| CMU Daily - on the inside 18 Jul 2002 |
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FAMILY JACKO JOIN THE DEBATE
The Jackson family have leaped to the defence of brother Michael in an official statement yesterday. Read by Jermaine Jackson, the statement criticised the industry people and performers who have defended Sony boss Tommy Mottola, who Michael called a racist, and reprimanded US comics who have been having a Jacko field day of late.
"Industry types, such as Russell Simmons and Ricky Martin,” the statement said, “are uninformed and should wait to hear the facts before making derisive statements about Michael. Comedians Dennis Miller and Robin Williams and others who bad-mouth and make comedic references to the scandalous allegations that he faced several years ago need to be reminded that not only was Michael not convicted of any crime, he was never charged nor was he ever indicted. Any statements to the contrary are libellous and subject to legal action."
Ricky Martin, a Sony artist, told the New York Post last weekend that he didn't think Jackson's accusation that Mottola is a racist had any foundation, though of Jackson he simply said, "I've met Michael a few times, and I wish him the best. But I had no idea why he said that."
Def Jam founder Russell Simmons, meanwhile, questioned Jackson’s accusations that ‘Invincible’ was not as successful as previous Jacko albums because of band marketing on Sony’s part. "There are two things I know," he told the Post. "Tommy Mottola is not a racist, and in black music, especially, you don't need $30 million to make an album successful. If it's a hit record, it'll stick on its own."
The Jackson family accuse Sony of inflating the figures it spent making and promoting ‘Invincible’ (the labels claims $55 million in total). Sony has made no response to the family's statement. Their only comment on the whole Jackson Sony feud to date was to say: "Sony Music spared no expense in creating and executing a series of global marketing, promotion and publicity campaigns in support of the album. We are proud of what we have accomplished with Invincible."
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MAKING THE BAND P DIDDY STYLE
MTV have confirmed that P Diddy will play the role of svengali figure in the second season of the US show ‘Making The Band’. The first series followed the selection and building of boy band O Town. The second season, which goes into production this month, will follow the building of a hip-hop R&B group. "This show will be a wild ride. No tricks or gimmicks, just P Diddy reality," Combs said in a statement. "I have been creating stars since I was 19, and this show will give an insight into what it takes to be at the top. I'm excited to be working with MTV and doing what I love to do — creating and nurturing new talent." Auditions will be held across the US over the next month to find 20 people who will be evaluated by P Diddy in New York. "Once we committed to a new season of 'Making the Band,' the first person who came to mind was P. Diddy," MTV programming exec John Miller said. "He's a star maker who has created and produced numerous #1 musical acts. He is the perfect person to take 'Making the Band' to the next level. We're looking forward to debuting the next generation of 'Making the Band' and watching P. Diddy nurture and cultivate his new group." O-Town, products of the first series of Making the Band’, sold more than 1.6 million copies of their January 2001 self-titled debut.
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BPI SCORE PIRACY VICTORY
A Leeds man was arrested on Tuesday following a joint raid by Trading Standards and Police Officers following a BPI investigation into the sale and distribution of illegal MP3 CD-R compilations via a website. Over 500 counterfeit CD-Rs were seized in the raid, together with a computer system and CD writers. The suspect was released on police bail to face possible charges under the 1994 Trademarks Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment. David Martin, the BPI’s Director of Anti-Piracy stated, "My thanks go once again to the enforcement agencies in West Yorkshire for their support. Yet again we have seen an illegal factory run by someone who believes they will never be caught - if you are selling illegal music online you risk being caught and prosecuted."
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LEEDS LICENCE NEWS EXPECTED NEXT WEEK
Mean Fiddler will find out next week if they will be given a licence for the Leeds end of the Carling Weekender. They were refused a licence by Leeds City Council because of problems at last year’s event. At the time Mean Fiddler boss Melvin Benn told the NME "I've never failed to put a festival on in the past, and I don't intend to start this year. If you have tickets, hold on to them, if you want to buy tickets, buy them. I'm 100% certain that the Leeds festival will take place this year. It's a great bill and a fantastic weekend. As ever the young people of Great Britain are having to stand up and prove themselves against adversity." Mean Fiddler say they will go to the Crown Court if they lose the appeal, but that they have a standby site to use as a last resort.
Meanwhile Guns n Roses, one of the headliners at the Leeds Festival, have announced a second date while they’re in the country. The Leeds performance will be the band’s first UK concert since 1993. They now plan to follow it up with a second date at London Arena on the August Bank Holdiay (6 Aug). Singer Axl Rose and keyboard player Dizzy Reed are the only members who remain in the band from the old line-up.
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TOPLOADER RETURN
Toploader will release a new single – ‘Time Of My Life’ – on 5 Aug. A new album, 'Magic Hotel', and a huge 41 date UK tour to follow in the Autumn. Frontman Joe has told Radio 1 that while they will be playing ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’ at their gigs, it is starting to get irritating. "We never get bored of playing it I don't think, 'cause you know, the reaction's always good. But I mean, talk about being done to death, you know. It's like... we had a single out after that which we just... we just couldn't get it played 'cause of that. It did us a few favours but I wouldn't mind if that song was never... I never heard it again really... ha ha ha. The new stuff's... we kind of went more in the line of the songs that were going down better live. It's kind of... well it's much more in your face, definitely."
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SO DO THE FOO FIGHTERS
Foo Fighters have named their fourth album ‘One by One’. The first single release will be ‘All My Life’. As he starts the promotion trail for the new album Foo Fighters Dave Grohl has had to resign from his part time work as drummer for Queens of the Stone Age. Foo Fighters are playing the Carling Weekender in Reading and Leeds, and will appear at Ireland’s Witnness festival.
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DAB GETS AFFORDABLE
Tech company PURE Digital (formerly Videologic) will launch a digital radio receiver for less than £100 later this summer. It is hoped this will encourage people to start taking digital radio seriously, opening up new audiences for the numerous digital only radio stations around the UK. The EVOKE-1 will be in Argos, Dixons and House of Fraser from September/October for just £99. To start of buzz the company are offering those in the industry the chance to buy the sets now for £75 – the offer is being extended to most people working at digital radio stations.
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ALL TOMORROWS PARTIES ON ONE WEEKEND
Foundation have announced that All Tomorrow’s Parties UK will return to being a one weekend event next year, despite having already sold tickets for a second weekend. Aphex Twin, The Fall and Cannibal Ox have all been confirmed to play over 4-6 Apr. Promoters have said anyone who has bought tickets for 28 – 30 Mar will be able to get a refund or swap their tickets for the April weekend.
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CELEBRITY COVER STARS DON’T EQUAL SALES
The managing editor of the leading Hollywood title Entertainment Weekly has said cover stars are not shifting copies like they used to. James W Seymore Jr admitted a recent issue featuring Tom Cruise on the front cover had failed to deliver the anticipated sales boost. He said celebrity covers, once a cosy deal between movie publicists and magazine editors keen to cash in on the stars' popularity, had become "diluted as a commodity". He says each celebrities get overexposed whenever they have something to sell, meaning the magazine benefits little from having them on their cover. “Cruise had appeared on the covers of a host of other magazines, including Time, film title Premiere and women's glossy W,” he pointed out.
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WHY FUSION FOR OXFORD?
The Radio Authority has given more information about its decision to re-award the alternative station licence in Oxford to Fusion 107.9, the station that grew out of Oxygen, the only student radio station to ever be awarded a fully fledged FM licence in the UK.
They said they felt Fusion's application revealed a good insight into various problems which it had inherited from the student station, and recognised that the licence re-application process provided an opportunity for Fusion to address these, including “the re-definition of the programme format so as to more accurately reflect the group's analysis of the current and future programming requirements of its target audience, and the implementation of permissible improvements to its transmission arrangements to improve coverage in and around the city of Oxford”.
They felt Fusion had put together some creative ideas for speech content that would be attractive to listeners, and that their proposed music policy with its varied mix of youth music genres designed to appeal to those aged under 30 fitted the requirements of the station, in particular distinguishing it from the other local ILR Fox FM. Three other companies bid for the licence which runs for the next eight years.
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Answer to Wednesday's CMU pop quiz:
What about Madonna? Can you name twelve films she’s been in?
You could have chosen ‘A Certain Sacrifice’ (1980), ‘Desperately Seeking Susan’ (1985), ‘Shangai Surprise’ (1986), ‘Who’s That Girl?’ (1987), ‘Bloodhounds Of Broadway’ (1989), ‘Dick Tracy’ (1990), ‘In Bed With Madanno’ (1991), ‘A League of Their Own’ (1992), ‘Shadows And Fog’ (1992), ‘Body of Evidence’ (1992), ‘Four Rooms’ (1995), ‘Evita’ (1996), ‘The Next Best Thing’ (2000)