| CMU Daily - on the inside 6 Aug 2002 |
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Who started Mo Wax Records and where did they come from?
Answer tomorrow
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MCCARTNEY MINTING IT
After making £40m from his Driving USA Tour (the most profitable tour in the US this year), Sir Paul McCartney is set to earn a further £70m before Christmas with his second American tour this year. According to the tabloids, McCartney is set to play 23 dates on his 'Back In the US' series in the autumn. The average ticket costs £100, which earns the ex-Beatle a massive £1m a night. A tour insider told the Sun: "This has been Paul’s best year for a long time. He wed Heather, headlined the Jubilee gig and had a massive success with his Driving USA shows." With an estimated personal wealth of £713m you have to ask yourself 'does he really need the extra green?'
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MOBY GETS MILITANT WITH THE MEDIA
Moby isn't overly happy with the state of music television or radio, so much so he has posted an open message to programmers asking them to sort it out. On his site, Moby.com, he says "Those of you who work at MTV/ VIVA / VH1 / Much Music etc could start by working towards limiting the amount of airtime that is given to stuff that YOU find crappy or distasteful. Radio, too. Here's a novel idea for the people who programme radio stations and video networks ... why not occasionally play something that you LIKE and that doesn't make you feel dirty?"
On reading the message CMU’s Gill couldn’t help observing: “Isn’t he shooting himself in the foot: Moby’s recent move into bland soulless schmaltzy pop shite will doubtless be among the dross that would get dropped were his suggestions taken on board. Lucky for Moby moast radio and nearly all video channels do what they think regardless, so he’s probably safe. Nevermind.” Moby’s best pal Eminem wasn’t available for comment.
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ONLINE MUSIC SCHOOL BECOMES INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AND ACCREDITED
Eastern Conservatory of Music, a global distance learning music school, is now officially recognised and accredited by the International Accreditation and Recognition Council (IARC). The IARC, who has offices in Australia, granted the Conservatory its full recognition this year. The Conservatory is an outgrowth of the European Music Schools, Inc, which was founded by Peter Osterling in 1991. Osterling currently serves as the chancellor of the school. Students are able to enrol in various courses and degree programs online, from any location in the world, via the Conservatory's website, www.easternConservatory-music.org. "The distance education field is expanding and serving the needs of many students who otherwise would not be able to get an education,” Osterling told reporters. “At Eastern Conservatory we are committed to the thousands of musicians who need a flexible program, like ours, that will meet their professional needs," The Conservatory is the first music school and only the second US school to be recognized by the IARC. The Conservatory offers both credit and non-credit courses in such areas as traditional and jazz harmony and theory, music history, performance, and special areas such as ethnomusicology, historical musicology, African American music, and gospel music. The faculty is composed of 15 professors from across the country, many of them holding a doctorate in music.
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IMUSIC – A NEW MODEL FOR THE MUSIC BUSINESS?
New label, iMUSIC, a subsidiary of ARTISTdirect Inc, has arrived with a radically simple and fair new model for signing, promoting and compensating artists. That's why performers as diverse as Blues Traveler, Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, Speech (of Arrested Development), John Doe (of the seminal L.A. band X), Sir Mix-a-Lot, Tre (of the Pharcyde), Folk Implosion, Gene, Tom Tom Club, and Berlin have signed on to release albums on iMUSIC.
With net profits shared equitably between artist and label, and the artist retaining ownership of masters, it's no wonder musicians are embracing a concept Speech says is "like brotherhood.” Combine the progressive deal points with top-notch international distribution (via BMG in the US) and cutting-edge, targeted and low-cost marketing, and you've got a structure custom-made for artists who aren't necessarily the flavor of the month but who retain a loyal fan base.
"The iMUSIC concept was developed through our early forays into releasing Internet-only CDs," says company founder Marc Geiger. "We found that we were able to work efficiently and inexpensively, while allowing the artists greater control and better economics than they'd traditionally receive. With iMUSIC, we have the added value of brick-and-mortar distribution through BMG, but essentially we're following the same model that we used in our online-only releases, which proved to be tremendously successful."
Rather than attempt to "pirate-proof" discs and attack online file-sharing with litigation, Geiger says he prefers to offer some music from each release online as free, unrestricted MP3 files, counting on the "viral" distribution to spread interest, and to allow the music to speak for itself.
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SEPTEMBER BLACKTRONICA CONFIRMED
Blacktronica, the night that challenges the confines of the music industry, playing everything from Carl Craig to Coltrane, returns to the ICA on Wed 4 Sep, for a post carnival comedown special. Hosted by Attica Blues’ Charlie Dark the night showcases new and cutting edge Black electronica “because there's more to Black music than Hip Hop, Garage and R'&'B” explains Charlie. Blacktronica brings together the best of the new emerging Black British electronic music, from artists such as 4 Hero, IG Culture and Bugz In Da Attic to up and coming artists such as Crisis. Next month sees Seiji (Bugz In The Attic) and the mighty Koiechelon (Tribe of King's Sound System International) in the house for a night of broken beats, future jazz and heavyweight Dub Selections. The DJ's will be joined by East London's finest poet laureate Nolan Weekes from the 3 Plus Poetry Collective. 8-1pm. Poets on stage 9pm
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DROWNED IN SOUND NIGHT TOMORROW
Music website, www.drownedinsound.com who are currently in talks with investors about becoming a print magazine, are hosting a night in Brixton on Wed 7 Aug (tomorrow). The bands: Meanwhile Back In Communist Russia, Dogbonfire, Tex La Homa. The location: The Windmill, Brixton - which can be found on Blenheim Gardens, off Brixton Hill, 10 mins from Brixton tube station The cost: £3 The time: 8pm till whenever. For more information on the young man who set up his website at the tender age of 16, his glorious website and the move from web to print, get yourself a copy of the issue 64 of CMU: update.