| CMU Daily - on the inside Monday 11th February |
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In today's CMU Daily:
- Amy's night at the Grammys
- Lots more Britney
- Dre launches new action against Death Row
- Burn Camden burn
- Godspeed You! Black Emperor split
- Lennox joins hearing campaign
- Idlewild album delayed due to injury
- Travis man injured
- U2 debut gets re-release
- New video heightens NKOTB reunion speculation
- Single review: Foals - Cassius
- Eric Burdon and WAR reunite for one-off
- More Glasto headliners announced
- Great Escape news
- Anti-racism event in April
- Barack Obama set to music
- Album review: Lupen Crook and the Murder Birds - Iscariot The Ladder
- Warner boss under investigation over Vivendi shares
- Canadian artists won't proceed with push for iPod tax
- Chart update
- Sub.tv playlist
- Total Rock world album chart
- Student radio chart
- Cher says she loved Cruise
- Minogue not attending X-Factor tour
- Monks needed, apply Universal
- Frances Bean: Fans are creepy
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TOP BIT
There was an interesting industry story coming out of the Grammy weekend - the boss of live music conglom AEG, Tim Leiweke, gave a keynote address at the Grammy Foundation's 10th Annual Entertainment Law Initiative lunch, and he revealed that his company did not plan to follow their main competitors Live Nation in adopting a 360 degree multi-discipline business model.
As much previously reported, there is a strong feeling in the record industry that the major record companies need to start operating in more than just the recorded music sector and to sign deals with artists that give them involvement in more than just album releases, mainly because the recorded music sector is not as bankable as it once was, and is therefore not so good for securing upfront artist investments on. Such cross sector companies and deals have been much dubbed '360 degree'.
While all four majors dabble with the 360 approach, Live Nation has launched a whole new division, Live Nation Artists, so that it too can operate in a number of different music sectors, and not just its traditional domain of concert promotion and venue management. AEG, however, won't be following suit. Well, not in the short term.
Leiweke told his audience: "There are those that believe in a 360 model. We don't. We go to the labels and let them know we're [their] partners and that we can't distribute the music better than [they] can. The labels have an important place within our industry. Quite frankly, if the label industry disappears, that's not good for the music industry".
Commenting on Live Nation's other ambitions, and in particular their move into the ticketing space, he continued: "We think the managers and the agents are [also] necessary. We don't think that we do ticketing or distribution or managing artists better than you do".
The whole 360 degree debate is getting increasingly interesting, because while record label chiefs now seem convinced the cross-sector approach is the one which will safeguard their companies' futures, there is less consensus as to how it should be done, and, in the wider music industry, that it should be done at all.
On the former point, the question is should the major labels try to expand into new disciplines by launching their own in-house divisions, or by partnering with those companies that already dominate in those other sectors? If the labels opt for the former then Live Nation is right to get into recordings, because they are about to face new competition from new big players. But if the labels opt for the latter, then AEG are right, because the majors are going to be looking for partners, and are less likely to want to partner with new competitors Live Nation.
On the latter point - whether everyone in music likes 360 at all - well, the live sector seems generally keen to play ball with the 360 degree record labels, whether that be as competitors or partners. But not everyone wants to work with the majors in a 360 capacity, and I think some in the management sector in particular won't be keen to see their artists leap into 360 deals. The labels will need to get busy persuading them otherwise.
I've no idea which way all this will go, but I do think it will be interesting to watch from the outside.
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JOBS N STUFF
JUNIOR PRODUCT MANAGER - BAUER MUSIC (FORMERLY EMAP)
We are looking for an enthusiastic music fan to work in Bauer's music department, overseeing commercial music projects across our extensive portfolio of brands and platforms, which include Kiss, Magic, The Hits, Q, Mojo and Kerrang! As Junior Product Manager, you will be responsible the product cycle of a record release or music project, overseeing a product's creation and delivery, developing marketing campaigns, and will hold responsibility for the project's financial accounting. You will have strong communication and time-management skills, a love of music and an understanding of the broadcasting and publishing environments. You will be able to adapt easily from working with programme directors and magazine editors, to looking after routine administrative tasks, and will be exceptionally organised, with the ability to deliver a project on time and within budget. Please send a CV and covering letter to: [email protected]
MARKETING ROLE AT NINJA TUNE
Supporting Ninja Tune, Big Dada & Counter Records marketing team. Organising marketing activities and materials inc merchandise, adverts, events, appropriate brand hook-ups etc etc. Chasing publicity people and compiling weekly reports, writing sales notes. Tenacious, intelligent, likeable. Starting salary £18,000. Contact [email protected]
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CMU CLASSIFIEDS
OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE IN CREATIVE HUB IN LONDON DOCKLANDS
We have desk and office space available at our spacious, newly refurbished base in London's Docklands. You'd be sharing with a company operating in the creative, cultural and marketing space, and the facility would best suit individuals or SMEs operating in those sectors. We are just minutes from South Quay DLR station, and ten minutes walk from the main Canary Wharf complex and Jubilee Line station. Rent includes broadband internet access and meeting room facilities. Spaces available immediately. For more information contact [email protected]
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CMU RECOMMENDED
REMIX ALL-NIGHTER
The next CMU recommended Remix All-Nighter takes over the seOne Club at London Bridge next month for a brilliant pre-Easter party.
There'll be three rooms of fun. In the Remix room you'll get live sets from The Whip and Vitalic, plus Remix chief Eddy TM on the decks and VJ Fay Buzzard doing visual stuff. Next up will be a room hosted by Orbital co-founder and general dance music pioneer Phil Hartnoll, named for and showcasing his new venture Long Range. And then, to top off all that, there will be a whole room of all things Ninja Tune, featuring no less than DJ Food & DK, Coldcut (Jon Moore DJ Set), Bonobo, Daedelus, The Qemists and VJ Mox.
It all takes place on 20 Mar. Full info from: http://www.myspace.com/theremix
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SNAP OF THE DAY: I BLAME COCO
Another rockstar offspring in the SNAP column today (we had Talking Heads child Kid Ginseng too recently), with Sting's daughter Coco gracing this venerated section of the Daily with her musical project, I Blame Coco. Unlike Kid Ginseng, however, who sounds very little like his parents, Coco sounds remarkably like her father vocally, with her band even plying the same sort of reggae-influenced pop/rock synonymous with The Police. Indeed, this can be heard on standout track 'I Blame Coco', a natty bit of song-writing that seems to take a dig at her elders/siblings for blaming her for an unexpected house party, starting by protesting innocence: "How did all these people get in my room? I don't know", before claiming: "I Blame Coco, I always do". London-based folk and those willing to travel can see her live at Notting Hill Arts Club on Feb 21 and a Chiswick date on 2 Mar. The rest of you can start with the MySpace.
http://www.myspace.com/iblamecoco
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AMY'S NIGHT AT THE GRAMMYS
So, on Thursday morning we told you that our sources were saying Amy Winehouse would get the final word on her US visa application on Friday, that she'd most likely get a visa, but that there was doubt that would be in time for the singer to make it to Sunday night's Grammys.
Then on Thursday afternoon we get an official statement saying that Winehouse had had the final word on her US visa application already, that she had been refused access to the USA, and that therefore she would not be going to the Grammys. So we sacked our sources.
Then on Friday we get a second official statement saying that actually Winehouse had received final word on her US visa application on Friday, that she had been granted the visa, but that that didn't leave enough time for the singer to make it to Sunday's Grammys - ie what we had originally predicted. Which means now I'm going to have to buy our source a box of chocolates. Damn Winehouse Visa story.
Anyway, that's all old news by now, because this morning's news is that, despite not making the Grammys bash in LA, Ms Winehouse still stole the show picking up no less than five of the prestigious US music awards, including the gongs for Best Song, Record Of The Year and Best Newcomer. She was linked to the awards show from a London gathering by satellite, and from there gave the Grammys' audience performances of 'You Know I'm No Good' and 'Rehab', while accepting each of her five gongs.
Taking the Record Of The Year prize she hugged her mother, and told the small London audience the prize was for "my mum and dad, [and] to my Blake, my Blake incarcerated. And for London, this is for London, because Camden Town is burning down" (more on Camden Town burning down in a minute).
The other big winner of the night was Kanye West, perhaps not surprisingly, given he started the evening with the most nominations. He took four awards, including Best Rap Song and Best Rap Album. He paid tribute to his late mother Donda who, of course, died very suddenly last year. When Grammy producers tried to cut short his tribute by getting the house band to start playing, West was having none of it, remarking "It would be in good taste to stop the music". Speaking to his late mum, he said: "Last night I saw you in my dreams, and now I can't wait to go to sleep. I know you're really proud of me right now and I know you want me to be the number one artist in the world. And mama, all I'm going to do is keep making you proud. We run this".
Other multiple Grammy winners included Bruce Springsteen, who took three awards, and The White Stripes, Justin Timberlake and Mary J Blige, who each got two. Amy's mate Mark Ronson was named Best Non-classical Producer of the year for his work with Winehouse and Lily Allen not to mention his own album 'Version' while, in something of a surprise decision, the Album Of The Year gong went to the legend that is Herbie Hancock for his Joni Mitchell covers album. In a busy busy weekend for awards, Burt Bacharach got his Grammy Award for lifetime achievement at a separate ceremony on Saturday night.
Elsewhere at the Grammy circus, some of the media spotlight fell on Nas, who caught the snappers' attention by wearing a t-shirt labelled with the name of his upcoming new album - 'Nigger'. Asked about the t-shirt by a white CNN reporter, the hip hopper said: "It's all the experiences we go through every day, of all ethnicities, black, white, indifferent. We've all at some point felt discriminated on, whether it's in Dominican Republic, whether it's in China, whether it's in Iraq with soldiers getting their heads blown off for reasons we don't know why. The meaning of the word is supposed to be ignorant. So no longer are Black people still niggers, it's also me and you. I want people to think about what I'm thinking about today". As previously reported, Nas has already courted controversy with his choice of title for his next long player, especially as he announced his choice just as a new campaign to remove the word from mainstream music was gaining momentum.
Also getting some column inches over the Grammy weekend was Timbaland, who threw a bit of an on-stage hissy fit after headlining People magazine's pre-Grammy's party, because some of his posse had been refused admission to the VIP bash. He slated the organisers of the Saturday night party at the end of his headline set.
Unfortunately I wasn't there and the US media reports of this seem to have completely edited out the swear words he used, but we've been analysing this in some detail for you all, and we're pretty sure only variations of the word 'fuck' work, but apologies if we get this wrong. Anyway, here's what we think the superproducer said: "Next time I have one of my homeboys in line, let that fucker in! I don't like to see my people turned around for some fuckin magazine ... fuck y'all!"
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LOTS MORE BRITNEY
More Britney for you, and more on the legal powers that have been awarded to the popstress' father James Spears since her recent sectioning, powers that are still in place despite Brit's release from psychiatric care.
It has been revealed that Court Commissioner Reva Goetz, as well as awarding Mr Spears conservatorship over his daughter's assets and affairs, also ordered the singer's business manager Howard Grossman to hand over all documents he had in relation to Britney. Spears Senior also has the right to fire Grossman, though it's not clear if he has so far exercised that right - neither party have commented, although it is known Grossman was refused admission to the most recent closed doors court hearing on Spears' affairs.
Grossman, of course, should not be confused with Britney's other supposed manager, Sam Lutfi, who, as previously reported, has also been removed from the singer's affairs, though him via a restraining order secured by Brit's mother Lynne. Grossman wouldn't confirm what involvement he had in Britney's business affairs, accept to say he was in no way an associate of Lutfi.
While some of the professionals who have been representing Britney of late were forcefully removed, others voluntarily quit their relationship with Spears. The lawyers who have been representing her in her long running child custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline filed papers in the LA Superior Court last week requesting to be given the OK to quit the case. It's not clear what that means for the custody case.
The other bit of news relating to the custody battle comes from the other side of the equation. PR type Michael Sands has quit as spokesman for the Fed's lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan because, he says, he is sick of having to attack Britney. Given that the Fed has generally got an OK press during the whole custody battle as Brit went for odd incident to odd incident while descending into mental breakdown, Sands' comments could change that, and add to the growing public sympathy that seems be going Britney's way. Certainly Sands questions Kaplan's behaviour in the way he has briefed against Spears.
Sands: "This is overkill, it made my stomach turn. Every time we had to go into court, yes we have to protect the kids. But every mother, healthy or unhealthy, should see their kids... You can't blame someone for mental illness. Mark Vincent Kaplan needs to lay off. Everyone has to lay off before Britney dies accidentally". Sands said that the LA authorities should put "bipolar Britney" back in hospital asap, adding that she could need up to a year's treatment, but that she should have regular contact with her children while she receives treatment.
While he said he still believed the couple's children should be primarily cared for by Federline, he also believes his former client should be doing more to help his ex. He told Life+Style magazine: "Kevin Federline needs to get on TV and say, 'I'm learning about Britney's bipolar disorder'. He needs to step up to the plate and not hide behind the shield of his lawyer and be a man. He could become a hero instead of hiding... He's got to step up and help Britney".
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DRE LAUNCHES NEW ACTION AGAINST DEATH ROW
Dr Dre is continuing his legal action against the up-for-sale Death Row Records. As previously reported, Dre, who has had various legal run ins with the label he co-founded, and his former business partner Suge Knight, over the years, has issued legal proceedings claiming he actually owns certain recordings of his that have been included in the Death Row bankruptcy sale, mainly because the label, he alleges, defaulted on previous contracts relating to those recordings. The bankruptcy courts have already rejected one of Dre's lawsuits, though have given the hip hop mogul the OK to appeal that ruling.
Dre's latest legal papers, filed last week, are now asking for access to Death Row's accounts and company files because he says he needs to be able to calculate what he is owed in terms of royalties that have accrued since the hip hop label filed for bankruptcy. Dre's lawyers want to see all the paperwork surrounding their client's agreements with the label, and figures for what monies his recordings have generated since the bankruptcy.
As previously reported, following the bankruptcy of Death Row and its owner Suge Knight, the legendary hip hop label's assets are now up for sale, and Warner Music are reportedly bidding $25 million to buy them. Early Dre and Tupac recordings are among the gems in the Death Row catalogue that can demand such a high asking price.
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BURN CAMDEN BURN
So, to quote Amy, "Camden Town is burning down". Yes, Camden Market was on fire on Saturday night, and quite impressively so, I'd go as far to say it was the most exciting thing to happen in Camden for a long time. I can be a little bit flippant about it because, according to latest reports, no one was hurt in the blaze, though I shouldn't be too flippant because some reckon hundreds of market traders could now go out of business, and the Camden scenesters' favourite hang out, the Hawley Arms, was badly damaged.
The whole thing kicked off on Saturday night when, as you can imagine, Camden was rather busy, which probably explains the amount of footage of the fire that has circulated on the net. A hundred firefighters fought the blaze, while a large area around the market was cordoned off, seemingly because of concerns there were propane gas canisters in some of the market stalls which could go off. A large area will remain cordoned off this week while investigators figure out what happened, though it's not thought that should affect any of the nearby music venues.
The Hawley Arms, though, has been severely damaged, and some of its indie star regulars have expressed their sadness at the pub's bad fortune. Razorlight drummer Andy Burrows told NME: "It was really sad to see the pictures after Saturday with the pub all black and the windows broken. We started going there as soon as [landlord] Dougie [Charles-Riddler] moved in and he really put a lot of effort into turning that place into a cool pub. We just started going there all the time as he would cook me and Johnny [Borrell] lasagne - this was before they got a proper kitchen - when we were on our way home from the studio while we were recording the second album".
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GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR SPLIT
Hardly a surprise, given that they've been on indefinite hiatus for a few years, but Godspeed You! Black Emperor's Efrin Menuck has said that the band won't be reforming. The Canadian avant-garde group aren't splitting because they're bored, have musical differences or hate each other; they blame the break-up on the Iraq war.
Band member Efrin Menuck told Drowned In Sound: "The last American tour that Godspeed did was in the run up to the current war in Iraq. For what Godspeed did, it was very difficult for us to work out a way to communicate directly with the audience about what was going on. We could talk to people after the shows, or we could make announcements from the stage, but so much what Godspeed was, was one-way communication, and I had an existential freakout about that, that those tactics aren't valid anymore. People didn't need a rock band pointing in the direction of [how the world was at that point]. Maybe what they needed is some clumsy words, a presentation that was a little more human".
He did, however, add that there might be more personal issues also involved, saying: "On a personal level I now find [Godspeed You! Black Emperor] to be inappropriate. There's a complicated back story. I reached a point whereby I was no longer willing to contribute to the steering of the ship; it was like, 'Okay now, someone else point the direction, I love you all, but I need to ride shotgun for a while'. I think that bands do have a short shelf life".
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LENNOX JOINS HEARING CAMPAIGN
Annie Lennox has become the latest music star to lend her weight to the Hear The World campaign, joining contemporaries such as Amy Winehouse, Moby, Placido Domingo and Harry Belafonte in supporting the venture. The campaign, run by hearing aid manufacturer Phonak, aims to draw attention to the emotional impact of hearing loss. The stars have their pictures taken posing with a hand behind one ear, by official celebrity photographer Bryan Adams.
The aforementioned Belafonte, who suffers from hearing loss, says of his experiences: "Good hearing is extremely important. It has a lot of impact on personality. I noticed [when my hearing got worse] that my voice changed, and I had to speak more loudly. People thought that I was speaking more aggressively, and I didn't mean to be aggressive at all. I just think people should be very, very conscious and protective of their hearing."
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IDLEWILD ALBUM DELAYED DUE TO INJURY
Idlewild have been forced to postpone work on their seventh album because guitarist Allan Stewart has injured his hand.
The band's frontman Roddy Woomble says: "song writing sessions with Allan were postponed after he fractured his right hand play fighting. We're taking a page out of Blur's book, and have been meeting up for lunch instead". Which is presumably a reference to the fact that the members of Blur have in recent times met for lunch, but that no music has issued forth from any proposed reunion. Or something. Anyone knows something I don't know about Blur and lunch, answers on a postcard. Actually, email is better.
Anyway, that's the news. Poor Allan. They're an accident prone bunch though, aren't they? Guitarist Rod Jones fell down some stairs and broke his arm in October, if you remember.
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TRAVIS MAN INJURED
More from the file marked 'pop beat combo guitarist injuries'. Travis man Andy Dunlop had a nasty fall at the band's concert in Cambridge on Wednesday, when he climbed over a security barrier. Luckily, nothing was broken, although he was taken to hospital with a suspected fractured ankle. Band mate Fran Healy wrote on the band's website: "Andy was taken to hospital, where an X-ray showed no break. So all is well".
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U2 DEBUT GETS RE-RELEASE
U2's debut album 'Boy' is to be re-released in May, the latest, of course, in a series of reissues which began last year with the 20 year anniversary edition of 'The Joshua Tree'. It wasn't that much of a hit the first time around so perhaps it will sell a few more copies now the band are a wee bit bigger than they were in 1980.
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NEW VIDEO HEIGHTENS NKOTB REUNION SPECULATION
Despite former member Danny Wood denying any reunion was upcoming, the New Kids On The Block's recently restored official website is now apparently running a video teaser which would seem to suggest some kind of reunion is likely.
Since writing on his MySpace that there had been "no discussion" about a NKOTB reunion, Wood has published a slightly vaguer new posting which reads: "Hi to all the New Kids On The Block fans, I wanted to clarify since my first post regarding the NKOTB reunion. I loved being a part of the group, and have always thought 'maybe someday we'll get back together' - you just never know when your someday will come. I can guarantee all the fans that if this reunion were to happen, they would hear about it first on www.NKOTB.com".
Quite what all that means we know not.
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SINGLE REVIEW: Foals - Cassius (Transgressive)
Quite possibly the only group who look even more like a bunch of students hand picked from a catalogue than Bloc Party, Foals are, of course, currently very hot with da yoof and - you're never going to believe this - they've only got a new single out. Although I'll never listen to it again after finishing this review, 'Cassius' is pretty good, actually, like a particular hyperactive cousin of Franz Ferdinand's 'Take Me Out', it's full of spindly guitars that actually sound like pianos, giggly synth spurts and the usual affected vocal yelping that all fashionable indie bands these days are required by law to use instead of, you know, just singing. There's also a bit of brass buried in the mix which, like their last single 'Balloon', suggest a healthy ska influence in amidst the usual new wave angularity. Better than 'Mathletics' by way of having a 'tune' you can whistle, but not quite as good as 'Hummer', it still shows a band trying to do some interesting stuff within the confines of fairly traditional indie rock, and just about succeeding. Let them through, then. (Again). MS
Release date: 10 Mar
Press contact: Bang On [O]
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ERIC BURDON AND WAR REUNITE FOR ONE-OFF
Former Animals frontman Eric Burdon is to reunite with his second band WAR for the first time in 37 years for a one-off gig at the Royal Albert Hall on 21 April. I think it's to publicise a series of War reissues, which will see the release of 'Eric Burdon Declares WAR' and 'The Black-Man's Burdon' on 24 Mar and 'The Best of Eric Burdon & WAR' and 'The WAR Anthology' on 14 Apr. Tickets for the concert go on sale on Thursday (aka Valentine's day) at 9am. Press info from Noble PR.
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MORE GLASTO HEADLINERS ANNOUNCED
The Verve and Kings Of Leon are to headline Glastonbury this summer alongside Jay-Z, whose appearance was announced last week. Kings of Leon play the Pyramid stage on Fri 27 Jun, Jay-Z appears on Sat 28 Jun and The Verve on Sun 29 Jun.
Organiser Emily Eavis says: "We are thrilled that these acts are headlining. It really looks set to be an amazing year. The Verve are a great Glastonbury band and they are finally doing the headline slot we have been waiting for years. Jay-Z is coming all the way over especially, and he will undoubtedly do an incredible show, we are so honoured to have one of the world's greatest hip-hop artists on the farm. Kings Of Leon are one of the most exciting live bands out there and they have come through the ranks at Glastonbury, from the new bands tent a few years back."
Other acts confirmed include Hot Chip, British Sea Power, Leonard Cohen and Neil Diamond.
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GREAT ESCAPE NEWS
The Great Escape have released news of the latest confirmations for their 2008 line-up, and recent additions include The Wombats, The Hold Steady, The Subways, Glasvegas, Black Lips, White Lies, Monobright, Iron And Wine, Public Service Announcers, Born Ruffians, Broken Mirrors, Ipso Facto, Beat Union, Mother Mother, This City, One Night Only and Teenagers. They join the likes of Young Knives, Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong, Black Mountain, Tunng, Lightspeed Champion, Fujiya & Miyagi, Peter Von Poehl and School Of Language on the bill for the event, which takes place from 15 - 17 May in Brighton.
And it's not just the actual music, of course. For the industry convention side of things, organisers have announced the appearance of guest speaker Terry McBride, CEO and one of three founders of the Nettwerk Music Group.
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ANTI-RACISM EVENT IN APRIL
Rock Against Racism are to hold a thirty year anniversary celebration of the 1978 event Carnival Against The Nazis, and it's set to take place in London's Victoria Park on 27 Apr. Babyshambles are expected to headline. You know why I say 'expected'. Other performers include Tom Robinson, whose band headlined the event back in 1978.
Derek Simpson, joint General Secretary of Unite says: "Events like these that bring people together are vital to helping suppress the threat we face from racist organisations. These organisations are attempting to gain votes by playing off people's disenchantment with politics and their insecurities".
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BARACK OBAMA SET TO MUSIC
Presidential hopeful Barack Obama's now famous "yes we can" speech has been set to music by some of his musical celeb supporters. A music video has been created by Black Eyed Pea Will.i.am, and features contributions from Herbie Hancock, John Legend and rap star Common. Will.I.Am explained why he did it: "That speech affected and touched my inner core like nothing in a very long time. It was as if he was talking to and defending everything that made me who I am. I took that speech, and I wanted everyone else to be inspired by that speech as I was". Obama, it seems, is pretty chuffed about it, and has posted the video on his website.
Elsewhere in music related presidential primaries news, republican candidate John McCain has agreed to stop using John Mellencamp's music for his campaign. As previously reported, Mellencamp, being a fervent democrat, was not chuffed about the fact that his songs were sound-tracking a Republican campaign.
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ALBUM REVIEW: Lupen Crook And The Murder Birds - Iscariot The Ladder (Tap n Tin)
Lupen Crook, aka Mathew Pritchard, first grabbed attention with his ghostly, atmospheric 'Halloween EP'. Now on his second album, his twisted folk still sounds worlds apart from anyone else. His strange, strangled vocals and a lyrical preoccupation with murder, curses, the devil, and dead cats make for idiosyncratic songs. Like fellow weird folkie Patrick Wolf his music is theatrical and melodramatic. Despite hailing from Chatham in Kent, Crooks sounds like he inhabits a Gothic or Dickensian underworld. His often harsh music and sour, misanthropic lyrics make for mostly uneasy listening. Stand out tracks include the quirky 'Sympathy, Sunshine And The Catatonic Kiss... Goodbye' and the almost jolly rollicking 'Young Love'. On the whole the album isn't as strong or impressive as the 'Halloween' EP but nevertheless Crook certainly has an unusual talent. JW
Release date: 4 Feb
Press contact: Stone Immaculate [all]
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WARNER BOSS UNDER INVESTIGATION OVER VIVENDI SHARES
Warner Music boss Edgar Bronfman Jr is under formal investigation by the French authorities regarding his former stake in French conglom Vivendi, owners of the Universal Music Group.
Bronfman, of course, created the Universal Music Group by merging Polygram with MCA/Universal back in his days atop of Seagram, and became a Vivendi shareholder when Seagram merged with the French corporation in 2000. He got out of the company three years later after it almost collapsed due to spiralling debts and allegations of dodgy financial management by its then CEO Jean-Marie Messier.
The French investigations centre on Bronfman's trading in Vivendi shares while he was still on the firm's board. His attorney, Thierry Marembert, played down the significance of the formal investigations on Thursday, and stressed that no charges had been filed against his client. Marembert told reporters: "He [Bronfman] will continue to cooperate with the proceedings. Mr Bronfman's transactions have at all times been proper and at no time did he contravene any French laws or regulations".
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CANADIAN ARTISTS WON'T PROCEED WITH PUSH FOR IPOD TAX
The Canadian Private Copying Collective have surprised some by saying they will not appeal the most recent court ruling on proposals to introduce an iPod tax in Canada.
As previously reported, the CPCC, had called for a private copying levy to be applied to the sale of MP3 players in the same way it is in Canada (and other countries, though not the UK) on blank cassettes and CDRs. The levy compensates artists for the private copies of their music most people use the blank cassettes and CDRs for. Proposals to extend the levy to MP3 players are based on the theory that digital music players have replaced cassettes and CDRs as tools for private copying. But the so called iPod tax is not supported by everyone - including some in the music industry, in Canada the Canadian Recording Industry Association has not supported expanding the levy to digital music players. They point out some consumers will fill their MP3 players with music from legit download platforms, ie music that is licensed for use on those players, and is not therefore a 'private copy'. It would be unfair to charge those consumers the levy.
The Canadian Copyright Board initially passed proposals for the new levy, but the Canadian courts subsequently overturned the ruling, claiming it could not be justified under the country's current copyright laws. Many expected the CPCC to appeal that second ruling, but they announced last week they would not.
CPCC chair Annie Morin told reporters her organisation could not justify the cost of taking their case to the next level of appeal, but stressed they still believed there should be an MP3 player levy. She said: "This is a great loss for rights holders. No one disputes that a large percentage of Canadians make copies of recorded music onto their digital audio recorders. The private copying levy is the only compensation available to rights holders for the hundreds of millions of tracks that are copied without authorization onto digital audio recorders each year by Canadians".
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CHART UPDATE
So, Basshunter is still numero uno in the singles chart this week with 'Now You're Gone', while Nickelback and Adele swap places to make up the top three. For a new entry we have to go down to number ten where we fine Wet Wet Wet who go straight in at ten with 'Weightless', beating trendy types like The Feeling and Morrissey, so well done them. The Feeling went in at 12 with 'I Thought It Was Over' while Mozza scored a number 14 entry with 'That's How People Grow Up'. Other new entries came from Goldfrapp with 'A&E' at 18, Biffy Clyro with 'Who's Got A Match' at 27, Michael Jackson and Will.I.Am (but no Paul McCartney, apparently) with the 2008 rework of 'The Girl Is Mine' at 32, Timbaland and friends with 'Scream' at 36 and 30 Seconds To Mars with 'From Yesterday' at 37.
Albums wise, that Jack Johnson fella went straight in at one with 'Sleep Through The Static', pushing Adele into second place. Other new entries from Hot Chip with 'Made In The Dark' at 4, Mary J Blige with 'Growing Pains' at 6 and Dionne Warwick with 'The Love Collection' at 27. Hurrah.
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SUB.TV PLAYLIST
Here they are again, the videos being played this week on the Sub.tv video screen network in students' unions all over the UK. New entries marked with a *.
A-List
30 Seconds To Mars - From Yesterday (EMI/Virgin)
Adele - Chasing Pavements (Beggars/XL)
The Cribs - I'm A Realist (Wichita)
David Jordan - Sun Goes Down (Universal/Mercury)*
The Feeling - I Thought It Was Over (Universal/Island)
Goldfrapp - A&E (EMI/Mute)
Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong - Lonely Buoy (Universal/Mercury)
Kelly Rowland - Work (Freemasons Mix) (SonyBMG/RCA)
Mark Brown feat. Sarah Cracknell - The Journey Continues (EMI/Positiva)
Mark Ronson feat. Alex Greenwald - Just (SonyBMG/Columbia)
M.I.A - Paper Planes (Beggars/XL)
One Night Only - Just For Tonight (Universal/Vertigo)
Simple Plan - When I'm Gone (Warner/Atlantic)
Those Dancing Days - Hitten (Wichita)
Vampire Weekend - A Punk (Beggars/XL)*
The Whitest Boy Alive - Golden Cage (Modular)
B-List
Alphabeat - Fascination (Charisma)
Amy MacDonald - Run (Universal/Mercury)*
Blood Red Shoes - You Bring Me Down (Universal/Mercury)*
The Blakes - Two Times (Light In The Attic)*
Boy Kill Boy - Promises (Universal/Vertigo)*
The Coral - Put The Sun Back (SonyBMG/Columbia)
Does It Offend You, Yeah? - We are Rockstars (EMI/Virgin)*
Feist - My Moon, My Man (Universal/Polydor)
The Futureheads - The Beginning of the Twist (Nul)*
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly - Find The Time (Warner/Atlantic)
Operator Please - Get What You Want (Brille)
The Rascals - Suspicious Wit (Deltasonic)
Richard Hawley - Valentine (EMI/Mute)
The Ting Tings - Great DJ (SonyBMG/Columbia)
Yves Larock - Zookey (Defected)
We Are Scientists - After Hours (EMI/Virgin)*
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TOTAL ROCK WORLD ALBUM CHART
It's this week's Total Rock World Album Chart, as counted down on Total Rock over the weekend - http://www.totalrock.com. New entries and re-entries marked with a *.
1. Led Zeppelin - Mothership (Swan Song)
2. Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (SonyBMG)
3. Linkin Park - Minutes To Midnight (Warner Bros)
4. Eagles - Long Road Out Of Eden (Universal)
5. Bon Jovi - Lost Highway (Universal/Mercury)
6. Nickelback - All The Right Reasons (Warner/Roadrunner)
7. Daughtry - Daughtry (SonyBMG)
8. Bruce Springsteen - Magic (SonyBMG/Columbia)
9. Paramore - Riot! (Warner/Atlantic)
10. Queen - Greatest Hits Vols. 1, 2, 3 (EMI)
11. Avenged Sevenfold - Avenged Sevenfold (Warner Bros)
12. Serj Tankian - Elect The Dead (Serjical Strike)
13. Godsmack - Good Times, Bad Times - Ten Years Of Godsmack (Republic)
14. Buckcherry - 15 (Eleven Seven Music)
15. Kid Rock - Rock - N Roll Jesus (Warner/Atlantic)
16. The Mars Volta - The Bedlam In Goliath (Universal)*
17. Fall Out Boy - Infinity On High (Universal/Mercury)
18. Guns n Roses - Greatest Hits (Universal/Geffen)*
19. Nightwish - A Dark Passion Play (Nuclear Blast)
20. Flyleaf - Flyleaf (Universal/A&M)*
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STUDENT RADIO CHART
Yes everybody, it is back, the official UK Student Radio Chart, the most playlisted songs on student radio last week, as compiled by the Student Radio Association. Hurrah.
1. Mystery Jets - Young Love ft. Laura Marling
2. Hot Chip - Ready for the Floor
3. Blood Red Shoes - You Bring me Down
4. Kanye West ft. Chris Martin - Homecoming
5. The Wombats - Moving to New York
6. Los Campesinos! - Death to Los Campesinos!
7. Robyn - Be Mine
8. The Duke Spirit - The Step and the Walk
9. Alphabeat - Fascination
10. I Was a Cub Scout - Pink Squares
11. Tegan And Sara - The Con
12. Goldfrapp - A&E
13. The Maccabees - Toothpaste Kisses
14. Lupe Fiasco - Superstar
15. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Dig Lazarus Dig!
16. The Young Knives - Up all Night
17. Les Sexy Fav - Patty Lee
18. Morrissey - That's How People Grow Up
19. Operator Please - Get What you Want
20. One Night Only - Just for Tonight
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CHER SAYS SHE LOVED CRUISE
Cher claims that she had a three year relationship with actor Tom Cruise, back when she was 36 and very famous and he was a 20 year old actor, but that neither of them have ever talked about it. She says: "It was a long, long time ago and neither one of us ever talked about it and I don't know why. He didn't mention it and I didn't mention it".
She says they broke up because Cruise had to go to Chicago to film 'The Colour Of Money'. "I couldn't go to Chicago and that was kind of the straw that broke the camel's back", she says. "When we were together he was such a private person. Now it's hard for me to look at this person and this press. How many times can I watch him jumping up and down on Oprah's couch?"
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MINOGUE NOT ATTENDING X-FACTOR TOUR
Danni Minogue is not going to attend the 'X-Factor' tour, because she doesn't want to end up in a fight with Sharon Osbourne. Apparently the pair fight like cat and dog and show boss Simon Cowell has threatened to sack them both if they don't stop it. A source tells Daily Star Sunday: "Dannii really wanted to go along, especially as she was the winner this year with Leon. But she knows any more clashes with Sharon could risk her job as Simon Cowell has made it clear he wouldn't hesitate to sack both of them".
But actually, it seems as though there's a better reason, and that the above reason is probably just talk; the tabloid adds: "Dannii is filming 'Australia's Got Talent' in a few weeks so she won't be on the tour".
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MONKS NEEDED, APPLY UNIVERSAL
Apparently Universal are on the hunt for a bunch of monks to record an album of Gregorian chants, advertising for "monks, men of the cloth and sacred singers" in the likes of The Catholic Times, The Church Times and The Catholic Herald, and asking them to send in audition tapes. Universal Classics and Jazz MD Dickon Stainer explains "Our aim is to reach singers from outside the X Factor generation".
A&R man Tom Lewis adds this: "We are all very excited about what these adverts may unearth".
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FRANCES BEAN: FANS ARE CREEPY
Frances Bean Cobain, daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, says she understands why Nirvana and Hole fans would be interested in her, but she finds it a bit unnerving. Frances, now 15, told Harper's Bazaar: "These people are fascinated by me, but I haven't done anything. If you're a big Nirvana fan, a big Hole fan, then I understand why you would want to get to know me, but I'm not my parents. I get it, I really do, but at the same time it's creepy. People need to wait until I've done something valid with my life".
Asked what she might in fact do with her life she said she was considering journalism or photography, but added: "I'm taking my time. But I get asked what I want to do all the time because of my parents and because of the life I live".
Extraordinary. How the hell did she end up so stable?