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ROLLING STONES SIGN TO UNIVERSAL
Universal have announced that they have signed an "exclusive, long term, worldwide" deal with The Rolling Stones. The contract covers all future albums, which will be released through their Polydor label, and, more importantly, much of the band's back catalogue, which moves with them from EMI.
The Stones, of course, already released a live album through Universal under a one-album deal back in March, but have now decided to stick with the label on a more concrete basis. They said in statement: "Universal are forward thinking, creative and hands-on music people. We really look forward to working with them".
Universal said it was planning "an unprecedented, long-term campaign to reposition the Rolling Stones' entire catalogue for the digital age".
CEO Doug Morris added: "There is no question that the Rolling Stones are one of the most important bands in music history. Their musical style and off-stage swagger have been emulated by countless others".
The mainstream spin on this, of course, is that it's another big blow from Guy Hands' EMI, though I'm not entirely convinced it is really.
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XM SIRIUS MERGER GETS THE GO AHEAD, AT LAST
The US media regulator has finally made a decision regarding the merger of America's two satellite radio networks XM and Sirius, and it got a conditional approval by a 3-2 vote among the FCC bigwigs.
FCC chief Kevin Martin, initially against the merger but more recently persuaded of the benefits, successfully convinced two of his colleagues to think likewise. As previously reported, whether or not the merger should get the go ahead depending on whether you thought XM and Sirius competing in the satellite radio sector (which they will now monopolise) or in the much more crowded market place of radio and webcast based music and audio services.
Martin said in a statement this weekend: "The merger is in the public interest and will provide consumers with greater flexibility and choices. Consumers will enjoy a variety of programming at reduced prices and more diversified programming choices. It will also spur innovation and advance the development and use of interoperable radios, bringing more flexible programming options to all subscribers". A lot of those remarks allude to conditions for merger previously agreed to by XM and Sirius, in particular offering a wide range of programming and more interoperability between radio technologies.
Such was the controversy surrounding this merger it has been up for review for nearly 18 months - the original merger plans having been announced way back in February 2007. I hope it was worth the wait.
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BOOK FIRM SUE OVER UNDELIVERED HIP HOP BOOKS
Book publisher Simon & Schuster is suing two hip hop divas - Foxy Brown and Lil Kim - claiming they have both failed to deliver books for which they were paid advances. They claim they paid Brown 75 grand in 2005 to deliver an autobiography the next year, while Kim received $40,000 in 2003 for a novel, which she was due to submit by June 2004. Presumably both hip hopstresses' jail terms got in the way. The publisher is suing to have its advances returned.
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BOOM BIP BLASTS 'BIGOT' LYDON
I thought there must be more to be said on that previously reported fight between Bloc Party's Kele Okereke, John Lydon and everyone else in the UK music scene at a Spanish festival last week, and I was right. After Gruff Rhys backed Okereke's account of the dust up, his Neon Neon bandmate Boom Bip has had what you could probably call the last word.
Last week, Lydon issued a statement saying: "After the show, John Rotten and management remained behind to sign autographs, which we did for four solid hours without incident and had a great time talking to other Spanish bands. This seems to have sparked jealousy in certain bands. The trouble was brought to us, resulting in those causing the trouble being physically removed by festival security".
But Boom Bip told Gigwise: "Bloc Party, Foals, Kaiser Chiefs, The Raveonettes and Mogwai were in our trailer, The Sex Pistols were a couple of trailers away. We were going one by one to meet them and get photos. The security got in before we could help Kele. Lydon said the younger bands were jealous, but we went to him in admiration, not jealousy. He showed his true colours, the hero turned out to be a bigot arsehole".
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AMY WINEHOUSE ROUND-UP
Amy's dad Mitch Winehouse has been giving interviews this weekend, as he so often does. He told The Mirror that Blake Fielder-Civil is looking to get Amy Winehouse out of London once he's completed his 27 month sentence for being a thug and attempting to cover it up. Mitch said: "Blake totally gets it. He said to me, 'We can't carry on living in London. We need to move out to the country'. If they do they could have the most fantastic life together, with the full blessing of my family. Whatever happens, we won't be where we are now in two years time".
Meanwhile, he told The Sunday Times that Blake is to blame for his daughter's self harm. Sort of. He said: "[Blake] explained to me that when they're going into [drug] withdrawal, if they cut themselves, it takes away the pain".
He also said that all the pain and sadness in Amy's life is providing inspiration for new songs. He said: "She only writes songs from her personal experiences, and they're all more or less painful. It's a shame. But that's the way she is. Amy can be creative when most other people would be checking into a hospice. When she can hardly stand up she's got her books in front of her, scribbling away".
Meanwhile, Amy's manager, Raye Cosbert told The Sunday Times that Amy can't cope with her fame. He said: "Amy is a public person. She's not like your usual reclusive star. She likes ordinary people. She likes playing pool with the bin men in her local. If she could take the tube everywhere she would. She feels deeply uncomfortable in the world of VIP celebrity".
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MILLS "IMPOSSIBLE" AFTER MACCA DIVORCE
Heather Mills has become "impossible" to work with since her high-profile divorce from Paul McCartney, says her former publicist Michele Elyzabeth, who ended her working relationship with Mills last week. I'm not sure the revelation will surprise anyone, but there you go.
Elyzabeth said in a statement: "After working for Heather Mills for the past four years, I have decided to cease representing her. Since her divorce has become final, in my opinion, Heather has become an impossible person. Yesterday, we engaged in a heated argument during which she called me 'stupid'. I reminded her that she was not 'God' and she answered, 'I will never ever talk to you again'. I have been very patient in my dealings with Heather, however, I cannot take any more. I have given her substantial unpaid time and attention. I am owed money. I refuse to be subjected to her outbursts. On reflection and given the way I have been treated, I now have sympathy with much of what the British press has reported about her".
Ouch.
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GUY CHAMBERS MENTORS LONDON TEENS
Guy Chambers has begun mentoring six teenagers from Redbridge and Hackney in London, giving them the use of his Primrose Hill studio, as well as sharing his musical expertise in a bid to help them to break into the music business and maybe even become top songwriters themselves.
Chambers said: "I'm hoping they'll be able to gain from my experience. If their track is any good I'll be able to play it to people. Hopefully, after doing this, they'll carry on [making music] and, maybe one day even get paid for doing it".
One of the teenagers, Djahmyne Stuart added: "I've never been in a studio like this before. I'm just used to having a computer and a keyboard. Being here makes me feel like I can achieve something. This is a big learning curve for me but I'm open to it. It's a different way of thinking. Something I've never experienced before so it's changing how I think".
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SINGLE REVIEW: Little Boots – Meddle (50 Boots)
Little Boots is Victoria Hesketh, a rather talented Northern lass with a penchant for Kate Bush and electronica. Coming hot on the heels of the outstanding Moroder-esque 'Stuck On Repeat' (produced by Joe Goddard of Hot Chip), 'Meddle' is a much more commercial affair, reminiscent of Girls Aloud and Gwen Stefani at their best. Not such a bad thing per se, but this reviewer can't help but think that there is better to come from Little Boots, and with the right producer and label she could turn out to be the UK's answer to Annie or Robyn, a credible pop songstress with a finger on the pulse. DEG
Release Date: 4 Aug
Press Contact: Darling Dept [all]
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MOTLEY CRUE TO BROADCAST GIG ONLINE
Motley Crue have announced that they will broadcast a gig from their sold out US tour for free online. The show will be broadcast from The Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas via www.deeprockdrive.com on 1 Aug. Proceedings kick off at about 9.30pm PST.
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SANTOGOLD VS DIPLO MIXTAPE GOES ONLINE
The much talked-about mixtape made by Santogold and Diplo has gone online. It includes the collaboration between Santogold, MIA and Radioclit we reported on last week, as well as other tracks, including other exclusive Santogold music, Aretha Franklin, The Clash, Devo and a skit with Mark Ronson.
Download it here
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STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS TOUR DATES
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks return to these shores next month with a string of dates to promote the second Jicks album, 'Real Emotional Trash'.
Tour dates:
24 Aug: Brighton, Komedia
25 Aug: Bristol, Thekla
26 Aug: Birmingham, Glee Club
27 Aug: Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
28 Aug: Leeds, City Varieties
29 Aug: Connect Festival
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ALBUM REVIEW: The Japanese Popstars- We Just Are (Gung-Ho Recordings)
The stereotypical Japanese pop star is a bubbly sexy but wholesome twenty-something, who is in the business of banging out happy ditties about love and puppies. Their ultimate goal is only vaguely musically orientated, and is mostly to do with becoming utterly minted before somebody comes along and trumps them - an inevitability in the fickle world of Japanese pop. I had suspected that somebody had had a total light bulb moment and decided to cut out all this competition malarkey by creating a J-pop super-group; a conglomeration of the 'talent', a sure-fire money spinner. What a shock it was to find out that The Japanese Popstars could not be further from my theory. They don't wear any make-up or sing about love and puppies, and they're not even Japanese. The trio hail from Northern Ireland, which has a long standing tradition of spawning excellent ground-breaking electronic music, with the likes of David Holmes and Orbital to call its sons. They describe their music as 'maximal house', a style that harps back to the 90s, when musicians were energised by the sheer abundance of new technology, and each revolutionary track stretched the realms of possibility even further. Their music is not the only thing rooted in the 90s, their television tastes seem to sway that way also, with an unusual preoccupation with all things 'Only Fools And Horses', evident from the double whammy of song titles on 'We Just Are' that reference the show. They have toured with Klaxons and are about to remix The Ting Tings' new single, proof of their many cross-genre allegiances. Like Pendulum, this is an ever-increasing trend, showing that bands can be appreciated for the sheer masterdom of their genre by enthusiasts of all genres, from all walks of life. Whereas there is absolutely nothing progressive about 'We Just Are', it acts as a reminder of what house music was supposed to be - big beat, big room party tunes that are made to be listened to at an eardrum-perforatingly ridiculous volume. MB
Release Date: 28 Jul
Press Contact: Alchemy PR [all]
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NEW UNIVERSAL IRELAND MD
The Universal Music Group has announced the appointment of Mark Crossingham to the role of MD for Universal Music Ireland. He will take on the job on 1 Sep. Crossingham told reporters this weekend: "With our new partnerships with the likes of Bravado and Sky, Universal Music is uniquely placed to bring many new ideas to the Irish market, which will be of huge benefit to our artists, business partners and customers".
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UNIVERSAL DIGITAL MAN SAYS SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES THE FUTURE
More Universal, and the major's Senior VP Digital has said he reckons subscription based digital music services are the future, despite iTunes-style a-la-carte download platforms dominating the market today. Said subscription services, he reckons, will be provided in the main by internet service providers. He has said so in an interview with Music Week following the news last week of Universal's collaboration with BSkyB's ISP division on a new music subscription service due to launch later this year. He told the trade mag: "Universal believes that subscription is the future of music consumption. [And] when you bundle a subscription service with something else, be it a broadband subscription or the cost of a new phone, that is when it becomes instantly attractive and makes sense".
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IP OFFICE TO CONSULT ONCE MORE ON COPYRIGHT EXTENSION
The UK's never dull Intellectual Property Office has announced it will undertake an informal consultation on the whole issue of extending the recording copyright from 50 to 95 years. Their announcement follows those previously reported proposals put forward by EU Internal Minister Charlie McCreevy suggesting an increase across Europe, despite the UK government's relatively recent Gowers Review of copyright saying fifty years was fine. Announcing the new consultation, Minister Of IP Delyth Morgan told reporters: "Because copyright represents a monopoly we need to be very clear that the circumstances justify an extension. We will therefore need to consider these proposals carefully to understand how they would work and what the benefits are likely to be".
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CHART UPDATE
Well, you can speculate about a new number one all you want, but it seems that Dizzee Rascal and Calvin Harris have got themselves a couple of comfy chairs and some big sticks and settled right in at that top spot. Other than confirmation of that fact, we can tell you there's been a moderate reshuffle in the top ten, Gabriella Cilmi stepping up from number twelve to number seven with 'Sweet About Me' being the most dramatic change.
On the new entry front, there were three in the top 40 this week. Ida Maria and Adele went in at eighteen and nineteen respectively, while Script drop in at number 30 with 'The Man That Can't Be Loved'. Further down the chart, after an appearance on BBC Two's 'The Apprentice', where they were given £75,000 in return for their immortal souls, Hamfatter entered the chart at number 71 with 'The Girl I Love'.
The album chart is mildly more exciting, with Coldplay knocking Basshunter off number one and Abba's 'Gold – Greatest Hits' knocking them down to the number three spot.
Two more best of compilations entered the album chart this week, with 'I Believe: The Very Best Of The Bachelors' hitting number seven and 'Idolize Yourself: The Very Best Of Billy Idol' thirty places below it at number 37. Sitting between them are this week's only two original new entries in the top 40, 'Beautiful Future' by Primal Scream at number nine and CSS's second outing, 'Donkey' at 32. You might also be interested to know that U2's remastered versions of 'Boy', 'War' and 'October' entered at 76, 77 and 79, respectively.
The chart comes from the Official Chart Company - www.theofficialcharts.com
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TOTAL ROCK WORLD ALBUM CHART
It's the Total Rock World Album Chart, as counted down on Total Rock over the weekend - www.totalrock.com. New entries and re-entries marked with a *.
1. Linkin Park - Minutes To Midnight (Warner Bros.)
2. The Offspring - Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace (SonyBMG)
3. Disturbed - Indestructible (Warner/Reprise)
4. Kid Rock - Rock - N Roll Jesus (Warner/Atlantic)
5. Motley Crue - Saints Of Los Angeles (Motley Records)
6. My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade Is Dead (Warner Bros)
7. Nickelback - All The Right Reasons (Warner/Roadrunner)
8. Weezer - Weezer (Universal/Interscope)
9. Judas Priest - Nostradamus (SonyBMG)
10. Queen - Greatest Hits 1,2,3 (EMI)
11. Foo Fighters - Echoes Silence Patience & Grace (Roswell)
12. Journey - Revelation (Frontiers)
13. Disturbed - Ten Thousand Fists (Warner/Reprise)
14. Simple Plan - Simple Plan (Warner/Atlantic)
15. Daughtry - Daughtry (SonyBMG)
16. The Eagles - Long Road Out Of Eden (Universal)
17. Alkaline Trio - Agony & Irony (Epic)
18. Seether - Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces (Wind-Up)*
19. Whitesnake - Good To Be Bad (SPV)
20. Testament - The Formation Of Damnation (Nuclear Blast)*
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MOYLES ON HIS LOST LISTENERS
Chris Moyles on the news last week that he'd lost half a million listeners on his Radio 1 breakfast show: "I've lost a lot of things in my time, I've lost my wallet and my car keys. But I've never lost half-a-million anything. They've got to be somewhere! If you do see some people randomly walking down the street looking a bit depressed, as if they're missing something in their life, that will be one of ours". He added that he thought the slip in listeners was a "blip", adding: "It seems to be there is a trend going on because Wogan has lost listeners too". Moyles lower audience figures were revealed in last week's RAJAR radio ratings.
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COURTNEY LOVE VOWS TO STOP BLOGGING
My favourite page on the entire internet is Courtney Love's blog. So, I'm hoping that the sign she says she's stuck to her computer doesn't stop her from posting on it, as is the intention. The sign apparently reads:
"DO NOT BLOG. EMBARRASSES CHILD. LACK OF GRAMMATICAL CORRECTNESS AND SPELLING MAKES ONE LOOK ON DRUGS FOR SOME REASON. DON'T START THINKING 'BUT… BUT… BURROUGHS'. IT'S A MYSPACE BLOG. DON'T DO IT!"
Still, she announced the existence of this sign near the end of an incredibly lengthy rant about Trent Reznor and the previously reported "only real 'feud' I ever had". The new rant seemingly came about in order to clarify a point, because she previously referred to Reznor as 'Mr Self Destruct' and a number of people took that to mean Kurt Cobain, obviously not realising that a song of that name appeared on Nine Inch Nails' 1994 album 'The Downward Spiral'.
She said: "I was referencing [Reznor's] song 'Mr Self Destruct'. I NEVER had a feud with Kurt. Christ, the guy was my best friend on his earth and worth every penny of the crucifixion(s)".
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JAY-Z NOT KEEPING IT REAL
Jay-Z has said he hates it when rappers talking about 'keeping it real' and staying in touch with their deprived roots. The rapper, who grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant district of Brooklyn in New York, said that it is ridiculous to suggest that anyone would want to stay 'in the hood' when they could afford not to be.
He said: "I think it's more important for me to be in touch with who I am than in touch with the streets, per se. Being in touch with the streets, keeping it real, that's become a lie and a cliche. I'm not hanging on the corner in the Bed-Stuy. I hate it when rappers say, 'I'm keeping it hood'. I'm like, 'Why? What do you mean? No one's there by choice! You're in the hood, by choice?!'"
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NKOTB NOT WORKING WITH JACKSON
New Kids On The Block are not working with Michael Jackson on their new album. Or Madonna, for that matter. Writing on the group's blog, Donnie Wahlberg said: "We are not recording with Michael Jackson and/or Madonna. We never claimed to be, either. Good fun reading about it though!"
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DIDDY NOT ENGAGED
P Diddy's girlfriend Cassandra 'Cassie' Ventura has denied reports that she and the rapper are engaged. Writing on her MySpace blog, she said: "This blog is simply to clear up a rumor. The newest one is that I am engaged. That rumor is completely false and I have no clue how it came to be or why it got so big, but it's not true, real talk. I am not engaged. Whether or not you've heard about it, thank you for your time".
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