Monday 28 February 2011, 15:59 | By

Eddy Says: RESET. Very cool DJs and a little magazine that needs your help

Eddy Says

CALM

Thank you for all the sweet, thoughtful and kind messages that followed my clarion call regarding CALM last week. I’ve had the most wonderfully random, British, Dunkirk-spirited response from people as varied as a t-shirt company called Eco Boutique, who want to design and sell an item for CALM, through to Will from Dansette Junior, whose dad has a lovely holiday cottage in the Cotswolds that he’ll auction a weekend stay at for us. Even Dick Carruthers, the legendary director of Oasis, Manics and Cage Against The Machine fame is throwing his hat in the ring somehow, not sure how yet, but an email from Dick always leads to something good.

Any help, no matter how big or small, will be hugely appreciated, so thank you in advance. Though one thing you could all do almost immediately is have a fun night out with me tonight. As I mentioned last week, we’re going to be holding a number of parties in aid of CALM’s magazine RESET, and tonight the first is taking place in London.

RESET is given away for free in all branches of Top Shop. Unfortunately, because of the rise in the price of cotton, Top Shop can’t fund the magazine like they used to. They’ll continue to distribute it, but we need to find another brand to cover its relatively tiny production costs – something I’m confident we can do. There’s enormous value in such a good little magazine, that has people like Dan Le Sac, Scroobius Pip and myself among its contributors, and free distribution to a massive number of young people across the UK, both for CALM and any potential backer.

Meanwhile, if you have ever been entertained, outraged, edified or tickled in any way by this Eddy Says column in CMU, and you’re in London, then please show your support for tonight’s RESET launch party at The CAMP, near Old Street station. It’s an early night, so come if you can, or just spread the word as far as you can, as each person through that door tonight is another tenner towards a charity that is catastrophically, heart-breakingly neglected.

It should be very entertaining, really quick sets and an early finish, with a stellar bill from Gareth Brookes to Mr Hudson and Ou Est Le Swimming Pool. Dan n Pip will be there too, and all are sure to pull out something special. Here’s the running order. Thanks again for your help spreading the word…

x Eddy

7.30 – 8.15 – Gareth Brooks
8.15 – 8.45 – Janice Graham Band
8.45 – 9.15 – Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip
9.15 – 9.45 – Eddy Temple-Morris
9.45 – 10.15 – Molotov Jukebox
10.15 – 11 – Mr Hudson
11 – 12 – Ou Est Le Swimming Pool

READ MORE ABOUT: |

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 11:33 | By

Five Day Forecast – w/c 28 Feb 2011

CMU Planner

Andy Malt

Good morning! Did you all stay up and watch the Oscars? An alarming number of people seem to have done. Still, that did mean that I could pop Twitter open this morning and experience the entire ceremony in about five minutes, which is the best way to do it, I reckon. The big lesson of the evening seems to be that stuttering is better than mumbling. So, c-c-c-c-congratulations to Colin Firth and commmssssrrrnns to Jeff Bridges. Is that awards season over now? I hope so. There’s plenty of other stuff going on, look…

01: Proud2 launch at the O2 Dome. The Proud Group, best known for operating Camden’s Proud Gallery, is taking over the running of the club under London’s Dome, previously the Fabric-managed Matter. The club venue in AEG Live’s The O2 complex will become Proud2, hosting weekend club nights and circus-themed productions – something between Manumission and a Vegas cabaret, I think. Maybe with some La Clique-style nonsense thrown in for good measure. I guess we’ll all find out at the launch party on Thursday.

02: VAT loophole to be raised in parliament. Tory Lord Ralph Lucas plans to raise the issue of the Channel Islands VAT-dodge in parliament tomorrow. He will ask the government to clarify just how big the mail order industry that employs the slightly bizarre tax arrangement has become, and how much tax is lost to the government as a result of its existence. Treasury officials have been rather vague in the past regarding the extent of the VAT dodge party, so it’s hoped that Lucas’s parliamentary questions will force some clarity on that front.

03: MusicTank – It Started With A Click: How to Spawn A Viral Hit. Viral marketing, and engaging fans through social media networks, will be the focus of the next Music Tank event, taking place at the University Of Westminster in London on Thursday. Joining the debate are Matt Smith from marketing agency and viral video experts The Viral Factory, blogger and film-maker Dan Nixon, Darren Hemmings from the digital marketing unit of [PIAS], Beggars’ digital marketing man David Emery and Rob Gotlieb, marketing man for MUZU.

04: New releases. What’s out this week? Oh, a whole load of stuff, that’s what. If you want the big mainstream stuff, you can have your Jessie J and Claire Maguire albums. Or you could get the excellent ‘Lights And Offerings’ by Mirrors, or even the new albums by The Death Set, Rainbow Arabia, The Get Up Kids, Nu:Tone, or Buck 65. For shorter releases, try the new singles from Dum Dum Girls, Gold Panda and Trophy Wife.

05: Gigs. Justin Bieber is in town, kids! Well, he’s in Birmingham at the end of the week. THE Justin Bieber, though. So, you could go and see him at the start of his UK tour, or you could see the amazing Janelle Monáe at The Roundhouse tomorrow night, or the fantastic Seerauber Jenny at various dates around the country. Your choice. Also on offer are Jack Beats, who will be hosting their first Fabric residency on Friday, Plan B, Mumford & Sons, Rusko, Fujiya & Miyagi, The Decemberists, The Good Natured and Sparks’ co-headline tour of libraries, and even Liam Gallagher’s Beady Eye.

If you fancy something to listen to while you read the rest of today’s CMU Daily, may I recommend this playlist of ten tracks put together by Glasvegas guitarist Rab Allan? And if you want more music news and analysis after you’d read it, maybe you could download the latest CMU podcast from iTunes or SoundCloud.

Andy Malt
Editor, CMU

READ MORE ABOUT:

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 11:30 | By

Approved: Team Me

CMU Approved

Team Me

One project of many for serial band former Marius Drogsås Hagen, Team Me first began gaining serious attention at home when they found themselves in the finals of Norwegian radio station NRK P3’s new band competition last year, and also had a song playlisted on said station. Now the band are beginning to gain recognition outside their home country, thanks in part to an extremely well-received performance at the recent by:Larm festival.

The band are now set to release their eponymous debut EP in the UK on 4 Apr, the lead track from which can be heard while playing an accompanying game at the link below. I’m not sure the game’s theme of rushing home in a panic really fits the upbeat nature of the song, but it’s good fun, so that at least fits. You can catch the band in real life supporting The Wombats at various UK dates in May.

www.teammegame.com

READ MORE ABOUT:

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 11:28 | By

The Conrad Murray case: To note or not to note

Jacksons v AEG Timeline Legal Top Stories

Conrad Murray

It’s not even begun yet, and already there have been some dramas relating to the pending Conrad Murray trial. The judge overseeing the case, in which Doc Murray is accused of killing Michael Jackson through negligent conduct in the administration of the drug Propofol, squabbled with the medic’s lawyer last week over the latter’s failure to prepare reports on the witnesses he plans to present during the trial.

At a pre-trial meeting to discuss evidence last week, attorney J Michael Flanagan told Judge Michael Pastor he didn’t prepare notes on likely witnesses for trials like this, he hadn’t done so for ten years, and didn’t have to under California laws.

Pastor wants Flanagan to share notes about his witnesses with the prosecution so that both sides are fully and fairly prepared for the court hearing. When Flanagan argued that Californian law was on his side in this squabble, Pastor countered that the legal man’s failure to prepare notes undermined court rules intended to prevent unneeded surprises during testimonies at trail. He called the lack of any such notes as a “recipe for disaster”.

Prosecutor Deborah Brazil said Murray’s trial, due to begin in late March, should now be delayed, arguing Flanagan’s team would never be ready if they haven’t prepared any notes on their witnesses as yet. Pastor did not concur, but did warn Flanagan that his failure to provide witness reports could delay the court case, or even result in the exclusion of some witnesses.

Among the people the defence are likely to present during the trial are former patients of Murray who will likely speak up for the doc’s competence. Murray’s reps expect the prosecution to portray their client as a reckless medic, and want to counter any such claims.

They are also expected to present an expert who will claim Jackson was addicted to Demerol and was suffering withdrawal from the drug when he died. Though Pastor wanted to know how said expert and Flanagan intended to make such a claim in court without having notes to consult.

All parties will regroup today to further discuss the notes issue.

Elsewhere in the Murray case, Pastor also considered an application by Flanagan and his colleague Ed Chernoff to allow a third lawyer called Nareg Gourjian to join their defence team. There may be some questions around Gourjian’s involvement because he previously worked for Mark Geragos, a former legal rep of Michael Jackson himself.

Although Geragos worked for Jacko in the run up to his 2005 child abuse trial, Gourjian was only involved in the very early stages of that case. Meanwhile Geragos himself has said he has no concerns about his former colleague now working for the Murray defence. However, Pastor deferred making a decision and asked Gourjian to prepare a sworn statement detailing his past work relating to Jackson’s legal affairs.

And elsewhere in Jackson legal news, legal reps for Katherine Jackson have said she will drop claims of civil conspiracy and intentional infliction of emotional distress against AEG Live in her civil lawsuit in relation to her son’s untimely death.

When a judge refused AEG’s application to have the lawsuit dismissed earlier this month, she did stress that Mrs Jackson would need to present better evidence for those particular claims. With that in mind, her people have decided to remove the claims from the lawsuit altogether, but will still pursue their charge that the live music conglom failed to properly supervise Murray when they hired him to be her son’s personal medic.

READ MORE ABOUT: | |

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 11:26 | By

Aussie rights holders lose second claim against net firms

Legal

AFACT

The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft has lost an appeal against Aussie internet service provider iiNet in relation to that previously reported lawsuit in which the TV and movie industry trade body argued that net companies had an obligation under existing Australian copyright laws to take a more proactive role in policing online piracy.

Of course, in the UK, France, New Zealand and elsewhere, copyright laws have been changed to specifically force ISPs to help combat piracy, mainly by participating in three-strikes style systems. However, in both Ireland and Australia there have been attempts by rights holders to suggest such an obligation already exists under copyright law via the concept of contributory or authorising infringement.

In Australia, it was the concept of ‘authorising’ that made Sydney-based Kazaa liable for copyright infringement back in 2005 even though they didn’t host any of the actual infringed content shared over their networks. AFACT argued that the same principle puts a duty on ISPs to monitor and filter unlicensed content that moves across their networks, and that a failure to do so would make them guilty of authorising.

In the US the Digital Millennium Copyright Act specifically clears net firms of any such liability, but in Australia there is no such clarity in the law.

But when the case went to court this time last year AFACT lost, with the judge ruling that iiNet could not be held liable for any copyright infringement undertaken on their networks under the current Australian copyright system. The trade body appealed, but last week the appeals court backed the original judgment, with the three judge panel ruling two to one in the net firm’s favour.

There is another level of appeal still open to AFACT, though some would argue they and their counterparts in the music industry would be better off lobbying for a change in copyright law with regards online piracy, rather than trying to make a claim under existing ambiguous copyright rules written long before the internet came along.

Needless to say, iiNet boss man Michael Malone welcomed the ruling, telling reporters: “Today’s judgment again demonstrates that the allegations against us have been proven to be unfounded. We urge the Australian film industry to address the growing demand for studio content to be delivered in a timely and cost effective manner to consumers, and we remain eager to work with them to make this material available legitimately”.

Meanwhile AFACT Executive Director Neil Gane told reporters “it cannot be right” that the ISP takes no responsibility for copyright infringements on its network.

READ MORE ABOUT: | | |

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 11:24 | By

Vince Neil is out of jail

Legal

Vince Neil

Vince Neil is out of jail having served ten days of his fifteen day sentence for that much previously reported DUI conviction. The Motley Crue man will now spend a further fifteen days under house arrest. It’s not clear why he’s been let our early.

Although before serving his short sentence Neil told People magazine that “I made a mistake, and I have to finally learn my lesson and go do a little bit of time”, he has also criticised the sentence he was given, saying it was “a little harsh” and that the judge simply wanted to “make an example” out of him.

READ MORE ABOUT: |

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 11:23 | By

Ear infection forces Slayer out of Soundwave

Artist News

Slayer

Slayer had to cancel their slot at the Sydney Soundwave festival yesterday because frontman Tom Araya was hospitalised with a severe ear infection.

Slayer’s recent live activity has been dogged by ill health, in particular Araya’s back problems. So much so that when guitarist Jeff Hanneman contracted a serious arm infection shortly before the band’s latest tour, the outfit decided to continue without him. But, alas, they couldn’t continue without Araya.

According to his wife, Araya is feeling much better today, though is still awaiting test results regarding his condition. Nevertheless, Soundwave promoters are confident the band will be back on stage for their Melbourne date later this week.

READ MORE ABOUT: | |

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 11:21 | By

Reznor adds an Oscar to his awards pile

Awards

Trent Reznor

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have added an Oscar to their awards haul for the soundtrack to ‘The Social Network’, having previously won the Golden Globe. The duo picked up the Best Original Score prize at last night’s film industry bash.

Reznor said: “Wow. Is this really happening? When we finished work on ‘The Social Network’, we were very proud of our work and happy to just be involved in this film, and to be standing up here in this company is humbling and flattering beyond words. I’d like to especially thank the Academy for recognising our work here, and [director] David Fincher, thank you so much for the opportunity”.

In the other main music award of the night, Randy Newman got the Best Song Oscar for ‘We Belong Together’ from ‘Toy Story 3’. He noted that the Best Song category only had four nominations, compared to five in other categories. He joked “cinematography has five, what, they couldn’t find a fifth song?” Though he noted that this is only his second Oscar win despite having received twenty nominations over the years, so he concluded he was glad the shortlist only named four contenders, because the fifth would probably have beaten him.

READ MORE ABOUT: | |

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 11:20 | By

Efterklang win IMPALA album award

Awards

Efterklang

Efterklang’s ‘Magic Chairs’ has won the first ever IMPALA European Independent Album Of The Year Award, beating 20 other shortlisted long players to the overall title. The record is their third full-length album, and their first for UK label 4AD.

IMPALA chief Helen Smith told CMU: “There were many deserving artists among the 21 nominees and it was a close run thing. ‘Magic Chairs’ is a great album and I’m delighted to see it winning. On top of that it’s a truly European release – a Danish band with their own label working with a seminal UK independent”.

Martin Mills, who heads up the 4AD-owning Beggars Group, added: “Efterklang make amongst the most joyous and uplifting sounds I’ve ever heard – and it’s a particular pleasure, as a UK-based global record label to represent such wonderful artists from Scandinavia, making this award particularly apropos”.

While the band’s Rasmus Stolberg said: “We are honoured and happy to receive this award! Thank you! Just last week Owen Pallet gave us an award for Band With Best Skin, which was nice, but winning the European Independent Album of the Year beats it by far – wow”.

But what if Efterklang were to compile a ten-track album of other people’s records, what could that possibly sound like? If only there was a link where you would find the answer to that very question.

READ MORE ABOUT: |

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 11:18 | By

MTV launch digitally-focused awards

Awards

MTV

Do you know what the music industry needs right now? Another awards ceremony. I mean, there’s only been 43 in the last four days.

But good news people, because MTV is launching a new awards show alongside its VMAs and EMAs to specifically celebrate digital music innovations. They will be called the OMAs, the ‘O’ standing for “oh, do we really need another set of”.

More details are expected shortly, with the inaugural OMAs due to take place on 28 Apr.

READ MORE ABOUT: |

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 11:16 | By

MTV Base publish UK MCs top ten, allegations of producer meddling

Artist News Media

Tinie Tempah

Let’s hope MTV’s all new OMAs prove less controversial than a recent poll to identify the ten best British MCs, undertaken by MTV Base.

There’s been quite a lot of chatter about this poll online in recent days, not because of the ten rappers that were chosen, nor the fact they actually chose eleven, but because of claims that the list put together by a panel of urban music types was altered at the last minute when someone pointed out Dizzee Rascal and Chipmunk had been missed off.

It’s alleged producers removed Wretch 32 and Maxsta from the final ten to make way for the big boys. And then, for some unknown reason, Lowkey was made joint tenth with Chipmunk, resulting in the eleven-man top ten.

That said, we should stress that MTV has told Billboard that while there were last minute changes to their MC poll, that was simply because the top ten was being constantly updated as new votes from panellists came in, and that there were various versions of the list before the final ten was aired, including the one in which Wretch 32 and Maxsta appeared. Which could be true. Though it does seem odd Dizzee Rascal didn’t appear at all, and then shot up to position number two at the last minute, but whatever.

And while some urban bloggers have hit out at the alleged last minute meddling in the poll, others have pointed out that a Top 10 UK MCs list without Dizzee or Chipmunk would have been a bit rubbish. And no one seems to dispute that Tinie Tempah is the deserved poll topper.

Here’s the list as it was finally published:

1. Tinie Tempah
2. Dizzee Rascal
3. Skepta
4. Professor Green
5. Wiley
6. Giggs
7. Devlin
8. P Money
9. D Double E
10. Chipmunk/Lowkey

READ MORE ABOUT:

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 11:13 | By

PIAS sign Seasick Steve

Business News Deals Labels & Publishers

Seasick Steve

PIAS has signed Seasick Steve to its recently relaunched Play It Again Sam label. The blues man joins PIAS having completed his recent deal with Warner Music. PIAS UK MD Peter Thompson says he hopes to replicate Steve’s successes here in the UK across the rest of Europe. The first album under the deal will be out on 18 May.

READ MORE ABOUT: | | |

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 11:12 | By

Essential to distribute full Duran album

Business News Deals Labels & Publishers

Duran Duran

Duran Duran have entered into a deal with Essential Music for the full UK release of their Mark Ronson-produced album ‘All You Need Is Now’, which was released digitally on iTunes last year. The full version of the record will have five more tracks, and Essential will handle both the digital and physical distribution of it.

READ MORE ABOUT: | |

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 11:11 | By

Becoming Real to release new double a-side

Releases

Becoming Real

Grime genius Becoming Real will return with a new double A-side single – ‘Closer/Antarctic City’ – on 7 Mar. It will be released via his own Cold World Industries label, with a vinyl version available a week after the digital release on 14 Mar.

Listen to ‘Closer’, ‘Antarctic City’ and the Jam City remix of ‘Closer’ via the SoundCloud below:

 

 

READ MORE ABOUT:

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 11:10 | By

Martin Rossiter announces May tour dates

Gigs & Festivals

Martin Rossiter

Martin Rossiter, the ex-frontman of 90s alt-rockers Gene, will undertake a whistle-stop UK tour in May. In support of a new solo album due out in summer, he will play a series of intimate, stripped-back shows on the following dates:

1 May: Brighton, Unitarian Church (sold out)
5 May: London, The Bloomsbury Theatre
13 May: Manchester, The Deaf Institute
14 May: Glasgow, King Tut’s

READ MORE ABOUT:

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 11:09 | By

Dananananaykroyd give away free song, announce tour

Gigs & Festivals Releases

Danaykroyd

Sharpshooting Glaswegian fight-popsters Dananananaykroyd have been working on the follow up album to 2009’s ‘Hey Everyone!’ for quite a long time now.

Although no release details of the unnamed new LP have been announced, you can quell your impatience with this free download of new track ‘E Numbers’, available here.

The band are on tour at the moment, catch them at the following venues:

1 Mar: Cambridge, Haymakers
2 Mar: Southampton, Joiners
4 Mar: Sheffield, The Harley
5 Mar: Liverpool, The Shipping Forecast

READ MORE ABOUT:

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 11:07 | By

Festival line-up update – 28 Feb 2011

Artist News Festival Line-Up Update Gigs & Festivals

Liverpool Sound City

BEAT-HERDER, Gisburn, Lancashire, 1-3 Jul: Confirmed to partake in the back-to-basics hedonism of this countryside dance fest are acts including Simian Mobile Disco, Mylo, Mr Scruff, We Have Band and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. www.beatherder.co.uk

CHESTER ROCKS, Chester Racecourse, 2-3 Jul: This new Cheshire festival is an event of two halves, with the Saturday hosting a line-up of distinctly poppy acts including Eliza Doolittle, Taio Cruz, The Saturdays, Sugababes, The Wanted and McFly. Bringing about a change of pace on the rockier second day will be weathered insurance salesman Iggy Pop & his Stooges, as well as Echo & The Bunnymen and The Lightning Seeds. www.chester-rocks.com

HUB FESTIVAL, Otterspool Promenade, Liverpool, 21-22 May: Liverpool Sound City will host a music stage as part of this street-sports festival, featuring headliners Funeral For A Friend and fellow Welsh rockers The Blackout. Also playing on the Sound City stage across two days will be acts including The King Blues, Mayday Parade, Young Guns, Chickenhawk and We Are The Ocean. www.hubfestival.co.uk

JERSEY LIVE, Royal Jersey Showgrounds, Jersey, 3-4 Sep: Taking place relatively late in the festival season, this year’s Channel Island bash will welcome bill-toppers Plan B and Madness, with The Streets, The Beat and Wretch 32. Spinning tunes in The Dance Arena will be Nero, Danny Byrd, Toddla T, Dynamite MC and Breakage. www.jerseylive.org.uk

LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY, various venues, Liverpool, 19-21 May: Amongst the third batch of acts announced for Sound City this year are Canadian hardcore types Fucked Up, as well as the Young Knives, grime artist Wretch 32, Amanda Blank and Dutch Uncles. Indie moptop Miles Kane is booked to play a special hometown show at St Georges Hall. www.liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk

LOUNGE ON THE FARM
, Merton Farm, Canterbury, Kent, 8-10 Jul: Big names like Annie Mac, Devlin, Jamie Woon and Example will join artists including Summer Camp, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Trophy Wife, Flashguns and Lulu & The Lapshades at this year’s relaxed rural festival. www.loungeonthefarm.co.uk

MAGIC LOUNGEABOUT
, Broughton Hall, Yorkshire, 29-31 Jul: Billed as “a refined unwind”, this tranquil three-dayer will feature headline performances from Badly Drawn Boy and 80s faves The Human League. Also delighting campers old and young will be New Young Pony Club, Florrie, Fenech-Soler and Henry Johnson, who will appear live alongside sets from ex-Hacienda DJ Graeme Park and former carpet roller Clint Boon. www.themagicloungeabout.net

STAG AND DAGGER, various venues, London & Glasgow, 19 & 21 May: The London leg of Stag & Dagger, which takes place in six venues across the city, will host James Yuill, Wire, Toro Y Moi and New Young Pony Club. Meanwhile homegrown bands like Sons & Daughters and The Scottish Enlightenment will play alongside Warpaint, Cults, Toro Y Moi, Broken Records, Bo Ningen and Three Trapped Tigers at the Glaswegian edition. www.staganddagger.com

READ MORE ABOUT: | | | | | | |

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 11:03 | By

Western Australian parliament to review tourism grants given to Perth festival

Business News Live Business Management & Funding

One Movement

Western Australia’s parliament has said it will investigate grants given by the region’s tourist commission to organisers of the One Movement festival, the Perth-based music event that also includes the Asia Pacific outing of the Musexpo music industry conference.

The region’s Estimates & Financial Operations Committee will review the Western Australia Tourism Commission’s reported $2.95 million investment into the two year old festival. Some opposition politicians in the region have said the festival has delivered a poor return on that investment, and that it sometimes enabled promoters to give away more tickets than they sold.

They also want the Committee to review allegations of conflict of interest relating to the fact that a former Tourism WA exec, involved in securing the festival its government grant, went on to work for its majority stakeholder Sunset Events.

A spokesman for Sunset told The Music Network that the review had been instigated as part of a “political debate” about the work of Tourism WA, and did not reflect on their operations.

But the firm’s MD David Chitty did admit: “We are disappointed that this inquiry is proceeding despite the event having already undergone considerable parliamentary analysis. [Nevertheless] our current focus is on planning the third One Movement For Music event, with local, national and international stakeholders and industry”.

READ MORE ABOUT: |

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 11:01 | By

Julie’s Bicycle commends eco-friendly venues

Business News Live Business

Julie's Bicycle

Julie’s Bicycle, the body which encourages music companies to be more eco-friendly, has handed out more of its Industry Green certificates to six major UK venues, commending them for being so darn green. The venues getting an IG nod are the newly named Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, Wembley Stadium, Cardiff International Arena, Motorpoint Arena Sheffield, O2 Apollo Manchester and Southampton Guildhall.

Julies Bicycle Director Alison Tickell told CMU: “We are delighted to announce the award of IG certificates to six of the UK’s most high profile live music venues. All have demonstrated their strong commitment to reducing their environmental impact and join a community of creative industry leaders that are setting the standard for environmentally responsible business practices through their transparency and accountability”.

READ MORE ABOUT:

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 11:00 | By

Live Nation to manage Olympic stages

Business News Live Business

London 2012

Live Nation will manage four stages around London on behalf of the 2012 Olympics next summer. The stages will provide big screen footage of the Games in Hyde Park, Victoria Park, Trafalgar Square and Potters Fields Park as well as a programme of free live entertainment.

Confirming the deal, Live Nation UK’s COO John Probyn told CMU: “Live Nation are delighted to be producing and promoting the London Live Sites 2012. This is a remarkable opportunity for Londoners and the UK to show the rest of the world how to celebrate en masse and embrace the spirit of the 2012 Games”.

He added: “Live Nation has produced some of the biggest multi-artist events in London including Live 8, Concert For Diana, Wireless Festival and Hard Rock Calling, but this event reaches entirely new levels. Combining every magical sporting moment throughout the London sites and showcasing a world class line up of multicultural activity and internationally known artists, this will be the most exciting chapter in the history of Live Nation in the UK”.

Meanwhile, that nutty mayor of London, Mr Johnson, added: “I want every Londoner and all our visitors to be able to share the experience of the greatest show on earth. These fantastic live sites will mean everyone can soak up the atmosphere and revel in the excitement of this sporting spectacular. Whether it is watching the Games as they unfold, or seeing a fabulous international act performing against these wonderful backdrops, we’re in for a summer to remember”.

READ MORE ABOUT: |

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 10:59 | By

Live Nation revamps websites

Digital

Live Nation

Talking of Live Nation, the live music giant has “upgraded” its websites in seventeen countries, including the UK, adding all sorts of exciting new features that are so exciting I couldn’t be bothered to write them down. Though one new feature is called My Live Nation, which I have a feeling makes it easier for fans to stay connected to their favourite artists with alerts and access to presales, though I’m not sure where I got that from.

Says Live Nation’s President Of International eCommerce (who knew someone still used the term ‘eCommerce’) Mark Yovich: “We are committed to constantly improving our customer experiences online and this upgrade is a huge step forward for our business and the millions of customers who use our website every day. Meanwhile, ‘My Live Nation’ makes it easier for fans to stay connected to their favourite artists with alerts, and access to presales that we are delighted to offer to our customers”.

READ MORE ABOUT:

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 10:58 | By

Island Def Jam forms app alliance, wants developers

Digital

Island Def Jam

Universal Music’s US-based Island Def Jam division last week announced a partnership with an outfit called The Echo Nest which, and I quote, is “a music intelligence platform that powers smarter music technologies”.

The two companies are inviting developers to use Echo Nest’s technology and Island Def Jam’s music to create commercial music-based apps to sell to those crazy app-obsessed smartphone-wielding kids. Any apps created through the programme will be sold by Island Def Jam, who will make sure any publishing royalties are paid, and then split revenues between themselves, Echo Nest and the app developer. How fair the revenue split terms are to the developer isn’t completely clear as yet.

But I do have a quote from Jim Lucchese, CEO of The Echo Nest, who says: “The music app is the new music format. In the same way that the music video provided a promotional wrapper around songs and artists while also functioning as a new creative work, music apps can attract new fans and raise an artist’s visibility while standing alone as a creative product”.

Of the partnership, he added: “This is a bold move on the part of Island Def Jam, which has become the first major label business department to embrace an open development ecosystem to attract the best and brightest developers”.

READ MORE ABOUT: | |

 

Monday 28 February 2011, 10:55 | By

Ciara and Rihanna participate in shortest ever Twitter war

And Finally

Rihanna

R&B-sters Ciara and Rihanna have been participating in a Twitter feud after the former accused the latter of being rude when they met at a party. Asked what she thought of Rihanna’s style by Joan Rivers on a fashion show on the E! channel, Ciara said: “I ran into her recently at a party. She wasn’t the nicest. It’s crazy, because I’ve always loved and respected what she’s done in fashion. It wasn’t the most pleasant run-in”.

Rihanna responded via Twitter, resulting in a few exchanges of words on the micro-blogging platform. I think they were playful exchanges, though it’s hard to tell. To be honest I have no idea what either songstress was talking about. Perhaps I’m getting too old for this shit.

Anyway, it went like this:

Rihanna: “My bad Ci, did I 4get to tip u? Howrudeofme”.

Ciara: “Trust me Rihanna u dont want to see me on or off the stage”.

Rihanna: “U gangsta huh? Haaa…Good luck with bookin that stage u speak of”.

I’m assuming this was playful dissing – or perhaps the shortest feud in pop history – because the Twitter exchange soon became a love-in.

Rihanna: “Ciara baby, I love u girl! U hurt my feelings real bad on TV! I’m heartbroken! That’s y I retaliated this way! So sorry! Letsmakeup”.

Ciara: “Rhi u know its always been love since day 1! Doing shows/everything. You threw me off in that party! Apology accepted. Let’s chat in person”.

What’s this “chatting in person” of which they speak?

READ MORE ABOUT: | |

 

Friday 25 February 2011, 16:12 | By

CMU Weekly – Friday 25 Feb 2011

CMU Weekly Editor's Letter

Andy Malt

As you’ll see from this week’s Beef Of The Week, awards ceremonies are still very much in the news. In the UK, talk has turned to the NME Awards, where most seem to be wondering how Matt Bellamy can possibly have won the Hottest Man award four years in a row. However, in the US a debate is raging over the relevance of the Grammy Awards as a whole, when artists who are liked by the voting panel can beat artists who have huge fanbases.

The simple answer is that the thing that is the most popular is rarely the best or most creative. And assuming awards are handed out to the things that are best, rather than the things that are most popular, you’re always going to get a more diverse selection from an industry judging system than if you just went and asked members of the public. Because then whoever has the biggest and most proactive fanbase will win, regardless of creativity.

Look at the NME Awards, for example. Voted for by the public, the award for best festival almost always goes to Glastonbury. And when it doesn’t, it goes to Reading and Leeds. Why, because these are the biggest festivals, and the ones the highest number of NME readers go to. So much so, it’s almost not worth asking.

That’s not to say that having a panel or whole academy of industry judges is perfect, nor that they wouldn’t occasionally pick Glasto or Reading to win the Best Festival prize. But other events would almost certainly get more of a look in, if only because some of the judges will be more aware of what else is out there simply as a result of their job. And where a small panel decides who actually meet, well then people are forced to argue the case for why they think their favourite is also ‘best’.

And, of course, less mainstream acts do occasionally triumph even when the public decides, albeit not often. But some of you will remember the Best British Breakthrough Act category at the 1999 BRIT Awards, which was put out to a public vote. Despite being on their third album by that point, Belle & Sebastian beat the likes of Steps, 5ive, Billie Piper, Gomez, Cornershop and other chart toppers to the prize because they had a large (for the time) email database. With mainstream internet use still in its infancy in 1999, Belle & Sebastian just had more geeks amongst their fanbase than anyone else.

But judging panel based events will always throw up a few lesser known winners, and they always have done. Which makes all the debate in the US this week a bit odd. Okay, the initial burst of vitriol from fans of the likes of Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Eminem (who felt their favourite artists’ rightful awards had been stolen from them by the like of Esperanza Spalding and Arcade Fire) was understandable. But now it’s people within the industry who are fighting over the validity of the awards.

It’s not like industry folk don’t complain every year when their artists fail to take home any trophies, but this year manager and advertising exec Steve Stoute has gone one step further and accused Grammy organisers of booking big name artists to perform at the ceremony simply to grab TV ratings, before stiffing them on the awards by heartlessly handing them over to people the voting academy thinks are more important creatively.

But of course you’re going to want the big names there, even if they haven’t delivered the ‘best’ music that year. Because awards events aren’t really about giving pop stars a warm fuzzy feeling inside. They are about selling records. Big names bring big audiences, who can then also be introduced to newer or more alternative talent. I’m no big fan of music awards shows, but surely that’s a good thing? If you can expose Arcade Fire to tens of millions of people who haven’t previously heard of them by getting Rihanna to mime along to a song, then that’s a good job done well as far as I’m concerned.

And to prove just how that works, look, I’ve jumped on the bandwagon of a high profile, interest-wide debate just to make you read this here paragraph where I plug this week’s CMU Weekly podcast, which is definitely a ‘best’ contender. Well, it’s definitely the best CMU podcast we’ve done this week. In it we chat about Warner Music, Spotify, all that Grammy stuff I just mentioned, the far less controversial NME Awards, Lady Gaga selling a lot of records (despite not winning the Best Album Grammy), DJ Shadow talking at the Great Escape and Justin Bieber’s shock haircut. Stream or download it by clicking here, or on the banner below.

Andy Malt
Editor, CMU

THE BULLETIN: Click here to read this week’s CMU Weekly bulletin

THE PODCAST: Click here to download this week’s podcast or stream below

 
Subscribe to the e-bulletin here | Subscribe to the podcast here | Subscribe in iTunes here
 

READ MORE ABOUT: |

 

Friday 25 February 2011, 16:07 | By

Playlist: Glasvegas

CMU Playlists

Glasvegas

Following the unlikely crossover sensation that was their eponymous debut album, Glasvegas return with a second offering ‘EUPHORIC /// HEARTBREAK \\\’, scheduled to come out on 4 Apr through Sony/Columbia.

The album was written and demoed over five months in the distinctly un-Glaswegian setting of a Santa Monica beach house, during which time drummer Caroline McKay elected to leave the band to pursue outside interests. Having returned to the UK with new drummer Jonna Lofgren, the band recruited famed producer Flood (PJ Harvey, U2, The Jesus And Mary Chain) for the recording process.

With a free download of towering new track ‘The World Is Yours’ available for a limited time on their website, Glasvegas have also announced a UK tour to take place later this spring. Meanwhile, new single ‘Euphoria, Take My Hand’ is available for download now, and will be released physically on 28 Mar.

In anticipation of all this, we asked guitarist Rab Allan if he’d kindly put together a Powers Of Ten playlist for us, thereby shedding some light on those artists who have most inspired and influenced him and the band.

GLASVEGAS’ TEN
Click here to listen to Rab’s playlist in Spotify, and then read on to find out more about his selections.

01 The Bee Gees – You Win Again
I really got into this band when I was in Santa Monica. Real talent. They were ahead of their time. The drum loop on this is great.

02 Cocteau Twins – Fifty-Fifty Clown
In my opinion, the best Scottish album ever made is ‘Heaven Or Las Vegas’. This is one of the best songs on it. Really under rated.

03 Etta James – All I Could Do Is Cry
Every once in a while I hear a song and I believe the person singing it. This was the last great one. Always get a lump in my throat. It’s heavy metal.

04 Pulp – Razzamatazz
When I was sixteen, James tried to get me into Pulp, but I guess I wasn’t ready. Ten years later and they are one of my favourites just now.

05 U2 – Ultraviolet
After playing with U2 in 2009 I gained a lot of respect for them. Not just for being a great band but for still being inspired to make great music. Bono’s lyrics are something that’s never spoken about but if you take the time there’s some crackers.

06 Bruce Springsteen – Brilliant Disguise
I heard this song in Santa Monica and it floored me. I was never a Springsteen fan but after this I was converted.

07 Britney Spears – Toxic
This is pop genius. The production is great. One of her best songs.

08 Shakespeares Sister – Stay
I remember seeing this on Top Of The Pops when I was a kid and being fascinated. Genius song.

09 Visage – Fade To Grey
One night we got caught in a snow storm in Denver. James played this to me and I was outside dancing in the snow. A big influence on the new record for me.

10 OMD – Enola Gay
This is the same as before. Another big influence on the new record. Love the bass line.

READ MORE ABOUT: |

 

Friday 25 February 2011, 16:03 | By

CMU Beef Of The Week #54: Steve Stoute v The Grammys

And Finally Beef Of The Week

The Grammy Awards

So, in last week’s Beef Of The Week we saw Justin Bieber fans attacking Grammy Award winners for not being famous enough to win them. This week we have a high level music exec doing the same to the ceremony’s organisers. Apparently no one is aware what the word ‘best’ means any more.

Best known as the manager of rapper Nas, Steve Stoute also runs an urban-music focused marketing partnerships agency called Translation. And while Bieber fans were taking to Twitter asking who the hell “Arcadia Fyre” were, Stoute was penning a stern letter to the Grammy’s parent organisation the National Academy Of Recording Arts And Sciences, and its president Neil Portnow, which he then published in a $40,000 full-page New York Times advert. Presumably most Bieber fans don’t have access to that sort of cash.

Stoute said that the US industry’s big awards show had become “a series of hypocrisies and contradictions”, and called on the pop stars of America to make a stand against the awards machine.

The letter says: “I have come to the conclusion that the Grammy Awards have clearly lost touch with contemporary popular culture. My being a music fan has left me with an even greater and deeper sense of dismay … We must acknowledge the massive cultural impact of Eminem and Kanye West and how their music is shaping, influencing and defining the voice of a generation. How is it that Justin Bieber, an artist that defines what it means to be a modern artist, did not win Best New Artist? While these very artists that the public acknowledges as being worthy of their money and fandom are snubbed year after year at the Grammys, the awards show has absolutely no qualms in inviting these same artists to perform. Interesting that the Grammys understands cultural relevance when it comes to using Eminem’s, Kayne West’s or Justin Bieber’s name in the billing”.

Calling on artists to demand that Grammy bosses change the “system”, Stoute continued: “I imagine that next year there will be another televised super-close-up of an astonished front-runner as they come to the realisation before a national audience… that he or she was used. To all of the artists that attend the Grammys: Stop accepting the invitation to be the upset of the year and demand that this body upholds its mission for advocacy and support of artistry as culture evolves. Demand that they change this system and truly reflect and truly acknowledge your art”.

I’m not exactly sure how he thinks the voting system should be changed. Presumably he wants Grammy voters to write a list of which artists they think are most popular, rather than the ones they think are best. Actually, in that case you could get rid of the voting system altogether and just use existing sales or airplay data, which would save time at least.

Following the New York Times ad, The Hollywood Reporter pulled together a handful of responses to Stoute’s letter that had been posted online by US music industry players, including Tommy Boy founder Tom Silverman, industry commentator Bob Lefsetz, and former Grokster head Wayne Russo. None seemed to agree with him explicitly, though all had their own strong opinions on the matter.

Lefsetz came closest to being in full agreement, though took Stoute’s ideas further, saying: “I don’t think only the acts should revolt, but the entire NARAS membership. What we’ve got here is a self-interested dictator in bed with corporations. This helps music how? Don’t get caught up in Stoute’s anger about who won what award. Do get pissed off that popular acts are being utilised for ratings when it’s clear they are not going to win. Where was that segment where the two accountants come out on stage and say that the voting was confidential? Obviously NARAS knew Arcade Fire was gonna win. Otherwise, why would they close the show?”

Russo, meanwhile, thought it was all a fuss over nothing: “I would have been more upset if Justin Bieber had won Best New Artist. The little snot is irritating. I doubt that anybody will be humming along to ‘Eenie Meenie’ ten or 20 years from now. You’ll probably not be hearing Michael Buble, Bono or Eric Clapton singing Kanye’s immortal lyric: ‘Let’s have a toast for the douche bags’. I happen to really like Eminem but the Grammys are like the Oscars in many ways. In 1970, John Wayne won the Oscar for Best Actor in ‘True Grit’. It wasn’t a great performance. He was just being John Wayne. He won for his body of work. So consider Eminem to be a 21st century John Wayne. He’ll have his day… and by the way, none of these guys are on food stamps”.

Jeff Rabhan, chair of NYU’s Clive Davis Department Of Recorded Music, felt similarly: “There’s that age-old joke about the Grammys: that they’re a total sham and completely unrepresentative of the modern world, unless I win, in which case it’s the most important award there is”.

Meanwhile, producer Jermaine Dupris, who was a member of the Grammy voting board until he resigned from NARAS in protest in 2004 over the reaction to then girlfriend Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction, took the opposite view to Stoute. Well, he agreed urban music wasn’t always well represented on the winners list, but he didn’t agree that the way to overcome that problem was a boycott. He argued that what was needed was more representatives of urban music getting involved with NARAS.

He wrote: “[When I was on the voting panel] I was the youngest person in the room; not that being old has anything to do with it. Not only was I the youngest person in the room, but I was the only valid hip hop person in the room. We are not on the board as young executives. We have so many young, black executives that claim they’re executives, and say they do this. But they’re not out here doing the work. It should be more people like Steve Stoute on that board”.

Whether anything will come of any of this remains to be seen. But certainly everyone involved seems to have forgotten that awards ceremonies are really designed to make money, both for the organisers and their respective industries. In the case of The Grammys, it’s debatable how many more records Eminem would sell off the back of winning an award. However, the exposure a band like Arcade Fire will get from both winning and performing at the ceremony can’t be denied. Clearly, despite the fact that they’ve already had a number one album in the USA, there are still a lot of people out there who don’t know who they are. Or didn’t, at least. And surely the more good artists and quality music you can boost to higher levels of commercial success through awards programmes the better.

But I’ll give the final word to Arcade Fire’s manager Scott Rodger, who said in an email to the aforementioned Lefsetz: “Arcade Fire deserved the win this year. They made the best album. If the award was names ‘Album Sales Of The Year’ award, there would be no discussion. Stoute’s letter was a nice piece of self-publicity. Did he see Kanye’s tweets when we won and the praise he gave us? He needs to tune in. Eminem made a big selling album but it was far from being his best work. Katy Perry made a big pop record that simply didn’t have weight or credibility. Gaga’s repackage, great album but it was a repackage of the main release. I think everyone felt it was going to be Lady Antebellum’s moment having won five out of six awards to that point. We all felt that way, too”.

He continued: “I’m proud of this band and what they have achieved. We didn’t lobby any organisation for this, nor did the band play the game. We paid our own overhead to do the event, thus the lack of on stage gimmicks. No label picked up the tab. Arcade Fire are now one of the biggest live acts in the world. It’s not all about record sales. It’s about making great records and it’s about building a loyal fan base. The band make great albums, they’re not a radio-driven singles band. On top of that, they own their own masters and copyrights and are in complete control of their own destiny. Things couldn’t be better”.

READ MORE ABOUT: | | | | | | | |

 

Friday 25 February 2011, 11:25 | By

The music business week in five – Friday 25 Feb 2011

Business News Week In Five

Chris Cooke

So, this is exciting, don’t you think? The mighty DJ Shadow is not only bringing his awe inspiring Shadowsphere show to The Great Escape this May, we’ve even managed to persuade him to give a rare interview as part of our In Conversation programme in the TGE convention which, of course, we are organising this year.

We’ll talk to Shadow about his inspirational career to date, and find out how the Shadowsphere show (which you get a glimpse of here) was conceived and created.

Shadow joins BRIT Award winning producer Paul Epworth in our In Conversation programme this year, and we’re close to confirming the next addition to that bit of the proceedings, so watch this space. Meanwhile the panels are coming together very nicely and hopefully next week I’ll be able to give you details of a few more of the people who will be taking part. Meanwhile you should probably get online to www.escapegreat.com and book your delegates pass, a steal at just £125. And now, your week in five…

01: Warner Music’s owners started accepting offers from possible bidders interested in buying the whole company, or its publishing division Warner/Chappell, this week. It’s thought there is most interest in the latter deal, and that Warner chief Edgar Bronfman Jr favours that option also. KKR-backed BMG remain favourites to buy Warner/Chappell and they appointed bankers Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan to advise on a possible bid this week. Russian billionaire Len Blavatnik, already a minority shareholder in Warner, is also thought to be preparing a bid. CMU reportFMQB report

02: Reuters reported that Universal is close to signing up to Spotify USA. EMI and Sony Music are already on board, and while Warner is still holding out, it is thought that if and when Spotify secures Universal’s catalogue it could conceivably launch Stateside. The arrival of the Swedish streaming platform in the US has been a long time coming because of concerns by many American label execs over the free version of the service. Meanwhile, Russian firm Digital Sky Technologies invested in the region of $100 million into Spotify this week, meaning the company is now valued at about $1 billion. CMU reportReuters report

03: American record industry types ranted about the Grammys. The ranting was started by Steve Stoute, Nas’s business manager, who took out a forty grand ad in the New York Times to express his outrage that big name acts, especially from the urban genre, are nominated for awards and invited to perform, helping secure TV ratings, but often don’t win on the night. He seemed most annoyed that Arcade Fire had beaten Eminem in the Best Album category this year. He encouraged big name urban and pop acts to boycott the event, though producer Jermaine Dupri – one of many execs to respond to Stout’s open letter – suggested instead that the urban community get more actively involved in the Grammy organising Recording Academy so that more people from that genre took part in the voting. CMU reportBillboard report

04: BMG announced its new UK structure bringing together its existing companies over here with the recently acquired music publisher Chrysalis. The all new BMG Chrysalis UK will be run by recent recruit Alexi Cory-Smith, with BMG Europe COO John Dobinson overseeing operations and Ben Bodie of Chrysalis and Alan Pell of previous BMG acquisition Stage Three leading A&R. The combined business will be based out of Chrysalis’s HQ in West London. CMU report

05: MySpace Music’s chief quit. Courtney Holt will stop working for the web firm full time, but continue to advise in a consultancy role. There have reportedly been growing tensions between him and overall MySpace boss Mike Jones, while the uncertain future of the web operation presumably has also played a part in Holt’s decision making. Owners News Corp are currently trying to offload the company, and according to Reuters will start considering offers for it from potential bidders in mid-March. CMU reportReuters report

And that’s your lot, though for more retrospective chatter do download the CMU Weekly podcast this afternoon – sign up here.

Chris Cooke
Business Editor, CMU

READ MORE ABOUT:

 

Friday 25 February 2011, 11:23 | By

Approved: Bleep 43 at Corsica Studios

Club Tip CMU Approved

Omar S

There’s usually a good natured vibe to be found at this stripped down no frills club, and I like the set up – the outdoor terrace bit is a great place to socialise, the sound systems are of a high quality, and it is in no way poncey or pretentious. And this weekend is as good as any to make a visit because Detroit man Omar S is on the bill. Ever since his ballsy compo last year via Fabric I’ve been wondering how the head honcho of FXHE Records runs things on the dancefloor, and now we’ll get to find out.

Newworldaquarium will also be over playing a set, while residents Bean and Frith will drop some beatsy tech nuggets. So should be a goodun.

Friday 25 Feb, Corsica Studios, Elephant Road, London SE17, 11pm -5am, £15 (£12 in advance / NUS £9), info from corsicastudios.com

READ MORE ABOUT:

 

Friday 25 February 2011, 11:21 | By

MySpace Music chief quits

Digital Top Stories

Myspace

The boss of MySpace Music is leaving the building. An internal email to MySpace staff published by Billboard says that former MTV exec Courtney Holt will cease to hold an executive role at the flagging web firm, but will continue to advise both MySpace directly and its owners News Corp in a consultancy role. Some insiders say Holt is desperate to leave having become “miserable” in his current role. Which is understandable. I just imagined running MySpace Music for a few seconds and now I’m terribly depressed.

MySpace Music, which tried to build a music editorial service and Spotify-style streaming platform on the back of the artist pages section of the original MySpace site, was in effect an autonomous part of the business, both corporately and in the way it was originally presented to consumers.

Corporately because a separate company was set up to run the music service in which the major labels had an equity stake. And it was presented to consumers separately to distinguish the social networking part of the MySpace offer from the new music-focused service, possibly in a bid to re-engage with those consumers who had all but given up on the former but might still be interested in what the then new MySpace Music operation was offering.

Much of the early development of MySpace Music went ahead without an executive on board to run it, and when Holt was finally appointed it is thought he spent sometime undoing much of what had been set up before his arrival, delaying the global roll out of the new music proposition somewhat.

But even with Holt’s refinements, the MySpace Music service was typically clumsy and frustrating to use, and therefore struggled to compete with other better streaming services, especially in Europe where the likes of Spotify and We7 provide much more pleasurable experiences.

Then, of course, the main bit of MySpace started losing senior executives as owner News Corp started to stress about plummeting user figures and revenues, while those who remained revamped the whole site putting music and entertainment at its heart, making the distinction between MySpace and MySpace Music, as far as consumers were concerned, redundant.

Which in turn made some start to speculate as to exactly why MySpace Music needed its own chief. More so when the previously high profile Holt started to be eased out of press releases and public statements, with CEO Mike Jones stepping forward to speak. And it is thought disagreements with Jones over the strategic direction of the wider company has played a big part in Holt’s decision to quit. Jones will take over direct control of MySpace’s music operations after Holt’s departure, officially on an interim basis.

Of course, another reason for Holt’s departure is almost certainly the uncertain future of MySpace, which News Corp is now looking to offload. According to Reuters, News Corp will start considering bids for the dying digital service in the second week in March.

READ MORE ABOUT: | |

 

Friday 25 February 2011, 11:18 | By

Irish minister denies imminent three-strikes rule

Business News Legal Top Stories

Eircom

Ireland’s Minister For Enterprise, Trade & Innovation, Mary Hanafin, has denied those reports that she and her team have been busy drafting a statutory instrument that would obligate internet service providers there to take action against file-sharers, and that she planned to enact the new rules this week just before the Irish people vote in a general election.

As previously reported, Ireland’s biggest ISP, Eircom, has voluntarily instigated a three-strikes system for dealing with file-sharing after reaching an agreement with the country’s record industry. But attempts to pressure other ISPs to follow suit failed when one net firm, UPC, won a court judgment that confirmed that under current Irish copyright law there was no obligation on net service providers to take action against customers who file-share.

Hanafin’s office confirmed that since that judgment they have been reviewing the situation and that there will be efforts to reform Ireland’s copyright rules in due course, but added there would be much more consultation before any decisions were made and denied categorically that anything would be pushed through in the closing days of the current government.

Hanafin herself told reporters: “There is absolutely no truth in the rumour circulating in the media that I am about to sign a statutory instrument relating to the Copyright & Related Rights Act 2000 and/or the EU Copyright Directive 2001”.

READ MORE ABOUT: | | |