| CMU Daily - on the inside Thursday 14th September |
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In today's CMU Daily:
- Universal chief has copyright issues with YouTube et al
- Whitney divorcing Bobby
- Supernova not so super a name for CBS supergroup
- LA band dispute under age video shoot claims
- Jay Kay arrested - he's hitting photographers again
- Output over and out
- Adam Ant on depression
- Stones tracks to appear in new animated film
- New Jay-z - some retirement
- Hatherley on the new album
- Eminem mix tape incoming
- Pavement reissue filled with rarities
- MOBO preview showcase planned for HMV
- Madonna goes ahead with cross routine despite cross Russians
- Dirty Pretty Things tour
- My Chemical Romance tour
- EC plan review of copyright levy system
- News Corp buys share in the frog (the crazy one, not the spiral one)
- Kiss marketing man moves to Capital
- SMG announcements suggests UTV merger a no go
- Hip hop fans sleep around, classical fans too out of it to bother
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TOP BIT: AKIRA THE DON INTERVIEW>>
The chances are you might have come across Akira The Don, or AK Donovan, or A Zilla, or Adam Alphabet, or just Adam, in one of a number of places. I'm pretty sure I first came across him as one part of the London hip hop posse Crack Village, or perhaps I was reading his ramblings on PlayLouder before that, I can't remember. It doesn't really matter, because it is in his current guise that he has been garnering the most attention - though even then you might know Akira The Don for different reasons - for his almost legendary unofficial mix tapes, or his always on it website or, perhaps most importantly, his original music. 'Clones' was the first one that did it for me in that department, though as we speak I think 'Patrick' has the edge. Either way, pretty much everything I've heard from Akira to date has demanded the tag-line "quality" so, with his album ready to be unleashed in November and a new double a-side single out this week, now seemed as good a time as any to speak to the Don.
Check the interview online now on CMU Beats - http://www.thebeatsbar.co.uk/cmuinterviews
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JOBS N STUFF>>
PRESS OFFICER
Successful and growing independent rock label seek Press Officer and media all rounder to deal with established acts and growing newcomers plus events the label is involved with. A knowledge of rock and metal would be a bonus. Duties would range from developing and maintaining strong relations with national, regional and specialist press, radio and TV contacts, generating features and coverage, press trips, writing press releases to helping to run events. 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 email a covering letter and cv to [email protected] or
post to: PR Vacancy, Visible Noise, 231 Portobello Rd, London W11 1LT
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ADVERTISE YOUR JOBS, SERVICES AND PRODUCTS here for just £50 a week, or £150 for two weeks in the Daily and four weeks on the web. Email [email protected] for details.
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BLATANT PLUGGING>>
CMU IN PRINT! - ADVERTISE RELEASES TO STUDENTS EVERYWHERE
As we mentioned back in July, we will be publishing a special edition of a CMU newspaper which will be distributed around campuses all over the UK as the student population returns for the new academic year later this month - offering a guide to all the great new music coming out this Autumn. This is a brilliant way to engage and excite 100,000s of students and young record buyers at the most important time in the college and music year. A full page costs £1000, a half page £600, a sixth page £260, a 12th page £160. Book your ad spots now - email [email protected]
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MYSPACE OF THE DAY: THE BEES
Another Bestival related tip. Do you know, I'd almost forgotten about The Bees until I noticed them on the line up for Bestival last weekend - which is possibly a terrible admission, but it's hard to keep hold of every band in the world in your head when so many great new bands keep cropping up. But The Bees probably do deserve to maintain their position someone near the front of my mental list. Being native to the Isle Of Wight they are always destined to go down particularly well at Bestival, but their set on Saturday night really reminded me just how great they are. According to this MySpace the guys are busy working on their second album but if, in the meantime, you also need a refresher, then get over here and listen in to the four tracks streaming on the band's player. And if you, like me, decide you should keep The Bees more central in your mental music library, then perhaps you should sign up for the email updates offered here, so you get regular reminders in your inbox. I know I will.
http://www.myspace.com/thebeesofficial
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UNIVERSAL CHIEF HAS COPYRIGHT ISSUES WITH YOUTUBE ET AL
The boss of the Universal Music Group has implied that his company may soon be taking action regarding the ever growing amount of its content that is appearing on social networking websites like YouTube and MySpace.
The record companies have been generally quiet regarding such sites, despite the fact individual music fans are using them to make available large amounts of copyrighted audio and video content without permission. Such sites do, of course, offer some promotional value for the labels, and in deed most labels have used the likes of YouTube and MySpace in their marketing activities in the last year. However Universal CEO Doug Morris has indicated that such promotional benefits do not compensate for what he sees as widespread copyright violation.
According to Reuters, Morris told an investors meeting this week: "The poster child for [user-generated media] sites are MySpace and YouTube. We believe these new businesses are copyright infringers and owe us tens of millions of dollars. How we deal with these companies will be revealed shortly".
Reuters also quote a Merrill Lynch analyst, Jessica Reif Cohen, who observed yesterday: "His remarks strongly suggested the company was planning to take legal action in the near-term to either prevent the illegal use of their content on these websites or to ensure the company is compensated for the use of its content. This could be the first salvo from a content player against business models based on user-generated content, much of which relies on copyrighted material."
Of course, YouTube in particular are known to be in negotiations with the major record companies regarding their ambitions to host the ultimate online music video jukebox, but it is as yet unclear what exactly the video sharing website is proposing to the labels in that regard. YouTube avoided legal action from US TV network NBC over the uploading of its content on the site by reaching a deal which sees promotional content for the network's new shows getting legitimately posted.
However, Morris in particular is known to be wary of forgoing royalties on pop promo videos because of potential promotional benefits. In his speech on the issue this week he referenced how the record industry lost out when it offered its videos for next to nothing in the early days of MTV because of the perceived promotional benefit to the labels: "[MTV] built a multibillion-dollar company on our [music] ... for virtually nothing. We learnt a hard lesson."
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WHITNEY DIVORCING BOBBY
Whitney Houston's publicist has confirmed that the singer is filing for divorce from husband Bobby Brown after their high profile fourteen year marriage. There's no word on the specifics of the divorce proceedings, with spokeswoman Nancy Seltzer saying nothing more than: "Whitney Houston has filed for divorce".
Whitney's relationship with Brown has, of course, had its ups and downs, with Brown himself in frequent trouble with the law over drugs and drink charges, and claims by the mother of two of his children that he continually failed to pay her maintenance. There were also allegations of spousal abuse against Houston, who was known to be battling with her own drug problems throughout much of the marriage. Earlier this year Whitney's sister-in-law told reporters she had shared revelations about the singer's current drug problems with the National Inquirer in a bid to shock her into making radical changes in her life because "Every time I got called [by Houston] I was scared I was gonna walk in there and she was gonna be dead". The couple's marriage came under a particular spotlight last year when Bobby Brown launched his own reality show following him and his wife.
Houston is known to be working on a new album with BMG, though Brown, despite the relative success of his reality show, has generally failed to rekindle his music career.
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SUPERNOVA NOT SO SUPER A NAME FOR CBS SUPERGROUP
Talking of reality TV, makers of the second series of US reality show Rock Star have run into problems over the name of the supergroup the show is aiming to create. The second series of Rock Star, which was responsible for recruiting a new frontman for INXS in series number one, is looking for a frontman (or woman, I guess) to lead a new supergroup that will also include Motley Crue's Tommy Lee on drums, former Guns N Roses member Gilby Clarke on guitar and former Metallica member Jason Newsted on bass.
The plan was to call the new group Supernova, and as such the show is called Rock Star: Supernova. However, there is already a Californian punk band called Supernova, and they have sued the programme's makers, Mark Burnett Productions and CBS Broadcasting, over their use of their name (the lawsuit initially also named the new band's members, Lee, Clarke and Newsted, but the plaintiffs last month asked for their names to be removed from the action).
With the TV show reaching its conclusion this week, a judge in San Diego has issued an injunction which bars the programme's makers or the band they create from "performing rock and roll music, or recording, or selling rock and roll music recordings under the same [name], pending a trial of this action on its merits, or until otherwise ordered by the court".
It remains to be seen what the TV show's makers now do regards their new supergroup's name. While the injunction does leave it open for them to fight the original Supernova in court, to do so will be time consuming, and the new band will want to start recording and touring quickly to capitalize on the success of the TV show. Producers are yet to respond but, when they do, insiders expect them to announce an alternative name.
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LA BAND DISPUTE UNDER AGE VIDEO SHOOT CLAIMS
More legal stuff, and LA rock band Buckcherry are facing an interesting lawsuit over allegations they enticed an under aged girl to appear in a raunchy video for their song 'Crazy Bitch', which was then posted on their MySpace. The girl in question, who was under 18 when the video was shot, appears topless, kissing another girl and writhing against a pole. The girl and her mother are now suing the band saying that they plied her with alcohol before enticing her to perform in the pop promo, and that since the video aired she has suffered great "emotional stress". If the girl wins her case against them the band could face serious enticement of a minor charges as well as a large compensation pay out.
However, the band and their management are disputing the claims, claiming the girl used fake ID to enter the video shoot, that it was strictly for over 18s only, and that she voluntarily took part in the scenes seen in the original video. The band's manager, Allen Kovac, told reporters: "There was every opportunity for her not to be in that video. For whatever reason, the girl subverted those efforts, and now her mom is trying to blame everyone but her."
Meanwhile the band's lawyer, Skip Miller, has issued the following statement regarding the case: "The claims in this case are completely bogus. This woman obtained access to the video shoot by using a phony ID. Strict precautions were taken to insure that only people over the age of 18 would gain access to the shoot. The casting ad called for talent over 18 only, signs were posted to that effect at the venue and IDs were checked. This person signed a talent release form and verified her age by writing what we have now discovered to be a false birthdate on the release to match her phony ID. She was later seen boasting into the camera about her exploits in the video. This lawsuit was filed almost a year after the video was shot, following the financial success of the band. We are going to defend this action vigorously and let the evidence speak for itself."
A new version of the video has since been edited without the girl in question. Her lawsuit names the band and their management, as well as Warner Music, even though the band weren't signed to the major at the time the video was shot.
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JAY KAY ARRESTED - HE'S HITTING PHOTOGRAPHERS AGAIN
Jamiroquai's Jay Kay was arrested earlier this week after an incident outside a London night club. Needless to say, given that Jay Kay was involved, the incident involved a run in with a paparazzi photographer. The singer was reportedly subsequently cautioned for common assault and no further action will now take place.
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OUTPUT OVER AND OUT
Trevor Jackson, the boss of Output Recordings - who released music from LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, Four Tet and MU among others - has announced he is closing the indie label, effective immediately.
Pitchfork quote Jackson as citing numerous reasons for deciding to close Output (including "financial issues", "friends turning into monsters" and "the general nightmarish-ness of running a label"), quoting him thus: "I never wanted to have all my passion and enthusiasm knocked out of me. But somehow it's happened. I simply wanted to showcase exciting, experimental, and forward-thinking music with individuality and personality".
Looking back at his label's ten year history, he added: "I would like to express my gratitude to all the music lovers, buyers, record stores, radio & club DJs, journalists, labels, artists, promoters, and remixers worldwide who supported the label (many of you from day one!). I will miss all the positive feedback and kind words, which I constantly found uplifting, and which gave me the energy to carry on even in the most difficult of circumstances".
As a way of a finale, the final Output release, its 100th, will be available as free MP3 downloads via the label's website for the month of October. Other than that, there are currently no plans to re-release any back catalogue.
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ADAM ANT ON DEPRESSION
Adam Ant has been speaking about his struggle with manic depression. As you'll remember, it was revealed the former pop star had been battled with bi-polar disorder for years when he was admitted to a London psychiatric hospital under the Mental Health Act in 2002 following accusations that he pulled out a gun in a Kentish Town pub. Speaking to Time Out, he says it took him a long time to realize what was wrong with him: "I was dimly aware of mental illness - my stepmother, my father's second wife, had schizophrenia, but most people in my condition are unaware of what exactly is wrong with them. I would just be feeling really up one minute and down the next. You tend to withdraw into yourself and become paranoid. You build up things in your mind that aren't there but you think they are". The singer has been discussing his condition while promoting his new book 'Adam Ant: Stand And Deliver - The Autobiography'.
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STONES TRACKS TO APPEAR IN NEW ANIMATED FILM
A new animated film will take songs from the Rolling Stones as its soundtrack. How have the film's makers pulled off such a coup? Well, it is being made by Jagged Films, Mick Jagger's film company, so it's not that great an achievement. The film will be called 'Ruby Tuesday', after the Stones track of the same name, and will feature twelve Stones songs in total.
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NEW JAY-Z - SOME RETIREMENT
The, erm, retired Jay-Z has confirmed that his next as yet untitled album will be released in November, ten years on from the release of his debut long player, 1996's 'Reasonable Doubt'. A single, 'Show Me What You Got', will precede the album release. The new album reportedly features contributions from all kinds of people, including Kanye West, The Neptunes, Dr Dre and Beyonce.
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HATHERLEY ON THE NEW ALBUM
Former Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherley has posted a message on her website regarding work on her new album, the follow up to her 2004 solo debut 'Grey Will Fade'.
She writes: "I'm currently in Italy recording the follow up to 'Grey Will Fade'. 12 songs have been thrown down so far, five more to go. The songs are most comparable to 'Where I'm Calling From' from 'GWF', with a little bit of the Paragons thrown in for good measure. Eric Feldman says it's 'the sound of Flirtinis on the beach', whereas Rob Ellis thinks it sounds like 'fireflies copulating in a bush'. Either way, it's becoming epic. The album will be mixed by Sir Ben Hillier in London in June."
In not entirely unrelated news, her former band are also hard at work on a new album, and the NME report that they have now written 27 songs for it (presumably they won't all appear - though in these days of iTunes selling albums off track by track, there's definitely commercial reasons why a 27 track album would make sense!).
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EMINEM MIX TAPE INCOMING
Tracklisting time ladies and gentlemen, and first the tracklisting for the new mix tape album coming from Eminem and G-unit DJ Whoo Kid, which is due for release on 30 Oct. Among the Eminem tracks to appear on the mix are 'Things Need To Change', his dedication to his late D-12 bandmate Proof. Full tracklisting runs thus:
Eminem feat DJ Whoo Kid - We're Back
Eminem - Let Me Speak
Eminem feat Bizarre - Things Need To Change
Obie Trice feat Akon - Snitch
Eminem - I'm Lazy
Busta Rhymes feat Nas - Rough Around The Edges
Eminem feat D12- Last Words (R.I.P. Proof)
Rick Ross feat Jay-Z & Young Jeezey - Hustlin (Remix)
Obie Trice - Cry Now
Stat Quo - Twirl
Obie Trice - Pistol Pistol (D12 Remix)
Alchemist - The Interlude
Obie Trice feat The Alchemist - The Word Is Out
D12 feat Eminem & Proof- Blast That
Lloyd Banks feat 50 Cent - My House
Dr. Dre - The Interlude (Part Two)
Busta Rhymes feat Eminem - I'll Hurt You
All Of Shady Records - The Interlude (Part Three)
Swifty & Kuniva - Freestyle
Obie Trice feat Eminem - Emulate
Trick Trick - Freestyle
Proof feat 50 Cent - Forgive Me
Eminem feat DJ Whoo Kid- We Out
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PAVEMENT REISSUE FILLED WITH RARITIES
And one more tracklisting for you - the line up of tracks due to appear on the deluxe two-disc reissue of Pavement's 'Wowee Zowee', which is due out on Matador on 6 Nov. The re-release of the 1995 album will feature a stack of previously unreleased stuff, including live tracks, radio sessions, b-sides and even some outtakes. Full tracklisting as follows:
Disc One
We Dance
Rattled by the Rush
Black Out
Brinx Job
Grounded
Serpentine Pad
Motion Suggests Itself
Father to a Sister Of Thought
Extradition
Best Friend's Arm
Grave Architecture
AT & T
Flux = Rad
Fight This Generation
Kennel District
Pueblo
Half a Canyon
Western Homes
Sordid (previously unreleased Wowee Zowee session outtake)
Brink of the Clouds (Rattled By The Rush b-side)
False Skorpion (Rattled By The Rush b-side)
Easily Fooled (Rattled By The Rush b-side)
Kris Kraft (Father To A Sister Of Thought b-side)
Mussle Rock (Father To A Sister Of Thought b-side)
Give It a Day (Pacific Trim EP)
Gangsters & Pranksters (Pacific Trim EP)
Saganaw (Pacific Trim EP)
I Love Perth (Pacific Trim EP)
Sentinel (previously unreleased Wowee Zowee session outtake)
Disc Two
Sensitive Euro Man (I Shot Andy Warhol soundtrack)
Stray Fire (previously unreleased Wowee Zowee session outtake)
Fight This Generation (recorded 3 Mar, 1994 at Hilversum, Holland)
Easily Fooled (recorded 3 Mar, 1994 at Hilversum, Holland)
Soul Food (Wowee Zowee jam session w/Doug Easley on piano)
It's a Hectic World (from Homage To Descendents tribute album)
Kris Kraft (BBC in-studio; Steve Lamacq Evening Session, 15 Mar, 1995)
Golden Boys/Serpentine Pad (BBC in-studio; Steve Lamacq Evening Session, 15 Mar, 1995)
Painted Soldiers (BBC in-studio; Steve Lamacq Evening Session, 15 Mar, 1995)
I Love Perth (BBC in-studio; Steve Lamacq Evening Session, 15 Mar, 1995)
Dancing With the Elders (from Medusa Cyclone/Pavement split 7")
Half a Canyon (live; Wireless JJJ Radio, Australia, 7 Jul, 1994)
Best Friend's Arm (live; Wireless JJJ Radio, Australia, 7 Jul, 1994)
Brink of the Clouds/Candylad (live; Wireless JJJ Radio, Australia, 7 Jul, 1994)
Unfair (live; Wireless JJJ Radio, Australia, 7 Jul, 1994)
Eaily Fooled (live; Wireless JJJ Radio, Australia, 7 Jul, 1994)
Heaven Is a Truck (live; Wireless JJJ Radio, Australia, 7 Jul, 1994)
Box Elder (live; Wireless JJJ Radio, Australia, 7 Jul, 1994)
No More Kings (from Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks comp)
Painted Soldiers (from Kids in the Hall in Brain Candy soundtrack)
We Dance (Alternate Mix) (previously unreleased Wowee Zowee session outtake)
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MOBO PREVIEW SHOWCASE PLANNED FOR HMV
God, these awards come round quickly don't they? The next MOBO Awards take place at the Royal Albert Hall next Wednesday, and organisers yesterday confirmed that Coolio and comedian Gina Yashere will be hosting the event. They have also announced that a pre-awards showcase will be staged at HMV on London's Oxford Street next Tuesday, 19 Sep, featuring a load of new UK urban talent, plus performances from Akala, Big Brovaz and Nu Life. It all kicks off at 6.30pm.
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MADONNA GOES AHEAD WITH CROSS ROUTINE DESPITE CROSS RUSSIANS
Madonna defied religious leaders, on-the-street protestors, the Russian mafia (allegedly) and, if some are to be believed, God himself, by proceeding with that good old crucifix routine when she played at Moscow's Luzhinski Stadium earlier in the week. Despite the many protests and various security concerns surrounding Madonna's first ever performance in Russia, the event passed pretty much without incident - although security measures on the doors at the venue were reportedly pretty severe.
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DIRTY PRETTY THINGS TOUR
Dirty Pretty Things are going on tour. Yes, tour. Radical. Dates and support info as follows, tickets on sale tomorrow, press info from Coalition.
25 Nov: Liverpool University (with Larrikin Love)
26 Nov: Birmingham Academy (with Larrikin Love / Hot Club de Paris)
27 Nov: Nottingham Rock City (with Larrikin Love / Hot Club de Paris)
28 Nov: Leeds Uni Refectory (with Larrikin Love / Hot Club de Paris)
29 Nov: Manchester Apollo (with Larrikin Love / Hot Club de Paris)
1 Dec: Cambridge Corn Exchange (with Larrikin Love / Hot Club de Paris)
3 Dec: London Brixton Academy (with Mando Diao / Larrikin Love)
7 Dec: Newcastle Academy (with Mando Diao / Larrikin Love)
8 Dec: Glasgow Academy (with Mando Diao / Larrikin Love)
9 Dec: Sheffield Octagon (with Mando Diao / Larrikin Love)
11 Dec: Bristol Academy (with Mando Diao / Hot Club de Paris)
12 Dec: Lincoln Engine Shed (with Mando Diao / Hot Club de Paris)
13 Dec: Norwich UEA (with Mando Diao / Hot Club de Paris)
15 Dec: Folkestone Lees Cliff Hall (with Mando Diao / Hot Club de Paris)
16 Dec: Oxford Brooks (with Mando Diao / Hot Club de Paris)
If you're an impatient sort who can't wait until late November, and you're up for a trip to Ireland, you could try and take in one of the following dates instead...
21 Sep: Belfast Mandela Hall
22 Sep: Cork Savoy Theatre
23 Sep: Dublin Ambassador Theatre
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MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE TOUR
My Chemical Romance are going on tour. Yes, tour. Radical. Dates as follows, tickets on sale, yes, tomorrow, press info from SJM.
11 Nov: Bournemouth, International Centre
12 Nov: London, Brixton Academy
13 Nov: Liverpool, University
14 Nov: Glasgow, Barrowland
15 Nov: Nottingham, Rock City
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EC PLAN REVIEW OF COPYRIGHT LEVY SYSTEM
Copyright news anyone? Oh, go on, you know you want it. Well, here goes. The European Commission yesterday unveiled plans to set up a clearer and more efficient system regarding copyright levies across Europe. The move could save electronics firms, who currently have to pay the levy on certain products, millions of euros a year.
The levies, mainly dating from the sixties, operate in numerous European countries, and exist to compensate artists for the fact that consumers use photocopiers and recording devices to make private copies of copyrighted books and records. The levy system essentially gives consumers permission to make such private copies, but in return charges a levy on media and devices used to make them - including copiers, cassettes, CDRs and MP3 players - which is passed on to the copyright owning community, as compensation for the copying that is assumed to take place.
The EC's aim isn't to replace the levy system, but to make it more consistent, both across different countries, and between different technologies. A concern is that when a company develops a new technology that may be subject to such a levy, it is hard for them to predict what the levy may be, making it hard for them to assess the commercial viability of their venture. That, the EC says, hinders innovation.
Announcing its latest plans, the EC said its new system will mean "greater efficiency, clarity and transparency" while still providing "fair compensation" to rights-holders . They added: "From an innovation perspective, an improved regime should assist information and computer technology companies and equipment producers in bringing new and innovative products and services to market, including on a cross-border basis".
Stressing the need for a change in the levy system, European Commission VP Gunter Verheugen told reporters: "Who would be interested to innovate if there is no guarantee that the results obtained, often after long and costly research, will not provide any returns? Structural change must not be seen as a threat, but as an opportunity to become more competitive."
I've no idea what all this means for the UK, where we don't currently have any levy relating to the private recordings of music (which are technically speaking illegal). Whether a pan-European levy system would mean such a system had to be introduced here I don't know. Perhaps I'll try and find out.
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NEWS CORP BUYS SHARE IN THE FROG (THE CRAZY ONE, NOT THE SPIRAL ONE)
Murdoch's News Corp, not satisfied with owning MySpace, have bought a 51% stake in mobile music company Jamba / Jamster, you know, the Crazy Frog people. Observers reckon News Corp will use Jamba's mobile content platform to expand the kinds of content available to download to your phone - with ties in to TV assets owned by other News Corp companies (including The Simpsons) pretty likely.
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KISS MARKETING MAN MOVES TO CAPITAL
Kiss FM marketing director Nick Button is jumping ships to join GCap Media, less than a year after joining the EMAP station, and just a week after overseeing its relaunch and rebrand. In his new role Button will be charged with the task of helping GCap's flagship London station, Capital Radio, regain its much lost ground as the capital's leading commercial station. GCap have been holding off on major marketing for the station while they 'bed-in' new music and ad policies that were introduced earlier this year. Button's appointment suggests bosses there think a big marketing push is now called for.
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SMG ANNOUNCEMENTS SUGGESTS UTV MERGER A NO GO
Virgin Radio owner SMG yesterday announced it is selling off its advertising company and planning a new digital strategy. Why is this important? Well, it's not really, except that everyone thought SMG was on the verge of merging with Northern Ireland based UTV (a merger which would bring together the Scottish and Ulster ITV stations, and national radio stations Virgin and TalkSport), but those who know about these things reckon that SMG's latest announcements suggest bosses there are now planning for a future without any such merger. Time will tell I guess.
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HIP HOP FANS SLEEP AROUND, CLASSICAL FANS TOO OUT OF IT TO BOTHER
Fans of hip hop will have had more sexual partners in the last five years than those pesky indie kids or metal heads. Classical music fans, meanwhile, are all dope heads. You might mock, but it's official. Well, it is if you buy some new research from the University Of Leicester, who have been mapping people's lifestyles to their music tastes.
The survey of 2500 Britons shows that almost 38% of hip hop fans and 29% of dance fans have had more than one sexual partner in the last five years, while only 1.5% of country music fans have. But, while doing all that bed hopping, those hip hop and dance fans were also busy breaking the law - because more than 50% of people who call themselves fans of those genres admitted they had committed a criminal act. It's not clear what criminal acts (drugs? shop lifting? riding their bikes on the pavement?), though if it was the former they'd have lots in common with fans of classical music - a quarter of them said they had tried cannabis, while 12% of opera fans said they had experimented with magic mushrooms (which possibly explains how they manage to sit through all those tedious operas - I wish someone had told me - those three hours I spent in the company of Cosi Fan Tutti could have been a whole lot more fun).
The man behind the survey - psychologist Adrian North - told reporters this week: "Surprisingly there have been very few studies on how people's age, sex, socio-economic status and personality relate to the music they enjoy listening to". Keen to spend tax payers money rectifying that oversight, North now plans a wider survey on the topic - and is recruiting people to take part at http://www.musicaltastetest.com.