![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NOTE: Make sure you 'enable images' to see this e-bulletin properly. WHAT IS THIS? You are receiving this e-bulletin because you are subscribed to the CMU Daily. Unsubscribe information is given at the bottom of this e-bulletin. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() MORE OF THE SAME: PIRATE BAY TRIAL UPDATE As with his co-defendants, Hans Fredrik Neij and Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, who also testified last week, Sunde, while questioning the very concept of copyright in debates outside court, relied more on denial and ignorance inside the court room. He too claimed to have limited knowledge of the Pirate Bay operation, beyond his direct remit of writing press statements. He also claimed that the Pirate Bay team didn't realise they were involved in copyright infringement until the cease and desist letters started to arrive, and that, anyway, the vast majority of content linked to via the Bay was legit - ie provided with the content owner's consent - and was not, in fact, dodgy unapproved uploads of albums and movies, many ahead of official release. It's not really my place to judge, but I find both those claims hard to believe. Firstly, they called the site The Pirate Bay - are they really claiming they didn't know people would use it to share and accessed pirated content? Secondly, Sunde claims that a review of 1000 files linked to by the Bay found 80% went to legitimate content sources, unsigned bands or extra-indie film-makers presumably - are there really 800 unsigned bands that the average Bay user is interested in? Sunde went onto say he thought he and his co-defendants were the victims of what was a "political trial", a theme he extended to his much-read Twitter feed, where he posted the message: "That was annoying. Now it's certain this is political. Anyone hear a question that was not based on ideology?" Despite the embarrassment suffered by the content owners at the outset of this trial, when, as previously reported, the prosecution announced it was dropping half its charges against the four defendants, by the end of the week the fortunes of both sides in this trial felt much more balanced. Three of the Pirate Bay four, including media-savvy Sunde, had given lacklustre testimonies totally lacking the bullishness and conviction of their out-of-court statements, and relying on pretty weak excuses, mainly along the lines of: "oh, I never realised that was going on, honest sir". And then even the prosecution's initial blunder - the sudden charge dropping - was lessened slightly when the court ruled that the move constituted an "amendment" rather than a "dropping" of charges. Such a ruling was given in response to the defence's attempts to have the whole case thrown out of court because of the prosecution's last minute change of plan. All of which means, I reckon, this trial could still go either way as it enters week number two. -------------------------------------------------- MORE RIHANNA/BROWN STUFF - RIHANNA ISSUES STATEMENT As LA police announced it was investigating how the picture, seemingly taken after the pop star was beaten up by her now ex boyfriend Chris Brown, was leaked to the press, and as the photo was reprinted by media around the world, some expressed the opinion that those publishing it were guilty of a gross invasion of Rihanna's privacy. They're probably right. Some of the most vocal criticism came from domestic violence campaigners in the US, though there wasn't consensus in that community either. Some campaigners thought the image might make people take both this story and domestic abuse in general more seriously. The publication of the image motivated rapper and TV host Xzhibit to Twitter about the whole affair, and to make the somewhat predictable link between Brown and the late Ike Turner, whose musical achievements were invariably overshadowed in the public consciousness by the allegations he abused Tina Turner during their marriage. He wrote: "Damn Chris Brown. The photo of Rihanna is making you look like the new Ike Turner. All jokes aside, dude is about to have BIG problems". But he later countered that statement by cautioning people from drawing too many conclusions before all the facts are know, tweeting: "Everybody is going off on Chris Brown now, before we get all the facts. there are 3 sides to EVERY story, lets just wait for the TRUTH", and later: "I am in no way condoning what the media says he did, if it was my sis, I would want answers as well. Just hate 'WITCH HUNTS'". Elsewhere, as the photo story broke, the first official statement from the Rihanna camp regarding the Brown altercation was issued to the press. Saying very little, the statement read thus: "At the request of the authorities, Rihanna is not commenting about the incident involving Chris Brown. She wants to assure her fans that she remains strong, is doing well, and deeply appreciates the outpouring of support she has received during this difficult time". Finally from this file, there were rumours this weekend that prosecutors might add attempted murder to the list of charges they file against Brown. As previously reported, he's only been charged with making criminal threats so far, but the police investigation is ongoing and additional more serious charges are expected to be added to the list. That said, the attempted murder charge - based on him shouting "I'm going to kill you" I think - seem a bit unrealistic. Even E! News, who like a bit of OTT gossip more than anyone, cited a LAPD source as saying it would be difficult to make such severe charges stick, especially given the lack of witnesses. -------------------------------------------------- NME SORT OUT BIG GIG TICKETS PROBLEM As previously reported, Trinity Street had failed to send out any Big Gig tickets bought via their website before going under earlier this month, leaving fans who had ordered tickets that way ticketless, and facing the prospect of having to buy new tickets and join the list of Trinity Street's other creditors to try and get back their money back through the company's administrators. Big Gig promoters AEG sent out an email to that effect last week. But with growing criticism that fans who had, after all, bought their tickets from the official NME store, were going to lose out - and news that Cure man Robert Smith had expressed concerns - the music mag announced on Friday that it had managed to get the information it required from Trinity Street's administrators to allow them and AEG to replace the original tickets without asking for more money. New tickets will be sent special delivery today, and anyone affected is advised to consult the information given on this page on NME.com: www.nme.com/news/shockwaves-nme-awards-2008-big-gig/42904 The Big Gig takes place at The O2 as the grand finale to this year's NME Awards programme, during which The Cure will be named this year's Godlike Geniuses. -------------------------------------------------- JAMAICA GOES HARDLINE WITH NEW MUSIC RULES The new rules presumably target, in particular, the sometimes controversial dancehall genre, where those themes are often explored. Though, while criticism of some dancehall artists elsewhere in the world has centred in the main on misogynistic or homophonic lyrics, Jamaican authorities have possibly acted now because of concerns about the growing popularity of a dance fad call "daggering". This is basically a kind of sexually provocative dancing which, while part of the Jamaican dancehall scene for years, has been increasingly popularised of late. It's thought that the ban may also impact on some hip hop and soca (dance music that originates in calypso, and which mainly comes from Trinidad and Tobago) which is popular among young Jamaicans. -------------------------------------------------- T-PAIN CANCELS GIGS BECAUSE OF DEATH THREATS THE KILLERS COUNTERSUE FORMER MANAGER Merrick's original lawsuit, which followed his sacking as the band's manager in 2005, named both the band and their new manager Robert Reynolds as defendants. He claimed the band had fired him without legal justification, that Reynolds had interfered in his relationship with the band, and that he was owed royalties from a separate producer agreement. In their countersuit, the Killers accuse Merrick of incompetence and double dealing which, they say, led to a loss of revenue for the band. Among the allegations are that Merrick worked as a paid consultant for Universal's Island Def Jam, who release their music in the US, without their knowledge, and in breach of his managerial contract. The band previously responded to Merrick's lawsuit by claiming their former manager had represented them without the appropriate licence, as required under Californian law. They wanted past contracts, on which Merrick's litigation relied, to be voided, and for past commissions paid to the former manager returned. Merrick's people say a ruling on that matter is still pending, but that a judge has said that even if the former manager is found at fault regarding the agent licence it is unlikely the court would order the voiding of all contracts and returning of all commissions as a result. The fact the band have launched this new litigation may suggest they too are no longer certain the licence action will fully defend them against claims in the 2006 lawsuit. GARY BARLOW INJURES BACK He's one of a number of celebs attempting the climb, with a couple of Girls Aloud and Chris Moyles also involved in the event, which has been organised to raise money for Comic Relief. It's hoped they'll raise £1million for the cause, some of which would be used in Tanzania to fight malaria. ELO BASSIST DIES Born in Cosely, Staffordshire, Groucutt began his career at fifteen, initially as a singer with a variety of different bands, but he picked up the guitar as his career progressed. He joined ELO for the band's 'Eldorado' tour, and quickly endeared himself to fans, enjoying a good rapport with audiences, and taking over lead vocals on some tracks. After almost a decade with the band, Groucutt became unhappy with his royalty payments, so left the group and sued band leader Jeff Lynne, a case settled out of court for £300k. During his time with the band he also released a solo album, 'Kelly', which featured performances by a number of his ELO colleagues. The BBC quote his friend Mike Sheridan, of Mike Sheridan And The Nightriders, as saying that he was "gob smacked" by Groucutt's sudden death. He added: "When I heard the news this afternoon I just couldn't believe it. He seemed to be such a fit guy". He's survived by a wife, four children and two grandchildren. SLUMDOG WINS MUSIC OSCARS Composer AR Rahman won the gong for Best Original Score, and the honour for Best Song. As previously reported, Rahman had two songs nominated in the latter category, 'O Saya' which was co-written by MIA, and 'Jai Ho', co-written with Indian lyricist and poet Gulzar, which was the winner on the night. Rahman said: "God is great - thank you! The essence of the film is about optimism. All of my life I've had a choice of hate and love, and I've chosen love - and I'm here". Rahman performed his tracks as part of the three song medley celebrating the Best Song category, unlike Peter Gabriel, who, as previously reported, dropped out of performing his track, 'Down To Earth' from Best Animated Feature winner Wall-E, because he wasn't happy with the minute long time slot allocated. Gabriel did, however, attend the event. Other musical performances on the night included selections of the music nominated in the Best Original Score category, played by the Academy Awards orchestra, a Baz Luhrmann directed tribute to film musicals, and a rendition by Queen Latifah of 'I'll Be Seeing You', during the traditional 'parade of the dead' (as I like to call it) montage. back to top-------------------------------------------------- BOOKMAKERS CLAIM THEY LOST 100K IN BRITS/WELLER STING As previously reported, gambling outlets closed bets on Paul Weller winning Best Male ahead of the ceremony on Wednesday after a sudden spate of widespread bets on the singer emerging victorious. All the big bookies are said to have been affected, and a spokesman for Coral claims that "eighty per cent of all bets we took [for that Brit award] were on Weller. It cost us a five-figure payout". Responding to claims the Weller result was leaked, a Brits spokesman says this: "Every precaution is taken to keep results under lock and key". Every precaution doesn't always work, though, as you all surely know. HANSON BOY SIDE PROJECT SIGNES TO S-CURVE -------------------------------------------------- SONY DROP AIKEN BSP ANNOUNCE SOUNDTRACK RELEASE The film will be re-released on DVD complete with the new music, accompanied by a CD featuring the soundtrack. The band will perform live to the film on 23 Apr at BFI Southbank. The double package is out on 5 May. NEIL TENNANT ON BALLET SOUNDTRACK Tennant said: "It's quite a big project. There's a lot of music to write but we've written half an hour of it and we've done a bit of a workshop with them. It's got a story, it's like a Tchaikovsky ballet in that it's based on a story by Hans Christian Andersen but we've got the choreographer sorted out now". As previously reported, the band release their tenth studio album 'Yes' on 23 Mar. JACKSON PLANNING MASSIVE LIVE COMEBACK? A source is quoted as saying: "It will be the greatest comeback in the history of pop and there would be no problem selling out the O2 every night. No-one is concerned about his reputation and people don't feel it is a risk. Organisers are confident people will come from all over the world to see him". It's not the first time 'Jacko to play O2' rumours have done the rounds, though if this story is true it should help with his money troubles. Assuming he's anywhere near fit enough to do thirty shows. -------------------------------------------------- FIRST AID KIT GIGS THIS WEEK See the video of that Fleet Foxes cover here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMrqBldlqzA The girls will be in London this week to perform two shows: 23 Feb: The Enterprise MANSON CONFIRMED FOR DOWNLOAD -------------------------------------------------- ACOUSTIC FEST ANNOUNCES LINE UP The event takes place over four days from Friday 22 - Monday 25 May in the grounds of Catton Hall in Derbyshire. According to this here press release, the event features four stages, as well as crafts, food outlets, bars, a cinema and children's activities including juggling, drumming, art & football skills workshops. Early bird tickets are on sale during February and March at a cost of £80, a ticket which includes five nights camping and parking. More from www.acousticfestival.co.uk. -------------------------------------------------- FIRST ACTS CONFIRMED FOR CAMDEN CRAWL SINGLE REVIEW: Sneaky Sound System - I Love It (14th Floor Records) Buy from iTunes ESSENTIAL TO WORK WITH R&S -------------------------------------------------- ZEST PR REBRAND -------------------------------------------------- DANCE INDUSTRY CONVENTION LINE UP ANNOUNCED The 2009 Summit will take place from 27-29 May at the White Isle's Gran Hotel, and among the industry types set to participate this year are artist managers Marc Marot and David Enthoven, Bestival chief Rob da Bank, Wall Of Sound boss Mark Jones and Radio 1's Pete Tong, who is actively involved in the development of the event. Elsewhere, Richie Hawtin will take part in a one-to-one interview with IMS co-creator Ben Turner. Confirming his involvement, Hawtin told CMU: "I heard great reports about the first IMS, and as this is a critical time for the industry and the world at large, this intimate gathering feels more important now than ever before. I am excited to share my experiences and vision for the future with the leaders of the genre". For more information go check www.internationalmusicsummit.com MEXICAN ISPS BLOCK OFF COPYRIGHT INFRINGING BLOGS -------------------------------------------------- NEW RED BULL LIVE STREAMING WEBSITE GOES LIVE -------------------------------------------------- U2 ALBUM ON SPOTIFY Of course, the album is available elsewhere on the net already, though mainly from less legitimate sources (US readers can legitimately stream if via MySpace too). Access to the album via file sharing networks ahead of its official release was aided by Universal Music Australia, who put the new album live on a legit Australian download store last week by mistake. Given the major has not been sending out review copies of the CD to try and reduce the unapproved, pre-release distribution of the album online, the slip up at the major's Aussie division is rather embarrassing. Needless to say, it was quickly removed from sale as soon as someone noticed, though presumably not before copies of it had been dropped into the more popular of the world's P2P networks. CHART UPDATE Best British Group Elbow saw 'The Seldom Seen Kid' rise from 18 to five, while The Ting Ting's album 'We Started Nothing' saw sales rise by 80%, taking it from 33 to number eight, despite them putting in an awful performance at the BRITs ceremony. The new best of album by winners of the Outstanding Contribution To Music awards The Pet Shop Boys entered the chart at 19. ROBERT SMITH DOESN'T APPROVE OF RADIOHEAD RELEASE Smith said: "The Radiohead experiment of paying what you want - I disagreed violently with that. You can't allow other people to put a price on what you do, otherwise you don't consider what you do to have any value at all, and that's nonsense. If I put a value on my music and no-one's prepared to pay that, then more fool me, but the idea that the value is created by the consumer is an idiot plan, it can't work". -------------------------------------------------- CILMI MAKES MORE ENEMIES |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SUBSCRIPTIONS>> CMU Daily is a free daily e-bulletin for people working in the music industry and music media, delivered direct to your PC each morning. If you want to stop receiving this e-bulletin click the 'unsubscribe' button below and follow the instructions. If any of your colleagues want to receive the CMU Daily tell them to email their name, company, job title and email to [email protected]. If you would like to recieve the CMU Daily as a text email, send a blank email from the email address you are registered at to [email protected]. MEDIA PEOPLE>> If you are looking for an independent quote on anything to do with the music business, or you need someone to come on your TV or radio show and talk music business, then we can help. There's nothing we don't know about. Email requests to [email protected] or call 020 7099 9050. CMU is published by and (c) UnLimited Media - www.unlimitedmedia.co.uk Send news stories to [email protected]. If we don't respond directly, we do apologise, only we get sent hundreds of emails a day and don't have time to respond to every one of them. However we do check every email sent to the musicnews email address, and do pull out stories that we feel are relevant to our readers. Send CDs for review to CMU, UnLimited Media, 221-222 Shoreditch High Street, London, E1 6PJ. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||