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TODAY'S NEWS

Lala.com launches new fangled storage streaming service thing

Student categories added to the Record Of The Day Awards
Some In Rainbows stats from Radiohead
Long Blonde Jackson on split and solo plans
Lil Wayne's assistant saw a gun, but not on Wayne
Chinese Democracy leaker pleads not guilty
Burns' botched bouche brings big bonus
Astoria demolition draws closer
Pete Townshend on religion documentary song inclusion
Single review: The Herbaliser - Can't Help This Feeling (!K7)
Katherine Jenkins signs multi-stream deal with Warner
Eminem not ready to tour
LCD man has new band
Jurassic 5 reissue
Weezer man to release second demo compilation
Noise Control in London tonight
Metallica announce UK tour dates
Jonah Matranga hits the UK
Album review: Chase & Status - More Than A Lot (Ram Records)
Universal launch Geffen UK
EMI appoint new CFO for North America
Imeem launch mobile service for Android phone
ASTA welcomes closure of dodgy ticketing outfit
James Blunt edits Metro
Peel to get train named after him
Scottish presenter won't play AC/DC
Furtado marries in secret
Bee Gees keep people Stayin' Alive
ON THE NETWORK...
CMU Daily Archives
Same Six Questions
CMU Directory
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TUESDAY 21ST OCTOBER

PETER BJORN & JOHN
Swedes Peter Bjorn & John formed their band in 1999 and are perhaps most noted for their breezy folk single 'Young Folks', which was released in 2006, and featured vocals from ex-Concretes singer Victoria Bergsman. With no great expectations for their careers at the start - they just wanted to make music for their own enjoyment - they are now a worldwide sensation, with 'Young Folks' nominated as the second best track of the year by the NME (beaten by Hot Chip's 'Over & Over') and placed 16th in Australia's annual Triple J Hottest 100 for 2006. Their eponymous debut album was released in 2002, followed in 2005 by 'Falling Out', but it wasn't until 2006 album 'Writer's Block', released on Wichita, that they had their real breakthrough. This indie-folk hit was hailed as a masterpiece and their eagerly awaited follow up 'Seaside Rocks' is available now. Here are John's slightly surreal answers to our Same Six Questions.


 

Q1 How did you start out making music?
John: First we started out making music in our separate houses in different small villages in the north of Sweden.
John's Mother: Yes.
John: Then we all met in what we thought was the most cool city in the world: Stockholm.
A friend of Peter's: It is the coolest city in the world! Much cooler than Amsterdam.
John: After the three of us met we started making music together and first it felt great, then strange and then great.

Q2 What inspired your latest album?
John: Our latest album was inspired by Janne Hansson, the owner and sound tech of the great Atlantis Studios in Stockholm.
John's brother: Yes, he seems to be a great person with a lot of knowledge about mic-ing and creating fucked up sounds.

Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
John: Well, first we set up the gear, then Peter tries to tune the guitar and then we start rehearsing, we arrange all the tracks together and we try to find the best possible form, style, tempo, key, instrumentation, lyrics and singer. Then we usually record the drums and bass and a melody (with or without lyrics) and after that we go crazy with strange acoustic overdubs and then we take away most of them.
Janne Hansson: Really?

Q4 Which artists influence your work?
John: Eddie Van Halen, Steven Spielberg, Joe Meek, Ojvind Fahlstrom, Green Arrows Band, Larry David and The Polynesians.
John's Mother: Bob Marley and my sons.
A friend of Bjorn's: The city of Stockholm and the newspapers in Stockholm and garlic.

Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
John: Good Luck.

Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest album, and for the future?
John: To make people surprised, happy and amazed.
Eddie Van Halen: Good answer!

MORE>> www.peterbjornandjohn.com and www.myspace.com/peterbjornandjohn

 

BEAR HANDS
More Brooklynites in the SNAP column today, reiterating its present position as the hometown du jour for indie talent with the addition of Bear Hands, who we're admittedly featuring somewhat behind the times after recent press in a certain weekly rag. A heavily percussive, rhythm-based outfit, the four piece are in the UK supporting The Hollaways from 25 Oct, playing songs from their 'Golden EP', including the title track, which is led by a tantalising, hip-swinging guitar lick that Mark Knopfler would be proud of. And while you're at their MySpace, be sure to also check out the cymbal hissing 'Long Lean Queen', an equally promising offering.

www.myspace.com/bearhandsband

 
 

 



Don't forget you can now check out CMU favourites old and new on CMU-Tube, our online music video service powered by MUZU.

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.

 

 

LALA.COM LAUNCHES NEW FANGLED STORAGE STREAMING SERVICE THING
Getting my head around US-digital music service Lala.com has always given me a headache, because since their launch last year they've dabbled with various rights and revenue models that are different to those of their competitors.

Some of those models have become redundant - such as the sort of clever way to overcome the old DRM dilemma, by delivering iPod compatible AAC files that were in theory DRM free but which were delivered directly to the iPod reducing the chances of them being illegally copied. And some of their models have been adopted by others - such as the fully-licensed on-demand music streaming jukebox funded in the main by an up-sell button that hopes to persuade those who access the free music to then pay for actual downloads.

Lala's latest innovation basically sees it move into the digital storage domain previously occupied by MP3.com founder Michael Robertson, providing a service where people can upload their existing digital music collections to a Lala server meaning they can then listen to that collection wherever they go via the web. The service will enable users to upload both DRM-free music as well as files with Windows or Apple DRM embedded. Unlike Robertson's similar service, Lala, which is partly owned by Warner Music, seemingly has all the licensing sorted with all the majors and some indies on board.

From what I can see the revenue model works like this - users have to pay 10 cents for each track they put into their Lala player (they can listen to each track once for free I think, but realistically they need to pay the albeit nominal fee to properly use the service). They can subsequently add new tracks directly from Lala.com for 89 cents, a purchase which would also let them download the MP3. Or at least I think that's how it works.

The labels seem to like it, possibly because it forces us all to pay another ten cents to listen to tracks we've already paid for. Though new tracks will be available for ten cents cheaper than the iTunes standard rate, and I'm not sure the service will be able to do anything about those MP3s in your record collection that were obtained from not-quite-legit sources.

Giving his support to the new venture, Warner's Exec VP Of Digital Music Strategy told reporters: "It is a significant new model, and even more significant as a consumer proposition. What I think is really interesting is the idea of virtual ownership - creating a value proposition that's between the sampling of a stream and the purchase of a download".

Lala founder Bill Nguyen adds: "If the goal is to get consumers to buy more music, then the existing model of how it's priced and sold doesn't work. Look at subscription music. They pay for every single song that's streamed, but they get a fixed revenue from the customer. So if you're a big music listener, you actually may cost the service more money that it makes. Instead of a streaming access product, think of it as if it were a real product. It's just virtual. It doesn't have the bits, but behaves in the same functional way".

So there you go, I think I got all that right. Now I need to go and take a paracetamol.

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STUDENT CATEGORIES ADDED TO THE RECORD OF THE DAY AWARDS
Every year music industry daily digest Record Of The Day celebrates the best in music journalism and PR at its annual awards event - with the music industry and journalists voting on the media people they most admire.

During its five year history the Music Journalism And PR Awards have consistently championed the best in music journalism talent of the present and the past. But this year RotD is also teaming up with us here at CMU and collecting society PPL to champion the best music journalists of the future by launching two new awards for student media people.

To this end, we are currently inviting student writers and photographers from across the UK to enter themselves for these brand new ROTD Award categories - Best Student Music Journalist and Best Student Music Photographer.

Their work will be judged by an impressive bunch, NME features editor James McMahon, Observer Music Monthly editor Caspar Llewellyn Smith, Clash magazine editor Simon Harper, and music journalists Jude Rogers and Caroline Sullivan, with the overall winners receiving an award at the bash in London on 27 November, as well as the opportunity of work experience at both the Observer Music Monthly and Clash magazine, and a commission from NME.com.

PPL will specifically support the new Best Student Music Journalist prize. Confirming the society's support for the new award, Jonathan Morrish, Director of PR & Corporate Communications at PPL says: "Music writing is a critically important part of introducing music and musicians to new audiences. PPL is delighted to sponsor this new award and applauds RotD in encouraging the next generation of journalists".

CMU will help coordinate both student awards. CMU Co-Editor Chris Cooke says this: "Ever since we began, we've always looked to support and showcase creative people in the student community, because that's so often where the talent that will feed the music, music industry and music media of the future can be found. So we're really excited about being able to champion the best student media talent alongside the established mainstream music media industry at this year's Music Journalism and PR Awards".

So, how to enter... it's simple, it really is.

If you are a student journalist who writes about music, all you have to do is write a 150-200 word review of the track 'Steel' by new Dublin-based band Noise Control, which you can check out at this URL - www.muzu.tv/noisecontrol/Steel/32047 (though review the song not the video), and submit it along with two other music reviews or features that have been published in your student newspaper at some point in 2008; plus tell us your name, your university and the student newspaper you write for. You can email your entries to [email protected], or mail cuttings to RotD Awards, CMU, Unicorn House, 221-222 Shoreditch High Street, London, E1 6PJ.

If you are a student photographer it's even easier. Simply email three photos of artists or bands you have taken this year to [email protected]. The pictures can be band portraits, live or studio shots. You should tell us what bands feature in the pictures and where they were taken, plus your name, your university and the student newspaper you work for. Photos should be saved as JPEGs and be no more than 300k each.

And that's it. It goes without saying that all work must be your own. So, spread the word. All entries must be received by 3 Nov.

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SOME IN RAINBOWS STATS FROM RADIOHEAD
Radiohead have released more details about the sales of last album 'In Rainbows', and while they are still rather vague in parts, most media seem to think the stats, revealed at Icelandic music business conference You Are In Control, prove the whole venture was a jolly big success, and who am I to say otherwise?

The sales figures for 'In Rainbows' are interesting, of course, because it was the album Radiohead made available for download months before its physical release on a 'pay what you want' basis. With the band having not long left their previous label EMI, somewhat acrimoniously, the promotion led to much 'is this the future of the music industry?' and 'surely now the record companies are doomed?' style commentary.

Certainly the pay what you want promo was a genius bit of 'right place, right time, right band' marketing - securing Thom Yorke et al buckets of mainstream press coverage, all of which helped hype the accompanying box set release, the subsequent CD release and even the conventional digital release via iTunes.

And while some casual Radiohead fans probably chose to pay nothing for the new long player - which they might otherwise have bought - others may have been prompted to buy the CD release because of the hype surrounding the original digital giveaway. Plus, without the overheads of a major record company and with the hype surrounding the giveaway reducing marketing costs, the band and their business partners were always going to go into profit on this release a lot quicker. And, of course, all the hype helped promote the band's then upcoming tour.

So job done, but there has still been much speculation as to how well the download promotion actually did, what the average fan chose to pay for the album, and what impact the giveaway had on the subsequent physical release. Unlike Trent Reznor, who has been brutally honest about the pay what you want releases he's been involved in, Radiohead have been very quiet on how the 'In Rainbows' promotion really went.

We still don't know what the average fan chose to pay for the free download, but the band's publicist has said 'In Rainbows' was definitely a success for the band in terms of both reach and income, revealing that 3 million units of the album have been sold to date, including downloads, that 100,000 deluxe box sets were sold, and that 30,000 copies of the album were even sold by iTunes. He added that the band had made more money from 'In Rainbows' than from 2003's EMI released 'Hail To The Thief' before it had even been released on CD. Of course that might tell us more about how little 'Hail To The Thief' earned the band rather than how much 'In Rainbows' brought in, but it's an interesting statistic nevertheless.

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LONG BLONDE JACKSON ON SPLIT AND SOLO PLANS
Kate Jackson has spoken to 6Music about the Long Blondes split, and her plans for a solo career. As reported yesterday, the band have parted ways because guitarist Dorian Cox had a stroke back in June, is still recovering, and is not sure when he'll be able to play the guitar again.

Speaking of Cox's affliction, Jackson explained: "It was actually two days after we got back from our American tour and we have no idea what caused that. Obviously, it was a complete shock for all of us, something that we've had a bit of time now to come to terms with. It does mean that he's unable to play the guitar at the moment and we don't really know when he'll be able to do that again. Unfortunately we've had to take the decision to split up".

She did say that Cox's condition is improving with daily physiotherapy, however. "When it first happened he couldn't move his leg or his arm at all and we weren't sure how his speech, memory, or intelligence were going to be affected", she said. "Thankfully those things are completely unaffected. He's still the same Dorian, just lovely and hilariously funny. We haven't lost him at all, it's just the arm now that they're working on".

Jackson says they're not ruling out the idea of a reunion once Cox recovers fully, but for now they'll be working on individual projects, saying of her own solo plans: "It's the first time I've talked about it but that's my plan. I'm just beginning but I think it will reflect my personal music taste a bit more than the Long Blondes, which was a collaborative thing. I've only just started and a lot of the influences will overlap so hopefully fans of the Long Blondes will like what I do".

As previously reported, Jackson will also DJ at Twisted Licks at The Last Days Of Decadence in London in 7 Nov.

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LIL WAYNE'S ASSISTANT SAW A GUN, BUT NOT ON WAYNE
Lil Wayne's assistant has testified in that previously reported criminal case against the rapper relating to a police search of his tour bus back in July 2007. As previously reported, a police officer claims that when she boarded Wayne's bus having smelled marijuana, she discovered the hip hopper trying to hide a gun. Wayne's lawyer is trying to have the gun charges against the rapper dismissed, mainly by arguing that there was no marijuana smell and that the police therefore boarded the bus on false pretences.

Anyway, Wayne's assistant Terry Bourgeois was this week asked under oath whether he had seen dope smoking or guns on the rapper's tour bus. He responded by saying he had, on occasion, seen a handgun and people smoking marijuana on the bus. However, he added that he's never actually seen his boss with a gun, and that he didn't know whether there had been a gun on the bus on the day it was police searched.

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CHINESE DEMOCRACY LEAKER PLEADS NOT GUILTY
The man facing criminal copyright infringement charges for posting tracks from long awaited Guns N Roses album 'Chinese Democracy' online was in an LA court yesterday where he pleaded not guilty guvnor.

Despite reportedly previously admitting that he uploaded the tracks to his blog, he claims he is not guilty of the specific charges currently being made against him. If he is found guilty he could face 3-5 years in prison, depending on whether the courts feel he made any commercial gain out of the infringement.

As previously reported, after the tracks leaked online a statement from Guns N Roses said that while they didn't support Coghill's actions they were more interested in knowing how the tracks got from the studio to the blogger in the first place.

A date for Coghill's trial is tbc, though, as previously reported, a date for the long long long awaited release of 'Chinese Democracy', in the US at least, has now been announced - 25 Nov.

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BURNS' BOTCHED BOUCHE BRINGS BIG BONUS
Dead Or Alive's Pete Burns will receive compensation from Harley Street surgeon Dr Maurizio Viel for botched lip surgery. As previously reported, Burns began legal proceedings in January after he underwent a 'lip lift' operation and was left with swelling and blisters.

Last week, Dr Viel admitted in the High Court to allegations that he injected a product called Outline Original into Burns' lips without proper warning of potential side-effects. He also failed to observe guidelines about its use in conjunction with other products and gave an excessive number of follow-up injections.

Burns' lawyer Auriana Griffiths said: "The barrister representing Dr Viel confirmed last week in court that the allegations of negligence set out in the original documents filed at court have been admitted. Further allegations have been added, with the permission of the court, relating to a lip lift procedure. At this stage, the investigation into the value of the case is ongoing and no figure has been agreed".

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ASTORIA DEMOLITION DRAWS CLOSER
London venue The Astoria moved one step closer to its much reported demolition when it was compulsorily purchase by the government on Friday. The building is one of several set to be knocked down to make way for a new rail route in the area. No date has yet been announced for its actual destruction.

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PETE TOWNSHEND ON RELIGION DOCUMENTARY SONG INCLUSION
Pete Townshend has commented on the fact that The Who track 'The Seeker' appears on the soundtrack to comedian Bill Maher's anti-religion documentary 'Religulous', after the New York Post reported that fans were surprised that the band had allowed it to be used, given Townshend's own beliefs.

In a statement to the paper, Townshend said: "Bill Maher is a comedian. I am a songwriter. I have faith in what I would call God, but I am not a religious man. I don't want to press my views on other people. Maher seems to have the wish to question and make fun of the sanity of we believers. I'm happy to say I'd prefer to be my kind of crazy than his kind of cynical, but... we live in a free society... Maher's film is not an important moment in the history of religion ... So when I first refused the use of my song (for a very modest fee by the way) and Maher badgered me, I decided to allow it. If you have problems with this film, talk to Bill Maher. If you really want to know where I am on my spiritual journey, listen to the song".

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SINGLE REVIEW: The Herbaliser - Can't Help This Feeling (!K7)
So, The Herbaliser can't help this feeling? Excellent. If this single is indicative of a new, funkier direction, then we can look forward to a whole fresh new sound from this London duo. True, Herbaliser always had more than a slight funk influence in their laid back hip-hop wizardry, but with this track you struggle to pick up on any hip-hop heritage at all. But is it any good? It's refreshing, that's for sure, but on repeated listens it does wear a bit thin. The obligatory resplendent horn section ends up seeming more Ronson than RZA, and the guest singer sounds like a trip to an alternate world where Winehouse just said no. If this is a tentative step in a new direction, then it leaves a memorable footprint, but to avoid being labelled as derivative soul stragglers they may need to build on it. ME
Release Date: 3 Nov
Press Contact: El Nino Diablo [all]

Buy from iTunes
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KATHERINE JENKINS SIGNS MULTI-STREAM DEAL WITH WARNER
Opera star Katherine Jenkins has left Universal Classics & Jazz and entered into a worldwide deal with Warner Music Entertainment, a deal which is sort of 360 degree if I'm not mistaken. Well, 237 degrees probably. As well as recordings, Warner will work with Jenkins and her management company Bandana Management on non-recording projects, including online activity, sponsorship and merchandise.

As part of the deal a new Katherine Jenkins Webstore will be launched offering fans a one-stop-shop for tickets, merchandise and exclusive content. The first album to be released under the new deal will be produced by David Foster, who has previously worked with the likes of Michael Buble, Josh Groban, Seal and Celine Dion.

Confirming the new deal, Warner Music Europe top man John Reid said this: "Warner Music continues to evolve our partnerships with our acts, offering them an expanding menu of services and developing new ways for them to reach a wide spectrum of audiences. WME's ability to create diverse entertainment experiences for all formats and platforms across a range of genres makes the label the perfect home for Katherine's multifaceted, highly flexible talent. By more closely aligning the interests of artist and label we can take an holistic approach to building on her massive success and broadening her relationship with her ever-expanding global fan-base".

Reports circulating yesterday that the deal was worth $10 million have been denied by Warner insiders, while the major has also denied confirming the relationship will run for at least five albums, as was reported in some places.

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EMINEM NOT READY TO TOUR
Eminem has said that he isn't up to touring yet, despite completing a new album. On the subject of live performance he told Zane Lowe: "I'm not saying I will or I won't but I'm not ready to tour at least at this moment right now".

The rap star, who, as previously reported, recently finished making the record with Dr Dre on production duties, added that he wanted this album to "remind people how I rap. I've accomplished enough with the music that I haven't had to go out there and do other things to over-saturate. That's probably what I take pride in most. But, at the end of the day, it's kind of catch 22. I love the attention but I don't like too much of it".

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LCD MAN HAS NEW BAND
LCD Soundsystem man James Murphy has told 6Music that he's got a new band with former Hockey Night members Scott Wells and Paul Sprangers, and drummer Pat Mahoney, but that they haven't given it a name yet. They have written some material, however - Murphy describes the sound as "classic rock" - and the new group hope to release some of it next year.

On the subject of the band's name, Murphy said: "They have a lot of names that we argue back and forth about. I think they try to come up with the worst names possible just to wind me up".

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JURASSIC 5 REISSUE
Jurassic 5's eponymous 1997 debut album is to be reissued and released with all the extra features you might expect. In addition to the original album, the deluxe package will feature a bonus disc of fifteen rare tracks and a DVD featuring Jason Goldwatch's documentary 'The Jurassic Period' and footage of a live performance at Brixton Academy. It'll be out on 11 Nov.

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WEEZER MAN TO RELEASE SECOND DEMO COMPILATION
Weezer's Rivers Cuomo is set to release a second compilation of demos, entitled 'Alone 2: The Home Recordings Of Rivers Cuomo', on 24 Nov. As with the previous volume, 'Alone: The Home Recordings Of Rivers Cuomo', it will feature early versions of Weezer songs and unreleased stuff that was otherwise side-lined or used for other projects. And, as with the previous volume, it's likely to be one for the fans only. That said, I am a fan and I struggled a bit.

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NOISE CONTROL IN LONDON TONIGHT
The rather fab Noise Control are in London tonight to launch their new double a-side single 'Cities Of Dreams' and 'Mudbath'. They are playing at the Gibson Guitar Rooms on Rathbone Street at 7pm. If you're an industry/press type and you want to go I'd email [email protected] right now. Meanwhile, we've celebrated by adding 'Cities Of Dreams' to the CMU Recommended section of the CMU-Tube - hurrah. Go see at www.muzu.tv/cmutube.

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METALLICA ANNOUNCE UK TOUR DATES
Metallica have announced their first full UK tour dates for 12 years. In fact, by the time it gets to February next year it'll be even longer than that. Support on all dates comes from Machine Head and The Sword. Tickets go on sale on Friday.

Tour dates:

25 Feb: Nottingham, Trent FM Arena
26 Feb: Manchester Evening News Arena
28 Feb: Sheffield Arena
2 Mar: London, O2 Arena
3 Mar: Newcastle, Metro Radio Arena
25 Mar: Birmingham, LG Arena
26 Mar: Glasgow, SECC

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JONAH MATRANGA HITS THE UK
Hooray! Jonah Matranga is in town this week. The former Far, Gratitude, New End Original and Onelinedrawing frontman will be scooting around the UK with Frank Turner and Chris T-T, which all sounds very good indeed. You should go.

Tour dates:

22 Oct: London, The 12 Bar
23 Oct: Newcastle, Trillian's
24 Oct: Leeds, The Cockpit
26 Oct: Windsor, The Old Ticket Hall
27 Oct: Yeovil, Orange Box
28 Oct: Newport, LePub
29 Oct: London, Scala

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ALBUM REVIEW: Chase & Status - More Than A Lot (Ram Records)
With their debut album London duo Saul Milton and Will Kennard, aka Chase & Status, have attempted to go for the cross over style made popular of late by Pendulum. And, in that respect, they are very successful. However, there are a few issues I'm struggling to overlook. The first track, 'Music Sweet Love', sees us in well and their hip hop track, 'Against All Odds' with Kano, works well, while 'Pieces' - which has been playlisted by Radio 1 - is alright, although it's the indie opening, rather than the angry dnb that's turned those heads. The rot sets in, though, with 'Music Club' and its annoying Fast Show 'Jazz Club' take off on a backdrop of what sounds decidedly like to Shy FX's 'Bambaata'. There are more echoes of other better tracks on 'Smash TV', which has a beat formula remarkably like 'The Ram Waltz' by Chase & Status' label boss Andy C. But what really goads me is 'Foundation', which encompasses a proper jump up/jungle-style b-line, complete with MC Five 0 chatting, and which properly acknowledges these guys' roots. Sounds good? Well, no, frankly it's a golden opportunity wasted - what looks like being the stand out track on the album turns out to be nothing more than a 60 second skit. It just shows that Chase & Status could steer much truer to their origins, rather than heading for the tamer mainstream. But with the masses come the pound notes. I've not seen them perform live yet, which is apparently where they really shine, but on this evidence I stand unconvinced. PV
Press Contact: Electric [all]
Release Date: 20 Oct

Buy from iTunes
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UNIVERSAL LAUNCH GEFFEN UK
Universal Music has announced it is launching a new UK division which will take the legendary Geffen Records name. The UK version of Geffen will be headed up by Colin Barlow, currently co-President of Universal's Polydor division, who will report directly to Universal Music UK Chairman David Joseph. Despite Universal having centralised all its UK labels into one building in recent years, the all new Geffen UK will have its own offices.

Geffen Records US, of course, was set up by David Geffen in 1980, being bought by Universal (then known as MCA) in 1990. Since the mid-nineties it has operated as a division within Universal's Interscope enterprise, though is still a widely recognised record label brand in the US market with its own roster and website. It's unclear if Geffen UK will work with any Geffen US artists, or if they will continue to be marketed over here through other Universal divisions.

Confirming the new division and Barlow's appointment, Universal Music International chief Lucian Grainge told reporters: "Colin and I have worked together in publishing and records for almost 20 years, and his greatest achievements speak for themselves. The legacy of Geffen and the future of Colin are exceptionally powerful and exciting".

In his statement, Barlow stressed his ambitions for the new Universal division to be multi-stream, or 360 degree if you like, looking to enter into deals with new artists that cover recordings and other areas. He told reporters: "With Geffen UK I want to create the hottest new company in the business, but it won't just be about records. David Geffen was one of the original music executives who looked at what we do as a whole - he built a company which encompassed all sides of the entertainment business - and what I'm looking to do is create, sign and develop artists with that same broad perspective. The legacy of Geffen in America was that it was an artist-led label and that is exactly what Geffen in the UK will become too".

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EMI APPOINT NEW CFO FOR NORTH AMERICA
More major label flim flam, and EMI have promoted their Senior VP Finance in the US to the job of CFO for EMI Music North America, a job which will see him report to the company's North America President Colin Finkelstein and get involved in the identification and fulfilment of the major's business objectives.

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IMEEM LAUNCH MOBILE SERVICE FOR ANDROID PHONE
Ad-supported streaming service come music based social network Imeem has announced plans to make a mobile version of its service available for the new G1 phone which is being released by T-Mobile in the US. The G1 is powered by Google's previously reported mobile technology Android which is open platform and allows companies and developers to create new apps for it. The Imeem app follows an announcement by Amazon that they would be launching a version of their digital music store that is compatible with G1.

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ASTA WELCOMES CLOSURE OF DODGY TICKETING OUTFIT
The Association Of Secondary Ticket Agents has welcomed action taken by the Metropolitan Police which led to the closure of an allegedly dodgy ticket resale company called www.paperticket.co.uk.

From what we can see the police took action by telling the company hosting the site to take it down. A message currently showing at that URL reads: "On 16 October, the Metropolitan Police Service's Computer Crime Unit requested the dehosting of the www.paperticket.co.uk website under the Proceeds of Crime Act. People who have bought tickets from this site are encouraged to call Consumer Direct for advice on 08454 04 05 06".

The boss of the ASTA said yesterday that his organisation had alerted the authorities to the rogue ticket seller after spotting them selling tickets to upcoming tours at unrealistically cheap prices. ASTA chair Graham Burns told reporters: "We have been concerned for weeks that Paperticket was selling tickets for forthcoming concerts by the likes of Barry Manilow, Kings of Leon and the Killers at unrealistically low prices and we made our concerns known to the authorities".

Depending on the scale of the paperticket.co.uk operation, and the number of fans who have been sold possibly dodgy tickets, this may increase calls from the live music sector for more government legislation to cover the re-sale of tickets to gigs by unofficial agents. That said, the ASTA says that its kitemark scheme and code of conduct already protects consumers, and Burns says government and the industry should endorse it to further consumer awareness of it.

Burns: "The Government's failure to endorse a kitemarking scheme means the consumer has no way of identifying legitimate traders leaving them open to exploitation. We would urge consumers only to buy tickets on the internet from accredited suppliers or legitimate ticket brokers who have signed up to the ASTA Code of Conduct".

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JAMES BLUNT EDITS METRO
James Blunt will guest edit an edition of Metro International, which is read in over 150 cities in 20 countries around the world. He will oversee the 17 Nov edition of the paper, which will follow the Warner Music release of the singer songwriter's new single 'Love, Love, Love' and precede the release of a deluxe version of his 2007 album 'All The Lost Souls'. Blunt, the paper's first guest editor, will be "commenting on news affecting readers around the world", and participating in a feature about humanitarian organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres.

However, before all you UK-based Blunt fans set your alarms early to make sure you get a copy of the Metro on that day - well, sorry, the UK's Metro newspaper, owned by Associated Newspapers, is not part of Metro International, the free paper available in loads of cities elsewhere in the world. So you'll have commute via Dublin or Lille to get a copy.

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PEEL TO GET TRAIN NAMED AFTER HIM
The late great John Peel is to have a train named after him by rail company Merseytravel. The train will be launched on Thursday after a short dedication ceremony featuring a performance by Ian Prowse, of the track 'Does This Train Stop on Merseyside?'

Peel's wife Sheila Ravenscroft said that tune was the DJ's second favourite track ever: "John just loved the song. He always became emotional when he played it. He wasn't capable of playing it without crying. If he played it on the radio he'd have to put something on straight afterwards because he wouldn't be able to speak. When he played it at home, he'd always need a cuddle afterwards. We are just really delighted that John is being honoured with this train. He would have loved it".

Councillor Mark Dowd, chair of Merseytravel said: "We are very proud of the man John was and of his connection with Merseyside. Naming this train in his honour is our tribute to a true broadcasting legend".

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SCOTTISH PRESENTER WON'T PLAY AC/DC
A presenter on GMG-owned Scottish radio station 96.3 Rock Radio is refusing to play all songs by AC/DC on his drive-time show until further notice, because the group didn't include Scotland in their world tour plans.

David "The Captain" Grant says: "I couldn't believe it when I saw Scotland was to be missed out of the group's touring dates. Fans are contacting the show in their hundreds and to disappoint loyal, lifelong supporters like this is just unacceptable. I will not be playing another AC/DC song on my show for a long time to come, or until the band change their mind on coming to Scotland as part of the tour".

Ciaran O'Toole, manager of the station, which serves Paisley and Renfrewshire, says: "I think what the Captain has done is absolutely right. We, as a Scottish Rock Radio station, need to support the fans".

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FURTADO MARRIES IN SECRET
I'm not entirely sure that Nelly Furtado necessarily got married in secret earlier this year. Just because no one reported on it, doesn't mean it was secret, does it? Did she have dinner last night in secret, too? Anyway, Nelly Furtado got married to her boyfriend, sound engineer Demacio Castellon, on 19 Jul this year in a totally hush-hush, off the radar secret wedding, which may or may not have been guarded by ninjas.

Furtado told Canadian TV's Entertainment Tonight: "I love it. I'm happy... I'm excited about the future. I just feel kind of free and relaxed and more in tune with trying not to be so stressed out".

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BEE GEES KEEP PEOPLE STAYIN' ALIVE
You see, the problem with performing CPR, is that a lot of people can't or aren't sure how to keep the correct rhythm required to keep a person's heart going. However, a study at the University Of Illinois College Of Medicine has discovered that The Bee Gees' 'Stayin' Alive' provides a useful guide, playing at 103 beats per minute, which is close to the rate of 100 chest compressions per minute required in CPR.

During the study, students performed CPR on dummies while listening to 'Stayin' Alive', timing their compressions with the beat of the song. After five weeks, they were asked to do it while just thinking of the song in their heads (presumably it wouldn't look good if they sang it out loud) and, on average, managed roughly the correct number of compressions.

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