Please send CVs to James Brennan at [email protected], or call 020 8617 3017 for more information.

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SHOREDITCH OFFICE, 764 SQUARE FOOT (15-20 DESKS), £1000 PER MONTH
Self-contained office space available in the centre of Shoreditch, on the corner of Shoreditch High Street and Great Eastern Street, next to the CMU HQ. 5-8 minutes walk from Liverpool Street and Old Street tube stations. A top floor workspace with plenty of natural light in an exciting neighbourhood that is home to numerous music, media, PR and creative companies. 764 square feet, with room for 15-20 desks plus its own kitchen area and adjacent toilets. £1000 per month plus service charge and business rates (full breakdown available on request). Includes heating. Available from November. For more information contact [email protected].

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GOOGLE PREPPING NEW MUSIC SERVICE
So, Google will reportedly next week launch a new music service which aims to make it easier to discover and buy music via the uber search engine.

Powered by the now MySpace-owned iLike and Warner Music-backed Lala.com, insiders say the new service will let people, who search for an artist, stream tracks by said act directly through the search engine, and then click a buy button which will take them directly to a relevant sell-through page. Or something like that. It sounds a bit like Seeqpod and Grooveshark, but shouldn't suffer any of the licensing issues that have dogged those smaller search services given all four majors are on board.

So far most of what we know about the new Google service comes from two unnamed insiders (I'm calling them Bertram and Dirk) who have spoken to tech site TechCrunch. A more formal announcement is expected next Wednesday, meanwhile the official line from Google seems to be that most of what has been mooted so far is just "speculation".

Google, of course, have long been tipped as a contender in the digital music space, and as one of the few brands capable of taking on iTunes' dominance of the digital music market. Not least because they've been secretly profiling the music tastes of Gmail users for years. That said, the IT firm has long said it isn't interested in going head to head with Apple et al in the download market. Certainly the new service being discussed seemingly sees the web giant forming partnerships with a number of existing players in the market rather than going into direct competition with any of the big boys.

Nevertheless some were predicting yesterday that Google's new service could have a big impact on the digital music sector. Interestingly at least seven predictors dropped their usual line of "it's going to be the iTunes killer" and adopted "it's going to be the Spotify killer", which is an incredible achievement for Spotify, particularly as the popular European streaming service hasn't, as far as I'm aware, killed off iTunes. I'm not sure they've even inflicted a flesh wound as yet.

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POLYDOR COMPLAIN, BUT WILL PCC ACT ON MOIR'S GATELY PIECE, AND SHOULD THEY ANYWAY?
Universal's Polydor Records - Boyzone's record label - have filed a complaint over Jan Moir's now infamous Daily Mail column discussing the death of Stephen Gately, which was seen by many as both offensive and homophobic. As previously reported, it leapt to unsubstantiated conclusions about the late pop star's death, and suggested his demise was in part due to his "gay lifestyle", adding that the incident eradicated the "myth of happy ever after civil partnerships". Whatever that means.

As previously reported, thousands of people have submitted complaints to the Press Complaints Commission since the column first surfaced last Friday, at last count 25,000. Although the PCC only usually steps in when an individual personally connected to an offending article complains - in this case that would be Gately's widower or family - the Commission has confirmed it has asked the Daily Mail to respond regarding the piece.

Whether a complaint from Polydor, whose direct connection with Gately was professional rather than personal, will have any more significance than those from the 25,000 others who have complained to date isn't clear. A Commission spokesman told the Guardian: "The PCC is now considering this new complaint".

Even if Polydor's complaint, or the other 25,000, do lead to a fuller investigation on Moir's piece, many media commentators don't expect the Commission to take any actual action against the Mail, and not just because the tabloid's editor Paul Dacre chairs its Code Of Conduct committee.

Discussing the various allegations that have been levelled against Moir and the Mail by those who have complained to the PCC, Roy Greenslade wrote in his media column in the Evening Standard this week: "Though Moir's allegations rest on supposition without a shred of provable evidence, and therefore meant that her reading of the situation was probably inaccurate, it was clearly speculation. Her piece was laced with innuendo that seemed to betray homophobia, but it is going to be tough to make the discrimination charge stick. As for intrusion, unless Gately's family formally complain, it's hard to imagine the PCC agreeing with third-party complaints on that basis alone".

Many of the media commentators discussing the Moir furore also seem to be of the opinion that the Commission shouldn't take any action against the Mail, because while what she said may have offended thousands, the Commission in itself does not exist to stop newspapers offending people (nor to stop columnists submitting badly written incoherent arguments).

Greenslade makes a comparison with the debate around the BBC inviting BNP big cheese Nick Griffin onto it's 'Question Time' show tonight. If you believe, as most media commentators do, this is the right thing to do on freedom of speech grounds, even though you might find most of what Griffin says deeply offensive, then probably the same approach should apply to the Mail and Moir. He concludes: "However distasteful it is to put up with homophobic journalists and racist politicians, censorship does not remove prejudice. It drives it underground, a greater threat to democracy than reading and listening to offensive points of view".

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PUBLIC ENEMY RAISE FIFTY GRAND VIA SELLABAND
Perhaps proving that, while the fan-funding model may not deliver for most new talent, it's definitely something worth considering for more established acts, SellaBand have announced that Public Enemy have raised over $50,000 in just two weeks after announcing they were looking for fans to finance their next album.

As previously reported, Public Enemy recently became the highest profile band to date to test the fan investment approach by signing up to SellaBand, and asking fans to put forward the $250,000 they need to record and market a new long player. Two weeks on, the seminal hip hop outfit is a fifth of the way to raising the money, leading to speculation they will enter into the studio in the New Year.

With the fan investment model, punters pledge money towards the recording of an album via websites like SellaBand, SliceThePie, Bandstocks and more recent entrant to the market, Pledge Music. In return for their investment the fans get priority access to any recordings created and, depending on the website used to raise the funds, often other benefits to.

Artists might use the model instead of securing a traditional record deal because there is simply no label interest, or because they reckon they will have more creative control if they go it alone, or because most of the fan-funding models give artists more or complete control of their copyrights.

Chuck D, a frequent innovator in the digital space, told reporters when his band signed up to SellaBand: "[This] financial engine model goes about restructuring the music business in reverse. It starts with fans first, then the artists create from there. The music business is built on searching for fans and this is a brand new way for acts to create a new album with fans first, already on board".

Confirming Public Enemy's achievements so far in raising fifty grand in funding, SellaBand boss Johan Vosmeijer said yesterday: "We are both pleased and humbled by the incredible support that people are currently showing. Our collective intention is to go where no one has gone before. Two weeks after their arrival, Public Enemy has become the first band in the history of SellaBand to go beyond $50,000. Once again Chuck D is leading the way and showing fellow artists of all levels that fan funding is a viable choice".

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TIME FOR SOME MORE JACKO!
Hey, it's been at least a few days since we last had a Jacko story, time to rectify that oversight I think. Tell you what, let's have three stories.

First up, and a new development in the Jackson family's bid to decrease the powers of the executors of the Jacko estate, John Branca and John McClain, and the 2002 will that appointed them. Now Randy Jackson has stepped forward to doubt the legitimacy of the will entirely, on the basis that it would have been impossible for the late singer to sign it.

The will is dated 5pm on 7 Jul 2002, and suggests it was signed and witnessed in LA. However, Randy reckons he has proof that Jackson was, on that day, in New York participating in his infamous "Sony are evil, Sony chief Tommy Mottola is racist" campaign which followed the somewhat lacklustre performance of his 2001 album 'Invincible'.

The lawyer for the estate, Howard Weitzman, told TMZ that the witnesses to the will were "face-to-face" with Jackson when it was signed, though was ambiguous as to whether the document was signed in LA or New York, despite it saying LA in the will itself. I've no idea if the will naming LA but being signed in New York would have any bearing on the status of the document if that was proven to have occurred. Meanwhile Branca and McClain are reportedly asking the LA courts to formally state the extent of their powers over the estate to counter those attempts by the Jackson clan to have their powers reduced.

Next, and a Nevada judge has released more documents relating to the investigation of Dr Conrad Murray, and his alleged role in administering the drugs that killed Jackson. Warrant documents relating to various police searches conducted as part of their investigation into Murray were made public yesterday. However, documents relating to a search of the Las Vegas pharmacy where some think Murray acquired the drug that killed Jacko - propofol - are still sealed at the request of the police. Various US media organisations are pressing for all papers to be made public.

Finally in Jacko news, there were reports yesterday that the late king of pop's children had been involved in a car accident seemingly involving a paparazzo. However, it transpired that the snapper had driven into a vehicle being driven by one of the Jackson clan's security guards, which was following another car driven by the Jacko kids' nanny, and carrying Prince Michael, Paris and Blanket. Their car wasn't affected. The pap allegedly drove away after hitting the security guard's car, which could lead to hit and run charges being pressed against the snapper if he can be found.

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SHYNE TO BE DEPORTED
US authorities are reportedly in the process of deporting rapper Shyne, real name Jamal Barrow, back to his home country of Belize, according Hot 97 presenter, Angie Martinez.

Shyne is, of course, currently serving a prison sentence in the US, having been convicted of a shooting in a New York club in 1999. The shooting was much publicised as the boss of Shyne's label, Mr P Diddy, was also accused of involvement.

Martinez told Miss Info: "Shyne is one of the strongest people I know and he's handling this situation just as I'd expect him to. It must be frustrating for all of his friends and family. He served his time, and keeps getting all these different dates and conflicting information. But he's a soldier, he's dealing with it".

Although born in Belize, Shyne moved with his mother and grandmother to New York when he was thirteen. He is thought to be fighting the deportation with help from Harvard Professor Charles Ogletree. One strategy seems to be seeking a pardon from New York Governor David Patterson, who previously pardoned Rick Walters, aka Slick Rick, who served ten years in prison from 1991 on charges of attempted murder.

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BRITNEY SETTLES WITH PHOTOGRAPHER
Britney Spears has reached an out of court settlement with paparazzo Ricardo Mendoza, whose foot she ran over with her car in 2007, shortly after she lost custody of her two sons during her much-publicised (and photographed) mental breakdown.

Mendoza launched his lawsuit in May this year, accusing the singer of assault, battery and driving negligently. Following the incident in October 2007, he auctioned off his tyre-marked sock for charity.

Court documents show that a settlement has been reached, although the terms of the deal have not been released. Maybe Britney's lawyers pointed out that if you run up to someone's car with a big group of other photographers and all attempt to take close-up pictures through the windows, you're asking to get your foot run over every now and again, and he just backed down. It's more likely they gave him some money, though.

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LIL WAYNE GUN CASE TO DISCUSS DNA
A New York court yesterday began a discussion on DNA science which relates to ongoing gun charges against hip hopper Lil Wayne.

As previously reported, prosecutors are trying to link the rapper to an unlicensed fire arm found on his tour bus after a concert. They say they have DNA proof that Wayne had used the gun, though it relies on what is called low copy number DNA profiling. The court will this week discuss whether the process, which relies on tiny amounts of DNA found on an item, is sufficient evidence on which to find someone guilty.

Wayne denies the charges against him, and faces up to three and half years in jail if found guilty.

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MODULAR BOSS DEFENDS LADYHAWKE ARIA NOMS
There's been a bit of an uproar in Australia after Ladyhawke, aka Pip Brown, received multiple domestic artist nominations in the Australian Record Industry Association Awards. She is from New Zealand, you see. Apparently Australia and New Zealand are different countries. Who knew?

To be eligible to win in the ARIAs, musicians must have lived in Australia for more than six months, and applied for residency. Which Brown has done. However, part of the problem seems to be that she's not been around much since the release of her debut album, mainly because she's been touring a lot.

Now Steve Pavlovic, the boss of Modular, her record label, has come out in her defence. He told Billboard: "It's a total storm in a teacup. She's lived in Australia since 2003, has maintained residence in Australia since 2006. And she's having a global career, which means she has to tour the world. Good luck to her".

Still, there have been rumours that Brown is considering pulling out of her planned performance at the ceremony on 26 Nov as a result of the uproar. However, Pavlovic says this is not the case. He explained: "In the last 24 hours, we've had a lot of discussions with her management [ie:music] and the ARIAs. Everyone's happy that she meets the criteria, and that she's a deserved nominee. On that basis, it's all going ahead".

By the way, Australians and New Zealanders, I was only joking about not knowing that you were separate countries. If you were at all offended, please insert a joke about either Hobbits or Bouncer the dog in place of that line.

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MADONNA'S HUNG UP NAMED LEAST SEXY VIDEO BY MUZU USERS
At last the world has seen sense and voted Madonna's 'Hung Up' video the least sexy music video of all time in a poll conducted by music video site MUZU. Sexiest is, apparently, Britney's 'Toxic'.

Here are the charts!

Top Ten Most Sexy Videos
1. Britney - Toxic
2. Shakira - She Wolf
3. JLS - Beat Again
4. Girls Aloud - Untouchable
5. Kylie - Spinning Around
6. Rihanna - Umbrella
7. Ciara - Love, Sex And Magic (feat. Justin Timberlake)
8. Take That - Pray
9. Beyonce - Single Ladies
10. Robert Palmer - Addicted To Love

Ten Least Sexy Music Videos
1. Madonna - Hung up
2. Lady Ga Ga - Poker Face
3. Spice Girls - Wannabe
4. Pink - Get the Party Started
5. Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up
6. Michael Jackson - You Are Not Alone
7. Take That - Do What You Like
8. Billy Ray Cyrus - Achy Breaky Heart
9. Wham! - Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
10. David Hasslehoff - Jump In My Car

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YEASAYER SIGN TO MUTE
CMU favourites Yeasayer have signed to Mute for the release of their second album, 'Oddblood', the label has announced. The deal covers all territories worldwide, except North America, where the album will be released by Secretly Canadian.

If the handful of new tracks the band played while supporting Bat For Lashes at her two-night residency at The Roundhouse in London earlier this month are anything to go by, 'Oddblood' will be funkier than it's predecessor with 80s rock production sounds setting the tone. It'll hit UK stores on 10 Feb. Be excited.

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TIMBERLAKE TAKING IT SLOW
I guess that headline's stating the obvious, as Justin Timberlake is not exactly known for churning out albums quickly. Now the former N Syncer has said he still trying to find a new sound for the follow-up to his 2006 album, 'FutureSex/LoveSounds'.

He told MTV: "We just went into the studio with Jamie Foxx and did a couple things for him and it was kind of nice to write R&B again. It was kind of refreshing, and I feel like we're putting a new spin on it - but as far as things for myself, I haven't really made a commitment in my mind about what I want it to sound like. So, until it kind of slaps me in the face, I'm going to tinker around with everything. I'm obviously not the type of artist who rushes anything. I've done, like, two records in the last eight years".

He added that part of what makes him take so long to complete new albums is just a love of writing and recording: "You know, I just believe that the process is what it's really all about. And if you make the process [like] what I was able to have the luck of tapping into for the first two [albums], the end comes out the way it comes out. For me it is about the process - the discovery of whatever it is it's going to be. That's the most fun part".

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MESHUGGAH LIVE DVD DRAWS CLOSER
Swedish extreme metallers Meshuggah have announced that they will release a live DVD early next year, something fans have apparently been clamouring after for some time. No further details have yet been announced, so, er, that's it.

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U2 MUSICAL "A $45M MESS"
Rumours that U2's Broadway musical, 'Spider-Man: Turn Of The Dark', has hit serious cashflow problems first came to light in August, and they're still hanging around, no matter how many times the organisers say that everything is on track for the February previews, ahead of the show's official launch in March.

An 'insider' told The Hollywood Reporter this week: "It's still a $45 million mess", though added that a group of investors had now come in to rescue the show, continuing: "They had just enough money to get the theatre ready. That's what's going on right now, preparations. But they don't have the money to really start beyond that. They're just waiting".

Asked if they thought it would ever actually make it past the waiting stage, the source added: "Yes, definitely. It's too good not to". So that's nice.

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TOP 100 DJS POLL PARTY ANNOUNCED
DJ Mag's annual party to celebrate the announcement of the magazine's influential Top 100 DJ's Poll will take place on 28 Oct at Ministry Of Sound in London.

On the line-up so far are last year's winner Armin Van Buuren, plus David Guetta, Above & Beyond, Sebastian Ingrosso, Sander van Doorn, and Gareth Emery, with more to be announced. The awards ceremony itself will take place around midnight, with New Order's Peter Hook presenting the awards to the highest rated DJ in each genre, the highest climber, the highest new entry and, of course, the overall winner.

It'll cost you £10 to get in, with all of that cash going to the RNID for their 'Don't Lose The Music' campaign, which aims to encourage people to protect their hearing when listening to loud music.

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BIGO & TWIGETTI ANNOUNCE HALLOWEEN GIG
London collective Bigo & Twigetti have announced details of a special Halloween gig. Always impressive, their shows combine elements of folk, electronica and classical featuring real-time electronic effects, recording and playback to create a technically complex yet emotive classical performance.

This particular show, composer and curator Jim Perkins tells us, will feature "ambient, experimental piano music and electronics with its own idiosyncrasy and folkish influences, bit like Haushka, Nico Muhly and possibly Max Richter".

It all takes place in the crypt at St Giles Church in Camberwell, south London on 31 Oct. Tickets are available from www.wegottickets.com/event/58994.

For more information, head to www.bigoandtwigetti.co.uk

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ALBUM REVIEW: Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou - Echos Hypnotiques (Analog Africa)
One of the funkiest things to ever come from Benin, Orchestre Poly-Rhthmo De Contonou were one of Africa's most innovative and interesting rhythmic bands in the 1970s. Combining traditional African sounds, rich in the Vodoun religion of their home country, with more jazzy Latin elements and even some western prog-pop, they spent a decade dedicated to making people dance.

Seemingly lost to the track of time, it's taken a treasure hunt through West Africa for this collection's compiler, Samy Ben Redjeb, to find the tapes and reels to once again share this music - so vibrant, ecstatic and persistent. Redjeb's time was well-spent, even if just for 'Malin Kpon O', seven minutes of laid back, sunshine jazz - which is ridiculously cool. 'Mi Ve Wa Se', too, stands out from the rest of a brassbround pack, showing off the band's Western influences, with smooth, rock guitar and something of a 60s swing in its step.

An undoubtedly painstaking process to collate, edit and publish, but worth its reward. An album to remind the world of the joy diversity can bring to music. It's like Vampire Weekend, but, you know, for real.

Release Date: 26 Oct
Press Contact: Ilka Media [All]

Buy from iTunes
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PPL TO APPEAL TRIBUNAL RULING ON PUB LICENCE DISPUTE
PPL have responded to the Copyright Tribunal's ruling on the previously reported disagreement between the recording royalty collecting society and the pub industry over how much bars, shops, cafes and offices should pay to play recorded music in their establishments. This disagreement has been rumbling on for years, and reached Tribunal in late July. Their ruling has only just been made public.

PPL say they are disappointed with the Tribunal's decision, which sets a standard rate for all businesses who play recorded music in public places, and that they will appeal the ruling in the High Court. I'm not sure whether the result of the decision will result in significantly less income for PPL and their members, though in its criticism the society is dwelling more on the 'one size fits all' nature of the licence that the Tribunal has approved. They had advocated a system whereby bigger establishments paid more.

Responding to the decision this morning, PPL boss Fran Nevrkla told CMU: "We are extremely disappointed by the decision of the Tribunal which, even by its own admission, is 'ill-equipped' to perform its new investigatory role. The Tribunal has failed to have proper regard for the real value of music to businesses, ignoring PPL's extensive consultation with licensees. On behalf of our 42,000 performer and 5,000 record company members, many of whom themselves are small businesses, we are appealing this decision in the High Court".

He continue: "The Tribunal's 'one-size-fits-all' approach, which was proposed by the hospitality industry, is particularly unfair to small pubs and shops that in future would pay exactly the same as much larger businesses. Despite a total absence of opposition to PPL's tariff for factories and offices, the Tribunal has completely overturned that tariff, ignoring the clear views of respondents to PPL's consultations".

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NEW FUNCTIONALITY FOR MYSPACE MUSIC
MySpace Music - the enhanced music service from the social networking platform, currently available in the US and Australia - has unveiled a number of new services that will launch later this year, including a music video hub, an artist metrics tool and iTunes sell-through - previously Amazon was the sole download partner.

Presumably the new MySpace services are still built on the back of the wobbly technology that makes the whole social networking platform so frustrating to use. Which must be equally frustrating for the relatively new recruits trying to make MySpace Music good.

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THIS WEEK'S SUB.TV PLAYLIST
Hey look people, it's the music videos that are playing this week on the Sub.tv network of video screens in students' unions all around the god darn United Kingdom of Great Britain and whatnot. New additions marked with a *. More info on all things Sub.tv from [email protected].

A List
Alexandra Burke - Bad Boys
Alphabeat - The Spell
Biffy Clyro - The Captain
Calvin Harris - Flashback*
Chipmunk - Oopsy Daisy
Cobra Starship - Good Girls Go Bad
Duck Sauce - aNYway
Editors - Papillon
Foo Fighters - Wheels*
Jay Sean feat. Little Wayne - Down
lostprophets - It's Not The End of The World...
Miike Snow - Black And Blue
Tinchy Stryder - You're Not Alone

B List
The All - American Rejects - The Wind Blows
The Dead Weather - I Cut Like A Buffalo*
Erik Hassle - Hurtful*
Florence And The Machine - You've Got The Love*
Green Day - East Jesus Nowhere
In Case Of Fire - The Cleansing
JLS - Everybody In Love
Kasabian - Underdog
Kids In Glass Houses - Youngblood (Let It Out)
Ladyhawke - Magic
Little Comets - Adultery
Mr Hudson - White Lies
Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - Dance The Way I Feel
Snow Patrol - Just Say Yes
Young Soul Rebels - I Got Soul

Tip List
The Chapman Family - Virgins*
DeLorean Drivers - Scarlet (Save Me)
exlovers - You Forget So Easily
Karnivool - Set Fire To The Hive
Ke$ha - Tik Tok*
Kings Of Convenience - Boat Behind
Lisa Hannigan - Lille
Lisa Mitchell - Coin Laundry
Röyksopp - This Must Be It
Soft Toy Emergency - Critical

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WHIBLEY HAS NEW GIRL
TMZ.com have a photo of Sum 41 boy Deryck Whibley kissing his new girlfriend Hanna Beth Nerjos in a Hollywood tattoo parlour, and for some reason I thought I should tell you. Whibley, of course, split from his wife Avril Lavigne back in August. She has filed divorce papers citing "irreconcilable differences".

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PRS APOLOGISE TO SINGING SHOP ASSISTANT
PRS For Music have apologised to a shop assistant who works at a village shop in Scotland after telling her that she would need a license if she wanted to sing in the shop. They've apparently now sent her a bouquet of flowers with a note saying: "We're very sorry we made a big mistake. We hear you have a lovely singing voice and we wish you good luck".

It all started when PRS sent the shop one of those letters informing its owner that he needed a music licence if he had music radio playing in store. The shopkeeper decided to lose the radio instead of paying. Quite what conversation then occurred to lead to a PRS rep saying that the shop would still need a licence if staff members sang to themselves we're not sure. But such a thing was seemingly said.

The woman in question, Sandra Burt, told the BBC: "I would start to sing to myself when I was stacking the shelves just to keep me happy because it was very quiet without the radio. When I heard that the PRS said I would be prosecuted for not having a performance licence, I thought it was a joke and started laughing. I was then told I could be fined thousands of pounds. But I couldn't stop myself singing. They would need to put a plaster over my mouth to get me to stop, I can't help it".

The whole thing was totally worth it for the picture the BBC got to go with the story, though: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/8317952.stm

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"ATROCIOUS PERSONALITY" TO BLAME FOR JOSS BACKLASH
Joss Stone has blamed her "atrocious personality" for the backlash she has suffered from media and fans alike in recent years, particularly the media response that occurred when she dyed her hair and started talking with an American accent. And who am I to argue with her conclusion? I don't know anything about her, so she'd just accuse me of making it all up. My sister did once see her open a car door into a wall, though. And that's a fact.

Anyway, Stone told The Daily Star: "I think I suffered a backlash not because of my music but because of me - my atrocious personality probably. I don't give away too much about my private life so the media just make it up. It doesn't matter what I do or don't say. I can just chill alone for months and still be labelled the biggest bitch in the world. But my hair has changed, it's my real colour now. And I've made a simple album that I love".

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