LIP SYNCING DEBATE CONTINUES IN AUSTRALIA
The lip syncing debate continues in Australia, with the country's Musicians Union stepping in and backing an Australian politician's call for artists who mime to state so on their marketing literature.

The miming debate down under has kicked off thanks mainly to the arrival of Britney Spears, who is doing fourteen dates in the country. It was the Fair Trading Minister of New South Wales, Virginia Judge, who got the ball rolling last week by saying her state government was considering new rules to force promoters to tell ticket buyers if artists would not be singing live at events, either on promotional literature or printed tickets.

The story gained momentum when some Australian media reported that fans had walked out of Spears' first gig in the country in protest at all the miming, reports Spears' people have strongly denied. Promoters of Spears' Aussie dates say the popstress makes no secret of the fact she mimes, and insist she puts on a great show anyway.

Some might say that artists who stage lengthy energetic dance routines as part of their live shows will inevitably mime at least some of their songs, simply because they'll be too out of breath to sing.

But the Musicians Union Of Australia says that it backs Judge in her call for more transparency from artists as to whether they will be singing live. The Union's federal secretary, Terry Noone, told ABC News that he didn't have a problem with Britney miming, but that he agreed show publicity should clearly state that would be the case.

Noone: "It's not right that people are going to the concert when they are being misled. That's the issue. It's not about music, it's about false advertising. We've got extremely strict regulations governing truth in advertising and misleading the public for every other product or service that's sold in this country. Everything is regulated here, except for the music industry. We just say it doesn't matter. The fact that this is the attitude is a demeaning attitude to the music industry, and it is saying music is not important and not recognising the extremely high level of skill that is required".

I would like to stress at no point did I lip sync while writing this story.

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RAMMSTEIN ALBUM BANNED FROM PUBLIC DISPLAY
The new album from German metallars Rammstein has been banned from public display in their home country after the snappily titled Federal Office For The Examination Of Media Harmful To Young People ruled that the long player's depictions of sado-masochism are harmful to children and young people, who have presumably been collapsing in a delirious frenzy after seeing the album's cover artwork.

As well as this, the Deputy President of the Federal Office said that one track on the album in particular, 'Ich Tue Dir Weh' (or 'I Want To Hurt You') caused concern, possibly as a result of the line "Bites, kicks, heavy blows, nails, pincers, blunt saws - tell me what you want" and mentioned artwork showing guitarist Richard Kruspe with a masked naked woman on his knees.

Another track, single release 'Pussy', was also criticised for glorifying unprotected sex, though that wasn't formally part of the Office's ruling. I don't know whether they'd seen the video to that track, which was premiered on adult website 'Visit-X'. I've not seen it, but I think it makes Girls' much discussed alternative video to their song 'Lust For Life', with its brief flashes of penis, seem rather innocent. Rammstein members are seen having full on sex in the video to 'Pussy', though a spokesman for the rockers insists doubles were used for the explicit scenes. Though I'm not sure that would make much different to the government's youth protectors.

As a result of the Office's ruling no shops will be able to display the album in any place where it might be seen by anyone under eighteen, which presumably means all record shops will have to take it off their shelves. Retailers have until tomorrow to comply with the ruling.

Rammstein have confirmed the display ban, and told fans that they should take age ID with them if they plan to buy the record. They wrote on their Facebook page: "The new Rammstein album has been placed on the restricted list at the instigation of the Ministry Of Family Affairs led by Minister Mrs Ursula von der Leyen. This means that the album is now only available under the counter. If you want to buy the album, make sure that you take proof of your age with you when you go to the retailer of your trust".

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CHRIS BROWN RESPONDS TO RIHANNA INTERVIEWS, SORT OF
So, with Rihanna busy plugging her new album 'Rated R' by giving everyone in the American media her side of the Brown beating story, the popstress' thuggish ex has issued a statement.

As previously reported, a number of Brown associates took to the internet this weekend to complain that Rihanna's version of the events regarding how she came to be beaten unconscious by her then boyfriend were very one-sided.

Busy trying to resurrect his own pop career, Brown formally responded yesterday with a non-committal statement, supplied to us by his record company.

It reads: "While I respect Rihanna's right to discuss the specific events of 8 Feb. I maintain my position that all of the details should remain a private matter between us. I do appreciate her support and wish her the best. I am extremely sorry for what I did and I accept accountability for my actions. At this point I am taking the proper steps to learn about me and grow from my mistakes. I only hope that others in similar situations can learn from our experience as well. Abuse of any kind is always wrong".

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DOES GALLAGHER WANT KANE FOR HIS NEW BAND?
Despite recently saying he'd wait till the new year before considering forming a new band, rumour has it that Liam Gallagher has been courting former Rascal and one half of Last Of The Shadow Puppets Miles Kane about him being part of the former Oasis frontman's new band.

That said, these rumours do seem highly speculative, and at least partly based on the fact Kane was in attendance at the launch of Gallagher's new fashion label this weekend, alongside a load of other music stars. But one source told the Sun: "Liam was being really passionate. It looked like he was recruiting".

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JERRY FUCHS DIES
Drummer Jerry Fuchs, perhaps best know for his work with !!!, has died after a gruesome accident in New York. According to reports, Fuchs fell to his death in a lift shaft after trying to escape a broken elevator. The 34 year old was pronounced dead in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Fuchs drummed with a number of student bands while studying graphic design at the University Of Georgia. After moving to New York he became a founder member of instrumental rock band Turing Machine who released three albums in the first half of the decade. He later joined punky dance types !!! and performed on their third album 'Myth Takes'.

He was a prolific drummer in recent years. Through an association with DFA Records he played with LCD Soundsystem and The Juan Maclean, and also collaborated with Holy Ghost! and MSTRKRFT. In 2006 he joined Maserati, replacing another drummer who had been killed in an accident, and appeared on two albums with the band, 2007's 'New Season' and 'Passages'. He was touring with the band as recently as last month.

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MALCOLM LAYCOCK DIES
Former Radio 2 presenter Malcolm Laycock has died. His agent confirmed his passing yesterday, while Radio 2 boss Bob Shennan told reporters staff at the station were "shocked and saddened" to hear of his death.

Laycock presented numerous shows for the BBC over the years, normally focussing on jazz and big band music. As well as his work for Radio 2 he was known around the world for shows he presented for the BBC World Service.

In recent years he was perhaps best known for presenting Radio 2's 'Sunday Night At 10', a show he fronted for fourteen years, and which played music from the 1930s and 1940s. His departure from the show wasn't exactly amicable. Contract renewal talks fell through, reportedly over money, and Laycock decided not to return after his customary summer break. He later told a newspaper he had basically been fired by Radio 2, though the BBC station denied that was the case.

Not mentioning the dispute, Shennan told reporters yesterday: "Malcolm was a much-loved and highly respected broadcaster, renowned for his skill as a presenter and producer, and his passion for music and radio".

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MADONNA TOPS BILLBOARD TOURING AWARDS
Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour was confirmed as the biggest live music venture of the last year by winning the two main awards at the Billboard Touring Awards last week. It took the gongs for highest grossing and highest attended tours. Madonna's business partner Guy Oseary, meanwhile, took the Top Manager prize. If you're a fan of full lists of award winners, here it is:

Top Tour: Madonna, Sticky & Sweet
Top Draw: Madonna, Sticky & Sweet
Top Package: Kenny Chesney's Sun City Carnival Tour
Breakthrough: Il Divo
Top Comedy Tour: Dane Cook
Top Boxscore: U2 at Croke Park, Dublin
Top Festival: Oxegen

Top Arena: O2 Arena, London
Top Venue (under 10,000 seats): Radio City Music Hall, New York
Top Venue (under 5,000 seats): The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
Top Club: 9:30 Club, Washington DC
Top Amphitheatre: Comcast Center, Massachusetts

Top Promoter: Live Nation
Top Independent Promoter (US): Jam Productions, Chicago
Top Independent Promoter (International): Time For Fun, Sao Paulo

Top Manager: Guy Oseary (Madonna)
Concert Marketing & Promotion Award: Keith Urban tour with KC Masterpiece & Kingsford
Top Agency: Creative Artists Agency

Humanitarian Award: Kevin Lyman
Eventful Fans' Choice Award: Jonas Brothers
Legend Of Live: Ozzy Osbourne

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SCOTS TRAD NOMS OUT
More awards, and the nominations are out for the Scots Trad Music Awards, which celebrate the best in traditional Scottish music. The final stage of these awards is a public vote. Public voting will take place through to 20 Nov, with the awards presented in Dumfries on 28 Nov. The nominations are as follows...

Album Of The Year:
Tony Mcmanus - The Maker's Mark
Julie Fowlis - Dual
Shona Donaldson & Katie Mackenzie - Pùr
Fiddlers' Bid - All Dressed In Yellow

Scots Singer Of The Year:
Steve Byrne
Shona Donaldson
Archie Fisher
Jimmy Hutchison

Club Of The Year:
Craigie Folk Club
Stonehaven Folk Club
Button Key Accordion And Fiddle Club
Aberdeen Accordion And Fiddle Club

Community Project Of The Year:
Sangstream (Edinburgh)
Riverside Music Project (Stirling)
Riddell Fiddles (Borders)
Caledonian Canal Ceilidh Trail (Highlands)

Composer Of The Year:
Maireread Green
Steven Spence
Alan Reid
Jim Sutherland

Event Of The Year:
World Pipe Band Championships (Glasgow)
Speyfest (Northeast)
Knockengorroch World Ceilidh (Galloway)
Hebridean Celtic Festival (Hebrides)

Gaelic Singer Of The Year:
James Graham
Sineag Macintyre
Norrie Maciver
Christine Primrose

Instrumentalist Of The Year:
Nigel Hitchcock
Fraser Fifield
Lauren Maccoll
Patsy Reid

Live Act Of The Year:
Face The West
Lau
Treacherous Orchestra
Session A9

Music Tutor Of The Year:
Terry Small
Ian Duncan
Nigel Gatherer
Louise Hunter

Scottish Dance Of The Year:
Tom Orr Scottish Dance Band
Kilter
Glencraig Scottish Dance Band
Michael Philips Scottish Dance Band

Scottish Folk Band Of The Year:
Bodega
Brechin Oh'Eadhra Macgregor
Malinky
Mary Ann Kennedy & Na Seoid

Scottish Pipe Band Of The Year:
Boghall And Bathgate Caledonia
Strathclyde Police Pipe Band
Haddington Pipe Band
Inveraray & District Pipe Band

Trad Music In The Media:
The Reel Blend
Pipeline
Bliadhna Mhath Ùr
A Gharaids

Up And Coming Artist Of The Year:
Paul Mckenna Band
Maggie Adamson And Brian Nicolson
Matheu Watson
The Shee

Venue Of The Year:
Bogbain Farm (Highlands)
Old Fruitmarket (Glasgow)
Heart Of Hawick (Borders)
Queen's Hall (Edinburgh)

More at www.handsupfortrad.co.uk/tradmusicawards/

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GLC REMIX COMPETITION
Goldie Lookin Chain are offering to play at a fan's office Christmas party, and all they want in return is one little remix of their forthcoming new single, 'Everybody Is A DJ'.

If a Welsh rap troupe is the thing missing from your Christmas plans, then head over to www.everybodyisadj.com and use their Musicshake remix application by 29 Nov. The winner will be announced on 13 Dec (the same day the single goes on sale), with the best remixes put up for sale alongside professional reworkings by the likes of James Ruskin, Oxide and Ed Harcourt. All proceeds from sales of the track and its remixes will be donated to Shelter Cymru.

The group's Eggsy said of the charity: "Shelter Cymru is our chosen charity, not only because they seem to be the only charity willing to work with us, but because they are running their 'The Time Is Now' campaign to get derelict houses made habitable. Shelter Cymru don't care about those things we said and did in the past, they just want to get roofs over the heads of people in Wales. So they too can do a remix, have a house party, and tear the place up just like the rest of the country will be doing. Because EVERYBODY is a DJ".

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EAST 17 TO REFORM FOR TWO SONGS
East 17 will reunite to perform two songs as part of the 'Wild & Free' show at the Royal Albert Hall in aid of wildlife charity Born Free this Saturday. Other acts on the bill include Bryan Adams, Peter Andre, Mutya Buena, and Gabriella Cilmi.

Originally intended as a solo slot for the group's songwriter Tony Mortimer, he made a last minute decision to invite his former bandmates to perform their two biggest hits, 'Deep' and 'Stay Another Day'.

I think there are still tickets, so you don't need to feel like you're missing out. Head over to www.royalalberthall.com to grab them. Tickets start at a rather pricey £45, but it's all for charity. And East 17 are playing. Though, if you love people who can run themselves over with a car more than lions, you can get yourself a 10% discount on that ticket price with this code right here: 5172.

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EMI TO DISTRIBUTE THE AUTOMATIC
The Automatic - yeah, they're still going - have done a deal with EMI which will see the major's Label Services division distribute the band's self-released new album 'Tear The Signs Down'. That and new single 'Interstate' will be released by the band's own label Armoured Records.

Confirming the distribution deal, Michael Roe, EMI's VP of Label Services Europe, said: "EMI is very excited to be working with The Automatic. With 'Tear the Signs Down' they have made a great album and with the reach of EMI's sales and distribution network behind them we're looking forward to helping them further develop their career".

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PERRY BAGS HITMAKER PRODUCERS FOR NEW ALBUM
Katy Perry has confirmed that she is working with production duo The Dream and Tricky Stewart, who have been known to pop out the odd hit single, like Beyonce's 'Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)' and Rihanna's 'Umbrella'. She is also hoping to collaborate with Calvin Harris, which we may or may not have told you before.

The singer told The Daily Star: "My album is very premature, it's in the beginning stages but it's exciting to be back in the studio again. I'm heading to Las Vegas to hook up with The Dream and Tricky Stewart. It will be interesting to mash it up together to hopefully find an amazing new happy medium. ['Single Ladies'] has a great level of sass and fun. Everybody wants to sing that kinda anthem".

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THE DRUMS ANNOUNCE SECOND SINGLE
The Drums continue to be very buzzy, but the true test of their prolonged success will be whether or not I stop briefly thinking that The Drum have reformed every time I see their name. Maybe their second single will help. It's called 'I Felt Stupid' and will be released by Moshi Moshi on 23 Nov.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Sisters Of Transistors - At The Ferranti Institute (This Is Music)
Just missing Halloween, 'At The Ferranti Institute' has a slightly haunted air about its sinister gothic chamber disco sound (a genre I've just made up, and with good reason, since Sister Of Transistors really don't sound like anyone else). Masterminded by 808 State's Graham Massey, though sounding nothing like any of his previous work, The Sisters are an all-girl organ quartet specialising in nifty baroque disco (eg 'The Don', a single which remains one of the most genuinely different pop tunes of recent years) and amiable Party Horror Soundtracks ('The Bells Of Moscow', 'Pendulum').

Opener 'Tiger Ghee' vaguely recalls Goldfrapp's 'Strict Machine' with its glam rock drums and dirty bass, though its anthemic call to arms vocals ("Spirits calling all around") actually put it closer to the kind of ghoulish fun The Black Ghosts are fond of, whilst 'Volkswagen' hints at a pastoral quality that recalls 'Autobahn'-era Kraftwerk, which may be deliberate, given its title.

Despite the contemporary reference points I've made (Broadcast is another, with the ghostly vocals and dusty vintage keyboards), 'At The Ferranti Institute' is a startlingly refreshing album that's hard to pigeonhole, but should be appreciated by anyone with a love of slightly mad experimental electronic music with a pop heart lurking somewhere therein. MS

Physical release: 16 Nov
Press Contact: Bang On [O]

Buy from iTunes
Buy from Amazon

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SYNC GUY GETS WARNER WIDE ROLE
Warner Music has promoted Jim Reid to an interesting new job called SVP, Synchronization for Europe. It's interesting because Reid, who is promoted from a role in the major's publishing division Warner/Chappell, will oversee pan-European sync opportunities for both Warner's recording and publishing divisions.

This is interesting, of course, because while all four majors own both record and music publishing companies, collaborations between recording and publishing divisions are rare, even though as the record industry becomes more and more focused on licensing music rather than selling CDs it makes more and more sense for the two disciplines to work together.

Confirming his new role, Reid told CMU: "I'm delighted to be taking up this role, especially at a time when Warner Music Group is working with such a remarkable range of artists and emerging technology is generating a wealth of new licensable platforms. We are leading the way in making licensing simpler, easier and more productive for artists and rights users alike. I'm looking forward to my ongoing work with the amazing team at Warner Chappell UK and building on my existing relationships with Warner Music Group's wider synch network".

Redi will report to both Dave Johnson, CEO of Warner/Chappell, and John Reid, CEO Europe of the Warner Music Group.

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FRIENDLY FIRES MANAGER JOINS MACHINE MANAGEMENT
London-based artist management firm Machine Management has confirmed the appointment of Phil Morias, formerly of CEC Management, to the role of Senior Manager. Morias will bring one of his acts, Friendly Fires, with him to his new employers.

Iain Watt, Founder and MD of Machine Management, told CMU: "Phil Morias joining Machine Management is a real coup for our company. Not only is he bringing the excellent Friendly Fires with him but he will be working closely with me to grow the management business and develop other areas including publishing, events and our US presence. His energy, enthusiasm and expertise will add real value to our already strong offering".

Morias himself added: "I am really looking forward to joining Machine Management who represent an enviable roster of artists and who have a great reputation within the industry for professionalism and forward thinking. I am genuinely excited about all the new opportunities currently out there for artist management companies and can't wait to start exploring these with Iain and his team".

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TICKETMASTER AND LIVE NATION RELEASE FINANCIALS
Merger hopefuls Ticketmaster and Live Nation both released their latest financial reports yesterday, for the third quarter.

Ticketmaster's revenues were up 3%, despite a continued slide in ticket sales revenue. That was possible thanks to the ticketing giant's artist management division, which generated $56.4 million in the quarter.

Ironically a chunk of the decline in Ticketmaster's ticketing revenues was as a result of Live Nation taking a lot of its ticketing, previously provided by Ticketmaster, in-house. Live Nation finally ended its long standing client relationship with Ticketmaster just weeks before the two companies announced their intent to merge.

Live Nation also saw its revenues rise, by 13.8%, but net income was down. Nevertheless, financial types seem to be happy with the company's performance, which is stable.

The two live music giants are, of course, waiting for approval from both the UK and US competition authorities before merging.

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DJ CULTURE COMES TO BEST BUY
US electronics retailer and Napster owners Best Buy are launching a new department in over 300 of their stores, in partnership with Dr Dre's headphone range which will be aimed at both aspiring DJs and audiophiles looking for better quality sound from their audio equipment. The Club Beats areas will let consumers play with a range of DJ equipment, mixing software and music-orientated laptops. The new service will be promoted through a number of in-store events featuring Lady Gaga, Will.i.am and Dre himself.

Confirming the new venture, Best Buy SVP Wendy Fritz told Billboard: "It may not be simple to find these products in a mainstream environment - either you have to know what you need, or you have to talk to someone who is in the industry. What we're trying to say is 'hey you can do this,' and when they come into the store our 'blue shirts' can say 'these are the three or four products you need to get started'".

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U2TUBE WEBCAST - BIG BUT CHEAP
YouTube's recent live airing of a U2 concert in California drew an audience of ten million, about a third of which were in the US. That's an awful lot of people, and makes the webcast the biggest not only in YouTube's history, but in the history of the internet. Yes, they even beat Sandi Thom's basement webcasts.

YouTube described the achievement as simply a "big win" for the video platform, while Malcolm Gerrie of Whizzkid Entertainment, who produced the webcast, was bolder, telling reporters: "We think a whole new business model has emerged here".

Of course that would only be true if such webcasts made money. The U2 webcast was free and without any serious sponsor, meaning YouTube had to cover the cost of an awful lot of bandwidth, while the band failed to command any real fee, whereas as similar TV screening of a gig would result in a handsome cheque being handed over by the network airing the event.

U2 did the gig even though YouTube had failed to find a sponsor because of the promotional benefits. Though I'm not really sure what those benefits are. I think we were all aware U2 were doing the rounds again. There may, as yet, be a more tangible pay off though, with Universal planning on releasing a DVD version of the concert recording.

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SHAZAM LAUNCH PREMIUM APP
Music identification whatnot Shazam, whose free iPhone app has been downloaded ten million times apparently, have launched a premium version of the app which will retail at £2.99 ($4.99 and 3.99 euros). Shazam Encore, as it will be known, is apparently faster than the free service and will also offer charts, music recommendations, enhanced search and the facility to identify music playing on radio stations when plugged into an iPod doc in a car.

Shazam top man Andrew Fisher told CMU: "Since our launch on the [Apple] App Store, Shazam has achieved a huge following with iPhone and iPod touch users and is now one of the most popular music apps in the world. We have listened to our iPhone and iPod touch users and have created a new app which answers their requests to take them on an enhanced music journey that will change the way music lovers experience and learn about music".

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DIGITAL RADIO UK BOSS TELLS INDUSTRY TO REFOCUS ON DAB
The director of the Digital Radio UK campaign, Lisa Kerr, has called on the British radio industry to refocus on all things digital. As previously reported, enthusiasm for the main digital radio platform - digital audio broadcasting - has waned somewhat in the UK commercial radio community after significant investment in infrastructure and new digital-only radio stations failed to bring in any real returns as advertisers and, to an extent, listeners failed to get excited about new digital services.

When Channel 4's bid to launch a second national DAB network collapsed, some in the commercial sector proclaimed DAB dead in the water, despite the BBC remaining committed to the platform. And some are now predicting that FM radio will survive a lot longer than originally thought, and that by the time FM disappears it will be internet radio rather than DAB that takes its place.

But Kerr, charged with the job of turning broadcasters, listeners and advertisers to digital, and preferably DAB, sooner rather than later, argued that the internet simply can't cope with being the primary infrastructure for the radio industry.

According to Radio Today, Kerr told the Radio At The Edge conference in London: "[Internet radio] would be hopeless. It simply can't cope with the simultaneous levels of listening that radio demands. For example, at eight o'clock on a typical morning, there are about seventeen million people listening to the radio. But the entire UK broadband infrastructure could only support simultaneous listening for about four million of them - even if no one was using the internet for anything else, anywhere in the country. And the costs would be enormous - hundreds of millions of pounds a year for the radio industry - and more for the ISPs. Any kind of IP technology that we either have today or even have sight of today, just can't match up to broadcast radio".

Looking forward to the next phase of DAB, Kerr continued: "Let's get real: legislation and fixing infrastructure first; content and services next; followed by promoting like crazy, then uptake and then upgrade. That's how it's going to work. And that's how, in a few years from now, we'll have a radio industry spending more money on content and less on transmission, and therefore an audience that has more choice, more interactivity, and cracking, not crackling, reception".

She's right about the limitations of the internet as the primary medium for transmitting radio, though she has a big task ahead of her in getting radio firms and radio listeners excited about DAB again. Though the biggest player, Global Radio, does seem keen, and that, coupled with continued BBC enthusiasm, might be enough to rescue the whole digital audio broadcasting project. Though the current government aim for turning off FM - 2015 - still seems mightily optimistic.

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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 *.

Muse - The Resistance (Warner Bros)
Paramore - Brand New Eyes (Warner/Atlantic)
Pearl Jam - Backspacer (Universal)
Alice In Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue (EMI)
Rammstein - Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da (Universal)*
Nickelback - Dark Horse (Warner/Roadrunner)
Flaming Lips - Embryonic (Warner Bros)
Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown (Warner Bros)
Dead By Sunrise - Out Of Ashes (Warner Bros)
Daughtry - Leave This Town (Sony Music)
Megadeth - Endgame (Warner/Roadrunner)
Foreigner - Can't Slow Down (Warner/Rhino)
Kiss - Sonic Boom (Warner/Roadrunner)*
Billy Talent - III (Warner/Atlantic)
Five Finger Death Punch - War Is The Answer (Spinefarm)
AFI - Crash Love (Universal)
Fleetwood Mac - The Very Best Of (Warner Bros)*
Lynyrd Skynyrd - God & Guns (Warner/Roadrunner)
Rise Against - Appeal To Reason (Universal/Geffen)*
Shinedown - The Sound Of Madness (Warner/Atlantic)

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USHER AND TAMEKA DIVORCE THROUGH
Usher and Tameka Foster's divorce is complete. Last month Foster complained that her ex was procrastinating about signing the paperwork required for the divorce to go through. But presumably he's put his signature to whatever papers needed it, because a decree absolute was issued by a court in Georgia, US last Wednesday.

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HOOK DISSES MADGE
Proving he's still good value for a funny quote, Peter Hook has been dissing Madonna, describing her as a "black widow" who "uses people, then they shrivel up and disappear".

Speaking to Absolute Radio, Hook says he met Madonna back in 1983, at his club The Hacienda, after she'd performed a concert in Manchester. He says Madge's manager had asked him and the rest of the Hacienda management if the singer could film a bit for TV show 'The Tube' at the venue. They'd said yes.

After the filming, Hacidena co-founder and New Order manager Rob Gretton had suggested to Madonna she might like to play at the club later that night. Hook: "She was horrible. She was sat there with her back to us, and Rob went up and said, 'We were wondering if you wanted to appear later at the club', and she just went, 'Fuck off'".

I'm not sure if Hook's entire opinion of Madonna is based on that one run in back in 1983. Possibly it is.

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ROBBIE NOT AT MARK OWEN'S WEDDING
It transpires that we might have been lying, with vicious intent I'm sure, when we said yesterday that Robbie Williams had been among the guests at Mark Owen's wedding at the weekend. Robbie's attendance at Owen's big day was widely reported, but yesterday afternoon Contactmusic published a quote from Williams denying he was there, explaining he couldn't attend because of promotional commitments around new album 'Reality Killed The Video Star'.

The Robster says: "[The wedding was] absolutely fantastic. Really, really lovely. Can I just qualify - I wasn't there. I was in Germany doing a TV show but I did like reading that I had flown up on a plane and that I was going to be singing. I was like, 'Oh, really?'"

Perhaps Owen booked a Robbie look-a-like to attend the ceremony and fool the paps. I remember seeing a really good Robbie Williams look-a-like at a conference once - he had the whole image and performance down to a tee, except he kept insisting on hitting the high notes properly, which somewhat ruined the illusion.

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FALL OUT BOY TO STOP PERFORMING BEAT IT
Fall Out Boy have said they will stop performing their version of Michael Jackson's 'Beat It' as a sign of respect to the late King Of Pop. Don't artists wanting to show their respect for a dead pop icon normally do so by singing one of their songs, rather than not singing one? Are Fall Out Boy saying their version of 'Beat It' was so shit it was disrespectful?

Whatever, Fall Out Boy have played their version of 'Beat It' at live shows for years, and included a recorded version on their recent hits album. But Pete Wentz has told Music Radar: "We never got the chance to [meet] him. I don't even know if he heard it. We kind of recorded it on a whim, like, nine months before he passed away. We've decided not to play it any more. It's his song, you know? We put it on the record because we did a video for it, but it's definitely his song".

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