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BERTELSMANN'S SONYBMG SALE MAY BE CLOSE As much previously reported, there has been growing speculation of late that Bertelsmann will sell its 50% stake in SonyBMG to its partner in the joint venture music firm, Sony Corp. The trade magazine cites "well-placed" sources as saying the latest sell-out deal is being considered by the Bertelsmann board, and a sale could be completed by the end of the month, pending regulator approval. As expected, Bertelsmann will have to accept a lower than ideal price for their half of the major record company, thanks to that there credit crunch and the continued gloomy view of the record industry in investment circles. Insiders reckon Sony may get complete ownership of the major for as little as $1.5 billion, nearly half the amount Bertelsmann were known to be hoping to raise by selling the record company. Elsewhere in 'Bertelsmann selling things news', the media firm has announced it has sold its mail order company Direct Group North America, which owns the BMG Music Clubs, among other things. Bertelsmann has been known to want to sell some or all of its mail order companies since the end of last year as it focuses its attention on its core broadcasting and publishing operations. US based private equity outfit Najafi Cos will take ownership of the North American Direct Group business. Specifics of the deal are not known, though Najafi boss Jahm Najafi has said he intends to keep the current management team in place, and that they plan to hold onto the company for sometime, telling reporters: "Our mode is to acquire operating companies and to work with management teams. Exit strategies is not a variable that we analyse when we acquire companies. The way we look at a deal is for holding it for a long time". -------------------------------------------------- STUART SOBOL DIES -------------------------------------------------- DEATHS AT TWO MUSIC FESTIVALS THIS WEEKEND Meanwhile, closer to home, one man was seriously injured and another died in two unrelated incidents at T In The Park in Scotland. The latter festival-goer was found dead in his tent late Sunday morning by friends. The cause of death is not known, but police say there were no suspicious circumstances. The incident causing the other festival-goer's injuries was much more gruesome, he being the victim of a "horrific" knife attack, seemingly after he tried to break up an altercation between two other festival-goers. Police are still investigating the attack, and said yesterday: "This has been a horrific assault on a 22-year-old man who sustained multiple stab wounds. It was a very serious incident where a camper was seriously assaulted and stabbed numerous times in the head and body. We're urgently trying to trace the males responsible and we're asking any campers or visitors to T In The Park, if they come across a blood-stained knife or similar weapon please leave it and contact any police officer or any steward right away. It's very important we do that because we still haven't found the weapon yet". The victim was attended to by an onsite doctor, without whom police say he may have died. He was subsequently taken to a hospital in Dundee where his condition is serious but stable. Commenting on the stabbing T In The Park Event Manager Colin Rodger told the BBC: "We are upset this incident took place, but we are extremely pleased to hear the assaulted man is in a stable condition. This is a real testament to the first class response from the emergency services that isolated the incident extremely quickly and provided the very best medical care anywhere in the country". T In The Park boss Geoff Ellis told NME he was "despondent" about the incident, adding: "Does it cast a cloud over the festival? Well, as serious as it is, it is an isolated incident, and we've had a really well-behaved festival here so far. Unfortunately, we're seeing things like this in society today, it seems to be on the rise in general. The security here is really robust - we've got a big fence around the site, for example, but it'd be foolish to say that it's impossible to get illegal things [such as knives] into the site". -------------------------------------------------- FRATELLIS TOLD NOT TO BURN THE T -------------------------------------------------- MITCH'S WARNING FOR AMY AND HER DEALERS -------------------------------------------------- BABYSHAMBLES SLIPPING TOWARDS THE RED -------------------------------------------------- VAN HALEN MAN DENIES NUT DRIVE TERROR So, now the questions remains, who exactly was it? Both the police officers who stopped the car in question admit that they had no idea who Roth was and wouldn't have recognised him, even if it was the rockstar. Constable Larry Plummer said: "The guys didn't put a report in til later in the week and someone else in the office spotted the name and went, 'Hey!'". Whoever the nut-allergic speeder was, he seems to have fooled a lot of people. Reports claim that, after he had recovered, he partied with a couple of nurses from Brantford General Hospital, where he had been taken, and that they were under the impression he was, in deed, Mr Roth. As were the drinkers at local bar the Liquid Lounge. The bar's owner Cheri Walsh said: "Was it really him? It seemed to be him and when I asked him, 'Are you David Lee Roth', he said, 'Yes', but there've been a million discussions in here since. We talked for about an hour and he told me all about the peanut allergy and hospital visit". The man apparently even got up and performed a Roth song, 'Ice Cream Man', with the band in the bar. Constable Plummer concluded: "As soon as somebody wonders if it could be an impostor, everyone starts guessing. The main thing is, whoever he was, he was definitely very much in distress and our guys did an awesome job getting him help". -------------------------------------------------- CSS REVEAL REASONS FOR BASSIST SPLIT -------------------------------------------------- FUTURE OF THE WHO IN DOUBT Earlier this year, Pete Townshend said in an interview for The Who's fanclub: "I am no longer a member of a band called The Who. I am Pete Townshend. I used to be in a band called The Who. It does not exist today except in your dreams. I am a songwriter and guitarist who - if I create the right setting - can walk on to a stage with my old buddy Roger Daltrey and evoke the old magic of the Who in the dreams of the audience. It never becomes the Who in my dreams. I'm so sorry, it never happens for me. What remains is the music. John [Entwistle]'s death somehow made that clear to me. We can best honour that old music by gathering great musicians around us. We two can evoke the old Who atmosphere - but by that very act also evoke the enormous vacuum left by Keith [Moon] and John. It is a compromise". -------------------------------------------------- THE WHO HONOURED BY VH1 -------------------------------------------------- THE FACES TO REUNITE Keyboard player Ian McLagan told BBC 6music: "I've wanted to [reform] for years and so has Woody and Kenny. Rod is now interested it seems and I'm real pleased about that, and he's serious about it. I mean we're trying to get it together, it's just a question of schedules. We're hoping to get together later this year to play and then we may have some news, but I want it to happen, badly. Rod hasn't wanted to do it for a long time. He didn't see the need in it but I think he really wants to now, I think he wants to rock out. I think it'd be great, great for everybody. It would be great to record new tracks. I have a couple of songs that Rod might like. We'd have to see - I think that would be the way to go, though, not just to go out on tour. It'd be great to have an album". -------------------------------------------------- RONNIE WOOD SHACKS UP WITH RUSSIAN TEENAGER However, Wood's wife refutes the claims, saying that the pair have just gone on a painting holiday together. She said: "I was quite all right that she was hanging around with him. They have been staying in Ireland and Ronnie's art man was with them. Ronnie told me she was staying there and I said, 'OK - get on with it and have a drink, go mad. Drink your guts up'". Actually, if you were wondering if there was just a teeny bit of venom in that last sentence, Mrs Wood continued: "She is mad - she is a terrible alcoholic. I know her - she's been here. She's a friend and he's a guy - I'm going to call her now. And I'm gonna go and call him now and tell him what she's said. He's drinking heavily - maybe two bottles of vodka a day". So, er, yeah. -------------------------------------------------- GEORGE MARTIN GETS GRAMMY FOUNDATION AWARD -------------------------------------------------- SGT PEPPER DRUM SKIN RAISES HALF MILLION Various other items of rock memorabilia were sold in the auction, including John Lennon's handwritten lyrics for his song 'Give Peace A Chance' (£421,250) and the glasses he wore on the cover of his 'Mind Games' single (£39,650), a recording of Jimi Hendrix's performance at the 1968 Woburn Music Festival (£48,050), a Marshall amplifier he used between 1967 and 1969 (£25,000) and a pair of his flares (£20,000), plus a guitar used by The Who's Pete Townsend in 1967 (£32,450). -------------------------------------------------- NEW OASIS TRACK REMIXED BY CHEM BROS AND PUT ONLINE? www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsgPIc9BHBY -------------------------------------------------- SINGLE REVIEW: Primal Scream - Can't Go Back (B-unique) -------------------------------------------------- T-MOBILE TRANSMISSION RETURNS The show will air at midnight every Friday for nine weeks, with a condensed repeat on T4 every Saturday morning. For this series, the show is also offering exclusive performances and backstage gubbins via its Bebo profile: www.bebo.com/tmobiletransmission -------------------------------------------------- ROOTS MANUVA ANNOUNCES UK TOUR 7 Oct: Gateshead, The Sage 2 -------------------------------------------------- N*E*R*D CONFIRM UK SHOWS The dates are: -------------------------------------------------- KIDZAPALOOZA POSTPONED UNTIL NEXT YEAR A statement on the festival's website reads: "Due to artist scheduling conflicts, Kidzapalooza at the Hollywood Bowl, originally scheduled for September 28th, 2008, will be postponed to Summer 2009. The new date will be included in the Hollywood Bowl 2009 season announcement to be issued early next year". Kidzapalooza will still run as part of the Lollapalooza festival at Chicago's Grant Park between 1-3 Aug. -------------------------------------------------- WILL GUITAR HERO OWNERS LAUNCH ITUNES RIVAL? Actually, all of this seems to be based around a throwaway remark made by the boss of games publisher Activision, Bobby Kotick, in an interview with the Financial Times. Kotick told the FT: "I don't think there have been a lot of credible alternatives to iTunes, but 'Guitar Hero' certainly has that potential". Conspiracy theorists note that Activision - who have worked with iTunes on download spin-offs from the 'Guitar Hero' franchise in the past - is suddenly in a good position to launch its own rival download store following the completion last week of the merger between it and the gaming division of Vivendi. Activision Blizzard, as it is now known, is 52% owned by Vivendi who, of course, also own the Universal Music Group, the biggest music company on the planet, and a company whose top execs are known to like any digital music venture that could crack iTunes dominance in that sector. Whether any of this means Activision is actively considering or developing a download store isn't clear. Other commentators note Activision's previously reported talks with the other Apple - Beatles company Apple Corps - regarding releasing a Beatles version of 'Guitar Hero'. Following the aforementioned merger, Activision are sitting on a large pile of cash, which might come in handy in securing a Beatles deal. A deal with the Fab Four involving a special edition of 'Guitar Hero' and a download package would be a real coup for Activision - given both the makers of rival game 'Rock Band' and Apple iTunes are known to want to do a Beatles deal for themselves. -------------------------------------------------- MCFLY USE ABSOLUTE TO MARKET THEIR DELUXE STUFF As also previously reported, McFly's new album 'Radio:ACTIVE' will be released as a cover-mount on the Mail On Sunday next weekend, but there are plans to release a 'deluxe' version of said album in September complete with extra tracks, a DVD and a 32 page booklet. Absolute will lead the marketing and distribution on that release - albeit outsourcing the actual distribution to Arvato, who should know a thing or two about distributing McFly albums, most of the staff their having come from Universal Music after the Bertelsmann owned logistics firm took over the major record company's distribution operations. Confirming their involvement in the pop band's first big self-release project, Absolute director Simon Wills told reporters: "We're delighted that the McFly team decided to come to us with their first album on their own label. Their approach is highly refreshing and they believe in always challenging the norm. This makes the band a great fit with the Absolute model, and with our approach to creating and delivering campaigns that are outside the norm". The first single from the new McFly album, 'One For The Radio', is out right now, today, hurrah! You can preview it on that MySpace whatnot - www.myspace.com/mcfly -------------------------------------------------- ORANGE IPTV SERVICE STILL IN THE PIPELINE Talking of web TV services, have you seen this new web video thing led by Tim Lovejoy, previously of Xfm and Soccer AM? Called Channel Bee, it launched earlier this month, it aims to offer a mix of music, sport and comedy, with much of its content at the moment revolving around recordings of last week's Somerset House gigs in London. I have to say the quality of the live gig recordings isn't brilliant, but I do like Lovejoy's pointing at content on the home page bit when you first get to the site. It's online at www.channelbee.com. -------------------------------------------------- UKTV REBRANDS CONFIRMED UKTV Gold will be relaunched as 'Gold' and will become a channel dedicated to just classic British comedy, while UKTV Gold +1 will become a separate entertainment channel called Watch, which will include a number of brand new programmes - including that previously reported new show from Richard & Judy - plus repeats of newish BBC dramas like 'Torchwood', 'Mistresses' and 'Lark Rise To Candleford'. UKTV Drama, meanwhile, will rebrand as Albi and become a channel dedicated to detective dramas. Confirming the rebrands, UKTV's Director Of Entertainment Christian Drobnyk told reporters: "With its innovative marketing and strong schedule, Dave became, almost overnight, a top ten channel in multi channel homes; a success that cannot be attributed solely to Freeview as Dave grew by 56% in Pay TV. This success can be replicated across the network with Watch, Gold and Alibi and enables us to exploit the potential of our real estate". UKTV, of course, is a joint venture between Virgin Media and the commercial division of the BBC, hence its access to a whole assortment of BBC archive shows. -------------------------------------------------- UKRD EXPECTED TO HAND BACK A SECOND FM LICENCE -------------------------------------------------- ALBUM REVIEW: The Fighting Cocks - Music For Lapdancers (FGZ Records) -------------------------------------------------- CHART UPDATE New entries on the singles chart are few again, but appear at 25 with The Kooks and 'Shine On', then with Sharleen Spiteri and 'All The Times I Cried' at 26 and with the Last Shadow Puppets with 'Standing Next To Me' at 30. Albums wise, Coldplay, Duffy and Chris Brown still fill the Top 3, while the highest new entry comes from Black Kids with 'Partie Traumatic' at 5. New entries are few and far between on the albums chart too, with Beck's 'Modern Guilt' at 9 the only real one. There are two Abba related re-entries aided by the release of the movie version of 'Mamma Mia' of course. One is the soundtrack to the musical, at 35, though that's the original stage recording and not the official soundtrack that goes with the film I reckon, so a re-entry rather than a new entry. The chart comes from the Official Chart Company - www.theofficialcharts.com -------------------------------------------------- TOTAL ROCK WORLD ALBUM CHART 1. Disturbed - Indestructible (Reprise) -------------------------------------------------- MP LOSES HIS CHEEKY GIRL An insider, meanwhile, said the couple's increasingly stormy relationship came to a head when both Cheeky Girls played at a gala dinner in London recently. Irimia apparently got pissed off when Opik wouldn't shut up and let her go get ready to perform. Said insider says: "Lembit was going on and on, dominating the conversation like he normally does and was delaying Gabriela, who wanted to get ready to sing with Monica. She was going to be late on stage and decided she'd had enough. She stormed off, did the gig and refused to speak with Lembit at the end or leave with him. Lembit has been frantically texting her but she doesn't want to see him or talk to him. He even turned up at the twins' home in Rye last week but Gabby refused to see him". Seemingly confirming the split, the tabloid quote Irimia's mother Margit as saying: "Gabriela is upset but is refusing to talk about Lembit". Assuming these stories are true, it means the end for what was surely the rising power couple of British politics. You saw the Cheeky Girls' turn as commentators on BBC late night political comment show 'This Week' last Thursday right? You should go watch it on the iPlayer, just to see a slightly patronising Diane Abbot quip: "I just want to hear what the Cheeky Girls think about the economy ... what do you think Gordon Brown should do about the economy?" -------------------------------------------------- COURTNEY LOVE GETS ANGRY AT BILLY CORGAN "corgan im at work and too tired to find you or geta number you havent sent me out of whatever misguided shame thing your going through thats a private comnversation however YOU DO NOT MAKE CHILDREN CRY. GEARRD WAY WHO WOULD DO IT IN FIVE SECONDS AND HAS EVEN ASKED AND BEGGED EVEN FOR HIS BANDMATE TO NOT HAVE HIS HONEY MOON THAT TIME MADE SURE TO PROMISE TO BE THERE A SWEET SIXTEEN IS A BIG EVENT I THINK SHE L;OOKED UPON YOU AS FAMILY , I KNOW SHE DID AS TRUSTWORTHY AND WISE AND YOU CANT LAY THAT BIG MAN SHIT ON A CHIDL OF 9 AND OF FORTY -MY CHLILD SOBBING DUE TO YOU IS UNACCEPTABLE, I HATE STATIBNG THIS ON SOME RANDOM PUBLIC FORUM BUT THE LINE IS THE KID MAN, THE LINE IS THE KID, AND SHE DOESNT GET TO SHED TEARS OVER YOU, HER FAMILY ALREADY HAS DONE THAT DO FROPM NOW ON AND TRUST ME SHE WONT EVER CALL YOU AGAIN, YOU CAN SPEAK TO ME IF SPEAKMING TO MY FAMILY AND ILL PASS IT ON. WICH WONT HAPPEN EITHER DUE TO THIS ABSURD SHAME YOUR HAVING I WAS AND WONT EVER SAY ANYTHING OF NEGETAIVE CONTENT PUBLIICALLY ABOUT YOU - BUT YOU MAKE MY 14 YEAR OLD CHILD SOB ON PURPOSE, THATS ENOUGH OF YOU,. YOUYR THE LAST MAN ON THE ISLAND YET YOU DOBNT UNDERSTAND HOW COME THEYRE ALL SO ALIENATING. HUBRIS MY DEAR HUBRIS ON A LEVEL IVE NEVER KNOWN THE FRENZY OF RENOWN YOU MISS SO TERRIBLY JUST ADMIT IT ACCEPT IT AND LET IT GO IN THEMEANTIME DONT MAKE MY KID OR ANYONES KID CRY AGAIN I THINK MY CHEM ARE DOI NG IT ANYWAY FRANCES BEANS SWEET SISXTEENS IS BLOODY IMPORTANT TO HER AND TO ME. COURT". -------------------------------------------------- COUNTRY STAR APPRENTICE NOT IMPRESSED WITH BACKSTREET RIDER |
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