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![]() EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT ROLE AT LONDON PR AGENCY, £35K To apply for this role send your CV and covering letter to [email protected] quoting reference SS54 ADVERTISE WITH CMU - classifieds £120 per week, job ads £100 per week, banner ads £150 per week, leader box £200 per week - call 020 7099 9050 or email [email protected] for information or to book. |
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![]() OFFICE SPACE ADVERTISE WITH CMU - classifieds £120 per week, job ads £100 per week, banner ads £150 per week, leader box £200 per week - call 020 7099 9050 or email [email protected] for information or to book. |
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![]() NO. 8: DANE BOWERS A reader writes: "Back about three years ago I was enjoying a pleasant evening out with a small group of friends in the bustling music scene that is Watford. We moved on to a club, and were astounded to hear that the guest DJ for the evening would be the international superstar Dane Bowers. This went down very well with the clientele of the venue (I was unimpressed). A number of bouncers moved through the crowd clearing the way for Dane, who was approaching me rapidly. I was moved sideways to allow Dane (+ ego) through to the stage, at which point he planted his foot firmly on top of mine. I wasn't happy - murmuring 'idiot' as he shuffled past. He turned to me, completely straight faced, told me to 'fuck off', and then continued on his merry way to what was quite a shambolic DJ set. Come to think of it, it probably was quite hard for him to see where he was putting his feet, but I think I was more annoyed that he had gained a little weight since his better days, meaning it was actually quite painful (plus, he was wearing shades and he looked like a tosspot!)". Have you been told to fuck off by a pop star? We want to know about it. Send your stories to [email protected] |
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IFPI PUBLISH SLIGHTLY DEPRESSING GLOBAL RECORD SALE STATS Although seemingly only accounting for 5% of overall downloading, legal download sales were up 20% last year, and digital sales now account for a fifth of overall record sales. That increase, however, is not fully compensating for the decline in CD sales. The IFPI reckon that, as a result, the global music industry shrank by 7% last year. All of this, specific stats aside, we already knew of course. IFPI boss John Kennedy, however, hopes the latest stats will further persuade governments around the world that, like their counterparts in the UK and France, they need to pressure internet service providers to start playing a more proactive role in policing online piracy. Kennedy: "There is a momentous debate going on about the environment on which our business, and all the people working in it, depends. Governments are beginning to accept that, in the debate over 'free content' and engaging ISPs in protecting intellectual property rights, doing nothing is not an option if there is to be a future for commercial digital content". -------------------------------------------------- CUTS AT SONY MUSIC USA Cuts within Sony's US record label operations this week hit its two distribution companies, including independent label distribution arm RED, and the Columbia label. Billboard reports that at least thirty people have been made redundant, including senior sales execs Colin Willis, Laurel Polson and John Hawn in distribution, and urban music top man Kyambo Joshua and urban marketing exec Al Branch at Columbia. No official word from Sony Music on the cuts as yet, nor on what impact this round of downsizing will have on Sony offices outside the US. -------------------------------------------------- DEATH ROW GOES TO CANADIAN COMPANY FOR EIGHTEEN MILLION As much previously reported, Death Row was put up for sale after the aforementioned Knight declared himself bankrupt. The bankruptcy was caused by a bitter legal battle between him and one of the label's co-founders, Lydia Harris, who had sued for the millions she reckoned she was owed by the record company in return for her and her ex-husband's original investment. The courts awarded Harris a $107 million pay out, sending Knight into bankruptcy. When the bankruptcy courts originally put Death Row up for sale there were at least three interested buyers, including Warner Music and Koch, but both of those companies eventually withdrew their offers because Knight's shambolic paperwork made it very difficult to say who really owned some of the more valuable recordings, like the early works of Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre. In the end a consortium called Global Music bought the label for $25 million. But it was revealed earlier this month some of the key investors behind that deal had got cold feet and as a result Global wasn't able to raise the twenty-five mil required. With the Global deal dead in the water, the hip hop catalogue went back on sale at auction yesterday, with WIDEawake the successful bidder. The difference between the $25 million bid by Global and the $18 million to be paid by WIDEawake is significant. It's thought that after ever-mounting legal and administrative fees relating to Knight's bankruptcy and the sale of the label have been paid, and the always first in the queue tax man has taken the money he's owed, there won't be much left from the eighteen million, meaning Harris and the label's other creditors are unlikely to see anything. Harris, needless to say, isn't very happy. She's told Billboard: "This was all a scam from the beginning. Everyone wanted me to bring judgment down, and so I brought on the case. But now I'm not getting paid because I'm an unsecured creditor? Yet, administrators are getting paid and Suge [Knight]'s bills are still getting paid? If it wasn't for me no one would be getting money. They made sure it happened this way because I was the biggest creditor. There must be some internal thing going on and I'm obviously not in on it". Harris added that another company called Conquest Media also bid for the label but their offer was overruled because it missed the court-set deadline. It's not clear what sum they bid, though the implication is that it may have been higher than WIDEawake's bid. Toronto-based WIDEawake is run by lawyer, songwriter and entrepreneur Lara Lavi. She distributes releases through Universal in Canada, but doesn't currently have a US deal in place, so will be looking for a distribution partner to help capitalise on the Death Row catalogue in the American market. Commenting on her plans for the Death Row recordings, she told Billboard: "We're very respectful of Death Row's legacy and when the time is right we'll announce [our plans]". -------------------------------------------------- DIDDY TALKS ABOUT BIG FILM Combs says: "Anybody that's experienced a great loss of a friend, a family member... The thing that I realised, because I did it, and you may have realised it, you figure out ways to repress the feelings and not deal with it. You just don't deal with it. Until one day, out of nowhere, a song or a picture or something makes you deal with it. Watching the movie, there was no running, there was no hiding from it. ... I changed". Biopic 'Notorious' goes on general release in the US and UK in February. Set to precede it is the soundtrack, 'Notorious: Music From And Inspired By The Original Motion Picture', which is out on 26 Jan in the UK. I think it might already be out in the US. The LP features Kanye West-produced single, 'Brooklyn Go Hard', by Jay-Z featuring Santogold, as well as Notorious BIG tracks like 'Juicy' and 'Hypnotize'. Previously unreleased demos and new tracks also appear. Here's the tracklisting -------------------------------------------------- DIGITAL MUSIC IS SHIT, SAYS ANIMAL COLLECTIVE MAN Most musos would agree, of course. Trent Reznor once remarked, when tracks from Nine Inch Nails' 'With Teeth' album leaked, that it's a shame when fans have a sneaky preview listen to new music online because that first listen is better when it's in a top quality format and in the context of a whole album. And once you've used up that first listen, you can't unhear it. He possibly has a point. Or perhaps he doesn't. Does anyone really take in an album the first time? What's wrong with hearing something before you buy it? Remember the days when you wouldn't know if you liked something until after you'd bought it? Those days were rubbish. Anyway, back to Animal Collective. Geologist told DiS that he doesn't like it when his songs leak online before being properly released, even though he knows he can't do anything about it. He explains: "I have a lot of strong personal feelings about how people consume music these days, even myself. That's why I have these feelings; because I can see how my own listening habits have degraded over the years with the advent of the internet. People ask, 'why do you give a shit about a leak, it's going to leak anyway, it's such an outdated, antiquated way of approaching music' and I guess that's true, but I'm unapologetic about it, in a way, growing up in a time when the internet wasn't around". On the subject of legitimately listening to streams of albums via MySpace and other such sites, he added: "Even streaming it before it's released, that goes against my views on how music should be listened to. Doing that or putting it on iTunes first, it's giving people another option from which they can hear your music for the first time". Animal Collective's new album, 'Merriweather Post Pavilion', is out now via all good download stores. SHARON OSBOURNE WINS SUN LIBEL CASE Sharon took the paper to the High Court in October 2007 after it claimed that she was "driving her frail husband Ozzy Osbourne to destruction". The Sun has now agreed to pay Osbourne undisclosed damages and her legal costs, and has also apologised for the error. Osbourne's lawyer John Kelly told reporters that the allegations had been "extremely distressing, hurtful and damaging" for the star, while The Sun's lawyer, Patrick Callaghan, said that they paper apologised for all that and accepted that its claims were not true. MUTYA BEGS FOR AMBULANCE, BIG BROTHER REFUSES Buena reportedly said: "I've had a stronger tablet, and it seems to be working the opposite". -------------------------------------------------- AEROSMITH TOUR PLANS ON HOLD LENNOX RESPONDS TO CRITICISM FROM JERUSALEM POST In her reply, published on her MySpace page, Lennox says she feels despair that the "war in Gaza is being used to divide the rest of the world between "pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian" instead of "pro-peace or pro-war". In my mind, the only distinction that matters right now, as Palestinian and Israeli lives are being lost and endangered by this violent conflict, is whether you support war or peace". She continues: "From my perspective, peace and security comes with dialogue, not bullets and bombs, and therefore I make no apology for being a leading member of the voice of reason, in opposition to this senseless war. I have taken this position as a humanitarian and as a mother. I cannot stand seeing children killed. I cannot stand seeing families shattered. I want this to end, and only a permanent ceasefire will achieve this". Responding to the implication that she is anti-Israel, she adds: "I am not alone in my views, and my position is supported by a cross spectrum of communities in Britain including my Jewish and Israeli friends. Mr Dori, for your information, I too have friends and family in Israel, and want to see them safe and secure, in the same way that I want human rights protection for the citizens of Gaza". You can read the letter to Annie Lennox here and her response on her MySpace page here BEATLES REUNION A POSSIBILITY McCartney said on US chat show The View: "Yeah I would love to [work with Ringo]. We do things from time to time together, but it doesn't always come up. Sometimes he'll be on tour when I'm not. But we don't rule it out, it'd be great. He's a great drummer and we're used to each other. Let's hear it for Ringo!" -------------------------------------------------- RYAN ADAMS QUITS MUSIC AND BLOGGING Adams revealed that he suffers from Meniere's disease, which combines symptoms of tinnitus and vertigo to make for one unpleasant time. This, he said, was the cause of apparently drunken behaviour at recent gigs and has left him dizzy and nauseous on regular occasions. He wrote: "I am ready for quieter times as I think it is very evident I am struggling with some balance and hearing issues. ... I won't be blogging here anymore - but not for effect - it just is not being kind to myself - I need a life that is mine - I need to grow up and grow into who I have subtly been working back towards". He may be off blogging, but will still continue writing, promising two more books, in addition to his previously reported anthology of poetry and short stories, 'Infinity Blues', which will also be published this year. Although he seemed fairly committed to finding new outlets for his creativity, Adams did not rule out a return to music in the future. He said: "Maybe I will work my way back into some kind of music situation but this is the time for me to step back now ... My dream was to try and tap into [the] energy I saw watching Minutemen VCR tapes ... of Mike Watt's crazy shaking leg and his electric fingers - or how Sonic Youth droned into beautiful clouds those guitars shaking, Kim and Steve rattling the pulsing lines into feverish thudding imaginary subway cars racing through my heart". JEFF BECK APPOINTS GOLDSMITH AS MANAGER Confirming his new business relationship with Goldsmith, Beck told reporters: "I have known Harvey for a long time and we met again at the Classic Rock Awards at the end of last year. Soon after I decided I wanted a change in my career so I approached Harvey in December. It's a great team and we have big plans, including new material and more performances". Goldsmith added: "I'm very excited about working with Jeff, it will be a great partnership. He is raring to go and his band are incredible, just brilliant". NEW MEGADETH ALBUM NEARS COMPLETION Writing on the band's MySpace blog, Broderick, who joined the band last year, wrote: "I am getting ready to head down to Vic's and wanted to check in. Shawn [Drover] is finishing up the last few songs with drums and all next week I will be starting on rhythm guitars. This is very cool stuff, learning Dave's rhythmic style can be a challenge but is one that I look forward to". NEW DEPECHE MODE ALBUM STUFF -------------------------------------------------- RADIOHEAD REISSUES All three albums are out on 24 Mar. -------------------------------------------------- NEW NEIL YOUNG ALBUM Young is rumoured to be appearing at Glastonbury this year, but this hasn't been confirmed. ALBUM REVIEW: Aniaetleprogrammeur - Die Kir(s)che Auf dem Kopf (Tatachristiane) THE ALL NEW BMG GOING WELL, THANKS The company began with the recording catalogues of about 200 artists from SonyBMG which will continue to be released by Sony Music, but which will be managed by the new BMG Rights Management agency. According to Music Week, the company's MD, Hartwig Masuch, has reported the new company has already secured exclusive Europe-wide rights management relationships (some publishing, some recordings, some both) with a number of artists and songwriters, mainly from Germany, including Peter Fox, 2Raumwohnung, Die Prinzen, Laith Al-Deen, Yvonne Catterfeld, Westbam and good old Nene, but also from other countries too - including Christina Stürmer from Austria, Toby Gad from the US and Andrew Roachford (you know, "because my only joy, is a cuddly toy") from the UK. Although based primarily in Berlin, Masuch also reports the company now has representative offices in Paris, London, Milan, Madrid and Amsterdam. -------------------------------------------------- BRIXTON'S FRIDGE REFITS FOR REOPENING The former cinema, opened as a music venue by Czezowski and Carrington in 1981, has been through a mini-refit to coincide with the return of its owners to the management role, with new wiring, a big clean and a brand new PA and lighting system installed. The Fridge duo say a wide range of gigs and club nights are now being lined up for the months that follow the venue's reopening on 31 Jan. MYSPACE MUSIC SIGN UP MORE INDIE CATALOGUE As much previously reported, when MySpace made its new much expanded music streaming service available in the US last year it did so without the vast majority of independent record labels on board. They, and in particular those affiliated to rights body Merlin, objected to the fact the four majors had been given an equity stake in the MySpace Music company set up to operate the new streaming service in order to secure their involvement. No such deal was offered to the indies, individually or collectively. Merlin argued that this was especially unfair because it was the indie sector that initially embraced the MySpace artist profile service, helping the social networking company establish its music platform, one of the few aspects of MySpace to still dominate the web market. MySpace did have access to some indie music - those distributed digitally by one of the four majors' indie label distribution arms, or via digital aggregators The Orchard and IODA, who did sign up. MySpace say the new deals confirmed yesterday will give them access to "several hundred thousand" more tracks. MySpace Music boss Courtney Holt told reporters: "These important new partnerships will allow the MySpace Music community to access even more of their favorite independent music while enabling monetization opportunities for the newly licensed artists. We are thrilled to have our new partners on board and will continue our aggressive content acquisition efforts". Perhaps Holt should try being less aggressive and a bit more giving in his attempts to sign up Merlin, who represent the digital catalogues of some 12,000 indie labels. Or perhaps the former Universal exec doesn't really care. -------------------------------------------------- FACEBOOK BACK TO MUSIC DRAWING BOARD AFTER WARNER SCUPPERS TOTAL MUSIC OPTION While Facebook has played down its music ambitions in the past, the Post confirms that the social networking firm has approached a number of digital music service providers, including Buzznet, iLike, Imeem, LaLa, Last.fm and Rhapsody, about them providing an official Facebook music service that would basically do pretty much everything the all new MySpace Music does (millions of tracks available for free unlimited streaming, sell through to iTunes and others). Facebook is in theory willing to share user data with any provider, though only in return for reducing its costs in licensing the music required for the service. Perhaps more interesting than all that, though, is the Post's revelation that the reason Facebook only got round to approaching Buzznet et al towards the end of 2008 is because it had spent much of the year negotiating with Total Music, the previously reported digital music service being developed by Universal and Sony. The intent for Total Music is that it will provide a MySpace Music style service, with music from all four majors, not direct to consumers but via other media partners. Facebook would be a perfect partner. The costs of Total Music for Facebook would not be huge, though the labels would want complete control of user data and 100% of ad revenues generated by the music service. It's thought Facebook weren't too keen on either of those two demands, though were giving the lowcost option serious consideration. The real problem, the Post claims, is that while Universal and Sony have persuaded EMI to participate in Total Music, Warner are not keen, mainly because they see it as competing with the previously reported Lala.com subscription based streaming service they've been heavily investing in. Without Warner's catalogue the Total Music option didn't work for Facebook, sending the social networking back to the drawing board, meaning that if and when it does launch a serious music offer it may well have missed the boat. -------------------------------------------------- NOKIA MAN TO KEYNOTE AT MIDEMNET TOMORROW Ojanpera will compare his message with the big speech of Midem 2008 where U2 manager Paul McGuinness hit out at the internet service providers for not doing enough to combat illegal file sharing. The Nokia man is reportedly to show how the tech sector can be the good guys, and may possibly suggest the music industry should be doing more to support those good guys. The Nokia VP told Billboard: "I shall be addressing some of the issues Paul McGuinness raised last year, such as how to make sure rights holders get paid, as well as how to buy and share music legally with friend. We've already paid [for the content], so customers can share the music freely. That approach will help monetize music, encourage the creation of new services, and have an impact on the way consumers can enjoy music". MidemNet takes place this weekend, while Midem proper kicks off on Sunday. C4 BOSS DOWN ON FOUR/FIVE MERGER IDEA As previously reported, the government is currently considering the future of commercial public service broadcasting given the changes in the advertising space. Channel 4 favour it receiving a cut of the licence fee to support its flagging advertising revenues. The BBC, eager to hold on to all its licence income, does not favour that proposal, and management there have been busy suggesting all sorts of other ways C4 could cope with its financial woes. It was with that in mind that BBC boss Mark Thompson said this week the Four/Five merger, mooted by others, was worth giving some serious consideration. Speaking at an event organised by the National Endowment for Science, Technology And The Arts, Duncan said such a proposal was "trying to fix the problems of the future with the solutions of the past", adding: "It makes no sense whatsoever to imagine that merging a not-for-profit publicly owned broadcast business with a for-profit, privately owned broadcaster is going to solve the fundamental structural problems we are all facing. Mixing oil and water doesn't work. It just makes a mess". He added that the government needs to do, well, something, to ensure the future of British broadcasting and telly making. To be honest I'm not really sure what he's saying here, but it sounds important: "The scale and nature of change being brought about by digital technology is fundamental, it is global and it is irreversible. The established economic model is inevitably in decay. But, just as the door is progressively closing on the old linear model of one-to-many broadcasting, a new and much bigger door is opening on the global content market. If we seek to approach the challenges of the future with the solutions of the past, we commit Britain's creative and media industry to decline. If we understand and embrace change and create the right structures for the future, we open the way to major social, cultural and economic benefit for all in our country". -------------------------------------------------- NEW OWNERS WOULD RESULT IN NEW EDITOR AT STANDARD -------------------------------------------------- THE LOCAL RADIO COMPANY GOES MORE LOCAL -------------------------------------------------- INDIE 103.1 GOES OFF AIR A statement from the station, which airs shows fronted by Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols and Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction, said: "Indie 103.1 will cease broadcasting over this frequency effective immediately. Because of changes in the radio industry and the way radio audiences are measured, stations in this market are being forced to play too much Britney, Puffy and alternative music that is neither new nor cutting edge". It continued: "Due to these challenges, Indie 103.1 was recently faced with only one option - to play the corporate radio game. We have decided not to play that game any longer. Rather than changing the sound, spirit, and soul of what has made Indie 103.1 great, Indie 103.1 will bid farewell to the terrestrial airwaves and take an alternative course. This could only be done on the Internet, a place where rules do not apply and where new music thrives; be it grunge, punk, or alternative - simply put, only the best music". The move to online only will, of course, result in budget cuts, and that, it's thought, will impact on shows like those presented by Jones and Navarro. NOVOSELIC NOT CUT OUT FOR ROCK BAND Novoselic told Xfm: "I know about 'Rock Band', because Nirvana has some songs on it. I had never tried the game before, so I gave it a go. I worked through the menu and found the song 'In Bloom'. I picked up the little guitar-shaped controller and hit the stage". Initially confident that he would be on pretty safe ground with one of his own songs, he soon found himself on shaky ground. He continued: "I knew the bass line to the song, of course, but I couldn't quite master this new, different way of playing it. The game reminded me of Space Invaders. I tried to hit the notes cascading down the screen, but could barely keep up. Meanwhile, this kid was watching me fumble with the game. I became self-conscious and took the controller off. I handed it to him, and he proceeded to jam on the song and was really good! He had no idea that I was the musician he was emulating on the game, and I didn't tell him". And how does one recover in such a situation? "[I] walked away to buy some paint supplies, groceries, and other items from the store". -------------------------------------------------- JONAS BROTHERS INCREASE SECURITY IN ATTEMPT TO RETAIN PANTS The National Enquirer claims that all guests must now be escorted to the dressing rooms by the additional security people. To be fair, I don't suppose I'd want people stealing my pants, either. |
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