EVERYONE HAS AN OPINION ON THE GNR BLOGGER
Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash has said he hopes the blogger who leaked nine tracks from the band's forever delayed new album 'The Chinese Democracy' "rots in jail". As previously reported, Kevin Cogill was arrested last week after posting songs from the album on his website back in June and is now facing up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

Slash told The LA Times: "I hope he rots in jail. It's going to affect the sales of the record, and it's not fair. The internet is what it is, and you have to deal with it accordingly, but I think if someone goes and steals something, it's theft".

The band themselves were a little more restrained, releasing a statement saying: "Presently, though we don't support this guy's actions at that level, our interest is in the original source. We can't comment publicly at this time as the investigation is ongoing".

The judge presiding over the case can comment on it, though. And in a hearing last Friday, he said that the arrest of Coghill was "too dramatic' when a simple court summons would have done. He also said that the proposal of $50,000 for bail was excessive and let him go on a $10,000 bond.

Coghill's girlfriend spoke to Rolling Stone about the arrest. She said: "They put him in handcuffs. They let me get him a shirt, and shoes without any laces before they took him away".

He will next appear in court for his preliminary hearing on 17 Sep.

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WINEHOUSE FACES LEGAL ACTION OVER NO-SHOW
Amy Winehouse is facing a lawsuit from the organisers of a French festival, Rock En Seine, after shecancelled her performance at the last minute.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Winehouse said: "Amy Winehouse was regrettably unable to perform at the Rock En Seine show in Paris, on Friday August 29, due to illness. She was taken ill at her house and wasn't able to travel to France for the concert".

However, the organisers say that they were not given an adequate reason for the cancellation and will now take legal action against the singer. A statement posted on the festival's website on Friday evening says: "Amy Winehouse cancelled at the last minute her headlining performance which was due to bring to a close the sixth edition of the Rock En Seine festival. ... Everything seemed to suggest that her show ... would go ahead: The stage set for her show had been set up by her technicians the night before. ... Her band arrived in Paris on Thursday ... We were informed at 8pm [on Friday] by her agent, who was already present, that she would not be coming. ... So far we have not been given any explanation regarding the real reasons for her absence. Following this cancellation, the festival has decided to take legal action".

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JACKSON EXPLAINS HIATUS
Just to clear things up, Michael Jackson's career is not in crisis. He's not struggling to write music that the kids of today will buy, nor has he run out of money, nor is he too ill to work, and he's definitely not in hiding after a certain court case made the public at large uneasy about him. Everything's just fine. He simply took some time out to watch his kids grow up.

Jackson told US TV show Good Morning, America: "I am writing all the time. I love composing and the whole thing. But I am also raising my children and enjoying it and teaching them to ride bicycles and how to read. I love it. [We] go to the arcade and go to the movies and do things. I want them to get to do the kind of things I didn't get to do. So, I fill them with a lot of enjoyment that way - a lot of amusement. You know?"

However, he refused to ask questions about when he would be back with a new album, simply saying: "I have always loved showbusiness and have always enjoyed making people happy through that medium. I love the celebration of music and dance and art. I just love it".

If Jacko's planning on getting back to work, perhaps he could get round to releasing that much talked about, partially recorded but never released charity record for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. With a new hurricane about to hit New Orleans, new charitable funds could well come in useful.

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DOHERTY HOME GIG NOT LOOKING LIKELY
After Babyshambles were banned from performing at Moonfest, which led to the cancellation of the festival, the band vowed to play a gig at Doherty's home in the county instead. However, this the-show-must-go-on spirit isn't shared by the singer's landlord, The Earl Of Cardigan.

In an email to police, Lord Cardigan said: "Please advise your colleagues that 'Pete's house' is actually Sturmy House. That house is the property of the trustees of Savernake Estate and any such thing would certainly constitute a breach of his lease of our property. So, should Doherty's manager ever plan to carry out his threat, please be advised in advance that there are absolutely no circumstances in which the owners of that house where Doherty lives would ever sanction such a thing".

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MIA COMES OUT OF RETIREMENT
Does two and a half months even count as a retirement? MIA announced that she was leaving the music industry at US festival Bonnaroo in June. However, she seems to have had a change of heart, following the recent success of her song 'Paper Planes' in the US, which was used on the trailer for new movie 'Pineapple Express'.

She told Entertainment Weekly: "I stopped touring... and I didn't want to make music again. I was quite happy to just leave it all behind. I was happy with what I had achieved. Now, with the success of 'Paper Planes', there's pull for me to make another record. Even my mum believes in me more. It's a nice encouragement. But I was planning my life as a fishing woman on the outskirts of Cambodia. That's a joke".

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ALBUM REVIEW - Take A Worm For A Walk Week - The Monroe Transfer (Undergroove)
TAWFAWW are surely taking the piss; their second album is only fifteen minutes long! And, what makes this feat even more incredulous is that there are thirteen songs on the bloody thing. It's quite remarkable then that they manage to pack so much in to this visceral quarter of an hour listen. TAWFAWW excel in this way, stuffing this album full of acute, well formed gems. 'Snuffleupagus' is a perfect whirlwind of carnal brutality; it spins devilishly from a psychotic opening riff to a violent broken disco pastiche and back again, veering off down unknown alleyways to return back to that skewed rhythm, forming a wonderfully truncated indie dance floor celebration. Three songs and three(ish) minutes later 'Lips, Eyes And Arseholes' performs an equally defiant accomplishment, rendering the world of grimy rock redundant in a dripping dirge, deftly illuminating the juxtaposition of hardcore and mainstream. As if to show conveyance to this conjecture TAWFAWW follow this with a courageous and brilliantly executed version of Devo's 'Whip It'. Tearing through it at a blistering pace, they lose none of the original's vocal absurdity, and the addition of roaring screams only adds to the madness. Although alarmingly short 'The Monroe Transfer' certainly packs a punch; it is truly exciting in a way only an experimental hardcore band can be, and while it lacks some of the melodic atmosphere that the likes of the The Locust or An Albatross create, it is fantastically eccentric and makes more than enough noise to hold its own. SJS
Released: 22 Sep
Press: Gold Star [all]

Buy from iTunes
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CHARLATANS ANNOUNCE UK & IRELAND TOUR
The Charlatans have announced a tour of the UK and Ireland in October to promote the release of their next single, 'Oh Vanity'.

Tour dates:

1 Oct: Belfast, The Spring And Airbrake
2 Oct: Limerick, Dolan's Warehouse
3 Oct: Dublin, The Academy
5 Oct: Hull, University
6 Oct: Warrington, Parr Hall
8 Oct: Southend, Chinnerys
11 Oct: Edinburgh, The Picture House
12 Oct: Stirling, Stirling Albert Halls
13 Oct: Paisley, Town Hall
14 Oct: Inverness, The Ironworks
16 Oct: Dundee, Fat Sams
17 Oct: Preston, 53 Degrees
18 Oct: London, Astoria
20 Oct: Leeds, Academy

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VOLCANO! ANNOUNCE UK & IRELAND TOUR
Chicago trio volcano! have announced a tour of the UK and Ireland in November to promote their second album, 'Paperwork', which is released by The Leaf Label on 22 Sep.

7 Nov: London, The Fox & Firkin
10 Nov: Glasgow, The Arches
11 Nov: Aberdeen, The Tunnels
13 Nov: Nottingham, Bodega Social Club
15 Nov: Bournemouth, The Gander
16 Nov: Cambridge, Portland Arms
17 Nov: London, Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
18 Nov: Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
19 Nov: Dublin, Whelans
20 Nov: Galway, Roisin Dubh

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ALBUM REVIEW: Recloose - Perfect Timing (Sonar Kollectiv)
Detroit DJ Matt Chicoine, aka Recloose, signed initially to Carl Craig's seminal Planet E label, and toured with Craig in his Innerzone Orchestra, as the scratchmaster. Now settled in New Zealand, he has signed to the SK label and created his latest album, 'Perfect Timing', which draws again on hip hop to jazz to broken beat and more. There are some great tracks in here, like the opener, 'Catch A Leaf', which is archetypal Recloose, with its swirling catchy keys and Rachel Frasier's sweetly delivered vocals, and 'So Cool', which has amusing lyrics and a story to tell, delivered crisply by Tyna, who also appears on 'The Sanctuary'. 'Robop' is one of the highlights and has an electrofunk feel, and pushes back to the Planet E days. Elsewhere he heads into more downtempo and laid back tones, which give the album some nice extra layers. The only real dud on the album is 'Solomon's Alive', which feels like Recloose but is just a bit drab. 'Perfect Timing' is a funky leftfield production from a talented chap, but is good rather than great. I think he's missing a pinch of the electronic edginess and electrotrickery that was found in his previous LPs. PV
Release date: 22 Sep
Press contact: RocketScienceMedia [all]

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LATIN DOWNLOAD FIRM GO COMPLETELY MOBILE
So, are web-based download platforms ultimately doomed as mobile music services gain momentum? Well, I'm still not totally convinced, but a three year old US based download platform that sold independent Latin music in various North and Latin American territories has closed down its web based service and is moving all its emphasis onto mobile digital music. MisRolas.com closed down last week, with its parent company rebranding as Agave and promising more information about new launches in the mobile space later this month. In a joint statement, the company's directors Grant Goad, Mauricio Delgado and Hugo Gonzalez said: "During this three year journey, we have discovered alternative outlets for independent digital music and we found one, in particular, which has shown great promise for us: the mobile phone".

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EMI PROMOTE KEMPLER TO US/UK-WIDE COO ROLE
EMI announced another senior appointment on Friday, with Jeff Kempler - formerly COO of the major's US based Capitol division - becoming COO of the new super-division that is known as A&R Labels North America & UK, you know, the one being run by former Island man Nick Gatfield. Kempler, who previously reported to Capitol chief Jason Flom, will report to Gatfield in his new role.

Confirming Kempler's promotion, Gatfield told CMU: "Jeff has proven music business acumen and strong leadership skills, and he will be an excellent asset for our artists, our team and me. His relationships, experience, strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities will be extremely valuable to us as we build EMI's A&R activity".

Kempler himself said this: "EMI is reinventing the major label model and I am excited to be part of the company's efforts to transform the business. I look forward to working closely with Nick and all my colleagues at EMI to offer artists the best services in the world and to enable EMI to become the industry's most artist-friendly and consumer-focused music company".

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WOOLIES ENTERTAINMENT COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR
Woolworths' Commercial Director Of Entertainment, Mr Jim Batchelor, who joined the high street retailer from Virgin Megastore back in 2002, has announced he is moving on to Universal Pictures where he will take on the job of Sales Director. This despite him having confectionery added to his remit in 2006 - and pick n mix, surely, is the most exciting thing about Woolies. The retailer's MD Commercial Tony Page said this: "Jim has given Woolworths six years of great service and we wish him well. He has been a fantastic asset to the business and will be greatly missed". Batchelor's departure comes as Woolies continues to reposition itself in the entertainment retail market place, with music seemingly being sidelined as high street record sales continue to decline.

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KID ROCK HAPPY TO BE WITHOUT ITUNES
Kid Rock has been talking to Billboard about how his recent album 'Rock N Roll Jesus' and single 'All Summer Long' have been doing so well, despite the rocker's decision to not sell either via iTunes. As you'll remember, Rock ain't a big fan of the Apple download platform, mainly because of the way it forces artists to operate by their rules, particularly in making albums available track by track.

He told the trade mag: "I tell people in my organisation, 'Do not ever come up to me and say,' This is what everyone's doing and how they're doing it'. Don't ever give me that lame-ass bullshit. As soon as someone says, 'You have to be on iTunes ... they're the No. 1 retailer' ... I don't have to. Because I remember being a kid when I heard a song that I liked, I would jump on the bus, ride to Detroit, get a $2.50 transfer and walk a mile to the hip-hop store to buy the new Eric B. & Rakim record. You're not going to stop people from obtaining what they want if it's available at some level".

Despite his dislike for iTunes, his label, Warner's Atlantic, say the album will be available digitally this Autumn, just not via the Apple service. However, Kid Rock clearly isn't paying too much attention to the UK market, where both the album and single are happily being sold by iTunes, with 'All Summer Long' currently sitting at number six in the store's singles chart.

PS: Possibly inspired by Kid Rock's success despite the iTunes boycott, we hear that Estelle has also chosen to not sell her music via the Apple download store. I think there's an article in the Wall Street Journal on it. We'll go see and report back tomorrow.

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NEW IPODS DUE THIS MONTH
Good news for iPod fans like Kid Rock - according to various techy blogs, Apple are about to relaunch their entire product range, starting with the iPod. It's rumoured that Steve Jobs (who is still not dead) will head an event later this month (possibly 9 Sep) to announce the new versions of the company's digital music players. As well as cutting prices sharply, Apple are expected to announce some cosmetic changes to the iPod Touch and a huge redesign of the iPod Nano, which will be given a much larger screen. Macbooks and iMacs are expected to receive a similar treatment in October and November respectively. However, some are speculating that there is a significant new product or product line on the verge of being announced, as none of these relaunches seems big enough to be the mysterious "future product transition" or "state-of-the-art products at pricepoints our competitors can't match" that CFO Peter Oppenheimer dropped various hints about recently.

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TIME OUT FOUNDER CONSIDERS GOING ONLINE AND FREE
Now this is interesting methinks. The founder of London listings magazine Time Out has told the Guardian he is considering a radical shake-up of his business which would see the company put all its listings online, and reinvent the print edition as a streamlined free-sheet. Or a 'streetpress', which, I discovered last month, is what Australians call free feature-based newspapers and magazines, which I kind of like, speaking a streetpress publisher and all. And with an increasing number of these publications in the UK market, we probably need a word for them now.

Anyway, back to Time Out founder Tony Elliott, who says he is currently looking for investors interested in helping him take the listings firm into its next phase. He admits he and his team will be considering some pretty radical proposals in the next few months as his company deals with the increased competition for advertising from new online and free print titles, and the fact an increasing number of people look to the web as a source of listings information.

Elliott: "We are in quite an intensive period of thinking and researching, certainly until Christmas, to re-plan for the future. If you've got a situation in two to three years where the main role that we play is online ... the question is what shape does the print magazine take?"

Discussing the need for investment, he ruled out partnering with one of the major magazine publishers, adding: "The mission today is still to remain completely, genuinely independent but it is absolutely true that every aspect of the business would benefit from having more working capital and it would make - I don't like using the word strategic because it sounds pretentious - but it would make strategic sense to widen the ownership of the business. In a perfect world I would like this business to remain independent long, long, long term".

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CHART UPDATE
So, there's been the usual shuffling around in the top 10 singles, which sees Eric Prydz 'Pjanoo' jump straight in at number two, knocking Jordin Sparks feat Chris Brown out the other end, down to 11. Prydz's impressive entrance is still not enough to shift Katy Perry from the top spot, though.

Elsewhere on the new entry front, Glasvegas just miss out on the top 10, going in a number 12 with 'Daddy's Gone', Paul Weller comes in at 28, Ne-Yo enters at 39 and Does It Offend You, Yeah? just miss out on the top 40, with 'Dawn Of The Dead' entering at 41. There are a few climbers, as well. Little Jackie moves from 21 to 14, Alphabeat move from 35 to 15, Metallica move from 36 to 19, and Miley Cyrus moves from 54 to 23.

While the top 10 singles may not have done much more than some quiet sidestepping, it's all change in the album charts, with four new entries in the top five. The Verve's 'Forth' knocks The Script off the number one spot, while another new entry, Slipknot's 'All Hope Is Gone' kicks it down to number three. Eva Cassidy's 'Somewhere' and Michael Jackson's 'King Of Pop' enter at four and five respectively. But that's not it for the new entries, with The Game at number nine and Teddy Thompson at number 10.

Elsewhere, Dragonforce enter at 18, Shaggy stumbles in disappointingly with his greatest hits at 22, and Josh Groban comes in at 32. The only really significant movement other than the new entries comes from Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's 'Monkey: Journey To The West', which falls from number five to number 33.

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. Kid Rock - Rock - N Roll Jesus (Warner/Atlantic)
2. Linkin Park - Minutes To Midnight (Warner Bros)
3. Scars On Broadway - Scars On Broadway (Universal)
4. Disturbed - Indestructible (Warner/Reprise)
5. The Offspring - Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace (SonyBMG)
6. 3 Doors Down - 3 Doors Down (Republic)
7. Motley Crue - Saints Of Los Angeles (Motley Records)
8. Queen - Greatest Hits 1,2,3 (EMI)
9. Nickelback - All The Right Reasons (Warner/Roadrunner)
10. Weezer - Weezer (Universal/Interscope)
11. Soulfly - Conquer (Warner/Roadrunner)
12. Judas Priest - Nostradamus (SonyBMG)
13. Hawthorne Heights - Fragile Future (Victory)
14. Journey - Revelation (Frontiers)
15. The Eagles - Long Road Out Of Eden (Universal)
16. Simple Plan - Simple Plan (Warner/Atlantic)*
17. Disturbed - Ten Thousand Fists (Warner/Reprise)
18. Paramore - Riot! (Fueled By Ramen)*
19. Daughtry - Daughtry (SonyBMG)
20. Alice Cooper - Along Came A Spider (SPV)

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KYLIE ADMITS DISAPPOINTMENT WITH LAST ALBUM
Kylie Minogue has revealed that she wasn't entirely happy with her last album, and thinks it could have been better if she'd had more time to work on it. I think I agree. Though it did get to number 4 in the UK album charts, so can't have been that bad.

She told The Sun: "In retrospect, we could definitely have bettered it, I'll say that straight up. Given the time we had, it is what it is. 'Wow', 'In My Arms' and '2 Hearts' are crackers. They go off like a frog in a sock".

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LOHAN VS LOHAN
Lindsay Lohan has now waded into the war of words that has erupted between her father, Michael Lohan, and her girlfriend, Samantha Ronson.

Writing on her MySpace blog, Lohan addresses her father thus: "If you have something to say to me, say it to my face - that's what I have believed my whole life - don't be a coward and say it to others first, let alone all the media in the world. He has become a public embarrassment and a bully: to my family, my co-workers, my friends, and a girl that means the world to me. Samantha has not and would never sell me out. Nor has my mother, who is wonderful".

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LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION LOSES "THIRST"
Lightspeed Champion, aka Dev Hynes, has hinted that he's worried that he might not have the passion to perform anymore in a blog post on his official website.

Following a recent show in Milton Keynes, he wrote: "Fuck fuck fuck fuck...
What the fuck... I've played some of the worst shows EVER of late. It's really frustrating. You see the show just going downhill and there's nothing you can do! Forgetting lyrics, being out of tune, guitar sounding like shit. I don't know what's going on. Just now was awful. Sorry to everyone that was just at the re-scheduled milton keynes gig just now. Gahhhhhhdddddd. My mind is just wandering. I'm remembering lyrics literally a second before I have to sing them. Sometimes, that doesn't happen, and I don't even remember them, or I end up making something up, fuck fuck... I think I've lost my thirst. I didn't think it would happen, it's really really upsetting. Fuck, fuck, whatever... shit..."

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LIAM HATES 'WONDERWALL'
Liam Gallagher has admitted that he hates Oasis' most famous song. Speaking to The Daily Mirror about his band's new album, 'Dig Out Your Soul', he said: "At least there's no 'Wonderwall' on there. I can't fucking stand that fucking song! Every time I have to sing it I want to gag. Problem is, it was a big, big tune for us. You go to America and they're like: 'Are you Mr Wonderwall?' You want to chin someone". If it's any consolation Liam - I've always thought 'Wonderwall' was shit.

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