PART TIME MARKETING CO-ORDINATOR/PA for RECORD COMPANY - BRISTOL
An independent dance music label are looking for an enthusiastic person to help out in their office in Bristol. You will be involved in all online promotion, the upkeep of the company website and general marketing co-ordination. In addition to this you will be looking after all three managers, sorting out all travel arrangements and helping to maintain a smooth running office. Experience of working within the industry is essential. Contact Gerard for more details: [email protected]

OFFICE MANAGER
Cooking Vinyl are looking for an Office Manager / PA to MD / international assistant. The ideal candidate is organised, works well under pressure and has an impeccable phone manner. You will also have to be familiar with Word, Excel and Outlook. The role includes full reception responsibilities, and also assisting the marketing, international and production departments when needed, as well as ensuring the office is running smoothly. This is an ideal starter role for someone who wants to work in the music industry. Cooking Vinyl's office is in Acton, West London. Send CV to: [email protected] and put Office Manager in the subject line.

EMI TO LAUNCH ITS OWN ONLINE MUSIC SERVICE
EMI is reportedly preparing to launch its own online music service, making them the latest major to consider a direct-to-consumer digital proposition.

Universal Music are already carrying advertising on their central consumer website which offers on-demand video streams, and there are reports they are planning on expanding that service. Plus there's been talk of the other majors, Sony in particular, offering their own download, streaming or subscription services in addition to licensing their music to iTunes and YouTube and MySpace et al.

It's not 100% clear how the proposed EMI service will work, and it's been described by the Financial Times as a "consumer lab" which tells us more or less nothing. It's thought the service will operate at the rather snappy emi.com domain, which currently points to the EMI Group corporate site, and that it may offer a combination of free ad-funded content and pay-to-access content. Some kind of 'if you like that you'll like this' service - akin to last.fm and Pandora - is also being mentioned.

It's unlikely to be a straight download platform, and one EMI source has told the reporters "this is not an effort to compete with iTunes or Amazon". Insiders say the new service should launch before the end of the year.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

BRYAN FERRY GETS BMI ICON AWARD
Bryan Ferry was named a BMI Icon at the US collecting society's annual London songwriter awards this week. He joins the likes of Ray Davies, Peter Gabriel and Steve Winwood in having received the honour.

Other winners on the night included Beyonce track 'Irreplaceable', written by Amund Bjorklund and Espen Lind, which won the Robert S Musel Award For Song Of The Year, and Modest Mouse's 'Dashboard', co-written by Johnny Marr, which was named College Song Of The Year. 'Million-air' certificates were also awarded to songs which have achieved more than three million airings on US TV and radio, amongst them The Rolling Stones' '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction', Eric Clapton's 'Layla' and John Lennon's 'Imagine'.

Receiving his honour, the aforementioned Ferry paid tribute to his Roxy Music colleagues and, before the presentation, made light of the award, telling Billboard that 'icon' was something he would "have to look it up in the dictionary". He added: "It's nice to be given an award for something - songwriting - which is maybe the hidden part of what I do; it's sort of the 'iceberg' bit".

On the subject of a future solo project, which he's begun working on, he continued: "Sometimes you think well, everybody's heard enough of what you do, and you get despondent and think nobody wants to hear this - they want to hear some 23-year-olds' band or something. But I've got two songs that I think sound all right - I think they'll probably come out as solo things".

A full list of winners is here

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

MACCA P VS MACCY D
Paul McCartney has hit out at MacDonald's after one of the fast food chain's Liverpool restaurants put a picture of The Beatles up in the store.

In a statement, the very vegetarian Paul McCartney said: "What sort of morons do McDonald's think Beatles fans are? It's ridiculous and insulting to use images to peddle hamburgers. Fans should boycott McDonald's - and not just in Liverpool".

Animal rights organisation People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals, of which McCartney is currently president, also issued a statement saying: "He became a vegetarian after watching lambs play in a field outside his home and surely would not want anyone to use his likeness to help promote meat. We hope anyone who sees his picture on the wall will be reminded that he's a vegetarian and skip the Big Mac for a veggie burger". Mmm, burger.

--------------------------------------------------

ONO DROPS CREATIONIST LAWSUIT
Yoko Ono has dropped her lawsuit against the makers of 'Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed', a pro-Creationism film which used a 15 second snippet of John Lennon's 'Imagine' without permission.

As previously reported, Premise Media won the original court case after arguing that their use of the song was allowed under the fair use doctrine of US copyright law, because they used the line "nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too" as a way of criticising the viewpoint that the world is better off without religion.

Ono vowed to appeal the ruling, backed by EMI; while she battled through federal courts, the record label went to state court. However, a statement by Stanford Law School's Fair Use Projects, which has been representing Premise Media, on Tuesday revealed that the case has now been dropped.

Stanford law professor and lead counsel for Premise said: "We think it was clear from the beginning that our clients had every right to use the 'Imagine' clip as they did, and we're happy we've vindicated that right".

However, he did add later in a post on his blog that the song clip won't appear in the film's DVD release. He wrote: "The mere tendency of these cases caused the film's DVD distributor to shy away from releasing the full film - the version that includes the 'Imagine' segment".

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

BRITNEY PLEA OFFER REJECTED
Britney Spears' lawyer has rejected a plea deal which would have seen the singer on probation for a year, as well as paying a $150 fine, in relation to that 2007 incident in which she hit a parked car and then left the scene without notifying the owner.

As previously reported, the attorney, J Michael Flanagan, had previously requested that his client not stand trial for a number of reasons, one of them being that she is still not in charge of her own affairs.

Flanagan says that he would consider an offer that would reduce the charge, from a misdemeanour to an infraction, which would mean she would merely have to pay a $10 fine, and added that he will appeal any conviction if the trial, set for later this month, goes ahead. He claims that Spears is being unfairly targeted because of her celebrity status.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

DIRE STRAITS MAN ON NO-REUNION
Gosh, there are a lot of bands who are not having reunions, aren't there? The latest one is Dire Straits. Bassist John Illsley has said that he tried to persuade his former band-mate Mark Knopfler to reunite, and has thus far failed, although it sounds as though he hasn't given up hope. He says: "[Mark's] doing different kinds of music now. I'm very open to doing whatever's suggested. I think we've definitely got one more tour left in us, and probably another record too".

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

FOO FIGHTERS CROSS WITH MCCAIN CAMPAIGN
Foo Fighters have released a statement expressing their dismay that republican John McCain has used one of their tracks, 'My Hero', during the course of his US presidential campaign. The band say: "The saddest thing about this is that 'My Hero' was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential. To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song".

They're not the only music act to have asked presidential candidates to refrain from using their songs; the trouble is, of course, that as long as the campaign in question gets a blanket licence to play music at their public events, they can't be stopped. John Mellencamp and Jackson Browne have complained about McCain using their tracks, whilst Sam Moore has asked Barack Obama to stop using 'Soul Man'.

McCain-Palin spokesman Brian Rogers says "The McCain-Palin campaign respects copyright. Accordingly, this campaign has obtained and paid for licenses from performing rights organisations, giving us permission to play millions of different songs, including 'My Hero"'.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

SINGLE REVIEW: Farewell - Eighty Eights (Epitaph)
Any pop-punk fan will know that there's a fine line between music in the genre that is actually credible and the familiar (and dreaded) cheese that it's constantly slated for. Fortunately for North Carolina-based sextet Farewell, they hit the right mark with new single 'Eighty Eights', an energetic mix of cheery guitar pop and zippy electro harmonics. Putting the 'pow' back into power pop, Farewell pick up where Hellogoodbye left us two years ago, proving that all the Good Charlottes and Panic! At The Discos of the world aren't the be all and end all of American chart-friendly sugar-punk (and thank God for that). Taken from their critically acclaimed debut album 'Isn't This Supposed To Be Fun?!', 'Eighty Eights' takes guitar pop back where it needs to be: somewhere exuberant. It looks like we won't be saying Farewell to them any time soon. TW
Release Date: 20 Oct
Press Contact: The Incubator [all]

Buy from iTunes
Buy from Amazon

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

ALLEN NAMES ALBUM, GETS US VISA
Lily Allen has revealed that her new album, which is due for release on 9 Feb, will be called 'It's Not Me, It's You'. She told The People at the aforementioned BMI Awards on Tuesday, where she picked up a songwriting award for 'Smile': "It's different. It's just ... different".

She also revealed that she had been granted a new US visa. As previously reported, her previous one was revoked in 2007, after she got into a fight with a photographer, which meant she was forced to cancel a string of tour dates. She said:"I got my US visa today, yay! It means I can go and tour there and finish what I started, which is something I've wanted to do for a while".

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

PATTON, DOSEONE AND ADEBIMPE TO COLLABORATE
Who could even imagine what would happen if Mike Patton, cLOUDDEAD's Adam 'Doseone' Drucker and TV On The Radio's Tunde Adebimpe got in a room together and started singing. Not me, that's for sure. Not even if I tried really, really hard.

So, it's handy that the trio are going to give all our brains a rest and actually do just that. Adebimpe told AV Club in a soon-to-be-published interview that they are "working on a project that I'm thinking will congeal toward the end of the year. It came from an idea that Adam had, to have the three of us just, basically, mess around vocally and see what comes of it".

Elsewhere in Mike Patton collaboration news, the former Faith No More frontman has teamed up with former System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian on a song for the soundtrack of new movie, 'Body Of Lies', which you can hear right now on Tankian's MySpace page, here.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

ATTIC LIGHTS PERSONALISE NEW SINGLE
Attic Lights released their new single, 'Wendy, Wendy', this week. Which is all well and good, but what if your name's not Wendy, or you want to play the song to someone whose name's not Wendy? What do you do then? Well, you just buy a version with a different name in the chorus. The band have recorded several versions of the song, replacing the chorus of 'Wendy, Wendy' with the 55 most popular boys and girls names in the UK.

Vocalist Kev Sherry told CMU: "It's such a simple idea; I can't believe no-one's thought of doing it before. Just imagine your own personal versions of 'Ruby', 'Billy Jean', 'Hey Jude', 'Mandy', the list is endless!"

To hear and download all the different versions go to www.yournameinasong.com, or add them to your Facebook profile using this handy application, here.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

KAISER CHIEFS OPEN NEW LEEDS ACADEMY
Kaiser Chiefs last night opened the all new Leeds Academy with one of those sell-out gigs - two days after the band were proclaimed Best Live Act at the Q Awards and just over a week before the release of their new album 'Off With Their Heads'.

As previously reported, the Leeds Academy is in the building that was previously known as the Town & Country Club. The venue has been through a £3 million refurb since being acquired by the Academy Music Group, and that work has apparently returned the venue to its "former glory".

Certainly Kaiser Chief Nick Hodgson, who once worked as a glass collector at the Town & Country, seemed impressed. He's quoted by the Yorkshire Post thus: "When I walked in I couldn't believe we were in Leeds, because when we go to places like San Francisco we always think, 'why hasn't Leeds got a place like this?' and now it does".

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

SOLID STEEL 20TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY
Ninja Tune will host a 20th anniversary party for the Solid Steel radio show at The End in London on 6 Nov, with DJ sets from Jon More (Coldcut), Ollie Teeba (Herbaliser), DJ Food + DK, DJ Kentaro, Bonobo, Hexstatic, PC, J Mountain and more.

Solid Steel began on the then-pirate radio station Kiss FM and has grown into an institution for fans of cutting edge dance music and continues to broadcast online to this day, headed by DK. It has also spawned a series of highly popular compilation albums.

Lineup:
Room 1

09:00-9:30 DK records!
9:30-11:00 Jon More (Coldcut)
11:00-12:00 DJ Kentaro
12:00-01:30 DJ Food & DK
01:30-03:00 Hexstatic

Room 2

9.00-10:30 PC
10:30-12:00 Oli Teeba (Herbaliser) / Bonobo
12:00-01:30 Bonobo / Oli Teeba (Herbaliser)
01:30-03:00 J. Mountain

Press info from [email protected]

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

MJ HIBBETT ANNOUNCES EXCITING ROCK GIGS
MJ Hibbett has announced a string of tour dates this month, which will included two performances of his acclaimed one-man show, 'My Exciting Life In ROCK!', following the show's Edinburgh Festival run. Hibbett and his band The Validators are also in the process of completing work on their next album, which is due for release next year.

Tour dates:

12 Oct: London, Catch 22
14 Oct Croydon, Green Dragon
19 Oct: London, Bloomsbury Bowling Days
21 Oct: London, The Lamb
25 Oct: Sheffield, University Of Sheffield (My Exciting Life In ROCK!)
25 Oct: Sheffield, University of Sheffield Foundry
26 Oct: Middlesborough, The Waiting Room (My Exciting Life In ROCK!)
13 Nov: Leicester, The Charlotte (supporting Half Man Half Biscuit)
16 Nov: Nottingham, Lee Rosy's

--------------------------------------------------

ALBUM REVIEW: Various Artists - 10 Years Of Finger Lickin': Mixed by Soul Of Man (Finger Lickin')
For a small dance label starting off in the heart of Camden, Finger Lickin' Records have done very well for themselves. Ten years down the line and we are presented with this: a three CD beast of a release celebrating everything the label hold dear to their hearts, broken up into three distinct sections that chronicle three different eras of the indie label's tenure amongst the dance elite. CD 1 is a collection of rarities and retro classics from the start of the label's ascent to greatness, with expertly energetic tracks from now well-established artists like Plump DJs re-emerging to remind us of the glory days. The second CD is there to remind us just why this label has stayed so strong through the years. Acting as a 'best of' of sorts, it shows how a group of artists can stay true to their cause whilst keeping the quality of the output consistently high. Listening to it, there's little doubt that these songs are right at home in a club environment, and you can almost see the seething mass of bodies dancing around you. The last disc keeps us just wanting more, with new tracks from artists doing the rounds now. Krafty Kuts, Stanton Warriors and Utah Saints all make an appearance with either new material or remixes and they do not disappoint. Anyone with even a passing interest in the UK dance scene will love this. The variety on offer, yet at such a high standard, make this an indispensable one-stop-shop for the best our fine DJs and producers have to offer. ME
Release Date: 20 Oct
Press Contact: Trailer Media

Buy from Amazon

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

MYSPACE MUSIC HAS TECHNICAL HITCHES
What Digital Music News describe as "critical portions" of MySpace Music went down yesterday, and according to some reports are still not working. The technical problems with MySpace's new digital music set up also reportedly had an impact on the music sections of the social network outside the US, where the all singing, all dancing newly expanded stream, playlist and download service is not currently available. A message from that odd Tom bloke read: "We are making some minor changes to this section so please bear with us until we can get it back online".

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

MUFIN MAKES MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
More digital, and another new music recommendation service has launched in beta form. It's called Mufin, short for Music Finder, and makes last.fm/Pandora style music recommendations based on what artists and tracks you know you like by assessing every song in its system by forty different characteristics, like tempo, rhythm and mood.

Berlin based Mufin claim that their service is more comprehensive than other online recommendation set ups, perhaps because it's seemingly much more globally focused. Mufin Marketing Manager Petar Djekic is quoted thus: "If you go to Last.fm, for example, and you want artists similar artist to Pearl Jam you'll get Alice In Chains and Soundgarden. With Mufin you'll get a similar sound but from different places in the world".

Although Mufin can make recommendations galore, it only currently offers 30 second clips of the 3.8 million songs in its catalogue, though obviously they are hoping to offer full track streaming moving forward, maybe via a partnership with another download operator. As it is, users can click through to buy recommended songs from iTunes or Amazon, which provides Mufin with a revenue stream of sorts.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

GIBB HITS OUT AT EC ACTION ON COLLECTING SOCIETIES
Robin Gibb, in his role as President of CISAC, the global body for publishing collecting societies, has hit out at the European Commission for their continued interference in the way said collecting societies work or, more to the point, how they work together.

As previously reported, the EC has expressed concerns that European collecting societies enjoy virtual monopolies in their home countries, and has previously accused the societies of running a cartel across the continent that hinders competition and makes it difficult for digital music providers to gain pan-European licences. As a result, directives have been issued to combat cartel behaviour, and to encourage the creation of more pan-European services - and in response some collecting societies and music publishers have collaborated to offer such multi-territory licences.

But speaking at Popkomm yesterday, Gibb argued that the EC were actually making matters worse. By introducing measures to deal with the concerns that the collecting societies were operating a cartel, he argues, the EC have made it difficult for multiple numbers of societies to collaborate on the kind of multi-territory licences digital providers want.

According to Music Week, Gibb accused EC interference of making "international trade in music licensing even more difficult than before" and of essentially "blocking the licensing of new digital services". He concluded that European regulators had "destroyed the current system for multi-territorial licences and have forbidden the societies to discuss any new way forward".

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

FONTANA PARTNER WITH THE COOPERATIVE
Universal's US-based indie distribution division Fontana has formed a partnership with Cooperative Music, the London-based indie marketing and distribution service originally formed by V2 Music, and part of Universal since its acquisition of V2 last year. The partnership will see Fontana handle the US distribution of international releases being looked after by Cooperative elsewhere in the world. The first release to get Fontana distribution in the US as part of the deal will be Travis' new long player 'Ode To J Smith' which, as previously reported, will be released via the bands recent resurrected own label Red Telephone Box.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

NEW DIGITAL MANAGER AT HMV
Into music retail, and HMV has announced the appointment of Tanya Langston to the job of Digital Project Manager on their e-commerce team. Langston comes from the Woolies owned music distribution firm EUK, and will manage "key digital product projects" for the e-commerce team and look at ways to develop and offer new consumer experiences in the digital content domain.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

KEYNOTES FOR MIDEMNET 2009 ANNOUNCED
The tenth edition of the digital bit of European music business conference Midem will take place from the 17-18 Jan next year, and ten years on the main debate will be on why Midem continue to have a separate conference for digital music, when digital is now such an integral part of the music business, everything discussed at the main Midem conference is pretty irrelevant without digital considerations.

No, not really. On the bill for MidemNet 2009 will be the founder of early download platform MP3.com, Michael Robertson; the former chair of the Recording Industry Association Of America, Hilary Rosen, who has become much more enlightened on all things digital since leaving the 'sue em till they die' trade association; and Eric Nicoli, the former EMI chief who, if the major's new owners are to be believed, made a pretty shabby effort of running a flagging music firm in the digital age. Still, he was the first major label chief to drop digital rights management, and for that he deserves some credit.

Confirming the line up, Midem Director Dominique Leguern told reporters: "Hilary Rosen, Eric Nicoli and Michael Robertson are emblematic figures of the decade, each of whom in very varied fields - at the head of an institution, of a major and in technological innovation - have left their imprint on the history of the industry. We are honoured that these major players have accepted to return to deliver keynotes for the 10th MidemNet so they can give their analysis of the past changes and the future direction of the sector".

For more info on Midem, I'd be going to this URL: www.midem.com

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

ANOTHER FREEVIEW CHANNEL GOES UP FOR AUCTION
Hey, shall we have a whip round and buy a TV channel? I'll present the lunchtime entertainment news review, and every Thursday will be McFly night. You can do whatever you like with the rest of the available airtime. Yes, another Freeview channel is about to be put up for auction because Arquiva, who own a third of the terrestrial digital TV network, have decided they can fit another one in. That said, we might have to raise quite a bit of cash. Channel 4 agreed to pay £10 million a year for its sixth Freeview slot back in 2005, and at that point the digital network was in 10.8 million homes. Now it's in 16.7 million homes. That said, with the fact that the big broadcasters seem happy with their current range of Freeview channels, coupled with that big bad credit crunch, there may be less interest this time round, so a good deal may be on the table. I've got 83p right here I can put forward to our deal.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

RADIO 1'S HUW CHAIRS STUDENT RADIO AWARDS
Radio 1's Huw Stephens, who did a very fine job of chairing one of the discussions at the Un-Convention in Manchester on Tuesday, has just been announced as the chair of the Student Radio Awards, which take place at Indigo2 down at the Dome on 6 Nov. Stephens will oversee the while shebang, while his Radio 1 colleagues Scott Mills and Fearne Cotton will host.

SRA Events Office Kate Pringle told reporters: "Huw Stephens felt like the natural choice for the Chair of the Student Radio Awards because he embodies what student radio is all about. He brings new and underexposed artists to a wider audience but also isn't afraid to be alternative and original in his broadcasting style. He is a truly inspirational figurehead and is well qualified to help us make this year's Awards the best yet and to keep pushing student radio forward. We're really happy to have him on board!"

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

LOOG OLDHAM ON THAT OLD VERVE DISPUTE
Former Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham, who did a fine job a 'host' of In The City this week, has been talking to Uncut about that old run in he had with The Verve over the classical bit at the start of 'Bitter Sweet Symphony'.

As you'll probably know, The Verve track sampled the Andrew Oldham Orchestra's recording of the Stones' 'The Last Time' on their hit single. Some agreement had taken place before the sample was used, but not enough, Oldham and The Stones' publishers argued, to justify the way the sample dominated the track. Legal proceedings followed and ultimately, in an out of court settlement, the publishing rights to the whole song went to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, even though all the words were written by Richard Ashcroft.

Ashcroft is reportedly still a bit bitter about the whole thing, not least because by losing control of the publishing rights he's not been able to block the licensing of the song to commercial enterprises he doesn't agree with. But Oldham seemingly has little sympathy. He told Uncut: "Songwriters have learned to call songs their children, and he thinks he wrote something. He didn't. I hope he's got over it. It takes a while".

Oldham is presumably over it though. Certainly he and The Verve manager Jazz Summers were in close proximity at In The City this week and I didn't hear of any fist fights.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

ZZ TOP REGRET RATTLESNAKES VENTURE
Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top say his band rather regret their attempt to "take Texas to the people" - their tour set included a stage in the shape of the US state and various wildlife.

He told Guitar World magazine: "[We had] a number of rattlesnakes, vultures and even a couple of buffalo onstage. It was authentic! It was disastrous. At first, everything went well: the rattlers behaved, the birds seemed to stand the noise and the buffalo grazed quietly, until one night one buffalo decided he'd had enough. He rammed two glass cages containing the snakes. Suddenly we had a dozen rattlers crawling around onstage. Our drummer [Frank Beard] suggested we play something quiet to soothe them - a stupid idea, 'cause most snakes are deaf. We didn't even attempt it. We just fled and left the roadies to minimise the damage".

back to top