CMU
Daily - on the inside Wednesday
19th January
In
today's CMU Daily:
- New report damning of legitimate download services
- So Solid Harvey in trouble with police again
- NIN return
- Industry growing around ring-tone success
- More tickets on sale for tsunami fundraiser
- Kasabian add extra dates
- Single Review: Editors - Bullets
- John Entwistle retrospective planned
- The Eels sign new deal
- Agent Blue tour
- Outkast man to voice crow in Charlotte’s Web
- Apple renew partnership with Pepsi
- Elvis set for chart topper hat trick
- Beck album online
- Single Review: Lazyboy - Police Dogs Bonfire
- Second Ray soundtrack planned
- SXSW line up revealed
- Big Day Out use new toilet technology to cut queues
- Moby a Father Ted fan
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NEW
REPORT DAMNING OF LEGITIMATE DOWNLOAD SERVICES
2004 may have been a good year for the digital music sector,
but was it such a good year for digital music fans? A new study
from market research firm Shelley Taylor & Associates has
reached pretty damning conclusions about most of the legitimate
download platforms, accusing them of short changing consumers
and record labels. The report also suggests that the weaknesses
of the download platforms encourage many consumers to return
to using the illegal P2P networks.
The
report says that many sites are in themselves confusing to use,
while the tendency for different download platforms to supply
tracks in different incompatible formats makes the whole digital
music space confusing for consumers to enter.
"As
a result, users' initial enthusiasm is being deflated as they
realise they have been conned - there are more limitations imposed
on legitimate digital downloads, media players and portable
devices than advertised," the report says.
The
report also rates individual download platforms. Those run by
British retailer HMV and Sony’s Connect service received
most criticism, though there was criticism too for industry
leader Apple iTunes - French retailer Fnac’s service came
out top.
"[Apple
and iTunes] need to watch their back and continue to develop,
especially since they've never been good at the e-commerce and
shopping. Key Fnac features that are lacking in iTunes include
discounts for buying multiple tracks and the ability to download
music videos and purchase concert tickets".
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SO
SOLID HARVEY IN TROUBLE WITH POLICE AGAIN
They might not be in the news for their music any more, but
they can still command some headlines for their run-ins with
the law. So Solid Crew’s Harvey has been charged with assaulting
a police officer after he was pulled over for a suspected motoring
offence. According to the police report, the rapper managed
to get himself charged with driving while disqualified, driving
without insurance and using threatening words and behaviour
all in one go - word is officers had to use CS gas to calm him
down. Harvey’s manager said he could not comment on the
charges until he had been briefed by his client’s solicitor.
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NIN
RETURN
Nine Inch Nails have confirmed they will play two dates at the
London Astoria on 30 and 31 Mar to promote their long awaited
new album, ‘White Teeth’. On the album and upcoming
live dates front-man Trent Reznor has written on his website:
"‘With Teeth’ is finished. The band is rehearsing.
I can't wait to present this music to you on your stereo and
in your town. This is a more lyric-based record than [1999's]
'The Fragile'. The tracks were very thought out and realised
and didn't mutate that dramatically through the [mixing] process."
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INDUSTRY
GROWING AROUND RING-TONE SUCCESS
The profitable ring-tone market may well be entering a new stage
in its development if a report in the Wall Street Journal is
to be believed. The ring tone market is now estimated to be
worth over $2.2 billion globally, and it is not just the owners
of existing music that are benefiting.
The
journal reports that a new industry is growing up with record
label style companies - complete with A&R departments -
that deal exclusively in the ring tones business. Meanwhile
songwriters, who have lost work because the advertising industry
increasingly uses existing music rather than commissioning original
jingles or soundtracks, are now making their living creating
original ring-tones.
Thomas
Dolby, best known for his early eighties hit ‘She Blinded
Me With Science’, is reportedly now earning a living in
this area, while the ring-tone division of French media company
Lagardere SCA has reportedly recruited former A Tribe Called
Quest man Q-Tip to create original music for phones to play.
And
the Journal reckons that those artists making ring-tones could
be on to a winner providing the ring-tone industry stays strong.
They can recoup much quicker because of the more or less non-existent
manufacturing and distribution costs, and popular ring-tones
tend to have a long shelf life.
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MORE
TICKETS ON SALE FOR TSUNAMI FUNDRAISER
Organisers of this weekend’s tsunami-aid gig at Cardiff’s
Millennium Stadium have put an extra 1000 tickets on sale. As
previously reported, the show’s producers had been looking
into how they might squeeze more people into the benefit show
after the original ticket allocation quickly sold out. Kicking
off at 3.30pm the show will include performances from the Manic
Street Preachers, Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones, Eric Clapton,
Snow Patrol, Feeder, Keane, Embrace and Badly Drawn Boy.
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KASABIAN
ADD EXTRA DATES
With everyone suddenly aboard the Kasabian bandwagon, promoters
have added two extra dates to their upcoming UK tour to fulfill
demand. The extra dates are in Glasgow and Manchester, where
the existing dates quickly sold out. Updated tour as follows:
22
& 23 Apr: Glasgow Academy
24 - 25 Apr: Manchester Apollo
28 Apr: London Alexandra Palace (28)
29 Apr: Brighton Centre (29)
30 Apr: Nottingham Arena (30)
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SINGLE
REVIEW: Editors - Bullets (Kitchenware Records)
Yet more music from serious young men who sound like they probably
don’t smile an awful lot. Their debut single comprises
three tracks of slightly plodding indie rock, full of earnest
vocals and morose, angsty guitars. The overall feeling is akin
to how Oceansize - who Editors have recently supported live
- might sound if they’d never heard a prog rock record
but liked a nice sombre walk through a Soundgarden now and then.
It’s all conveyed with a blustery import and well-intentioned
ferocity; but at the same time doesn’t pack quite the emotional
punch it thinks it does. A band with potential to acquire a
loyal, cult following, though. MS
Release date: 24 Jan
Press contact: Hall Or Nothing [all]
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JOHN
ENTWISTLE RETROSPECTIVE PLANNED
On 14 Mar Sanctuary Records will release a two disk retrospective
of the late Who bass guitarist John Entwistle. Called ‘Entwistle:
So Who's The Bass Player? - The Ox Anthology’, the two
CDs will include the best-known recordings from his illustrious
solo career; starting from his 1971 solo album ‘Smash Your
Head Against The Wall’ through to his final studio album
‘Music From Van Pires’. Press info from Noble PR.
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THE
EELS SIGN NEW DEAL
Long time CMU favourites The Eels have signed a new record deal
with American independent label Vagrant Records, the US home
of Rocket From The Crypt, Dashboard Confessional and Paul Westerberg.
They will release their first collaborations filled album via
the label - ‘Blinking Lights and Other Revelations’
- on 26 Apr, their first release since 2003’s ‘Shootenanny’
which was released on their former label DreamWorks Records.
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AGENT
BLUE TOUR
Fresh from their pre-Christmas support slots with The Others,
Agent Blue have announced a series of headline dates to promote
forthcoming single ‘Children’s Children’. Dates
as follows:
26
Jan: Shrewsbury, Buttermarket
27 Jan: Wakefield, Louder Than Bombs @ Escobar
28 Jan: Manchester, Night & Day, XFM X-Posure North Launch
31 Jan: Derby, Victoria Inn
1 Feb: Liverpool, Barfly
2 Feb: Cardiff, Barfly
3 Feb: Coventry, Coliseum
4 Feb: Leicester, Charlotte
6 Feb: Glasgow, Barfly
7 Feb: Wolverhampton, Little Civic
9 Feb: London, Camden Barfly
18 Feb: Stockton-on-Tees, KU Bar
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OUTKAST
MAN TO VOICE CROW IN CHARLOTTE’S WEB
OutKast’s Andre 3000 has been signed up to provide a voice
for the new animated version of the children’s book ‘Charlotte’s
Web’. He joins an all star cast which already includes
Julia Roberts as Charlotte, John Cleese as Samuel the sheep,
Oprah Winfrey as Gussy the goose and Reba McEntire and Kathy
Bates as the cows - Andre will play the part of Elwyn the crow.
Production on the film begins at the end of the month with a
2006 release planned.
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APPLE
RENEW PARTNERSHIP WITH PEPSI
Apple have announced a new partnership with Pepsi in the US
which will see the drinks brand give away a massive 200 million
free downloads via the iTunes platform - every third bottle
of the drink will come with a free download code. The promotion
will also include a competition to win one of 2000 silver iPods.
As with the two companies’ 2004 partnership, the campaign
will kick off with a major advertising push around the Superbowl.
Though presumably this time round you won’t be able to
check whether a bottle has a winning code in its lid by tipping
it on its side and peering through the plastic!
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ELVIS
SET FOR CHART TOPPER HAT TRICK
At last count it seems pretty damn likely Elvis will score his
third number one in as many weeks this Sunday with this weeks
re-released single ‘A Fool Such As I’. He is currently
outselling the nearest best seller, the Chemical Brothers’
‘Galvanise’.
However,
insiders reckon he won’t make it number one four weeks
running because next week’s re-release, ‘It's Now
Or Never’, will be competing with the previously reported
tsunami aid single being organised by former DJ Mike Read which,
from what we hear, will include vocals from Sir Cliff Richard,
Boy George, Bill Wyman and members of the Bee Gees, the Beach
Boys, and the Eagles.
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BECK
ALBUM ONLINE
Thirteen new tracks from the delayed new Beck album are now
circulating online. The new album, originally due for release
last year, is now unlikely to hit stores until 21 or 28 Mar.
However a bunch of tracks are already doing the rounds of the
P2P networks - leading to some speculation his label might now
bring the release date forward.
--------------------------------------------------
SINGLE
REVIEW: Lazyboy - Police Dogs Bonfire (Sunday Best)
You see it works like this. The CDs arrive at CMU, we log them
into the system, the reviewers meet on a Tuesday night, the
CDs are distributed, their reviews come in later that week,
we publish them here in the Daily. Which is fine until something
arrives that I really love myself. That by-passes the system,
slides into my bag and gets regular play on my home stereo,
but, more often or not, I never get round to reviewing it. Which
means if you send us something that never gets reviewed it either
means everyone here hates it, or alternatively, I really really
like it. As a guide, if the CD in question has a Sunday Best
logo printed on it somewhere, then the latter is definitely
true. Anyway, this is a round about way of explaining why I
am reviewing this single ten days after it was released and
a fortnight after every one else. Actually, if feels like I’m
reviewing this track six months late given that ‘Police
Dogs Bonfire’, and the rest of Dan Carey and Rob da Bank’s
fantastic ‘Penguin Rock’ album, was part of my personal
soundtrack to Summer 2004. The release of the single now is
presumably because the track is being used in one of Vodafone’s
current ad campaigns (you see, the advertising industry has
its uses). It is a testament to the Lazyboy boys that, despite
having played this track so much over the last six months, when
I slotted the single into my CD player it still sounded incredibly
fresh. Plus of course you get the two very fine remixes from
Mylo’s mate Linus Loves and Reverso 68 (the former was
my favourite until about two minutes ago when, while giving
this single one last listen before writing the review, I switched
my allegiances to the former). Anyway, if you were ever going
to play / review this single, or the album it comes from, chances
are you already have. But those of you who haven’t - well
Rob starts his new Radio 1 show in the old Thursday night John
Peel slot soon - so there’s the excuse to give it a plug
now; take my word for it, it’s marvelous. CC
Release date: 10 Jan
Press contact: Sunday Best IH [all]
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SECOND
RAY SOUNDTRACK PLANNED
A second soundtrack will be released for the movie ‘Ray’
featuring more legendary Ray Charles tracks "featured in
or inspired by the film". Tracks set to feature on the
second release include 'Leave My Woman Alone', 'The Midnight
Hour', 'Roll With My Baby', 'Busted', 'Let's Go Get Stoned'
and 'America The Beautiful'. The film itself, for which actor
Jamie Fox won a best male actor award at this week’s Golden
Globes, opens here in the UK this week.
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SXSW
LINE UP REVEALED
Bloc Party, Ash, Husky Rescue, Elvis Costello, The Futureheads,
Hot Hot Heat. Brian Wilson and, yes, Goldie Lookin Chain are
among the artists who will be appearing at this years South
By Southwest festival in Austin Texas from 16 - 19 Mar. From
those interested in these things, here is the full line up so
far with the city or origin for each band.
Frames
(Seattle WA), Against Me! (Gainesville FL), Ambulance Ltd (New
York NY), Ariel Pink (Los Angeles CA), Ash (London UK), The
Bad Plus (New York NY), Lou Barlow (Los Angeles CA), The Be
Good Tanyas (Vancouver BC), Blind Boys of Alabama (Birmingham
AL), Bloc Party (London UK), Blowfly (Miami FL) Brazilian Girls
(New York NY), Buck 65 (Halifax NS), Buried At Sea (Chicago
IL), Burrito Deluxe (Nashville TN), Vic Chesnutt (Athens GA),
Chingo Bling (Houston TX), Communique (Oakland CA), Damon &
Naomi (Cambridge MA), The Dears (Montreal QC), Death From Above
1979 (Toronto ON), Ditty Bops (Los Angeles CA), DJ Logic (Bronx
NY), Dogs Die in Hot Cars (Glasgow UK), The Donnas (Palo Alto
CA), Doves (Manchester UK), Kathleen Edwards (Ottawa ON), Fatboy
Slim (Brighton UK), the Futureheads (Sunderland UK), Goldie
Lookin Chain (Newport UK), The Go! Team (Brighton UK), Robyn
Hitchcock (London UK), Hot Hot Heat (Victoria BC), Hot Rod Circuit
(New Haven CT), Husky Rescue (Helsinki FINLAND), Billy Idol
(Los Angeles CA), ISIS (Los Angeles CA), Jennifer Gentle (Padova
ITALY), Kaiser Chiefs (Leeds UK), The Kills (London UK), Kings
Of Convenience (Bergen NORWAY), Los Super Seven (Various), Magnolia
Electric Co. (Indianapolis IN), Stephen Malkmus (Portland OR),
Aimee Mann (Los Angeles CA), Minibosses (Tempe AZ), Money Mark
(Los Angeles CA), Mono (Tokyo JAPAN), Ronnie Montrose (Sacramento
CA), Nada Surf (Brooklyn NY), Ojos De Brujo (Barcelona SPAIN),
the pAper chAse (Dallas TX), Pelican (Chicago IL), Pig Destroyer
(Bethesda MA), the pillows (Tokyo JAPAN), Robert Plant (UK),
Radio 4 (Brooklyn NY), Ratatat (Brooklyn NY), The Raveonettes
(Copenhagen DENMARK), Rob Sonic (New York NY), Saturday Looks
Good To Me (Ann Arbor MI), Ulrich Schnauss (Berlin GERMANY),
Sleater-Kinney (Portland OR), Smoosh (Seattle WA), Seyi Solagbade
& the Blackface Band (Lagos State NIGERIA), Son Volt (St
Louis MO), The Soundtrack Of Our Lives (Gothenberg SWEDEN),
The Spits (Seattle WA), Mavis Staples (Chicago IL), Stars (Montreal
QC), Steel Pulse (Birmingham UK), Steel Train (New York NY),
Swishahouse featuring Mike Jones and Paul Wall (Houston TX),
James Talley (Tulsa OK), Otis Taylor (Boulder CO), These Arms
Are Snakes (Seattle WA), Pam Tillis (Nashville TN), Underoath
(Tampa FL), Visionaries (Los Angeles CA), Saul Williams (Los
Angeles CA), and Wolfmother (Sydney AUSTRALIA)
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BIG
DAY OUT USE NEW TOILET TECHNOLOGY TO CUT QUEUES
The Melbourne leg of Australia’s Big Day Out festival will
employ toilet technology used at the Glastonbury Festival and
some other European festivals last year in a bid to cut the
queues outside the female facilities. The technology in question
is the Shee Pee, a female only urinal, which means "women
can pee standing up" making, organisers say, the process
quicker and therefore cutting queues.
Big
Day Out promoter Vivian Lees explains: "After the huge
success of the female only urinals at Glastonbury last year,
we thought it was definitely a service that women at the Big
Day Out in Melbourne would really appreciate. In addition to
providing women with an alternative to conventional unisex toilet
facilities, we hope that the service will help minimise the
time women spend queuing for toilets."
Kees
De Jong, the Australian distributor of the Dutch created Shee
Pee, added: "The P-Mate is a convenient, hygienic, discreet
solution to the long queues and other problematic circumstances
which confront women, particularly at large events. Even though
the P-Mate is fast and simple to use, we know that many women
will be trying out the P-Mate for the first time so we'll have
plenty of P-Mate hostesses at hand to provide guidance."
The
Big Day Out festival reaches Melbourne on 30 Jan.
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MOBY
A FATHER TED FAN
Father Ted star Ardal O'Hanlon has revealed that Moby is a huge
fan of the Channel 4 sitcom, so much so that he once invited
Ardal to perform with him on stage: "I sang ‘My Lovely
Horse’ with him. It was fantastic." No word on Moby’s
opinions of My Hero.