SONY DADC CENTRE COULD HAVE BEEN VICTIM OF WELL-PLANNED ATTACK
According to the Telegraph, the fire at the Sony DADC distribution centre in north London earlier this month, that destroyed an estimated three million CDs and tens of thousands of DVDs, may have been the result of a carefully planned raid that took advantage of the chaos caused by riots in that part of the capital that day.

As previously reported, the Sony Corp-owned distribution centre was burned to the ground during riots in the Enfield part of London, taking it with it huge amounts of stock belonging to hundreds of entertainment companies, and not just the Sony business.

In particular, 150 independent record companies lost their physical stocks because the facility was the main UK hub of indie distributors [PIAS], and while most of those labels will be insured, the cash flow issues such a loss of stock will cause could be enough to take some smaller record companies out of business. Though, as also previously reported, it is hoped funds set up by the BPI and the Association Of Independent Music, both offering free loans to affected labels, might prevent that from happening.

With chaos occurring in various corners of London 8 Aug, it wasn't immediately clear what had happened at the Sony DADC centre, though some wondered how the rioters had got past the considerable security operation that surrounded the distribution facility. Even though the riots were organised, to an extent, via social media networks, breaking into a site surrounded by a large security fence, and protected by its own team of security guards, is quite a step up from smashing a window at JJB Sports and grabbing stock from the shop floor.

The Telegraph alleges that Sony DADC was actually the target of a deliberate and well planned attack by a "professional criminal gang", who utilised the fact others were rioting in the area at the time to their advantage.

The broadsheet says the gang spent two hours using specialist cutting equipment to dismantle a portion of the centre's fencing. They then encouraged other rioters to flood the site, distracting and overwhelming security guards who in turn couldn't rely on support from an overstretched police force, while the original gang members stole the more valuable electrical goods stored at the centre, having driven a number of vans onto the site. It's not clear who set the facility on fire, the original gang or other rioters, though gutting the facility was a useful way for the original thieves to cover their tracks.

The newspaper says that five men have been arrested in connection to looting and arson at the centre, though it's not clear if they are part of the gang the broadsheet alleges orchestrated this attack. Neither the Metropolitan Police nor Sony have commented on the reports.

As also previously reported, Sony has already set up an alternative distribution centre in Hertfordshire which is being used by [PIAS]. The independent distributor has also recruited the services of Proper Music to help get its distribution network back up and running.

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BRUNO MARS FILES LEGAL PAPERS OVER BUG RELATIONSHIP
Bruno Mars could be heading to court in a dispute with his publisher Bug Music, according to TMZ.

Mars, it seems, believes that he has fulfilled his commitments under his previous contract with the up-for-sale independent publisher, and that it failed to take up an option to renew that contact in the renewal period previously agreed. Therefore, he says, he is currently without any commitments to any music publisher.

However, it seems Bug does not agree with the R&B pop boy, and claims that he is still under contact to the company, giving it a cut of any royalties generated by any new songs Mars writes. TMZ reports that Mars has now filed papers with the LA County Superior Court requesting a judge rule on the status of his relationship with the music publishing firm.

Bug is yet to comment.

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LIAM V NOEL NOT SETTLED YET
Liam Gallagher's latest dispute with brother Noel is not over, OK?

As previously reported, Liam began legal proceedings against his brother over remarks made by Noel at a press conference last month with regards the reasons Oasis split up, and why the band couldn't play one half of the V Festival in 2009. But late last week a source told The Sun that Liam had withdrawn the lawsuit because the two brothers' latest squabble was causing distress for their mother.

But speaking to Radio 1 at the Reading Festival last weekend, Liam indicated that the legal squabble is still ongoing. He said: "It's not over yet. There are a few things which need to be sorted out. I didn't want this to happen. It's not nice suing your family but like I said, he was telling porkies for the sake of his mates and journalists to get a wise crack on me".

He added: "I ain't having that. I ain't a fraud and my band ain't a fraud. If he listens to his lawyers and does the right thing then it'll be well and truly over. I never wanted it to happen but it has to happen".

As also previously reported, Noel initially responded to Liam's lawsuit by clarifying a few of his past comments, while also added: "It's all getting very silly and a bit out of hand and it's not very cool".

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DEHYDRATION CAUSED TOM JONES CONCERT CANCELLATION
A spokesman for Tom Jones has issued a statement after the singer was forced to cancel a gig in Monte Carlo at the weekend. There was media speculation that the cancellation occurred because Jones was experiencing heart problems, but the official statement says the issue was simply dehydration.

The spokesman said on Sunday: "Tom was ordered by doctors not to perform in Monte Carlo yesterday evening, due to severe dehydration. This was extremely disappointing for Tom, the band and all connected with the tour. This was the last date of a very successful three month tour, where many of the shows were in locations that were in the throes of high summer heat. There are no heart problems, as has been reported in the press".

The statement concluded: "Tom wants to relay his deep regrets for causing disappointment and inconvenience to all who would have come to enjoy his show last night. He thanks everyone for their understanding and support and hopes to see the fans in Monte Carlo again soon".

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VMAS AWARDED AS BEYONCE REVEALS PREGNANCY
It was MTV's annual celebration of music videos on Sunday, the VMAs, ironically one of the few times you'll actually see a music video on MTV these days. Awards were handed out. For music videos. Have I said enough about the ceremony yet? Can we talk about Beyonce now? OK good.

Beyonce is pregnant. With a baby. Jay-Z's baby, no less. Imagine! She revealed the news on the red carpet on the way into the ceremony, and then again to everyone who didn't already know when she performed her song, 'Love On Top'. Mrs Z waving her bump around in front of a worldwide TV audience of millions then set Twitter on fire. Possibly nearly literally, as the social network's servers struggled to cope with the number of people informing each other of the news they'd all just seen on screen already.

Twitter's comms department later announced that this had resulted in record breaking site traffic, saying on Monday: "Last night at 10:35pm ET, Beyonce's big MTV VMA moment gave Twitter a record bump: 8,868 Tweets per second".

Sadly Taylor Swift didn't announce that she was pregnant, too. But I'm sure Kanye West would still attest that Beyonce is having the best baby of all time.

Anyway, awards. Here are the winners:

Video Of The Year: Katy Perry - Firework
Best Female Video: Lady Gaga - Born This Way
Best Male Video: Justin Bieber - U Smile
Best New Artist: Tyler, The Creator - Yonkers
Best Collaboration: Katy Perry feat Kanye West - ET
Best Hip Hop Video: Nicki Minaj - Super Bass
Best Rock Video: Foo Fighters - Walk
Best Pop Video: Britney Spears - Till The World Ends
Best Video With A Message: Lady Gaga - Born This Way
Best Director: Sam Brown for Adele - Rolling In The Deep
Best Choreography: Beyonce - Run The World (Girls)
Best Visual Effects: Katy Perry feat Kanye West - ET
Best Art Direction: Adele - Rolling In The Deep
Best Editing: Adele - Rolling In The Deep
Best Cinematography: Adele - Rolling In The Deep

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LIZ GREEN ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM, DRUNK TOUR
Alternative pop sort Liz Green has announced that she will release her long-awaited debut LP 'O, Devotion!' via [PIAS] on 14 Nov.

Caught up in touring (and self-professed dithering) following the release of her acclaimed first single 'Bad Medicine' in 2007, it took the guiding hand of producer Liam Watson (The White Stripes, The Stranglers' Hugh Cornwell) to bring Liz out of her post-tour reverie.

She recalls: "I didn't really get on with recording. I used to dread recording days. I even tried drawing faces on the studio wall - to give the impression of an audience - or getting horrendously drunk so as to emulate my live behaviour. I needed someone to say: 'Stop! That's the one'. Which is what Liam did".

Since she's on tour again in support of the album, you can catch Liz's "horrendously drunk" live act on the following occasions:

16 Oct: Manchester, Portico Library
13 Nov: London, Rough Trade West
25 Nov: London, King's Place

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JANET JACKSON DECLINES SET AT LATE BROTHER'S TRIBUTE SHOW
Janet Jackson has turned down the headline slot at the previously reported Michael Jackson tribute concert being held in Cardiff on 8 Oct.

It seems Janet is in the half of the Jackson clan which thinks holding the tribute concert while Dr Conrad Murray is being tried for causing their late sibling's death is a bad idea. The other half, of course, have officially endorsed the tribute show.

Some expected Janet to head the bill at the tribute concert, but she issued a statement this weekend saying: "Because of the trial, the timing of this tribute to our brother would be too difficult for me".

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ALBUM REVIEW: Ladytron - Gravity The Seducer (Nettwerk)
Ladytron were at the forefront of the noughties electronic pop renaissance, but sadly for them, despite a decade of critical acclaim for their four fine albums, they haven't impacted on the public consciousness in the way they deserve.

There's no sign of fatigue or ennui here though, with the new album wrapped in a baroque, beautiful sheen that adds splashes of colour to the group's strategically monochrome sound.

Opener 'White Elephant' glistens and shimmers, setting the scene for the verdant pastures ahead and whilst the icy guitars and stadium drums of 'Mirage' hark back to the rockier sound of 2008's 'Velocifero', it still maintains a sense of lushness and grandiosity, whilst the group's decidedly European aesthetic is never compromised. Elsewhere, 'White Gold' and 'Melting Ice' reveal themselves as epic anthems, the latter coming on like Stereolab on MDMA.

Whilst there are occasional touches of retro-futurism, this is an album that has no interest in recreating any particular era of music, electronic or otherwise, and its DNA reveals elements from the last four decades amid its impeccably maintained glamour and svelte pop nous.

An irresistibly strong collection of songs, this is both Ladytron's best album and a highlight in a fairly fallow musical year. MS

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COPYRIGHT INDUSTRIES NEED TO WIN PUBLIC AS WELL AS POLITICAL DEBATE
While most of the copyright proposals in the Digital Economy Act are reasonable, neither the government nor the entertainment industry has successfully persuaded the public of that fact, or so says Scottish lawyer Paul Carlyle, a member of the Law Society Of Scotland's Intellectual Property Law Committee.

Speaking at the Festival Of Politics in Edinburgh last week Carlyle noted: "It's interesting, is it not, that an industry that can sell us Cheryl Cole, Jedward and all the other 'X-Factor' creations, and which can persuade us to part with good money for all sorts of products linked to these celebrities, has somehow failed to persuade much of the public that they should pay for digital content".

Carlyle said he agreed with much of what his fellow panellist, Pete Wishart MP, a former member of Scottish band Runrig and now vocal supporter of copyright in the Westminster parliament, had said about the importance of intellectual property rights for the UK and Scottish economies, and of the need for new laws - including the punitive measures in the DEA against online infringers - to secure those rights.

However, he feared that while the political community and entertainment industry were invariably of one mind on the economic importance of protecting IP rights online, they had not taken public opinion with them on this one, and that would make enforcing the new laws tricky. "Copyright was in the news last year more than any other I can remember, with the DEA and the Pirate Bay case among others getting much coverage", he continued. "And yet a lot of people still haven't been convinced about why they should have to pay for digital content".

Education and communication, therefore, should be at the top of the agenda of rights owners and their political supporters, though Carlyle conceded that talking the public round, and especially those in the generation that have grown up with free access to all sorts of content online, was no easy task.

Given the location of this particular IP debate, in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh's Holyrood, it was no surprise really that the issue of Scotland's intellectual property laws, and who should control them, was raised. Although there are some slight differences in the copyright system under Scottish law, Carlyle informed the audience, in the main IP in Scotland is the same as in England, with the whole area controlled by Westminster not Holyrood.

As a Scottish National Party MP, what did Wishart make of this? "Actually, and this might surprise you, I am very relaxed about that fact", the musical MP revealed. "So much of copyright is now governed by the European Union anyway, and the bodies that represent rights owners and creators - so in the music space the BPI, PRS and so on - are all UK-wide bodies based in London. So it makes sense, and it is, I believe, in the interests of Scottish creators, for these matters to be driven by Westminster".

Though, of course, as an SNP MP, for Wishart, officially at least, Scottish independence is inevitable. As such he added: "After independence, of course, things will change, though I do believe there will still be benefits to our creative industries to have harmony on IP issues across the British Isles".

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EVENTIM FAVOURITE TO BUY SEE TICKETS
CTS Eventim is favourite to buy the UK See Tickets business, according to Music Week. A number of live entertainment companies are known to have expressed an interest in buying the UK's second biggest primary ticket seller since current owners, Dutch investment firm Parcom Capital, recently let it be known it was interested in offloading the business.

See Tickets originally span out of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful company, and still sells tickets to West End shows as well as a plethora of music and sporting events, including the Glastonbury Festival.

With that in mind it's possibly no surprise that the ticketing division of the Ambassador Theatre Group is also known to be interested in buying up See Tickets, as is AEG Live, which, of course, is keen to make its own mark in the ticketing domain since market leader Ticketmaster, whose services AEG have traditionally used, merged with its main competitor Live Nation.

CTS Eventim also had issues with the Ticketmaster/Live Nation deal, and indeed it was its objections that almost caused the merger to be blocked in the UK. The company had a partnership in place with Live Nation, which was launching its own ticketing business prior to the Ticketmaster merger, which would have seen Eventim basically operate Live Nation Tickets over here.

Eventim, which has much bigger operations elsewhere in Europe, saw its Live Nation partnership as a route into the UK market. Although the Live Master deal didn't and couldn't, in theory, prevent that partnership from going ahead, Eventim argued it clearly stopped its alliance with Live Nation from having any longevity, which made making an big investment into the UK market unviable.

Presumably acquiring See Tickets, which is likely to cost in excess of £100 million, would give Eventim the in over here that its Live Nation deal, in the end, failed to deliver. Eventim is possibly seen as favourite in the race to buy See because it bought the German division of the same company, and because it recently appointed a former See Tickets CEO, Nick Blackburn, as Chairman of its new UK operations.

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WARP APPOINTS NEW PR CHIEF
London-based indie Warp Records has appointed a new PR chief. Leah Ellis joins the label from PR agency Sainted, where she was most recently a director. In her new role she will oversee press and broadcast campaigns for Warp in the UK.

Confirming the appointment, Warp's Head Of Marketing Steven Hill told CMU: "We are delighted to welcome Leah to the label and excited about the artists and projects we will be working on this year and into 2012".

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UNIVERSAL APPOINTS GLOBAL MARKETING CHIEF
Universal Music has announced the appointment of Andrew Kronfeld to the new role of President, Global Marketing.

Having previously been an Exec VP of Marketing for Universal's International division, in his new role Kronfeld will be responsible for "developing and driving unified, global marketing strategies", which sounds like fun. He'll also oversee the Cooperative Music indie label licensing operation and rock imprint Spinefarm. Well, why not?

Confirming the appointment, Universal top man Lucian Grainge told CMU: "Today's music and entertainment business is simply a worldwide environment. Talent and technology crosses borders with greater reach and speed than ever. Andrew's appointment is another important step in the alignment of our operations into global responsibilities, and there is no one better to lead this evolution in our marketing firepower".

Meanwhile Max Hole, COO of Universal Music International, to whom Kronfeld will report, added: "With 20 years' experience at Universal Music, Andrew is clearly one of our most accomplished, far-sighted music executives. I have worked with him for much of that time, as he has played a key role in the international careers of many of our top artists. Andrew knows better than anyone the results to be achieved by thinking and acting globally".

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MINISTRY OF SOUND PROMOTES PETITION IN DEVELOPER BATTLE
Ministry Of Sound is having a last rallying call for friends and fans to sign a petition against plans to build a residential complex next to the superclub's South London HQ. The firm fears that if an apartment block goes up next to the club it could result in licensing complications for the venue.

As previously reported, when MoS execs first raised concerns with the development company which is planning the residential development, Oakmayne, its boss Christopher Allen allegedly remarked "nightclubs come and go".

Responding, MoS chief Lohan Presencer said: "Ministry of Sound is not just any nightclub; it's the most famous nightclub in the world and the heart of a global entertainment business. These developers have cut corners at every stage and counter to their claims, they do not have the best interests of the local community at heart. We must do everything in our power to save our club and our business".

Oakmayne says that it has offered to sound-proof the venue so it and the residential block could co-exist, but Presencer says that the developer's proposals would result in club being closed for a long period, which just isn't feasible.

Although this dispute first erupted early last year, it is timely again because the local council will consider Oakmayne's proposals at a meeting on 13 Sep. MoS fans are urged to sign the club's petition before then at www.ministryofsound.com/saveourclub.

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GUARDIAN RECKONS SPOTIFY COULD GO INTO PROFIT
Spotify could show a small profit when it publishes its next financial results, according to a report in The Guardian. The newspaper cites an expert from Analysys Mason who says he reckons the streaming music service's revenues increased more than fourfold during the last financial year, and that that could be enough to take the company into profit for the first time. Which would be quite an achievement, given I think we all assumed the digital firm was haemorrhaging cash in a bid to win market share.

The figures quoted by The Guardian and Analysys Mason are that Spotify made in the region of 59 million euros in the last financial year, while it paid 45 million euros to record companies and spent ten million euros on operating costs. Which would, of course, result in a profit. Assuming the money said to have been paid to "record companies" actually includes royalties paid to music publishers, and "operating costs" includes things like bandwidth.

Spotify hasn't commented on the speculation. If it is already profitable - and that does still seem like a big "if" despite this report - that would presumably allay fears in the music industry that Spotify's seeming success in terms of signing up users, including paying subscribers, could come to nothing if it turns out the firm's financials don't add up when the venture capital runs out.

Though, of course, even if Spotify is already profitable, or looks likely to go into profit in the near future, pessimists might point out that the royalties the service pays into the music industry, while substantial industry-wide, are not enough to sustain individual labels. Also, with the freemium option basically being phased out, the whole thing is arguably becoming a niche product anyway.

None of which would mean Spotify wouldn't have a long term role to play in the music industry - if profitable, it would remain an important revenue stream - but perhaps it's not the panacea or iTunes killer that some journalists have in the past suggested.

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ICLOUD WILL ALLOW STREAMING
Apple has released a beta version of their iTunes Match feature to developers, which is interesting more because of what it tells us about the wider iCloud service.

iTunes Match is the bit of Apple's new licensed digital locker service which scans your digital music collection, and gives you access to any tracks already stored in the Apple catalogue without you having to upload them. But we sort of knew how that would work already.

The interesting bit of news is that developers checking out the Match bit have confirmed that iCloud will let users stream music stored in their iTunes digital locker to any net-connected Apple device. Previously it wasn't clear if streaming would be an option, or whether users would have to download music to each gadget they accessed their iCloud account from.

iCloud with Match will launch in the US this autumn, and over here next year.

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TUPAC POSSE CONFIRM THEY SMOKED HIS ASHES
Members of the Tupac Shakur founded hip hop collective, The Outlawz, have confirmed a long standing legend within the hip hop world that they smoked their late collaborator's ashes after his untimely death in 1996.

Speaking to Vlad TV, the group's EDI Mean says that they were following wishes expressed by Tupac in his track 'Black Jesus', in which he rapped: "Last wishes, nigga smoke my ashes".

"We took that shit serious", he added, saying that the rapper's ashes were smoked with marijuana at a memorial party on the beach that also involved other "shit he liked" including "some weed, some chicken wings and orange soda".

Perhaps unsurprisingly, ED Mean's other memories of that day are a bit hazy. That'll be the chicken wings.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwkFWRYJtsw

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