| CMU Daily - on the inside 2 Jul 2002 |
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Led Zeppelin remain one of the most important, influential and best selling bands of the rock genre. How come they never had any hit singles?
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VIVENDI SHARES SUSPENDED
The continuing problems at Vivendi Universal, parent company of the Universal Music Group, have led to a suspension of their shares on the French stock exchange. The troubles started after reports that the group tried to add £970m in profits to its 2001 accounts. French paper Le Monde claimed the group had tried to break regulations by registering the sale of a stake in BSkyB in its 2001 figures. The news has rocked Vivendi’s stock and, despite the resignation of chief executive Jean-Marie Messier yesterday, Vivendi plunged 38% to 14.6 euros (943p)which triggered a suspension under French trading rules. Insiders are now calling for a break up of the entertainment giant, arguing the sum of the group’s parts are considerably greater than their current share price. What this would mean for the Universal Music Group (Polydor, Mercury and Island in the UK) is unclear, as EU officials have in the passed resisted attempts by one of the five majors to buy another. The Media Guardian has suggested that the Bronfman family, which sold it to Vivendi in the first place, may just buy it back.
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U2 LEAD THE INCOME CHARTS
According to the summer issue of Rolling Stone Irish rockers U2 are the highest earning rock group in history with a $61.9 million net worth, ahead of Dr Dre with $51.9 million, The Beatles with $47.9 million and Madonna with $40.8 million. Lower down the income charts are Eric Clapton ($20.8 million), Britney Spears ($20 million) and Limp Bizkit ($18.4 million) and, somewhat surprisingly, Enya ($14.2 million)!
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MORE POPSTARS BECKON
A second series of Popstars is at the heart of ITV1’s autumn schedule, and the plans are to make it more interactive ala Pop Idol. Last time round, the five members of HearSay were chosen by a team of judges and once the identities of the band had been revealed, audience figures for the show fell. But this time round the judges will choose two bands which the viewing public will be asked to choose between creating TV bosses hope, a Pop Idol style frenzy. Ulrika Jonsson and Davina McCall are both under consideration to front the show, with Chris Evans and Pete Waterman both hinted as members of the judging panel.
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HIP HOP FOR KIDS
While most hip hop releases seem to come with a parental guidance sticker, book publisher Scholastic is producing a rap CD series especially for kids. Called Hip Kid Hop the series – aimed at 4 – 10 year olds – will consist of storybooks which will come complete with a rap version of the tale on CD and an instrumental track that children can rap over. Publishers hope to gain credibility for the scheme by involving leading hip hop names. In the first two books in the series LL Cool J will rap the story line of ‘And The Winner Is" which follows a young basketball player learning life lessons through the games he plays. Doug E. Fresh will rap ‘Think Again’, a self-penned story of two children of different skin colour who grow to realize how much they have in common. LL Cool J, a father of four, told reporters: "One of the most important things you can do, as a celebrity, is to use your influence to impact kids in a positive way. Kids love music and, through this book and CD, they can learn the valuable lesson of good sportsmanship. Kids also love entertainment and by following along with the words in the book they will learn how to rap while inspiring them to read." The series will launch in the US in September with Shaggy and Common amongst the acts set to take part in future books. There is no word on a UK release for the series.
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KELLY OSBOURNE ALBUM PLANNED
Following the success of her punkish cover of Madonna's ‘Papa Don't Preach’ the pink-haired 17-year-old daughter of Ozzy Osbourne is booked in to record a whole album. She is due to go into the studio next month and Ozzy’s label Sony/Epic plan to release the album in the Autumn as the second season of MTV’s smash hit reality sitcom airs. ‘Papa Don't Preach’, which appears on The Osbourne Family Album, has proved very popular and Kelly has been performing the track at events all over the US. The album will be overseen by Epic executive Ric Wake, the man behind the careers of Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and Jennifer Lopez, but Kelly has told USA Today that her album will be "nothing like" those other pop singers. "Of course my father gives me advice," she went on to say. "I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for him." "I'm kind of crapping myself because I don't think I'm a very good singer," she told MTV. "I consider myself lucky, because I know there are people who can do it better than I can. I never wrote a song in my life until a couple of weeks ago."
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ONE BIG LINE UP
BBC Radio 1 have confirmed that Ms Dynamite, Idlewild, Kosheen, Natalie Imbruglia and the strangely suddenly popular Liberty X will be amongst the line up at the second One Big Sunday event – the Radio 1 Roadshow for the 21st century. The event will take place on July 14 at Chantry Park in Ipswich, and will be broadcast live on Radio 1 and screened on BBC Choice the following weekend. Radio 1 live events continue to be hugely popular with the pop audience, even if a limited sound set up means live performances sound a little like ‘the stars do karaoke’. Expect thousands to pack the site on the day.
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Answer to Monday's CMU pop quiz:
Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s album remains at number two this week after a surprise return to the top five. What was the name of Sophie’s Mercury signed indie band, and what was the name of their debut album?
theaudience and theaudience – they were quite good as well, is a re-release due now Sophie is such a bankable artiste?