Saturday 30 October 2010, 12:00 | By

Playlist: Everything Everything

CMU Playlists

Formed in Manchester in 2007, Everything Everything released their debut single, ‘Suffragette Suffragette’, in 2008, leading to wild enthusiasm over in CMU Daily. Over the next eighteen months, two more singles crept out into the world, showcasing the band’s blend of rock, pop-punk, pop, R&B and anything else that happened to be lying around, before they released their acclaimed debut album, ‘Man Alive’, in August this year through Geffen, breaking into the top 20 in the UK album chart.

Next month, on 11 Nov, the band will play a charity show at Fabric to raise awareness of the most common genetic form of inherited mental impairment, Fragile X Syndrome, while in December they are due to perform two shows in Manchester and London, where they will play ‘Man Alive’ in full with the accompaniment of a thirteen-piece classical ensemble made up of musicians from the Royal Northern College Of Music.

But last night the band played closer to home, for us anyway, at Shoreditch Town Hall just down the road from CMU HQ, performing at the first Now Playing event, which has been put together by Spotify and mobile operator Three. Also on the bill were White Lies and I Am Arrows, while CMU columnist and Xfm presenter Eddy Temple-Morris DJed. The next Now Playing show, with Tinchy Stryder, I Blame Coco, Kid Adrift and Eddy (again), takes place at The Monastery in Manchester on 18 Nov – more info from www.nowplayinguk.com.

With the band so close, we asked bassist Jeremy Pritchard to swing by the office and take us through a few of his favourite songs for this week’s Powers Of Ten playlist.

JEREMY PRITCHARD’S TEN
Click here to listen to Jeremy’s playlist in Spotify, and then read on to find out more about his selections.

01 They Might Be Giants – Birdhouse In Your Soul
In many ways I think this might be the greatest pop song ever. An absolute masterclass of crazily inventive structure, without any cost to the melody or sheer pop appeal.

02 Radiohead – Everything In Its Right Place
For me this is the moment Radiohead turned a massive corner and forgot everything that had come before, by stripping themselves back to virtually nothing, very brave and very rare.

03 Bjork – Army Of Me
This is only inches away from out and out metal. Totally feminine and totally terrifying.

04 Foals – Total Life Forever
The title track from their second LP. I love the percussion overdubs in the second verse. Some great sounds and some great playing.

05 En Vogue – Don’t Let Go
We love this. If I could be in any girl group it’d be En Vogue. Or Destiny’s Child. Anyway, you can taste all the sumptuous drama. It also always reminds me of dark Sunday evenings doing homework in the 90s!

06 Cocteau Twins – Carolyn’s Fingers
Bewitching. No one else sounds like this.

07 The Smiths – Ask
Possibly my favourite Smiths track, which is no mean feat. We just had the pleasure of meeting Steve Lillywhite who produced this.

08 The Bad Plus – Knows The Difference
Six or seven minutes of madness with a readily discernible method – before settling on a sublime ‘antidote’ groove.

09 Brian Eno – Ascent (An Ending)
Originally part of a score written to accompany NASA’s moon landings footage. It’s still probably the most well-known piece of so-called ambient music. We saw this played live alongside the original images in London the other night and loved it. Utterly disarmingly beautiful.

10 Vampire Weekend – Taxi Cab
Their most poignant song to date, it’s barely pop music really. This sounds like Handel.

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Saturday 30 October 2010, 11:00 | By

CMU Beef Of The Week #41: Jedward v Heathrow

And Finally Beef Of The Week

We’re always told to avoid any attempts at comic relief when we go through airport security. “Don’t make jokes at customs”, people say, holding eye contact with a look of fear and deadly seriousness. “Those guys have no sense of humour”.

This claim, it seems, is completely and utterly wrong. It’s just that airport security guards, whose job it is to stand around pretending to look for bombs all day, while needlessly confiscating shampoo, have developed a sense of humour that might initially be less obvious to the casual, mildly intimidated observer.

This week, The Sun claimed, Jedward made a formal complaint against security guards at Heathrow who, they say, have been “bullying” the pop twosome every time they pass through the airport.

A source told the tabloid: “They always pull the twins in for extra screening just to pick on them and try to look big in front of their mates. Then last week, the same guy who usually taunts them pulled Edward in and was joined by three mates. There were four big oafs standing laughing at a nineteen year old kid”.

It’s not entirely clear how far the guards were willing to take this joke – the distance between a pat down and a full cavity search is a long way in comedy – although a statement from airport operator BAA does seem to confirm The Sun’s accusations: “Nothing excuses the behaviour. We have spoken to the staff members concerned”.

So, really, better advice than not making jokes as you make you way through airport security would be to not base a career on silly haircuts and singing out of tune.

This Beef Of The Week comes from this edition of the CMU Weekly. Subscribe to the CMU Weekly here.

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Friday 29 October 2010, 11:45 | By

The music business week in five – Friday 29 Oct 2010

Business News Week In Five

Phew, what a busy week. For all of you that came down to the Music Mind Exchange panel event on Wednesday, thank you for joining us, and I hope you found it as insightful as I did; three great panelists providing lots of valuable thoughts and advice on the future of music investment. There’ll be another MME event very soon, watch this space for info!

Before I do the usual week in five bit, and then run off to Scotland for a day or two, I probably should remind all our university-based readers that this weekend is the deadline for the student categories of the Record Of The Day Music Journalism Awards, so you should go to our sister website CreativeStudent.net and find out how to put yourself forward. Done that? Good. Right, week in five…

01: Terra Firma v Citigroup rumbled on, providing much light entertainment for all bar the participants. And, presumably, staffers at EMI who, while probably not caring much about their equity group owners getting a bashing in court, are facing more insecurity about the future of their company. If Terra Firma loses this case, many commentators think they’ll cut their losses and bail on the music firm. Both Terra Firma’s Guy Hands and Citigroup’s David Wormsley spent time on the stand this week going over familiar arguments: Hands says Wormsley tricked him into buying EMI, Wormsley says he didn’t. CMU reports

02: LimeWire was shut down. A US court complied with demands by the American record industry to issue an injunction ordering the Lime Group to stop distributing and supporting its file-sharing software, and to make it harder for existing users to access unlicensed content via the LimeWire network. Team Lime, now trying to launch a legit music service, basically agreed to comply with the court order. So, the end of a file-sharing era. Not that it will really affect the BitTorrent using file-sharing community. CMU report | Independent report

03: A US court refused to rehear the Eminem royalties case. This was the case where early Slim Shady collaborators FBT Productions, which has a pre-iTunes royalty share deal with Universal Music on the rapper’s early work, claimed it should be paid a ‘licensing deal’ rate on download sales, rather than the ‘record sales’ rate the major is currently paying. The former is considerably higher. A US court originally knocked back the claim, but FBT then won on appeal. Universal asked for the Ninth Circuit appeals court to reconsider the decision, but it refused. Universal insist this dispute is contract specific, and does not set a precedent that all legacy artists should get the higher royalty rate on download sales. CMU report | Hip Hop DX report:

04: MySpace relaunched in the US. It looks prettier, is more entertainment focused and, the flagging social networking company insists, is more user friendly and distinctive from its rivals. We’ll see about that. The relaunch will roll out here in the UK next month, though MySpace is already showing off the new look site to British advertising agencies. It’s thought in the UK the revamped MySpace will focus on music in particular. CMU report | Guardian report

05: The Walkman died, or did it? It was revealed this week that Sony had stopped making cassette Walkmans, so that once the current batch had been sold no more would be available. Cue a raft of nostalgic articles about the once iconic music playing device. Though the LA Times then quoted a Sony Corp source as saying the Walkman would continue to be distributed and sold in the US, while the Wall Street Journal said production would continue in China for sale in Asia and the Middle East. I think most of us were most surprised Walkmans were still being made anywhere. CMU report | PC Mag report

And that’s your lot – see you next week.

Chris Cooke
Business Editor, CMU

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Friday 29 October 2010, 11:35 | By

Terra Firma v Citigroup: Hands realised his EMI mistake quickly

Business News EMI Sale Timeline Labels & Publishers Legal Top Stories

It was a quiet day in the ongoing Terra Firma v Citigroup court case yesterday, though there was still some chatter about the testimony of Citi banker David Wormsley the previous day, in particular with regards just how quickly Guy Hands realised that his EMI purchase was a big mistake.

As previously reported, The Worm, the banker accused of tricking Terra Firma and its top man Hands into buying EMI in 2007, has used his time on the witness stand this week to play down his role in orchestrating Terra Firma’s purchase of the music company. He’s stressed that, while EMI and Terra Firma were both clients of Citigroup, bosses at the music company had brought in another City firm to specifically advise on the sale. His role, therefore, was arranging the multi-billion pound loan that enabled Terra Firma to go through with the transaction, rather than directly advising on the takeover deal itself.

In the latter part of Wednesday’s proceedings, Citigroup’s legal man in court, Ted Wells, asked Wormsley at what point either he or Hands had realised the EMI deal was probably, with hindsight, a mistake. And it seems that realisation dawned on both men pretty quickly after the 2007 deal was done. Wormsley said Hands had confided in him as early as autumn 2007 that all was not well, and that the company he’d just bought was in a much worse state than he’d ever expected.

Almost immediately, The Worm added, Hands started to put pressure on Citigroup to lessen the burden of the three billion pound loan, accusing the bank of “nickel and diming” him with regards a debt that was “crushing” him. He added that the two men’s relationship soon became “pretty hostile” because of the loan, while an email Wormsley sent his team in 2007, shown to the court, saw the banker warn his colleagues “expect fireworks from Guy in the coming week, the truth is we funded a poor business too aggressively”.

Citigroup, of course, is trying to portray Hands as a bitter old man trying to find someone to blame for his bad decision to buy EMI in 2007, while claiming that Terra Firma’s lawsuit is simply an act of revenge after the bank refused to let the equity man off the commitments of that multi-billion pound loan despite two years of him moaning about it.

The case continues.

 

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Friday 29 October 2010, 11:34 | By

Bobby Gillespie joins campaign to save 100 Club

Business News Live Business Top Stories

Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie has added his name to the long string of musicians who have come out in support of the 100 Club, issuing a heartfelt statement on his love of the London venue.

As previously reported, the Oxford Street venue is facing closure as running costs spiral out of control. The club, which has occupied its current site in various forms since 1942, is noted for putting on early gigs by bands who have gone on to fame and fortune, and was a focus of the late seventies punk scene. But in recent years it has reportedly seen rents rise to more than £13,800 per month, not to mention another £4000 per month in business rates.

Gillespie wrote: “When it comes to rock n roll, The 100 Club is the best room in London. No contest. No other venue comes close. Rock n roll was created in small, sweaty clubs, that’s where the music sounds best, it doesn’t translate well to the big arenas as the band and audience are too distant from each other. It’s all smoke and mirrors, any fool can put on a spectacular show to hide behind. And many do. At The 100 Club there is nowhere to hide, you’ve got to have the chops to deliver, you’ve got to mean it, there’s no room for fakes, You’ve got to be good to play there and carry it off. Trial by fire”.

He continued: “Music is no longer underground anymore. Everything is bought and sold over and over again. Commoditised. Dead. It’s all Carling Academys and HMV Apollos and O2 Arenas; corporate, unfeeling, distant. Places as void of atmosphere and rock n roll history as shopping malls or airports. There’s less and less independently run clubs where  young bands and new music can grow and become a life changing cultural force like The Rolling Stones and The Sex Pistols did, both bands having started out playing at The 100 Club”.

Finally, he said: “It would be a tragedy for British music if [The 100 Club] disappears. It has as much cultural value as any art gallery or museum. It’s a living place of history. Don’t let it die”.

Full details of the campaign to save the venue can be found at www.savethe100club.co.uk.

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Friday 29 October 2010, 11:31 | By

Scotsman Radar winner announced

Awards

The first winner of the previously reported Scotsman Radar Prize has been announced, and the winners are Glasgow-based French Wives. As previously reported, the competition, run by Scottish broadsheet The Scotsman, was aiming to find the hottest new musical talent in Scotland. The winning band will get a free recording session at Glasgow’s Chem 19 studios, a promotional photo shoot, a single distribution package and a one year premium Soundcloud account. Plus, of course, coverage in The Scotsman.

Radar editor Nick Mitchell told CMU: “We were taken aback by the response to this competition. We had every conceivable style of music represented, from acoustic singer-songwriters to thrash metal bands via jazz-funk and out-there electronica. It was a huge challenge to come to a consensus on a winner, but I’m delighted that French Wives came out on top. They are a superb band who deserve to reach a much wider audience. I’d like to thank everyone who entered their demos – they are a great vindication of the raw talent in Scotland right now”.

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Friday 29 October 2010, 11:30 | By

Black Eyed Peas’ Fergie named Billboard’s Woman Of The Year

Awards

When it comes to women, none have been finer in 2010 than Black Eyed Peas vocalist Fergie. So says Billboard, anyway. The singer will collect the US music magazine’s Woman Of The Year Award at its Women In Music event in New York on 2 Dec.

Of the accolade, Fergie said: “I am humbled and excited to accept the Billboard Woman Of The Year Award. Being honoured by Billboard is a great career achievement”.Fergie is being given the award for singing on some rubbish songs that were quite popular for some reason and touring a lot, plus doing some charity work, some fashion stuff and a bit of acting.

Billboard editorial director Bill Werde, said: “Fergie took the music industry by storm the moment she came onto the scene, and we’re thrilled to celebrate her career achievements and incredible successes over the past year by honouring her with the Billboard Woman Of The Year Award. Fergie is a unique artist with great business savvy, style and an unbelievable dedication to philanthropic efforts, making her an inspiration to aspiring female artists everywhere”.

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Friday 29 October 2010, 11:29 | By

After killing synth-pop, La Roux look for their next victim

Artist News

La Roux’s Elly Jackson has declared synth-based pop dead in a new interview. And she would know, being the very person who killed it with her awful, awful songs. Now she’s keen to move on and fuck up another genre instead. No, Elly Jackson, you stay right where you are. Synth-pop is yours now, you sit and play with it and just leave everyone else alone, OK?

Oh dear, she’s not listening. Speaking about the direction the duo’s next album is taking, Jackson told Spinner: “I don’t want to make synth music for the rest of my fucking life. It was a time when I was into that, but whatever, it’s done with, it’s gone. The whole genre is so over. It was my thing and I’m bored with it. If I see anything more 80s-themed, I’m going to bust”.

She continued: “I’m impatient for a new direction as anybody else is, but I think it’s going to be a bit of a new discovery. No more than six months from now, we’ll be really pushing it. But at the same time, we have some experimenting to be done. I know what my influences are, so there’s no problem there”.

As for why her songs are such a load of old rubbish, she explained: “We’re not one of those artists that writes 50 songs and picks the ten best ones. We write ten songs and every one will go on the record”.

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Friday 29 October 2010, 11:25 | By

Aphex Twin not short of new albums

Artist News

The world has been waiting patiently for the follow-up to Aphex Twin’s 2001 album, ‘Drukqs’ with little fuss, but I’m not sure he’s prepared for the shit that’s gonna kick off now he’s revealed that he’s completed six albums in that time and just chosen not to release any of them.

Speaking to Another Man magazine, the Twin, aka Richard D James, said: “I’ve got six [albums] completed. Two are very non-commercial, abstract, modular-synthesis, field recordings – those I finished four years ago. Another one is ‘Melodies From Mars’, which I redid about three years ago. There’s one of stuff I won’t go into; a comp of old tracks which is never really finished and always changing; and then one I’m working on now. There are also loads of tracks which don’t belong anywhere”.

So, if you see any riots this afternoon, that’s why.

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Friday 29 October 2010, 11:23 | By

Kid Koala working on loud and quiet albums

Artist News

Turntablist Kid Koala has been discussing his current recording projects with Spinner, which see him going to opposite extremes of volume.

First up, he spoke of his ongoing ‘Space Cadet’ book and album, which he says is “the quietest thing I’ve ever done”, adding: “I’ve been working on it since 2004. The music is very lullaby-like, mostly recorded on acoustic keyboards with turntable woodwinds and turntable strings. It’s a complete anti-dance floor, anti-rock out kind of thing”.

He also revealed plans to stage some ‘quiet live shows’ around the release of the project: “I’ll do the show on headphones. Everyone will have a set of headphones, and we’re bringing in these inflatable pods that seat about 35 people per pod so everyone will have their own spaceship with all their friends. We’re gonna do this ‘quiet time’ concert for them”.

As well as this, Koala is also working on a new album with his project The Slew, the follow-up to last year’s ‘100%’, which was recorded with Dynomite D. For live performances of the first album, former Wolfmother drummer and bassist Myles Heskett and Chris Ross were also drafted in, and that rhythm section will now appear on the new Slew record.

He said: “The Slew’s the loudest project I’ve ever done. We wanted to make a record that our skater friends would enjoy. It’s the first record I’ve ever been a part of that doesn’t make people fall off their boards”.

The new album will also feature some guests: “We’ve got Jon Spencer and Mike Patton singing on a couple of songs. We’re still going through the process of recording a bunch of stuff. I’ve got a record cutter now. We bring Chris and Myles in, record them for a week. I find the parts that can work, then cut them to a record. I have to practice cutting those together on turntables, then we have to go back and record that for the bed tracks. It’s a longer process than your regular style of recording session”.

Both albums are tentatively expected to be released next year.

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Friday 29 October 2010, 11:21 | By

Charlotte Church talks going independent

Releases

Charlotte Church has been discussing going independent to release her new album through her own record label.

As previously reported, Church received £2 million in funding for the record and other projects through Power Amp, handing investors 50% of her recording, publishing, merchandising and live revenue for an undisclosed period of time in return.

Speaking to The Quietus, she confirmed that she’s enjoying being independent from a traditional record label, adding that she hopes to be even more independent in the future by buying her investors out. “I just want to go on my own” she said. “It’s great not having to answer to anyone, I can wear whatever I want to wear, I can sing whatever I want to sing, if I want to start my concert with a Gregorian chant I can”.

That independence, she says, also means she doesn’t have to comply with major label demands for radio-friendly single releases, meaning she can do something a bit different to the rest of the pop market, a market she really doesn’t rate just now.

Church: “When I turn on the radio it’s just a horrible noise, nothing’s organic, everything is Auto-tuned to within an inch of its life so everyone sounds the same. It’s all so synth heavy with the same old riffs and I think, come on now, branch out folks. At the top of the market it’s getting so limited it’s going to have to implode”.

Charlotte Church’s new album, ‘Back To Scratch’, is out this week via her own label, Dooby Records. You can read her Quietus interview in full here.

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Friday 29 October 2010, 11:20 | By

Kings Of Leon announce 2011 tour dates

Gigs & Festivals

Kings Of Leon have announced five UK shows for next summer. Tickets go on sale next Wednesday. The band are also due to play in the UK in December.

Tour dates:

30 May: Coventry, Ricoh Arena
17 Jun: Sunderland, Stadium Of Light
19 Jun: Manchester, Lancashire County Cricket Ground
22 Jun: London, Hyde Park
26 Jun: Edinburgh, Murrayfield Stadium

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Friday 29 October 2010, 11:17 | By

Idiot Glee November tour

Gigs & Festivals

The very buzzy Idiot Glee will play a handful of shows over the next few months – following the release of his debut single, ‘All Packed Up/Don’t Drink The Water’ – all but one of which will be in London.

Idiot Glee’s debut album is due for release in the spring.

Tour dates:

23 Nov: London, Madame Jojo’s
25 Nov: London, Old Queen’s Head
29 Nov: London, The Lexington
30 Nov: London, Old Blue Last
12 Jan: Manchester, The Deaf Institute

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Friday 29 October 2010, 11:15 | By

Ghost departs Epic job

Business News Industry People Labels & Publishers

So, that didn’t last long, did it? Singer songwriter Amanda Ghost has stepped down as President of Sony Music division Epic US, where she has been overseer since February 2009.

She says she is quitting the label exec role so she has more time to spend on her own songwriting and production work, though she will keep her hand in on the executive side by continuing to run her own Sony imprint label, Outsiders.

Confirming Ghost’s departure, Rob Stringer, chairman of the Sony Music division under which Epic sits, told reporters: “Amanda has been an important creative force at Epic in the past two years. In returning to the natural focus of her artistic career, I look forward to us working together in the future”.

Ghost herself added: “It is has been a real honour and privilege to have worked with Rob Stringer and the whole Epic staff and I look forward to working closely with them on future projects”.

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Friday 29 October 2010, 11:13 | By

Wells promoted to Universal-wide digital role

Business News Industry People Labels & Publishers

Rob Wells, the big digital man at Universal Music International, has been promoted to a new role as the big digital man for the whole of the Universal Music Group. His new job title will be President of Global Digital Business.

It’s been known for a while that Wells would follow Lucian Grainge in relocating from London to America, albeit based on the west coast, with a new group-wide job. Grainge, of course, recently moved Stateside when he was promoted from his role as chief of Universal Music International to co-CEO of the whole company.

That said, Wells will actually report to Zach Horowitz and Max Hole – COOs for UMG and UMG International respectively – in his new role. He will work closely with all Universal Music divisions on digital strategy, and liaise directly with all of the major’s digital partners. Group wide, he’ll be charged with the task of looking for new revenue-generating digital opportunities.

Wells himself told CMU: “UMG possesses a portfolio of world class artists and brands, and this new position presents a tremendous opportunity to help define new and widening opportunities for them on a global basis. I am thankful to Lucian, Zach and Max for their continued support. UMG has been on the leading edge of the digital music business and I look forward to creating and advancing initiatives that will keep us at the forefront of this developing marketplace”.

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Friday 29 October 2010, 11:07 | By

BMG appoints former Warner/Chappell chief

Business News Industry People Labels & Publishers

In a busy day for music company appointments, BMG Rights Management had some recruitment news yesterday, too. The company has just appointed Richard Blackstone, the former CEO of Warner Music’s publishing company, Warner/Chappell, to the role of Chief Creative Officer for its US division.

Based in New York, Blackstone will report directly to BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch, and will oversee the company’s existing American roster and look for new opportunities for the acquisitive music rights business. Masuch told reporters Blackstone was the “perfect addition” to his team to ensure further expansion in the US market.

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Friday 29 October 2010, 11:04 | By

Coda man joins Larmer Tree Festival

Business News Industry People Live Business

Directors of the Larmer Tree Festival have announced the appointment of Rob Challice to their music programming team. Although probably better known as a senior partner of booking agency CODA, Challice already works in the festival space as director and booker of the Summer Sundae festival. In his new role he will help programme the 21st Larmer Tree Festival that will take place next July.

Confirming Challice’s appointment, James Shepard, co-director and founder of the Larmer Tree Festival, told CMU: “I first met Rob Challice in 1992 and since then I have booked dozens of great acts through him and CODA. With Rob assisting our programming team we are in a really strong position to take Larmer Tree Festival into the future and produce a 21st festival line-up that will be better than ever before”.

Challice himself added: “Larmer Tree Festival is the benchmark for independent multi-arts festivals, and so many events (including Summer Sundae) that have grown up in the last ten years have a little bit of Larmer Tree’s DNA in them. Through hard work and love for festival culture James, [co-founder] Julia [Safe] and their team have created an event that is inspirational and unique. To be working with them is an honour and I look forward to being a part of the festival’s future”.

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Friday 29 October 2010, 11:01 | By

Sony/ATV does deal with Getty

Business News Deals Labels & Publishers

Sony Music’s publishing division Sony/ATV has done a deal with Getty Images, making a stack of library music available to the photo company. Getty will make tracks from Sony’s Spin City library of pre-cleared tuneage available via its own music library service for use in TV programmes, films, adverts and other such things.

Getty Images CEO Jonathan Klein told CMU: “With the addition of the Sony/ATV Spin City catalogue, Getty Images continues to strengthen its position in the global media environment as a leading digital media content provider. This partnership enables us to support our customers’ growing demand for premium music content”.

Sony/ATV big cheese Marty Bandier added: “Sony/ATV recognises that there is tremendous opportunity for growth in the commercial market through innovative digital media channels”.

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Friday 29 October 2010, 10:59 | By

VidZone passes half a billion videos mark

Digital

Ready for a sentence packed with stats? VidZone, the free music video service for users of PlayStation, has delivered more than half a billion videos to 3.7 million fans in eighteen countries from its catalogue of 30,000 videos and recently launch 120 pre-programmed channels, serving up three billion ad impressions in the process. Got that? Good.

Ready for a sentence you won’t understand? The team at VidZone say their service, which first launched in June 2009, has proven so popular because of its “enhanced technical proficiency recently introduced over a JAVA and SQL framework promoting an effective and flexible speed of service”. Though they did add that having some killer tunes in their catalogue of videos had also helped.

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Friday 29 October 2010, 10:58 | By

Danish government denies three-strikes plans

Business News Legal

The Danish government has denied those reports that it is considering introducing a three-strikes system for combating online piracy, similar to that being introduced in the UK and France. Earlier this week, TorrentFreak reported that ministers in the country were sounding out content owners and internet service providers about how such a system might work.

But Bente Skovgaard Kristensen, who heads up intellectual property issues for the Danish Ministry Of Cultural Affairs, has told Billboard that “introducing a three-strikes policy in Denmark is not an option”. The government rep confirmed a committee had been set up late last year to look at the file-sharing issue, but stressed that three-strikes was not on the agenda.

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Friday 29 October 2010, 10:47 | By

Spotify seeks COO, still hoping for 2010 US launch

Digital

Recruitment consultants are trying to find a COO for Spotify to be number two executive alongside founder and CEO Daniel Ek. It is thought US-based tech types are being sounded out, leading to speculation the COO’s first big task would to push through the streaming music service’s long awaited North American launch.

There had been rumours that head hunters Odgers Berndtson were actually looking for a new CEO to replace Ek, but the Spotify founder denied that was the case when contacted by TechCrunch, telling the IT site “we’re looking for a COO to help run the company”.

Ek also told TechCrunch that he was still hopeful that a US launch could happen this year, even though it’s known deal negotiations with the major labels are still proving tricky, with a number of key US music execs nervous the free version of Spotify could hinder the growth of other subscription-based music services. Though CNet reckons Spotify have now offered rather large upfront cash payments to the labels, which might persuade even the nervous execs to sign on the dotted line.

Ongoing label talks in America might also be helped by a Music Ally report yesterday that reckoned Spotify had now paid out 40 million euros to rights holders in Europe, 30 million of it this year. Moreover, in some European countries, Spotify is now a bigger earner for the majors – well, Universal and Sony at least – than Apple’s iTunes.

And in Sweden, the streaming music service’s home territory, Spotify is apparently Sony Music’s biggest single revenue provider, over all other retailers, online or offline. Music Ally quote Sony Music Sweden’s digital sales man Jacob Herbst who says: “Spotify is on track to become the largest single partner we have. We already have several artists who receive 80% of their revenues from Spotify”.

Of course, some remain concerned that while Spotify is a big payer to music companies (especially labels) at the moment, the money is coming from venture capital rather than ad revenues and subscriptions, and worry that when the start-up money runs dry actual revenues won’t be able to sustain that level of pay out to content owners long term.

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Friday 29 October 2010, 10:44 | By

Foster & Allen ready for chart battle with Take That

And Finally

Foster & Allen will release their new album, ‘By Request’, on the same day as the new Take That long player next month, and despite all the hype surrounding Robbie Williams’ return to the one time boy band, the Irish easy listening duo reckon they could still beat the Thatters to number one. And if they did, it would compensate for a chart battle in 1993, when the two acts went up against each other in the old music VHS charts and Take That won.

Speaking to The Sun, obviously, Mick Foster got into the spirit of the good old fashioned tabloid-induced chart battle by telling the tab: “This time around it won’t happen again and we’re going to do one better with our record”.

And if you think chart battles like this are all a nonsense and that big bands don’t really care about chart positions, well, [a] you’re right but [b] you’re wrong, as Damon Albarn will attest. Speaking about the last Gorillaz album only getting to number two in both the US and UK charts, he recently told MTV: “I was a bit fucking gutted that ‘Plastic Beach’ only got to two in America. And I was obviously a bit gutted that it only got to two in England. Against fucking Boyzone!”

Still, Albarn can presumably take heart that, in the UK at least, rivals Boyzone were surely aided in part by having the albeit unwished for “one of our band members died in tragic circumstances recently, so buy our record” thing on their side. And Albarn did show a little optimism about the situation, adding: “It’s OK. I’ve had a lot of successful number twos over the years”.

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Friday 29 October 2010, 10:41 | By

Approved: HearHere & 44 presents… Ewan Pearson

Club Tip CMU Approved

Techster Ewan Pearson once described signing to Soma Records as a bit like being a Man United fan and then playing for them..

Fifteen years on, he’s kept true to the tech, and as such is in frequent demand for remix projects. But, while undoubtedly a great talent in the studio (and a rather fine blogger, as it happens, check out the social commentary on his web page), Pearson is possibly at his finest behind the decks.

Boy, can he work a crowd, and I have seen him rock it in the basement of the 333 a fair few times. He’s back in a basement again tonight, in Manchester’s Soup Kitchen – a slightly smaller venue, but with a comparably loud soundsystem. He’ll be joined by Andre Hung from Fuck Buttons with Mister Sushi & Shengi.

Friday 29 Oct, Soup Kitchen, 31 – 33 Spear Street, Manchester, M1, 10pm – 4am, £10 adv, more on the door, more info from www.skiddle.com/events/11389461 and www.myspace.com/44breaks

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Thursday 28 October 2010, 12:07 | By

Single Review: No Age – Fever Dreaming (Sub Pop)

Single Reviews

No Age

Without being overly sycophantic, here at CMU we feel that anything emerging from the hallowed Sub Pop stable is bound to be a little bit special. And the latest single from LA punk duo No Age is no exception. Showcasing their knack for distortion and edgy, growling anthemics, ‘Fever Dreaming’ is the perfect vehicle for their 90’s referencing, plaid-clothed brand of melodic noise.

Maintaining their penchant for free-falling catharsis and urgency, the track’s verses are punctuated with an almost industrial sounding guitar screech. There’s at once intensity and a decent level of breathing space, making the song beautifully crafted underneath the murk, clamour and muffled vocal urgency.

Notably referencing Dinosaur Jr, My Bloody Valentine and The Ramones, this is probably the most accessible of their releases yet. ‘Fever Dreaming’ is, as ever with No Age, unhinged, cerebral, textural and brilliant: a beautiful – albeit not exactly calming – reverie. EG

Buy from iTunes
Buy from Amazon

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Thursday 28 October 2010, 11:42 | By

Terra Firma v Citigroup: Did I lie? No

Business News EMI Sale Timeline Labels & Publishers Legal Top Stories

So, the question at the very heart of Terra Firma’s lawsuit against Citigroup in relation to their purchase of EMI in 2007 was asked yesterday. Did Citigroup’s David ‘The Worm’ Wormsley tell Terra Firma’s Gary ‘The Guy’ Hands that a rival equity group, Cerberus Capital, was about to bid for EMI at 262p per share as the deadline for making an offer for the music company loomed? The Worm, needless to say, answered with a resolute “no”.

Gary, of course, says that The Worm told him exactly that on three separate occasions the weekend before Terra Firma bid 265p a share. Had he not, Gary claims, Terra Firma would have bid at a lower price, or maybe not at all, reducing the multi-million pound losses the London-based equity group have since made since taking over EMI.

It was Citigroup’s lawyer Ted Wells who asked the question. Terra Firma’s legal guy, David Boies, who had previously spent nearly two days questioning Wormsley by that point, had not thought to actually ask the question at the heart of this dispute, instead concentrating on trying to make the jury question just how honest a banker The Worm really is. 

But once Wells was in the hot seat, he got his man Wormsley to talk about his role in the EMI takeover. The Worm had already told Boies that he was pissed off when the music company brought in a rival City firm, Greenhill, to also advise on the sale. Boies used that fact to imply The Worm had tricked Terra Firma into buying EMI because, unless he found and financed a buyer, he would have been completely cut out of the EMI takeover deal. 

But Wells used Greenhill’s involvement to help Wormsley’s case. He said that once Greenhill was on board, The Worm was told by EMI to not discuss deal specifics and offer prices with any other potential buyers. Therefore, Wells concluded, The Worm wouldn’t and couldn’t have known was price Cerberus was going to offer, so couldn’t have shared that information with Gary even if he’d wanted to.

Of course, if Gary didn’t know that Wormsley didn’t have access to that information, and if The Worm was willing to lie (though obviously he wouldn’t, he’s a banker after all), then that doesn’t mean the Citigroup man couldn’t have told Terra Firma about Cerberus’ (made up) intents anyway. It’s also possible that The Worm had heard about Cerberus’ plans on the grapevine. But whatever.

Wells also returned to a line of questioning he previously undertook with Hands himself. If Terra Firma believed The Worm had lied to them, tricking them into buying EMI, why didn’t the company make this allegation as soon as they became aware the alleged lie had been told, rather than waiting until the day its attempts to persuade Citi to take a billion off what EMI owe the bank failed and they decided to go legal?

Had Hands ever told Wormsley that he believed he’d been lied to by Citigroup before he filed his lawsuit last December, Wells asked. Again the predictable answer from The Worm – “no”.

The case continues.

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Thursday 28 October 2010, 11:41 | By

DEVO cancel all gigs after Mothersbaugh injured

Artist News Gigs & Festivals

DEVO have had to postpone or cancel the rest of their 2010 tour dates – mainly in the US – because guitarist Mark Mothersbaugh has seriously injured his hand.

The band issued a statement yesterday that read: “DEVO deeply regret that they have had to postpone all of their upcoming live dates for 2010 due to a serious hand injury sustained by guitarist Bob Mothersbaugh. A glass shard sliced Mothersbaugh’s right thumb to the bone, severing a tendon. He underwent immediate emergency surgery and is expected to make a full recovery after proper care and therapy”.

Mothersbaugh and fellow DEVOer Gerald Casale will still attend the Moogfest event in North Carolina later this week, though, where they are due to be presented with the first ever Moog Innovation Award by the Moog music instrument company.

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Thursday 28 October 2010, 11:39 | By

DJ 100 announced

Awards

So, the results of DJ Magazine’s annual DJ Poll were announced at the Ministry Of Sound last night, with no change at all at the top, where Armin van Buuren is still entrenched as the world’s most favourite deejay. There was a bit of movement in the top twenty, though for new entries you have to go down to 23 where you find Swedish House Mafia.

Here’s this year’s top ten, with the full list here.

1. Armin van Buuren (non-mover)
2. David Guetta (up 1)
3. Tiesto (down 1)
4. Deadmau5 (up 2)
5. Above & Beyond (down 1)
6. Paul van Dyk (down 1)
7. Gareth Emery (up 2)
8. Markus Schulz (non-mover)
9. Ferry Corsten (down 2)
10. Axwell (up 4)

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Thursday 28 October 2010, 11:38 | By

Beastie Boys replace new album with cancelled album

Releases

It’s good to know that, after all these years, Beastie Boys still have the ability to be utterly confusing. They announced last week that they would no longer be releasing their much-delayed new album, ‘Hot Sauce Committee Part 1’, next month, but the follow-up, ‘Hot Sauce Committee Part 2’, would come out next spring as planned. Now they’ve revealed that all the songs on ‘Hot Sauce Committee Part 1’ have replaced those on ‘Hot Sauce Committee Part 2’.

Here’s Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch to explain: “I know it’s weird and confusing, but at least we can say unequivocally that ‘Hot Sauce Committee Part 2’ is coming out on time, which is more than I can say about ‘Part 1’, and really is all that matters in the end”.

Oh, that’s not helped? Here, he continues: “We just kept working and working on various sequences for ‘Part 2’, and after a year and half of spending days on end in the sequencing room trying out every possible combination, it finally became clear that this was the only way to make it work. Strange but true, the final sequence for ‘Hot Sauce Committee Part 2’ works best with all its songs replaced by the sixteen tracks we originally had lined up in pretty much the same order we had them in for ‘Hot Sauce Committee Part 1’. So we’ve come full circle”.

And now the condensed version: ‘Hot Sauce Committee Part 1’ has been renamed ‘Hot Sauce Committee Part 2’ and will come out in the spring. Presumably ‘Hot Sauce Committee Part 2’ (renamed ‘Hot Sauce Committee Part 1’) will be released at a later date. But maybe not. Maybe there only ever was one album. Who knows. Sorry, this isn’t very condensed, is it?

Anyway, here’s the tracklist for the album that’s due to come out in the spring:

Tadlock’s Glasses
B-Boys In The Cut
Make Some Noise
Nonstop Disco Powerpack
OK
Too Many Rappers (featuring Nas)
Say It
The Bill Harper Collection
Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win (featuring Santigold)
Long Burn The Fire
Funky Donkey
Lee Majors Come Again
Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament
Pop Your Balloon
Crazy Ass Shit
Here’s A Little Something For Ya

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Thursday 28 October 2010, 11:35 | By

Mogwai evade death for new album

Releases

Mogwai have announced that they will release their seventh studio album, entitled ‘Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will’, on 14 Feb via their own Rock Action label.

Produced by Paul Savage, who handled the band’s 1997 debut, ‘Young Team’, it was recorded at Glasgow’s Chem19 Studios, before being taken back to the band’s own Castle Of Doom studio for mixing.

A limited edition version will come with a bonus disc featuring a 26 minute piece called ‘The Singing Mountain’, which was recorded for Douglas Gordon and Olaf Nicolai’s ‘Monument For Forgotten Future’ installation in Essen, Germany. So, now you know.

Here’s the tracklist:

White Noise
Mexican Grand Prix
Rano Pano
Death Rays
San Pedro
Letters To The Metro
George Square Thatcher Death Party
How To Be A Werewolf
Too Raging To Cheers
You’re Lionel Richie

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Thursday 28 October 2010, 11:33 | By

Adam & Joe to release Song Wars Vol 2

Releases

Adam & Joe have announced that they will release a second volume of songs recorded for the ‘Song Wars’ segment of their much missed BBC 6music radio show.

The first volume was released back in 2008 and only available through iTunes. However, the new compilation will be available through all good download stores, as well as on vinyl, thanks to the splendid folks at Dreamboat Records.

Artwork for the record has been designed by Adam Buxton himself and will apparently be packed full of exclusive photos of the duo. If you have not already, pleased become excited now.

You can download Adam’s ‘Festival Song’ (the compilation’s opening track) here.

Tracklisting:

Side A
Festival Song
Nutty Room
Special Bath
Birthday Time!
Quantum Of Solace
80’s Song
Australia
Bob Dylan’s DVD Box Set
Bums & Binge Drinking (Kate Nash Song)
Coming Home From Holiday Blues
The Mind Of A Pirate (Legal Version)

Side J
Santum Of Quolace
Antiques Roadshow
Baz Luhrmann’s Australia
Incredible Song
This Week In Grazia
Itchy Bum
Song For Margaret Mountford
Bathtime For Bowie
Dr Sexy
La-La-La Lumley
Hello Mr Ghost
Bonus track

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