| CMU Daily - on the inside Thursday 15th June |
|
In today's CMU Daily:
- The White Stripes take to the witness stand
- Glitter in court for appeal
- Dem Franchize Boy drugs arrest
- Starr says Beatles will download - one day
- Beach Boys appear together again
- Creative say ITC investigating iPod patent claims
- Killers in London to work on new album
- The Who confirm opera release
- Go! Team at work on new long player
- The Meat Puppets reunite
- Hall Of Fame for backing musicians
- Album review: Mojave 3 - Puzzles Like You
- Ronnie Wood in rehab
- Goldie Lookin Chain for Escape Into The Park
- Broken Social Scene dates
- iLiKETRAiNS tour, also mentions album & Bestival
- Milwaukee union says venue wrong for Springsteen's Seeger tribute
- EMI close to reaching deal with Spitzer
- BMG publishing say "it's business as usual"
- Woolies sales down
- Programmedia add extra festivals to roster
- Xfm ad cleared
- Green Day help fan recognise live grenade
--------------------------------------------------
TOP BIT>>
OK, a kind of logistical-come-blatant-plug of a Top Bit today. As you may well know, as well as this here CMU Daily, we also publish a thing called the Beats Daily Bulletin, which is also a daily e-newsletter, though one targeted at music fans rather than people working in the wider music industry. 1000s of record buyers and gig goers now receive the Beats Daily Bulletin every day, getting a daily dose of news and reviews from the CMU team, but with slightly less copyright law news (apparently music fans aren't so keen on that, as crazy as that might sound). So why mention this here? Well, we are planning on running regular competitions through the Beats Daily Bulletin from the start of July. If you are a PR / label type and you have releases or events to promote, and you are able to offer a decent prize for us to give away (from signed albums to DVDs to games to quirky merchandise to all expenses paid trips to the Caribbean), then this is a great way of getting yourself noticed by the Beats Daily Bulletin's loyal readership. If you are interested in running a competition in the Bulletin, just email over the information to [email protected] and we'll be in touch. Thank you and good night.
--------------------------------------------------
JOBS N STUFF>>
14th Floor PR is seeking a Press Assistant to support the PR team across national, regional and online press. No previous press experience is necessary, but some prior involvement with music would be an advantage. The successful candidate will be highly efficient with strong writing skills, flawless spelling and grammar, and a passion for music. Computer literacy, including confidence with Microsoft Office, is essential.
Please send a covering letter and CV to Peter Hall: e-mail [email protected] or post to 14th Floor PR, 46 Kensington Court, London W8 5DP.
--------------------------------------------------
PRESS ROOM>>
XFM REMIX NIGHT JUNE
Ladies and gentlemen, this is very exciting. The next edition of Xfm Remix Night at Cargo in London will be celebrating and previewing the upcoming launch of Eddy TM's brand new album, 'YrocK', a very special edition of Distinctive Record's Y4K series due for release in August. Just look at this line up. Live on the stage will be buzz band of the moment Humanzi. On the decks, meanwhile, will be the Freestylers, Breakfastaz, Dogtown Clash, Ils, MC Sir Real and Slim Jim - and all hosted by Eddy TM. It all takes place at Cargo on Rivington Street in London on 16 Jun. Tickets in advance from http://www.ticketweb.co.uk. Special concession guest list tickets at http://www.leylinepromotions.com.
More info: http://www.cmumusicnetwork.co.uk/pressroom/remixnight
--------------------------------------------------
ON AIR>>
TODAY ON TOTALROCK
Chris Dale, 'From The Pop Troupe Sack Trick', talks to Reuben Gotto of Twin Zero and Johnny Truant ('Helldrive', 3-6pm). Listen live at http://www.totalrock.com.
--------------------------------------------------
RIGHT NOW IN THE CMU BEATS BAR>>
MySpace Of The Day: Four Day Hombre
Four Day Hombre were a band I became aware of for the first time at a gig I attended, of which Brakes were the headliners. I thought Brakes sucked (sorry, Brakes, it's nothing personal) but I was rather impressed by the very committed set (in a good way, not the 'committed to an asylum' way) of the band on before them. Four Day Hombre, in case you don't follow. They're one of those bands who'd developed a fairly rabid fan-base without people like me realising it - the rabidity of that fan-base adequately proved, I feel, by the fact that FDH set up their own label to release their debut - funded by those fans, who bought shares in the company. So, anyway, here's the MySpace page - you can preview their new single - 'Don't Go Gently', out on 26 June.
http://www.myspace.com/fourdayhombre
This and more at http://www.thebeatsbar.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------
THE WHITE STRIPES TAKE TO THE WITNESS STAND
The White Stripes have been in court to testify in the previously reported lawsuit being pursued against them by producer Jim Diamond. As previously reported, Diamond claims he is due a share of the royalties on the band's first two albums, which he worked on and the sound of which, he claims, he was integral in creating.
Taking to the stand first, Meg White denied that she or Jack had made any promises to Diamond regarding future fees or a cut of royalties, adding that Diamond's credit as co-producer on their first album was more a gesture of kindness on their part than a recognition of the producer's role in creating the band's distinctive sound. She said that Jack, in fact, deserved all the credit for producing the first album.
While Jack White's testimony covered some of the same ground, most attention has gone on the questioning relating to his run-in with Von Bondies frontman Jason Stollsteimer back in 2003. As you might remember, White gave former friend Stollsteimer quite a beating during the incident at a Detroit club, a run in seemingly related to long standing tensions between the two relating to White's involvement as a producer on the Von Bondies 2001 album 'Lack Of Communication'.
Diamond's people have raised that incident because they want to demonstrate that White has a history of threatening his associates - Diamond claims White made threats to him when he found out that he was planning to sue the band. To that end they called Stollsteimer to testify. The Von Bondies man related his side of the story behind that 2003 altercation, while claiming that two years earlier he had found a note from White stuck to the front door of his house with a knife - the note was scrawled on a magazine interview with the Von Bondies in which White felt his role on 'Lack Of Communication' had been played down by Stollsteimer, the note concluding with the line "That's the last time I help you out".
In his testimony White admitted to attacking Stollsteimer at the Detroit club in 2003, but described the note on the door story as "a laughable lie". Asked about allegations that he had told Diamond that he would ruin the producer's career if he proceeded with his lawsuit against the band, the Detroit News says that White replied: "I believe I said this was going to ruin his reputation, if he did something like this."
The case continues.
--------------------------------------------------
GLITTER IN COURT FOR APPEAL
Gary Glitter arrived in court earlier today for the previously reported appeal against his conviction and three year sentence for the molestation of young girls. The singer, real name Paul Gadd, asserted "I'm innocent, of course," on his arrival in court.
The hearing, which takes place at People's Supreme Court Of Appeals in Vietnam's Ho Chi Min City, is, like the former glam rocker's earlier trial, closed to public and the media, but will be opened when the decision is announced, sometime today.
--------------------------------------------------
DEM FRANCHIZE BOY DRUGS ARREST
A member of Atlanta rap collective Dem Franchize Boys was arrested yesterday whilst in possession of eleven pounds of marijuana at the city's Making Money recording studios. It's not clear which member of the group it was, as police have not, as yet, released that information.
According to reports, a total of eight people were arrested, plus two minors were also taken into custody before being released into the care of their mother. Police also seized two handguns, $150,000 in cash, a stash of porn and all the studio equipment. A spokesman for the Atlanta Police Department told reporters: "They were in the bathroom and they were trying to flush a lot of the drugs down the toilet. They just had too much and couldn't flush it all down."
--------------------------------------------------
STARR SAYS BEATLES WILL DOWNLOAD - ONE DAY
Ringo Starr has said that "the Beatles music will one day be downloading", referring to plans to finally make the Beatles catalogue available via legitimate digital music stores (all but a handful of Beatles tracks are not currently available to legit download platforms - though the whole catalogue circulates on illegal P2P networks of course).
Starr's comments follow indications earlier this year from Neil Aspinall, the head of Beatles company Apple Corps, who said that plans were in the pipeline to make Beatles songs available digitally. However, neither Aspinall nor Starr have given any real indication on the timescales involved in launching Beatles downloads, though neither seemed to imply any launch is imminent.
Starr has also been speaking about his former band mate's high profile marriage breakdown. Starr told the Toronto Sun that: "I talked to him [Paul McCartney] three weeks ago and I just said, 'I'm here if you need me.' That's all you can be". On the media coverage of the McCartney/Mills break up, Starr continued: "The British press are relentless. You would like them to stay out, but I'm afraid if you want them [initially], then they're going to stay in. I talk to Barbara [Ringo's wife Barbara Bach] in England every day and it's getting ugly".
--------------------------------------------------
BEACH BOYS APPEAR TOGETHER AGAIN
From Beatles to Beach Boys, and the three surviving founder members of that particular sixties band were together in public this week for the first time in, oh, ages, to pick up an award for shifting over two million copies of their greatest hits album 'Sounds Of Summer'. Relationships between the original Beach Boys have been pretty acrimonious over the years, of course, but cousins Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the most litigious of the founder members, seemed to be getting on OK at the press event on top of the Capitol Records building in Hollywood.
Love, who has always seemed to resent Wilson for his reputation as the real creative talent in the band, resentment that led to drawn out litigation in the early nineties over Beach Boys songwriting royalties, this time paid tribute to his cousin's "incredible abilities that gave us all this amazing life". Wilson, meanwhile, responded to questions about the possibility of a reunion concert, by saying "There's a chance of that."
Third founder member Al Jardine, who sued Love back in 2001 after being excluded from a Beach Boys tour, was also in attendance, telling reporters: "There's issues that arise, and you resolve them over time".
Wilson also paid tribute to his late brothers Dennis and Carl, the other two founder members of the band, who were both presented with posthumous awards for the 2 million selling hits album.
--------------------------------------------------
CREATIVE SAY ITC INVESTIGATING IPOD PATENT CLAIMS
MP3 player makers Creative Technology yesterday told reporters that the US International Trade Commission had launched an investigation into whether Apple's iPod infringes their patent.
The ITC investigation follows that previously reported complaint made by Creative regarding the patent it was awarded last year governing the interface used to navigate music stored on an MP3 player - a patent it applied for sometime before Apple tried to patent the same thing. In addition to instigating civil legal proceedings against Apple regarding those allegations, Creative asked the ITC to stop their rivals from importing iPods into the US based on federal laws that ban the import of goods that violate American patents. Apple 'import' their iPods because the players are actually put together in China.
Creative say the case will be referred to Administrative Law Judge Paul Luckern, who will hold hearings in order to make a ruling on the patent violation allegations. Such investigations and hearings normally take over a year to reach a conclusion.
Apple, who have launched several countersuits against Creative in the patent dispute (seven so far, if I'm counting correctly) are yet to comment on the ITC investigation. They have, however, commented this week on newspaper reports that the Chinese factories where the iPods are completed operate using slave like conditions. Apple says it is investigating reports in the Mail On Sunday that workers at their suppliers' factories receive as little as £27 a month for working 15-hour shifts while living onsite in dormitories housing over 100 people.
A statement from the computer firm read: "Apple is committed to ensuring that working conditions in our supply chain are safe, workers are treated with respect and dignity, and manufacturing processes are environmentally responsible" while adding that it was "currently investigating the allegations regarding working conditions in the iPod manufacturing plant in China".
--------------------------------------------------
KILLERS IN LONDON TO WORK ON NEW ALBUM
As previously hinted by the band, The Killers have moved from Las Vegas to London to finish work on their new album. On the new album, the follow up, of course, to 2004's 'Hot Fuss', frontman Brandon Flowers has said: "It's shaping up to be a lot more serious than the last album. I guess that's because the band is growing up. We're not singing about teenage girls anymore."
I wonder which studio they're at? Somebody tell me, so I can go stalk them.
--------------------------------------------------
THE WHO CONFIRM OPERA RELEASE
The Who have confirmed details of the release of that previously reported limited edition mini-opera. It's an eleven minute recording entitled 'Wire & Glass', to be released by itself on 10 Jul, but also to form part of a larger mini-opera, to feature on the band's upcoming long player release.
'Wire & Glass' splits into six parts, as follows:
Sound Round
Pick Up The Peace
Endless Wire
We Got A Hit
They Made My Dreams Come True
Mirror Door
--------------------------------------------------
GO! TEAM AT WORK ON NEW LONG PLAYER
Yay! CMU favourites The Go! Team have started work on a new album at London's Fortress Studios. It's the first time the collective have recorded together in a proper studio - their Mercury nominated debut 'Thunder, Lightening, Strike' was put together in band leader Ian Parton's parents' basement.
Yay! I know which studio they're at. Maybe I could go stalk them.
--------------------------------------------------
THE MEAT PUPPETS REUNITE
The Meat Puppets have got back together for a new album and tour. It is the first time founder members and brothers Curt and Cris Kirkwood have worked together since 1995's 'No Joke!' - the late nineties The Meat Puppets essentially a different band fronted by Curt. Since that last album, Cris has struggled with drug problems, also serving an eighteen month prison sentence, and the two apparently lost contact for seven years. Curt has now told Billboard that a new LP is ready, and describes the tracks as "sonic pyramids made out of garbage".
--------------------------------------------------
HALL OF FAME FOR BACKING MUSICIANS
A new Hall Of Fame museum has been set up in Nashville to honour the work of backing and session musicians, whose work alongside their more famous colleagues has frequently gone unappreciated. The museum will feature instruments, film and photography charting the history of the work of these musicians, and a music school and studio will operate alongside it.
The venture is the brainchild of singer/songwriter Joe Chambers, who told the BBC: "The public hasn't been given the information or the opportunity to know who is playing on a lot of those records. It means a lot, obviously, to the families and to anyone who stood in the shadow for so long. The way the museum is set up, everyone from grandparents to their grandkids can come and find somebody they're interested in."
--------------------------------------------------
ALBUM REVIEW: Mojave 3 - Puzzles Like You (Beggars/4AD)
By far the jauntiest album Mojave 3 have ever made, 'Puzzles Like You' is a world away from the stark fragility of debut 'Ask Me Tomorrow' eleven years ago. Slightly more direct and less exotic than predecessor 'Spoon And Rafter' (the influence of new producer Victor Van Vugt is clearly apparent), they sound like they are actually having fun, even exhibiting a touch of playfulness in the lyrics (see the "Daughter/trousers shorter" rhyme on 'Kill The Lights'). Few would begrudge them happiness, and indeed success, after a career (and a solid body of recorded work) which has seen them ignored for the most part by the media and the public. There's a touch of 60s innocence amid the Byrdsian jangly guitars of the title track and the wide-eyed retro dreaminess of 'You Said It Before', whilst single 'Breaking The Ice' remains one of the gloriously understated anthems of the year. For those (like me) who love M3 for their lovelorn country/folk laments, there are still some delightful slices of melancholy here - particularly on 'Big Star Baby' and, best of all, the closing track 'The Mutineer'. The latter is written and sung by drummer Ian McCutcheon and just goes to show that chief songwriter Neil Halstead should let go of the reins more often; as when he does, the results are surprisingly affecting. Whilst 'PLY' doesn't take M3 down any completely unexpected avenues, it still highlights them as fine ambassadors for their territory. How long 4AD will continue to support a group who continually fail to attract the commercial recognition they deserve remains to be seen, but as an album, this is another unqualified success. Recommended. MS
Released 19 Jun
Press contact: Beggars IH [all]
--------------------------------------------------
RONNIE WOOD IN REHAB
According to reports, Ronnie Wood is in rehab. The Rolling Stone apparently quit alcohol some time ago, following advice from his doctors, but has begun drinking again recently, provoking speculation that the band's tour may be in further jeopardy, following the series of postponements forced by Keith Richards' coconut tree incident in Fiji.
A 'friend' - a good one, clearly, if they're prepared to talk to the tabloids - has apparently told The Sun: "Ronnie has fought a long battle with drink. He managed to keep his boozing down to a minimum while The Stones were playing their American dates at the end of last year. The first gig in Boston was the first time he had played sober and without a cigarette for the first time in years. But he has started drinking again over the last few weeks and it has got out of control. The stress of worrying about his mate Keith has not helped."
A spokesman for Wood has commented: "He needs some rest but he will definitely be fit for the first night of the European tour."
--------------------------------------------------
GOLDIE LOOKIN CHAIN ON THEIR ESCAPE INTO THE PARK
Goldie Lookin Chain have been talking about playing at this weekend's Escape Into The Park, taking place on Saturday at Singleton Park in Swansea. They are at the top of a line-up that also includes the likes of Mylo, Deep Dish, The Shapeshifters, Erol Alkan, Armin Van Buuren, Eddie Halliwell, Fabio & Grooverider and Akira The Don.
On their appearance, GLC: "This summer will see the second coming of love. We're more than overjoyed to be appearing at this year's Escape in the Park event. Not only for the amazing women and tearing party atmosphere, but because we get to party in Wales and also get to stay at the Pantycelyn guesthouse on Oyster Mouth road. We also want to see sixty thousand ravers on the beach at 5am, just like Ibiza, but with better pubs."
See http://www.escapefestival.com for more details, press info from Spring PR.
--------------------------------------------------
BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE DATES
Broken Social Scene have announced four UK dates for later this year, in addition to their festival appearances at Reading & Leeds, Electric Picnic in Ireland and Rock End Seine in Paris, dates as follows.
28 Aug: Oxford Zodiac
29 Aug: Cardiff The Point
30 Aug: Liverpool Academy 2
1 Sep: Sheffield Leadmill
--------------------------------------------------
ILIKETRAINS TOUR, ALSO MENTIONS ALBUM & BESTIVAL
iLiKETRAiNS are going on tour, dates follow. Album 'Progress Reform' is out on 3 Jul via Fierce Panda. They're also at the lovely Bestival on 8 Sep.
28 Jun: London Metro (with Lupen Crook)
8 Jul: Leeds, Faversham (with Absentee)
11 Jul: Manchester, Night and Day
13 Jul: Coventy, Colleseum
14 Jul: Swindon, Brunel
19 Jul: Birmingham, Sunflower Lounge
22 Jul: Leeds, Moors Festival
29 Jul: Leeds, Across the Tracks festival
11 Aug: Glasgow, Blitzkrieg Bob
12 Aug: Inverness, Belladrum
23 Aug: Leeds, Cockpit
24 Aug: London, Sonic Cathedral (with Fields)
25 Aug: Manchester, XFM Xposure Live (TBC)
--------------------------------------------------
MILWAUKEE UNION SAYS VENUE WRONG FOR SPRINGSTEEN'S SEEGER TRIBUTE
The Milwaukee chapter of the US Union Of Musicians, Actors And Stage Hands has criticised Bruce Springsteen and his promoters for picking a non-unionised venue in the city to stage a gig where the singer plans to perform the music of leftist folk singer Pete Seeger, a strong advocate of the labour movement.
Speaking for the union, Paul Friday said the decision to stage the gig at Milwaukee's Bradley Center was "bafflingly ironic and somewhat infuriating". He added: "We're not really protesting. We just want people to know Springsteen's taking the music of a very pro-union campaign into a venue like that."
Springsteen's people are yet to comment on the union's viewpoint, although the concert's promoters, Frank Productions, said they had chosen the venue for logistical reasons, telling reporters: "We usually figure out how many seats we have to sell to pay expenses and find a venue that provides that".
Meanwhile a spokesman for the Bradley Center said the venue was not unionised because the employees there chose not to form a union. Spokesman Evan Zeppos said: "It's not management's decision - it's up to them [the employees]. Hopefully, part of it is we respect workers there, treat them properly, give them competitive wages and a strong benefit package."
Despite those claims, Friday said about fifteen local musicians planned to flyer the venue on the night of the Springsteen gig, and would be singing left-wing songs written by or associated with Seeger.
--------------------------------------------------
EMI CLOSE TO REACHING DEAL WITH SPITZER
HitsDailyDouble cite "sources" as saying that EMI will announce a settlement with New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer over payola investigations any day now. As previously reported, all three of the other majors have reached settlements with Spitzer after admitting that some of the promotional tactics used by their employees or agents in a bid to get US radio airplay for their artists broke anti-payola rules. The financial settlement is most likely to be similar to that reached by Warner Music - ie, in the region of $5 million (possibly a bit higher).
--------------------------------------------------
BMG PUBLISHING SAY "IT'S BUSINESS AS USUAL"
Now who exactly is it going round saying BMG Music Publishing are struggling to get deals closed while speculation is rife as to who will be taking them over? Oh, hang on a second, it was possibly us. But we didn't start the rumours, honest. Anyway, BMG Music Publishing say that despite the recent news that parent company Bertelsmann plan to sell the publishing firm, it is "business as usual" for those working at or with the company.
In the UK, BMG Music Publishing bosses have pointed to new publishing deals that they have completed with buzz bands The Grates and Kharma 45, the former about to release their debut long player via Interscope, the latter set to tour extensively this summer, with sets at T In The Park and the Carling Weekend. MD Paul Curran told CMU: "We have obviously attracted a fair bit of attention and rumour since the company sale plans were released but I think that these two key signings demonstrate that it's very much business as usual here. It hasn't affected the way we do business and clearly it has not distracted our A&R team from continuing to source the best talent available."
Meanwhile a spokesman for the US division of the company told HitsDailyDouble that it had just closed deals with a number of bands, including Flyleaf, MuteMath and Damone, and that "not one band has backed out of a tentative agreement with BMG Music Publishing or Zomba Music Publishing" since Bertelsmann put the company up for sale.
--------------------------------------------------
WOOLIES SALES DOWN
Woolworths have admitted that sales at the music-come-entertainment-come-other-stuff stores were down as the high street chain faced "challenging" conditions and the prospect of a month of slow sales due to the World Cup. Sales of DVDs, books and CDs were down the most - probably because, like HMV, Woolies faces increased competition from the supermarkets and etailers in this domain.
Analysts said that the news meant that Woolies was doing even worse than they expected (one analyst from Seymour Pierce told reporters "Woolies is firmly in our 'living dead' category"), but shares in the chain actually rose slightly amid rumours that minority shareholder Baugur, the Icelandic investment firm, might stage a takeover.
--------------------------------------------------
PROGRAMMEDIA ADD EXTRA FESTIVALS TO ROSTER
Programmedia have confirmed that they will be coordinating the advertising sales for media being distributed at this year's V Festival, The Big Chill and Bestival.
Launched last month, Programmedia aims to give advertisers a one stop shop where they can reach young and music consumers through a variety of media, most associated to major music events. As well as the new events, Programmedia is representing media being distributed at London Calling, Metro Weekender and London Rise, as well as regular music publications SWELL and GRAB.
The V Festival programme sounds particularly exciting. It is going to be edited by Loaded founder James Brown who says of it: "We'll be making it look and feel more like a magazine. It's going to combine information and fun and have stacks of energy. The aim is to create something that people will not only use on the day but will also cherish forever".
More info on all things Programmedia are online at http://www.programmedia.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------
XFM AD CLEARED
An ad campaign for the launch of Xfm Manchester, which caused 23 people to complain, has not been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority. The poster, part of the 'a new music station is born' campaign, featured two toddlers dressed as Noel and Liam Gallagher, one of which was "flicking the V sign". People complained that it was offensive to have pictures of children making "obscene gestures", while others said the poster would encourage other children to copy the gesture. However, the advertising watchdog sided with Xfm and their agency Mother London who said it was obvious the children were mimicking the Gallaghers, and therefore most people seeing the ad would find it humorous. While the ASA noted that some people might find the ad "in poor taste", the regulator concluded that the gesture was unlikely to cause "serious or widespread offence". So there you go.
--------------------------------------------------
GREEN DAY HELP FAN RECOGNISE LIVE GRENADE
Green Day have been credited with saving the life of a young fan after she found a live hand grenade in her garden in Halifax. Though don't be getting any images of the band suddenly appearing from out of the bushes, grabbing the grenade and throwing it out of the danger zone. The Green Day bit of this story is that the 12 year old girl in question recognised what the grenade was because of the cover to album 'American Idiot' which, of course, features a drawing of a grenade (whether there instructions in the liner notes as to what to do when you find one I can't remember).
Ten homes had to be evacuated in the city while army experts disposed of the grenade. The 12 year old Green Day fan, one Ruby Wilson, told reporters: "I saw what looked like a round metal object and realised it looked like a hand grenade. My dad told me to put it down carefully on the ground. But I wasn't very worried because I thought it was too old to be dangerous".
Dad Johnny Wilson added: "We were surprised when we found out it was live because the police told us in most cases they are not. We were shocked that it had been just outside our house and was capable of exploding".