DMX HOSPITALISED, WARRANT ISSUED
DMX's lawyer, public defender Charles Kozelka, has revealed the reason for the rapper's no show at an Arizona court earlier this week. Apparently he was in hospital, but the judge said that wasn't a good enough excuse and issued an arrest warrant anyway.

Kozelka told MTV News that DMX was taken to hospital in Miami on Tuesday morning, meaning he was unable to make the court appearance later that day. He said: "We provided intake documentation, and the judge said it was insufficient. The judge said he should have informed the court sooner, and because it was the second time he'd missed court in this case, she issued the warrant. We have to work out an arrangement that will work with the courts. Obviously, it's not working now. We are in court again next week on other matters, and my hope is we can get the warrant resolved by then and get back on track. We have some things in the works to get the warrant taken care of. My hope is that we can resolve it without an arrest, but he's been arrested at the airport before, so they obviously have an eye out for him, so I'm not sure".

The lawyer would not reveal why the rapper was in hospital, and ignored suggestions that he had actually checked into rehab. He said he and his team were "working towards getting him some help, and we hope that will be taken seriously by all parties in this case".

Whether or not DMX is seeking help for his drug problems is not the only question being asked about him this week. Many are wondering why he has been assigned a public defender to represent him, something normally reserved for those who cannot afford to hire private counsel. A townhouse in New York owned by the rapper was reportedly handed over to be sold at a sheriff's auction on Wednesday, sparking speculation that he might be having financial difficulties.

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SPECTOR'S LAWYERS REQUEST STAY
Phil Spector's lawyers requested an indefinite stay on the producer's retrial for murder in order for them to pursue their double jeopardy case.

The double jeopardy angle to the retrial has been discussed for a while now, and whether or not you believe it is relevant depends on your interpretation of the first trial against the legendary producer, which, of course, ended in a mistrial when the jury couldn't reach a decision one way or the other. Of issue is whether the fact the lesser crimes of voluntary or involuntary manslaughter were not considered at that trial amounted to Spector being acquitted of those crimes. The defence reckon so, and therefore argue said crimes cannot be considered this time round because to do so would be double jeapordy.

Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler doesn't seem convinced, and said last month: "I don't believe this is a double jeopardy matter". I think it is that ruling that the defence want to have more time to appeal before the rest of the second trial proceeds.

The latest pretrial hearing on the case is due to take place today, but the prosecution have not, as yet, responded to the defence team's request for a stay. Spector, of course, is accused of killing actress Lana Clarkson at his Beverly Hills home in 2003. He maintains she shot herself.

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GLITTER TO BE DEPORTED TO BRITAIN
Gary Glitter will be deported back to Britain on Tuesday, after he is released from a Vietnamese jail at the end of his 27 month sentence for child molestation. This somewhat scuppers his plans to never return to the UK. Although, if it's any consolation, I don't think we wanted him to come back either, really, so we all lose out a bit. He isn't required to stay, though.

Glitter's lawyer Le Thanh Kinh told Reuters: "My client will have to board a flight to London, his ticket has been bought by the authorities here. After he lands in London, he's free to go wherever he wants".

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PARTNERS AND HEADLINED ANNOUNCED FOR ULIVE'S NEXT SEMESTER
NUS Services have announced its plans for the previously reported uLive network which launched in the student market last year. uLive brings together gig venues in various students' unions around the UK, and aims to provide the music industry with an easy way to reach student gig goers, rather than having to deal with numerous different unions.

Among the announcements are details of the network's partners this year, which include drinks brand Red Stripe, music mag Clash magazine, and union screen network sub.tv. Here's a quote from each of them.

Red Stripe's Paul Brazier: "We're really happy to be supporting uLive for the second year running and bringing live music to the next generation of Red Stripe drinkers. Red Stripe has a rich history steeped in music and has long been the beer of choice for creative and spirited individuals".

Clash Mag's Chloe Gehlcken: "Clash Magazine recognise uLive as the leading student focused tour in the UK. It is a great way for us to communicate with one of our key audiences and we look forward to an exciting series of gigs".

Sub.tv's Jon Kingdon: "We are pleased to offer our continued support to help raise the profile of the music scenes in and around the Universities. Focusing on locally relevant new music and venues is a key part in growing the Sub.tv music strategy in line with the launch of our new Sub.tv music site in September".

But more important than all that, we have line up news, and fab line up news at that. The first artists to be touring the uLive network will be CMU favourites Dan Le Sac and Scroobius Pip, who are still promoting their fab Sunday Best released album 'Angles'. Their uLive dates are as follows:

9 Oct: Strathclyde Students' Association- Level 8
10 Oct: Preston- 53 Degrees
11 Oct: Liverpool University Guild- Stanley Theatre
13 Oct: Reading Students' Union- 3sixty
14 Oct: Bath Students' Union- Elements
15 Oct: Swansea- Sin City
16 Oct: Coventry- Warwick Students' Union
19 Oct: Guildford- Surrey Students' Union
20 Oct: Norwich- The Waterfront
22 Oct: Leeds University Union- Mine
23 Oct: Hull University Union- Asylum
24 Oct: Sheffield Students' Union- The Foundry
25 Oct: Durham Students' Union- The Fonteyn Ballroom
27 Oct: High Wycombe- Bucks Students' Union
28 Oct: Uxbridge- Brunel Students' Union
29 Oct: Bournemouth- The Old Fire Station
30 Oct: Hatfield- University of Hertfordshire

More at www.ulive.uk.com

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DOHERTY TO REVEAL ALL IN BABYSHAMBLES BOOK
Pete Doherty will reveal all about his drug use and his relationship with Kate Moss in a new Babyshambles autobiography, which will feature contributions from all four members of the band. Although, I'm sure you'll be able to skip those other bits easily, in order to read the Doherty stuff.

Drummer Adam Ficek told: "It should be out in November. I think [the book] is full of good anecdotes. ... Peter [has given] an insight into things people would be interested in. There's a lot of stuff regarding him and Kate's relationship, there's a lot of stuff regarding his view on the no-shows, his view on drugs, his view on the arrests and persecution, relationships with band members. But the good thing about it is, it's not a Peter book. It's a book from our perspective as well, about how it affects us. No matter what veneer we put on this outside it has really dark elements to it, real dark places where you think you're never gonna get out of and then suddenly you're touring arenas and its the most amazing thing in the world".

I'm surprised Pete can remember much about his time with Ms Moss. Perhaps he's been trawling through the CMU Daily archives to remind himself.

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MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE TAKE TIME OUT
My Chemical Romance have revealed that fans could be in for a bit of a wait for the band's next album, the follow-up to 2006's 'The Black Parade'. Having spent most of the last few years touring and generally promoting themselves, they're all keen to talk a break.

Frontman Gerard Way told MTV: "We can't make any more music unless we live. But I'm already starting to get the ideas and the aesthetics and everything, and it's very different from 'The Black Parade'. When we get a chance, we're going to get together and do some demos and start rolling. But we're going to take it slow. I feel like we needed to be away for a while. People need to kind of miss us because there was a point in the last two and a half years where you could have seen us at least once a month if you wanted".

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RADIOHEAD CHOKE ON FILM SCORE CLAIMS
Despite what Chuck Palahniuk says (and what we therefore reported yesterday), Radiohead have not composed a score for the film adaptation of his book, 'Choke'. In fact, they haven't composed anything specifically for the film, at all.

Palahniuk told BBC 6music: "['Choke' director] Clark Gregg knew that I'd written 'Choke' while listening to 'Pablo Honey', with 'Creep' over and over and over. So, Clark got Radiohead to contribute a song; to write a song for the very end of the movie, the final credits. Apparently Radiohead liked the movie so much, they've written the score".

However, a spokesperson for Radiohead told Pitchfork: "No one in the Radiohead organisation is aware of the band composing any original, incidental, or ambient music for 'Choke'. They only know of 'Reckoner' [from 'In Rainbows'] being used over the end credits". The Radiohead organisation?

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VERVE DENY SPLIT RUMOURS
The Verve have denied various rumours that they are on the verge of breaking up again, rumours which seemingly originate from reports that Richard Ashcroft and Nick McCabe have fallen out once more. Said rumours had expanded to include claims that the band won't be playing V Festival this weekend because they will have split up by then.

This all stems, as far as I can see, from the fact that McCabe flew home from Japan alone, after the band played the Summer Sonic festival. However, the spokesman for the band said in a statement: "Contrary to rumours circulating, Nick McCabe cut his finger on piece of glass in the dressing room after the gig in Japan. He was treated by medics at the scene and then flew home. He's fine except for sore finger and that won't effect their appearance at V at the weekend".

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MASTER P CHANGES NAME
Rapper and businessman Master P has announced that he will henceforth be known has P Miller (his real name is Percy Miller). The move follows his brother's decision to change his name from C-Murder to C Miller in 2005.

As a rapper, Miller has released numerous albums and won five Grammys. However, as CEO of entertainment and financial company P Miller Enterprises he has also been hugely successful and is thought to be worth in excess of $500 million.

Miller told AllHipHop.com: "I'm changing my name because Master P is who I used to be. I call it my childhood, and P Miller marks my manhood. There's a lot of people out there who are afraid to grow up and change, but I'm not and P Miller is the evolution of me, Percy Miller, the entrepreneur, the businessman. I've branched out into so many different arenas, but all that gets overshadowed because I come from the hip hop industry. People grow mentally and spiritually through life experiences, but when you come from hip hop, it's almost impossible to get past the stereotypes associated with it".

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HAYES FAMILY ANNOUNCE FUNERAL AND GIVE THANKS
Isaac Hayes' family have announced that the singer's funeral will be held at the Hope Presbyterian Church in Cordova, Tennessee on Monday between 11am and 2pm. The family have also thanked Hayes fans around the world for their support.

In a statement the Hayes family said: "We have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of support and love from Isaac's dear friends, colleagues and fans from every corner of the world, and we thank each and every one of them for their kind thoughts and prayers. While he was an iconic figure to many, to us he was husband, father and friend. We will ever miss his love, wisdom, humor and the familiar comfort of his voice".

Haye's son, music producer Ike Dirty, also told AllHipHop.com: "I spoke to my father just recently about working on his album, and he was excited as though this were his first project. I want people to remember my father for the creative, soulful, inspirational force that he was to music and African American people. He was legendary and shared his genius with the world. I also want to thank all of my peers and music industry colleagues who have reached out to express their love and prayers. I'm sad, I'm angry, I'm happy all at once right now. I have so many memories of being my father's son. Little things that make all the difference. Things that help me maintain right now. I can't be too sad though. My father did great, great things as a musician, humanitarian, a father and a Black man".

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¡FORWARD, RUSSIA! SPLIT
¡Forward, Russia! have announced that they will only play one more gig this year before going on one of those 'indefinite hiatus' things. In a lengthy post on their official website, the band said that they had all grown into other things and become less focussed on the band, with none of them having much input on the release of their second album, 'Life Processes'. They also stressed that, despite tickets going on sale, they were not playing any new shows in October.

They said: "We have decided to take a break from doing ¡Forward, Russia! - for a lot of different reasons. The idea of doing another tour with nothing new to offer was something that enthused none of us, and the idea of re-booting on a productive strand is something we're not quite ready to face just yet. Added to which, the last few months of inactivity has led us all on paths away from the band. I know that sounds odd, having released an album only a few months ago, but I don't think any of us were connected to the mechanics of its release. I don't know how it happened, but I want to thank all our management, the guys and gals at Cooking Vinyl and all the other people who worked on the record for putting all their efforts into the release of 'Life Processes' and apologise for our complete failure to engage in the release of it".

They added: "Katie is moving to Nottingham in a few weeks, having taken the opportunity to do an art course there. So, it's unlikely we'll do anything serious again till we're a bit more geographically centralised".

The band's final show will be at Brainwash Festival in Leeds on 17 Oct.

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SINGLE REVIEW: Red Light Company – Meccano (Lavolta)
The name Red Light Company is a reference to the 1981 film 'Christiane F' about a teenage drug addict, which features a cameo from David Bowie. Not that this gives any indication of the multi-national London based band's anthemic, uplifting sound. 'Meccano' is the follow up to their excellent debut 'With Lights Out'. The song uses the children's construction toy as a metaphor for friends growing apart and the resultant regret that brings. "Crying out loud, the weekend's over," sings Richard Frenneaux as the song builds up to an Arcade Fire style crescendo with guitars surging. As purveyors of catchy, moody rock Red Light Company are hard to beat right now. JW
Release Date: 11 Aug
Press Contact: Scruffy Bird [all]

Buy from iTunes
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NEW OASIS TRACK LEAKS
'Falling Down', a new song from Oasis's forthcoming album, 'Dig Your Own Soul', has leaked all over YouTube. Speaking as someone who's not really much of a fan of Oasis, it's actually okay. You know, not great, but certainly okay. It's a slow, lumbering track with synth strings and a very Stone Roses-esque bassline. If anything, it could do with being a bit shorter.

The track will be given away to anyone who pre-orders the album on MySpace, when it goes up on the store later on today. But if you can't wait that long, listen here.

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ARCTIC MONKEY TO RELEASE COMPILATION
Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders is getting a bit of a taste for stepping out from behind the drum kit, it seems. Fresh from remixing Roots Manuva's new single, 'Again & Again', he's now preparing to release a new compilation, the latest in the 'LateNightTales' series. As well as selecting some of his favourite late night tracks, he's also included his own cover of Living Joy's 'Dreamer', with singer Nesreen Shah.

Tracklist:

Goblin - Connexion
Matt Helders feat Nesreen Shah - Dreamer
Viktor Vaughn - Vaudeville Villain
Yamasuki - Yama Yama
Zeph & Azeem - Play The Drum
DJ Format - Charity Shop Soundclash
Little Barrie - Free Salute
The Black Keys - Thickfreakness
The Stooges - Dirt
Johnny & The Hurricanes - Sheba
Modeselektor feat Puppetmastaz - The Dark Side Of The Sun
Mos Def - Ms. Fat Booty
Luniz - I Got 5 On It (Original Clean Short Mix)
The Coral - Grey Harpoon
Minnie Riperton - Reasons
Roots Manuva - Dreamy Days
Ty - Break The Lock
Simian Mobile Disco - I Believe
The Rapture - Olio

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PRESETS RELEASE FREE MIXTAPE
The Presets have released a new mixtape as a free download. Entitled 'G E T O F F T H E B E A C H', it features an impressive range of artists, including Roy Buchanan, Public Enemy, Sparks, Aphex Twin, Sepultura, Chromatics and Cornelius.

Download it here

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ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION RETURN
Asian Dub Foundation will be back with a new album, 'Punkara', on 6 Oct. Hooray! It will feature a duet with Iggy Pop on a cover of The Stooges', 'No Fun'. Hooray! Gogol Bordello will also appear as guests on a track. Hooray! It will be the band's first album to feature former King Prawn vocalist Al Rumjen. Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!

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TODD RUNDGREN ALBUM AND UK TOUR
Todd Rundgren has announced the release of his new album and his first UK shows since 2005. Of the album, which will be released in the UK by Cooking Vinyl on 29 Sep, Rundgren says he has gone for an all-out stadium rock sound. He said: "It is a definite return to riff-oriented guitar rock. It's supposed to make you reflexively pump your fist and wave a lighter in the air".

Tour dates:

6 Nov: Manchester, Academy 2
7 Nov: Edinburgh, The Picture House
22 Nov: Norwich, Waterfront
23 Nov: London, The Forum

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FOALS TO PLAY SECRET GIG
Foals are playing a gig at The Cross Kings in London next Wednesday. But don't tell anyone, it's a secret.

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KIMYA DAWSON ANNOUNCES LONDON SHOW
Kimya Dawson will play a headline show at Union Chapel in London on 11 Sep, ahead of her appearance at the End Of The Road festival. The show will be an all-ages affair, with children under ten getting in for half price.

However, Kimya now fears that her recent success after contributing several tracks to the 'Juno' soundtrack may make her gigs a less touchy-feely affair. She told EW.com, "I'm sure that I'm going to have to do some things differently, I'm afraid if we did the sort of group hugs that I've been doing [at gigs] in the past, then I might get crushed to death if too many people start coming around".

So just be gentle, everyone. Tickets for you grown ups will cost £12 and are available via TicketWeb right now.

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HOLY ROAR ANNOUNCE FREE GIG
The very brilliant Holy Roar Records will be putting on a free gig at the Old Blue Last in Shoreditch later this month. Sounds like a good thing to me. Bossk will headline the night, with support from Tortuga, Throats and Burn Down Rome. It all kicks of at 7.30pm on 27 Aug.

View the flyer here

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CATS AND CATS AND CATS TOUR AND STUFF
Lo-fi progsters Cats And Cats And Cats have announced details of their debut album and a forthcoming UK tour. The album will be recorded in November year with ¡Forward, Russia!'s Tom Woodhead producing. However, they still need cash and a label in order to get it done and released.

The band said: "Pretty much all of the album will feature in our live set on the October tour. We still need way more money to record it, mind you! We're also looking for a new label to work with for the release of the album. If they could get in touch at [email protected], that'd be brilliant".

Tour dates:

2 Oct: Dublin, Lower Deck
3 Oct: Limerick, Bakers Place
4 Oct: Kilkenny, Cleeres Theatre
5 Oct: County Wicklow, Greystones Skate Park
6 Oct: Galway, TBC
7 Oct: Cork, The Whiskey
8 Oct: Belfast, TBC
12 Oct: Preston, Mad Ferret
14 Oct: Leeds, Library
15 Oct: Norwich, Queen Charlotte
17 Oct: Kingston, Fighting Cocks
19 Oct: Staines, Hobgoblin
21 Oct: Sheffield, The Grapes
22 Oct: Derby, The Vic
23 Oct: Newport, Meze Longue
24 Oct: Cheltenham, Subtone
25 Oct: London, Brixton Windmill (with CMU favourites Vessels headlining)
26 Oct: Tunbridge, Wells Forum
28 Oct: Ashford, Downtown Diner
29 Oct: Brighton, Freebutt
30 Oct: Guildford, Boileroom
31 Oct: Southampton, Soul Cellar
1 Nov: Chichester, Chichester Inn

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ALBUM REVIEW: Jaguar Love – Take Me To The Sea (Matador)
With Pretty Girls Make Graves and Blood Brothers now defunct, the trio that is Jaguar Love are consciously dragging themselves from the corpses of their late outfits. Always with an eye over their conjoined shoulder, they release 'Take Me To The Sea', which, although more pop-infused then their predecessors' work, sort of begins where they left off. Cody's guitar is still prominent; wily and untamed, it offers dark slices of misadventure. Similarly Johnny Whitney's vocal remain the same, if sounding a bit more like Mars Volta's Cedric, though no doubt only to try and tame the wild screams he was renown for. But it is in the song structures that we are offered fresh beginnings, no Blood Brothers disjointed hardcore here, a more familiar pop structuring is in place and it does wonders. Such structuring allows the melodies to form and grow, especially on songs like 'Georgia' or 'Humans Evolve Into Skyscrapers', the former presenting a bluesy, organ based sing-a-long that quickly becomes the most memorable song on the album. It is difficult to separate this album from the steeped history of their former bands - but nevertheless, this does make a fine first album, and one that works hard to escape the ghosts of its past. That said, it's in the past that their best work lies as yet. SJS
Release Date: 18 Aug
Press Contact: 4AD [all]

Buy from TuneTribe
Buy from iTunes
Buy from Amazon

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FACEBOOK BECOMES BIGGEST SOCIAL NETWORK
Facebook has overtaken MySpace as the largest social network worldwide. As we reported recently, MySpace is still holding firm in the US, but rapid international expansion has taken Facebook well into the lead on the world stage, with 63 percent of its 132 million users now outside the North America, according to figures released by comScore. Facebook's worldwide users grew by 153 percent between June 2007 and June 2008, with its US users growing 38 percent. In the same period, MySpace's US users grew by just 3 percent.

Jack Flanagan, comScore's executive vice president said: "While the social networking trend first took off in North America, it is beginning to reach a point of maturity in the region. However, the phenomenon is still growing rapidly in other regions around the world – especially as the established American brands turn their focus to developing markets".

The key to Facebook's success, apparently, is that they made translation kits available so that people around the world could create accurate versions of the site in their own language much quicker than if it had been done in-house. Flanagan said: "Facebook has done an exceptional job of leveraging its brand internationally during the past year. By increasing the site's relevance to local markets through local language interface translation, the site is now competing strongly or even capturing the lead in several markets where it had a relatively minor presence just a year ago".

MySpace, on the other hand, has been opening offices in countries where it knows it can find ad revenues, which is a slower process, but means it can better tailor adverts to local users on a country by country basis. Which doesn't result in mass growth in membership, but does, I suppose, help the social networking giant move towards commercial viability worldwide. Income generated from non-US audiences will soon account for more than half of the site's revenues.

Despite all this, I kind of have the gut feeling MySpace is still the leader when it comes to music, even outside the US. And that's before the proper launch of the new MySpace Music service, of which we hear good things.

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GUT RECORDS FUTURE IN QUESTION
Speculation is rife that indie label Gut Records, who were responsible for The Crazy Frog, and some good stuff too, have gone into administration, speculation that was further fuelled when its website, and the websites of two of its subsidiaries, Gusto Records and Institute Recordings, went down this morning. Although the sites are back online again now, phones at the company's Maida Vale HQ are apparently not being answered. The news pages on the label's websites have not been updated since May. However, Gut did release the latest Fightstar album, 'Alternative Endings', on Monday.

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WARNER SIGNS UP TO WE7
Warner Music have signed an agreement to offer music via that We7 website, which will see music from the major's catalogue made available as paid-for MP3 downloads and ad-funded on-demand free streams. Users will be able to listen to full tracks and albums on an unlimited basis and create playlists, share songs and embed tracks on external websites at no cost. Warner content is expected to hit the site before the end of October.

President of Warner Music Europe, John Reid said: "We continue to pioneer and develop new ways to enjoy music and we are delighted to be working with a service as flexible and progressive as We7. This innovative partnership brings together two increasingly popular modes of consumption, ad-supported streaming and MP3 downloads, to create a rich, versatile digital music experience that will monetise a broad spectrum of consumer behaviour. By empowering music fans to discover more music, whilst encouraging them to purchase new and exciting digital products, we are providing our artists with a potent means to expand their following and deepen the relationship with their fans".

Co-founder and CEO of We7, Steve Purdham said: "Recently there has been a lot of focus on piracy, but this deal is reflective of the radically changing digital landscape where music fans can access high quality, safe and legal alternatives. We're very excited to be partnering with Warner Music and are looking forward to offering first-class content from their impressive roster of local and international acts on We7.com, where music fans get great music for 'free' that they can listen to when they want, and the choice to buy the music they love".

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DAVE PEARCE TO LEAVE RADIO 1
Dave Pearce will leave BBC Radio 1 when the station's new schedule is introduced in October. Also moving on will be hard dance and techno DJ Eddie Halliwell. Kissy Sell Out will now host a regular Thursday night show from midnight to 2am, DJ Kutski takes over Friday nights 1am to 3am and 1Xtra's Mista Jam will host the new '1Xtra Mixtape' show between 3am and 5am on Sunday mornings. Judge Jules will move to a new 11pm to 1am slot on Friday nights and Tim Westwood's Saturday night show will gain an extra hour, running from 9pm to 1am. You got all that, right?

Head Of Programmes at Radio One, Ben Cooper said: "Radio One is here to champion the very best in new music and new DJ talent and I believe that these schedule changes mean we can continue to do this even more effectively. Kissy, Kutski and MistaJam are DJs who are completely passionate about the music they play and the audience they play to. I'm really happy that they will now all have their own regular shows. Our newest recruits Heidi Van den Amstel, Jaymo and Andy George are a fantastic addition to the In New DJs We Trust line-up. I'd also like to thank both Dave and Eddie for their commitment to Radio 1 and wish them all the very best for the future".

Dave Pearce said: "It's been an incredible thirteen years at Radio 1, of all the shows I've presented 'Dance Anthems is the one I'm most proud of creating and I am delighted that even in our recent late night slot we increased audience. It's time to move on but I have some exciting new radio projects to come. I would like to thank the teams who have worked with me over the years for making it such fun".

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WHALE BEGINS UNFAIR DISMISSAL PROCEEDINGS
Former talkSPORT presenter James Whale, who was sacked earlier this year after he urged listeners to vote for Boris Johnson in the London mayoral election, has begun legal proceedings against the station for unfair dismissal. He has reportedly lodged two separate claims, with an employment tribunal and at the High Court in London.

A source told Broadcast magazine that Whale is unhappy with his treatment by the station and was particularly disappointed that they "never gave him the chance to say goodbye to his loyal listeners". Presumably he hopes to say goodbye in court.

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RADIO REVENUES UP BUT LISTENERS DOWN
The 'Communications Market' report, issued by media regulator Ofcom, has revealed that commercial radio increased its total revenue last year, despite losing listeners. The report shows that the number of listeners under 25 has dropped by 10 percent in the last five years, with only the over 55s listening to more radio. It'll be that t'internet to blame one imagines.

Revenues rose by just under 2 percent to £522 million, with overall listening hours across all demographics falling by 2.6 percent in 2007. However, while listeners to local commercial radio fell by 4.5 percent, national commercial stations actually gained 3.2 percent. Listening via DAB, the internet and Digital TV boxes also grew. Which is no surprise.

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PLAYLOUDER DENY ISP AGREEMENT
Playlouder have denied reports that they have reached an agreement with a major UK ISP to roll out their long proposed broadband package which would allow users to download unlimited amounts of music via P2P sites. The company have been developing the system, which tracks downloaded tracks and compensate rights holders accordingly, since 2003. Deals have already been made with EMI, SonyBMG and independent labels and the system is currently running in beta.

However, Playlouder's CEO and co-founder Paul Hitchman told Billboard: "Our model is quite well known, which is that we're looking to work in partnership with ISPs to offer a music service to their subscribers to be bundled with broadband access. Obviously in the light of all the interest in ISPs potentially working with music companies, I think that's led to a lot of the speculation. We've spoken to lots of ISPs and we continue to talk to ISPs and there continues to be interest in our model from ISPs. But we're not ready to announce any services yet".

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DIDDY WINS SEX AWARD
P Diddy has announced that he is very good at doing sex, and if ever it becomes an Olympic sport, he will beat off all comers.

Asked by New York magazine what new Olympic sport he would excel in, he said: "Who could have sex the longest. I think that's an event I can do well in. And probably who could stay up the longest. Just so you know, that's supposed to be funny. Even though I am serious".

He added that he would happily compete against "whoever's up for the challenge".

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