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DEF JAM CHIEF COMMITS SUICIDE
Shakir Stewart, the Universal executive who took over the President job at Def Jam from Jay-Z earlier this year, has been found dead in Atlanta. It's believed he committed suicide, though specifics about the A&R man's death are as yet sketchy.
Stewart became President of the Def Jam label in June when Jay-Z left his executive role at the major. He took on the new job in addition to his existing Universal role as Senior A&R VP for the whole of the Island Def Jam Group. Prior to joining IDJ, Stewart worked for Hitco Music Publishing, and among other things was responsible for signing Beyonce Knowles to the publishing outfit.
Confirming Stewart's death, a statement from the Universal Music Group issued yesterday read: "LA Reid and all of us at Island Def Jam Music Group are deeply saddened by the passing of our dear friend and colleague Shakir Stewart. Shakir was an amazing man in every sense of the word. A truly incredible friend and father who was an inspiration to not only our artists and employees, but to his family and the many people that had the privilege of counting him as a friend. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family at this very difficult time".
A second statement issued on behalf of Shakir's fianc‚, Michelle Rivers, and the couple's families read: "We would like to thank Shakir's friends for the tremendous outpouring of love and support we have received during this difficult time. It has helped us to cope with our overwhelming grief and sadness. It is difficult to express or explain in words what led to the tragic occurance on Saturday. Over the past several weeks, Shakir's behavior was inconsistent with the man we all know and love. As much as we all tried to help him, Shakir was in deep pain and largely suffering in silence. Please remember Shakir for who he was... a wonderful father, partner, son and friend".
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COUPLE ADMIT SELLING DRUGS TO WINEHOUSE
Celebrity drug dealers Johnny Blagrove and his girlfriend Cara Burton admitted to supplying drugs to various famous people, including Amy Winehouse, at London's fashionable Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday.
As previously reported, the couple's home was raided by police earlier this year after they attempted to sell a secretly filmed video of Winehouse smoking a crack pipe to The Sun. Winehouse herself was also arrested over the video but later released without charge.
Blagrove pleaded guilty to two counts of offering to supply Class A drugs and one of offering to supply Class B drugs. Burton pleaded guilty to two counts of offering to supply Class B drugs. They both denied charges of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, which were subsequently dropped by the prosecution.
Judge Tudor Owen adjourned the case until 28 Nov, telling the couple that they were "at risk of a custodial sentence".
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MOVIE PRODUCER CONFIDENT AS SOUL LEGEND SUES OVER SOUL MEN FILM
Movie producer Harvey Weinstein has said he is confident he can fight off a legal challenge made by Grammy award winning soul star Sam Moore in relation to his film 'Soul Men'.
Moore claims that the new movie, due for release later this week, has been based on his career, in particular his partnership with Dave Prater, with whom he performed as Sam & Dave for twenty years. The film, which stars Samuel L Jackson and the late Bernie Mac as an estranged R&B duo trying to stage a comeback, is named after a 1967 Sam & Dave album, which included the first recording of the song 'Soul Man'.
Moore is reportedly speaking to his legal people regarding suing the companies involved in the film, including Weinstein, claiming it infringes his trademark rights to the name 'Soul Men'. He also reckons that because of parallels between the movie's plot and his own career, and because the public may therefore consider the film to be based on Sam & Dave, that there may be grounds for defamation.
Legal letters mailed to the Weinstein Company by Moore, and reported on in the US press, say: "The film is sexist, racist and embarrassing, and that's not what Sam & Dave were about... It's so amateurish, so stupid, and I'm surprised that Samuel L Jackson is involved in this. But when you read the script, all you see is vulgarity. Every other word is the 'N-word' or 'M-f' and it's just not right. They have bastardised my whole story".
But Weinstein has told reporters he is confident he can win any legal action thrown against him, telling reporters this weekend: "Months ago, we received Mr Moore's claim and told him he had none. As he could readily see from the script we sent him, 'Soul Men' is not, in any part or respect, based on Mr Moore's life. It tells a different story about different people. If Mr Moore decides to file a lawsuit, he will lose".
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PET SHOP BOYS TO GET OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION BRIT
The Brits have announced that The Pet Shop Boys will receive the Outstanding Contribution To Music gong at next year's awards ceremony.
Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant will perform live at the show, set to take place on 18 Feb at Earl's Court. Brits committee chairman Ged Doherty said of the duo: "Since their first Brit Award over 20 years ago, Neil and Chris have produced a fantastic body of work with songs that truly were the soundtrack to a whole generation's lives. The Pet Shop Boys have since become one of the most influential groups of the modern era and are deserving recipients of the award".
The pair, who've achieved 22 top ten hits during their career by my maths, join a list of previous lifetime achievement winners that includes Paul McCartney, U2, Paul Weller, Sting, Eurythmics and The Who.
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DEADLINE LOOMS FOR STUDENT MUSIC JOURNALIST AWARD
Today is the deadline for student music journalists who reckon they are among the best writing about music out there in student newspaper land and who want a gong to prove it.
As previously reported, CMU has teamed up with Record Of The Day and PPL to add two student categories to the annual Record Of The Day awards, the flagship event that celebrates the best in music journalism talent.
Student writers need to submit a review of the track 'Steel' by new Dublin-based band Noise Control, which you can check out at www.muzu.tv/noisecontrol/Steel/32047, plus two reviews or features they have written this year.
Student photographers simply need to send in three music photos they have taken this year, with details of what bands are featured and when and where they were taken.
Entries should be emailed in to [email protected] by midnight tonight. This is a unique opportunity for student music journalists to have their skills recognised alongside some of the biggest names in the music media - so spread the word and get your entries in now!
Full details, including information on the rather impressive judging panel, are at this URL:
www.collegemedianetwork.co.uk/newswire/pr081022rotd.html
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SINGLE REVIEW: PLUG - Fresh Pleasures (Parlour Records)
Sounding like a less polished Robots In Disguise, PLUG comprises the various deliberations of Sian and Georgie, who have released a hideously catchy tune in 'Fresh Pleasures'. The interesting thing about the track, though, is that however catchy the song may be, there's not one portion of the song that gives the listener the opportunity to sing along. While this might be a negative thing, the result is that this completely original yet bizarre song makes you instantly want to hear more from the duo. And so I stick around for the b-side. 'Nonchalant Love' isn't as lyrically interesting as 'Fresh Pleasures', but musically is a dense, industrial tune that really showcases the band's talent. Overall, this single makes me quite want to see this band live; I'm sure it would be an incredible experience. GM
Release Date: 3 Nov
Press Contact: Parlour Records IH [all]
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TIM TEN YEN ADDED TO CMU SOCIAL LINE UP
OK, via some weird passage of time thing it's suddenly November, and with a new month comes another edition of the CMU Social, CMU's monthly networking and showcase night, and the line up for this one was finalised on Friday.
We had hoped to have the Neutrinos play this month, but they have had to postpone their appearance. But we've managed to secure a fantastic replacement to take over the headline slot.
Tim Ten Yen, who has dubbed himself the "sensational singing salaryman", attires himself in a smart suit when he takes to the stage to perform brilliant risqu‚ pop. Increasingly renowned for his brilliant live shows, thanks in part to his incredible dancing, Mr Ten Yen has an ever-growing fanbase, and presumably more so now, following the release last month of his album 'Everything Beautiful Reminds Me Of You' on Pointy Records. Tim Ten Yen is a real CMU recommend, so we're well excited he's going to play for us at the November CMU Social.
He will be supported by Matt Finucane, formerly of cult band Empty Vessels, and the latest one-man-and-a-guitar sensation to spring from the underbelly of London's music scene. With a love of Lou Reed's 'Berlin' and a "deep distrust of the traditional singer-songwriter tag", Matt's sound is "shot through with melancholia, his attempts to clamber in the head of literary icons, and the darkness of his late night adventures at the bottom of a bottle". Following the release of his debut solo EP 'Episodes' last month, Matt will be entertaining us at the Social next week.
This all takes place on Tuesday 11 Nov at 229 next to Great Portland Street tube station, just round the corner from Regent Street and Warren Street tubes, and a short work from the very centre of central London. Doors open at 7pm, with the happy hour and food and pop quiz, with the bands on stage sometime after 8.30pm. It's free for you lot, just email your names to [email protected] to get on the list.
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FIGHTING COCKS ACCUSED OF ANTI-ISLAMIC EXTREMISM
Essex's premier Gypsy hardcore band, The Fighting Cocks, were apparently recently banned from playing a private party by Colchester Borough Council on the grounds that they are "anti-Islamic extremists". Or something like that.
The band had been booked to play a private party on 27 Sep, but before that date its organisers were contacted by the council's licensing officer, Stephen Swain, who, despite the fact no line-up had been announced for the event, was aware of the band's place on the bill. According to the organisers, when asked how he had learned that they were set to play the event, he simply said, "It's our job to know these things", before explaining that he was concerned about the band's "offensive reputation and loudness".
The local parish council were then informed of the event, and duly contacted the police, telling them that the party was to be a four day rave with up to 10,000 revellers set to rush to see The Fighting Cocks play - something which seems very unlikely, having been to one of their gigs (I love them, but there weren't many people there). The police then contacted the organisers, telling them that the band were "anti-Islamic extremists" with a highly offensive website and repertoire of songs, who were likely to attract dubious people to see them play, and that therefore they did not want them to appear at the party. The band were duly removed from the bill.
You can check out the highly offensive Fighting Cocks website, which I would say is much less offensive now that it doesn't say "If it's too loud, you're a cunt" on the welcome page, here.
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RAMONES COMPANY ISN'T REPUBLICAN, OKAY?
Ramones Productions president Mickey Leigh has released a statement distancing The Ramones from the political doings of Linda Cummings, wife of Joey Ramone, who has been supporting the John McCain/Sarah Palin presidential campaign, and has been using her made-up 'married name' to do so.
Leigh says: "It has been brought to my attention that Linda Cummings, using the name 'Ramone', has recently been in the media joining with the Palin family and the McCain's to attempt to aid their campaign for the Presidency. As a President of Ramones Productions, and brother of Joey Ramone, I just want it to be clear that Linda Cummings does not represent the political views of the Ramones. Surely, as for Joey Ramone, the only Ramones song he would sing at a Republican campaign event would be 'Glad To See You Go!'"
He continued: "I should add that when Johnny stated 'God Bless George Bush' at the 2002 Rock&Roll Hall of Fame awards, I realise now that he was on to something. Because if it were not for George Bush and his handling of our country the past 8 years, I doubt so many Americans, including so many highly regarded Republicans, would now be getting behind Barack Obama. So, yes, God bless George Bush for paving the way to Obama".
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ROLO TOMASSI VIDEO
CMU favourites Rolo Tomassi have made a video for the first single from their debut album, 'I Love Turbulence', which is released via Hassle Records on 15 Dec. So, for three minutes of genre-smashing brilliance, go here.
The band have also announced that they will be heading out on a Front Magazine and Thrash Hits-sponsored joint headline tour with Ghost Of A Thousand next month.
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HARD ROCK TO RELEASE NEW WHY ALBUM
Hard Rock International has announced the launch of its 2008 'Imagine There's No Hunger' campaign in aid of WHY, the not-for-profit organisation that seeks to fight worldwide poverty and hunger.
The push will centre on the release of a third WHY benefit album, 'SERVE3'. The LP will feature John Lennon's 'Give Peace A Chance' as well as new or previously unreleased tracks from the likes of Joss Stone, DMC, Avril Lavigne, Starsailor, My Morning Jacket and Bruce Springsteen. The Orchard will market and distribute the compilation, which will be sold via iTunes and all major digital stores as well as at Hard Rock locations around the world and at www.hardrock.com from 4 Nov.
Yoko Ono donated the Lennon track, of course, and says this: "I am glad that WHY is using John's lyrics to communicate the seriousness of this issue to the world. Let's all work together to make a world without hunger as soon as humanly possible. We owe this battle to our children. WAR IS OVER if you want it. In brotherhood and sisterhood".
Other elements of the campaign include a charity bracelet and a limited edition pin and 'holiday ornament' (is that something to do with Christmas?) featuring Lennon's signature and self-portrait.
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ALBUM REVIEW: Mia Vigar - True Adventures Happen Inside Your Head (Hungry Audio)
As the title suggests, Mia Vigar's world is one of dreams, of fairytales, of fantasy. The Finnish songstress weaves elegant soundscapes reminiscent of Yo La Tengo with the kind of skill that Bjork might even be proud of, and the results are for the most part alluringly soothing. That said, whilst such feather-pillow melodies make up the most part of this album, there are all sorts of other compositions thrown in the mix, keeping the listener from actually drifting off. Discordant 'Soothsayer' is as sinister as it is loud, and a couple of tracks showcase a more mature approach to the catchy Cockney-pop that Kate Nash and Lily Allen are currently lol-ing about the charts. For the most part, it seems like she is trying to play up the Scandinavian half of her identity, possibly to help her stand out from the crowd, yet she evidently can't stop her southern birthplace sneaking its influence in on some of the more 'standard' songs. She even tries her hand at some more outlandish tracks, leaving the comfort zone of her curious pop songwriting behind and embracing a more bizarre, almost Zappa-esque weirdness. It's this willingness to stretch herself for the good of the album that makes this such an interesting release; fourteen tracks of blissed out melodic harmony would have done the trick, but this plethora of stylings work together to give a surreal, ethereal appeal that far surpasses any expectations of this relatively unknown talent. ME
Release Date: 3 Nov
Press Contact: StoneImmaculate [all]
Buy from iTunes
Buy from Amazon
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TAKE THAT BREAK TICKET SALES RECORD
Take That's 2009 summer tour has become the fastest-selling UK tour in history, after all 600,000 tickets available sold out in under five hours on Friday - in fact, the first 300,000 went in under and hour. The previous record-holder was Michael Jackson for his 1987 'Bad' tour. To celebrate, the band have added two more dates in Manchester and London to their existing July dates.
In a statement, the band said: "We are, once again, totally astounded by the response today and amazed at being able to break such records. We feel very privileged to be in this position at such a time. We're all meeting up this afternoon to start planning next summer and promise to make it the very best show we've ever done. See you in 2009!"
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POSSIBLE PLANT REPLACEMENT NAMED IN LATEST ZEPPELIN REUNION TALK
I know. You're bored of this. So am I. But sadly, it's news, and I must report it. Billboard are citing a source who reckons that the Robert Plant free Led Zeppelin tour is definitely taking place, and again suggesting Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy will take the dissenting Plant's place. They repeat reports that Kennedy has rehearsed with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham on several occasions. As previously reported, John Paul Jones has said that they're ready to tour without Plant, and Plant has said he has no intention of touring with anyone for at least two years.
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BRITNEY SPEARS SET FOR O2 RESIDENCY?
The Sun claims that Britney Spears is set for a two week residency at London's O2 Arena. The singer, who releases her new album 'Circus' in December, is known to be planning a large scale 2009 world tour, so presumably a deal like this would fit in with those plans. The gigs would be Spears' first UK concerts since her 2004 Onyx Hotel tour.
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KID ROCK ANNOUNCES UK SHOW
Kid Rock has announced a one-off UK show in London this month. Aren't we lucky? He will play the Hammersmith Apollo on 30 Nov, following the release of new single, 'Roll On', on 24 Nov.
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MOGREL ANNOUNCE FIRST GIG
Mongrel, the band made up of Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders, his former bandmate Andy Nicholson, Reverend & The Maker's Jon McClure, Babyshambles' Drew McConnell and rapper Lowkey, have announced their first gig and debut EP.
The band will play The Boston Arms in London in 5 Nov (ie Wednesday) and will release a download-only EP, 'The Menace', on the same day. They also recently completed work on their debut album, 'Better Than Heavy'.
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JOHNNY TRUANT FAREWELL TOUR
One of the UK's finest metal bands, Johnny Truant, has decided to split and will be heading out on one final tour this December.
In a statement, the band said: "Johnny Truant has officially broken up. We have had many amazing years and made many great friends along the way. Thank you to everyone that has supported us and shared so many fantastic times with us, it's been a hell of a ride and one that we are very proud of. Our final shows will be in the UK in December. Come along and let's make them the biggest party we can".
Tour dates:
1 Dec: Leeds, Cockpit
3 Dec: Norwich, Queen Charlotte
4 Dec: York, Fibbers
5 Dec: Hard Rock Hell 2 Festival
6 Dec: Oxford, Zodiac
7 Dec: Reading, Face Bar
8 Dec: Sheffield, Corporation
9 Dec: Stoke, Sugarmill
10 Dec: Milton Keynes, The Pitz
11 Dec: Glasgow, King Tuts
13 Dec: Nottingham, Rock City
14 Dec: Peterborough, The Park
15 Dec: Southampton, The Joiners
16 Dec: London, Water Rats
17 Dec: Brighton, Engine Rooms
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ALBUM REVIEW: Jackie-O Motherfucker - The Blood Of Life (Fire Records)
The wonderful Jackie-O Motherfucker are back with a live album that showcases the less extreme end of their musical range. If you are a fan of their atonal free noise brilliance from albums such as 'America Mystica' - that, for the unaware, sounds like 'Sister Ray' being played backwards with tape-noise and free jazz blaring around it - you may be disappointed. Only the new track 'The Blood Of Life' has the requisite length for a similar exploration. Even so, the usually intense experimentation is eschewed for The Grateful Dead's 'Live At The Fillmore East'-style noodling with spooky My Cat Is An Alien space rock-style guitar over the top. It is fair to say that much of the feel of the album is that of a folksy Grateful Dead. Seeing as though this album was recorded in Amsterdam there is no real surprise that it is a more subdued affair; the whole band are, I assume, supercaned out of their faces. The album is gratifyingly drenched in warm shimmering treble that lights up arpeggio picking guitars, with gentle lead lines over the top controlled by Danny Sasaki's drums. I would deem the high point of the album the reworking of 'Hey! Mr Sky', that ambles along with Deadish lyrics about "Thunderbirds with fly's wings". On top, a distorted guitar modulates and groans with delay and extra reverb as it builds to a moderate peak and then ebbs away - most likely into the Amsterdam fug. Not earth shattering, but a really enjoyable album. PG
Release Date: 3 Nov
Press Contact: Hermana PR [all]
Buy from iTunes
Buy from Amazon
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LIVE NATION DONATE $50,000 TO GAY MARRIAGE
Live Nation has donated $50,000 to the 'No On Prop 8' campaign, which is opposing a proposed ban on same-sex marriage in California, known as Proposition 8.
Live Nation spokesman John Vlautin said in a statement: "Live Nation has always offered equal rights and benefits to our employees' same-sex partners. It is in this spirit that we have made the decision to donate $50,000 to the No On Prop 8 campaign".
The company joins other high profile donors, including Fall Out Boy and Apple.
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EMI PLANNING TO OUTSOURCE US DISTRIBUTION
According to Billboard, EMI Music is thinking of outsourcing a bulk of its distribution operations in the US. Sources say the major will keep sales and digital distribution in house, but is looking to hand over the 'pick, pack and ship' part of its CD distribution operations to a third party.
If true, the decision will be just the latest attempt by EMI to hand over the manufacture and distribution of its physical product to other companies, including rival record companies, part of the major's move away from being a primarily CD-based company to being a more diverse recording rights and artist relations organisation. EMI has already handed over its US manufacturing to Universal, while in South-East Asia, Warner is now handling their distribution. Here in the UK, EMI's distribution will be handled by logistics firm CEVA as of next year.
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RISING COSTS MEAN NO PROFIT FOR GLASTO
The Glastonbury Festival didn't make a profit this year as rising costs, for fuel and other essential purchases, ate into the event's profit margins. Although Glasto never aims to make big profits, and it still managed to hand over a million pounds to charity, the rising costs means there was no surplus to invest in development activity ahead of the 2009 event.
Glastonbury boss Michael Eavis discussed the finances of this year's festival during last week's UK Festival Awards and the accompanying conference on the festival sector.
Speaking to BBC 6Music, Eavis said Glasto 2008 was his favourite festival to date, but one of the most costly: "It was hard work making it work this year because costing had gone through the roof and the diesel costs had gone up by about £200,000. All the other costs had gone up as well. Glastonbury costs £22m now, it's huge. The infrastructure, the fencing, the roads, the water and the loos, the marquees, the management, the security and the police, it goes on and on so we do have to sell out in order to make it work. We still made about £1m for the charities we work for. But we didn't make any beyond that. There's no money to reinvest or anything".
Despite all the media coverage around the slow ticket sales for Glastonbury this year, the festival did sell out in the end, and it was rising costs more than any major drop in ticket revenue that caused the problems. With 100,000 early bird tickets already sold or reserved for Glastonbury 2009, Eavis added he was very optimistic about next year's event, saying: "I'm very confident with the bands that we've got next time that we will sell out".
Also speaking to 6Music at the UK Festival Awards, Bestival chief Rob da Bank, while not revealing so much about his festivals' finances, stressed the Sunday Best team were not in the festival business to make profits. He said: "We put so much heart and soul into these things, we don't make money. It really is all about the love. To win best new festival for Camp Bestival, which was a massive risk, is a really good reward".
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V FESTIVAL SOUTH AFRICA POSTPONED
Plans to launch a South African version of the V Festival have been postponed because promoters were unable to secure a sufficiently good international line up. Big Concerts had planned to stage the Virgin Mobile sponsored festival in Johannesburg on 13 Dec and in Cape Town on 16 Dec, with over 60,000 music fans expected to attend over the two events.
However, Virgin Mobile South Africa boss Peter Boyd said last week that the phone firm and the festival's promoters had decided to push the event back into 2009. Boyd: "Our criteria for a successful Virgin Festival are a great greenfield venue, an impressive and eclectic international line-up, a huge local line-up, the Road to V bringing local unsigned bands into the mix, and some quirky brand activations for the crowd from Virgin. Four out of five of these are on track, but we're not entirely satisfied with the international line-up. Some of the bands that South Africans kept asking for were simply not available at that time of the year".
Billboard quote an insider as saying slow ticket sales may also have been a consideration for Virgin Festival chiefs, with live music being hit in the country by the economic downturn. They also added that a decline in the value of the South African currency, the rand, in recent weeks might have made bringing in international talent prohibitively costly.
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BEANOS TO CLOSE
Croydon-based second hand record shop Beanos is to close its doors for the final time after Christmas after its owner, David Lashmar, admitted attempts to keep the legendary music store going had failed given the continued decline in high street record sales.
There were fears for the three decades old record shop two years ago, but rather than bailing out Lashmar chose to scale back his three floor operation, turning two floors into a market place for independent traders, hoping that could help subsidise a scaled down Beanos enterprise. However, with record sales continuing to fall, even that is no longer viable. Lashmar says he will now turn the whole of his shop into a market place for traders, hoping that through that some of the independent spirit of Beanos can live on.
In the latest edition of the shop's newsletter for customers, Lashmar wrote: "Regular subscribers to our 'beamails' will know that we have had several exclusive special offers. Our last beamail explained that we were still experiencing desperately poor trade and that we were extending our half price sale to the general public during September. Unfortunately this did not provide the boost in sales that we expected and I have had to take the decision to wind down Beanos. After well over thirty years this is very difficult for me".
Blaming the decline in record sales in part on the growth of online piracy, he added: "How the devil were we ever going to persuade people that it was a really good idea to come into Beanos and buy an album when they could get it for nothing?"
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PPL SPONSOR THIS WEEK'S STUDENT RADIO AWARDS
PPL has announced it will be a co-headline sponsor for this year's Student Radio Awards which, as previously reported, take place in London this week. The annual bash that celebrates the best in student radio from around the UK, takes place at IndigO2 at the Dome and will be hosted by Radio 1 DJs Scott Mills and Fearne Cotton.
Confirming their support for the Awards, PPL's Director of Licensing, Tony Clark told CMU: "We are really pleased to be sponsoring The Student Radio Awards. This event plays host to many students who are likely to be deeply involved with radio industry in the future which is a hugely important sector for PPL and the music industry as a whole".
Camille Ainsworth from award organisers the Student Radio Association, meanwhile, told us: "It's great to know a company such as PPL supports the efforts of the SRA and student radio at large. We're absolutely thrilled to have them on board for the most exciting event in the student radio calendar!"
A full list of nominations has been announced for this year's awards, which can be found at:
www.studentradio.org.uk/awards/08/nominations.php
Elsewhere in PPL news, the recording royalty collecting society recently announced it has launched a redesigned licence sticker (displayed by licensed bars, shops, venues etc) and website as part of its bid to better communicate the body's messages. The website will be edited by new recruit Dan Mellins, who previously worked in developing web content for GCap and E-Skills UK.
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RADIOCENTRE ANNOUNCE NEW CHAIRMAN
Commercial radio trade body RadioCentre has announced that its non-executive chairman, Paul Brown, will stand down at the start of next year, and will be replaced by Dianne Thompson, who is CEO of lottery firm Camelot.
Brown was very much involved in the creation of RadioCentre two years ago, having previously been CEO of the Commercial Radio Companies Association, one of the bodies involved in the merger that created RadioCentre.
Thompson has been with Camelot since 1997, becoming the lottery company's CEO in 2000. However, she says she has always been a fan of radio, and in September last year she hosted a show on LBC where she interviewed past lottery winners and grant beneficiaries.
Confirming her new role at RadioCentre, Thompson told reporters: "Radio is one of my true loves. I am delighted to be taking over the mantle from Paul and helping to play a role in shaping radio's future. I want to underline and further enhance RadioCentre's reputation as the voice of the industry and a strong advocate for commercial radio - working together with the groups and stations, we can really make a difference".
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ROSS STEPS DOWN FROM COMEDY AWARDS HOST JOB
One last bit of news relating to the Brand/Ross debacle at the BBC last week. Following our wonderings on Friday as to whether Ross' twelve week suspension from the Beeb would affect his one and only ITV booking, as host of the annual British Comedy Awards, were answered over the weekend when the presenter's people announced he had decided to step down from the show this year.
As previously reported, the British Comedy Awards were not aired last year after it was revealed the phone vote on the 2005 awards had been part of that dodgy phone in scandal - viewers were encouraged to phone in on a premium line to vote for 30 minutes after voting had actually closed. With the dodgy phone in scandal fresh in everyone's minds, ITV feared it would become the subject of Ross et al's jokes on the night, so chose not to screen the event.
However, the Awards will return to ITV1 this year, though neither Ross nor the broadcaster seemingly wanted to see the returning awards show become dominated by what some are insisting on calling Sachsgate. A spokesman for the presenter said the British Comedy Awards was "a show he very much enjoys being part of" but that he wouldn't take part this year because he didn't "want his participation in this year's event to take away from the awards themselves or the many talented winners".
Peter Fincham, ITV's Director Of Television, said Ross' decision had been made "with the full support of ITV and the show's producers".
It's thought Ross commands a £100,000 fee for hosting the annual comedy awards bash.
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DAILY MAIL MAY BUY INDEPENDENT
There are reports that the owners of the Daily Mail may buy struggling broadsheet title The Independent and its Sunday equivalent.
The reports come as the worse selling British daily newspaper faces an uncertain future amid fears of a recession-caused collapse in advertising revenues. The Guardian says that one of Independent News & Media's key shareholders, Denis O'Brien, who owns 26% of the firm, has been pushing for the loss making Independent to be sold for sometime, though the company's CEO Tony O'Reilly has so far refused. However, with the newspaper industry braced for a slump in ad revenues, there are talks of IN&M outsourcing some of the Independent's back office operations to rival publishers and, while the official line is that the paper is not for sale, some insiders admit that the right offer may get serious consideration from O'Reilly and his team.
It's thought the Mail would not actually pay for the Independent, but take over its liabilities. Although the Daily Mail And General Trust has debts of its own, it's thought that economies of scales could reduce the Independent's running costs, and the securing of such an established broadsheet brand for relatively little outlay may more than justify the expansion of the company's liabilities among DM> shareholders.
Either way, restructuring is already expected at the DM> where duplication exists in back office operations at the company's various newspapers, which include the Daily Mail, Mail On Sunday, Evening Standard, Metro and London Lite. Such restructuring, which almost certainly result in redundancy, follows the merger last month of the group's national and regional newspapers into one division.
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CHART UPDATE
So, as expected, The X Factor Finalists went straight in at number 1 with their army-charity-supporting cover of Mariah Carey's 'Hero' after shifting several hundred thousand copies in its first week of release. For the most part, the rest of the top 10 is just a minor reshuffle, with 2 to 4 just shifting down one spot each from their previous positions. As I predicted last week, Alicia Keys and Jack White's rather rubbish Bond theme was boosted by the release of the film last week, pushing it up from 18 to 10 - and with the film doing very well indeed, it may well move up again next week. Despite being rather rubbish.
Little else has changed in the top 40, though. Amusingly, Peter Kay's spoof TV talent show winning single is still one place ahead of last year's real X Factor winner, Leon Jackson, with them occupying the 19 and 20 slots respectively. Akon makes a little nest for himself in the 20s, guesting on Kardinal Offishall's latest single, which moves from 32 to 21, and with his own new release, 'Right Now (Na Na Na)', which moves from 44 to 23. There are a few other big movers the week, Adele's 'Make You Feel My Love' moves from 63 to 26, King's Of Leon's 'Use Somebody' moves from 50 to 30, Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' returns to the top 40 with a jump from 98 to 35 (Halloween and all that), and Pussycat Dolls bounds from 168 to 36.
In the album chart, it's another new entry-fest this week. Pink and Snow Patrol are new at 1 and 2, Celine Dion and Daniel O'Donnell go in at 5 and 6, Bloc Party are in a 8, The Saturdays at 11, Katie Melua at 15, Anastasia at 17, Hayley Westenra at 24 and finally, The Cure at 33. Scouting For Girls also get an honourable mention with their debut album moving back from 64 to 30.
The chart comes from the Official Chart Company - www.theofficialcharts.com
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TOTAL ROCK WORLD ALBUM CHART
It's the Total Rock World Album Chart, as counted down on Total Rock over the weekend - www.totalrock.com. New entries and re-entries marked with a *.
1. Metallica - Death Magnetic (Universal/Mercury)
2. Slipknot - All Hope Is Gone (Warner/Roadrunner)
3. Kid Rock - Rock - N Roll Jesus (Warner/Atlantic)
4. Rise Against - Appeal To Reason (Universal/Geffen)
5. Trivium - Shogun (Warner/Roadrunner)
6. Buckcherry - Black Butterfly (Warner/Eleven Seven Music)
7. Disturbed - Indestructible (Warner/Reprise)
8. David Gilmour - Live In Gdansk (EMI)
9. The Clash - Live At Shea Stadium (SonyBMG)
10. Unearth - The March (Metal Blade)*
11. Linkin Park - Minutes To Midnight (Warner Bros)
12. Nickelback - All The Right Reasons (Roadrunner)
13. Queen + Paul Rodgers - The Cosmos Rocks (EMI)
14. Led Zeppelin - Mothership (Warner/Atlantic)
15. Amon Amarth - Twilight Of The Thunder God (Metal Blade)
16. Metallica - Metallica (Universal/Mercury)
17. Queen - Greatest Hits 1,2,3 (EMI)
18. Staind - The Illusion Of Progress (Warner/Roadrunner)
19. Daughtry - Daughtry (SonyBMG)
20. The Offspring - Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace (SonyBMG)
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SUB.TV PLAYLIST
Yes, it's the Sub.tv playlist, the videos played on the Sub.tv network of screens in students' unions around the UK this coming week. New entries marked with a *. More info from [email protected].
A-List
Alicia Keys & Jack White - Another Way To Die
Beyonc‚ - If I Were A Boy
Britney Spears - Womanizer*
David Guetta feat. Chris Willis vs Tocadisco - Tomorrow Can Wait
Duffy - Rain On Your Parade
Filthy Dukes - Tupac Robot Club Rock
Kanye West - Love Lockdown
Katy Perry - Hot N Cold
Kids In Glass Houses - Fisticuffs
The Killers - Human
Late Of The Pier - Bathroom Gurgle
Lemar - If She Knew
Red Light Company - Scheme Eugene
Scouting For Girls - I Wish I Was James Bond
Stereophonics - You're My Star
VV Brown - Crying Blood
B-List
Esser - Satisfied
Exit Calm - We're On Our Own
Frankmusik - 3 Little Words
Gabriella Cilmi - Sanctuary*
Howie B - Royale Sound*
In Case Of Fire - This Time We Stand
Mercury Rev - Butterfly's Wing
Operahouse - Change In Nature*
Q-Tip - Gettin' Up
The Script - Breakeven
The Shaky Hands - We Are Young
Sigur R0s - Vid Spilum Endalaust
The Tunics - Cost Of Living*
The Verve - Rather Be
Twisted Wheel - Lucy The Castle
The Week That Was - Learn To Learn*
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MCFADDEN DENIES CUSTODY DISPUTE CLAIMS
Brian McFadden has denied reports that he has started a new custody action against ex-wife Kerry Katona following her previously reported and slightly disastrous appearance on This Morning. He told Australia's Herald Sun: "There is no basis to it, we settled custody months and months ago".
The singer lately spends a lot his time down under, of course, because of his relationship with Delta Goodrem, and because he's been promoting his solo output there, but sees his daughters Molly and Lilly Sue during school holidays.
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GALLAGHER DOESN'T LIKE NEW KINGS OF LEON ALBUM
Liam Gallagher has told NME that he's sorely disappointed with the new album from Kings Of Leon. He's quoted as saying: "I like Kings Of Leon, but I don't know about this fucking new record. I like the old stuff. I like [singer Caleb Followill's] voice. When they first come out I was going, 'Who the fuck is this?' They were cool, and now they've all got their sleeves cut off. It seems to me they've gone for the bucks, man. I'm not dissing them because I fucking really like them, but it's like they've got this U2 sound and you can do better than that".
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LILY ALLEN STARTS WAR OF WORDS
Lily Allen has started a war of words with Guardian columnist Marina Hyde after the latter posted a blog on the Guardian website ridiculing a press release for Allen's new album, 'It's Not Me, It's You', which compared the singer to William Wordsworth and Alan Bennett.
In the comments section under Hyde's post, Allen wrote: "I think that what you wrote earlier was thoughtless and uncalled for... It's quite obvious the part of his press release you referred to was 'tongue in cheek'. As we all know, it would be ridiculous to compare me to Wordsworth or Bennett and your poking fun at his reference was cheap, really. Well anyway, I hope we can put this all behind us and that you can move on to writing something else that makes other people feel stupid, and you feel more clever. Lily Allen".
Following a reply from Hyde, Allen added a second comment at 3am, which was removed by moderators. She then returned, alleging that Hyde had conducted an affair with Piers Morgan and warning: "I might start it as a debate on my MySpace blog, there are 250,000 subscribers to that blog".
As yet, she hasn't.
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