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MARSHALL RELAUNCHES INFECTIOUS Marshall, as fans of indie label history will know, originally formed Infectious in 1994 after over a decade working in A&R for RCA Records, part of BMG by the time he left the company. He later merged Infectious with Australian independent music firm Mushroom to create Mushroom UK, of which Infectious became an imprint. Warner acquired Mushroom UK in 2003, with Marshall becoming MD of the division into which the indie was merged, then EastWest, soon to rebranded Atlantic. He later became MD of Warner Music UK, where he stayed until last October when he announced he was leaving the major. It seems Marshall left Warner because he'd been approached by investors with the idea of relaunching Infectious. Among those investors are Marshall's former business partner Michael Gudinski of the Mushroom Group in Australia, plus a music, sport and theatre producer called Michael Watt. Both are minority shareholders in the new label. The new company, which will have music publishing and management divisions as well as being a record label, will, I think, sign UK acts plus work with bands signed to Aussie labels in the Mushroom group. Certainly the first band on the new Infectious roster, Aussies The Temper Trap, are signed to Gudinski's Liberation Music label in their home country. Confirming the relaunch of Infectious, Marshall told CMU: "Having spent the last six years working within a big organisation, where I had a great time and learnt a lot, I'm incredibly excited about going back to running an independent label. These are really interesting times for the music industry, which continues to evolve and although there are still big challenges to overcome I believe there are fantastic opportunities for labels who are willing to embrace new ideas and new ways of working with artists". He continued: "As well as being a record company we plan to launch music publishing and artist management arms in due course and will be looking to embrace new ideas wherever possible. I'm also really lucky to have investors who believe in me and my vision for Infectious. In the 25 years that I have been finding artists and helping develop their careers the most exciting and creative period was when I was working with Michael Gudinski. I am delighted to have him and Michael Watt on board as they will both bring a wealth of experience, enthusiasm and support to our new company. It's great to have made The Temper Trap our first signing. They are an amazing band with fantastic songs and a brilliant live show and if early reactions are anything to go by they are going to provide the perfect debut release for our company". Former Infectious execs Pat Carr and Mirelle Davis, now of Remote Control and Wind Up Bird respectively, will consult for the new label on general management and international marketing respectively, while Sound Advice will handle the label's legal and financial affairs. -------------------------------------------------- LILY RESENTS PROMOTING A LOSS-LEADER Now she's told Q Radio: "I don't make any money out of record sales at all. I make money out of touring and syncs, publishing. My songs being put on Grey's Anatomy, things like that. I don't make any money at all from selling an album, which is probably why I feel so angry about doing all this promotion because I am not earning any money out of it, someone else [is] and they don't have to live with the lasting effects". Of course, and without wanting to sound too corporate here, most of the money from her record sales are repaying EMI for their original investment in her, without which she'd not have the public profile she currently enjoys, nor much of the sync, publishing or live income she's living off. And by going on telly to plug the album she's keeping that profile up, so the sync and live money continues to flow in. To be honest, I'm not convinced she's really thought this through. -------------------------------------------------- ALPHABEAT NOT DROPPED BY EMI, BUT HAVE LEFT Writing on their MySpace blog, they said: "You may have read rumours about us being dropped by EMI on several blogs in the last couple of weeks. Have we been dropped? Nope. But before Xmas we had the opportunity to leave - and we did. We (this means us - Alphabeat) sat down round a table before we went on [our] Xmas] holiday and decided that we needed a change before starting recording our new album and one of the major changes would be a new label. We're back in the UK and we're happy to say that we're signing with a new label as we speak. ... We're heading in to studio to start recording our new album as soon as possible. We hope to release it during 2009". -------------------------------------------------- FIDDY TALKS ABOUT JAY, COLLABORATES WITH ROBBIE Fiddy says of Jay: "He's the first person I went into the studio with, with the intention of producing a song for an album which was never released because Jay's touring schedule was so hectic he wasn't able to focus on it". Despite the fact that album never saw the light of day, Jay's advice provide vital for Fiddy: "I learned to market myself, like Jay had done. A lot of the major labels and companies were ignoring me because they were only looking at my street life. It makes me rub it in now. Right in their faces. I want to go into their offices and say, 'I remember you. Didn't they fire you yet?'" Elsewhere in Fiddy news, there are reports that a collaboration with Robbie Williams will feature on the hip hopper's upcoming new album 'Before I self Destruct', despite the fact that the pair had something of a falling out back in 2005. You may remember, because I think we reported on it, that the artists clashed when they were both staying at a hotel in Germany at the same time. Williams said Fiddy was pissed off the he was greeted with chants of "Robbie, Robbie" on his arrival at the hotel. Elsewhere, it was reported Williams complained when Fiddy's G-Unit Crew made a lot of noise at 4am; though Fiddy maintained that Williams complained because he was upset that the rapper had not been able to meet up with him. Anyway, 'Before I Self Destruct' is expected to land in March, and is set to feature a number of collaborations with the likes of Eminem, Dre, Nate Dogg, and Swizz Beatz, and maybe Mr Williams. ILLEGAL DOWNLOADS DON'T EQUATE TO LOST SALES, SAYS US JUDGE The ruling comes from a criminal copyright action against Daniel Dove, who ran the Elite Torrents message board in 2004 and 2005, providing access to illegal sources of both music and movies. He's already been jailed for 18 months for his involvement in the infringing torrent group, and was ordered to pay a $20,000 fine. However, two parties, the Recording Industry Association Of America and movie makers Lionsgate Entertainment, have also made claims for 'restitution'; basically they want to be compensated for the losses they claim they suffered as a result of Dove's torrent service (legally speaking, restitution is subtly different to compensation, but that's in essence what they want). They calculated what they were due by doing sums involving how many bits of their content were featured on Elite Torrents, how many times that content was downloaded, and what the wholesale value of that content would have been. The RIAA managed to work out it was owed over $124,500, while the somewhat optimistic Lionsgate reckoned it was due $880,000. But, according to Ars Technica, Judge James P Jones says content owners can't equate every download to a lost sale when working out what they lost in online infringement cases. He wrote: "Those who download movies and music for free would not necessarily purchase those movies and music at the full purchase price. Although it is true that someone who copies a digital version of a sound recording has little incentive to purchase the recording through legitimate means, it does not necessarily follow that the downloader would have made a legitimate purchase if the recording had not been available for free". Content owners often calculate the compensation they reckon they are due in online infringement cases by equating the the number of tracks or movies downloaded with lost sales. In reality few defendants pay anyway near the amounts of compensation those equations often result in (often because of some out of court settlement), but Jones' comments could render such calculations even more obsolete in future copyright litigation. That said, it should be noted Jones' ruling technically only applies to claims of restitution in criminal cases, and may not apply in civil cases like those pursued by the RIAA against individual file sharers. Though defendants' lawyers may refer to Jones' ruling when trying to force down any damages their clients are liable to pay. ELBOW GET SOUTH BANK SHOW AWARD Non-music related winners on the night included the Donmar Warehouse for a revival of 'Othello', and urban artist Mohammed Ali, who got the diversity award. Entertainment on the night came from the likes of Michael Ball, Razorlight and Nigel Kennedy. The awards will be broadcast on ITV1 on 28 Jan. HARVEY LEAVES BAD SEEDS Here's what he says: "For a variety of personal and professional reasons I have chosen to discontinue my ongoing involvement with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. After 25 years I feel I am leaving the band as it experiences one of its many peaks; in very healthy condition, and with fantastic prospects for the future. I'm confident Nick will continue to be a creative force and that this is the right time to pass on my artistic and managerial role to what has become a tremendous group of people who can support him in his endeavours both musically and organisationally. It was a fantastic experience to finish my touring days in the band with the recent shows in Australia and the unique events that took place in conjunction with All Tomorrow's Parties, especially Mt. Buller, which was one of the many highlights of my involvement with the band throughout the years. I shall continue working on the Bad Seeds back catalogue re-issues project over the coming year and look forward to the new opportunities I shall be able to accommodate as a result of my changed circumstances". NEW MANAGEMENT FOR PSB GREEN DAY RUMOURED TO HAVE FINISHED WORK ON NEW ALBUM Anyway, here's what a posting at fan site Green Day Authority says about it: "Back in November we learned that the band was recording at the same studio where they recorded 'American Idiot', Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood, California - the same place where they recorded previous albums as well. Someone decided to go check it out, and found the guys' parking spaces reserved, pretty much confirming the band was definitely there recording. A few days ago another visit to the studio showed the parking spaces were no longer reserved, leaving us to assume that recording is done; though, with no official word from the band, we can't really make any promises". The band are also rumoured to be planning their live comeback at this year's Coachella, but they haven't reserved any parking spaces at the festival site, so it's possibly too early to tell. -------------------------------------------------- EMINEM ALBUM ALMOST DONE, SAYS FIDDY Asked if he appears on 'Relapse' he answered: "Of course! I will be all over the record, you kidding me? You think I won't take advantage of the opportunity for everybody to look at me and listen to me? Yes I will!" -------------------------------------------------- GLASVEGAS MAN MAY RECORD SUICIDE SONG IRON MAIDEN ANNOUNCE DOCUMENTARY Speaking to Kerrang!, Dickinson said: "'Flight 666' is a snapshot of life in a rock band. We've never given anybody access to everything and they had access to everything, 24/7. When we went out for a beer, they'd be there. The only thing they didn't do was film us having a shit". He also revealed that the band haven't seen the finished product yet, instead waiting to see it on the big screen. He said: "I've got no idea what it's going to be like. I genuinely have no idea. So I'm just waiting to see what they make of us". ISLAMIC LEADERS PUSH FOR RIHANNA BAN IN MALAYSIA Presumably noting Rihanna's commitment to abide by the country's decency laws, campaigners have found other reasons to hate the singer. PAS youth wing leader Kamaruzaman Mohamad told reporters: "Whether Rihanna realises it or not, we know that the taxes she has paid also contributed to the war in Gaza," adding that the gig would be "akin to insulting Eastern culture, belittling local artistes, internationally causing losses to the country's economy and supporting Israel's war policy, which is supported by America." Rihanna has agreed to abide by the laws of the country regarding live performances, meaning that she would have to abandon her usual costumes of PVC corsets and knee-high boots for her gig, and promoters Pineapple Concerts say the star and her managers are "aware of the country's regulations and the difficulties of doing a show". -------------------------------------------------- SNOW PATROL TO PLAY APPLE STORE The band embark on a 20 date tour of the UK and Ireland next month, with a range of support acts, including White Lies, Duke Special and Annie. Tour dates: 20 Feb: Bournemouth, BIC (with Fanfarlo) ALBUM REVIEW: Wintersleep - Welcome To The Night Sky (One Four Seven Records) Buy from iTunes MIDEM ATTENDANCE DOWN With that in mind she said that the convention's digitally-focused offshoot MidemNet may be merged with the main conference from next year. Given that digital has been such an important part of the music industry for years now, I've long wondered why the digital stuff was sidelined into its own event, except, I suppose, it allows double the sponsorship positions. Commenting on what declining attendance figures says about the music industry, Leguern remarked "It's not a music industry crisis, it's a CD crisis", adding: "The growing presence of brands at MIDEM is an indication of what the future holds for the music industry. These are exciting as well as challenging times and [at this year's conference] we had the great opportunity of sharing the experiences of two emblematic artists at the forefront of building new business models, Radiohead and Trent Reznor. At the international manager summit, Brian Message (manager of Faithless, Kate Nash and Radiohead) clearly said that flexibility and creating value are today's tools for success and a Trent Reznor/Nine Inch Nails case study presented the artist's huge creativity in building new ways of connecting with fans". NEW MUSIC NETWORKING SITE LAUNCHES The industry networking component is perhaps most interesting, as it pulls together a range of digital tools used by music people into one place, including 300MB file transfer and business to business instant messaging. Artists and producers, meanwhile, can include lots more information about themselves than most artist profile sites allow, and are encouraged to embed players from other social networks and download stores. Commenting on the new service, co-founder Danny McMillan told CMU: "[Co-founder] Steve Travell and I wanted to create something that could be more focused towards the music industry and their fans. We liked elements of other online music networks but nothing quite hit the mark and was tailored enough to be a all-in-one solution. Also, we thought we could offer a different approach - as it seems most start ups seem to be tech heavy with an interest in music rather actually coming from the music industry". Go play: www.rivmixx.com back to top BACARDI AND GROOVE ARMADA ENCOURAGE FANS TO SHARE The new EP is out this week, and fans are encouraged to share the tracks through a special Bacardi website or through widgets that can be embedded on to blogs and social networks. Fans who do so will win access to additional tracks. The artists and their publishers won't lose out, of course, because distribution of the tracks is being funded by the drinks brand. Talking up the promotion, Groove Armada's Andy Cato told CMU: "Sharing music has always gone on. It's giving music away that's the problem. We wanted to come up with a 21st century version of what we used to do with cassette tapes. When you give music away for free it's disposable. When you share it, it's done with love". Go play: www.bliveshare.com -------------------------------------------------- NEW WEB SERVICE OFFERS FULL OPERAS Each show will be available to stream on-demand on a pay-per-view basis - access to each opera will cost $9.99. So users can see what they'll get, some archive footage will be available to stream for free. Each new show will be available for a fortnight. It's thought straight theatre productions may also be made available. The first show is the English National Opera's new production of Puccini's 'La Boheme', directed by Jonathan Miller, which will be online from 9 Feb. Go play (actually, there's not much to play with yet, I'd wait till 2 Feb): www.classicaltv.com -------------------------------------------------- MICROSOFT LAUNCH WORLD'S WORST DOWNLOAD STORE Lacking Universal catalogue is already a downside to the new system, but other factors are bigger flaws. Like many previous mobile music offers, the tracks are more expensive than those sold by internet-based stores. Labels and mobile firms have often argued consumers will pay more for mobile music because of the convenience, though that's not an argument that has really stacked up. Tracks from the new MSN store also come with some pretty horrible digital rights management. Full tracks will cost £1.50 (ie double online store rates), ringtones £3 and videos £2. And the DRM will reportedly mean tracks only work on the handset it is downloaded to. So, if you upgrade your phone, or it gets stolen, or you drop it down the toilet, you can say goodbye to all that overpriced music you bought. While mobile music offers have never been especially user-friendly, the MSN service launches as DRM disappears completely from online downloading, and Apple lead the way in making mobile downloading more like internet downloading, especially in terms of price. But whatever. Let's have some quotes from the guys behind the new offer shall we? Hugh Griffiths, director MSN Mobile UK, said: "With over 130 handsets having access to the music store from day one, this is an exciting proposition that for the first time provides consumers a network agnostic service with a vast array of new and old music from major music labels. In the 12 months since launch, MSN Mobile has already become the UK's largest commercial non-operator mobile portal. This is another step in its development". STANDARD SALE CONFIRMED The sale means current editor Veronica Wadley is out the door. Tatler editor Geordie Greig will replace her - in fact according to Private Eye he's been involved in Lebedev's takeover talks with DMGT since the start and will take a stake in the new company Lebedev will form to hold its 75% of the paper. PR man Matthew Freud is also involved somehow. Interestingly, DMGT will keep ownership of London Lite, the Standard's freesheet sister title, which has been moved into the same division of DMGT's Associated Newspapers as its other freesheet Metro. This is interesting because the most obvious thing for Lebedev to do in a bid to compete with News International's free London evening title The London paper would have been to merge Lite and the Standard, and make the more content-rich evening paper a free title. He won't be able to do this. However, it's reported that the deal between Lebedev and DMGT stops the latter from relaunching Lite as the Evening Metro, another obvious thing to do given the popularity of the Metro brand and the general ambivalence towards both The London Paper and Lite brands. While this feature of the deal may stop the Standard's owners from driving competitor The London Paper out of business, some point out that that is possibly not on Lebedev's agenda anyway, given Freud's involvement. He, of course, is married to Elisabeth Murdoch, daughter of New International owner Rupert Murdoch. What all of this means for the Standard editorially isn't clear - though other editorial staff, especially those close to Wadley, are expected to go. It's thought the paper may become less right wing now it is no longer aligned to Associated's Mail titles. It was thought the paper would continue to support Boris Johnson - many reckon the Standard's consistent and sometimes vitriolic editorials against his predecessor Ken Livingstone won Johnson the London Mayoral election last year. However, Private Eye point out Freud is no fan of Johnson, not least because he lost a £100,000+ a year account advising City Hall on PR issues after Livingstone lost office. While it's not clear that Freud is so involved with the deal that he'd have any active influence over editorial policy, some reckon on big issues like that he may do. Whatever, interesting times are definitely ahead for the London print media. -------------------------------------------------- MOYLES CRITICISED FOR CAMP REMARKS The Auschwitz concentration camp came up in a discussion about family tree show 'Who Do You Think You Are?', an edition of which will look into Moyles' family history. He remarked: "Unlike a lot of the 'Who Do You Think You Are?' shows I didn't go to Auschwitz ... pretty much everybody goes there, whether or not they're Jewish... they always kind of end up there, you know, if they just pass through on their way to Florida or something". The Will Young remarks came up because it was the former Pop Idol's birthday. To celebrate the gay singer's special day, Moyles sang along to his song 'Evergreen' in something of a camp voice, using the alternative lyrics: "It's my birthday, gonna wear my new dress tonight". A spokeswoman for the Beeb says this: "Anyone who listens to the Chris Moyles Show will know he has an irreverent style. However, we regret that on this occasion his comments were misjudged and we are speaking to Chris and his team about them". Perhaps Moyles would be advised to avoid all things camp on his show in the future. THIS WEEK'S SUB.TV PLAYLIST A-List LATOYA LEAVES THE HOUSE |
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