MICHAEL JACKSON'S WILL LEAVES EVERYTHING TO FAMILY TRUST
As expected, Michael Jackson's will was filed with the LA court yesterday, and according to reports it requests that his entire estate be put into a trust, the beneficiaries of which will be his mother Katherine Jackson and his children. Katherine is also formally named as guardian for Jacko's three children, with Diana Ross named as a successor guardian should anything happen to the kids' grandmother.

As previously reported, the Jackson family initially said they didn't believe there was a valid will, but a former business associate of the singer, John Branca, who had started working for Jacko again for the first time in years just before his death, subsequently announced he was sitting on a legitimate legal document that was drawn up in 2002. It was that five page document, signed by Jacko and initialled by the singer throughout, that was filed with the court yesterday.

Details of the Michael Jackson Family Trust described in the will have not been released. It's thought most of the singer's assets, as set out in the document, are of the 'non-cash, non-liquid' kind and, as much previously reported, the most significant will be his half of the Sony ATV music publishing company. It's still not clear if this will need to be sold to settle the singer's affairs.

The will named Branca, and another long term confidante of Jackson, former major label exec John McClain, as co-executors. In a joint statement they said yesterday: "The most important element of Michael's will is his unwavering desire that his mother, Katherine, become the legal guardian for his three children. As we work to carry out Michael's instructions to safeguard both the future of his children as well as the remarkable legacy he left us as an artist we ask that all matters involving his estate be handled with the dignity and the respect that Michael and his family deserve".

The will provides nothing for Jackson's ex-wife Rowe, either financially or in terms of custody rights for her regarding the couple's two children. It is still unknown if Rowe plans to take any action to try and win custody of twelve year old Prince and eleven year old Paris.

Although she previously surrendered her parental rights to the two children, that arrangement was altered after concerns were raised by a judge, and her relationship with them are governed by a secret out of court settlement. That said, in such cases, past contractual agreements may be overruled if a court considered doing so is in the best interests of the minors. That said, TMZ's allegations that Rowe isn't actually Prince or Paris' natural mother, rather she was just a surrogate, could possibly hinder any custody claim if true.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

MEMORIAL SERVICE BEING PLANNED FOR LA'S STAPLES CENTRE
Widespread reports that some sort of public memorial event for Jacko was being planned to take place at his former home Neverland, possibly involving his dead body 'lying in state' before his funeral, seem to be untrue.

There is also a lot of doubt over those other rumours that Jackson will be buried at the ranch, and that the property would then be turned into a Graceland style shrine. Even though the investment firm who hold the mortgage on the property are reportedly investigating how to overcome the legal problems of those proposals.

Someone linked to the Jackson family told TMZ yesterday: "Contrary to previous news reports, the Jackson family is officially stating that there will be no public or private viewing at Neverland. Plans are under way regarding a public memorial for Michael Jackson, and we will announce those plans shortly".

Overnight there have been reports that that public memorial will take place next Tuesday morning in LA, at the 20,000 capacity Staples Centre. It's thought the event may also be screened at the neighbouring 7000 capacity Nokia Theatre. Both venues are owned by AEG, promoters of the planned fifty night Jacko residency in London.

Reports say the event will ticketed, though it's not clear how tickets will be distributed. Nor whether the event will be cancelled at the last minute, and then fans will be asked to pay fifty quid to keep their ticket as a souvenir. But if AEG are involved, that could well happen.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

NANNY DENIES PUMPING JACKSON'S STOMACH
Back to all the reports on Jacko's alleged prescription drug addictions, which may or may not have contributed to his death last week. And the nanny who cared for Michael Jackson's three children, Grace Rwaramba, has denied claims that she regularly pumped the singer's stomach after drug binges.

The Times published what it said was an exclusive interview with Rwaramba at the weekend, in which she was quoted as saying: "He always ate too little and mixed too much [medicine]. I had to pump his stomach many times... He always mixed so much of it. There was one period that it was so bad that I didn't let the children see him".

However, she denies giving the interview, and in a statement said: "I am shocked, hurt and deeply saddened by recent statements the press has attributed to me, in particular, the outrageous and patently false claim that I 'routinely pumped his stomach after he had ingested a dangerous combination of drugs'. I don't even know how to pump a stomach! In addition, I have never spoken to the Times Online, the original source of the story that has now been picked up worldwide. The statements attributed to me confirm the worst in human tendencies to sensationalise tragedy and smear reputations for profit".

She added: "Michael Jackson was an exceptional human being. He was gifted, deeply compassionate and brought joy to the lives of so many. He loved his family dearly, and above all, his beautiful children. In addition to being my employer over the past 17 years and entrusting the care of his beloved children to me, he was my dear friend. While our friendship had challenges, as do all friendships, he was loyal to the end. I cherish and honour his memory. I convey my heartfelt and deepest condolences to Prince, Paris, Blanket and the entire Jackson family. The pain and sorrow I feel over the loss of Michael pales in comparison to what has been taken from them forever".

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

A STACK OF PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED JACKO RECORDINGS COULD NOW SURFACE
So, with his classic hits and albums dominating charts around the world this week, can we expect any posthumous new material from Jacko? Could he take over from Tupac as the most prolific dead pop star? Well, perhaps he could, because there are reports that Jacko had amassed a "mountain" of unreleased recordings by the time of his death.

The Associated Press report that the singer was sitting on numerous recordings, some unused tracks from studio sessions from previous albums, others more recent creations, including those from his much reported but unreleased collaborations with Akon and Black Eyed Pea Will.i.am.

They quote the former boss of Sony Music, Jacko's primary record label, of course, who says there are some real gems among the rejected tracks from past album sessions. Tommy Mottola told the AP: "There are dozens and dozens of songs that did not end up on his albums. People will be hearing a lot of that unreleased material for the first time ever. There's just some genius and brilliance in there".

Exactly who owns those unreleased recordings, especially those made during sessions for the Sony released albums, is unclear. The AP quote entertainment lawyer Steve Gordon, who worked at Sony back in the nineties, who says that the major's contract with the pop star at the time split ownership between the singer and the label, though Sony had exclusive distribution rights. Although the singer famously fell out with the major following the disappointing performance of 2002 album 'Invincible', their close links with the catalogue might persuade the Jackson family to collaborate with the major should they decide to release any of the music created in more recent years.

Of course since the merger of Sony and BMG, Sony execs have in-house the expertise of those who have, for years, exploited as best they can that other most famous of recording catalogues, the Elvis Presley recordings. Gordon tells the news agency: "They've done every kind of configuration to try to squeeze more money out of the catalogue with Elvis and they'll do it with Michael Jackson - be sure of it. I imagine that there's a ... load of concert recordings that may or may not have been released". The lawyer says he suspects Sony may set up a new imprint just to deal with the Jacko recording legacy.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

JACKO FANS PETITION AGAINST TICKET SCAM
Yeah, the more I think about it, the more dodgy this "well, you could keep your ticket if you want to, but it'll cost you fifty quid" thing is. And an increasing number of Jacko fans are letting their feelings on the matter be known.

As previously reported, promoters of the ill fated Jackson residency at The O2, AEG Live, have said that fans who had bought £50 or £75 tickets for the now cancelled fifty night residency can, if they wish, keep the flashy lenticular ticket that would have got them admission to the shows as a special souvenir, but, and it's a big but, instead of taking a refund. Which basically means the going rate for this bit of cardboard is between £50 and £75.

While it's true tickets for the Jacko shows that never happened will be collectors items, it seems a little harsh to charge fans such a high price, given that, had Jacko not died, they would have got both the show and souvenir ticket for the same price. Especially when AEG boss Randy Phillips had assured ticket holders his company would treat them with the "reverence and respect" that Jackson himself would have demanded.

With that in mind, a group of fans have set up an online petition. While the fans say they don't mind paying for a souvenir ticket, they feel fifty quid is far too much to ask. They are right, of course.

The online petition reads: "We, Michael Jackson fans, are asking AEG Live to change their proposal for the This Is It concert ticket refunds. AEG Live recently stated fans will have 'the option to be sent the actual tickets they would have received to attend the shows in lieu of the full refunds which are being offered'. Many fans who were due to attend the show would love the opportunity to keep their existing ticket, however feel if AEG Live really wish to treat the fans with 'reverence and respect' after Michael's passing, any tickets offered to us should be priced reasonably lower".

The continue: "Tickets prices ranged from £50 - 75 not including booking and shipping charges. Michael Jackson fans have found it disrespectful of AEG Live to charge such an extortionate amount of money for a keepsake ticket and believe Michael Jackson and the Jackson Family would not wish for the fans and supporters to be treated this way".

Fans are encouraged not just to sign the petition, but to add a message too. So far 845 people have done so.

The whole thing does seem like terrible public relations on AEG's part, and really does suggest that management at the live firm are panicking about the financial impact the last minute cancellation of the residency is going to have on the company - despite Phillips' assurances that everything is fine. It will also be interesting to see what impact the scam has on Dome sponsors O2, a brand which has invested millions trying to convince us that they are the mobile phone network of choice for music fans, but which is now - albeit by association - involved in ripping off fans of one of history's biggest pop stars within days of his death. Yeah, great bit of marketing that.

You can read messages from disgruntled fans here: www.maximum-jackson.com/comments.html

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

BBC ADMIT IT RECEIVED COMPLAINTS OVER JACKO COVERAGE
The BBC has admitted it received over 700 complaints about its coverage of Jackson's demise, most complaining about the prominence given to the story on Friday, when the Corporation's News Channel provided pretty much non-stop coverage of the singer's death, while other news bulletins dedicated the majority of their air time to the singer. Two news specials were also aired, one on BBC1 and another tagged on to 'Newsnight'.

The head of the BBC newsroom, Mary Hockaday, wrote on her blog: "We've had a number of complaints about our coverage, the main charge being that we simply did too much: that his death didn't justify the prominence and scale of our reporting through Friday and into the weekend".

She continues: "The story was certainly very prominent, with extensive reporting on our domestic and global news channels and it was the lead story on our television and radio bulletins and on the web. But this wasn't to the exclusion of other important stories domestically and internationally. Friday was also the third day of our special coverage on television and our website from Pakistan and Afghanistan".

She concluded: "Some stories divide audiences, and clearly there are those who aren't interested in Michael Jackson. But we have to try to serve a whole range of readers, listeners and viewers - and undoubtedly a great many of you were extremely interested".

Presumably everyone thought that the bits featuring the co-editor of a certain music business bulletin discussing the commercial impact of Jackson's passing were worthy of air time - providing, as I'm sure you will agree, a valuable, insightful and alternative perspective to the story.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

JACKSON IS ALIVE AND PRESUMABLY WORKING IN A CHIP SHOP
And finally from the Jacko file today, the conspiracy theories. Yes, the internet is already filling up with speculation that the king of pop didn't really die last week and, rather, faked his own death to get out of his gruelling fifty night booking at The O2, or possibly his mounting debts, and is currently hiding out in Mexico.

I'm guessing half the people writing this stuff are doing so with their tongue in their cheeks, but the people behind the website michaeljacksonsightings.com - which opens with the headline "Michael Jackson may be alive!!!!" - do seem to have gone to quite a lot of effort for a joke.

Their claims run thus: "The man who died June 25 looked like him, spoke like him and in fact doubled for him many times. The plot was 10 years in the making but it had to be done. Michael could not go on hampered with past debt, law suits, contracts etc. Michael is alive and well and happier than ever".

So good news for anyone at Sony hoping to follow the Elvis model for capitalising on the Jackson legacy. The Jacko spotting has already begun.

back to top

USENET.COM GUILTY OF INFRINGEMENT, JUDGE RULES
A New York judge has ruled against newsgroup aggregator Usenet.com, saying the online service is guilty of direct, contributory and vicarious copyright infringement, and of inducing others to infringe. He also criticised the company behind the service, its directors and its owner Gerald Reynolds for, he said, deliberately hindering the legal process by wiping hard drives and sending key witnesses on paid holidays to Europe to avoid having to testify.

Usenet.com doesn't exist just to provide links to unlicensed music and film content, though more and more users have used it in part for such things in recent years. And, while the amount of piracy enabled by Usenet.com is not as significant as, say, The Pirate Bay, it particularly pissed off content owners because users pay a monthly subscription to access the aggregator service. The labels began formal legal proceedings against the company in 2007.

It's not clear what the results of the ruling will be in terms of damages and the future operations of Usenet.com, though it provides further case law that stresses that websites which provide links to infringing content, without actually hosting any of the content themselves, can still be liable for infringement claims. The judge specifically denied the right of Usenet.com directors to use so called 'safe harbour' provisions in US copyright law designed to help net firms avoid liability for any illegal acts committed by their customers - though their attempts to circumvent the legal process was probably primarily behind that decision.

Welcoming the ruling, the Recording Industry Association Of America said yesterday: "We're pleased that the court recognised not just that Usenet.com directly infringed the record companies' copyrights but also took action against the defendants for their egregious litigation misconduct".

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

USHER'S WIFE RESPONDS TO DIVORCE
Tameka Foster, Usher's wife, has filed papers to the Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta, in which she claims that she was surprised that her husband filed for divorce, and says she thought that their marriage was healthy. According to dailypress.com, she also claims that she and Usher were intimate less than a week before the divorce was filed, despite those reports that suggested that the couple had been living apart for the latter half of their two year marriage.

The pair were, as previously reported, married in August 2007, and are parents to two children, Usher Raymond V, aged 18 months, and Naviyd, who is six months old.

back to top

CHAD SMITH SUFFERS "SERIOUS INJURY"
Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith has sustained a "serious injury" while performing with his other band, Chickenfoot, in Paris on Monday evening. Whether or not a bust arm can really be called a "serious injury" I'm not sure, though it was no doubt really rather painful, and a particular problem for a drummer. Needless to say, last night's show in Spain was cancelled.

The band, completed by Van Halen's Sammay Hagar and Michael Anthony and guitar abuser Joe Satriani, issued a statement, in which they said: "We are sorry to inform our Spanish fans that Chickenfoot cannot perform tomorrow night in Madrid due to a serious injury to drummer Chad Smith. Chad was performing on stage last night in Paris and during the show he hurt his right arm badly. He has torn his small bicep and cannot play the show Wednesday, 1 Jul. The band is very sorry they cannot play for their Spanish fans this week and plan to return as soon as possible".

It's not yet clear how this will affect the rest of the band's upcoming tour dates.

Meanwhile, Smith also has another project in the works. His other other band, Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatballs will release their debut album, 'Meet The Meatballs', will be released via Universal/Warrior on 15 Sep. Featuring guitarist Jeff Kollman, keyboard player Ed Roth, and bassist Kevin Chown, the band formed in 2007. The completely instrumental album was written in Smith's pool house over a number of days and features songs with titles like 'Need Strange' and 'Oops! I Spilled My Beer'.

back to top

SLIPKNOT LEAD KERRANG! NOMINATIONS
The nominations for this years Kerrang! Awards have been announced, and Slipknot are in the running for six awards, amongst them Best Single, Best Album and Best International Band. Other bands nominated include Gallows, Metallica, Green Day, The Prodigy and Enter Shikari. The ceremony, hosted by Slipknot's Corey Taylor and Scott Ian from Anthrax, will take place in London on 3 Aug.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

METAL HAMMER AND NME GET NODS AT MAGAZINE AWARDS
The Periodical Publishers Association, which is the trade body for the magazine industry, in case you wondered, held its annual awards earlier this week, and among the winners in the consumer categories were two music titles, Metal Hammer, whose editor, Alexander Milas, was named Editor Of The Year, and good old NME.com, which was named Interactive Consumer Magazine Of The Year.

Commenting on Milas, the judges said "Alexander lives and breathes the world of heavy metal - the magazine drips with as much enthusiasm as it does blood! To have conceived and then achieved the idea of entombing an issue of the magazine in a metal sleeve should be an inspiration to every editor to fight for crazy ideas". Meanwhile on NME.com they remarked: "This is a site which has consistently dominated in its sector, with fantastic crossmedia integration, first-class content and excellent commercial results".

The full list of winners were as follows...

Business Media winners
Business Media Brand Of The Year: Xperthr, Reed Business Information
Designer Of The Year: Tatiana Okorie, Barclays 360 Magazine, Redwood
Writer Of The Year: Deirdre Hipwell, Property Week, UBM
Columnist Of The Year: Mark Ritson, Marketing, Haymarket Business Media
Editor Of The Year: Giles Barrie, Property Week, UBM
Publisher Of The Year: Louise Rogers, Times Higher Education, TSL Education
Business Website Of The Year: fwi.co.uk, Reed Business Information
Weekly Business Magazine Of The Year: Property Week, UBM
Monthly Business Magazine Of The Year: Creative Head, Alfol
Customer Magazine Of The Year: Sainsbury's Magazine, Sainsbury's, Seven Squared

Consumer Media winners
Consumer Media Brand Of The Year: Nuts, IPC Media
Designer Of The Year: Marissa Bourke, Elle, Hachette Filipacchi
Writer Of The Year: Robert Chalmers, GQ, The Condé Nast Publications
Columnist Of The Year: Monty Don, Gardeners' World, BBC Magazines
Editor Of The Year: Alexander Milas, Metal Hammer, Future Publishing
Publisher Of The Year: Mike Soutar, Shortlist, Shortlist Media
Interactive Consumer Magazine Of The Year: Nme.Com, IPC Media
International Consumer Magazine Of The Year: Top Gear, BBC Magazines
Specialist Consumer Magazine Of The Year: Coast, The National Magazine Company
Consumer Magazine Of The Year: Woman & Home, IPC Media

Others
Editorial campaign of the year: Safer skyline, Building, UBM
Publisher of the year: Mike Soutar, ShortList, ShortList Media

back to top

EVERY TIME I DIE LOSE DRUMMER
Every Time I Die drummer Mike 'Ratboy' Novak has revealed that he is leaving the hardcore band ahead of the release of their fifth album, 'New Junk Aesthetic', which is set for release on 14 Sep.

In a statement, Novak told fans: "I have officially quit Every Time I Die due to personal conflicts. I feel like I'm getting myself out of an uncomfortable, unhealthy situation, and it's for the best for everyone, and I'm ready to move on with my life. I still plan to play and be involved in music and am looking for a new project to pursue. This is a new exciting chapter in my life and I hope anyone who has enjoyed me as a person/drummer in this band for the last 11 years, sticks with me for whatever endeavour the future brings me. Thanks to all the ETID fans throughout the years".

Meanwhile, Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz has revealed that he has joined The Bronx's Matt Caughthran and Dillinger Escape Plan's Greg Puciato in providing guest vocals on the aforementioned ETID long player 'New Junk Aesthetic'. Wentz said via Twitter: "Just laid down some vox on [Every Time I Die's] record. Hopefully I didn't ruin it. Sorry if I did dudes (dudesinthebandnotinternetdudesthathateme)".

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

DOHERTY SAYS HE CAN HANDLE IT
Pete Doherty says that he could handle a Libertines reunion on top of his solo work and his Babyshambles commitments.

The singer, currently promoting solo single 'Broken Love Song', out 27 Jul, said in an new interview showing on Babelgum : "Even though people presume that Babyshambles was a substitute band, it existed back in the day alongside The Libertines. It's not weird having all three going, it's ideal. It's what I want, just to make music and then perform it or release it in a way that's the most natural".

He adds that his three projects aren't interchangeable, saying: "Sometimes doing Libertines songs with Babyshambles just doesn't feel right - for them and for me. In the same way that back in the Libertines days... playing certain songs that were all about how much I hated playing songs with The Libertines... I wasn't really happy playing them with The Libertines. I had to get another band on the go".

back to top

REM LIVE ALBUM NEWS
An REM live album, recorded during their five night residency at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin back in 2007, is to be released later this year. As you may remember, the gigs were dubbed 'working rehearsals', as the band were still working on the material they were performing, tracks for their 2008 'Accelerate' album. There's no fixed date for the release, and no more information about the LP but it promises to feature more than "just the music".

back to top

DEPP TOUTED TO PLAY JACKO
Johnny Depp is reportedly at the top of the list of actors producers working on a film about Michael Jackson's life would like to play the singer. Obviously.

An 'insider' apparently revealed: "There are a number of offers being drawn up with a variety of angles to tell Michael's incredible life story. Some involve using archive footage of Michael and his family and footage from his live shows. A couple would even have an actor cast to play Michael. Jamie Foxx has been mentioned, as has Johnny Depp. It all depends on how his family decide to honour him".

When asked about the project, Depp told the Press Association that he was not considering the role. He said: "No no no, I never ever thought of playing Michael Jackson in a film, I think if anyone should play Michael Jackson in a film it should've been Michael Jackson".

back to top

FEAR FACTORY CANCEL EUROPEAN TOUR
US metallers Fear Factory have cancelled their upcoming European tour in the midst of a legal wrangle over the ownership of the band's name.

Now, bear with me, because it gets complicated. The band officially split in 2002, but have reformed with several line-ups, featuring several different combinations of original members, since then. So confusing have these line-up changes become that there are now two bands called Fear Factory; one featuring bassist Christian Olde Wolbers and drummer Raymond Herrera; the other featuring guitarist Dino Cazares and vocalist Burton C. Bell. That has led to a legal dispute between the two competing bands.

It was the Wolbers/Herrara version of the band who were supposed to be coming over to Europe. However, in a statement the pair stress that the problem in this case is a lack of songs, not a lack of legal entitlement to use the Fear Factory name.

They said: "These particular dates are being postponed in order that we, as Fear Factory, may finalise the writing and recording of our new music... In order for Fear Factory to create the album of our career, we must focus and work diligently to engineer our rhythms of mechanical death. In this parting statement, please understand that postponing these dates is not for any other reason than to create the album that Fear Factory fans are anxious to hear".

I'm fairly sure the Fear Factory album most fans are anxious to hear has Dino Cazares and Burton C. Bell on it, which could pose a problem.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

ST PANCRAS TO HOST LIVE SETS
St Pancras station is to play host to weekly sets from live acts, to take place on the London terminal's concourse during the rush hour, in a new initiative aiming to raise the profile of new artists. The Station Sessions - A Platform For Live Music starts today, with performances from Jem Cooke and Kill It Kid taking place between 6.30 and 7.30pm. Future acts taking part include Katie Vogel and Kerry Leatham.

back to top

LIMP BIZKIT AND OTHERS ADDED TO SONISPHERE LINE UP
The organisers of Sonisphere have announced that the newly reformed Limp Bizkit will be appearing at the Knebworth event on 2 Aug, following their appearance at Download. Here's what Fred Durst says about it: "We are honored to be a part of such an event as Knebworth and even more excited to be returning to England so soon. UK rocks hard!!"

Team Sonisphere have also announced a new stage, hosted by Jagermeister, which is to showcase unsigned talent, as well as adding more acts to the line up for the Bohemia's music stage, including Blakfish and Failsafe.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

WIRELESS THIS WEEKEND
The Wireless Festival takes place in London this weekend, in case you'd forgotten, and organisers seem keen for you to know about all the things you can do other than listen to the live music.

There's an early bird treasure hunt, which takes place until 2pm, with prizes - including £500 and £250 cheques, as well as vouchers, gift cards, and a VIP experience package for two - scattered around Hyde Park. If you're single, there's going to be a speed dating 'FlirtZone'; if you like sand, there's going to be a beach; if you fancy yourself, there's a chance to be a model; and if you're game, there's a Victorian funfair, and other nutty entertainments such as a Velcro Wall and a Bungee run.

And as a backdrop to all that, there's the music, of course, including sets from the likes of Basement Jaxx, The Streets, Dizzee Rascal, Kanye West, Flo Rida, Jack Penate, Afrika Bambaata and Noisettes. It's all sponsored by Barclaycard this year - more info at www.wirelessfestival.co.uk

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

COMMERCIAL RADIO TO COVER GUILFEST
21 local radio stations based in the South East of England will again join forces to promote and cover the Guilfest festival. Guilford-based 96.4 Eagle will be the hub for the coverage, which will also involve digital station Planet Rock.

Confirming the tie up between different stations in covering the festival, a rep of the RadioCentre, the trade body for the commercial radio sector, told reporters: "Guilfest has built itself a great reputation over the years and we're delighted that commercial radio is once again involved offering listeners the chance to win tickets to the event or tune into hear interviews with their favourite artists".

Guilfest's Tony Scott added: "We are now in our 18th year and the festival just goes from strength to strength - we now attract over 20,000 visitors each day. It is fantastic that the local commercial stations in the area, as well as Planet Rock, will be broadcasting from the event".

Guilfest takes place from 10-12 Jul at Guildford's Stoke Park, and will include performances from Motorhead, Brian Wilson, The Happy Mondays, The Stranglers and Athlete.

back to top

ALBUM REVIEW: Reverend And The Makers - A French Kiss In The Chaos (Wall Of Sound)
Jon McClure is not a man to shy away from controversy and criticism. And he's a man willing to not only shout or sing about what he sees as injustice, but to turn these words into actions. As such, he's earned some big props for the recent decision to give away anti-fascism song 'Manifesto/People Shapers' as a free download in protest against the BNP's recent success in the European elections. It's a fine song too, and as part of an album fraught with politics and social commentary, it's a dark and eerie five minutes to haunt and reflect amongst heightened liberal attacks soundtracked by the clash of guitar and keyboard. 'A French Kiss In The Chaos' is a work more effervescent than the band's debut, with visits to the funfair and Sly And The Family Stone's back catalogue along the way, as McClure attempts to make the music as immersive as the lyrics. It can't help but be compared to his other project, Mongrel, though, and the greater diversity and exploration in ethnic and urban beats of that band is sorely missed, as are the rap stylings of Lowkey to compensate for McClure's dry tones. This album is better than the debut surely, but it may be worth holding out for the next Mongrel record. TM
Release Date: 27 Jul
Press Contact: Charm Factory [O] Wall Of Sound IH [RP, RR, NP, NR]

Buy from iTunes
Buy from Amazon

back to top

SONY CONFIRM PARTNERSHIP WITH IODA
Following those recent rumours that Sony was about to buy a stake of independent digital distributor IODA, news today that a deal has, indeed, been done between the two companies. It seems that IODA will, in particular, become a partner of Sony's indie distribution arm RED, providing digital distribution to many of the releases that are handled by the Sony division in the physical domain. However, the partnership between the major and IODA may go beyond that, while Sony has also reportedly made a "strategic investment" into the indie.

Confirming the partnership, Billboard quote Sony digital man Thomas Hesse as saying: "RED is traditionally very strong in the physical distribution side. They're very strong at providing marketing services to labels. IODA is very strong on the digital side. So when a label comes to us and wants physical distribution, worldwide digital distribution and marketing services, we now have a very broad portfolio to offer".

IODA founder Kevin Arnold adds: "It encompasses a lot of things and will allow us to provide our labels with a lot more benefits and connect them with a deal network that can provide mobile and video support and deal support. Despite Sony's strategic investment, IODA retains the same staff and will remain in the same offices. This tie-up will simply allow us to move up to the next level".

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

TICKETSNOW FINED FOR MARKETING PRACTICES IN ILLINOIS
More woes for Ticketmaster via its secondary ticketing spin off Tickets Now. The resale service has entered into an agreement with the Illinois Attorney General regarding how it markets its online touting operations. The AG's office objected to the way the secondary ticketing firm registered special URLs for certain artists that implied web pages offering touted tickets were, in fact, primary ticket shops. TicketsNow has agreed to never do that again (in Illinois, at least) and to pay a $50,000 fine for past naughtiness. As much previously reported, the Ticketmaster subsidiary has come under much criticism in the US, especially for the way its touting services are marketed. None of which has been good news for Ticketmaster as it tries to get regulator approval for its merger with Live Nation.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

DEEKLINE AND HEALEY LAUNCH NEW DANCE LABEL
The very fine breaks-meister Deekline is teaming up with producer and previously one half of Coburn Tim Healey to form a new label, to be called Giant Pussy Records. Given their own musical offerings, you won't be surprised to hear the new venture will specialise in ghetto-house, electro, breaks and dubstep. No news on releases yet, but we'll let you know more when we hear more. Meantime, you should go check out www.myspace.com/giantpussyrecords

back to top

CD BABY DO DEAL WITH LIMEWIRE STORE
Independent distributors CD Baby have reportedly done a deal with P2P service LimeWire which will see music represented by the distribution firm sold in the LiveWire Store, the legit part of the P2P company's music operation. The head of partner relations at LimeWire, Tom Monday, is quoted thus: "CD Baby and the LimeWire Store both champion independent artists and give them access to new customers and revenue opportunities, so it's a perfect partnership, really".

LimeWire have been dabbling with legit music services for a while, though the major labels' copyright infringement litigation over their P2P operations continues to work its way through the courts, and that is presumably hampering any efforts to get the bigger record companies involved in their newer ventures. That said, the web firm has just hired Jason Herskowitz, who previously headed up the Universal Music backed digital music venture TotalMusic, which is possibly part of an effort on LimeWire's part to forge less confrontational relationships with the majors.

back to top

QUINCY JONES VOWS TO SAVE VIBE
Vibe magazine may have officially closed its doors on Tuesday, but its founder Quincy Jones has announced that he hopes to bring it back to life again as an online publication in the near future.

As previously reported, record producer Jones, best known for his work with Michael Jackson, set up the hip hop and R&B magazine in 1993 and oversaw a rise in success which led it to be called the "black Rolling Stone". It was purchased by Wicks Media Group in 2006 and in recent years has struggled to remain profitable - in February salaries were cut, as were the number of issues published in a year (which dropped from 12 to 10) and the number of days in its working week (which fell to four).

Speaking to EbonyJet.com, Jones said, slightly repetitively: "I'm trying to buy my magazine back now. They just messed my magazine all up, but I'm gonna get it back. You better believe it, I'm'a take it online because print and all that stuff is over. We gotta get into the 21st century you know. Print and all that stuff is over, we gotta remember that. The Chicago Tribune, The Seattle Post Intelligencer. The Miami Herald. They're over the same way as the record business. We have got to get into this century".

back to top

JONAS BROTHER PROPOSES TO HIS GIRLFRIEND
One of the Jonas Brothers, Kevin, in fact, has asked his girlfriend Danielle Deleasa for her hand in marriage. He's the eldest one, by the way, just in case you thought he might be a bit young for it. That said, he's only 21. Though, given he's famously not up for any pre-marriage shenanigans, you can understand the rush.

Anyway, Jonas told People.com: "It was tough performing last night, knowing that I was going to ask the biggest question in my life to the most amazing girl in the world. She said yes, yes, yes, like, 500 times super fast in a row". A statement from his parents Denise and Kevin Jonas Sr reads: "Our hearts are filled with joy today and we are happy to share with you that our son Kevin has asked Danielle for her hand in marriage... It is such a blessing that she will be joining our family".

Elsewhere in Jonas news, the Brothers had trouble getting into Canada on Monday, meaning that the band's concert in Vancouver was delayed. The band's tour trucks apparently got held up at the border, and caused the show to go up two hours late; the band finally made it on stage at 9pm, by which time, presumably, most of the audience were asleep, given that it was past their bedtime.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

OLDHAM FAMILY TAKE CALLS FOR SOULJA BOY
A family in Oldham are receiving up to 60 phonecalls a day from Soulja Boy fans trying to speak to the R&B star. The lyrics to his latest single, 'Kiss Me Thru The Phone', contain a twelve digit number which, if dialled without the US dialling code within the UK, puts callers straight through to Gerry Matley and his wife Catriona Howard Smith.

Catriona told the BBC: "Some of them really want to believe that they have got through to their heart-throb. ... Some of them are devastated when we have to tell them that he doesn't live in Oldham but over the other side of the Atlantic. If they called the number with the American dialling code in front of it they will get through to a recorded message from him. We just hope the fuss will die down soon - we can't even change our number because Gerry needs it for work".

Gerry added: "What's the chances of our phone number appearing in a US rap song? Probably as likely as winning the lottery, but without the money".

Watch them fielding calls here.

back to top