LABEL MANAGER: Music Industry all rounder to look after the day to day running of two small but expanding independent labels - one rock and metal based and the other electronica. Duties would include liasing with Uk and European distributors, production, handling the 2 label online stores and other various duties involved with the running of small labels.

NEW TECHNOLOGY, WEB AND ONLINE SPECIALIST: An experienced individual looking to expand their responsibilities in the mobile, digital and new technology sphere with an aim to setting up their own department, working across film, music and fashion. Experience of licensing and synchronisation an advantage.

WORK EXPERIENCE: We are looking for young and enthusiastic people to help out at Visible Noise across press, promo, online. Please note these positions are unpaid and would require availability of at least 3 days a week.

PLEASE SEND CVS AND COVERING EMAIL TO: [email protected] by 13 Oct.

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Advertise your jobs here: £100 for five editions - [email protected]

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FILM PRODUCTION STUDIO TO RENT IN SHOREDITCH
A fully equipped film production studio in the heart of Shoreditch. An ideal temporary studio to meet all your freelance and overspill needs, with access to 2 cameras (Z1E and HC1E) with 2 sound kits, an HD edit suite with FCP Studio 2, HD deck, HD monitor and sound station. Full specs available on request. Includes a working space for up to four people. The space with production and post-production equipment is £200 per day, minimum hire of three days; 7 days is charged at 5 days. Discounts available for hire of 4 weeks plus. Please contact [email protected] or 07809601366.

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Advertise your stuff here: £120 for five editions - [email protected]

COULD TOUT LITIGATION AGAINST TICKETMASTER IMPACT ON MERGER?
The timing of this lawsuit is key. As Ticketmaster and Live Nation try to convince the US authorities that the two companies merging is a swell idea (their merger is still awaiting government approval), the former is facing a lawsuit from a leading ticket tout who claims the ticketing giant tried to manipulate the growing secondary ticketing market, and that they ripped him off in the process.

Ticketmaster say the lawsuit is "meritless", and it may well be for all we know, but the allegations in the litigation will surely be considered in passing by those deciding whether or not to approve the live entertainment sector's big merger.

Given that the ticketing giant has tried to distance itself from the whole online ticket touting game - albeit mainly since the Bruce Spingsteen-led backlash against its own US-based secondary ticketing website TicketsNow - some of the allegations in the lawsuit could be damaging. It alleges Ticketmaster wanted to position itself at the heart of the online ticket resale phenomenon, and that they were willing to release tickets straight onto the secondary market in order to push up ticket prices.

The litigation has been launched by Chuck Lombardo, a 'ticket broker' who has been buying and reselling tickets for over two decades, since 1995 via his company Elite Entertainment. According to TicketNews, he claims that in 2007 he was hired by Ticketmaster to "advise, consult and assist" on the growing secondary ticketing market, of which the ticketing giant wanted a cut.

As part of that relationship, Lombardo says he re-sold tickets to some high profile tours - including those of Van Halen, Def Leppard, Kanye West, Neil Diamond and New Kids On The Block - on Ticketmaster's behalf, ustilising various online ticket resale sites, including TicketsNow, which the ticketing giant acquired in 2008. He also later resold tickets on the secondary market on behalf of Ticketmaster's artist management division Front Line, in particular for an Eagles tour.

After those projects, Lombardo claims Ticketmaster offered him a more permanent contract, which would see him join the ticketing giant's pay roll, and them cover the staffing costs of Elite Entertainment. This later developed into talks for Ticketmaster to acquire Lombardo's company outright.

This is where things started to turn sour, with Lombardo claiming that senior execs at Ticketmaster played hardball in those negotiations, threatening, he claims, to have him "blackballed" from the live industry if he didn't comply with their demands. Some sort of agreement was signed and then, Lombardo says, Ticketmaster basically stopped talking to him, even though he had contractual commitments to the firm. In the meantime Ticketmaster had done another deal with one of Elite's rivals.

The lawsuit reads: "In a nutshell, Ticketmaster used plaintiffs' knowledge and expertise to build its secondary ticket platforms, inducing plaintiffs to provide their services, knowledge, expertise, and contacts with false promises that Ticketmaster would acquire Elite and of full employment for Lombardo and Elite's key employees with Ticketmaster. However, once Ticketmaster got what it needed and induced plaintiffs, by means of false promises and economic duress, to sign the Settlement Agreement purporting to release any claims against Ticketmaster, and to accept less compensation than was owed for the services provided to Frontline and Ticketmaster, it ruthlessly cast the plaintiffs aside, without regard to the irreparable harm done to their business and to Lombardo's ability to earn a living".

Of course the crux of this lawsuit, really, is the deal between Lombardo and Ticketmaster, and his claims it was signed under duress, and on the basis of misrepresentation, and that the ticketing giant did so to screw him over.

But probably of more interest to anyone considering or lobbying against the Ticketmaster and Live Nation merger is the ticketing firm's alleged active interest in the secondary ticket market, presumably to push up ticket prices. Some might question whether a combined LiveMaster might not also play the secondary ticketing game, and given their combined power in the industry whether that might be considered unfair to consumers, or simply anti-competitive.

In the context of the merger, this contractual squabble between the world's biggest ticket agent and a prominent ticket tout could have wider implications. Even though Ticketmaster seem confident they'll win should the dispute go to court.

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ELTON JOHN STILL CONSIDERING ADOPTION OPTIONS
Elton John is to continue looking for an orphan to adopt, or so says the Sunday Telegraph. As previously reported, John was said to have been "devastated" when his plans to adopt a toddler from the Ukraine were scuppered by the country's adoption laws. He had previously revealed he wasn't convinced of his partner David Furnish's proposal they adopt a child until meeting potential adoptee Lev.

Despite those initial reservations, and the Ukranian knock back, the Telegraph reports that the couple of now considering other options, possibly adopting a child from Africa.

That said, one initial option down that road proved unfruitful. They quote Furnish as saying: "We were in Africa for the [Elton John] Aids Foundation and met a boy, and immediately thought about adopting him. [But] we found out he had a maternal grandmother, and brother and sister, [and] we realised it wouldn't be the right thing to take him away from the family he had there".

Confirming that Ukranian Lev was also not an option, he continued: "We would love to adopt Lev, but that does not seem possible under Ukrainian rules".

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JIM JONES ACCEPTS PLEA DEAL OVER ASSAULT CHARGE
Rapper Jim Jones has admitted to a misdemeanour assault charge over allegations he punched a friend of Ne-Yo's in a New York shop last year. I think Ne-Yo was there at the time, which is why he's relevant.

Jones admitted to being involved in a scuffle with Jayvon Smith in New York's Louis Vuitton store just before Christmas last year, but initially said he didn't start the fracas. However, this week he accepted the misdemeanour charge, I think as part of some sort of plea deal which will ensure he doesn't have any probation conditions to stick to.

He was sentenced to "time served", which is basically the hours he was in custody after turning himself into police in relation to the charges against him back in January.

Although the criminal matter is now resolved, Jones still faces civil proceedings launched by Smith in relation to the altercation. Commenting on the incident back in February, Ne-Yo said little except that Jones and Smith "have had drama in the past".

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METHOD MAN CHARGED WITH TAX EVASION
More rappers in trouble, and Wu-Tang man Method Man has been charged with tax evasion by the New York authorities relating to unpaid personal income tax from 2004 to 2007, which totals over thirty grand when fees and penalties are taken into account. He faces both misdemeanour charges for failing to pay taxes, and felony charges for failing to file tax returns. Local media say that the city's prosecutors want to make an example of the rapper, real name Clifford Smith, and could push for a custodial sentence.

Talking tough on the issue, District Attorney Daniel Donovan told reporters: "Taxes are the burden that all citizens share in a civil society, whether you are an 'average Joe' on the street or a high-profile rap artist. Because of the alleged action of people like Mr Smith, law abiding citizens face higher taxes and reduced government services. Failure to properly report and pay your taxes is a crime against all citizens and will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted".

It's not Smith's first run in with tax officials. Earlier this year his car was repossessed by authorities amid reports he owed the government over fifty grand in back taxes. The rapper is due back in court on 9 Dec to face the latest charges.

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ARRESTS IN NOAH & THE WHALE KIT THEFT CASE
Two men have been arrested in relation to the previously reported disappearance of Noah And The Whale's instruments in Manchester last week.

As previously reported, the band announced on their MySpace last week that they "had all of their instruments and tour equipment stolen from Trinity Way NCP car park in Manchester". Calling the theft "devastating", the band asked anyone who saw or knew anything about the theft to get in touch.

The band's whole kit-filled trailer was nicked. Police recovered the trailer itself on Friday and found one amp inside, but the rest of the instruments remain missing. Officers have now arrested two men in relation to the theft, and have told reporters that they are looking for a Ford Transit van, registration S144 NBV, and a black Daewoo Leganza which they believe may have been involved in the crime.

Detective Sergeant Simon Akker told reporters: "We have spoken to the band who are continuing on their tour. I would ask the public to help us find the outstanding musical equipment which is easily identifiable as much of the equipment is labelled with the band's name 'Noah And The Whale' or 'Whale'".

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NEW US COURT CASE COULD IMPACT ON THOMAS AND TENENBAUM APPEALS
How about some American legal technicalities for your lunch break? There was a potentially interesting decision in the US courts recently that could impact on the appeal of Jammie Thomas, one of the more prominent American P2P file-sharers who famously fought the litigation pursued against her by the Recording Industry Association Of America and lost.

As you may remember, the jury in the Jammie case applied statutory rules under US copyright laws to calculate what damages the record companies were due for the file-sharer's infringement. Guided by the statutory provisions, albeit by choosing a figure at the upper end of the damages bracket, they awarded the record companies $80,000 per song. As Thomas was accused of sharing 24 songs, that worked out at $1.92 million in total, considerably more than the few grand out of court settlement she would have been initially offered by the RIAA.

Some would say $1.92 million for sharing 24 songs on the internet is ridiculous, given how many people were file-sharing at the time, not to mention the fact Thomas has no way of paying such a high sum. She is appealing the high damages. And as common sense isn't always relevant in these scenarios, her legal people need to find a legal argument as to why $1.92 million is just too much.

They will almost certainly rely on an American court case called BMW v Gore, which is significant because it saw the US Supreme Court curtail the amount of 'punitive damages' American courts award (punitive damages being awarded by civil courts to punish dodgy dealings, or at least to deter others from repeating such practices, rather than just compensating the claimant for their loss).

In the Gore case, BMW had been ordered to pay $2 million (originally $4 million) in punitive damages. The Supreme Court said this was too much, and that courts awarding punitive damages needed to bear in mind actual damage and the severity of punishment that would be likely were this a criminal case.

Jammie's legal team will probably argue that, under the principles set out in BMW v Gore, $1.92 million is just far too big. Which is why the new case of Verizon v OnlineNIC is important.

The specifics of this case are unimportant - all you need to know is that the defendants were ordered to pay $33.15 million in statutory damages, based on the damages provisions set out in the relevant US legislation (the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act as it happens). OnlineNIC's people said that that was just too high a sum, and that it fell foul of the principles set out in the Gore case for calculating punitive damages.

But the court overseeing the new case ruled that Gore is irrelevant, because what was at play in the OnlineNIC case, like the Jammie case, were "statutory damages" and not "punitivie damages".

All of which arguably means BMW v Gore is of no use to Jammie Thomas in her appeal. Nor Joel Tenenbaum should he appeal the damages awarded in his big P2P court battle earlier this year (he was ordered to pay $675,000). Technically the ruling in the OnlineNIC case isn't binding on the judges considering the Jamme or Joel appeals, but legal experts reckon it certainly hinders the file-sharers' chances of getting their damages payments drastically reduced.

As previously reported, Tenenbaum plans to declare himself bankrupt if the $675,000 stands after appeal.

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FORMER BERTELSMANN CHIEF DIES
Reinhard Mohn, the former CEO of BMG parent company and German media conglom Bertelsmann, has died, aged 88. The company is still owned, of course, by the Mohn family, albeit primarily through a trust set up by Reinhard in the seventies.

The grandson of the company's founder, Carl Bertelsmann, Reinhard took over running the firm shortly after the second world war and was CEO until 1981. He oversaw the transformation of the company from a book publisher into a media and entertainment giant, including the building up of a significant music empire, initially via the firm's own Ariola Records, and later through the acquisition of Arista and RCA. Bertelsmann has, of course, more recently backed away from the music business, selling both is record labels and music publishing assets, though has since launched the rather nifty new BMG Music Rights agency.

After stepping down as CEO at the start of the eighties, Mohn stayed on as Chairman of the Bertelsmann board until 1991, and remained Honorary Chairman of the company's supervisory board up until his death. His wife, Liz Mohn, who has been more vocal on Bertelsmann issues in recent years, remains on that board, as do two of their children, Christoph and Brigitte.

Paying tribute to Reinhard, current Bertelsmann top man Hartmut Ostrowski told reporters: "Bertelsmann mourns the loss of one of the greatest entrepreneurs of our age. Our thoughts are with Reinhard Mohn's family, especially with his widow Liz and his children. We pay tribute to him and his life's work, and see it as our mandate to express our gratitude and respect by upholding and advancing Bertelsmann and its culture of partnership, in his spirit".

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FREE VAMPIRE WEEKEND DOWNLOAD
Vampire Weekend are giving away the opening track from their second album 'Contra' via their website, though you do have to provide your email address, so it's a sort of contra deal really. Ha ha. The free track, called 'Horchata', went online last night. The album won't be released until January next year.

You want the track? Click here.

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BAUHAUS REISSUE EARLY ALBUMS
Beggars Banquet will reissue the first two Bauhaus albums later this month in super-deluxe form. 'In The Flat Field', which was released in 1980 and largely credited with kicking off the Goth scene, and the 1981 follow-up 'Mask', will hit shelves again on 19 Oct.

The albums will come housed in very nice looking boxes, with each containing the album itself, and a bonus disc of singles and out-takes, and a 48 page book tracing the development of the album featuring memorabilia, photos and lyrics. 'Mask' also comes with a complete 1981 live show which catches the band at their very best.

Take a look at the full packages here:
In The Flat Field
Mask

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JOHNNY FOREIGNER FREE REMIX EP AND TICKET LOTTERY
Johnny Foreigner are giving away a free remix EP in advance of their new album, 'Grace And The Bigger Picture', featuring seven remixes of tracks from the album from the likes of Los Campesinos!, Napoleon IIIrd, Sky Larkin and Johnny Foreigner themselves. What's more, every 50th person to download the EP will win a free pair of tickets to the show of their choice on the band's current UK, which began yesterday.

Download the EP here.

Here's the tracklist:

Security To The Promenade (Napoleon IIIrd Remix)
More Tongue, Less Heart (Response's Cycle Mix)
I'llChooseMySideAndShutUpAlright (Sky Larkin Remix)
Choose Your Side And Shut Up (JOCKS Cover and Run Remix)
Criminals (Los Campesinos! Remix)
Feels Like Summer (Internet Forever Remix)
More Heart, Less Tongue (Johnny Foreigner Remix)

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RAINFOREST FOUNDATION EXHIBITION LAUNCH TONIGHT
A host of great musical types will appear at the Proud Gallery in Camden tonight to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Rainforest Foundation, and the launch of a special exhibition looking back at two decades of the rainforest preservation campaigning organsiation, which has been put together in association with two of the body's co-founders, Sting and his missus Trudie Styler.

Alice Russell, Ms Dynamite and The Nextmen are all set to appear at the party, with the New Young Pony Club and Dirty Pretty Things' Didz on the decks. We've also been promised special guests and sneaky surprises. You don't need tickets, it's a simple fiver on the door, with all monies to the charity. Doors open at 8.30pm.

Commenting on the anniversary, Sting told CMU: "It has been 20 years since we started and our call to action is still clear. We must reduce deforestation and call on those in power to deliver lasting forest protection, while securing the rights of the people who live in and depend on the rainforest for their everyday survival. But even the best schemes to keep forests standing will ultimately be of little use if industrialised countries don't commit to seriously reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The effects of climate change will spell doom for many areas of rainforest in any case".

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JAY-Z ANNOUNCES ALEXANDRA PALACE SHOW
Jay-Z has announced that he'll return to London on 4 Oct to play Alexandra Palace. Which is less exciting than it would be if anyone from CMU still lived down the road from that venue, like most of us have at some point.

Tickets go on sale on Friday and will set you back a whopping £55. He'd better be good for that sort of money.

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KURRAN AND EX-LOVERS ANNOUNCE CO-HEADLINE TOUR
Kurran And The Wolfnotes and Ex-Lovers will head out on a co-headline tour later this month. Kurran et al also release their debut single, 'Whatabitch', on 23 Nov.

Tour dates:

21 Oct: Norwich, Arts Centre
22 Oct: London, Borderline
23 Oct: Bristol, Louisiana
24 Oct: Brighton, Hope
25 Oct: Southampton, Hamptons
27 Oct: Oxford, Cellar
28 Oct: Manchester, Retro
30 Oct: Leeds, Cockpit
31 Oct: Liverpool, Korova
1 Nov: Edinburgh, Electric Circus
2 Nov: Glasgow, King Tuts
4 Nov: Birmingham, Hare & Hounds

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EAVIS JR "HUMBLED" BY GLASTO SELL OUT
Emily Eavis has said she feels "shocked and surprised" that next year's Glastonbury Festival sold out on the day tickets went on sale. In fact, it took just twelve hours to clear all the tickets, converse to the slow pace of sales for recent Glastos.

Speaking to the NME, Eavis said: "It took a few months last year, we went on sale in October and were sold out by February, so it was brilliant, but we're just a little bit shocked and surprised. It amazing to sell out this far in advance. I'm sure the 40th anniversary has something to do with it, and we've had a really good run of a few brilliant years. It's quite humbling for us, because people are showing a lot faith in us, and it makes us think we've got to rise to it and really pull out all the stops next year! To be honest it's what we've been doing for next year anyway, but it's a good reminder".

Cancelled tickets will be resold later this month, with registration for people who want to buy them opening on 12 Oct.

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LIVE REVIEW: Diesel U:Music Tour at Matter in London on 1 Oct
Last Thursday saw the arrival of the Diesel U:Music tour to London. Having already travelled through Berlin, New York, Tokyo, Oslo and Helsinki the two U:Music award winning bands - Heartsrevolution and The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt - were well practiced in whipping up a crowd.

Helped along by a free bar, the party really started when TTPDR took to the stage. The five of them, with microphones and crazy dance move,s were entertaining enough, though the floor show was the real winning element for me - homemade costumes and inflatables adorned an army of friends dancing through the crowd, surprising and delighting in equal measure.

Then, when the "warm up" was finished, the entire band stepped from the stage and entered the audience, literally running amok throughout the entire venue. One guy climbed the walls to sit in a rather precarious position atop a staircase while another appeared next to me as we watched from the balcony - if you weren't paying attention this really was baffling - some of the faces when this guy went up and sang right up close were a picture.

Heartsrevolution didn't have quite such an outrageous stage show but their brand of electro fun will possibly translate better to record with some pretty good tunes. But it's difficult to compete with madness, and they did struggle to hold the attention after TTPDR.

After the U:Music finalists had done their stuff, we had some mediocre hip hop (which wasn't helped by a fire alarm that seemingly went unnoticed by half the audience) to take us up to the headliners - buzzy newcomers The Big Pink.

This was, musically, by far the best thing on offer at this show, a set washed with noise but cut through with some great hooks. 'Dominos' is set to be one of those songs you're going to hear constantly for the next few months - it's already being used on a number of adverts and will no doubt soundtrack the new series of 'Skins', if there is such a thing.

Overall an awesome night in a hitherto unvisited venue for me, which was decked out in superb Diesel style. Oh, and I tried to get a quote from Lily Allen about the whole file-sharing issue, but between the two of us I think the free bar had taken its toll. She likes the Big Pink though, fact fans. IM

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XL A&R REJIGS
Beggars division XL Recordings has announced a rejig in it's A&R division. Pay attention now. Senior A&R Manager Hannah Overton and A&R Consultant Imran Ahmed will both become A&R Directors. A&R Manager Caius Pawson becomes Senior A&R Manager while A&R Coordinator Jo Begenal becomes Label Manager. All four will report to XL top man Richard Russell and the company's MD Ben Beardsworth.

Want a quote from Russell? Consider it done: "Hannah, Imran, Caius and Jo are all exceptional talents and we are acknowledging their achievements by giving them the seniority within the company that they deserve. XL likes to nurture great people and recognise their contribution to the company's success".

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CENTURY EXPAND EMI PARTNERSHIP
Metal label Century Media have expanded their distribution partnership with EMI so to cover Australia and New Zealand. The independent already works with EMI's Label Services division in North America and EMEA. The two companies will also now collaborate on Century's two imprints, InsideOutMusic and SuperballMusic, on a worldwide basis.

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LITE OWNERS SUPPORT FREE STANDARD, EDITOR SAYS
The editor of the London Evening Standard has said that the paper's former owners Associated Newspapers support the title's decision to go free from next week, even though doing so will see the Standard more directly compete with Associated's evening free sheet London Lite.

As previously reported, the Standard announced it would go free last week. Associated, who sold 75.1% of the paper to Russian rich guy Alexander Lebedev in February, do not have any role in the running of the all new Standard, even though they still own a quarter of it, house it in their West London HQ, and have a content share agreement between the Standard and the Lite.

Standard editor Geordie Greig admitted that Associated weren't directly involved in the decision to go free, but told the Guardian: "They are backing it. They have been very supportive of the Standard [even though] they are not on the board and have no decision-making role".

Journalists at the Standard reckon that jobs will be cut as the paper goes free, though the official line from management is that that is not the case - they reckon an advertising boost will cover the losses of dropping the 50p cover charge and the costs of doubling the paper's print run.

There is also speculation that Associated will close the Lite now its old rival thelondonpaper has shut down and the Standard is going free - with some claiming the motivation for launching the Lite in the first place was to protect the Standard (in fact, it was originally called the Standard Lite). Others, however, reckon there is a big enough readership and advertising market for both the Standard and Lite to co-exist, them having a very different style in presenting the day's news.

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MTV TO AIR DJ AM REALITY SHOW
MTV have confirmed that they will air their reality show which follows the late DJ AM in the latter months of his life, despite his untimely demise in August due to a drug overdose. The show follows the DJ as he battles with his addictions, though obviously it wasn't originally intended to be shown after such a sad ending.

The TV firm's press release on their decision to air the show carried no official line but, rather, an official sanction from the DJ's family and an anti-drugs organsiation.

The statement from the DJ's family read: "After careful consideration we have decided to air the show. Adam felt strongly that by doing this series he could help other addicts who were at a crisis point to get sober. Adam was fully aware that if it were not for his own sobriety he never would have achieved the level of success and happiness he had found. Helping people in their recovery was a huge part of Adam's life".

It continues: "It is our hope through airing this show that people will get to see the side of Adam that we knew and loved, not just the celebrity DJ, but the honest and caring person who gave so much of himself to help others. The decision to air the show has been difficult, but we do this with the profound belief that it will inspire others to seek help".

Meanwhile, Sean Clarkin, Exec VP of the Partnership For A Drug-Free America, is quoted thus: "Recovery can be extremely difficult and requires constant attention. But it's important to know that it is in fact possible to present examples of people who are recognising the need for treatment and beginning that journey".

The show will air in the US from next week.

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TOTAL ROCK WORLD ALBUM CHART
It's this week's Total Rock World Album Chart, as counted down on Total Rock last weekend - www.totalrock.com. New entries and re-entries marked with a *.

1. Muse - The Resistance (Warner Bros) *
2. Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown (Warner Bros)
3. Megadeth - Endgame (Warner/Roadrunner)*
4. Porcupine Tree - The Incident (Warner/Roadrunner)*
5. Nickelback - Dark Horse (Warner/Roadrunner)
6. Daughtry - Leave This Town (Sony/RCA)
7. The Used - Artwork (Warner Bros)
8. Billy Talent - Billy Talent III (Warner/Atlantic)
9. Pearl Jam - Backspacer (Universal)*
10. Thrice - Beggars (Vagrant)*
11. Black Dahlia Murder - Deflorate (Metal Blade)*
12. Shadows Fall - Retribution (Spinefarm)*
13. Shinedown - The Sound Of Madness (Warner/Atlantic)
14. AC/DC - Black Ice (Sony Music)
15. Jet - Shaka Rock (EMI)
16. Rise Against - Appeal To Reason (Universal/Geffen)
17. Ace Frehley - Anomaly (Season Of Mist)
18. Slipknot - Slipknot (Warner/Roadrunner)*
19. Theory Of A Deadman - Scars & Souvenirs (Warner/Roadrunner)
20. The Black Crowes - Before The Frost... Until The Freeze (Silver Arrow)

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WHIBLEY ON THE PARTY TRAIL
That Sum 41 fella Deryck Whibley was out partying with a model in Las Vegas on Friday night, which is only news because of his very recent split from rock chick wife Avril Lavigne. Well, I say "news", it's not really news now I come to think of it. But I've started now, so should probably tell you that Whibley and Hanna Beth Merjos were seen cuddling up while out on the town to see the 'Slash & Friends' Vegas show before heading to the city's Jet Nightclub where they danced the night away all the way to 3am. That's right, 3am. Now, don't go saying we didn't tell you about this.

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IAN BROWN NEVER BUYS CLOTHES
I think I still have a bit of a problem with the fact that rich celebs never have to spend their big piles of cash on the every day stuff we have to use our small puddle of coins on simply because they get sent so much free stuff. But normally I manage to forget that this is so. Until bloody Ian Brown comes and rubs our collective faces in it, that is.

Speaking to Absolute Radio, he admitted: "The only item of clothing I've bought in the last eleven years is a Burberry cashmere tartan scarf, that's the only thing. I actually was able to give up shopping in February 99".

That said, Brown's piles of free clothing come via his friendship with Japanese streetwear designer Kazuki Kuraishi. He explains: "I get a box sent from Japan, like every eight weeks I get a big box, and there's my jeans and whatnot. Every item of clothing you've seen me in since 1999 will have been designed by Kazuki, he's one of the top streetwear designers of Japan. He now designs Adidas and Levi's as well as a lot of the Japanese labels. I met him in 1998".

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WENTZ KILLS EMO
Anyone who's ever said that emo is more about haircuts than music will be pleased to know they were right. Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz had his hair sheered off by Blink 182's Mark Hoppus on Sunday night and this apparently killed the genre outright.

As Hoppus approached him on stage at Madison Square Garden, where the event took place (FOB were playing a gig, people weren't just there to see a live haircut), Wentz told the audience: "So you guys know Jay-Z's 'Death Of Auto-Tune', right? This is the death of emo".

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