Office Manager
This person will run the ThreeWeeks Edinburgh offices from Friday 31 July to Tuesday 1 September, helping set up and wind down the office space, manage a team of student volunteers, and manage and in part undertake project administration and logistics. Must be energetic, consciencious, Microsoft Office and email literate, and a real people person. Previous knowlege of the Edinburgh Fringe an advantage. Core offices hours are 9am-6pm. Fee: £1000.

Distribution Manager
This person will handle all the distribution of the ThreeWeeks weekly edition and one other magazine from Tuesday 4 August to Tuesday 1 September. It basically means driving around a network of distribution points across central Edinburgh and dropping off papers. It is a flexible role. A full distribution run is required on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning, but 3-4 other drop off runs per week can be timed to suit the Distribution Manager. You will drive and care for the ThreeWeeks van so need a full clean driving licence, and will need the patience required for central Edinburgh driving. Knowledge of the city centre an advantage. Fee: £1000

Junior Designer
This person will assist on the design and production of ThreeWeeks' daily print and online publications - typesetting the former in InDesign and the latter in Dreamweaver. Photoshop will also be used. Will suit someone looking for a stepping stone into a media production career with previous experience using these applications. You will be required daily from Thursday 6 to Monday 31 August from 10am-5pm (11-3pm last Bank Holiday weekend). This job is based in the ThreeWeeks Edinburgh office. Fee: £750

To apply for these roles send a CV and covering note to [email protected] stating in the subject line the job title of the role you are applying for.

Limited space is available in the ThreeWeeks flat in Edinburgh, so it may be possible to accommodate good candidates not based in Edinburgh who apply for these roles. If you are not based at an Edinburgh address you should state if you would need accommodation in your application.

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INVESTMENT FIRM BUY INTO NEW BMG VENTURE
A London-based investment firm called Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co has bought a 51% stake in BMG Rights Management, the new music rights company set up by German media giant Bertelsmann after its sale of its half of the SonyBMG record company to JV partners Sony Corp last year.

As previously reported, the all new BMG aims to both own and administrate music rights, including recording and publishing rights I think, and to work in partnership with other labels and artists to develop, monetise and exploit new and existing intellectual property. But unlike a traditional record company, it will not actively involve itself in the manufacture, sale and marketing of recorded music products, so kind of applying the music publisher business model to recording rights and beyond.

The deal with KKR will see the creation of a new company, owned 51%/49% by KKR and Bertelsmann respectively. The investment firm will put in 250 million euros, while Bertelsmann will transfer the existing BMG Rights Management business to the new company, which includes ownership of a handful of former BMG recording catalogues it kept back when doing its deal with Sony last year.

The new deal is being interpreted in various ways. It's probably a sign that Bertelsmann wants to properly retain its links with the music industry, but also that the struggling German media giant knows it can't do so on its own. It is also certainly a sign that the new music rights venture is planning a number of acquisitions. It's thought that the revamped firm is already in talks to acquire three significant US music catalogues (not sure if that's recordings or publishing), and that bosses there are ready to snap up various European publishing catalogues which they reckon will come up for sale in the next year or so.

There had, of course, been rumours that BMG might look to acquire some or all of EMI's publishing assets, gossip which extended to rumours Bertelsmann were talking to investment types about putting together a bid to buy EMI outright, or possibly form a JV with the London-based major's existing owners Terra Firma. These rumours are now being denied by both BMG and EMI, and do seem a little bit nutty. A 250 million euro investment from KKR sounds a lot, but it's a small muffin if you're aiming for the big EMI pie. If that metaphor works. Which is almost certainly doesn't.

Anyway, here's what Hartwig Masuch, CEO of BMG Rights Management, and the man who will head up the new joint venture business, had to say about the deal: "KKR shares our views on future business models for the music industry. I am excited to work with such a partner. With many high-visibility contracts and the foundation of an international organization in six European countries, it has taken BMG Rights Management only nine months to position itself successfully in the market. Songwriters and performers respond very well to our service oriented approach".

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JACKO DOC NOT DADDY
Now that Michael Jackson's children seem altogether more human post their appearance at Tuesday's memorial show, I feel even more guilty participating in this media speculation regarding their parentage. But I'll speculate anyway, just for you, but don't think I'm enjoying it, OK.

As previously reported, there has been speculation since paparazzi shots of Jacko's very Caucasian looking children first appeared sans-veils last year, that Jackson wasn't their biological father. Even though it was known (or possibly thought) that Jacko's ex-wife, the white Debbie Rowe, was the mother of the eldest two, many gossipers pointed out they'd surely look a bit more mixed race if they'd really inherited some of their father's genes.

As also previously reported, since Jackson's death TMZ has claimed that neither Jackson nor Rowe are actually the biological parents of Prince Michael or Paris, sperm and eggs having been donated by unknown third parties. Rowe, they say, was just the surrogate.

Anyway, one new theory that has surfaced, mainly via Us Weekly, is that Jackson's longtime dermatologist Dr Arnold Klein was the sperm donor for the singer's eldest two children. Rowe, of course, worked for Klein, and it was via the doc that Jackson met her. But he has now formally denied those claims. Well, sort of. Speaking to ABC News yesterday he said: "To the best of my knowledge, I am not the father of these children. I can't answer it in any other way. I don't want to feed any of this insanity that is going around".

So, that's that, erm, not really sorted. Klein also spoke about the skin treatment Jackson received over the years, commented on the singer's plastic surgery, and responded to other allegations against him, that it was him who was providing the prescription drugs that may or may not have caused the singer's cardiac arrest.

Klein confirmed Jackson's many claims that his skin colour basically changed as a result of a medical condition. The doctor said the singer developed a serious skin condition which would have resulted in his dark skin becoming speckled. Not wanting that, he underwent treatment that ensured his skin was a constant colour, but a much lighter one as a result. Klein: "He was developing severe speckling and you can't look like a leopard. You have to even your skin tone".

However, while explaining and justifying the changes in Jackson's skin colour, he admitted he was never a supporter of the singer's other more radical plastic surgery. He said he thought Jacko's plastic surgeons were out of control, observing: "No matter what he wanted someone would give it. The very rich, very poor and the very famous get the worst medical care". He concluded: "I did not like what was happening so got him out of the hands of those plastic surgeons".

Finally turning to the allegations he may have provided Jackson with Diprivan, the severe prescription drug found at Jackson's home, a dose of which some are speculating could have caused the singer's death, Klein denied any knowledge of how the drug got into the singer's possession. He told ABC: "How am I going to prescribe Diprivan when I don't know how to use it?"

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STILL NO WORD ON JACKSON BURIAL
It is still unknown where Michael Jackson will be finally laid to rest, with some speculating that the family themselves are still undecided.

As previously reported, it's thought the family are split regarding where Jackson should be buried. Some favour the proposal he be buried at the Neverland ranch, as part of plans to turn the property into a Gracelands style tourist attraction. Others, including his mother, preferring a more traditional burial site, most likely the Forest Lawn memorial park in the Hollywood Hills where this week's private funeral service for family and close friends took place.

The hearse that took Jackson's body from the cemetery to the big bash at the Staples Center on Tuesday left the LA venue empty, so it's not clear where the singer's flashy coffin went after the memorial show. Though reports say the singer's death certificate, which was made public this week, says the body is being temporarily stored at the aforementioned Forest Law cemetery, and technically speaking there's a legal obligation to do what it says on that document. It's thought, therefore, that the coffin was returned there in a less distinctive vehicle in a bid to throw the paps off the scent.

Either way, presumably at some point the family will announce where exactly their brother and son has been laid to rest. And in the meantime, I don't suppose we really need to know.

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FREELAND ACCUSES PEAS OF PLAGIARISM
So, this is sort of a 'coming soon to the pop courts' trailer. Marine Parade man and all round CMU favourite Adam Freeland has accused those Black Eyed Peas of stealing a chunk of his track 'Mancry' - our favourite song off the current album from his band Freeland, 'COPE(tm)' - for their song 'Party All The Time'.

Talking via Twitter, Freeland told his fans: "OK. Check this. Listen to our song 'Mancry'. Now listen to Black Eyed Peas 'Party all the time' WTF!".

What the fuck, indeed. Listen to the two tracks side by side - which you can do via this rather handy YouTube link - and, unless we're going insane, it's pretty clear the Peas have just taken the Freeland track wholesale and dropped it in behind their vocals. Cheeky.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbJ5kHfIhC4

Freeland insiders have confirmed they knew nothing of the sampling of their track until Adam stumbled across the Peas song. Needless to say, lawyers have been informed. Because, as Perez Hilton will testify, probably best not to challenge Will.i.am face to face on such things.

Meanwhile, you can listen to 'Mancry' in its entirety on the 'COPE' player at http://www.freeland.fm.

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SCOTTISH FOOTBALL CLUB SUE ELTON
Elton John is being sued by Aberdeen Football Club for the damage caused to their pitch during a concert the singer held there five years ago. Techically speaking I think the football club is actually suing the show's promoter Marshall Arts, but that makes a less good headline. The Scottish team reportedly claim Marshall should have insured the pitch so to cover the costs of repairing damage caused during the gig. They are seeking £36,000 to cover their own repair costs. The claim has been filed at Edinburgh's Court Of Session. Neither Elton nor Marshall have, as yet, commented.

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MU WELCOME COURT RULING ON OZ MUSICAL PLEDGE
I think it's the former theatre producer in me that has problems with the idea that the producers of stage musicals somehow have an ethical obligation to only use live musicians. It may be true that a live orchestra or band add to the consumer experience of a stage show, but surely that's an artistic versus commercial decision, and not about fulfilling some sort of ethical obligation to keep musicians in work.

But, as previously reported, the Musician's Union don't necessarily agree, and have various agreements in place with theatre producers as to when they can and can't use recorded music for musical stage shows. And as part of its campaign to keep musicians employed in musical theatre, the MU has welcomed a court ruling against the Lowry Theatre in Manchester.

This case was, though, was actually about the way a stage show using pre-recorded music marketed itself, rather than the use of recorded music itself. A cellist called Adrian Bradbury sued producers of a Christmas production of 'The Wizard Of Oz' at the Lowry under the Trade Descriptions Act, claiming that the show's publicity material implied there would be live music when, in fact, there wasn't.

Bradbury had taken his family to see the show, and argued he had been sold tickets under false pretences. And the court agreed that the theatre's presentation of a show to backing tapes was inappropriate given they'd described their production of 'The Wizard Of Oz' as "the most magical family musical of them all". The court ordered the theatre to give Bradbury back the money he'd spent on tickets.

Bradbury welcomed the ruling, calling any production that uses backing tracks glorified karaoke. He told reporters: "I am over the moon that a court of law has recognised the importance of live interaction in a musical performance. A pre-recorded track cannot react musically to live singing or dancing, so has no place in a musical theatre. Karaoke must stay where it belongs - away from the professional stage".

Of course if such a theory was applied to pop concerts there'd be lots of problems, and it should be noted the court's ruling in this case related to the way the show was communicated, and not the principle of using backing tracks over a live band. And while the MU do oppose the use of backing tracks in stage musicals as a principle, they also recognise this case was about consumer expectations. That, though, links nicely to its own Honesty Code campaign, which is calling on theatre producers who use backing tracks rather than live musicians to make sure that is properly communicated in show publicity.

MU General Secretary John Smith told CMU: "It is extremely disappointing when recorded music replaces live musicians in musical theatre productions. It not only threatens the livelihoods of professional musicians in the UK, but it also means that audiences may not be getting what they think they have paid for. We will continue to campaign against the use of recorded music in theatre where it denies our members work that has traditionally been a major source of employment for them".

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LISSY TRULLIE HIT BY SWINE FLU
Last week we learned that Swedish indie-popster Jens Lekman had been quarantined in France after coming down with swine flu, aka the H1N1 virus. Now New Yorkers Lissy Trullie have revealed that the whole band was banged up in Germany after bassist Ian Fenger fell ill on route to the country last month.

Despite the fact that no one else in the band or their tour manager showed any signs of having the virus, they were all quarantined and forced to cancel all but two shows on their European tour. Says frontlady and band namesake Lissy Trullie of the experience: "We had to take Tamiflu so we couldn't catch anything... not even a break!"

The band will be back in the UK, major illnesses permitting, for a tour with The Cribs and Adam Green in September. They will also release their debut Bernard Butler-produced album early next year.

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GRAINGE AND ROBINSON TOP HOSPITAL MOVERS AND SHAKERS LIST
London-based private members club The Hospital has surveyed its members for a second time regarding the 100 most important movers and shakers in the creative and media industries (they did a similar survey last year).

That, of course, covers music, which means we now know which music business types Hospital members reckon are doing more moving and shaking than anyone else - in the sense of being important and influential, not in the sense they do more drugs.

There are two lists of music types in the Hospital's survey - emerging and established. I'm not entirely sure what the difference is - Popjustice's Peter Robinson tops the former, and he's been around for years. But whatever, here are the two lists for your enjoyment...

Emerging
1. Peter Robinson, Popjustice - Freelance music journalist
2. James Ford, Simian Mobile Disco - Musical composer, record producer and musician
3. Florence Welch - Singer
4. VV Brown - Singer
5. Edward Gardner, English National Opera - Director/ Conductor

Established
1. Lucian Grainge, Universal Music Group International - Chair and CEO
2. Elbow - Musicians
3. Tony Hall, Royal Opera House - CEO
4. Thom Yorke, Radiohead - Musician
5. Paul Latham, Live Nation - President

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INNERPARTYSYSTEM MIXTAPE, AND OTHER NEWS
Dance rock combo Innerpartysystem have released a statement explaining that they have now left Universal's Island Records, and that they plan to connect with fans in the short term via their own all-new forum-based website. Not only that, but to celebrate the launch of the site they are making a free mixtape download available, which is why this is in release news, in case you wondered.

The band said in a statement: "We know we've been a little elusive as of late with news, but we have a few really big updates. First off: Innerpartysystem is no longer on Island Records. There's really nothing else to be said there. There are some really amazing, overworked, underpaid, stressed out people who love music, working very hard there... and there are a handful of people who just didn't really understand this band, and didn't know how to react when 'Don't Stop' wasn't 'Just Dance.' Our bad there. There's a particularly badass crew at Island UK, who really fought and worked the hell out of this brand new, no name band from America, and we're sincerely thankful that we've had the team by our side to help build such a strong foundation".

On the subject of their new web presence, they continued: "This is a very exciting time for us. We also realise that now, more than ever, we need to directly connect with our fans. There's no amount of marketing money that is more valuable than IPS being able to directly communicate with you, and let you know exactly what's going on in our world. With that in mind, our tech guru/ soundman extraordinaire, Andy, has put together innerpartysystem.net, a forum site specifically for IPS fans where we can communicate with you directly, and most importantly, use it as a place to give you free exclusive music, videos, and whatever else the gods of the interweb may dream up. To celebrate the launch, we're posting a free download of our 'Official Warped Tour/Summer Mixtape'".

Finally, they add this plea to listeners: "Fans of IPS, we appreciate you. We need you. We wouldn't exist without you. We can't wait to share new music with you later this year, and we hope to see tons of you all this summer on Warped Tour. Until next time".

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MEW ANNOUNCE ALBUM DETAILS
Mew have announced details of their previously reported new album, which will be released on 25 Aug via Sony's Columbia Records. The album's title is this:

No more stories
Are told today
I'm sorry
They washed away

No more stories
The world is grey
I'm tired
Let's wash away

Yes, all of that is the title. Currently touring Europe with Nine Inch Nails, Mew will be in the UK next week for a few shows, which look like this:

15 Jul: London, O2 Arena (with Nine Inch Nails)
16 Jul: London, ICA
17 Jul: Latitude Festival

Oh, and while we're here, why don't we publish the tracklisting for the new album?

New Terrain
Introducing Palace Players
Beach
Repeaterbeater
Silas The Magic Car
Cartoons and Macramé Wounds
A Dream
Hawaii
Vaccine
Tricks Of The Trade
Sometimes Life Isn't Easy
Reprise

Two of the tracks from 'No More Stories...' are available now on the band's new EP of the same name, which was released last week. You can hear it on Spotify here.

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BOWIE RE-RELEASE TO CELEBRATE MOON LANDING ANNIVERSARY
David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' is to be re-released to mark the fortieth anniversary of the moon landings. The new release will feature four versions of the song, the original UK mono single edit, the US mono single edit, the US stereo single edit and the 1979 re-recording. Available via download, it will also come with eight extra 'stems' which will allow fans to remix their own versions of the song, should they want to. The EP will be out on 20 Jul, a week or so after the moon walk anniversary, which is 11 Jul.

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6 DEGREES TRACK AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD
A version of Chaka Khan's 'I'm Every Women' created for the previously reported Action Aid 6 Degrees project is now available for download.

The cover features six artists, obviously, including Roisin Murphy, Sinead O'Connor, Micachu (of Micachu and the Shapes), thecocknbullkid and Alessi's Ark, and the track has been put together by Epic US chief Amanda Ghost.

Go download at this URL: www.actionaid.org.uk/6degrees/?page=free-download

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BIBIO'S VIRTUAL FOREST
Here's a fun little thing. Following the release of his new album, 'Ambivalence Avenue', Warp's latest signing Bibio has planted a virtual forest on the label's website.

Many of the sounds found on the album were collected from around the countryside, and now you can return them there (kind of) by planting your own virtual tree in the forest, designing how it looks, controlling the weather, and selecting the music and ambient sound that will play when people go to look at it.

Take a look here.

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JACKSON STUFF PULLED FROM BRUNO MOVIE
According to reports, Universal Pictures have cut footage from Sacha Baron Cohen's new 'Bruno' movie out of respect for the Jackson family in the light of their recent bereavement. A scene featuring LaToya Jackson, and in which the film's central character attempts to get her brother Michael's telephone number from her mobile phone, has been removed. The new movie opens in the UK tomorrow.

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TIMBERBLAKE TO WRITE GOLF BOOK
Justin Timberlake is going to write a book about golf. It could be the most tedious book in history. Though it's true Ronan Keating's autobiography makes life difficult for anyone aiming for that achievement. The book will apparently be about Timberlake's passion for the sport, and the various games he's played against other celebrities. Further proof of the need for my proposed law which bans celebrities from branching out of the genre they're famous for. I mean, I know I don't have to buy it, but think of the trees.

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NINE INCH NAILS ANNOUNCE MORE US SHOWS
Having previously announced that this year's Bonnaroo festival would be Nine Inch Nails' last ever US show, it seems that Trent Reznor has had a change of heart. Well, "seems" is a little too non-committal, he's announced that the band will play a handful of shows in small and medium-sized venues in New York, Chicago and LA later this year.

Writing on the band's official website, Reznor said: "Getting right to the point, we're going to play a handful of shows in NYC, Chicago and LA starting 22 Aug. They will be informal affairs in medium to small venues with longer set-lists, possible special guests, cool openers and other surprises. Upon reflection, the NIN/JA tour felt like we had to rush through sets due to a limited allotted set length and many shows were in daylight - it just didn't feel right to end NIN that way. An offer to headline a festival (being announced soon) set the idea in motion to play some FUN shows to end this up with. If we can get it together we'll film these shows, too".

He continued:"In NYC we'll be playing Bowery Ballroom, Webster Hall and Terminal 5. In Chicago, the Aragon Ballroom. In LA we'll be at The Wiltern, The Henry Fonda, The Palladium and The Echoplex. These should be cool, unusual and unique shows and I hope you come out - this is it".

On the subject of support acts, Reznor said that The Horrors would be joining them in New York, with Mew supporting at some or all of the shows in all three cities. Full details and ticket info will be announced shortly.

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DEPECHE MODE CONFIRM REPLACEMENT O2 DATE
Depeche Mode have announced that they have rescheduled their postponed O2 Arena show for 2010. A significant number of the band's recent tour dates were, as previously reported, cancelled because singer Dave Gahan was taken ill and hospitalised whilst on the road.

Here are the group's upcoming revised UK tour dates:

12 Dec: Glasgow SECC
13 Dec: Birmingham LG Arena
15+16 Dec: London O2 Arena
18 Dec: Manchester MEN Arena
20 Feb: London O2 Arena

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WAR CHILD ANNOUNCE ARMY OF YOU LINE UP
War Child have announced the line up for their annual Army Of You gig, set to take place at Notting Hill's Tabernacle venue. Appearing at the event, which takes place on 15 Jul, are Jeremy Warmsley and Alan Pownall, who will both perform acoustic sets in the courtyard, while inside the venue will be Filthy Dukes, We Have Band, The Phenomenal Handclap Band and Crystal Fighters. There will also be DJ sets from Mat Horne, StopMakingMe, Leo Greenslade and Firas. Proceeds from the event go, of course, to War Child.

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REGISTRATION FOR GLASTONBURY 2010 OPENS
You probably haven't even got around to hosing off your wellies yet, but registration to get tickets for next year's Glastonbury Festival has already opened.

Not only that, but Michael Eavis has revealed that he's already booking next year's headliners too. He says: "We've got some headliners who haven't played for a few years and some who have never played here. I'm not saying names, it will be the same old guessing game. But they're all on the phone at the moment so it will be special".

www.glastonburyregistration.co.uk

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MACHINE HEAD PULL OUT OF SONISPHERE
Machine Head have announced that they have decided to pull out of the upcoming UK Sonisphere festival on 2 Aug after Limp Bizkit were placed above them on the bill.

In a statement, the band said: "In a turn of events that has left us absolutely baffled, the promoter of the UK Sonisphere festival recently placed, unbeknownst to us, Limp Bizkit in our third slot on the festival. Seeing as the running order was a significant part of the negotiation and agreement between us and the promoter, and the fact that we had been advertised in that slot since the festival's announcement, you can imagine our surprise when we were 'told' that we would now be playing in the fourth slot, under Limp Bizkit, and bizarrely, it was actually expected that we would quietly move down the bill without issue. We will not".

They added: "Machine Head turned down the UK's Download Festival, a festival we are very fond of - which incidentally, had us above Limp Bizkit - to commit to the Knebworth festival, as we felt a closer kinship to the bands performing this year. In an effort to make this situation in Knebworth work, we have spent more than a week striving to resolve this issue in a proper manner. Unfortunately, that did not happen. So we have regrettably been left with no choice but to cancel our appearance rather than stand for the disrespect and indignity offered by a promoter who won't honour our agreement".

In response, Sonisphere said: "We have spent close to two weeks talking to Machine Head to try and keep them on the festival including offering them higher billing on the Saturn Stage, so that they would be performing immediately after Limp Bizkit and before Nine Inch Nails. They would also get a longer time slot and were offered an increase in fee. Unfortunately the band did not find this agreeable. We have strived to make Sonisphere a great festival in our debut year with one of the strongest line ups out there. Our main priority is to give the fans a great weekend full of awesome bands and it was only recently that Limp Bizkit became available. In the process Machine Head have been upset, and despite our best efforts, they have made the decision to cancel their appearance".

In situations like this, there's only one things to do - decide who's to blame. Head over to Thrash Hits to cast your vote: www.thrashhits.com/2009/07/machine-head-out-of-uk-sonispherebut-whos-to-blame/

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POLICE OFFER T IN THE PARK ADVICE
Tayside Police have issued advice to those planning to attend this year's T In The Park, which begins tomorrow in Balado.

Festival goers are advised to arrive prepared for all weather eventualities with adequate clothing and waterproofs, to not take drugs, to stay close to friends, and to sleep with their tickets inside their sleeping bags. Officers also said that fans should not bring valuable property with them, and should look after their mobile phones. All of which is just common sense, really, but I suppose some people don't have any sense. The police also warned that festival goers caught carrying or dealing drugs would be arrested, but that there will be drug amnesty bins for people to offload any narcotics without fear of prosecution.

Chief Superintendent Craig Suttie said: ''I would appeal to everyone who is coming to T In The Park to enjoy the occasion, take care of themselves and their friends and help us to provide a safe environment for everyone to revel in what is an outstanding event. Before they arrive people should plan their trip to T In The Park, whether it is for one day only, or for the weekend's duration".

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ALBUM REVIEW: James Yorkston And The Big Eyes Family Players - Folk Songs (Domino)
This record has been fairly long in the making; the idea of Yorkston recording an album of traditional folk songs first came about in 2000. The songs originally planned for that album ended up featuring on previous releases and being amalgamated into live sets, so now Yorkston draws anew on the tremendously deep well of traditional song in Great Britain and Ireland (and one from Galicia) to produce another work of understated, effortless brilliance. This time he's perfectly backed by James Green's outfit Big Eyes Family Players (instead of usual cohorts The Athletes) who contribute some absolutely beautiful playing; 'Thorneymoor Woods' is full of subtle little touches, 'Low Down In The Broom' is driving and dramatic and 'Martinmas Time' is a perfect little folk-out (have a listen and you'll know what I mean). In keeping with folk traditions, these are very much Yorkston's (and Green's) own interpretations of songs which have existed in a huge variety of different forms for years and years. 'Mary Connaught & James O'Donnell' and 'Little Musgrave' feature new melodies and arrangements, to create music which is both timeless and unmistakably Yorkston. Similarly the Irish song 'I Went To Visit The Roses' gets a new lick of paint, and sounds like an outtake from last year's 'When The Haar Rolls In'. In these times of nu-folk, anti-folk, psych-folk and the like, it's a treat to hear some real traditional tunes being reinterpreted by a true master, sympathetically played by a fantastic band. The release will also be available as a limited edition set, with two CDs and a DVD containing five live tracks and a further five traditional songs. TH
Release Date: 10 Aug
Press Contact: Hermana PR [all]

Buy from iTunes
Buy from Amazon

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FORD KA AD SONG TO BE RELEASED
A song written especially for the current Ford Ka TV ad campaign will be released next week after an overwhelming public response. 'I'm Not Invisible' by The Tease, featuring Megan Wyler, has featured in the advert since January, receiving 400,000 views and a flurry of questions about where the song could be purchased when it was posted on YouTube.

Wyler, who is currently working on her debut album, told CMU: "The Tease is a incredibly collaborative group of guys. They bounce ideas off each other and everyone writes bits to ultimately weave and create the whole song. They also allow a lot of freedom and input from whomever they are working with, which is pretty unusual and really great to be a part of".

You can see the video for the song here.

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CDS DOMINATE JACKO SALES
Neilsen SoundScan, the company which monitors US music sales of course, have released its weekly charts and stats, which cast some interesting light on the sale of Michael Jackson's music in America since the star's death, and in particular revealed that 82% of the recent Jacko purchases were on physical media, mainly CDs.

In the week leading up to last Sunday night, Jackson shifted 800,000 copies of his solo albums, an increase of 90% on the previous week. Of those 656,000 were physical albums, compared to 144,000 digital albums. This is a shift on the previous week, when physical releases only counted for 43% of Jacko sales, although this is more because retailers of physical media were unable to keep up with demand in the first few days after the singer's death. Retailers in the UK, of course, were better prepared as they had already been stocking up in preparation for an expected rise in interest during the planned O2 shows.

What this tells us about CD buying trends I'm not sure. Some are predicting that it's one last blip in the life of a format which is ultimately doomed. And in a period of collective grief, or at least collective willingness to pay tribute to Jackson, it seems reasonable to think that people would want to own something tangible, more so than they would for the latest disposable pop star.

It's also possible that a large number of people who do not generally buy much, if any, music at all are heading out to the stores to stock up on Jacko, and those people are also more likely to want things in physical form simply because they are not familiar with digital music.

All that said, downloads of Jackson's music in the US stand at 2.2 million tracks for the last week, which is not an insignificant amount.

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ASDA COMMITTED TO ENTERTAINMENT LINES
Asda will hold a special conference for its suppliers of music and entertainment products later this month in Leeds. According to Music Week, the retailer is expected to tell reps from the music, video and gaming industries that it is more committed than ever to selling entertainment stuff, and has plans to "go after" the Christmas market previously served by Woolworths. The trade mag quote an Asda rep as saying "this is all about how we are taking our responsibility seriously as one of the remaining retailers for physical entertainment product".

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NE-YO PRODUCTION COMPANY EXPAND TO UK
Ne-Yo's production enterprise Compound Entertainment has announced plans to launch in the UK, adding that the R&B star and his creative team want to collaborate with British artists from different genres, both as songwriters and producers. To that end, Compound - a music production outfit founded by Ne-Yo and his manager Reynell Hay in 2007 - will hold a launch event in London next week.

Confirming the UK expansion, Ne-Yo told CMU: "As a songwriter as well as a singer, I think it's important to cast my words wide. In other words, I am not trying to contain myself in some little box marked 'urban.' I have travelled the world, and I want to bring that across in the material. Forget about urban, pop or whatever..."

Compond's COO, Tishawn Gayle, added: "Ne-Yo has always been well received in the UK and Europe by his label, his fans, the media and the wider industry. We're really excited at the prospect of building on those relationships and developing new ones with the exciting talent within the UK".

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MEGA VIEWING FOR JACKO MEMORIAL
One last bit of Jacko. And Michael Jackson's big memorial bash was watched by 31.1 million people in the US on Tuesday, according to the aforementioned ratings people Nielsen. The two hour tribute show was aired by 18 TV networks in America. That makes it the third biggest dead-person-related TV broadcast in the US - behind the burial of Ronald Reagan and the funeral of Princess Diana.

UK TV ratings for the memorial are estimated at just over 6 million. Over here BBC Two, BBC News, Five, Sky News and Sky Arts all showed the show. In France ratings people say about 10 million people tuned in, while ratings for Germany are a massive 20 million, nearly a quarter of the population. Online MSNBC say 19 million people logged into its webcast of the show, while MSN.com say they had 9.7 million people streaming the show from their servers.

Over all, show producers AEG reckon about a billion people watched the show live, which is somewhere behind the 2.5 billion who tuned in to the aforementioned Princess Of Wales post-death shindig at Westminster Abbey, but it's still an awful lot of people. Simon Cowell really ought to get a Shaheen Jafargholi single out soon.

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OASIS WIN THAT OLD BRITPOP BATTLE, ACCORDING TO AIR PLAY
Collecting Society PRS For Music have revealed that it's ultimately Oasis who've emerged victorious from their contrived Britpop battle with Blur, as they've achieved more air play over the years than their lately fully reformed rivals.

As you'll no doubt remember, at the height of the manufactured Brit Pop war back in August of 1995 the bands fought it out in the charts - Oasis with 'Roll With It', and Blur with 'Country House' - and it was Blur who won that particular skirmish. But it's 'Wonderwall' that's had the most plays on radio overall since then.

Here are the figures that demonstrate it:

Wonderwall - Oasis - 68%
Roll With It - Oasis - 12%
Country House - Blur - 10%
Some Might Say - Oasis - 7%
Beetlebum - Blur - 3%

Steve Porter, Chief Executive PRS For Music, said: "With Blur performing some storming gigs and Oasis' back on tour it's like the heyday of Britpop once again. These new figures showing that despite Blur winning the original battle, Oasis wins long term by number of plays. However with both bands still working and their music being widely played the battle continues".

Amazing, considering that 'Wonderwall' is utter rubbish. Well, popular doesn't always mean better, I suppose.

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