|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Set up your own MUZU channel, select tracks from the MUZU catalogue, and embed your own MUZU Player on your own website or blog - simple. Sign up here. |
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.
PLAY.COM NOW OFFER MP3S FROM ALL LABELS
Play.com has followed rivals 7Digital to become the second UK download store offering DRM-free music from all four major record companies as well as the independents.
As previously reported, while Amazon in the US got to capitalise quite quickly on Universal, Sony and Warner's late-in-the-day revelation that their use of digital rights management was a form of corporate self harming, launching their all-labels-included MP3 download store early in the year, here in the UK it took longer for those three record companies to get their DRM-free music to market.
7Digital confirmed they were now selling MP3s from all four major record companies last month, and Play.com followed yesterday. Their MP3 offer is especially interesting because they are selling tracks at 70 pence a time, and Top 100 tracks at just 65 pence, both undercutting market leader iTunes. Given that MP3s are compatible with the iPod, of course, that means it is now cheaper to fill your Apple music device via Play.com rather than using the IT firm's own download store.
Arguably Apple's offer is already weaker without the price difference because they are not currently offering DRM-free tracks from all record companies, and even where they are the DRM-free music is supplied as less compatible AAC files rather than MP3.
Confirming the expansion of their MP3 offer, Wendy Snowdown, Head of PlayDigital, told reporters: "It was only a matter of time before the other three major labels came on board and we now have an offer to rival that of iTunes, yet in a format that gives the consumer choice and at a more appealing price. Artists including Kaiser Chiefs, Keane, Snow Patrol and Razorlight are all now available through PlayDigital and our pricing strategy ensures that we can start to steal even more market share".
Many insiders have suspected that as more and more a la carte download services go the MP3 route, so that compatibility ceases to be an issue, that digital music firms will begin a price war in order to gain competitive advantage. Given the small margins the retailers make from downloads already, it will be interesting to see if they try to force the wholesale price they pay the labels down in order to do this. The labels aren't going to be too happy with that.
--------------------------------------------------
LIL KIM SUED BY LABEL
A US record label called Brookland Media has sued Lil Kim as part of an ongoing contract dispute between the company and the rapper. Kim seemingly entered into a deal with Brookland earlier this year as regards the recording and release of a new album.
The label claim that they reached an agreement with the star and have already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the new album, but that Kim is now trying to renegotiate their contract and refusing to record anything else in the meantime. They want the court to state that the existing contract stands and that Kim has to fulfil the recording commitments made in it.
Kim's lawyer admitted to reporters yesterday that there was a contract dispute between his client and the plaintiffs, but argued that Brookland had only filed a lawsuit to "to leverage their own position" in the ongoing contract negotiations.
If it does go to court, let's hope Kim remembers what perjury is this time.
--------------------------------------------------
LOHAN ASKS FOR DEPOSITION TO BE KEPT SECRET
Lindsay Lohan, who is set to testify in a court case brought by her girlfriend Samantha Ronson, has filed a motion requesting a judge's order banning the filming of her deposition.
She has also said that she doesn't want transcripts or other accounts made public, as the singer and actress fears that this would "unduly embarrass, oppress and burden her because of the private subject matter of the expected testimony and the virtual certainty that, unless access is significantly limited, the transcript and videotape of the deposition will be illegally exploited by the media". Her lawyers have cited as precedent an order which barred videotaped depositions in the Spears-Federline custody case. Such depositions are not public records, but Lohan fears that someone in the media would try to steal a tape if she were videoed giving her testimony.
All this relates to Ronson's litigation against her former lawyers, whom she claims inadequately represented her when she filed suits against a number of bloggers, including the ubiquitous Perez Hilton, after they claimed that she had planted drugs in Lohan's car. Attorneys representing the aforementioned Perez, aka Mario Lavandeira, brought a motion to dismiss that lawsuit, a motion granted by a judge who ordered Ronson to pay Lavandeira's legal fees; Ronson maintains this was because her lawyers didn't fight the case properly.
--------------------------------------------------
YES MAN HOWE TELLS FANS NOT TO FEEL SORRY FOR ANDERSON
Steve Howe from Yes has said that fans shouldn't feel bad for singer Jon Anderson, who claims to have been ousted from the band, and that they also shouldn't give replacement singer Benoit David a hard time during the group's 40th anniversary tour. Criticising audiences who heckle, he said "They're basically disruptive people who pay their money and then go spoil it for everybody, it's almost like musical terrorism".
As previously reported, the band's world tour plans were stalled back in June after Anderson was taken ill with acute respiratory failure and was told that he couldn't work for at least six months, meaning that twenty-five dates had to be cancelled. About a month ago, however, the band announced that they'd taken on the aforementioned David, a singer with a Yes tribute band, and would be recommencing the tour. Anderson's reaction was to post on his website that he hadn't even spoken to his bandmates about being replaced and that he felt "disappointed and disrespected".
Howe doesn't agree with Anderson's version of events, of course. Insisting that he hopes the singer will re-join the band for European dates in 2009, he said: "Jon put an announcement out and said, 'Oh, it's not really Yes, they've not been kind to me', and that's nonsense. We've been kind to him, we've been considerate, we've not let him down, but he started up a movement to boycott the tour. But it's not working, we're getting great ticket sales, people want to come and see us".
--------------------------------------------------
MAXWELL DAVIES ON DUMBING DOWN
Peter Maxwell Davies, the Queen's composer no less, has spoken out against 'dumbing down' and the commercialisation of culture, blaming bankers and politicians for it all. He made the comments when addressing the British Academy organised 'Composers: Who Needs Them?' conference, which took place this week.
Davies cited the example of Damien Hirst's dead cow piece going for £10.3m at Sotheby's last month as representative of where the arts are going. "I think we can all learn from a recent auction of art as an instantly recognisable iconic commodity, where it has become part of the entertainment industry, crossed with investment banking," he said. "The artist had wit to sell a golden calf and other bejewelled trinkets, but all creative artists, in whatever branch of the arts they work, must ponder the implications of so much money scrambling after manufactured artefacts without content - with just a brand tag supposed to guarantee market value".
He continued: "Over the last decades, since Thatcher, every commodity, including culture, not only has to be approachable, but, above all, have a measurable market, or commercial value, and must be demonstrably accessible to the largest spread of public. My main concern is how this is changing the face of our musical culture. As creative musicians, we can help make people of aware of such things that threaten our future. In all styles and types of music, we must bring awareness of that upon which the politicians turn their backs, while they engage in circumscribed, schoolboy mini-debates".
--------------------------------------------------
BARKER EATS MEAT TO AID RECOVERY
According to reports, Travis Barker is eating meat after 25 years of vegetarianism to help him recover from his plane crash injuries, following advice from someone or other. He's quoted as saying: "I need protein from food rather than just protein supplements. I changed my diet. I would do anything I possibly could if they said like, 'There's a possibility you might heal faster if you do eat meat or just change your eating habits'".
Which is complete crap, if you ask me. I can't honestly see how you would heal better from eating meat, and as CMU's resident nutrition expert I know a lot about this kind of thing. If he needs more protein he should just eat loads of eggs, because they're really good for you, and full of protein and essential fats. But whatever. Let's not blame poor old Barker, I just think he's been given silly advice.
Anyway, here's some more of what he told Us Weekly magazine: "I'm so anxious to get out of here. I've just been in surgery after surgery. I have third degree burns basically from my feet up to my waist and both hands. One of my hands was second degree burns and one was third degree burns. I'm trying to have a quick recovery and play the drums again and be able to hold my kids again. I'm going nuts not being able to see them and spend time with them!"
--------------------------------------------------
SINGLE REVIEW: The Cool Kids - Mikey Rocks (Beggars/XL Recordings)
I can see why this song is meant to be cool. It is by The Cool Kids after all. I think it was that fact, and that name, that meant I was in a constant battle with myself to not like this song from the off. I lost.
Despite being hailed by Zane Lowe and most of Radio 1, I have to say I just don't see it. The song, 'Mikey Rocks', is the new single off of debut album 'The Bake Sale' and is about one half of the duo, Antoine Reed. It doesn't go anywhere, seems to be missing an interesting middle and just doesn't build towards anything. As it is, there's a half decent bassline surrounded by either one of the twosome talking about much they 'rock'. Over. And. Over. He's Mikey. He rocks. No he doesn't. GM
Release Date: 20 Oct
Press Contact: XL IH [all]
Buy from iTunes
Buy from Amazon
--------------------------------------------------
CHINESE DEMOCRACY GETS RELEASE DATE
Guns N' Roses' perpetually in production album 'Chinese Democracy' is set for release via Best Buy stores in the US on 23 Nov, and that's been confirmed by Billboard. Place your bets now.
--------------------------------------------------
GREEN DAY WORKING WITH BUTCH VIG
Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson has inadvertently confirmed rumours that bandmate Butch Vig is working with Green Day on the follow-up to their 'American Idiot' album. Vig has, of course, worked on some pretty big albums before, most notably Nirvana's 'Nevermind'.
In an interview with MTV to promote TV show 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles', in which she has a regular role, Manson was asked if Garbage would ever return from the "indefinite hiatus" they started in 2005. She answered: "I don't know, to be honest. We're sort of doing our different things. I'm doing the TV show, Butch is producing Green Day, so he's busy, so we'll see".
--------------------------------------------------
TING TINGS PLAN NEXT ALBUM
The Ting Tings will start work on their second album in January, the duo have revealed. They also said that they're hoping to do a speedy job of it and concentrate on writing a few annoying hooks, rather than any proper songs, like on the first album. Perhaps, I'm reading between the lines.
Jules De Martino told Teletext's Planet Sound: "The last record took three or four months to write, and we're looking at a similar time for the next one".
Katie White added: "I tried learning bass to help on the new songs. I'm good on rhythm guitar, but I quickly worked out bass is not my instrument. That won't affect the new songs too much".
--------------------------------------------------
OASIS ANNOUNCE MANCHESTER 'SUPER-GIG'
There was much derision from the residents of Manchester when Oasis announced a UK tour with no hometown dates on it. But never fear, they're not missing Manchester out, they're just preparing a special gig for next summer.
Details are sparse, though. Noel Gallagher told BBC News: "We've got a super-gig planned next summer. Don't ask me any more questions because I can't tell you what it is". However, he did add that the venue was an unusual one, saying: "If I gave you 500 guesses you'd never guess where it would be".
--------------------------------------------------
WEILAND ON SOLO ALBUM
Scott Weiland has said that he thinks his upcoming solo album may not appeal to fans of his band. And by that he means the Stone Temple Pilots, not that other band he used to front. Weiland says of the new solo LP: "It may turn off some STP fans. That's just the way it is. At my age, I just do what I wanna do. There's art and there's commerce, and I've already accomplished the commerce part of my career".
The two disc record, entitled 'Happy In Galoshes', has taken ten years to complete, and is apparently all about his volatile relationship with his wife Mary.
--------------------------------------------------
KEANE ANNOUNCE FREE SHOWS
Keane have announced three free shows in small venues next week, tickets for which will be given away through the band's official website at www.keanemusic.com. Get in quick, though. You only have until 4pm to be in with a chance of getting a ticket.
Frontman Tom Chaplin said: "We decided last night that we want to get out there next week and play our new songs to our fans in an intimate environment. We love playing live, we love the intensity of the atmosphere in those clubs, you just can't capture that in an Arena or Festival. We want to do it like we used to! It is going to be amazing fun".
Tour dates:
13 Oct: Edinburgh, Voodoo Rooms
14 Oct: Leeds, Cockpit 2
15 Oct: London, 100 Club
--------------------------------------------------
ALBUM REVIEW: Various Artists - Jon Savage Presents... Dreams Come True: Classic 1st Wave Electro 1982-87 (Domino)
Jon Savage is the acclaimed author of 'England's Dreaming', his history of the Sex Pistols and punk music. He's also been the curator of many a compilation; the most recent was 'Queer Noises - From The Closet To The Charts', an anthology of gay themed pop music from both before and after the legislation that decriminalised homosexuality in the 1960s. Now Savage turns his attention to electronic music from the early to mid 1980s. What's interesting is how diverse and fresh his track listing is. Most similar compilations are frustrating in their preference for choosing the most obvious and popular artists and tracks of the day; the likes of Depeche Mode, Soft Cell etc. From a cursory glance at this track listing, the only artist you're likely to know is Yazoo, and even then the track used is 'Situation', which was a B-side. The remaining tracks are all unfamiliar to most and this is the album's strength. Highlights include 'When I Hear Music' by Debbie Deb, which sounds like something from another planet, with vocodered vocals and space age, futuristic synths. 'Dirty Talk' is a hypnotic instrumental piece that sounds like something any of the current minimalist crowd from Germany might come up with today. The entire record evokes a period when electronic music was still in its infancy but had the scope to be inventive and dynamic, and there's plenty of new material here to be discovered and enjoyed. KW
Release date: 20 October
Press contact: Domino IH [all]
--------------------------------------------------
MU GET GLOBAL SUPPORT FOR ANTI-MUSIC-TORTURE STAND
A follow up on that previous report earlier in the year that the UK's Musicians Union was lobbying its counterparts around the world to formally condemn the use of music in torture - ie playing music at loud volumes to 'break' political prisoners psychologically. The MU put a motion to the International Federation Of Musicians Congress in Johannesburg last weekend, and it was promptly passed.
John Smith, General Secretary of the Musicians' Union, told CMU: "I am delighted that FIM has passed this extremely important motion. Too many people remain unaware of music torture and of the very real damage that it causes to its victims. Prisoners who have experienced both physical torture and torture using music have testified to the fact that the music torture was the most unbearable of the two. It is high time that the use of music in interrogations was recognised for what it is: a horrific form of psychological torture".
The MU's actual motion read thus: "Congress call upon the FIM Executive Committee to make known its wholehearted opposition to these reported practices, which it considers to be, at the very least inhumane and a potential infringement of musicians' moral rights".
--------------------------------------------------
FLOM GOES TO UNIVERSAL
Former Warner and EMI label chief Jason Flom, who is widely regarded as one of the US's best A&R men, and was one of the higher profile casualties of the EMI restructure led by Terra Firma, is reportedly about to get his own imprint within Universal Republic, the Monte Lipman headed division of Universal Music. Don't go saying we didn't tell you.
--------------------------------------------------
GERMAN MINISTER CALLS FOR MORE CONTENT OWNER/ISP COOPERATION
Over to the Popkomm conference in Berlin, and words of support from the German government for greater cooperation between content owners and internet service providers regarding the policing of copyright infringement online.
While Germany hasn't, as far as I know, gone as far as the UK and France in proposing legislation to force the ISPs to be more cooperative, German Culture Minister Bernd Neumann said his government were keen to ensure that measures introduced at a European level to protect the freedoms and privacy of internet users didn't hinder national efforts to fight piracy. He was possibly responding to reports that said European rules could scupper France's proposals to introduce a three strikes system whereby people who continue to access illegal sources of content despite two warnings get cut off.
Neumann told Popkomm: "I have taken efforts to have this issue placed on the agenda of the EU Council of Ministers".
He was also critical of his own country's courts, who have suggested infringement lawsuits only be considered where there is substantial amounts of illegal files accessed or shared, because they say there are currently too many suits going through the courts. That's probably because the German music industry has adopted an approach similar to the Recording Industry Association Of America of launching numerous and regular lawsuits against suspected filesharers.
--------------------------------------------------
IODA LAUNCH NORDIC BIT
Also at Popkomm, and following those announcements earlier in the week that they had taken on the distribution of a number of new European labels, independent digital distributor IODA has announced it is launching a new division to cover Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland to be called IODA Nordic. The new company will be run through a partnership with Bonnier Amigo Music Group.
--------------------------------------------------
WALMART BACKTRACKS ON DRM TURN OFF
US retailer WalMart has backtracked and said it will continue to operate its DRM servers. The US supermarket giant recently said it would no longer support music files that were bought from its download store before it went DRM-free earlier this year. That would mean tracks bought from WalMart as Windows Media files with digital rights management embedded would stop working. Owners of those tracks would have to rip them to CD to ensure they still had copies. But a message from the supermarket yesterday read: "Based on feedback from our customers, we have decided to maintain our digital rights management (DRM) servers for the present time". As previously reported, owners of DRMed music bought from the original MSN download service in the US were less lucky when Microsoft decided to stop supporting its own DRM.
--------------------------------------------------
BEATLES AND STONES WERE CAPITALIST OPPORTUNISTS
A new study by historian David Fowler says that far from being the voice of sixties youth, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were capitalist exploiters of youth culture and, in fact, "did about as much to represent the interests of the nation's young people as the Spice Girls did in the 1990s". He argues that the mods movement, and folk-dancing rural revivalist Rolf Gardiner, had more impact on youth culture in 60s and 70s.
Fowler says of the Beatles and Stones: "They were young capitalists who, far from developing a youth culture, were exploiting youth culture by promoting fan worship, mindless screaming and nothing more than a passive teenage consumer".
--------------------------------------------------
GIRLS ALOUD COMING TO AN END
Girls Aloud's Sarah Harding has said that she thinks the group only have "one or two" albums left in them. That would still bring them up to a total of seven, though. A number I'm sure none of us thought they'd get to when they won Pop Stars: The Rivals back in 2002.
Harding told MTV: "There are still one or two more albums in us. We've signed a new contract and it's all looking rosy. I like the 60s vibe and the retro thing is coming back. We wanted to stay upbeat but try something a bit different and advanced. I don't think anything we've ever done has ever sounded the same. But we have that same vibe whatever we do because of our vocals".
--------------------------------------------------
KAISER CHIEFS CALL FOR END TO OASIS FEUD
Chief Kaiser Ricky Wilson has called for an end to the ongoing feud between his band and Oasis, which was sparked when Noel Gallagher said in an interview that the Kaiser Chiefs sound like The Monkees.
Wilson said: "It was quite exciting at first but now I just can't be bothered talking about it anymore. This is the band I grew up with and they're one of the biggest bands in the world and one of my favourites. I read things that I supposedly said and it doesn't even sound like my voice. It just frustrates me. I can't go into an interview now without talking about it".
If you want to stop receiving this e-bulletin click the 'unsubscribe' button below and follow the instructions. If any of your colleagues want to receive the CMU Daily tell them to email their name, company, job title and email to [email protected].
If you would like to recieve the CMU Daily as a text email, send a blank email from the email address you are registered at to [email protected].
MEDIA PEOPLE>> If you want to run stories from the CMU Daily in your media, please credit it to UnLimited/CMU with a link to www.cmumusicnetwork.co.uk - thanks! If you are looking for an independent quote on anything to do with the music business, or you need someone to come on your TV or radio show and talk music business, then we can help. There's nothing we don't know about. Email requests to [email protected] or call 020 7099 9050.
CMU is published by and (c) UnLimited Media - www.unlimitedmedia.co.uk
Send news stories to [email protected]. If we don't respond directly, we do apologise, only we get sent hundreds of emails a day and don't have time to respond to every one of them. However we do check every email sent to the musicnews email address, and do pull out stories that we feel are relevant to our readers.
Send CDs for review to CMU, UnLimited Media, 221-222 Shoreditch High Street, London, E1 6PJ.