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MORE THREE-STRIKES TALK? YES. BLAME LILY
Lily Allen has taken to her MySpace blog once again to respond to some of the comments made about her previous post on the subject of file-sharing, and efforts to stop it.

As previously reported, earlier this week she spoke out in opposition to the Featured Artists Coalition's stance on the matter; they are opposing the government's current proposals that a series of measures be introduced that could lead to serial file-sharers having their net connections suspended.

Ironically Lily's original blog has been so widely quoted from this week, it's arguable that the intellectual property in her written rantings is worth more than the copyrights in her recorded music, though only Rupert Murdoch's MySpace is benefiting from that at the moment. Bastard. Perhaps we could have his internet connection cut off. Or perhaps Lily should think of a better way of licensing her online rambles to other media, turning them it into a revenue stream, but not just yet because we're about to dip heavily into her most recent post ourselves and don't want to have to pay for the privilege.

Her blogged response is, I think, more aimed at people who have left comments below her original post, rather than the media coverage of it. She refutes claims that the fall in record sales is merely a product of the recession, as some (who are wrong) have said, and agrees that sometimes companies over charge for music. She also points out that thousands of people were made redundant by her label, EMI, last year, seemingly as an example of the impact of piracy, though I think with regards EMI years of mismanagement and a slightly misinformed new leader were as much to blame for the sweeping job cuts as kids who file-share.

Anyway, she wrote: "The long and short of it is, even before this economic downturn, piracy has been affecting all areas of entertainment, except maybe theatre ... if people go on consuming at the rate they are and do not pay for what they are consuming, not only will the artists within all these industries be without jobs and unable to express themselves but the behind the scenes people too ... people are being laid off in all areas and the record companies are no exception. My own label EMI laid off thousands last year. I don't care so much about the high-ups (and by the way they're always the last to go - what a surprise) but the people who are going out are the young ones, the lifeblood basically. They're the ones that go first, I've seen it. And the same is happening in TV and film. Why do you think you are just getting 'Terminator 6' and 'Harry Potter 7' instead of exciting new voices? Because the young voices are not there anymore".

Turning the fight against file-sharing into a fight against, rather than in support of, the most mainstream of the corporates, she concluded: "The internet is the most amazing thing, but it should be OUR thing, and ironically piracy is just playing into the hands of the corporations. What these artists and creators do, they do for the love of it, I know it's hard because money is scarce but we have to inject money back into these areas. It's not fair to steal people's material. I know it's art and it has no physical value but even Shakespeare had shares in The Globe Theatre. People will lose their jobs, you'll be watching 'X-Factor', Simon Cowell will be getting richer, radio stations will be churning out old back catalogues from people your dad or even your granddad's age (Vera Lynn is number one this week) and the taxpayer will have to subsidise yet more unemployment".

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BELLAMY MUSES ON THE ISSUE
Lily Allen also revealed that Muse frontman Matt Bellamy had emailed her on the subject of P2P. He seems to be supporting the proposal that you allow file-sharing but set up some kind of blanket licensing system for the ISPs, which has been much mooted over the years, especially by the indie labels.

Allen pasted Bellamy's musings (ha ha ha - see what I did there?) on the subject, which went as follows: "My current opinion is that file-sharing is now the norm. This cannot be changed without an attack on perceived civil liberties, which will never go down well. The problem is that the ISPs making the extreme profits (due to millions of broadband subscriptions) are not being taxed by the copyright owners correctly and this is a legislation issue. Radio stations and TV stations etc have to pay the copyright owners (both recording and publishing) a fee for using material they do not own. ISPs should have to pay in the same way with a collection agency like PRS doing the monitoring and calculations based on encoded (but freely downloaded) data. Broadband makes the internet essentially the new broadcaster. This is the point which is being missed".

Bellamy apparently suggested he and Lily have a meeting with Peter Mandelson, which would be interesting, not least because I'm not sure the two popsters have the same viewpoint on the issue.

And if Lily does now agree with Matt, well, in some ways Virgin Media and Sky's proposed all-you-can-eat MP3 download services are a step towards the ISP-funded blanket licensing system Bellamy proposes, and, as previously reported, it's EMI, Sony and possibly Warner who are likely to scupper those plans. So perhaps Allen and Bellamy should have tea with their own labels' chiefs instead of bothering Pete.

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MAJOR CHIEFS RECKON QUEEN'S SPEECH IS A DEADLINE FOR P2P ACTION
By the way, EMI as well as Sony had meetings this week to lobby the managers of their artists on the P2P issue. As previously reported, the majors are very keen to talk artists and managers who oppose measures to suspend the net connections of persistent file-sharers around to their way of thinking, or at least to shut them up while government gives serious consideration to such proposals.

It seems that the top guard at most of the majors see the government's sudden change of heart on the file-sharing debate as a major but very short-lived window of opportunity. The consensus seems to be that if things haven't moved on sufficiently for anti-P2P legislation to be included in the Queen's Speech in November then the opportunity will be lost, given the political system will shut down next May for a General Election and then there may well be a whole new gang in government. The major label chiefs fear that if there's too much public disagreement in the music community on the issue, government types will get cold feet and the Queen's Speech deadline will be missed.

It will be interesting to see if said major label chiefs also realise that their own actions regarding the aforementioned Virgin Media and Sky all-you-can-eat download services could have an impact on this. Even supportive ministers need strong signs that the record industry is seriously considering radical new business models to make music available online before pushing more draconian anti-P2P measures onto the statute book. Pointing to deals with iTunes, MySpace and Spotify may not be enough, and if EMI, Sony and Warner scupper Virgin Media's all-you-can-eat ambitions - just as the Queen's Speech is being written - the major chiefs may find it's their decisions rather that the Featured Artist Coalition's statements that closes the window of opportunity without any change in the law.

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LAPD'S JACKO INVESTIGATION NEARLY COMPLETE
Gossip site TMZ says that the LAPD's investigation into Michael Jackson's death is now close to completion. It seems that the singer's personal doctor, Conrad Murray, is the only person still under investigation, so if any charges are made it is likely it will be he who faces them. That may be a little unfair, given that many say it is quite common for the personal medics of Hollywood's rich and famous to acquire and administer the prescription drugs to which certain A-list celebs are addicted. Jackson's brother Tito recently said he doesn't hold a grudge against Murray, even though it seems likely police will confirm that it was drugs administered by the doc that killed Jacko.

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WARP SHOP TO RE-OPEN TOMORROW
As part of the label's ongoing 20th anniversary celebrations, Warp Records have announced that they are re-opening the Warp record shop in Sheffield where it all began, albeit just for a few days.

Located in the city's Forum venue, just 100 yards from the original shop, which closed in 1996, the special shop will be open from tomorrow until Sunday selling Warp music and film, merchandise, signed copies and oddities will be sold, alongside DJ sets, art displays, competitions, the original Warp Shop sign and more.

Also in Sheffield this weekend, the label will host an all-night show at the Magna Science and Adventure Centre, with live and DJ sets from Squarepusher, Andrew Weatherall, Nightmares On Wax, Forgemasters, Clark, Hudson Mohawke and Harmonic 313.

There's info on all happenings here: warp.net/records/warp20

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ABERCROMBIE & FITCH SUE BEYONCE
US fashion retailer Abercrombie & Fitch are suing Beyonce over her plans to launch a new fragrance. The problem is the name Ms Knowles plans to use, Sasha Fierce, taken, of course, from her recent album title 'I Am... Sasha Fierce'.

The retailer, famous for promoting its clothes with pictures of guys not really wearing any, have their own cologne brand called simply Fierce. A&F say they fear Beyonce's new venture will cause confusion and damage the sales of their own product which, while primarily marketed to men, they describe as a "unisex" fragrance.

Having presumably spoken to Beyonce's people about their concerns, the retail firm is now suing under various trademark and unfair competition laws.

Team Knowles are yet to comment. Perhaps they could hire Kanye West to do her defence in court.

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TAYLOR NOT SUING THE STONES
Everyone's not doing something to The Rolling Stones of late. Earlier this month Charlie Watts wasn't quitting the band, now former guitarist Mick Taylor isn't suing them over unpaid royalties, despite an article in the Daily Mail to the contrary.

Taylor's manager Jeff Allen told the NME: "[Mick] certainly didn't say that he was going to sue the Stones. Mick's got a very good relationship with the Stones. In fact, the last time we met up with them, him and Keith [Richards] were like long-lost lovers - hugging each other and happy to see each other. When Mick was ill either six or eight weeks ago with some kind of chest complaint, Mick Jagger had his office phone up to see what was going on, and then he phoned up the hospital just to check on Mick because they were worried about him. So there's absolutely no animosity between Mick and the Stones".

He added: "You can imagine the shock, horror and disbelief when that article came out in the Daily Mail. The emphasis of the article was that Mick was some kind of rundown, down-and-out tramp living in Suffolk. The reality is Mick's having the house done up".

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MARY TRAVERS DIES
Mary Travers, the Mary of Peter, Paul And Mary, has died aged 72 after losing a long battle with leukaemia.

A leading act from America's sixties folk scene, Travers, Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey started performing together at the start of that decade in New York's Greenwich Village. Although starting out with harmonious performances of songs like 'Mary Had A Little Lamb', they became more known for the liberal political messages they delivered both within their songs and in general. Their version of 'If I Had a Hammer' became an anthem for racial equality, as well as winning the trio a Best Folk Grammy.

The band had a string of hits, and maintained their mainstream appeal despite being outspoken against the Vietnam War. Notable songs included 'Lemon Tree', 'Moving' and, of course, 'Puff (The Magic Dragon)'. And then, through third album 'In The Wind', they brought the folk scene's attention to the work of a certain Bob Dylan, who had written three songs on that long player, including 'Blowin In The Wind'.

Many have noted that Travers in particular played an important role in the success of the folk trio. Billboard cite New York Times critic Robert Shelton who noted: "Sex appeal as a keystone for a folk-song group was the idea of the group's manager, Albert B Grossman, who searched for months for 'the girl' until he decided on Miss Travers".

Peter, Paul And Mary resisted the temptation to follow Dylan and move into so called folk-rock, but still enjoyed success as a trio until they disbanded in 1971. Travers launched a solo career and, although never recreating the success of the sixties, did release five solo albums. The trio remained on good terms and occasionally regrouped, while all three continued to be politically active, speaking out on key issues of the day.

Travers was diagnosed with leukaemia earlier this decade, though responded well to a bone marrow transplant and was able to return to performing. But Yarrow told a Washington radio station earlier this year that her condition had worsened again and that it seemed unlikely she'd be able to perform.

The band's publicist, Heather Lylis, confirmed last night that Travers died at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut yesterday.

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JAY-Z BREAKS ELVIS CHART RECORD
So, on Monday The Beatles broke one of Elvis' British records by having the most albums in the UK Top 60 album chart at the same time, and now Jay-Z has broken one of the King's US chart records by having his 11th American number one album. As predicted last week, 'Blueprint 3' has topped the Billboard 200 chart this week, meaning the hip hop mogul has beaten Elvis' ten number one albums achievement. Come on Presley, quit the chip shop job and get back into the studio to reclaim these chart records.

Oasis have also just broken a chart record apparently. Well, it's not that they've just broken it, it's that they've had the record confirmed by the Guinness people. Yes, the possibly now defunct Manchester band will appear in the 2010 Guinness Book of World Records for having the most consecutive top ten hits in the UK. A statement on their website reads: "The band enter the book for the second time by setting the longest top ten UK chart run by a group notching up an unprecedented 22 successive top ten hits in the UK. Oasis previously entered the record book for being the most successful act of the decade between 1995 and 2005 by spending 765 weeks in the top 75 singles and albums charts".

PS: While we're discussing chart records, when we said, on Monday, that The Beatles, by having four albums in the Top Ten this week, had broken the record for having the most LPs in the top ten at the same time, a record previously held by The Monkees, what we forgot to add in there was "by a group", obviously. MJ had five albums in the top ten back in July, of course.

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GUITAR HERO LEADS BEATLES ROCK BAND IN GAMING CHARTS
Not being especially au fait with the video games industry it's hard to gauge whether the much much much hyped Beatles edition of 'Rock Band' has been as successful as everyone hoped. I kind of get the feeling not, but what do I know? I do know that the Fab Four's first video game outing is at number four in the UK gaming charts, which is a higher rating than any previous 'Rock Band' release, but is still behind rival game 'Guitar Hero 5' which is at number one. That's the first time 'Guitar Hero' has topped the gaming chart.

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PAVEMENT REUNION LOOKING LIKELY
Speculation about a Pavement reunion has been rife pretty much since the day the band announced that they were "retiring for the foreseeable future" back in 1999. Mainly because former frontman Stephen Malkmus has been asked about the possibility in every interview he has ever done since and always gives answers with differing levels of vagueness. But now it looks like it might actually happen next year.

Both The Brooklyn Vegan and Pitchfork claim to have spoken to reliable sources, who say that the band will return for at least one show at the Central Park Summerstage in September next year. Pitchfork say it'll be a benefit show on 21 Sep, The Brooklyn Vegan says it'll be several, possibly four shows.

The Brooklyn Vegan also speculated that these shows might be part of a wider tour, following an official comeback at next year's Coachella in April and leading up to the New York-based version of the ATP festival, which they could be curating. But that is, I think, what is known as getting ahead of yourself.

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EX-KORN GUITARIST DENIES HE WANTS BACK IN
Former Korn guitarist Brain 'Head' Welch, who left the band in 2005 after finding religion, has denied claims made by his ex-bandmate James 'Munky' Shaffer in a recent interview that he has asked to rejoin the band.

In a slightly rambling statement, Welch said: "I recently learned of an interview that Munky gave where he said that I came to Korn and asked to be taken back in the band. That's definitely not a complete and accurate picture.The full truth is that for about a year, ever since [frontman] Jonathan [Davis] publicly said he wanted me back in Korn, Korn's managers have been requesting my manager to work on getting me back into Korn. The calls were initiated by Korn's managers, not my manager. I shut the door on their requests many, many times over the last several months, through my manager. However, [bassist] Fieldy personally called me during Korn's last tour in Europe and we talked as friends for a long time. He also told me if I ever wanted to rejoin Korn, or open for Korn as a solo artist, the door was always open".

He continued: "Since Fieldy is sober now and a Christian like me, I thought it may be a good idea to visit with Fieldy, a friend of mine, to see what he was up to and what it was all about. I had a great time reconnecting with Fieldy. I mainly went to his house to connect with an old friend. The Korn stuff we talked about was secondary, but it was discussed. Fieldy thought that Jonathan, Munky, and I should all meet as friends, reconnect, and maybe discuss the possibilities. Both Jonathan and Munky refused that meeting. I learned a lot visiting with Fieldy. I learned that I love and miss my friends, but the visit confirmed to me that I have a different calling in life than to reconnect musically/professionally".

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Q: ARE WE NOT SIGNED? A: WE ARE DEVO!
How about this for some exciting Thursday morning news. Devo have signed one of those 360 degree deals with Warner Bros Records, which will see the major label control the band's recordings, touring, merchandise, web activity, promotion, sponsorship, syncs and everything else Devo-related.

The first fruits of the deal will be the re-release of two of the band's albums, 1978's 'Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!' and 1980's 'Freedom Of Choice', in deluxe form, as well as a 7" single featuring the tracks 'Jocko Homo' and Mongoloid'. The band will also head out on a US tour of seven cities, playing two shows in each in order to perform both of the re-released albums in full. Fans who buy tickets to the shows will also be given unreleased demos of the songs 'Whip It' and 'Turn Around', and the original version of 'It's Not Right'. All that, re-releases and touring, kicks off on 3 Nov.

The band's bassist Gerald Casale said in a statement that they are "back in a serious way". He added: "We have two audiences now, two distinct audiences, and it's great. We have a college audience that discovered us by watching YouTube, and we have the people that were around that remember what Devo did to begin with, when we were some kind of cultural icon or, whatever you want to call it. And when we look out at the crowd we see both age groups, which is fantastic".

The band are also apparently working on new material, although they're not yet sure what form any new release will take. Synth player Mark Mothersbaugh said: "The new challenges are interesting to us. With the business turned upside down like it's been in the last couple years, we're looking for ways to use new technology that wasn't around when we did this the first time".

Casale added: "There are a lot of novel ways to distribute your music without the conventional channels, through mobile means and through the Internet, through novel playback devices, toys. We're interested in all of that".

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SPIRITUALIZED TO RE-ISSUE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
Spiritualized have announced details of the re-issued version of their third album, 'Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space', which I think we've mentioned before, if only fleetingly.

There will be two editions of the album. A 'collector's edition' will feature the album on a number of 3.5" CDs plus two bonus discs of extra material. Meanwhile a 'special edition' will feature the album on one boring old normal-sided CD, plus the two bonus discs.

It's not entirely clear if the collector's edition will be a repressed version of the original special edition of the album, which came designed to look like an over-sized packet of pills with all the 3.5" CDs sealed in foul blisters. I hope so. That was cool.

The band will also perform the album live in its entirety as part of All Tomorrow's Parties' Don't Look Back series on 12 and 13 Oct at the Royal Festival Hall in London, and then on 16 and 17 Dec at the Barbican Centre, also in London.

Here are the tracklists for the bonus discs:

Bonus CD1
Ladies And Gentlemen (A Cappella)
Ladies And Gentlemen (Demo)
Ladies And Gentlemen (Strings)
Ladies And Gentlemen (Kate Telephone Call)
Ladies And Gentlemen (Moles Studio Mix 7)
Ladies And Gentlemen (Original Oratone Ideas)
Ladies And Gentlemen (A Cappella With Lead Vocal)
Come Together (Instrumental Demo)
Come Together (Demo In Lower Key)
I Think I'm In Love (Original Demo Idea)
I Think I'm In Love (Demo)
I Think I'm In Love (Drums/Wah)
I Think I'm In Love (A Cappella)
I Think I'm In Love (Vocal Demo Jan 96)
I Think I'm In Love (Gospel Choir Session)
All Of My Thoughts (Demo)
All Of My Thoughts (Strings)
Rocket Shaped Song

Bonus CD2
Electricity (Demo)
Electricity (January 96)
Electricity (June 96)
Home Of The Brave (Demo)
Home Of The Brave (Panned Vocal)
Beautiful Happiness
Broken Heart (Demo)
Broken Heart (Strings)
Broken Heart (Vocal Harmony/Angel Corpus Christi)
Broken Heart (Early Vocal)
No God Only Religion (Demo)
No God Only Religion (Horns)
Cool Waves (Demo)
Cool Waves (String Session Mix)
Cop Shoot Cop (Demo)
Cop Shoot Cop (Dr John The National Anthem)
Cop Shoot Cop (String Session Mix)

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NINJA TUNE GIVE AWAY FREE KING CANNIBAL MEGAMIX
The dark heart of Ninja Tune, King Cannibal, releases his debut album, 'Let The Night Roar', on 12 Oct. It's very good, trust me. Or don't. You can get a second opinion (courtesy of your very own brain) by downloading and listening to the free megamix currently being given away at this URL...

www.ninjatune.net/ninja/artist.php?id=140

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COMANECHI ANNOUNCE DEBUT ALBUM
Comanechi, featuring the ubiquitous Akiko Matsuura, who as well as playing with Pre and her solo project Sperm Javelin, can currently be found playing drums with The Big Pink, have announced the release of their long-awaited (by me, anyway) debut album, 'Crime Of Love'.

It'll be released by Merok Records on 30 Nov, although signed pre-ordered copies will be sent out earlier than that. Do your pre-ordering thing here.

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HOOK PENS HACIENDA BOOK
Former Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook has announced details of a new book chronicling the rise and fall of The Hacienda club, which he owned for fifteen years with his bandmates and the Factory record label in Manchester.

Inspired by the New York club scene they discovered while escaping from Manchester following the suicide of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, Hook and bandmates Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris decide to bring a bit of that scene back home with them. The Hacienda rose to become one of the UK's most iconic clubs, but eventually closed in 1997 due to financial problems.

Hook will explain all of this in far more detail (I would hope) in the book, 'The Hacienda - How Not To Run A Club', which will be published on 5 Oct. A mix CD, 'Hacienda - Acid House Classics', will be released the same day.

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MUSE ANNOUNCE TOUR DATES
Muse have announced that The Big Pink will be their main support act on their upcoming UK tour. Which is good news because I would love to hear them play in a massive venue. And I've not seen Muse for ages either. Thinking about it, not for more than ten years. Blimey.

Anyway, here are the tour dates:

4 Nov: Sheffield Arena
5 Nov: Liverpool, Echo Arena
9 Nov: Glasgow, SECC
10 Nov: Birmingham, NIA
12 Nov: London, O2 Arena
13 Nov: London, O2 Arena

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THE MOLOTOVS TOUR AND EXCITING INTERNET STUFF
The Molotovs have announced some tour dates, including a handful with The Boxer Rebellion, which is all very exciting. But first we've got a whole load of links to some cool stuff from the band to give you.

Sticking with the gigs and tours theme, the band have just set up a YouTube channel, via which they will be broadcasting regular living room performances. Check that out here: www.youtube.com/themolotovs09. They're also putting together a series of Spotify playlists, with each member of the band giving an insight into their influences. First up is guitarist Henry Walton with his effort, here.

Finally, the band are giving away a track from their excellent debut mini-album, 'And The Heads Did Roll', which will be released by Fierce Panda on Monday. Download 'In Conversation' here.

Now, what about these tour dates?

21 Sep: London, Hoxton Bar & Kitchen (album launch)
22 Sep: Cardiff, Barfly (with The Boxer Rebellion)
23 Sep: Southampton, Joiners (with The Boxer Rebellion)
25 Sep: London, Bardens Boudoir
26 Sep: Bristol, Thekla (with The Boxer Rebellion)
27 Sep: Birmingham, Hare & Hounds (with The Boxer Rebellion)
28 Sep: Liverpool, The Masque (with The Boxer Rebellion)
1 Oct: Glasgow, ABC2 (with The Boxer Rebellion)
2 Oct: Newcastle, Other Rooms (with The Boxer Rebellion)
3 Oct: Manchester, Roadhouse (with The Boxer Rebellion)
5 Oct: Leeds, The Faversham (with The Boxer Rebellion)
6 Oct: London, The Garage (with The Boxer Rebellion)
14 Oct: London, Borderline
19 Oct: Manchester, Cellar Vie
24 Oct: Cardiff, Swn Festival

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MAPS UK TOUR
James Chapman, aka Maps, has, er, mapped out a UK tour to promote the release of his second album, 'Turning The Mind', which is due for release via Mute on 28 Sep.

Tour dates:

17 Oct: Oxford, Jericho Tavern
22 Oct: Edinburgh, Electric Circus
23 Oct: Manchester, The Warehouse Project
24 Oct: Southampton, Joiners
25 Oct: Birmingham , Hare & Hounds
26 Oct: London, Cargo
28 Oct: Bristol, Start The Bus
29 Oct: Cambridge, Portland Arms
30 Oct: Brighton, Digital
31 Oct: Nottingham, Bodega
1 Nov: Norwich, Arts Centre
4 Nov: Sheffield, Fusion
5 Nov: Newcastle, Other Rooms
6 Nov: Glasgow, Nice & Sleazy's
7 Nov: Liverpool, Music Week at Masque

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ALBUM REVIEW: Boys Noize - Power (Boysnoize Records)
Where to start with Boys Noize? He's released music on the hyper cool Kitsune, set up his own label, signing such talent as Strip Steve, released his own acclaimed 'Bugged Out!' mix and collaborated with DJ deity Erol Alkan. Add to that his sensational debut, which rubbed every one of Ed Banger's coke-smeared faces in the dirt, you could tentatively call Alex Ridha the best new talent in dance. He returns this year as the defending champion, but can he keep his throne? Aware that subtlety isn't exactly his game, this follow up to 'Oi Oi Oi' is aptly named. Opener 'Gax' immediately showcases how Ridha has progressed. Hazy synth injections underpin a riff like a malfunctioning fairground attraction. It's a joyous new sound, a new statement of ferocious intent, and it will knock you sideways - talk about promising starts. But then comes the retreat. Where Ridha gasped a breath of fresh air with 'Gax', in subsequent tracks he cowers back to the comfort of his grinding bass. This would still be all fine and well if the songs actually went anywhere. The worst example of this is 'Nerve', a one-note musing which chooses safety over any change whatsoever. 'Trooper' is pretty much just drums. For six minutes. Respite only comes in closer 'Heart Attack', which features the same eighties, nostalgic beauty that Ridha often hints at. The frustration of this record is that a great talent lies locked away in small, nervous passages. It's time for Boys Noize to beef up and release the dancefloor masterpiece he's more than capable of. GB
Physical release: 5 Oct
Press contact: Darling Dept [all]

Buy from iTunes
Buy from Amazon

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WIND-UP DO DISTRIBUTION DEAL WITH EMI
US independent Wind-Up Records - who have Creed, Evanescence and Seether on their roster - have announced a new worldwide (excluding North America) marketing and distribution deal with EMI, via EMI Music Germany. Previously the indie's non-North American distribution was handled by Sony.

Confirming the new deal, Wind-Up President Edward Vetri said this: "I believe that this partnership will bring both companies success and offer a worldwide platform for our artists. EMI's global approach to sales and marketing will provide us with an international point to launch our artists in a strategic, coordinated manner. Wind-Up prides itself on a commitment to artist development and EMI's similar values will only increase international opportunities and cross-company promotions".

EMI Germany's Uli Muecke added: "We are very proud of this international partnership, which was piloted by EMI Music Germany. Artists like Creed, Evanescence and Seether are an exciting addition to our roster and we look forward to giving them our support and expertise as an international repertoire source and strong strategic partner for globally-selling artists".

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EMUSIC TYPES LOVE THE ALBUM
With Apple launching those multi-media bundle whatnots in a bid to encourage digital music buyers to purchase full albums rather than cherry pick tracks off long players, independent download store eMusic has revealed that the majority of its subscribers download full albums. They have told Digital Music News that 72% of tracks downloaded via the service are done so as part of a full album, 75% since July.

This is probably not a surprise, given the sorts of music fans who have eMusic subscriptions, and the fact that the eMusic platform is very much geared towards pushing albums over individual tracks. Plus when you've got to use up your 40+ credits before the end of the month otherwise you'll lose them, it's an easier option to download four long players than spend three days deciding which individual tracks to download. Still, interesting stats nonetheless.

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FAC HIRE PR AGENCY
The Featured Artists Coalition has hired the services of a PR company to help it get its messages out into the news media.

One of Deliberate PR's first tasks will be to communicate the FACs previously reported policy of opposing more draconian laws to combat P2P file-sharing, in the face of some other music business trade bodies supporting such new measures, and other artists - Ms Lily Allen in particular - accusing the bigger names in the Coalition of letting newer artists down by turning a blind eye to piracy which, she reckons, is making it harder for new bands to get started.

Asked about that particular issue, Deliberate PR's MD Benjamin Webb told PR Week: "While the FAC does not condone illegal filesharing, it believes a heavy-handed approach is a backwards step".

It should be said, Deliberate hasn't been hired just to deal with the P2P debate, and the timing of their appointment - ie in the middle of that big news story - seems to be coincidental. According to PR Week the agency has been hired to "manage a news-driven campaign to raise public awareness of the body, influence policy-makers and recruit new artists and managers as members".

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TLRC COMPLETE PORTFOLIO REVIEW
More movements within The Local Radio Company which, as previously reported, has been busy selling off a load of its local radio stations since rivals UKRD gain majority ownership and put their own top execs in charge.

This time TLRC has ended its joint venture with Portsmouth Football Club. The JV, called Quadrant Media, owned Portsmouth station The Quay, Chichester station Spirit FM and Isle Of Wight Radio. The latter was sold off last month. Now Quadrant will be closed down, with Portsmouth FC taking full ownership of The Quay, and TLRC getting full ownership of Spirit FM.

UKRD's William Rogers has told Radio Today that this arrangement brings to an end his company's review of TLRC's radio portfolio, which presumably means no more imminent station sales or closures.

Rogers: "This brings to a close the portfolio review we have carried out and subsequent actions taken to get the TLRC portfolio as a whole into a profitable state. I am delighted that The Quay is going to a home which is passionate about Portsmouth and I wish them every success. The deal also gives TLRC 100% ownership of Spirit FM and, as a result, tidies up our ownership of all the stations in the portfolio".

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LAVIGNE AND WHIBLEY MAY HAVE SPLIT UP
US gossip mag Us Weekly is reporting that Avril Lavinge and Sum 41 dude Deryck Whibley have split up after three years of marriage, though similar rumours circulated after a National Enquirer report last October and turned out to be untrue, so we should probably be wary of such gossip.

And the latest reports do seem to be based on pretty dodgy evidence (Whibley didn't attend the launch of Lavinge's new fashion range, shock horror), though the gossip mag does quote a source as saying: "She dumped him and told him she was leaving him. She wants to move on. Divorce papers will be filed any day now".

And if the mag is to be believed the marriage break down is far from amicable. They claim Deryck has been thrown out of the marital home, and that Avril is now erasing her husband's input on her next album. Source: "She is going to do new songs that don't have his mark on them. She wants no trace of him".

No response yet from the Whibley/Lavinge camp, or camps.

News agency WENN have picked up on this story and my favourite line in their report goes: "The Canadian pair attempted to silence critics [ie those who said the marriage was on the rocks] in August when they were spotted out together for the first time in four months during a trip to a grocery store in Los Angeles". Like that was definitely them "silencing critics", and not just buying some bread and milk.

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