MX

CMU Approved

Alan MX successfully enters the realm of skittish electronica with his experimental use of electro beats and pop vocals, combining Thom Yorke’s melodic sensibilities with some thumping Peaches-style breaks.

On his debut album ‘Warpsichord’, the aptly-named title track samples jittering strings, beats and lyrics that play on the subtle nuances of love and relationships in the 21st century, whilst ‘The Captain America Video’ delivers light-hearted pop with an almost pounding disco beat. The rest of the album continues to combine elements of electronica, dance and pop; remaining unique, lively yet dark.

For those of you who are partial to a bit of Bjork, PJ Harvey or Beck – and I don’t know many who aren’t – Alan MX’s debut is out now on Small Town America, and you can catch some of this on his MySpace too.

www.myspace.com/alanmx.

Album Review: Digitonal – Be Still My Bleeping Heart (Just Music)

Album Reviews

Electronica ultimately has more in common with classical music than it does with pop, given both genres emphasis on mood and space, timing and texture. The sounds of classical music have rarely been heard in the genre though, but Digitonal’s Andy Dobson has incorporated strings into his oeuvre with consummate ease over the last eight years.

‘Be Still…’ is a compilation of rarities, but hangs together as a cohesive piece of work, with the pieces united by compellingly off-kilter beats and lush interwoven patterns of melancholy. Whilst the opening tracks are gently pastoral, things soon move into new worlds – ‘Seraphim’ may revolve around a plaintive piano motif, but the alien blips take it into a more exotic realm, whilst the gorgeous ‘Antares’, all ghostly ambience and otherworldly beats, would be an ideal soundtrack for ‘Life On Other Planets’.

Meanwhile, ‘Cuetips’ is a more earthly slice of chilled downtempo, whilst the effortlessly moody ‘Cantus V’ is redolent of Plaid jamming with a string quartet. A lovely little collection, all told. MS

Buy from iTunes
Buy from Amazon

Moonies sue Katherine Jackson for thirteen million

Legal Top Stories

The latest Jackson lawsuit is specifically targeting the mother of the pop family, with the claimants hoping to get their hands on any money paid out to Katherine Jackson by the Michael Jackson estate.

Mrs Jackson is being sued by a South Korean newspaper called The Segye Times in relation to a Jackson family tour that never happened back in the early nineties. According to US gossip man Roger Friedman, the Segye Times is owned by the Unification Church, the sometimes controversial religious organisation headed up by Korean religious leader Sun Myung Moon and often referred to as the Moonies.

It seems that in 1990 the Moonies fancied getting the whole Jackson family back on tour for the first time since 1984, and used their Korean media firm to negotiate a deal. The original plan involved Michael Jackson, though he never actually agreed to take part, very possibly because his people were concerned about getting involved in any business venture being spearheaded by Moon’s church. Jacko’s refusal to play ball led to the whole project collapsing, but not before the Moonies, via their media firm, had paid out considerable advances – they claim $5.5 million – to Katherine, Joe and Jermaine Jackson.

The Moonies sued the Jackson clan to get their money back. Michael Jackson settled the specific litigation against him in 1992, but the rest of the family failed to negotiate a deal so the whole dispute went to court in 1994. According to Freidman, Katherine and Joe Jackson basically ignored the litigation, and therefore a judgement was made against them to the tune of $4 million. When they failed to pay up, the Moonies made moves to seize the Jackson parent’s home. At that point the couple did respond, in that they transferred ownership of their property to Michael, thus putting it out of the reach of the bailiff.

The Jackson family’s finances have been in such a state of disarray ever since the Moonies haven’t made much of an effort to claim their cash back. But now, with Katherine Jackson a key beneficiary of the Michael Jackson estate, which has, according to reports, generated nearly a billion in income in the last year, the Moonies are back for their cash. They have filed legal papers requesting that any pay out from the Jacko estate to Mrs Jackson should come to them to make good the 1994 court judgement in their favour. Though, the claimants say, with sixteen years of interest they are now owed $13 million rather than the $4 million they were rewarded back then.

The Jackson clan is yet to respond to the new legal claim by The Segye Times. As previously reported, the Canadian business man who has collaborated with Katherine Jackson on her new book ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’, Howard Mann, last week claimed that the Jackson matriarch has actually seen very little cash from her son’s estate because, while said estate has been bringing in millions from various commercial deals, they are also having to pay out to a stack of creditors and litigants who were chasing or suing Michael Jackson at the time of his death.

That said, presumably at some point those debts will be settled and then the estate will start to pay out to the late king of pop’s mother and children. The Moonies, presumably, want to pre-empt that moment so that the first available cash comes directly to them. If the new legal claim actually gets to court, and if the Jackson’s show up this time, it could make for an interesting case, given the curious history of both sides of the dispute.

Lauryn Hill plotting comeback

Mexican singer shot dead after denying murder rumours

Motley Crue man arrested for DUI

Legal

Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil has been arrested in the US on suspicion of drink driving. According to TMZ, Neil was pulled over by Las Vegas police on Sunday night after receiving a complaint that the rocker had smashed up a woman’s camera. Presumably that’s when they found he was over the drink drive limit. Neil, who is currently promoting his new solo album ‘Tattoos & Tequila’, was reportedly being held in a Vegas jail yesterday pending a court hearing.

Drake sued by Playboy

Legal

Drake has been sued by the music division of Playboy Enterprises who claim that the rising rapper’s biggest hit ‘Best I Ever Had’ samples the song ‘Fallin In Love’ by seventies soft rock outfit Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds without permission. That chart topping song was released by Playboy Records in 1975.

Playboy’s lawsuit says that the rapper and his producers “knew or should have reasonably known that the sound recording was protected by copyright”. Labels Cash Money Records and Universal are also named as defendents in the suit. Playboy are looking for an injunction to stop sales and distribution of the Drake track, and are claiming they should get all profits generated by the hit single plus legal costs.

Drake’s people are yet to comment.

Marc Almond says public helped him recover after crash

Artist News

Marc Almond has been discussing his recovery from that 2004 motorbike accident that left him in a coma for two weeks.

Talking to ‘This Morning’ about his subsequent return to both the studio and the stage, Almond says: “As soon as I was able to, I thought ‘I’m not going to waste time – I’m getting back in the studio, back on stage’. I probably did all that before I was really ready to. I suspect that was me thinking, ‘I’m not going to be a victim and let this ruin my life and career, I’m getting back on stage’. That’s what I do. What else can I do?”

He added that the response from the British public to the accident helped him in his recovery. He continued: “It was down to the British public, who were so kind and so supportive. What really surprised me was all the affection I had from the British public, who really supported me”.

He concluded: “I feel better now than I have ever felt before. I feel rejuvenated, I have my creativity back. It took a while, it was a difficult time. But I feel really lucky to be alive”.

Zack continues to rage against new Arizona immigration law

Artist News

Rage Against The Machine’s Zack de la Rocha has told Billboard that some special concerts are being planned as part of the Sound Strike campaign against new immigration laws that are about to be introduced in the US state of Arizona.

As previously reported, a number of bands have joined RATM in boycotting the state on any upcoming touring activity in protest at the new laws which, amongst other things, will give police more powers to stop anyone they suspect as not being a US national and to demand to see paperwork that proves their right to stay or such like. Critics say the new rules will result in a new era of racial profiling and in non-Whites being harassed by law enforcement officials.

The special concerts will put more pressure on the state government of Arizona, but also offer music fans who live there who oppose the new laws the opportunity to enjoy some of the acts boycotting other gigs in the state. I think the idea is the concerts will take place just outside the state, but tickets will be sold via agents within the state boundary. Though specifics like that aren’t entirely clear as yet.

De la Rocha told Billboard yesterday: “In the coming weeks we are going to be organising a series of concerts that are respectful of the nature of the boycott in its attempts to isolate the Arizona government but not isolate the people, and especially the organisations that are fighting this on the ground. Many of us have begun to plan concerts that include bands that have signed on the Sound Strike, and make tickets available so that people within Arizona can come and see these concerts as they roll out. These are things that are being set into motion right now – a series of concerts or maybe even one giant concert in late July”.

Other artists signed up to the Sound Strike so far include: Cypress Hill, Conor Oberst, Kanye West,
Maroon 5, Gogol Bordello, My Morning Jacket, Ben Harper, Pitbull, Steve Earle, Billy Bragg and Throwing Muses.

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 11:08 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: IM | Steve Mason

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 11:06 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Daily Mirror | Daily Record | Prince

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 11:05 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: BET | BET Awards | Chris Brown | Lloyd

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 11:04 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Jake Holmes | Led Zeppelin

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 11:02 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Carl Barat | The Libertines

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 11:01 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Kobalt | No Doubt

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 11:00 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Olafur Arnalds

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 11:00 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Slash

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 10:59 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: EMI | John Lennon

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 10:57 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Hurts

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 10:56 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: T In The Park

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 10:51 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Edge Festival

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 10:50 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Casio | Myleene Klass

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 10:44 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: HMV | MAMA Group

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 10:43 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: British Phonographic Industry (BPI) | Publishers Association | Richard Mollet

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 10:40 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: BREIN | The Netherlands | XS4ALL | Ziggo

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 10:39 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: China | Google

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 10:37 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Vintage TV

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 10:36 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Justin Bieber | Pattie Mallette | Playboy

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 10:35 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Katy Perry | Snoop Dogg | Wikipedia

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 10:31 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Rod Stewart | Tony Bennett

Wednesday 30 June 2010, 10:29 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Alan MX

Tuesday 29 June 2010, 12:44 | By Marc Samuels

READ MORE ABOUT: Digitonal | MS

Tuesday 29 June 2010, 12:43 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Katherine Jackson | Michael Jackson

Tuesday 29 June 2010, 12:38 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Lauryn Hill

Tuesday 29 June 2010, 12:36 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Sergio Vega

Tuesday 29 June 2010, 12:34 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Motley Crue | Vince Neil

Tuesday 29 June 2010, 12:33 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Drake | Playboy | Playboy Records

Tuesday 29 June 2010, 12:30 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Marc Almond

Tuesday 29 June 2010, 12:28 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Rage Against The Machine | Sound Strike | Zack de la Rocha