| CMU Daily - on the inside Thursday 19th October |
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In today's CMU Daily:
- Visa adds to allofmp3's woes
- Mills claims McCartney abuse
- Jay-Z becomes director for Budweiser brand
- Bono back in court over memorabilia
- Keane man back on stage after rehab
- Doherty's rehab progress 'mixed bag'
- Rod Stewart on possible Faces reunion
- OutKast man criticised for gun comments
- Wilco's Bennet on departure from band
- Jack White loves Stripes, honest
- Guillemots postpone gigs
- Klaxons postpone US tour dates
- Timberlake announces tour
- Hear this - you're all going deaf
- Some video iPods come with a virus - at no extra cost
- MusicBrigade signs new pan-European deal with EMI
- Universal to distribute content via Wwebnet
- MTV sign video deal with Baidu
- Freud threatens to withdraw from Press Gazette
- GCap sell two Century outlets
- Panic! say they're not emo
- Jamie T on why his Lily collaboration won't surface
- U2 launch a lyric hunt
- Oxfam reveals that Brits are a bit deluded
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TOP BIT>>
Ladies and gentlemen, boys, girls etc, the line up for the second edition of the CMU Recommended Insomniacs Ball has just got longer. Or bigger. Or more damn exciting. Actually, all three. Just added to the bill of this very fine all night indoor mini-fest are The Sunshine Underground, Blood Red Shoes, Friendly Fires, Digitalism, Goose, Lo Fi Fnk and Foals. They join a line up that already included The Young Knives, White Rose Movement, Robots In Disguise, Roland Shanks, The Blood Arm, Neils Children, The Officers and Dead Disco and, on playing records duties, Jagz Kooner, Gavin Nugent, Mark Beaumont, Eddy Temple-Morris, The Freelance Hellraiser, Jeff Automatic, Silverlink, Matthew WoWoW and Modular DJs.
The event, following up from the storming first Insomniacs Ball back in April, will take over London's seOne club on 25 Nov. There'll be three live stages plus plenty of bars and club rooms, and this time there'll be a restaurant and a chill out zone promising silent films, performance artists and laughing gas. You'll find more info at http://www.insomniacsball.co.uk, while tickets can be purchased from http://www.ticketweb.com - they're just £21.50 plus booking fee. Press info from [email protected]
And look out for details on how you can win a pair of tickets to the Ball courtesy of CMU in tomorrow's CMU Daily.
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CLASSIFIEDS>>
OFFICE SPACE/ DESK SPACE REQUIRED.
We are a small Music PR company looking for space in either the Shoreditch or Soho areas (for 4-6 persons) immediately. It would be an advantage if there was a meeting area. Please contact Serena on 07931 791 186 [email protected]
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Music Gain is acquiring record labels and catalogue. If you are thinking of selling, or are interested
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ADVERTISE YOUR SERVICES & 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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CMU RECOMMENDS>>
REMIX NIGHT OCTOBER 2006
Hot on the tails of the storming Remix UK Tour, Eddy TM's Remix Night returns to Cargo in East London this Friday, 20 Oct. Headlining live wise are Headland - a wonderfully off-centre band who promise much frivolity and high-end entertainment. On the decks will be the very mighty, still very much in demand Pendulum, who are still causing much excitement following the phenomenal success of their 2005 album 'Hold Your Colour'. And to that bill you can add Mr Mouth, the phenomenal 20yr old beatboxer, singer, songwriter, pianist, MC and National Youth Music talent winner. All this, plus Eddy TM himself. All takes place from 9pm to 3am, tickets are a tenner, or £8 for concessions and guest list.
Full info>> http://www.leylinepromotions.com
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MYSPACE OF THE DAY: JAGZ KOONER
In what might be called an "embarrassing oversight" I still haven't written a review of the Infadels live DVD which was released last week. Aaaaargh, I'm sorry, I just haven't had chance to watch it yet - busy busy and all that. But just to assure you that this oversight doesn't mean our Infadels love has been diminished in any way, let's see what we can do to rectify matters. Well, firstly we'll put them on the cover of the launch issue of CMU Beats - more on that tomorrow. Secondly, let's find a way of slipping them into MySpace Of The Day. Obviously, they themselves have already been MSOTD, but that's not going to stop me. Ladies and gentlemen, today's My Space Of The Day is producer extraordinaire Jagz Kooner who, conveniently, produced the 'We Are Not The Infadels' album and who, therefore, includes an Infadels track on his MySpace player, hurrah! Actually, it must be quite hard for Mr Kooner to know where to start when it comes to choosing which tracks to include on his MySpace page, he being the producer behind more than a few storming albums, and that's not to mention all the simply brilliant remixes he has unleashed upon us over the years, both in partnership with Andrew Weatherall and, in more recent years, on his ownsome. Put it this way, Jagz isn't just being tipped here for his Infadels associations. Perhaps best known for his work with Primal Scream (or possibly for his time in Sabres Of Paradise or The Aloof), Jagz has also worked in a production role with many great bands, most recently Radio 4, while his remix duties have taken in the likes of Freeland, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Massive Attack, Killing Joke, Garbage, The Charlatans, Royal Trux, The Bravery, Ladytron, Funeral For A Friend, The Warlocks, The Engineers, Soulwax, The Kills and Kasabian. Remixes of the latter two, plus a Radio 4 track also appear on the MySpace. Jagz is also a brilliant DJ and his upcoming dates are included here, including the aforementioned Insomniacs Ball. One of the best producers, DJs and remixers of the moment - go check Jagz out (though no spam friending now - as you'll see from his blog).
http://www.myspace.com/jagzkooner
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VISA ADDS TO ALLOFMP3'S WOES
The pressure on rogue Russian download site allofmp3.com was increased again yesterday when Visa International announced it will not honour purchases made via the store because it believes buying tracks from the service violates copyright.
The credit card firm has reached that decision after statements from both the major record companies and certain trade officials in the West who claim that allofmp3.com, who sell mainstream music at rock bottom prices, are acting illegally. As previously reported, owners of the service argue they are operating within Russian copyright laws, and it is the responsibility of customers outside Russia to ensure they abide by local copyright rules. The record companies question whether allofmp3.com is even trading legally in Russia, but insist that its operations are certainly in violation of copyright laws elsewhere in the world, and therefore allofmp3.com should not sell to consumers outside its home country.
Of course legal pressure has been mounting against allofmp3.com, with US officials telling Russian authorities they must close loopholes utilised by the service if they want to join the World Trade Organisation, while some record label trade organisations are planning on fighting the service through the courts. However, moves like that made by Visa this week could have a much more immediate impact on the service than any long drawn out legal fight - allofmp3.com depending on the compliance of credit card companies in order to trade internationally.
Meanwhile, allofmp3.com is piloting a new bespoke player, which seemingly gives consumers access to free downloads in a proprietary mp3x format, which can only be played through the player. Whether this is the forerunner of a free-to-use ad funded download service remains to be seen.
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MILLS CLAIMS MCCARTNEY ABUSE
According to the Daily Mail, court papers filed on behalf of Heather Mills McCartney allege that estranged husband Paul McCartney subjected her to violent abuse, as well as using illegal drugs. The former Beatle's lawyers have declined to comment on the leak, but, according to the tabloid, Macca is said to have strenuously denied the claims, and plans to contest them in court.
The legal documents, it's claimed, detail the extent of the alleged violence, including an incident in which Mills claims to have been injured by a broken wine glass. Lawyers for the former model said they would "not comment on leaked or allegedly leaked documents" but added: "Lady Heather Mills McCartney stands by everything that has been filed at court on her behalf and intends to prove its truth in due course, should this be necessary. We would ask that the parties' privacy, during what is a difficult and emotional time, is respected."
Yeah, good luck on the privacy thing.
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JAY-Z BECOMES DIRECTOR FOR BUDWEISER BRAND
Either Jay-Z is a very talented, very hard working chap, or most of his jobs don't really consist of much. It's the former, I'm sure. Any how, the no longer retired hip hop star has just got himself another highly paid (I'm sure) job to add to his resume.
The Def Jam chief has been named as a co-Brand Director for Anheuser-Busch beer brand Budweiser Select. The new partnership includes a range of co-promotional activity surrounding Mr Carter's new album 'Kingdom Come', including a TV ad in which he will appear. But that's not all - he'll also apparently participate at a strategic and creative level - being involved in both the development of the brand at large, and in creating specific ad campaigns.
Commenting on his company's relationship with the rap mogul, Anheuser-Busch VP Of Brand Management, Marlene Coulis, told reporters: "Collaborating with Jay-Z on marketing our Budweiser Select brand presents an opportunity to work with one of the world's great entrepreneurs and draws upon his expertise with pop culture, music and business".
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BONO BACK IN COURT OVER MEMORABILIA
Bono has been back at the High Court in Dublin this week to testify at an appeal launched by former U2 stylist Lola Cashman to keep items she claimed were given to her by the band. As previously reported, Bono successfully sued Cashman for the return of those items, which included the frontman's iconic Stetson hat as worn on the cover of the 'Rattle And Hum' album, back in 2005.
In court this week, Bono praised Cashman's work with the band, but, describing the case as futile and embarrassing, claimed she had taken "unprofessional" advantage of her time with the band. "We have tried to avoid this bizarre situation for many years," he said. "She likes this. We don't. There isn't much of a case here from our point of view. It's our stuff, she has it, and a lot more beside. We want our stuff back. We want her to stop selling it."
Cashman, of course, maintains that the items, with an estimated value of around £3,500, were given to her back in 1987. The fact that she was in possession of them came to light when she tried to sell some of them at Christie's in 2002. She now says that letters sent by U2's lawyers sent to the auction house on that occasion, demanding their return, were defamatory.
The case, as they say, continues.
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KEANE MAN BACK ON STAGE AFTER REHAB
Keane frontman Tom Chaplin returned to the stage in Hull earlier this week following treatment for his drug and alcohol addictions. He told his audience at the gig that the event felt like "a big group therapy session".
Chaplin has explained in an interview with Radio 1 that his life had become unmanageable before he went into rehab back in August, saying "you walk to the edge of the cliff and look into the abyss, and either kind of jump off or turn around. Thankfully, it was the latter."
The singer continued: "I wasn't happy and I wasn't enjoying myself. When your life becomes unmanageable that's when you have to do something about it." Chaplin, who left The Priory two weeks ago, added that he was "taking it as it comes".
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DOHERTY'S REHAB PROGRESS 'MIXED BAG'
Talking of junkies, Pete Doherty appeared at Thames Magistrates' Court again this week, for the latest review of his rehabilitation treatment following that guilty plea on drugs possession back in August. The singer's solicitor, Bruce Clark, described his attempts to come off drugs as a "mixed bag", saying: "On the whole, progress is being made. He's giving up a lifestyle he's been living in the East End which is not the best place for him to be. There are alternatives for him though. He is now living at an address out of London"
Judge Jane McIvor, who usually seems to give Doherty a fat chunk of benefit when it comes to the doubt said: "Weekly appointments under the order had not been as successful as expected". The singer, however, explained that he has been "going to NA (Narcotics Anonymous) meetings and seeing a counsellor separate from the Priory", and, asked by McIvor if he was still optimistic about a complete recovery, answered in the affirmative.
Doherty will return to court in January for a further review.
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ROD STEWART ON POSSIBLE FACES REUNION
No, he's not letting up. Not only has he promised, as previously reported, to go on singing until someone makes him stop, Rod Stewart has been talking about the possibility of reforming his old band The Faces. Speaking to US music mag Blender: "I would reform them for the right reasons, maybe one big charity event."
However, he isn't sure if the seventies band would pass muster these days. "We haven't got enough material," he continued, "we only used to play live for 45 minutes; people want two hours now. Bono keeps telling me that I've got to start writing songs again, so I suppose that's the next one up. I haven't written for a long time, but I've started picking up the old acoustic guitar again."
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OUTKAST MAN CRITICISED FOR GUN COMMENTS
OutKast's Andre 3000 has attracted criticism from anti-gun campaigners after apparently saying that he would like to arm his nine year old son Seven at some point in the future. The singer is quoted by World Entertainment News Network as saying: "I would want my son to carry a gun when he gets older. It's just something you have got to have if you want to be safe."
A spokesperson for Mothers Against Guns says: "Andre 3000 is idolised by large numbers of young children throughout the world. He is glorifying gun culture which has taken over the world and taken our children away from us. To say he is going to encourage his son to carry one around when he is older is despicable."
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WILCO'S BENNET ON DEPARTURE FROM BAND
Ex-Wilco man Jay Bennet has been speaking about his departure from the band back in 2002. The musician left the group following the release of album 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot', a move documented by Sam Jones' film 'I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco'.
Bennett told St. Louis Today: ""I needed to go and do what I'm doing now. It was a mutual decision, and I don't think I can come up with anything better than things had run their course. [Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy] needed to be the leader of a band, and I needed to be the leader of a band, and we realised that before it got super ugly."
Bennett has just released a new solo album in the US.
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JACK WHITE LOVES STRIPES, HONEST
Jack White has spoken out against the public perception that he likes his new band The Raconteurs better than The White Stripes, or that the latter is a project he has now put behind him. White says: "People are assuming that The White Stripes is somehow painful for me, or too great a burden. But I love the constrictions of The White Stripes. It really makes my brain do what my brain wants to do."
Elsewhere in Jack White related news, The (aforementioned) Raconteurs have announced they will play a free acoustic show at HMV on Oxford Circus on 26 Oct at 1pm. Entrance is on a first come first served basis and no tickets are to be made available in advance. The band, are, of course on tour. Here's a reminder as to where and when:
19 Oct: London Brixton Academy
20 Oct: London Brixton Academy
22 Oct: Bristol Colston Hall
23 Oct: Nottingham Rock City
24 Oct: Wolverhampton Civic Hall
25 Oct: Liverpool University
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GUILLEMOTS POSTPONE GIGS
Guillemots have cancelled two dates on their current UK tour. Shows on 17 Oct in Nottingham and 18 Oct in Bristol failed to go ahead due to illness, but have now been rescheduled for February next year. All the upcoming live dates are now as follows:
20 Oct: Liverpool Carling Academy
21 Oct: Newcastle University
22 Oct: Manchester University
25 Oct: Leeds Metropolitan University
26 Oct: Cardiff Solus
30 Oct: Reading University
2 Nov: London Astoria
3 Nov: London Astoria
4 Nov: Oxford Brookes University
11 Feb: Bristol Academy
12 Feb: Nottingham Rock City
16 Feb: London Brixton Academy
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KLAXONS POSTPONE US TOUR DATES
Klaxons have delayed their upcoming US tour. The band have cancelled five dates, including a New York gig scheduled for the week long CMJ series of events. The group say they're delaying so that they can focus on finishing their debut album, and that the tour will be rescheduled for early in 2007. Here are the postponed dates:
1 Nov: New York, NY Cake Shop (Vice CMJ Party)
3 Nov: Philadelphia, PA Pure
4 Nov: Brooklyn, NY Galapagos (with Shitdisco)
7 Nov: Hollywood, CA Cinespace
9 Nov: San Francisco, CA Popscene
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TIMBERLAKE ANNOUNCES TOUR
Justin Timberlake has announced an extensive US tour, taking in 34 arenas between January and March next year, supported by Pink. According to Billboard, the singer is expected to announce a full global tour shortly comprising sixty dates elsewhere in the world.
Timberlake says of the tour: "I've been rehearsing the band, getting the show ready and tight. What do we got? Ten dancers, 14 band members, a million tricks up my sleeve, a crazy light show - and I might even show up. So that's pretty exciting. No, seriously, come out. I'll see you guys there."
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HEAR THIS - YOU'RE ALL GOING DEAF
Listening to loud music with earphones on a digital music player for more than 90 minutes a day can damage your hearing. So, ha to all those people that sit next to me on the tube with their iPods playing way too loud. I'd mock them direct, but I doubt they'd hear me.
The latest claims regarding personal music players and hearing loss come from a new US study of 100 medical students which recommends that anyone who listens to music at 80% of volume capacity (the point at which researchers consider the music to be 'loud') should not use their MP3 players for more than 90 minutes in any one day.
Researchers add that occasional listening at that volume for long periods is not so much a problem, but regular listening in that fashion poses a real risk. Study author Brian Fligor told Reuters: "If a person exceeds that on one particular day and happens not to use their headphones for the rest of the week, they're at no higher risk. I'm talking about someone who's exceeding 80 percent for 90 minutes day after day, month after month, for years."
The study also reports that listening to portable music players at 10% to 50% of maximum volume for long periods poses more or less no risks, while at 100% volume more than five minutes of listening can pose a risk. Researchers say their findings apply to both children and adults, though they haven't looked into whether children are more susceptible. They also report that there is no real difference between brands of digital music players or genres listened to in terms of effects on hearing.
Fligor added that the hearing problems caused by sustained listening to loud music can take up to ten years to become noticeable, which makes people more prone to take risks. He concluded: "I worry about the teenager who's going to be 23, 24, 25 years old and has a measurable noise-induced hearing loss and now has another 60-something years to live with his hearing which is only going to get worse".
Of course, people listening to loud music on portable music devices is nothing new, but focus on the implications of using such devices on hearing has increased of late because newer digital devices allow people to listen to music louder than ever before, while enhanced battery technology allows longer listening.
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SOME VIDEO IPODS COME WITH A VIRUS - AT NO EXTRA COST
And if your iPod doesn't deafen you, it might just kill your computer. Well, I'm exaggerating slightly, but following the news that promotional MP3 players being given away by McDonalds in Japan have a virus on them, news today that certain video-enabled iPods are carrying the RavMonE.exe virus which can lower the security settings on a Windows operating system which, of course, then potentially lets other viruses through.
Apple confirmed the problem yesterday, but stressed that it only affects video iPods shipped after 12 Sep, and of them less than 1% should be carrying the virus. They added that the virus should be picked up by most anti-virus systems, and that they have only had 25 complaints to date, while taking a little dig at their rival Microsoft claiming that it's partly their fault for designing an operating system that is susceptible to such viruses (which is a bit cheeky, though IT types do relish any opportunities to diss Windows). The computer firm said in a statement: "As you might imagine, we are upset at Windows for not being more hardy against such viruses, and even more upset with ourselves, for not catching it".
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MUSICBRIGADE SIGNS NEW PAN-EUROPEAN DEAL WITH EMI
Digital music and video aggregator Musicbrigade has announced it has signed a new multi-platform agreement with EMI which will see the major make its music and videos available via Musicbrigade services. The deal, which covers 23 European territories, allows Musicbrigade to make the label's music available in various ways, including as a la carte audio and video downloads, to both PC or mobile, or as part of subscription packages.
Confirming the new deal, Musicbrigade Senior VP Simon Gooch told CMU: "EMI were the first major label to endorse Musicbrigade and the company has been a long-standing partner and supporter of the company since 2000. This new agreement demonstrates EMI's commitment to us and to digital music in general. This deal is a key part of our ambitious agenda to become a major, pan-European player in the European digital music market. Having access to EMI's amazing music catalogue across both video and audio content will allow us to offer single-user, multi-device and multi-platform convergence and will allow Musicbrigade to present more choice to our customers which will considerably strengthen our offering".
Doug Lucas, VP Digital Distribution And Development for EMI Music, added: "This is another example of EMI working closely with partners to develop and encourage new business models, expand our digital reach, and give consumers yet another way to access and interact with our content. Musicbrigade has been one of the pioneers of the online music video market, and EMI is very pleased to be able to work with as they realise their vision of providing both audio and video music products to fans across multiple platforms."
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UNIVERSAL TO DISTRIBUTE CONTENT VIA WWEBNET
Universal Music UK have entered into a distribution and promotional partnership with a video delivery platform called WWEBNET which will allow them to directly distribute their content into other websites or portable players, or even via a desktop player. Or something like that. To be honest I'm not very clear on how this works and possibly should have done some research before embarking on this story. But, like a true pro, I'll carry on regardless.
Universal's Senior VP Of Digital Thingimys, Rob Wells, told reporters: "WWEBNET's state-of-the-art technology provides Universal Music with an entertainment operating system that allows our artists to communicate directly and immediately with their fans, and creates a direct-to-consumer broadcast network which is completely under Universal Music's control".
WWEBNET top bloke Robert Kelly added: "This relationship allows Universal Music to have better control over the availability and distribution of its content, as well as how it is delivered to consumers".
Nope, still not really clear on how it works. Ah well, I'm sure it's great.
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MTV SIGN VIDEO DEAL WITH BAIDU
MTV has struck a video content deal which will see music videos and MTV programming made available via Chinese search engine and web portal thingy Baidu. Much of the content in the 'MTV Zone' will be advertising funded, with Motorola and P&G both on board as advertisers.
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FREUD THREATENS TO WITHDRAW FROM PRESS GAZETTE
The future of the not-very-long-ago overhauled publishing industry trade mag Press Gazette is looking a little wobbly after majority shareholder Matthew Freud announced he was "reviewing his ownership of the business", adding that he "is no longer prepared to fund the title long term".
Freud seems to be pissed off that the newspaper industry has shunned the Press Gazette's annual industry awards event, which was an important revenue stream for the industry weekly. The British Press Awards have been somewhat controversial in recent years, mainly because they became such a raucous affair, and last year several major newspaper groups refused to participate, reducing the credibility of the event. Now some of the major newspaper owners are considering setting up a rival awards, which is seemingly what has pissed Freud off.
There may be another agenda at play here too. Those who attended last year's revamped British Press Awards agreed it was a much better event, which is why Freud and co-owner Piers Morgan are said to be especially annoyed that certain newspaper owners are still considering setting up rival awards. The Guardian's Roy Greensdale says Morgan reckons that the newspaper owners are in fact turning their backs on the British Press Awards not because of its troubled recent history, but because they like the idea of buggering up the business ventures of top PR man Freud.
Greensdale quotes Morgan thus: "I am extremely sad that the future of Press Gazette is being determined by personal agendas. Matthew Freud has pumped money into the magazine, adding to both the quantity and the quality of its content. As for the awards, he and I deliberately stayed away from the ceremony last year, which was generally agreed by the industry to have been the best in many years. Now we find that an alternative is being organised by a former Press Gazette editor, Philippa Kennedy, who knows how important the awards are to the commercial viability of the magazine. Without the awards, given that the industry does not see fit to advertise in the magazine, there is no profit in running Press Gazette. This is a very serious situation."
But Greensdale adds that the big newspaper owners reckon they are being blackmailed into supporting the Press Gazette's awards, adding that when he bought the magazine Freud said the awards were not central to his plans to turn round the trade title's fortunes. And therefore, he concludes, those owners are unlikely to be affected by Freud's latest demands. How he responds when they call his bluff, remains to be seen.
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GCAP SELL TWO CENTURY OUTLETS
GCap Media has sold two of its Century FM stations to the Guardian Media Group for £60 million. The two stations are in Manchester and the North East. As part of the deal GCap will still handle the national ad sales for both stations, and the regional sales for the Manchester outlet. GCap said it had entered into the deal to achieve "greater financial flexibility" in order to better focus on developing its national portfolio of stations and launching that previously reported new national digital jazz station, which is now likely to go live in the New Year.
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PANIC! SAY THEY'RE NOT EMO
No-one wants to be emo, do they? Perhaps we ought to abolish the genre altogether, as it seems to be something of a term of abuse these days. Anyway Panic! At The Disco singer Brendon Urie has said that his band isn't emo, okay?
Urie told NME: "It's ignorant! The stereotype is guys that are weak and have failing relationships write about how sad they are. If you listen to our songs, not one of them has that tone. Emo is bullshit! If people want to take it for the literal sense of the word, yes we're an emotional band, we put a lot of thought into what we do. People always try to stereotype us, but we don't fit the emo stereotype."
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JAMIE T ON WHY HIS LILY COLLABORATION WON'T SURFACE
That Jamie T fella has said he's recorded a song with Lily Allen, but adds that it is unlikely to appear on his forthcoming debut album because he is unhappy with the production on the track.
Mr T: "I asked Lily to sing on the track and she sounded fantastic - her voice is so pure. But the drum beat is awful so I've chosen not to use it on the album. I tried to reproduce it but ended up fucking it up. The drums were spilling all over the top of her vocals. We had about three or four working titles for the track but I don't think it will ever see the light of day now so it doesn't matter".
As previously reported Jamie T's debut LP 'White Socks Black Shoes' will be released in the New Year. We said the other day that it'll be out on 22 Jan, preceded by single release 'Calm Down Dearest', though Virgin Records tell us neither of those facts are actually confirmed, so I'd only pencil them in your Jamie T diary for now if I was you. Latest single 'If You Got The Money' is, however, out this week, that's for certain (I think!).
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U2 LAUNCH A LYRIC HUNT
What's a lyric hunt? Dunno, but U2 are holding one. Okay, what it is is the chance to win an all expenses paid trip to see the band play in Honolulu on 9 Dec, and it's kind of like a treasure hunt. To win, fans need to locate banners featuring snippets of lyrics from tracks on the band's new hits release 'U218', which are hidden on various international websites. Each of those websites will be listed at U2.com. Each of those lyrics will have one letter highlighted, which must be collected, and used to answer a question.
Got it? Good. The winner will be announced on 6 Nov.
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OXFAM REVEALS THAT BRITS ARE A BIT DELUDED
A poll conducted as part of Oxfam's Oxjam festival (which is taking place all through this month, of course) has revealed that there may be as many as 3.5 million Brits who think they're capable of writing a number one single. It also suggests that around seven percent of people in this country believe they've already written their potential chart topping smash. Ahem.
Elsewhere, the poll confirms that we're all going to a lot more gigs than we used to, with 37 percent saying they attend at least one gig a month, compared to 21 percent five years ago. Respondents say that they attend more gigs now because it's easier to find out about music and gigs because of the wonder of the internet.
The poll also indicated that there are around five million musicians in the UK currently, and around 1.5million bands.