ISPS WANT RECORD LABELS TO SUE THEIR CUSTOMERS
Well, I'm paraphrasing slightly. Given that the music business was a bit disappointed with the proposals in the government's 'Digital Britain' report regarding forcing (or not) the internet service providers to take a more proactive role in policing online piracy, I think it goes without saying that the ISP sector was quite happy with what Communications Minister Stephen Carter has proposed regarding tackling file-sharing. Which is, in case you've already forgotten, more warning letters and civil lawsuits against persistent file-sharers, and then some lacklustre "technical restrictions" on the net connections of infringers if that doesn't work. The ISPs reckon record companies suing their customers is a far better idea than them having do something about copyright infringement themselves.

The net sector's trade body, the Internet Service Provider Association, told reporters yesterday: "ISPA is pleased that the government has ruled out legislating to force internet companies to disconnect persistent users of illicit P2P file sharing; a response that ISPA believes would be a disproportionate sanction against users. This is a view that is also held by consumer groups in the UK and further endorsed by the European Parliament and a judgement in the Constitutional Council in France". That latter remark is actually a fundamentally incorrect interpretation of what France's Constitutional Council said, but hey, these guys represent the internet, so who cares about accuracy?

The trade body's top man, Nicholas Lansman, added: "I am pleased that the government has taken the position advocated by ISPA that unlawful online copyright infringement should be reduced through offering viable legal alternatives. ISPA will assess in more detail the obligations on ISPs being proposed, but supports the use of existing legal channels to bring targeted civil action against repeat infringers. ISPA doubts the effectiveness of technical sanctions and would urge that the initial proposals be given every chance to succeed before such sanctions are considered".

While I also doubt the effectiveness of technical sanctions, or even the all out suspension or disconnection of the internet access of persistent file-shares, I know for sure that "the use of existing legal channels to bring targeted civil action against repeat infringers" doesn't and never will work. But if Lansman wants his customers to be dragged through the courts, well, now, for the first time, I'm starting to warm to the idea of label's pursuing P2P lawsuits against individual music fans. Providing the legal letters start "Oh hello there, your ISP asked us if we'd mind suing you".

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DIGITAL BRITAIN ON COLLECTING SOCIETIES AND COPYRIGHT CRIME FINES
Also released this week as part of the government's 'Digital Britain' report was some tedious prose on the role of collecting societies and the financial penalties for copyright infringement crimes. This particular bit of the proceedings actually came out of the Intellectual Property Office, and as such goes into specifics in much more detail than a lot of the rest of the Digi Brit document.

Regards collecting societies, like good old PPL and PRS in the music domain, proposals included giving such societies a mandate to collect for all rights holders within the content area they represent, even if some of those rights holders are not specifically members of their organisation. In these circumstances rights holders would have to opt out of representation by their sector's society, rather than always opt in. Proposed new rules would also provide protection for collecting societies who licence so called orphaned works (where the owner of a copyright is unknown, but might appear on the scene and claim infringement), while also introducing a statutory backed framework that underpins the society's entire operations.

These measures presumably show that government recognises collecting societies will only become more important in an era when the business to business licensing of content becomes more important than the sale of content direct to consumer, and when content owners have less and less control over where and when their content is distributed, meaning blanket licensing will probably extend to areas where it has not previously been the norm.

Commenting on the proposals, the minister with responsibility for all things intellectual property, that's David Lammy, told reporters: "In order to modernise and streamline the existing copyright system, I'm proposing a number of changes to the way collecting societies can operate. We should underpin the operation of collecting societies so that customers receive similar services and safeguards they would expect when dealing with a quality utility company".

With regards penalties for those who commit copyright crimes, the IP Office is proposing to make the maximum penalties for physical and online IP theft the same - and that's £50,000. Which is quite an increase for online copyright crimes, the maximum fine for which is currently five grand.

On that, Lammy says: "We must have the tools in place to tackle serious and organised IP crime. The proposed £50,000 maximum penalty for online and physical infringement sends a clear message to IP criminals. In this online age, IP infringement warrants a serious response. It needs to be stamped out- regardless of whether the offence is online or offline".

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FAC RESPOND TO DIGI BRIT
One last bit on 'Digital Britain'. Well, last until we get to media news. And while many in the music business yesterday worried that the "technical restrictions" that OfCom may be able to enforce against "serious, repeat infringers", eventually, were too little too late, the Featured Artists Coalition worried that those proposals may go too far.

In their response to the government's big digital report, they asked for clarification on what "serious, repeat infringer" really means, worried that the measures might be instigated against the kind of music fan whose casual file-sharing, in the eyes of many artists, is not a major problem. As previously reported, the FAC has made it very much its policy to oppose what it calls the "criminalisation" of ordinary music fans.

Asking for clarification and assurances on that point, Music Week quote FAC board member and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason as follows: "It is simply disproportionate and unfair to lump ordinary music fans into the same category as large-scale, profit-making infringers like The Pirate Bay".

Elsewhere, FAC said it welcomed one line in particular from the Intellectual Property Office's Digital Britain statement - the bit when the IP Office said that "the relationship between creators and creative business needs to be a balanced one - there may be steps we need to take here".

On that, FAC board member and Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien says: "We believe that this is a good indication of a willingness to establish a more level playing field between artists and the traditional structures of the music industry. It is refreshing to see that our extensive discussions with the Copyright Office and IP minister David Lammy have had some influence. We look forward to working with the IPO to further develop this strategic direction".

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BEYONCE TRIES TO STOP STREET VENDORS
Well, this is interesting. Beyonce is trying to get an injunction to ban street vendors from selling CDs and merchandise outside her upcoming New York gigs. The singer claims the sellers are often flogging pirated CDs and unofficial bootlegged merchandise, and she don't like it. According to TMZ, she is hoping to get an injunction to stop sellers from promoting their wares in the "vicinity" of her upcoming Madison Square Garden shows. Will be interesting to see what the court has to say.

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RIHANNA SUED FOR BEING BAD NEIGHBOUR
Ahead of the task of testifying in the case against her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown next week, Rihanna is also having to deal with a new bit of litigation. She is being sued for being a bad neighbour. Christian Moeller, who lives next to a Hollywood Hills property rented by the R&B star, says in papers filed with the LA court this week that the singer, her friends and associates regularly wait and park cars on his property, and also that her security cameras point into his home. Rihanna's landlord, Stephen Yacobian, is also named on the lawsuit. Rihanna's people are yet to respond.

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LAST ATTEMPT TO POSTPONE CHRIS BROWN COURT HEARING FAILS
Talking of Rihanna having to testify at the Chris Brown case, his lawyers have failed again to have that prelim hearing into his assault case postponed. As previously reported, previous attempts by Brown's celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos to have the prelim pushed back failed, but he took the matter all the way to the California Supreme Court. But they turned down his request too. There are some police files relating to the case that Geragos is still waiting for, and he argues that the prelim hearing shouldn't take place before he'd has had chance to review them. But, having failed to win that argument, Brown is now due in court on Monday, where it will be decided whether or not there is a good enough case against the singer to proceed with action against him. He, of course, is accused of beating up his then girlfriend Rihanna in the street after the couple had an argument after a pre-Grammy party.

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SIX HUNDRED QUID TO FORGET THE BANDS AND TOLERATE THOSE TOILETS
The average festival-goer spends £600 when they go to a music festival, or so says a new survey from the people behind the Lovebox Weekender. They questioned 3000 festival-goers about their festival experiences and expenditure. The costs included tickets, travel, food and booze. The latter two accounted for just under a third of the expense, with many admitting to spending £130 on booze alone, which is quite a lot, even allowing for extortionate bar prices.

Of those questioned, about a fifth admitted that they plan to throw a sickie on the Monday after going to a festival, giving them more time to recover. The survey makers did some maths of some description, and estimate that that means some 141,000 fake sick days may be taken as a result of employees going to music fests.

Despite the costs of going to a festival, many said they reckoned they saw less than six hours of music during a weekend in fest mode, and many admitted they often couldn't remember who'd they'd seen anyway, the whole experience fading into a drunken blur.

Asked about festival gripes, queues, lack of showers, poor food and weather all got a mention though, unsurprisingly, filthy toilets came top, with 37% saying it was their least favourite aspect of the music festival experience.

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KINGS OF LEON LAUNCH LABEL
Kings Of Leon have done a deal with LA-based music publisher Bug Music that will see the Sony-signed band launch their own record company.

The boss of Bug Music, John Rudolph, told reporters: "Caleb, Jared, Matthew and Nathan are extraordinary tastemakers and constantly absorbing new sounds from all over the world. The honesty in their music is what draws them to genuine artists".

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KLAXONS DELAY SECOND ALBUM
We reported back in March that Klaxons had been sent back to the studio after some of the tracks recorded for their second album were rejected by their label, Polydor. However, it sounds like they might just be scrapping the whole thing and starting again. The band have now confirmed that there will be no new album until next year and that they are looking for a new producer, having previously recorded with Simian Mobile Disco's James Ford.

Frontman Jamie Reynolds told BBC 6music: "We've now got 28 songs and we're just about to put it together as a complete record. We're looking for a producer and if anyone out there makes records, give us a bell. We'd really like to put out the first great record of the 2010s rather than the last great one of this decade. Now that's become an aspiration and a goal".

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SQUAREPUSHER ANNOUNCES LIVE BASS ALBUM
On record he is best known for his mind-bending drum n bass antics, but Squarepusher, aka Tom Jenkinson, is equally acclaimed for his live solo bass performances. In fact, one such performance led Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea to call him "the best electric bass player on Earth". And he would know.

If you've not been lucky enough to see him in action, you'll be able to hear what you're missing on his new live album, 'Solo Electric Bass 1', which was recorded at Cité de la Musique in Paris in September 2007. The album will be released by Warp on 17 Aug.

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NEW MOS DEF ALBUM RELEASED ON T-SHIRT
Well this is exciting. Mos Def's new album, 'The Ecstatic', will be released as a t-shirt. In the first of what music and fashion company Invisible DJ hope will be a long line of releases in this format (dubbed Music Tee), the t-shirts will have the album's artwork on the front, its tracklist on the back and a code to download the music printed on the label.

Santigold and Miike Snow are also apparently planning to release their new albums as Music Tees. Who said physical media was dead?

As previously reported, Asda are launching a line of t-shirts with song lyrics printed on them which will also allow the wearer (or at least the buyer) to download the song in question for free.

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LUKE VIBERT HEARS YOU
The many-monikered Luke Vibert is back with a new album under his own name later this year. 'We Hear You' will be released by Planet Mu on 10 Aug and will apparently feature "idiosyncratic samples, sweetly strange melody, big bass and sloppy drums". So the usual, then. Yay!

Here's the tracklist:

Belief File
We Hear You
De-Pimp Act
Hot Sick
Square Footage
Batting For England
Pretty Old Acid Music
Dive And Lie Wrecked
Computer Complex
Porn Shirtwee
House Stabs
Marvellous Music Machine
Arrogance

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NEW KIDS CANCEL AUSTRALIAN TOUR
New Kids On The Block have cancelled their planned Australian tour because of the global recession and certainly not because their comeback has stalled and no one is interested anymore, right? Right.

In a statement the band said: "Despite warnings that the financial problems plaguing the world would compromise the Australian tour, they [their Aussie promoters] never gave up on this dream and neither did we. However, I'm sorry to say that now it is true. We are not going to Australia. And quite honestly, we tried very hard to make it work. However, we are, in fact, in the middle of a worldwide recession and we just cannot make it work. That is the simple truth".

The tour's Australian promoter, Andrew McManus, also issued a statement: "Due to circumstances beyond their control, the New Kids On The Block have been forced to cancel their upcoming Australian tour dates. The group is incredibly disappointed and very sorry they won't be able to perform in Australia at this time. The guys are very grateful for all the love and support from their Australian fans".

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SOKO ANNOUNCES ONE-OFF SHOW
Despite the fact that she's only ever released one EP (2007's self-released 'Not Sokute') and rarely plays live, SoKo enjoys the sort of buzz that most other people never achieve, even after years of work. In fact, so buzzy was her buzz that it all got too much for her and she quit the music business back in April, although she has seemingly been tempted into performing in London at Dingwalls on 23 Jul.

Whether this means she's coming out of retirement, who knows. You probably still won't ever hear her debut album, though. Back in April she told fan site SoKoMusic.com: "I've never planned on doing music, so everything that has been happening has been so amazing and I'm really grateful but it's really scary for me and I'm just at that period of my life where I wonder if it's really what I want. I did a record in a studio, that had cost a lot of money and I didn't liked it cos it sounded too much like a studio record and not enough like my garage band crap that I like more. I thought it was a sign that I shouldn't put it out... not now... maybe in 10, 20 years, but not now".

Tickets for the Dingwalls show are available from tomorrow via Ticketweb and will set you back £10.50.

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FAITH NO MORE JOIN EDGE LINE UP
Oh this is exciting, Faith No More have been added to the bill of the Edge Festival, the flagship music strand at the Edinburgh Festival. They will play the city's Corn Exchange on 25 Aug. Biffy Clyro have also been confirmed, they will also play that venue, but on 21 Aug. And hurrah for that. More info and stuff at www.theedgefestival.com

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SINGLE REVIEW: The Big Pink - Stop The World (Beggars/4AD)
Riding on the back of the success of first single 'Velvet', The Big Pink's 'Stop The World' is another heavily stomping indie track with the face of Kasabian, the brain of Glasvegas and the heart of Jesus And Mary Chain. Despite its drone-like intentions, however, the track is close to squeaky clean and, God forbid, a little NME-punter friendly. If The Big Pink aren't sucked into the oftentimes sound-killing vortex of "this is the greatest band you'll ever hear EVER this year goddamn, this is 2009, woo!", then my guess is they'll be okay. 'Stop The World' is another loud anthemic tune that could get old fast, but has enough melodic quality and scuzzy shoegaze influence that makes it credible without too much pretention. TW
Release Date: 29 Jun
Press Contact: Toast [NP], 4AD IH [RP, O]

Buy from iTunes
Buy from Amazon

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DUFFY COKE AD NOT BANNED, DESPITE SAFETY FEARS
The Advertising Standards Agency has decided not to ban Duffy's Diet Coke advert, despite safety fears raised by a number of viewers.

The complaints were not, as I originally assumed, over fears that, as people smashed their TV's whenever the ad and Duffy's screeching came on their screens, flying glass would get into people's eyes. Rather, people were concerned that the singer is seen cycling without a helmet or reflective clothing in it. A total of 22 people said that her actions "condoned behaviour prejudicial to health and safety". Although I doubt they all used those exact words.

In response to the complaints, Coca Cola said that they had carried out a "vigorous" assessment of the Highway Code prior to making the advert, which is why Duffy is seen wearing a black and white sequined top, which would be reflective. Presumably what appeared to be her hair was actually a helmet.

The ASA added that the sequence in question was clearly "unreal and fantastical" and was not shown around programmes that children were likely to be watching, so would not negatively influence them to go out riding their bikes in an unsafe manner while singing like an annoying chipmunk.

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SAVE POLYVINYL'S STOCK
10,000 records pressed by US indie label Polyvinyl risk being destroyed as their distributor is downsizing its warehouse. Apart from being very wasteful, it would be a tragedy, as Polyvinyl's roster is packed full of great stuff. Among the CDs and DVDs facing the crusher are albums by Of Montreal, Mates Of State, and Architecture In Helsinki.

So, the company are asking for people to donate money to help them cover the costs of clearing the overstock. In return for these donations, you'll get (funnily enough) some of the records they're trying to shift.

Here's what your money will get you:

$5: A DVD
$10: Two CDs and a DVD
$15: Five CDs and a DVD
$20: eight CDs and DVD
$30: Thirteen CDs and a DVD
$50: Twenty six CDs and two DVDs

For details of which specific CDs and DVDs feature in each package, and to give Polyvinyl your cash, go here

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AMAZON BLAMES "PRICING ERROR" FOR 29P ALBUM SALE
So, what initially looked like a price-slashing PR stunt, turned out to be some sort of digital looting, as people flocked to Amazon's MP3 store yesterday to download a number of albums which had been incorrectly listed as costing 29p. These included Lily Allen's 'It's Not Me, It's You', Metallica's 'Death Magnetic', Kings Of Leon's 'Because Of The Times', Faith No More's latest best of 'The Very Best Definitive Ultimate Greatest Hits Collection' and the 11.5 hour compilation '99 Most Essential Pieces Of Classical Music'.

As word got around the internet of the very special albums deals, and music fans capitalised on them, some record label types questioned how the etailer could possibly afford to sell full albums for such a low price. The answer followed a few hours later. They couldn't. In a statement, Amazon said: "We can confirm that earlier today there was a pricing error on a small number of MP3 albums. This issue has been rectified. Despite our best efforts, with the millions of items available on our website, pricing errors can occur".

Still, at least people paid something this time. As previously reported, back in December Amazon offered a free album download to all their customers as a Christmas present. However, the voucher code they gave out could be used multiple times and had to be blocked, meaning that while many people got several free albums, quite a few got none at all. Bah humbug.

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IMEEM MOBILE APP PASSES 1M DOWNLOADS
Music streaming service Imeem have announced that their mobile app, which was launched last month for Google's Android mobile phone platform and the iPhone, has just passed its millionth download and already accounts for one third of new users on the site. Not only that, but it's also been installed on two thirds of all the Android phones out there in the big bad world.

Speaking to TechCrunch, Imeem CEO Dalton Caldwell said that the company has exceeded its ad sales targets for the second quarter of this year, thanks largely to the launch and quick growth of their mobile platform. Asked if they planned to roll out the Imeem to other mobile devices, Dalton said: "We've been very judicious in our use of resources. They don't have a great distribution model. It's a total pain to install anything on the BlackBerry".

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BECK TO LAUNCH NEW COVERS PROJECT
Beck is launching a new section to his website, Beck.com, which will see him invite various other musicians into a studio to cover an entire album in one day with no rehearsals or advance planning. He will upload tracks from these sessions to his website, while other artists who are involved will also be invited to include tracks on their sites. The first album to be covered is 'The Velvet Underground & Nico'. This sounds like a brilliant idea, I can't wait.

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COMMERCIAL RADIO SECTOR WELCOME DIGI BRIT
The UK commercial radio sector has welcomed the bits of 'Digital Britain' relevant to it, and in particular the government's renewed commitment to the digital audio broadcasting network, which has been flagging somewhat of late as numerous digital-only commercial services closed down.

The report said the government had a "pivotal role in securing... certainty" about the platform - which some have been predicting would falter before ever really getting established, to be taken over by internet-based radio technologies. Certainty is needed, of course, to encourage consumers to buy DAB radio sets and commercial players to invest in digital services.

The report also set a target for a digital radio switchover - ie when analogue radio services would be phased out forcing us to all go digital. The report says that there should be 50% take up of DAB and that the DAB network should have similar coverage to FM before that happens - but that it's hoped that might be the case by 2015.

Responding to the commercial radio sections of 'Digi Brit', Andrew Harrison, the boss of RadioCentre, which represents commercial radio companies, told reporters: "For radio to flourish in the digital age we require a digital strategy and, on first inspection, we are encouraged that 'Digital Britain' sets out a clear roadmap for our industry's future. Clearly, implementation of that roadmap is now a priority for RadioCentre alongside all the industry stakeholders".

He continued: "We think that 'Digital Britain' is right to identify a target date of 2015 to upgrade our sector to digital radio whilst also recognising the importance of meeting key criteria to trigger switchover and the need for intervention to drive the behaviour of manufacturers, the motor industry and other stakeholders. This will enable our members to plan and invest for their future; we now have a firm consensus that digital is the route forward for radio's future".

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NEW MARKETING CHIEF AT GLOBAL
Global Radio have announced a new Group Director Of Marketing - Giles Pearman. He will take over from incumbent Nicola Thomson next month. Pearman is currently the radio major's Enterprises Director, whatever that means, and previously he headed up marketing at Global's Classic FM station.

Confirming the new appointment, Global's Director Of Broadcasting, Richard Park, who Pearman will report to, told reporters: "Giles has a proven track record. He is a talented guy able to lead a big successful team and committed to the success of Global's portfolio of brands".

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THIS WEEK'S SUB.TV PLAYLIST
These, in case you wondered, are the videos being played on the Sub.tv network of screens in students' unions around the UK this week. New entries marked with a *. More info from [email protected]

A List
Agnes - Release Me
The All American Rejects - I Wanna
Basement Jaxx - Raindrops*
Chipmunk - Diamond Rings
Dan Black - Symphonies*
Florence and The Machine - Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
Jack Penate - Be The One*
Kasabian - Fire
Keri Hilson feat Kanye West & Ne-Yo - Knock You Down*
Kings Of Leon - Notion
La Roux - Bulletproof
Lenka - The Show
Noisettes - Never Forget You
Paloma Faith - Stone Cold Sober
Pixie Lott - Mama Do
Röyksopp - The Girl and the Robot
The Rumble Strips - Not The Only Person

B List
The Enemy - Sing When You're In Love
Filthy Dukes - Messages
Freemasons feat Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)
Gallows - London Is The Reason
JLS - Beat Again*
Katy Perry - Waking Up In Vegas*
Kid British - Our House Is Dadless
Lady Gaga - Paparazzi*
Lazee feat Neverstore - Hold On
Maxïmo Park - Questing Not Coasting
Melanie Fiona - Give It To Me Right
Metro Station - Seventeen Forever*
Nickelback - If Today Was Your Last Day
Patrick Wolf - Hard Times*
Soulja Boy Tell' Em feat Sammie - Kiss Me Thru The Phone*
The Saturdays - Work*
Steel Panther - Death To All But Metal
Yeah Yeah Yeah's - Heads Will Roll

Tip List
Bombay Bicycle Club - Dust On The Ground
Frankmusik - Confusion Girl*
Lethal Bizzle - Go Hard
Marmaduke Duke - Silhouettes*
Professor Green - Hard Night Out
September - Until I Die*
Stevie Hoang - Addicted
Tommy Reilly - Jackets*

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JOEL DIVORCES
Billy Joel has confirmed he is splitting from his wife Katie Lee. The couple got married five years ago, she being his third wife. Their statement said that, despite the split, they remain "caring friends with admiration and respect for each other".

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BELLE, SEBASTIAN AND GOD
Belle & Sebastian man Stuart Murdoch has said he thinks all creative ideas come from God. Well, that's not exactly what he said, but he does seem to think something divine happens when people create.

In an interview with the Guardian, Murdoch said: "I always just thought that if you were to have a good idea, that a little sliver of heaven would open up and that a small patch of celestial sunshine would be bestowed! Seems a bit of a daft thing to say, but that's the way I see it. I mean, I'm a churchgoer, so I guess I have the necessary baggage that would cause me to believe this!"

He continued: "I'm prepared to consider other options. Perhaps it's just the way a human brain is wired. Start with a dash of inherent talent, add desire and a bit of memory. Put the artist in a relaxed and receptive state, then sit back and wait. I still have the notion that something spiritual is happening".

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