GLOBAL TO SELL FIVE STATIONS TO GET GCAP MERGER OK
As expected, Global Radio has said it will sell five Midlands-based radio stations as part of its takeover of rival GCap. The move is designed to allay fears that a combined Global/GCap will command too big a share of the Midlands radio market.

Global will sell four of GCap's local stations in the area - BRMB, Beacon Radio, Wyvern and Mercia FM - and will also look to offload its own Midlands outpost Heart 106, either by selling it, or offering the service to a third party under some kind of franchise agreement (thus keeping the Heart brand within the Global group).

As previously reported, while a combined Global/GCap will own two of the major music stations in London - Capital and Heart 106.2 - competition regulators do not consider that a problem because of the crowded nature of the London radio market. In the Midlands, however, there were concerns and Global's top guard have been in talks with the Office Of Fair Trading to see how they could be overcome.

The OFT have reportedly accepted the five station sale as a solution, and the merger is now expected to be approved in due course. Staff at both radio firms, which have both undergone significant job cuts already ahead of the merger, are now waiting to see if any more redundancies will occur once the two companies are properly combined.

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ISAAC HAYES DIES, AGED 65
Singer Isaac Hayes was found dead at his home in Memphis yesterday. He was discovered by his wife lying next to a still-running treadmill in their basement. A Shelby County Sheriff's deputy performed CPR, but Hayes was pronounced dead an hour later.

Hayes had a long and varied career. He first became know as a flamboyant rhythm and blues singer, and is still perhaps best know for his 1971 hit, 'Theme From Shaft', which also won him an Oscar for Best Original Song at the 1972 Academy Awards. He had been hired as a pianist by Stax Records in 1964 and wrote hits including Sam & Dave's 'Soul Man' and 'Hold On, I'm Coming'. However, four years after his Oscar success, a series financial problems at Stax led to him losing his home, personal possessions and rights to royalties from his music. Although he had a number of minor hits after this, he never again achieved the heights of his earlier career as a musician, and pursued a new career in acting.

In the 90s, Hayes reached a brand new audience as the voice of Chef in 'South Park'. This lead to his biggest hit since the 70s, Christmas novelty single, 'Chocolate Salty Balls'. He left 'South Park' in 2006 after an episode made fun of the Scientology movement, of which he was a member, saying "there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins". However, it was later reported that he left the show because he had suffered a stroke that same year.

Hayes had been due to spearhead a new campaign for the Memphis Heart Clinic, beginning this Friday. He had been married four times and had twelve children.

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L'OREAL DENIES LIGHTENING BEYONCE'S SKIN
Cosmetics firm L'Oreal have denied lightening Beyonce's hair and skin in a new advert. The photograph of the singer in the two page ad in the latest issues of Elle, Allure and Essence appears to have been touched up to make her skin lighter when compared to other pictures of her.

A statement issued by L'Oreal said: "We highly value our relationship with Ms Knowles. It is categorically untrue that L'Oreal Paris altered Ms Knowles' features or skin tone in the campaign for Feria hair colour".

A spokesperson for Beyonce said that the singer would make no comment on the matter.

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MIA DENIES TERRORIST ACCUSATIONS
MIA has denied that she supports terrorism, following accusations in an online video made by Sri Lankan rapper DeLon. In the video, he says: "MIA, you represent terrorism in the worst way. For all you people who really think that MIA is a freedom fighter – let me give you some facts ... all she wanna do is [gunshots] straight to my head!"

MIA, who is currently making a splash in the US, thanks to her track 'Paper Planes' being used on the trailer for a new film, responded with a statement saying: "I don't support terrorism and never have. As a Sri Lankan that fled war and bombings, my music is the voice of the civilian refugee. Frankly, I am not trying to start dialogue with someone who is really just seeking self-promotion".

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ANGER AT 'EASY' MUSIC GCSE
Research by BBC Music Magazine has found that it is possible to achieve an A grade in GCSE Music without being able to read music, because none of the main examination boards award more than 20 percent of total marks for being able to do so.

Angered by this discovery, Damon Albarn told the magazine: "The idea of it being completely absent from the most important exams of your childhood is disgraceful. I used to write for small orchestras when I was fifteen. I sold my soul to the Devil and became a pop star and forgot about it, but in the past few years I have got back into orchestration after an almost 20-year hiatus. I'm so slow now. I think anyone interested in music should be forced to learn that discipline. If you don't learn to read music then there's a whole tradition that becomes very exclusive, and shouldn't be. It shouldn't be something made to feel old-fashioned".

Nigel Hildreth, head of music at Colchester Sixth Form College and one of Albarn's former music teachers said that he had to turn away many GCSE pupils with an interest in moving on to the A-level music course away because they did not have the required skills in reading sheet music: "The pressure of preparing youngsters in less than nine months means that insufficient time is available to bring sometimes very scant skills in music reading up to scratch".

I don't know, memorising the phrase 'Every Good Boy Deserves Football' can get you a long way. That and being a drummer.

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MORRISSEY EXPLAINS ALBUM DELAY
Morrissey has revealed that his new album, 'Years Of Refusal', has not been delayed due to poor sales predictions or to avoid other big releases, but because he's looking for a new label in the US. The album will be released by Polydor in the UK and was due to appear via Decca in America. However, due to "poor promotion" of his recent 'Best Of' album by the latter, the singer is seeking an alternative label. No word on whether he's actually found anyone, but the album will apparently now see the light of day on 1 Feb next year.

Meanwhile, Morrissey and Johnny Marr have agreed on something for the first time in a long time. Both have voiced disapproval of a new Smiths 'Greatest Hits' compilation, due for release via Warner later this year. Morrissey told true-to-you.net: "It's understood that Warner are releasing a Smiths Greatest Hits album in the final quarter of this year. This is without my approval or involvement".

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WELSH DON'T LIKE REM
REM have been forced to move their planned show at the 48,500 capacity Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 25 Aug to the 7500 capacity Cardiff International Arena.

The band's European manager, Bob Gold told the BBC that sales had not met expectations. The BBC apparently managed not to retort, "Well, duh!" He also said that sales for other UK dates had been "satisfactory".

Tickets purchased for the Millennium Stadium gig will be valid for the new show, which gives an indication of just how badly sales have been going.

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ALICE COOPER IN EARTHQUAKE DRAMA
Well, LA is a big place. So, maybe I shouldn't be surprised that another musician was caught up in the same earthquake that shook Black Kids' recent Yahoo! Session, which you may remember we reported on a week or so back. The production of the shooting of a promo video for Alice Cooper's new album, 'Along Came A Spider', was also disrupted. Cooper was choking a nurse at the time.

Speaking about the moment the earthquake, which measured 5.4 on the Richter scale and was the largest to hit LA since 1994, Cooper said: "The floor started moving. Whoa, this is more powerful than I thought! I hope they keep it! You can't get special effects like that".

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MAN CONFESSES TO LIL' KIM PARTY MURDER
A bar assistant at the Spotlight Live nightclub in New York has confessed to killing a woman during a birthday party held at the club by Lil' Kim. Syed Rahman reportedly snuck Ingrid Rivera back into the club after she was thrown out for being too drunk, but later the pair began to argue and Rivera threatened to report Rahman for doing this, which is when he struck her on the head with a pipe and hid her body in a utility room on the roof of the club.

Rivera's mother, Ingrid Estada told reporters: "My only daughter. I have no more daughter. I was a single mother for all my life. I work hard for her".

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BLIGE SUED FOR SONG THEFT
New York production company Drama Family Entertainment is suing Mary J Blige over a song on the singer's latest 'Growing Pains' album. The company say that 'Work That', which was also used on an iPod advert, was created by one of their producers and is demanding damages of $2 million.

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MADONNA-OWNED PUB PRICE INVESTIGATION
The Punchbowl in Mayfair, a pub owned by Madonna and Guy Ritchie, is being investigated by Westminster Council over claims that it charges tourists up to 40p more for drinks than locals. If the claims are proved, the pub may lose its license.

Head of trading standards at the council told The Mirror: "Given the allegations made the council will be seeking to speak to the licensee".

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DON LETTS RELEASES LOST FILM
Don Letts' 1978 film, 'The Punk Rock Movie', not seen since its initial six week run at the ICA 30 years ago, has finally made its way to DVD. Filmed by Letts on Super-8, the film chronicles the late 70s punk scene from the inside, with live performances by a variety of bands, from The Clash to The Subway Sect at The Roxy, as well as backstage and rehearsal footage.

Letts told CMU: "I was right there at the birth of the whole thing and had good relationships with a lot of the people involved. I got a lot of access because they trusted me. Lots of documentaries are about punk, but this one is punk. It was the first thing I started filming, really just trying to get my head around the idea of being a film maker. Then I read in the NME one day that I was making a movie and I thought, 'hey, that sounds like a good idea, a movie'".

But the filmmaker was also keen to point out that this film is not being released for nostalgia, more inspiration. He continued: "I think there's an over-emphasis on late 70s punk that trivialises an idea. It didn't begin and end there, it's part of an ongoing dynamic. Punk isn't something to look back on, it's something to look forward to. It's a living, breathing thing".

Read our interview with Don Letts in full in next week's CMU/XFM Remix Update. To subscribe, email [email protected].

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NEON NEON ANNOUNCE TOUR DATES
Neon Neon have announced tour dates for later this year, which can be no bad thing. Gruff Rhys, Boom Bip and their band will be winging their way around the country at the following dates:

29 Oct: London, Koko
1 Nov: Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
7 Nov: Gateshead, The Sage 2
9 Nov: Manchester, Ruby Lounge
10 Nov: Birmingham, Glee Club

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PELICAN AND TORCHE CO-HEADLINE TOUR
Well, this is exciting. Pelican and Torche will tour the UK together next month. The pop-loving post-rockers will head around our fair isle for the following gigs:

12 Sep: Brighton, Engine Room
13 Sep: Sheffield, Corporation
14 Sep: Glasgow, Oran Mor
15 Sep: Belfast, Black Box
16 Sep: Dublin, Whelans
17 Sep: Birmingham, Medicine Bar
18 Sep: London, Underworld
19 Sep: Bristol, Croft

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THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES & RUSSIAN CIRCLES CO-HEADLINE TOUR
As if Pelican and Torche co-headlining their way around the UK wasn't exciting enough, These Arms Are Snakes and Russian Circles will be doing the same in November. Fan-bloody-brilliant.

Tour dates:

14 Nov: Brighton, Engine Room
15 Nov: Exeter, Cavern Club
16 Nov: Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
17 Nov: Glasgow, Stereo
18 Nov: Belfast, Black Box
19 Nov: Dublin, Whelans
20 Nov: TBC
21 Nov: TBC
22 Nov: London, Islington Academy

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DOWNLOAD SITE ADOPTS PAY-WANT-YOU-WANT FORMAT
A new download site, designed to promote independent artists, has adopted the pay-what-you-want format already used by many artists and recently employed to great effect by Radiohead. Aralie.com will allow fans to purchase DRM-free music for any price they see fit (including nothing at all).

The site's owners say: "We feel that using a pay-what-you-want model is the most practical way to circumvent music piracy. It gives artists much more control over the distribution of their music and it serves the people by allowing people to choose how much they would like to support an artist. We hope that this sales model will revolutionize the way music is distributed on the internet and effectively stop music piracy".

More info at www.aralie.com

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WARNER CHIEF WANTS MORE CASH FROM GAME MAKERS
A good point about the cash-rich gaming industry screwing the music business, or another example of a record company biting the hand that feeds it? You decide. Warner Music chief Edgar Bronfman Jr has said the makers of music-reliant video games like 'Guitar Hero' and 'Rock Band' should pay more to licence music for their respective soundtracks. Comparing the recent growth of the music games to the early days of MTV - when the music telly firm managed to become a hugely profitable global company by filling its schedules with music videos it paid nothing to air - the Warner chief said last week: "The amount being paid to the music industry, even though their games are entirely dependent on the content we own and control, is far too small".

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SPANISH BODIES ATTEMPT TO FIGHT IPOD TAX THROUGH COURTS
Several net and consumer rights groups in Spain are set to go to court to formally object to the so called iPod tax which was introduced in the country last month.

The iPod tax is the levy charged in some countries on digital music players - and sometimes, as in Spain, other storage devices like USB sticks - which is meant to compensate artists and music owners for any private copying of tracks from CDs to said devices. It is the digital age equivalent of the levy previously charged in some European countries - though not the UK - on blank cassettes and CDRs.

The levy is not without controversy because some argue it penalises those who only put music bought from legit download platforms onto their digital music devices - ie music licensed for transfer to an iPod and which therefore does not fall under the private copying banner.

Many Spanish groups lobbied against the levy prior to its introduction and now that it is law they are stepping up their efforts by trying to have it over-turned through the courts on the grounds the tax is unconstitutional. The country's Internet Users Association presented its appeal earlier this month, and now several other interested parties say they will mount similar appeals before the end of September.

Confirming his group's appeal, the Internet Users Association's top man Victor Domingo said this weekend: "It is a tax that goes against the presumption of innocence because it takes for granted that somebody who buys, for example, a USB flash [drive] is going to use it necessarily to copy a song or a record".

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NEW KILIMANJARO APPOINTMENTS
Newish live music firm Kilimanjaro - the one launched by former Live Nation UK chief Stuart Galbraith and backed by AEG Live - have announced the appointment of two new members to their booking team.

The new additions are Steve Tilley and Alan Day - the former previously the promoter at Stoke-On-Trent venue the Sugar Mill and more recently also a Music Consultant to the NUS, the latter a promoter in Oxford, Swindon, Reading and Northampton under his own TCT Music banner, a venture he will continue to operate while working for Kilimanjaro.

Tilley and Day join former AEG Live exec Oli Wilson and former Live Nation exec Mark Walker to form the new company's booking team.

Galbraith told CMU: "We started Kilimanjaro with the intention of building a boutique promotions company capable of taking on everything from the biggest bands in the world to specialist festivals, from pub shows to outdoor events for 150,000 people. We're really pleased with our first 6 months and happy we've completed our team. We have specialists in all areas of the live industry and we are flexible enough to respond to the huge changes that are taking place. Frankly, we can't wait for the next few years and look forward to having some fun, establishing Kilimanjaro and working in close partnership with our global partners AEG Live".

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CHART UPDATE
Well, as expected, Katy Perry has taken over at the top of the singles chart with 'I Kissed A Girl', relegating Kid Rock to number two after just a week. It remains to be seen if she'll have the same level of chart success as she's had in the US, where she's been fending off all comers for seven weeks, but it's probably safe to assume she'll be number one over here for a couple of weeks yet, at least. Dizzee Rascal and Calvin Harris are showing no signs of leaving the top ten just yet, either, slipping just one place to number three. Other than that, newcomers in the top ten are The Verve, who enter the chart at number five and Rhianna, who moves from 34 to nine, with 'Disturbia'.

Outside the top ten, there's only one new entry, with Dave Spoon, Paul Harris and Sam Obernik entering at Rhianna's old spot, number 34, with 'Baditude'. Nelly moves from 45 to 23, with a little help from Akon and Ashanti, Nickleback's 'Rockstar' bobs back into the top 40, at 27, thanks (possibly) to the new DFS advert, Cascada move from 51 to 28, and Scouting For Girls move from 77 to 38, with 'It's Not About You'.

The album chart is so boring as to almost not be worth mentioning this week, except for the fact that Natty has entered at 21 with 'Man I Like'. Other than that, there's very little change.

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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. Disturbed - Indestructible (Warner/Reprise)
3. The Offspring - Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace (Sony BMG)
4. Kid Rock - Rock - N Roll Jesus (Warner/Atlantic)
5. Motley Crue - Saints Of Los Angeles (Motley Records)
6. Nickelback - All The Right Reasons (Warner/Roadrunner)
7. Weezer - Weezer (Universal/Interscope)
8. Judas Priest - Nostradamus (SonyBMG)
9. Queen - Greatest Hits 1,2,3 (EMI)
10. My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade Is Dead (Warner Bros)
11. Daughtry - Daughtry (SonyBMG)
12. Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back In Time (EMI)*
13. Journey - Revelation (Frontiers)
14. The Eagles - Long Road Out Of Eden (Universal)
15. Disturbed - Ten Thousand Fists (Warner/Reprise)
16. Billy Idol - The Best Of Billy Idol - Idolize Yourself (EMI)*
17. Foo Fighters - Echoes Silence Patience & Grace (Roswell)
18. Simple Plan - Simple Plan (Warner/Atlantic)
19. Seether - Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces (Wind-Up)
20. Whitesnake - Good To Be Bad (SPV)

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ALLEN RESPONDS TO 'WARDROBE MALFUNCTION' PICS
The Sun printed pictures of Lily Allen's breast last week after photographers managed to capture the moment her loose-fitting shirt fell down, simply by following her everywhere she goes at all times.

Allen responded via her blog, saying: "I wore a loose fitting t shirt yesterday. It was very hot in London. ... My boob fell out twice and people on the blogs are saying it was a publicity stunt. Can I just say, I have been keeping myself very much to myself recently. ... I'm actually trying really hard to be out of the public eye, as I'm really proud of the work I've put into my album and I want people to appreciate the music. Yes, I enjoy attention and praise. That's why I went into this job. But don't accuse me of purposely slipping out of my clothes to get attention and press. ... It's actually incredibly embarrasing and lonely when I'm walking down the street and men are chasing me with their cameras, drawing attention to me and people then pointing and taking out their camera's and phones all getting in on the action. ... So, when you see pictures of 'Lily looking, glum' or 'Lily in tears, again', it's not because I'm upset about my relationships or because I'm hungover. It's because I'm on my own and people are pointing at me like an animal in the zoo. ... Anyway, my point is, I would never use my body in that way, I'm just not that kind of girl".

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JEWEL MARRIES IN SECRET
Singer Jewel has married her boyfriend of ten years, former rodeo cowboy Ty Murray, in a secret ceremony in the Bahamas.

Her representative told People: "She wore a traditional wedding gown, while Ty wore his favourite blue jeans, white shirt and cowboy hat. The couple is very happy and look forward to enjoying their honeymoon".

In case you were wondering, Jewel is a lot more famous in the US than she is here.

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IAN BROWN 'NO REUNION' SHOCKER
Yeah, I know you were expecting to be buying tickets for a Smiths/Stone Roses co-headline tour any moment now, but Ian Brown has gone and ruined all those plans. Bloody Ian Brown. Following bassist Mani's recent comments that Brown is the only member of the band holding out on a reunion, The Guardian asked the singer if he would consider getting the old band back together. He replied: "No chance. Not in the next three lifetimes". I know, big surprise.

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JUDGE ORDERS DESTRUCTION OF U2
It's official, U2's music is so offensive that it must be destroyed. Well, one man's collection of their music, anyway. A judge in Pontypridd has ordered that Karl Wiosna's entire collection of U2 CDs, records and tapes must be destroyed because he has a tendency to play them very loud and disturb his neighbours.

One neighbour told The Sun: "The noise was unbearable. It was like a drag queen's party". Whatever the hell that means.

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