| CMU Daily - on the inside Thursday 21st September |
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In today's CMU Daily:
- Chuck D wary and critical of major mobile players
- Knowles and Bailey Rae win multiple MOBOs
- Damien Rice tracklisting news
- The Pigeon Detectives single
- All Saints single soon
- Stefani working on second album
- Good Charlotte go feel good
- Eminem on compilation LP
- Brand favourite for Adam Ant biopic
- Madonna tour breaks records
- Sunshine Underground single, tour
- Mika single, tour
- Little Man Tate single, tour
- Popkomm at the embassy
- Album review: Sugardaddy - It's Good To Get High With The Wife
- Punk exhibition planned
- Music lessons help kids learn
- ITC to put publishing in the spotlight
- Woolies boss says no to EUK sell off
- Koch sign up to the SpiralFrog
- Chrysalis say we're doing fine thank you very much
- UTV confirm SMG merger is off
- New York opera company launches radio station
- Keith Richards quits drugs
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TOP BIT: ZERO 7 INTERVIEW>>
It's possibly an odd choice to start an interview with a band currently promoting their third album with the kind of "tell me how it all began" questions normally reserved for newer bands, but it occurs to me that while I know the Zero 7 sound very well, I don't know a huge amount about the two guys behind it, beyond, say, the Radiohead remix, the Mercury nomination and the frequent collaborations with Sia Furler. Henry Binns doesn't seem to mind answering such elementary questions, which comes as something of a relief. And so he talks me through the highs and lows (more of the former than the latter, fortunately) of his time as one half of Zero 7, before admitting "Yeah, we're cashing in on the Jose dollar" when we talk about the duo's recent collaborations with Mr Gonzalez on their wonderful third album, 'The Garden', released earlier this year, and in particular on the great track 'Futures', released as a single via Atlantic Records next week.
Check the interview online now on CMU Beats - http://www.thebeatsbar.co.uk/cmuinterviews
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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: MISTY'S BIG ADVENTURE
Misty's Big Adventure are brilliant. And they always have been. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned that before, but I'm nominating them for MySpace Of The Day today because I just got a copy of the new single they're about to release via Sunday Best (what is it with Sunday Best and their constant signing of bands we love?). Called 'Fashion Parade', with guest narration from Noddy Holder and Jeremy Vine (depending on which version you get), it's a wonderfully fun and upbeat track - so much so you'll find yourself jubilantly joining in with it's catchy chants with a very large smile on your face, despite the ultimately pessimistic (or realistic, as I'm sure the ever cynical Misty's would argue) message contained within. That track isn't, alas, here on the MySpace, so you're going to have to go buy/blag a copy for your own enjoyment. Equally quirky b-side 'The Kids Are Radioactive' is, however, available to stream here, as are three tracks from their last two albums, released via Edinburgh's finest indie, SL Records. Despite all my raving so far, I'm guessing Misty's might not be everyone's cup of tea, but you do owe it to yourself to go preview the tracks on offer here because you're a sensible sort, and I think you might just like it, and if you do, you need to get one of the many upcoming live dates listed here on the MySpace into your diary right away.
http://www.myspace.com/mistysbigadventure
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CHUCK D WARY AND CRITICAL OF MAJOR MOBILE PLAYERS
Our old mate Chuck D yesterday warned artists to be wary of the motives of big companies investing in online and mobile content platforms, while warning major record companies that the expansion of mobile music will have an impact on their role in the music space.
Speaking at a mobile content conference in London, where he was promoting his Chuck D Mobile venture, the hip hop pioneer told his audience: "The small screen is the great equaliser. Back in 1998, I envisaged 1 million artists on 1 million record labels splintered across the world. This causes a problem for the major labels". Observing that the digital revolution, initiated, he said, by Shawn Fanning and the original Napster, was now moving into the mobile space, he added - "The soundtracks of people's lives have been revolutionised by MP3 players. Integrating that with mobile phones is the next step".
The Public Enemy frontman said that he liked the opportunities that the internet, and increasingly mobiles, offered artists looking to reach an audience, because they enabled them to cut out the "middlemen" of the music industry. Saying he was wary of Rupert Murdoch's acquisition of MySpace, he said: "The problem with corporations is that they come into any business with a gold-rush mentality of making a killing. They're going big, big, big, big on something so little - that doesn't make sense. They need to think how it helps people, not just how it reaches into people's pockets".
He also had a few things to say about the music business' obsession with digital rights management. While he said he recognised DRM had a role to play, he criticised labels for using it in an overly restrictive way. Speaking to ZDNet after his presentation he described the current DRM situation as "just a lot of fucked-up shit", criticising a situation where "people can't even share or burn their own CD". DRM technology, he said, "has to get to a point where it works for everyone". That said, he said he didn't condone the "Pirates Of Penzance" situation of the early (and current, some would argue) P2P environment, though when asked about the hackers who frequently circumvent the DRM used by major players he joked the he'll "always tip [his] hat to the rebels".
Chuck D's own mobile operation, launched earlier this year, offers a range of ringtones, videos and other hip hop related content, and gives breaking hip hop talent the opportunity to distribute their content in this way to their fans' mobiles.
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KNOWLES AND BAILEY RAE WIN MULTIPLE MOBOS
Beyonce Knowles and Corinne Bailey Rae were the big winners at the MOBO Awards in London last night. Bailey Rae took Best UK Female and Best UK Newcomer, while Knowles took three prizes, Best International Female and Best Song and Best Video for 'Déjà Vu'. Def Jam chief Jay-Z also arguably won three prizes, given that he guested on his fiancée's award winning track, as well as winning a Best International Male award in his own right.
However, neither Beyonce nor Jay-Z were in attendance to pick up their awards at the event - a fact which caused some boos among the audience as Ms Knowles' second award of the evening was announced. Host Gina Yashere responded by joking that Beyonce's non-attendance meant she could take the award home herself.
Other winners included Lemar, who won Best UK Male, Black Eyed Peas, who took the Best Group prize, Batman Samini, who won the Best African Act award, Sean Paul, who won Best Reggae Act, Nu Life, who won Best Gospel Act, and Akala, who was named Best Hip Hop Artist. Veteran soul performer Sam Moore received a lifetime achievement award, and closed the show by performing two songs - a duet with Keisha White of 'I Can't Stand The Rain' and a rendition of possibly his most famous hit, 'Soul Man'.
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DAMIEN RICE TRACKLISTING NEWS
Damien Rice has announced that his new album '9', the follow up to his 2002 debut 'O' (likes his short titles, doesn't he?) will be out on 6 Nov, followed by the first single from the album - '9 Crimes' - which will be released on 20 Nov. But here's the important bit. Yes, that's right, you lucky lot. The full tracklisting. Enjoy:
9 Crimes
The Animals Were Gone
Elephant
Rootless Tree
Dogs
Coconut Skins
Me, My Yoke And I
Grey Room
Accidental Babies
Sleep Don't Weep
Press info from 14th Floor PR.
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THE PIGEON DETECTIVES SINGLE
The Pigeon Detectives have announced that they will release a single 'I Found Out' on 6 Nov via Dance To The Radio. The track will be available on CD and 7", backed by further new songs. What? You don't know who The Pigeon Detectives are? They're a lightly fizzing band. From Leeds. So now you know.
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ALL SAINTS SINGLE SOON
All Saints are to release a new single, entitled 'Rock Steady', on 6 Nov, which will be backed by two other new tracks, 'Do Me' (that sounds a bit rude to me) and 'Dope Noise' (sounds a bit illegal).
What? You don't know who All Saints are? No, you clearly do, not least because we previously reported that the nineties girl band are back together and recording a new album. Entitled 'Studio 1', the new long player is out 20 Nov and marks the first release for the group since their acrimonious split following the release of 'Saints & Sinners' back in 2000.
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STEFANI WORKING ON SECOND ALBUM
Gwen Stefani is working on her second solo album, despite the demands of motherhood (maybe she has a nanny) and is keen to release it by the end of the year. Speaking to MTV, she revealed that she's been collaborating on the new LP with Pharrell Williams, No Doubt bandmate Tony Kanal and Akon.
She said: "There's a lot of songs that were left over from the last album, and there's some new songs I did with Pharrell. There's a lot of Pharrell on this record. I did some stuff with Tony and some stuff with Akon."
Swizz Beatz is also helping with production. He says: "She's always taking it to the next level. I love her background for music. She likes a lot of Caribbean sounds with hard beats."
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GOOD CHARLOTTE GO FEEL GOOD
Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden has spoken to MTV about his band's new album, which he says is quite upbeat, saying "we wanted to keep away from all the dramatic and dark overtones" of the group's more recent material.
He continued: "Everyone else in our genre of music is getting really dramatic, so we figured, let's go somewhere completely different. So it's a little bit dancier and the music feels really good, but it's still Good Charlotte."
Madden added that it's the most fun he's had recording a long player, and that it's the first album he's done sober. On his decision to quit drinking he added: "I had a lot of good things going and I didn't want to fuck it up."
The album, entitled 'Good Morning Revival!', is expected to see a release early next year.
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EMINEM ON COMPILATION LP
Eminem has been talking about that upcoming and previously reported mix album - 'The Re-Up' - and has denied some reports that the compo was intended as a tribute album to his late friend and colleague Proof who was, of course, shot dead earlier this year.
In a statement about the album, which features contributions from 50 Cent, Mobb Deep, Snoop Dogg, Nas, Obie Trice and Lloyd Banks, Slim Shady explains: "What happened is that the material was so good and the tracks were getting produced like a regular album. Instead of putting it out there rough and unfinished, I thought we should add some other new tracks, make it a real album and put it in the record stores to give these new artists a real boost. The D12 album and those unreleased songs with Proof are coming. But 'The Re-Up' is about these new artists and these new songs. It isn't fair to them or to the memory of Proof to mix them up."
It's all very confusing, because 50 Cent, Mobb Deep, Snoop Dogg, Nas, Obie Trice and Lloyd Banks are not new artists, whichever way you cut it. Presumably those 'other new tracks' are from the newer artists. I think we published the tracklisting last week didn't we? I should go and check. See, there is a reason we publish tracklistings.
Whatever, it's set to be released on 5 Dec.
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BRAND FAVOURITE FOR ADAM ANT BIOPIC
Channel 4 irritant Russell Brand is being tipped to play Adam Ant in a new film about the singer's life. Directors of the planned movie, to be based on Adam Ant's autobiography 'Stand And Deliver', say they think the TV presenter come comedian would be ideal in the role. The Daily Star quote a source saying: "Russell would be perfect. There is an obvious physical comparison between the two. But there's more too, they both had a tough childhood and shared some similar issues in their lives".
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MADONNA TOUR BREAKS RECORDS
Yeah, which idiot was it that said Madonna might live to regret charging such high prices for tickets to her recent gigs (mmm, that wasn't us was it?). Well, those who thought Madge may have overpriced herself when tickets for the Confessions tour first went on sale were wrong, because the singer will become the biggest-grossing female pop star in live music history when the tour reaches its completion tonight.
The 60 date world tour, which ends in Tokyo today, will have been seen by 1.2 million people and has grossed $193.7 million, significantly more than the $125 million of revenues generated by 2004's Re-Invention tour. The only female star to have previously generated such high revenues through a tour is Cher, whose most recent live show, billed as her 'farewell tour', grossed $192.5 million. However, while Madonna's Confessions tour may have only just broken Cher's record in terms of gross revenue, Cher's tour was over four times longer. She performed 273 shows over a three year period, while Madonna generated more money in just a few months on the road.
Of course all the Christians who opposed the controversial crucifix routine that was included in the Confessions show might argue she'll be spending all that money in hell, though presumably her Kabbalah friends will be able to have a word with God about holding back on the wrath and all that. She's still into all that Kabbalah nonsense, right?
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SUNSHINE UNDERGROUND SINGLE, TOUR
The really rather good The Sunshine Underground have announced that they'll release a new single, 'Commercial Breakdown', on 23 Oct, lifted from their debut album 'Raise The Alarm', which was released back in August. They've also confirmed a bloody great long list of tour dates, as follows:
4 Oct: Dublin Whelans
5 Oct: Glasgow Barfly
6 Oct: Liverpool Barfly
7 Oct: York Fibbers
9 Oct: Cardiff Barfly
10 Oct: Birmingham Barfly
11 Oct: London Barfly
13 Oct: Hamburg Prinzenbar
14 Oct: Berlin Silverwings
15 Oct: Cologne MTC
16 Oct: Munich Atomic Café
17 Oct: Brussels La Boatanique
18 Oct: Amsterdam Paradiso
20 Oct: Kingston The Peel
25 Oct: Pontefract Counting House
27 Oct: Bristol Oxjam
28 Oct: Hull Clockworx
30 Oct: Manchester Club Academy
1 Nov: Leeds Met University
2 Nov: Newcastle Academy 2
3 Nov: Sheffield The Plug
8 Nov: Exeter Cavern Club
9 Nov: Taunton Aura
10 Nov: Swindon Brunel Rooms
11 Nov: Oxford Zodiac
13 Nov: Southampton Joiners
15 Nov: Liverpool Academy 2
16 Nov: Stoke Sugarmill
18 Nov: Dundee Reading Rooms
19 Nov: Aberdeen Moshulu
21 Nov: Edinburgh Cabaret Voltaire
22 Nov: Glasgow King Tuts
23 Nov: Preston 53 Degrees
28 Nov: London Kings College
Press info from Gilotti PR.
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MIKA SINGLE, TOUR
Crikey, this MIKA is buzzing a bit. Apparently everyone's saying good things about him, like, that he's going to be the biggest star in the world ever. So you ought to catch him on tour before he gets so big you can't get tickets for love nor money. I don't know though, judging by what people are saying, you might have trouble getting them now. Anyway, debut single 'Relax (Take It Easy)'/'Billy Brown' is out on 2 Oct with a debut album to follow in Feb 2007. Press info from Purple PR, gig dates as follows.
14 Nov: Brighton The Concorde
16 Nov: Birmingham Academy 2
17 Nov: Glasgow Nice N Sleazy
18 Nov: Leeds Mine
20 Nov: Manchester Bar Academy 3
21 Nov: London Dingwalls
22 Nov: Bristol Fleece
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LITTLE MAN TATE SINGLE, TOUR
Little Man Tate are to release a new single, 'Man I Hate Your Band', on 30 Oct via Yellow Van Records and V2. The track will be available on CD and 7", backed by 'Saved By A Chat Show'. A special limited edition 7" featuring a live version of the title track will also be available. Their debut album is expected to be released in January next year.
Meanwhile you can catch them on tour. Do so. On the following dates:
21 Sep: Nottingham Rescue Rooms
22 Sep: Stoke Underground
23 Sep: Coventry Coliseum
27 Sep: London, Kings College (sold out)
5 Oct: Southend Cliffs Pavilion (supporting The Ordinary Boys)
6 Oct: Manchester Apollo (supporting The Ordinary Boys)
7 Oct: Derby Assembly Rooms (supporting The Ordinary Boys)
8 Oct: Wolverhampton Civic (supporting The Ordinary Boys)
10 Oct: Carlisle Sands (supporting The Ordinary Boys)
11 Oct: Portsmouth Guildhall (supporting The Ordinary Boys)
12 Oct: Sheffield Octagon
14 Oct: Leicester Charlotte
15 Oct: Liverpool Academy 2
18 Oct: Aberdeen Tunnels
19 Oct: Glasgow King Tuts
23 Oct: Bristol Fleece
24 Oct: Warwick University
25 Oct: London ULU
28 Oct: Northumbria University
30 Oct: Leeds Cockpit
31 Oct: Birmingham Academy
1 Nov: Preston 53 Degrees
2 Nov: York Fibbers
Press info on this from V2.
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POPKOMM AT THE EMBASSY
Eurpean industry fest Popkomm kicked off in Berlin yesterday, and the seminars, showcases and schmoozing will continue throughout today. Of particular note if you're wanting to be all UK focused (which we usually are), is a British Music Reception which takes place tonight a the British Embassy on Berlin's Wilhelmstrasse. If you're not already on the guest list I'm guessing you won't get in (and if you're not at Popkomm I don't supposed you'd want to), but if you do you'll get to enjoy a performance from Editors, with support from the previously mentioned (in MySpace Of The Day me thinks) The Orange Lights, who will be doing an acoustic set. Should be good.
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ALBUM REVIEW: Sugardaddy - It's Good To Get High With The Wife (TuneTribe)
We've been in the midst of a full blown 80s revival for ages now (probably at least since 1992, by my reckoning), but in amidst the neon-lit electronic pop and post-punk stuff that today's retro music references or plagiarises, it's easy to forget there are other genres from that time yet to be rehabilitated. Sugardaddy comprise Tom Findlay of Groove Armada and producer Tim Hutton, and for their impressive debut album they mine the sounds of soul, electro, R&B and P-funk but with a distinctly urban 80s vibe. That said, with its sassy zip and streetwise cred, it doesn't sound dated at all, but actually refreshingly 21st century. There are nods to Prince all over the place, not least in the squawking guitar solos on a few tracks (which give them the full 'Purple Rain' stadium filling treatment), whilst the closing 'Treat Me Like A Dog' is essentially a fab slice of perv-rock that Mr Symbol would have given his vital organs to have written. Elsewhere C-Mone adds a beguiling rap to the disco/breaks/swing hybrid groove of 'Upside Down Girl' (making you wonder why all British hip-hop doesn't sound this good), whilst 'Keep It Coming', with its taut metronomic beat and Peter Hook style bass stabs sounds like vintage, early 80s New Order, which is generally a good thing in my book. Combining a dazzling array of styles, with first-rate song-writing and lush production, this is a very fine album indeed. MS
Release date: 25 Sep
Press contact: Get Involved [all]
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PUNK EXHIBITION PLANNED
A major exhibition is being planned to mark next year's thirtieth anniversary of the punk explosion, which is all good, except I can't help thinking that if back in 1977 the early punk bands had known that in thirty years time they'd be being remembered at respectable exhibitions at esteemed arts centres, they might have given up there and then.
Still, the exhibition, called Panic Attack, which will run at London's Barbican Centre from 7 Jun to 9 Sep 2007, could be good, featuring, as it does, all kinds of artwork and stuff related to the likes of The Clash and the Sex Pistols and everything else that occurred in the punk genre in the summer of 1977.
Commenting on the exhibition, a spokesman for the Barbican told the BBC: "Punk is most closely associated with music, fashion and graphics, but it can also be seen as part of a much broader cultural episode. Panic Attack looks at British and American art of this time, much of which is informed by the same spirit of iconoclasm which characterises punk."
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MUSIC LESSONS HELP KIDS LEARN
Music lessons can improve memory and learning ability in young children because it encourages different patterns of brain development. Or at least that's what a bunch of Canadian scientists reckon. They compared children aged between four and six who take part in music lessons with those who don't and found that the musical group did better in a specially developed test of memory, literacy and maths ability. Researchers also noticed differences in brain responses between the musical and non-musical kids.
Commenting on his work, lead researcher Professor Laurel Trainor told reporters: "This is the first study to show that brain responses in young, musically trained and untrained children change differently over the course of a year. It suggests that musical training is having an effect on how the brain gets wired for general cognitive functioning related to memory and attention".
One of Trainor's colleagues, Dr Takako Fujioka, of the Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute, added: "It is clear that music is good for children's cognitive development and that music should be part of the pre-school and primary school curriculum."
Given that this story comes from the latest in a number of articles from BBC Online's health team that links music training to better health or mental abilities (in the last year they've also published articles called 'Music aids the healing process', 'Music can reduce chronic pain' and 'Music training 'good for heart') I think I ought to resume my guitar lessons, even though the four chords I learned last time round have worked well for me to date.
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ITC TO PUT PUBLISHING IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Now, you might think of music publishing as the dull end of the industry where filling in forms and filing royalty claims is as exciting as it gets, but actually, publishing is where all the action is at these days. I know this to be true because at least three people have told me so. Three music publishing people admittedly. And they possibly think forms and royalty claims are 'action'.
Still, the publishing firms do seem to be increasingly proactive in developing new acts, and that changing role will be a topic up for discussion at a session at next month's In The City, entitled, not at all provocatively, 'Major record companies don't break bands anymore, publishers do!'. Various publishing execs will take part in the event, on 31 Oct, and they are expected to vent their frustration at the inability of major record companies to successfully launch developing artists and writers, while outlining the work they are doing themselves in that domain.
Participants in the session include Universal Music's Mike McCormack, Sony/ATV's Rakesh Sanghvi, Chrysalis' Jeremy Lascelles, Notting Hill Music Group's Andy McQueen and Stage Three Music's Steve Lewis.
Commenting on the session, ITC Director Yvette Livesey told CMU: "In the City has always provided a platform to debate the key issues affecting the modern music industry. The Music publishing world has evolved hugely in recent years and we are delighted to be able to bring together these key figures to debate the future role of their companies and music publishing in general."
As previously reported, In The City takes place in Manchester from 29 to 31 Oct - delegate info at http://www.inthecity.co.uk, press info from Velocity.
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WOOLIES BOSS SAYS NO TO EUK SELL OFF
The boss of the Woolworths group yesterday said that spinning off music and entertainment distribution division EUK into a separate company was not currently an option, despite rumours that one of its shareholders, Iceland based Baugur, was pushing for that to happen.
Woolies CEO Trevor Bish-Jones said EUK just wasn't ready to be spun off at this time, telling investors: "Shareholders know you can't divest an asset like that. EUK doesn't work as standalone. There's a lot to do to get that to a standalone size, we need to build expertise". However, he added that if and when the time was right he would look into selling off the distribution business, saying "if it is the right thing in the future we will consider it".
Speculation as to the future of the still struggling retail chain continued again yesterday as the company released its latest financials, confirming an expected growth in losses. Despite still struggling amid increased competition from the supermarkets in key product lines like music, DVD, confectionary and kids clothes, Bish-Jones said that he was confident he could bring about a recovery at the retail firm, and without the carve up reportedly preferred by Baugur. The big plan at the moment is to introduce an Argos style catalogue department into Woolies' high street stores and, to that end, Bish-Jones confirmed his company had just printed some six million catalogues featuring some 5500 goods that would be available both in store and online.
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KOCH SIGN UP TO THE SPIRALFROG
US independent label Koch Records is the latest to sign up to SpiralFrog who are still busy developing their much talked about ad funded free download thing. As previously reported, Universal Music and EMI Music Publishing are already on board. Confirming their involvement in the new venture, Koch boss Bob Frank told reporters: "Our dynamic deal with SpiralFrog offers our artists the opportunity to connect with music fans around the world, and opens up new revenue streams".
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CHRYSALIS SAY WE'RE DOING FINE THANK YOU VERY MUCH
More financials, this time from Chrysalis, who say that their radio division, home of Heart, Galaxy and LBC, is outperforming the market despite the fact revenues have been pretty flat so far this year. But, Chrysalis bosses say, their competitors saw an average 4% loss in revenues, so to be maintaining figures on par with last year was quite an achievement. Meanwhile, by keeping costs low, execs there say they hope profits will be up. On the music side of the equation, Chrysalis say that in that domain they are also out performing the market. CEO Richard Huntingford: "Our radio and music businesses have met the expectations we set out in November last year and once again outperformed their peers in what has been another challenging period for all those involved in the media industry. We are now seeing the benefits of focusing on these two strong businesses, with their market leading positions, materialising as planned."
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UTV CONFIRM SMG MERGER IS OFF
As expected, Northern Ireland based UTV, owners of TalkSport and Ulster TV, confirmed yesterday it was formally ending merger talks with Scottish based SMG, owner of Virgin Radio and the Scottish ITV stations. Despite long merger negotiations, in the last fortnight industry insiders had become increasingly doubtful that the two companies would join, mainly because of continuing disagreements over respective shares of any merged enterprise. The fact that SMG last week announced it was selling off its advertising businesses and was embarking on a new digital strategy was the big sign that the merger was off - the Scottish firm being unlikely to make such bold moves if a merger with UTV was in the offing.
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NEW YORK OPERA COMPANY LAUNCHES RADIO STATION
New York's much acclaimed Metropolitan Opera is to launch its own satellite radio station which will broadcast four live performances a week in North America. The new channel will be available via the Sirius satellite radio network, and will also air classic recordings from the company's archives.
The radio venture follows an announcement last week that the Opera company would film six of its upcoming performances and show them in cinemas in North America and Europe. Confirming the Sirius partnership, the company's GM Peter Gelb told the Associated Press: "The Met is the talk of the opera world because of all these new initiatives".
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KEITH RICHARDS QUITS DRUGS
Keith Richards has quit drugs, because he says they're just not strong enough anymore. Oh dear. It's not like the old days, is it?
Richards, who, as you all know, had a run in with a coconut tree earlier this year, resulting in brain surgery, told Q: "I think the quality's gone down. All they do is try and take the high out of everything. I don't like the way drugs now are working on your brain area instead of just through the blood stream. That's why I don't take any of them anymore."
He did, however, enjoy the druggy benefits of his recent accident: "I've had a couple of weeks on morphine. I did try to squeeze a little bit more out of the night nurse. She was very accommodating."
And now, possibly, fired.