| CMU Daily - on the inside Wednesday 5th April |
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In today's CMU Daily:
- Suge Knight applies for bankruptcy protection
- BPI reckon file-sharing cost UK industry £1.1billion since 2003
- IFPI announce latest anti-piracy push
- TuneTribe announce partnership with Last.fm
- Doherty not arrested shocker
- McCulloch to stand trial for assault
- Martin Gilks dies
- Single review: Ghostly Man - Capital
- Latest V festival news
- Acts confirmed for Sonar
- Acts announced for Nightmare
- Snow Patrol headline JerseyLive
- Reading and Leeds weekend tickets gone
- Audio Bullys, Daft Punk for Global Gathering
- Springsteen live dates
- Divine Comedy back, yay!
- Live review: Big Strides/Whiskycats at the Lumiere
- James Brown gets an award
- Giant Drag mad at label
- Real Radio launch local chart shows
- C4 considering music channel
- Single review: Nobody & Mystic Chords Of Memory - Broaden A New Sound
- Yorke disses music industry
- Wilson auctions off boots
- Peter Hook not impressed by FA
- Pink not impressed with Mr Church
- Buble advertises Juno win before the win
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TOP BIT>>
Well, with all those new research reports doing the rounds criticising the music industry, I feel a bit bad joining in - especially when Thom Yorke is going round calling all you record label types "retards". And it's not as if this particular point I'm about to raise hasn't been discussed before. But then if the record industry will keep on issuing the same stupid statement, then I'll have to keep on giving the same response, however predictable that might be.
The statement is this one - "x billion tracks were illegally download last year, each of which could have been sold for x pence, therefore the music industry is x pounds worse off". Or this one - "we sold x less CDs last year, which we reckon is down to P2P, therefore P2P is costing us x pounds". The BPI might argue that that's not exactly what they were saying when they issued their latest report on online music piracy yesterday, but their conclusion was a variation on the same theme - that file sharing has cost the music industry £1.1 billion in the last three years, which is £1.1 billion that could have been invested in new music.
The problem with statements like this is that there is an implication that someone somewhere is sitting on a big mountain of cash ... money that, if only P2P didn't exist, would be sitting in record labels' bank accounts funding the development of aspiring artists and young bands. And that implication is just nonsense. No one is sitting on a big pile of cash. Yes, because of P2P music fans may have a larger collection of 'nicked music' (though as I remember it, most of my school friends managed to build pretty extensive collections of nicked music without the assistance of P2P - taped off the radio or mates' CDs). But does that mean they are spending less money on music?
The record labels may point to declining record sales as proof that they are, though that's harder in the UK where record sales are actually quite healthy. But even if they weren't, that still doesn't mean people are spending less money on music. You might have noticed that the live sector is booming. And where exactly do those teenagers find the money to buy all those three quid a time ringtones? Consumers may be spending less on CDs, but I'm not convinced they are spending less on music.
The record labels will argue that doesn't help because they don't get any income off ticket sales or non realtone ringtone sales. But to be honest, that's because record labels aren't writing the right contracts when they sign their artists. P2P users may be nicking music, and that may be ethically as well as legally wrong, and content owners may have a duty to do something about it. But it is misleading to say that the music industry would be financially better off if only P2P file sharing could be stopped. Because I don't believe they would be (which is why it's a waste of money to try).
But does it matter that the record industry issues these kind of statements just because I don't believe them? Actually, I think it does.
Firstly because the music industry, and especially the record industry, has an incredibly poor reputation amongst its consumer base - ie music fans. Record labels, and especially major record labels, are seen as sinister corporates only interested in marketing strategies and increased profit margins and now, thanks to Thom Yorke, as "a bunch of fucking retards". Just for the record, record labels (even the majors) are not sinister, are not only interested in marketing strategies and increased profit margins and are not a bunch of fucking retards. I spend a lot of time at grass roots music events explaining this fact, and often with a certain degree of success - but persuading people otherwise isn't helped when record labels start suing their customers and making nonsense statements about how P2P kids have cost them a billion pounds.
And secondly, and perhaps more importantly, continuing to obsess about P2P is to ignore the real threat to the music industry - a threat that will actually cost the record companies money. And that's the IT and telco sectors who expect an ever increasing slice of the digital music pie, and the television industry, which is going to go bigtime into the TV-show-download space - taking the consumer pound previously spent on the latest Coldplay single by selling video downloads of last week's Lost or Desperate Housewives. The music industry is in danger of wasting all its resources on a battle in the ether that it can't win, while a much bigger battle is kicking off in the tower block across the road.
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PRESS ROOM>>
KILL ALL HIPPIES APRIL... The next edition of London's best rock night is this Friday, 7 Apr at the 333 Club in London and, as always, features a proper good mix of live bands and DJs. Live wise we've got The Maccabees and Jackson Analogue, taking to the basement stage, while Jeff Automatic and guest DJ Frankie D will be keeping things going on the decks down there. The Fully Comprehensive guys will be keeping the ground floor going with resident DJ Gavin Nugent, plus guests Mark Beaumont (NME), Syrinx and Simon Jones (Hope Of The States). Tickets are £5 before 10.30pm, £10 after (or £5 all night if you guest list in advance at http://www.leylinepromotions.com).
Press info: http://www.cmumusicnetwork.co.uk/pressroom/killallhippies
THE INSOMNIACS BALL... Kill All Hippies and Stylish Riots present London's first ever all-night indoor festival, kicking off the Easter Weekend on Thursday April 13th, with three live stages and dozens of live bands and DJs underneath the arches at London Bridge in the seOne club. Line up so far includes no less than British Sea Power, White Rose Movement, Mando Diao, Battle, New Rhodes, The Pipettes, Art Brut, Dogs, The Rifles, Komakino, Good Shoes, Cooper Temple Clause (DJ set) and The Rakes (DJ set). How good is this? Doors will open at 8pm, when the live music begins, and the entertainment will continue until 6am the following morning - Good Friday. Full details at http://www.insomniacsball.co.uk - for details of a special student discount check http://www.thebeatsbar.co.uk.
Press info: http://www.cmumusicnetwork.co.uk/pressroom/insomniacsball
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RIGHT NOW IN THE CMU BEATS BAR>>
MySpace Of The Day: Babyhead
These guys are sure to brighten up your day with their infectious ska/funk/hip-hop flavoured tunes. According to their page, what sums them up is that '...intangible quality...Energy'. Having seen them a while ago at the Rhythm Factory I can agree wholeheartedly with that sentiment. This 10-piece (at least I think there were 10 of them, they were jumping about all over the place so much it was hard to keep track) had the crowd bopping about within about a minute of coming on, and didn't let up at all throughout the set. Three of the four tracks here are live numbers, and give you an idea of the verve and vigour with which they pull off their sets. Full of cheeky ska riffs and driving bass and drums, as well as some nifty little turntable action, the sound is fresh and fun. Stick this on in the office and you'll have people grinning and nodding along in no time.
http://myspace.com/babyheadbristol
More on our MySpace Of The Day, plus acts appearing at next week's Insomniac's Ball answer the same six questions - today it's British Sea Power - all online at http://www.thebeatsbar.co.uk
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SUGE KNIGHT APPLIES FOR BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION
Suge Knight has moved to stop his record company from being forced into liquidation by filing for Chapter 11 protection from the US federal bankruptcy courts.
As previously reported, the LA courts, who froze the hip hop mogul's assets last summer, had threatened to seize those assets, including Death Row Records, as part of the ongoing legal dispute regarding claims by one of Knight's former business partners Lydia Harris.
Harris claims she co-founded the label but was later forced out of the business, and that Knight therefore owes her a share of Death Row's subsequent profits. The LA courts ordered Knight to pay Harris $107 million last March, a payment he has so far failed to make - at one point claiming Harris had in fact accepted an out of court settlement involving a much smaller sum. But Harris' lawyers continued to push for payment, while Knight repeatedly failed to attend court hearings regarding the debts.
In order to force payment the LA courts had threatened to seize and sell off Knight's assets, with judges planning to begin that process yesterday. In a bid to stop them, Knight's legal people yesterday announced the hip hop mogul had insufficient funds to pay Harris and that he had filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from the federal courts, which prevents the LA courts from proceeding with any action.
The bankruptcy courts will now have to consider if and how Death Row can be reorganised to ensure its future, and who should have a stake in it. Knight intends to continue running the record label while the bankruptcy proceedings go through the motions.
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BPI RECKON FILE-SHARING COST UK INDUSTRY £1.1BILLION SINCE 2003
The BPI yesterday revealed research which claims that illegal filesharing has cost the British music industry £1.1 billion. The report does explain how research firm TNS Worldpanel reached that figure (something about 3,317 respondents, actual purchasing and adding together three years worth of stats) though I didn't understand most of it - but I'm sure they earned their fee.
Launching the research, BPI boss Peter Jamieson told reporters: "The UK record industry is the biggest single investor in British music. Too often people believe that when they take music illegally over the internet it is a victimless crime. But when people share music files illegally, they are stealing the future of British musicians and the people who invest in them. Music fans know the value of great music. Britain's music scene is currently as vibrant as it has been for years but illegal filesharers need to understand the impact of what they do. The battle against illegal filesharing is a battle for the future of British music."
The same research also found a continued decline in P2P usage in the UK (down to 15.4% in 2005 from 16% in 2004 and 17.8% in 2003) and a growth in the number of legal downloaders (23% only use legal services, 31% legal and illegal, 46% illegal only). Of those who began downloading in the last six months, 56% are doing so legally.
All that research nonsense came as the BPI announced that it has won two further court cases against illegal file sharers, both of whom have been ordered to pay £2500 in interim damages to the record labels. The trade association says that it has now settled 102 cases in its legal assault on downloading, leaving 36 still to be resolved.
BPI General Counsel Roz Groome told reporters: "We continue to make progress in court cases against illegal filesharers, and all the cases that have made it to court have ruled in our favour. Litigation will continue to be an important part of our campaign against illegal filesharing."
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IFPI ANNOUNCE LATEST ANTI-PIRACY PUSH
The BPI launched its latest research as the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry and other trade bodies around the world stepped up their campaign against online music piracy, with another 2000 lawsuits against individuals and a new campaign warning parents to monitor their children's online activities.
The global trade body announced details of various measures being taken to curb online piracy. A number of anti-piracy raids in Italy have led to the seizure of 70 computers containing 30 terabytes (that's a lot) of shared music. In Denmark there are moves to cut off the internet access of thousands of illegal file sharers, based on moves in France where illegal downloaders have already been cut off by their ISPs. Meanwhile the music industry has launched anti-filesharing lawsuits in Portugal for the first time. Other lawsuits were launched in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, Iceland, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland, bringing the total number of anti-P2P lawsuits outside the US to about 5500.
The trade body used the new round of legal action to republicise the literature it has previously published that warns parents of the legal risks they run by allowing their children to illegally share music on their PCs.
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TUNETRIBE ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP WITH LAST.FM
Now, the problem with all those there download platforms is, of course, how the hell do you navigate your way round a million odd tracks? With that problem in mind, independent download platform TuneTribe has announced a new partnership with Last.fm that will enable users to utilise the expertise and recommendations of other music fans with similar tastes in order to navigate TuneTribe's huge catalogue of major and especially indie label music.
Last.fm, of course, is the web service which tracks your music tastes, links you with other users with similar tastes, and then provides you with musical recommendations and a personalised music stream. Key elements of the Last.fm service have now been incorporated into the latest design of the TuneTribe website, which will help music fans to navigate their way around the music available to download.
Confirming the new service, TuneTribe co-founder and CEO John Strickland told CMU: "TuneTribe's mission statement is to give music fans the best service a digital music store can offer. Our new partnership with Last.fm means we can give our customers the ability to deeply mine TuneTribe's massive 'long-tail' of music catalogue. This makes TuneTribe's ground-breaking approach to the digital marketplace even more exciting for music fans."
Last.fm co-founder Martin Stiksel added: "We are very happy to work with TuneTribe as they make sure that the artists get up to 80% of generated download revenue. This deal is the next step in music distribution where we cut out the middleman and get the music directly to the right ears."
You can try out the new service at http://www.tunetribe.com/ - press info from TuneTribe on 020 7613 8260.
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DOHERTY NOT ARRESTED SHOCKER
According to The Sun, the three other members of Babyshambles that aren't Pete Doherty - namely Patrick Walden, Adam Ficek and Drew McConnell - were arrested on Monday when they were pulled over by police in the Lewisham area of London after they were seen driving erratically. All three were apparently taken to a nearby station and Walden was charged with drink driving, whilst Ficek and McConnell may also face charges. Doherty was nowhere near the car, which is not that surprising, as it was in unfashionable south London at the time.
Lewisham resident Caro Moses told CMU: "I'm shocked. You just don't expect that sort of thing to happen around here. Oh, no. Hang on a minute. Yes, you do."
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MCCULLOCH TO STAND TRIAL FOR ASSAULT
Ian McCulloch is set to stand trial accused of assaulting two people outside Glasgow's Barrowlands last autumn. The Echo And The Bunnymen frontman is said to have attacked Julie Sebley and Gary Duncan after a concert at the venue, allegedly kicking open a toilet door which injured Sebley's head, and pushing Duncan a number of times whilst making threats. McCulloch did not appear at Glasgow District Court yesterday but issued a written denial of two counts of assault and a third charge of breaching the peace. The case has been adjourned until September.
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MARTIN GILKS DIES
Former Wonder Stuff drummer Martin Gilks has died from internal injuries following a motorcycle accident on Sunday. He was 41.
Gilks began his music career as a member of 80's indie band The Mighty Lemon Drops. After Wonder Stuff split in 1994 following their spate of early nineties hits such as 'The Size Of A Cow', Gilks moved into the management side of the industry, working with acts such as Reef and Hundred Reasons.
A spokesperson for his company, Furtive, said: "He was greatly loved by many and will be sorely missed by all his family and friends."
He is survived by a son and a daughter.
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SINGLE REVIEW: Ghostly Man - Capital (Tape Recordings)
Glyn Thomas (for Ghostly Man is he... it's an anagram, see?) was one half of brilliant Mancunian synth-pop duo Alpinestars. Now sadly defunct, the group effectively invented electroclash long before the likes of Fischerspooner were a going concern, and essentially part-pioneered the 80s electro-pop revival a few years before it was actually fashionable (which probably explains why they had such little commercial impact and have now split up). Anyway, these days Glyn peddles more organic wares, primarily made using 'real' instruments. 'Capital' is nice and poppy, starting with some Beatles-esque riffs that Oasis will be rather narked they didn't come up with, whilst accompanying track (or b-side, for those of us who remember vinyl) 'Advice From Strangers' is a sweet cello-flecked slab of wistful acoustic folk. Like his former group, this will also probably sell bugger all, but it's full of song-writing promise and well worth seeking out. MS
Release date: 10 Apr
Press contact: Stay Gold Press [all]
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LATEST V FESTIVAL NEWS
Girls Aloud, We Are Scientists, The Cardigans and The Saw Doctors (bloody hell, I love those guys and I'd all but forgotten them) are amongst the latest acts added to the line up for this year's V festival. Why must this happen in August? There's no way I'll be able to make it.
Anyway, those acts join a host of really good, previously confirmed acts. Do you want a reminder as to who they all are? Go on then, here's the full line-up: Radiohead, Morrissey, Razorlight, Beck, Bloc Party, Kasabian, Paul Weller, Bic Runga, Daniel Powter, Editors, The Ordinary Boys, Keane, Faithless, Fatboy Slim, Groove Armada, The Charlatans, Starsailor, The Go! Team, We Are Scientists, Girls Aloud, Delays, Ghost Cat, The Magic Numbers, Sugababes, James Dean Bradfield, Delays, Hard-Fi, Rufus Wainwright, Kubb, Orson, The Feeling, Daniel Powter, Gavin Degraw, The Cardigans, Phoenix, The Saw Doctors, The Rifles.
All takes place, as previously reported, at Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Weston Park, Staffordshire from 19-20 Aug.
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ACTS CONFIRMED FOR SONAR
More festival news, anyone? Goldfrapp, Infadels and Gilles Peterson have all been confirmed for the Sonar festival, taking place in Barcelona from 15 - 17 Jun. Tickets, I believe, are on sale now, more info from http://www.sonar.es/portal/eng/home.cfm.
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ACTS ANNOUNCED FOR NIGHTMARE
The Stooges are to play this year's Nightmare Before Christmas, which is being curated by Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, who will also appear at the event, which is set to take place at Butlins in Minehead, Somerset, from 8-10 Dec. Tickets go on sale Friday at 9am.
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SNOW PATROL HEADLINE JERSEYLIVE
Snow Patrol are to headline the JerseyLive festival, taking place at the Royal Jersey Showground in Trinity on 2 Sep. More acts are expected to be announced soon for the event, now in its third year. See http://www.jerseylive.org.uk for more info.
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READING AND LEEDS WEEKEND TICKETS GONE
Weekend tickets for this year's Reading and Leeds festivals sold out within an hour of going on sale on the internet on Monday evening, whilst HMV stores sold out their allocation within minutes of opening their doors on Tuesday morning. A limited number of day tickets for both locations are still available.
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AUDIO BULLYS, DAFT PUNK FOR GLOBAL GATHERING
Daft Punk and Groove Armada are amongst the acts set to appear at this year's Global Gathering. They join names such as Fatboy Slim, Deep Dish, Sasha, and Carl Cox on the line up for the event which takes place from 28 - 29 Jul at Long Marston Airfield, Stratford upon Avon. See http://www.globalgathering.co.uk for info.
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SPRINGSTEEN LIVE DATES
Bruce Springsteen has announced three UK tour dates for next month in support of new album 'We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions', out 24 Apr. As previously reported, the long player is a collection of traditional songs associated with folk artist Pete Seeger. The dates are as follows:
5 May: Dublin The Point
7 May: Manchester Evening News Arena
8 May: London Hammersmith Apollo
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DIVINE COMEDY BACK, YAY!
A new Divine Comedy album is to be released later this year. 'Victory For The Comic Muse' is due out on 19 Jun preceded by a single on 12 Jun. I hope it's good. Neil Hannon will tour in May this year, with an eight-piece band. I hope I get to go. Here are the dates:
17 May: Cambridge Junction
18 May: Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall
19 May: London St James Church
21 May: Sheffield Leadmill
22 May: Manchester Academy 2
23 May: Glasgow QMU
24 May: Dublin Vicar Street
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LIVE REVIEW: Big Strides/Whiskycats at the Lumiere, last Wednesday
Yes, yet again, I should probably have turned this around quicker. I'm busy, not lazy. Yes, that's it. Anyway, this is the third time I have seen Big Strides play live, and it's the best I've seen them, so this time I think it's important that I tell you all about it. Actually, I think it might be something to do with the soundman. On the occasions that I've seen them they've always given a great performance, but on this occasion, there was a greater clarity to the noise emanating from the band's instruments as well as vocalist Marcus O'Neill and guest vocalist 'Lana, who took to the stage for just one track but made an impact nonetheless. The more I hear these guys, the more I like their eclectic sound, that combines guitar, drums, double bass and occasional harmonica to create a something that resembles a head on collision between blues, jazz and contemporary indie rock, complete with lyrics offering an often darkly humorous edge. The crowd reacted most vocally to a rendition of an older track 'I Do Not Fear Jazz', but equally well received were performances of new single 'Let's Get Nice', and one of my personal favourites, the played-on-the -CMU-Radio-show 'Suicidal', which I thought might be a bit sad the first time I heard it, but isn't, as it turns out. They're highly skilled musicians, with a laid back sort of charm that comes from the obvious enjoyment they get from playing. Yes, indeed. As an added bonus, I arrived in time to see one of the support bands, Whiskycats, who are an energetic bunch purveying funky rock with no small degree of panache, and who were clearly keen to feed off the crowd's energy, which was a unfortunately a bit lacking at that stage in the evening, to be honest. Well, it was a Wednesday night, and the gig was probably not quite as well attended as it ought to be, although numbers swelled somewhat in time for the headline act. In any case, Whiskycats' performance was good enough to make me go and add them to my MySpace friends the very next day. It's a very big honour, you know. CM
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JAMES BROWN GETS AN AWARD
James Brown is to be presented with the Martin Luther King Jr award for his services to music at a ceremony at the Sheraton New York Hotel tomorrow. The award recognises the work of those who uphold the principles that the legendary civil rights leader stood for.
On receiving the award, Brown says: "It is nice to be thought of for such an honorable award that means so much to so many people. Dr King was a man who fought for our country, for better, harmonious relationships and for hope for a better world for everybody. I, along with many others have the utmost respect for such an inspirational life-leader. We can all relate to his beliefs and we continue to follow that dream."
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GIANT DRAG MAD AT LABEL
It's an artist being mad at their label story. Giant Drag frontlady Annie Hardy has told Rolling Stone that the band are unhappy over their album's US re-release. The label, Kickball, have reissued the long player, 'Hearts And Unicorns' including a cover of Chris Isaak's 'Wicked Game', which wasn't on the record initially. Hardy said: "Obviously, the cover wasn't on the original version of the album because we didn't fucking want it there. It was a song that I had been playing before, and it's only three chords. Little did we know."
The song has garnered the band radio play on many US stations but she's not happy about that, suggesting that it might have a negative impact on Giant Drag's long term career. Hardy adds: "I guess either they're buttering my balls, or it's the truth: It's hard to get female-fronted bands on bigger radio stations. So this could be a foot in the door, or it could be the kiss of death and we'll be the next Alien Ant Farm. Wait and see!"
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REAL RADIO LAUNCH LOCAL CHART SHOWS
The Guardian Media Group is launching regional chart shows on its three Real Radio stations in Scotland, Wales and Yorkshire. A separate chart will be compiled for each area, with Mark Goodier then recording a different chart show for each station counting down the relevant region's chart.
Announcing the new chart shows, GMG Radio Programme Director John Simons told reporters: "This is the first time many listeners have had the opportunity to listen to a music chart show that really reflects their area. It'll be interesting to see how musical tastes differ in each of our regions".
Goodier, of course, also hosts the Smash Hits chart show on the EMAP radio stations, which means he'll have to present four chart shows a week, which could possibly drive someone insane. We'll see I guess.
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C4 CONSIDERING MUSIC CHANNEL
According to last week's Broadcast magazine, Channel 4 are considering launching a music channel following the success of the Music Zone which fills E4's output from 6am to 2pm. The E4 Music Zone is currently the second most-watched music channel while it is on air, which has persuaded C4 bosses to seriously consider allowing the strand to stand on its own. Channel 4 is known to be considering the launch of another new channel this year - though previously a channel based around the network's US acquisitions was said to be the top priority.
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SINGLE REVIEW: Nobody & Mystic Chords Of Memory - Broaden A New Sound (Rough Trade/Mush)
Recently, Los Angeles' Nobody, or to be strictly accurate, DJ Nobody, teamed up with Chris Gunst, who is formerly of Beachwood Sparks but now making music with Mystic Chords Of Memory. They've recorded an album together, which is called 'Tree Colored See'. The album's not out until later this year, but this single precedes it. 'Broaden A New Sound' is a sunkissed, blissful, laid-back, psych-pop song. Great, especially with summer just round the corner, but the problem is it doesn't really go anywhere. Despite its brevity (it's three minutes long) the song feels a lot longer because it just keeps repeating the same thing over and over. I can see it getting a fair amount of radio-play, especially if we get a nice bit of sunny weather around its release time, but ultimately it just feels more like an EasyJet holiday brochure than a California summer. DG
Release Date: 1 May
Press Contact: Darling [RP, NP] Rough Trade IH [CP, CR, RR, NR]
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YORKE DISSES MUSIC INDUSTRY
Thom Yorke has had a go at music industry types in interview in this week's NME, calling them "fucking retards". The Radiohead frontman told the magazine: Talking of the rise of Arctic Monkeys the singer said: "A good thing for new music would be more of the mainstream loosening up a bit and letting stuff through. Radio 1 won't play anything fucking decent. You need to sort the radio out. The fact that poor Arctic Monkeys are getting so much attention is purely based on the fact that the mainstream music business is such a bunch of fucking retards as far as I'm concerned."
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WILSON AUCTIONS OFF BOOTS
It would seem Paul McCartney's not the only one selling off his old shoes for a good cause. Chief Kaiser Ricky Wilson is to auction a pair of boots that he wore during the band's 2005 tour, including that Live 8 performance in Philadelphia.
The boots, up for sale on eBay, are signed by Wilson and will be accompanied by a handwritten note confirming their authenticity. They're being sold in aid of a children's charity in Liverpool that helps fund underprivileged kids to go on school trips. At present they're at the £205 mark. Which doesn't seem that much, really. For a pair of sweaty old shoes. Seven days and thirteen hours to go at time of going to press...
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PETER HOOK NOT IMPRESSED BY FA
Peter Hook is not very impressed by the FA's decision to pick Embrace to do the England World Cup song, according to Planet Sound. The New Order bassist, who of course, has experience in these matters having worked on 'World In Motion' back in 1990, says: "It's a travesty. We're going to get some middle of the road weepy ballad. That's definitely not going to get anyone singing along on the terraces, is it? Embrace just don't do it for me. They should have got Arctic Monkeys with Wayne Rooney rapping along, otherwise the FA should have just re-issued 'World In Motion.'"
Meanwhile, Embrace's Danny McNamara has revealed the lyrics haven't yet been written for the song. The singer told Zoo magazine: "We recorded the track last January but never released it. Now I just need something that rhymes with Rooney."
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PINK NOT IMPRESSED WITH MR CHURCH
Pink wasn't too impressed by Charlotte Church's other half when she guested on the same edition of the Jonathan Ross show as the rugby star. Apparently amazed by Gavin Henson's vanity, the singer is quoted as saying: "I was sitting next to him and he pointed to the cameraman and was like, 'Hey you, why don't you point that camera at me and put it on the screen so I can see how good I look? I've never heard a guy say that. That was the first thing I heard him say. I thought, 'Who is that dude?'"
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BUBLE ADVERTISES JUNO WIN BEFORE THE WIN
Next time you are watching a live awards show on the telly, make sure you watch the ads, it could be the first place you find out about the winners.
During the TV airing of Canada's big awards bash, the Junos, last Sunday an ad went out in one of the breaks for a Michael Buble record crediting the star as being the winner of both the Artist Of The Year and Single Of The Year Junos. While that is true, when the ad aired he'd only officially won one of them - the other was formally announced later in the night.
Bosses at the Junos and Buble's record label Warner stress that the ad jumped the gun because of a technical error, and not because of any shady insider knowledge. Apparently the label recorded several ads, each name checking different combinations of awards, and a CTV computer accidentally aired the wrong one in that particular break.
Spokesman Mike Cosentino explains: "This was a technical error that absolutely and unequivocally lands solely at the feet of CTV. The file server triggered an incorrect commercial".