MITCH WINEHOUSE MEETS POLITICIANS TO DISCUSS DRUG REHABILITATION
Mitch Winehouse yesterday met with politicians to discuss access to treatment services for young people battling drug problems. As previously reported, Amy Winehouse's father said at his daughter's funeral last week that he plans to launch an Amy Winehouse Foundation, which will be an organisation "to help those struggling with substance abuse". He added: "In this country, if you cannot afford a private rehabilitation clinic, there is a two-year waiting list for help. With the help of Keith Vaz MP, we are trying to change that".

It was Vaz, who is chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, and crime minister James Brokenshire with whom Winehouse met yesterday. He said afterwards: "The government needs to look at the reallocation of funding to channel more in to help juveniles. I am convinced that there's a willingness for people to change the way things are going. The allocation of funding is wrong and they need to look at that and I think they will. It is gratifying... things are going to change".

Vaz added: "We always revisit our reports but I think it's important that we look again because it seems, from what he has said today, the level of support is not there and there appears to be an inconsistency of funding".

Who knew it was that easy? In other Amy Winehouse news, a rep has denied a report in the Daily Mirror that the singer was planning to adopt a ten year old St Lucian girl she met while staying in the country and bring her back to London. The spokesperson told TMZ: "I think she might have met her in St Lucia, but she was in no way about to adopt her".

And finally, as expected, Amy Winehouse's albums and singles featured heavily in the charts this weekend. In the singles chart, 'Back To Black' was the highest charting Winehouse track, with another four songs in the top 40. Her second album, also called 'Back To Black' of course, went to number one in the album chart, while her debut, 'Frank', was at five. A combined set of both albums reached number ten.

HMV's Gennaro Castaldo told the BBC that many stores had struggled to keep up with demand for Winehouse's albums, saying: "In terms of the album sales, there was a real surge last weekend, both through downloads and people buying the CD. But a lot of stores then ran out of stock and they've been waiting for more to arrive, which it did around Thursday".

Amy Winehouse, of course, died at her London home on 23 Jul. The cause of death is currently unknown.

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GOVERNMENT TO ANNOUNCE COPYRIGHT REFORMS
The government will publish proposals for changes to British copyright law tomorrow based on the much previously reported recent review of intellectual property rules by Professor Ian Hargreaves.

Among the proposals, which Vince Cable will present, will be the introduction of a private copy right in the UK, so that making private copies of CDs becomes legal for the first time. This would be an important change in the British copyright system, even though it would have zero effect on rights owners and users alike, given that half the population doesn't know that such private copies are currently illegal, the other half ignore the rule, and no rights owner would ever sue someone for making a back up copy for private use.

The major record labels are likely to push for compensation for the introduction of the new private copy right - some kind of levy on digital music players, similar to that that exists in some other countries where the private copy right has always been part of the copyright system - though such a levy is likely to be resisted by politicians, not least because Hargreaves advised against it. Which means we can expect some squabbling ahead if the music industry does push for the levy, and yet more reasons for the record companies to be portrayed as money grabbing cunts.

Meanwhile, the only really tangible impact of the introduction of a private copy right would be that very basic digital locker services, which allow you to make back-up copies of your digital music collection (much of which may have been ripped from CD) to an external server, would become legal in the UK. Technically they are currently illegal. Though, of course, the legalities of anything but the most basic digital lockers are still very much of debate, particularly in the US.

Other changes expected to be in Cable's proposals tomorrow are the introduction of a parody right in the UK for the first time, an area of law YouTube is known to want expanded.

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EMINEM SETTLES WITH AUDI
Eminem's publishing company Eight Mile Style has reached an out of court settlement with Audi over the use of one of the rapper's tracks in a new advert.

As previously reported, back in May Eight Mile Style applied to the German courts for an injunction to stop Audi from using Slim Shady track 'Lose Yourself' in a TV ad, after it was unveiled at a press event in Berlin. Reps for the publishing firm said that not only was Audi using the song in its new ad without their permission, but the marketing campaign "felt inspired by" - which might have been a polite way of saying "rips off" - a TV ad released by Chrysler earlier this year which was endorsed by, and indeed starred, Eminem himself. That ad also used 'Lose Yourself' in its soundtrack.

In June, a spokesman for Audi in North America said that the dispute did not affect the American division of the car company, as it hadn't made or aired the offending advert. Which seemed fair enough. But then the press rep added: "The video referred to is not an advertisement". Which was a bit odd.

Exactly what was meant by that we'll now never know, as the matter won't be heard in court after a settlement was reached. Eight Mile Style has asked the judge hearing the case to issue a cease and desist order, but both sides have otherwise agreed to take the matter no further. The exact details of the settlement are unknown, but it is thought that Audi will donate money to one or more of Chrysler's 'Imported From Detroit' charity initiatives.

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SOULJA BOY OWES OVER $25,000 IN UNPAID TAXES
According to RadarOnline, rapper Soulja Boy is being chased for $26,805 in unpaid taxes by the state of California. Last week, he reportedly paid off a bill of $3571 to authorities in Mississippi. It's the latest financial woe for Soulja Boy, who last year had his $280,000 home in McDonough, Georgia repossessed.

This news follows reports last week that the rapper was planning to buy a $55 million private jet, although responding to them a rep told the Los Angeles Times: "The elaborate rumours circulating about Soulja Boy purchasing a jet for his 21st birthday are grossly over exaggerated and are not true".

However, he did reveal that Soulja Boy had thrown a $300,000 party in a Miami nightclub to celebrate his milestone birthday. So, um, yeah, careful financial planning all round.

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ENTRIES OPEN FOR ARTIST AND MANAGER AWARDS
As previously reported, the Featured Artists Coalition and the Music Managers Forum last week announced a new awards event that will celebrate artists and their managers. The inaugural Artist & Manager Awards will take place at the Roundhouse on 13 Sep, and yesterday a call for submissions went out.

Of the eight categories in the awards, four are open for general entry. The First Rung Award For Artists will recognise musicians who have made an impact with limited marketing spend, while the manager version of the same prize will celebrate those managers who are new to artist management but have successfully established themselves. The Artists Of The Year and Manager Of The Year awards will do what they sound like they will do.

Entries can now be submitted here: amawards.org/?page_id=58

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MACHINE HEAD REVEAL ALBUM DETAILS
Machine Head have announced details of their forthcoming seventh studio album, 'Unto The Locust', which is due for release on 26 Sep. The follow-up to 2007's 'The Blackening', it features just seven tracks, but the shortest is thought to be six minutes long.

Earlier this year, the band released an early mix of a track called 'Locust', which is take from the album and can be heard here: www.thecmuwebsite.com/article/machine-head-preview-new-material/

The album's tracklist is as follows:

I Am Hell (Sonata In C#)
Be Still And Know
Locust
This Is The End
Darkness Within
Pearls Before The Swine
Who We Are

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JOKER ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM
Dubstep producer Joker has announced that he will release his debut album, 'The Vision', through 4AD on 7 Nov.

A double A-side single, featuring two tracks from the album, 'Here Come The Lights' and 'My Trance Girl', will be released on 12 Sep. The former features vocals from Turboweekend's Silas Bjerregaard and can be heard below.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFM33gheI8s

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KINGS OF LEON CANCEL US GIGS DUE TO "INTERNAL PROBLEMS"
Kings Of Leon have admitted to having some "internal sicknesses and problems" after cutting short a gig in Dallas on Friday and then cancelling another in Houston the following night. Last night their whole current US tour was called off.

At the show in Dallas, frontman Caleb Followill walked off stage three songs before the show was due to finish, saying: "I'm trying to sing but I haven't got a voice, I've got nothing".

Before the rest of the band followed him, his bassist brother Jared told the audience: "I don't know what to say. It's not our fault. It's Caleb. He can't play".

A statement issued the following day, when the band cancelled their Saturday night Houston show, said: "Caleb Followill suffered from heat exhaustion and dehydration during last night's Dallas performance causing his vocal chords to seize".

However, Jared said via Twitter: "I love our fans so much. I know you guys aren't stupid. I can't lie. There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade. I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am. There are internal sicknesses and problems that have needed to be addressed".

Drummer Nathan Followill also took to Twitter on Saturday, saying: "Not so good morning for me today. Ashamed and embarrassed by last night's fiasco. Can't apologise enough, utterly gutted. A million I'm sorrys".

However, last night's statement announcing the whole tour cancellation stuck with the original excuse, saying: "We are so sorry to say Kings of Leon are canceling their entire US tour due to Caleb Followill suffering from vocal issues and exhaustion. The band is devastated, but in order to give their fans the shows they deserve, they need to take this break".

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STEPHEN MALKUS & THE JICKS ANNOUNCE TOUR
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks will tour the UK and Ireland this November to promote new album, 'Mirror Traffic', which is due for release via Domino on 22 Aug.

Listen to the first single, 'Tigers', here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-pHCivBBLw

Tour dates:

9 Nov: Dublin, Button Factory
10 Nov: Manchester, Ritz
11 Nov: Glasgow, The Arches
12 Nov: Constellations Festival
14 Nov: London, Koko

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CANT ANNOUNCE LONDON SHOW
Grizzly Bear vocalist Chris Taylor's solo project, Cant, will be coming to London for a one-off show in November. The show will follow the release of the project's first album, 'Dreams Come True', which is due for release on 12 Sep.

Cant's first ever UK show will take place at Cargo on 1 Nov. Tickets are on sale now.

You can listen to a track form the album, 'Answer', here: soundcloud.com/warp-records/cant-answer-dreams-come-true/s-KbMii

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SECRET GARDEN PARTY ISLAND FLOATS AWAY
The creators of a floating island sculpture are making a second version of their artwork, after the first one literally floated away. Entitled 'Is Land', the piece was suspended on a helium-filled base above the lake around which the Secret Garden Party festival is set. However, during the festival, a small group of people took a boat out to it and cut the work free.

Artists Sarah Cockings and Laurence Symonds worked on 'Is Land' for six months, at a cost of £9000, before displaying it, and had planned to take it to the Burning Man festival in America, too. But despite warnings being sent out to airports, and various attempts to track it down, it remains lost.

It is now being rebuilt from scratch, funded by donations from the public. You can track their progress here: lostfloatingisland.wordpress.com

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FESTIVAL LINE-UP UPDATE

SPLIT FESTIVAL, Ashbrooke Sports Club, Sunderland, 17-18 Sep: Beth Orton, Michelle Stodart of The Magic Numbers, Young Legionnaire's Paul Mullen, Kurran & The Wolfnotes and The Lake Poets lead a spate of acts freshly sprinkled atop the Split Festival bill. Hosted by Futureheads man Ross Millard, this Sunderland-situated bash will also host Mystery Jets, The Drums, The Charlatans, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Ganglians, Little Comets and Beth Jeans Houghton. www.splitfestival.com

STANDON CALLING, Standon, Hertfordshire, 11-14 Aug: Spiritualized have been forced to pull their headline Standon Calling slot (their first cancellation in a 21 year-long career, we might add) due to medical circumstances surrounding frontman Jason Pierce. With a replacement bill-topper due to be announced in the coming weeks there are still plenty of performers on offer at this eclectic four-dayer, not least Battles, Lamb, Hercules & Love Affair, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Born Ruffians, Trophy Wife and Dan Le Sac. www.standon-calling.com

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UK MUSIC ANNOUNCES DIVERSITY CHARTER
Cross-sector trade body UK Music has announced it will launch an Equality & Diversity Charter for the music industry in the autumn. According to an announcement yesterday, the charter will likely "take a broad and inclusive interpretation of equality and diversity, and identify areas where the industry should concentrate efforts and leadership". Music companies will be encouraged to sign up to the Charter and, in doing so, to take some simple, practical steps to improving equality and diversity in the music industry.

UK Music chief Feargal Sharkey told CMU: "Music has inherent power to bring people together. Whatever our background, we all love it, we all consume it, we all play it; and, importantly, no sector of society has a claim over it. I passionately believe that such a natural meritocracy should continue into the workplace. The Equality & Diversity Charter will be a positive step to realising that goal, and ensuring our industry successfully reflects the diversity of our talent and our customers. I am confident that it will be widely welcomed and acted upon".

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NEW BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD TO HAVE FEWER POP VIDEOS
When the Beavis and Butt-head TV show is revived this autumn, the cartoon duo will be providing their unique critiques to fewer music videos and more MTV shows. Of course, since they last appeared on the music TV network, the music-video-to-general-youth-programming ratio at MTV has changed somewhat, which is possibly why bosses their want B&B passing judgement on shows like 'Jersey Shore' and 'Teen Mom', and some movie clips, as well as pop promos. Though show producer Mike Judge says licensing issues and costs associated with music videos are one of the reasons why less will appear on the new show. Billboard quote Judge as saying, simply "It's licensing".

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HELEN MIRREN STILL WORKING ON SPECTOR FILM, DESPITE THREATS
A Hollywood publicist has urged Helen Mirren to pull out of a previously reported new film based on the murder trial of legendary producer Phil Spector. Edward Lozzi is working on behalf of the family of Lana Clarkson, the one time actress Spector was found guilty of shooting dead. They fear that the film, which will feature Al Pacino playing the producer, will paint Spector in a sympathetic light.

Mirren is due to play one of the music maker's defence lawyers. According to reports, the actress was told she could find herself being blocked from Hollywood awards if she takes part in the film. Lozzi is also planning a boycott of the film's producers HBO. But so far the threats have had no affect on Mirren. A rep for the British actress said: "She's in the movie. She's not dropping out. That's all she's saying".

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