CITIGROUP SETS 5 OCT DEADLINE FOR EMI SALE
Those Citigroup bankers - and that's not a euphemism, honest - have asked a small group of bidders interested in owning both the electric and musical industries of Great Britain, by which I mean EMI, to submit their final and best possible bids by 5 Oct, according to the LA Times.

As much previously reported, the US bank put the major music company up for sale earlier this summer, having repossessed it from equity twonks Terra Firma back in February. Various parties are known to be interested in buying some or all of the company, including music business rivals Warner, Sony, BMG and Universal, as well as some private equity types and a couple of rich dudes.

There have already been two rounds of bidding in the sale so far, but insiders reckon the bankers are now looking to move to the final stage. It's thought that those through to the final party include bidders for EMI outright, like Warner and its new owner Access Industries, and those bidding for either recordings or music publishing, such as BMG, Sony and Universal.

Given any sale involving an existing major player in music will come with at least some regulatory concerns - ie will US and European competition regulators want to investigate before green lighting any deal? - it may be that Citigroup, anxious for a quick and simple deal, could still opt for one of the consortiums not involving an existing music firm. Though it's also known the bank wants to recoup as much as it can from its past investments in EMI, via loans to Terra Firma, and whoever the highest bidder is on 5 Oct could be automatically the successful one.

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PRESS CONFENCE FOOTAGE NOT ALLOWED: MURRAY TRIAL UPDATE
So, as the Conrad Murray trial prepares to kick off properly today, there was time for one last preliminary hearing yesterday in which the judge overseeing the case denied the defence's request to screen Michael Jackson's big 'This Is It' press conference during the trial.

As previously reported, Murray's lawyers wanted to show footage of the press conference, which took place at The O2 in London, because they believe it shows that the late king of pop was frail in the months leading up to his death, and possibly under the influence of the drugs they claim he was addicted to while speaking to fans.

Legal rep Nareg Gourjian told Judge Michael Pastor yesterday that the press conference was delayed by 90 minutes because Jackson was passed out on a sofa backstage, and that when he did appear he was clearly "hungover" and "under the influence" of some sort of drug.

Team Murray want to show that, prior to his untimely demise, Jackson was ill, addicted to prescription drugs and anxious about the 50 night residency he had signed up to in order to address his mounting debts, ie he was of mindset where he might, as Murray will claim, have self-administered the shot of propofol that killed him.

But Pastor denied the request to show the press conference footage, arguing the video was irrelevant because it occurred months before Jackson died. The trial proper is due to kick off later today.

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AXL ROSE SETTLES BENTLEY HIRE LAWSUIT
Axl Rose has settled a previously reported legal battle with a car rental firm, which sued him for $73,976 after he returned a Bentley he had hired from the company both late and damaged. Somehow Rose had managed to crack the windshield, damage two tyres, break a tail light and get dents all over the doors and bumper, though to be fair he had had the car for several months - several months more than he'd paid for, as it happens.

Anyway, according to TMZ the legal squabble has been resolved and Rose has agreed to pay Bentley Financial Services $53,000.

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BONO MOST TRUSTED POP STAR, SAYS REPUTATION POLL
Bono is the eighth most liked and trusted public figure in the world, according to a survey by The Reputation Institute. Yeah, think about that for a minute.

I have a suspicion this survey is bollocks, which I guess means I'm not trusting a survey about trusting, which is a nice loop to find yourself in. But yes, this Institute evaluates which politicians, actors, musicians, sports stars and other celebs people trust most each year. There are quite a few political types and plenty of business leaders in the list of respected dudes, which - and with no offence to Nelson Mandela at one and Bill Gates at three - I find hard to believe, surely we've all been conditioned to distrust anyone in politics and big business? Yeah, even Steve Jobs at six.

Celebs-wise, tennis player Roger Federer leads at two, Oprah Winfrey is at seven and Bono is the highest rated musician at eight, four spots safely ahead of the Dalai Lama at thirteen. Madonna comes in at 29 and The Gaga at 41.

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COAL CHAMBER TO REFORM
Alt metallers Coal Chamber have announced that they will reform to play next year's Soundwave festival in Australia. Three of the band's four original members will be involved - vocalist Dez Fafara, guitarist Miguel Rascón, and drummer Mike Cox - with new bassist Chela Harper.

In a statement, Fafara said: "These reunion shows are for the fans that want to see us again as well as all the people that never got to see Coal Chamber. It is and always will be a very special part of my life, so these few shows are for those people and for us ... We've all grown up and put the personal past behind us now and are moving forward with these few shows in a spirit of friendship through music. You must remember where you came from in order to know where you are going".

Rascón added: "Australia has never seen us, nor have we seen them. It will be an extraordinary exchange of energy and adrenaline ... This reunion will mark a decade since we last played together, so staring at my brothers on stage face to face will be an emotional rollercoaster for me. Tears of joy would be an understatement, to say the least. You know, all of us have gone through our separate journeys in life, but we're coming back to rekindle this and throw the past in the past and put the future in our hands".

Not wanting to be left out of making overblown statements, Cox said: "Of all the great achievements Coal Chamber made in the past, getting back together after all we've been through will be the greatest achievement to date".

The band originally broke up in 2002 during a tour in support of their third album, 'Dark Days'. But now, let's remember their debut single, 'Loco': www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-sYWaOrLdI

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ODD FUTURE SIGN YOUNG NIGGA
Having launched their own record label last year, Odd Future have signed their first artist.

As previously reported, the US hip hop troupe signed a deal with Sony Music's RED Distribution in April to launch Odd Future Records to release their own musical output. Although the group originally planned not to release artists from outside the group, in a statement they said they "simply could not pass up the opportunity" to work with Young Nigga.

In a statement, Odd Future said: "While our original intent was not to sign anyone to the label, we simply could not pass up the opportunity to sign somebody this talented. Young Nigga embodies the DIY ethic and persona of Odd Future along with a commercial appeal that transcends demographics".

The rapper's debut single, 'Come Threw Looking Clean', can be streamed below, and an announcement about the release of his in-progress debut album, 'Expensive Pasta, which is being produced by Odd Future's Tyler, The Creator, is due shortly.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTExVZInf7I

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LOU REED AND METALLICA STREAM FULL TRACK
Having streamed a 30 second preview last week, Lou Reed and Metallica have now made the full version of 'The View' available online. The track is taken from their collaborative album, 'Lulu'.

To say that response has been mixed wouldn't get across just how negative much of it has been. On YouTube over two thirds of people claimed to dislike the song, while some choice quotes from SoundCloud, on the player below, are "This is one way to keep people from stealing your music" and "Imagine the band The Fall without any inspiration and talent, and this is what it would sound like".

Of course, plenty of others are pointing out that, while you certainly shouldn't judge a 90 minute concept album on a 30 second preview, it probably isn't fair to make up your mind based on one of its shortest songs either. Though other people still are screaming: "AN HOUR AND A FUCKING HALF?!"

Anyway, listen here: soundcloud.com/loureedmetallica/the-view

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SLIPKNOT ANNOUNCE TENTH ANNIVERSARY IOWA RE-ISSUE
Slipknot have announced that they will release a special tenth anniversary edition of their second album, 'Iowa', on 31 Oct. As well as the original album, it will also come with a bonus CD of live tracks from the band's 2002 DVD release 'Disasterpieces', and an hour long behind-the-scenes documentary on DVD, called 'Goat'.

You can see a picture of a goat nailed to a door here: iowa.slipknot1.com

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REM ANNOUNCE GREATEST HITS PACKAGE, NO REUNION TOUR COMING
Suggesting that their decision to split last week might not have been a spur of the moment thing, REM have announced that they will release a 40 track greatest hits album on 14 Nov. 'REM: Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth Part Garbage 1982 - 2011' will, as the title suggests, feature tracks from across their entire career. That makes it the first time songs from their time on indie label IRS and their later stint at Warner have been jammed together on the same release. So that's nice.

Speaking about the collection, guitarist Mike Mills said: "Working through our music and memories from over three decades was a hell of a journey. We realised that these songs seemed to draw a natural line under the last 31 years of our working together".

And if you're thinking to yourself, 'Well, that's all well and good until they get back together for a reunion tour and an ill-advised new album', well stop it. It's not happening. Mills told Rolling Stone: "There is sadness because I will never play on the same stage as Peter and Michael again. We're doing this for good reasons, and we end up looking back at all the fun, the joy and the incredible opportunities we had. It's not because we have to or we can't stand each other or we suck. We're happy, but we're done".

I give it five years.

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ELTON JOHN BIOPIC PRODUCER SPEAKS
The producer of Elton John's previously reported biopic, which is being made by the singer's own production company Rocket Pictures, has been speaking to Deadline about the project. Steve Hamilton Shaw said that the film, entitled 'Rocketman' and written by Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall, will be "a radically different kind of biopic".

Hamilton Shaw: "'Rocketman' will be as unique as Elton's life, told in a non-linear and hyper-visual manner that will transport people through the many intense experiences, some wonderful, some not, that helped define Elton as an artist, musician and man".

Earlier this year, John told Chris Evans on his Radio 2 show: "I'd just like to make a really great film about my life story. We have a great script already by Lee Hall ... It will be more of a fantasy - 'Moulin Rouge' type of stuff. Obviously, it's not going to be your normal, run-of-the-mill film. My life's been so surreal, from buying a football club to God knows what".

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PETE DOHERTY PLAYS "LAST GIG IN A LONG TIME"
Pete Doherty paid tribute to both Amy Winehouse and Robyn Whitehead at the Brixton Academy on Friday night, where he played what he said would be "last gig in a long time".

Speaking from the stage, he said: "This will be the last gig in a long time because we need to go and get some new things together so this is it for a while. I want to dedicate this show to the memory of Robyn Whitehead and Amy Winehouse, two good friends of mine".

He then played a song written especially for Winehouse.

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CULTS ANNOUNCE UK TOUR DATES
Cults have announced that they will play a string of UK tour dates in November, ahead of their appearance at ATP's Nightmare Before Christmas festival.

The dates are as follows:

15 Nov: London, XOYO
17 Nov: Bristol, Thekla
18 Nov: Nottingham, Social
19 Nov: Manchester, Ruby Lounge
9 Dec: ATP's Nightmare Before Christmas

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DAPPY ANNOUNCES UK TOUR
Not content with his debut solo single, 'No Regrets', being at number one, Dappy has also decided that he has to have a tour of his very own. Greedy that boy is.

Here are the dates:

9 Dec: Norwich, UEA
10 Dec: Birmingham, Institute
11 Dec: Manchester, Academy
12 Dec: Sheffield, Plug
13 Dec: Liverpool, Academy
15 Dec: Glasgow, ABC
16 Dec: Bristol, Academy
17 Dec: Oxford, Academy
18 Dec: Cambridge, Junction
19 Dec: London, IndigO2

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GOVERNMENT PUBLISHES IP GUIDE FOR EMPLOYERS
The government's Intellectual Property Office has published a new guide for employers advising them on how to ensure their staff are not infringing copyright on company time.

Noting the civil and criminal risks to both employers and employees of being found guilty of infringement, it offers advice on business processes and policies that could stop that tedious bloke in accounts from downloading the new Nickelback album pre-release via a dodgy file-sharing site, or that irritating woman in a HR from catching up on 'X-Factor' via an unlicensed video sharing website.

Am I stereotyping there? I should stress there is no reason why a tedious bloke might not want to watch 'X-Factor' on MegaVideo nor why an irritating women might not be downloading Nickelback via The Pirate Bay. I've just never personally come across that bloke or woman. Not that I would have done anyway, because no tedious or irritating people work at CMU, and they certainly wouldn't be infringing anyone's copyrights even if they did. Oh no.

Anyway, here's Business Minister Baroness Judy saying words: "This new free guidance is a great example of government, enforcement agencies and industry working together to raise awareness of the importance of managing intellectual property in the workplace. I would urge companies of all sizes to look at the guidance so they know how to protect their own IP and how to respect the IP of others. If they don't, they expose themselves to the risk of legal action and risk damaging their own reputation and brand. Intellectual property rights are essential to the success and growth of any business. However, many companies can leave themselves open to prosecution if they or their staff infringe the IP rights belonging to other companies or individuals".

The government's IP guide is online at this URL: www.ipo.gov.uk/ipenforce-workplace

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EMI PUBLISHING EXTENDS RELATIONSHIP WITH SHINE GROUP
EMI's publishing company has announced a worldwide agreement with the Shine Group, the telly firm set up by Elisabeth Murdoch and now owned by the family firm, the always honest News Corp.

The deal will see EMI Music Publishing represent the publishing rights in music generated for various Shine Group franchises, including 'MasterChef' and 'One Born Every Minute', and expands on previous deals between the music major and some of Shine's constituent businesses.

Confirming the new partnership, Shine Group's Alex Mahon told reporters: "We have long enjoyed a good relationship with EMI Music Publishing in the UK and are delighted to be able to formalise this on a global basis throughout the group. Their expertise, scale and professional approach make them the perfect partners with which to realise the full potential of our owned music on a group level and to build upon our library".

EMI's Jonathan Channon added: "Extending our deal with Shine enables us to increase the revenue potential for their music assets from a wider range of programming genres across the world. Shine is an incredibly strong business that continues to grow, and we are delighted to be able to partner with them and offer business support to acquire music assets for their wider group of companies".

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SPOTIFY CRITICISED FOR ENFORCED FACEBOOK LOGIN FOR NEW USERS
There was much discussion online yesterday about Spotify's decision to force new users to log in using their Facebook accounts, so that anyone signing up to the streaming music service for the first time must also have an account with the social network.

It follows the revamp of Facebook last week which means the social network can now track, share and report on any one user's use of services like Spotify, assuming they opt in. Although numerous music and other digital content services are offering apps that allow Facebook tracking, Spotify does seem to have a particularly close relationship with the social networking giant.

Critics point out that some people still find the concept of Facebook, and sharing of all that personal information, unpalatable, possibly more so as the social network, by default, becomes more intrusive. Therefore, while many sites now allow you to log in using your Facebook account, forcing that on new users is an interesting move.

Meanwhile, others have criticised an update screen some existing Spotify users have seen when logging into the service, which requests to more closely ally their Facebook and Spotify accounts, including allowing the social network to track usage by default. This basically means users must opt out of the new functionality, rather than opt in by installing an app within the Facebook interface.

Of course, most Spotify users are likely already Facebook users, many will want to the two services to work in unison, and you can still opt out of the some of the new integration. Meanwhile Spotify insists that the closer integration with Facebook is a good thing, creating, it says, "an amazing new world of music discovery". Though it is possible Facebook and its various content partners have confused data capture and usage stats with the art of credible human recommendation, but perhaps in this amazing new world there's no difference.

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ABSOLUTE RADIO OFF THE MARKET
If you were looking forward to the prospect of Absolute Radio, expensively rebranded from Virgin Radio in 2008, being bought back by Branson and expensively rebranded as Virgin Radio again, bad news. The music station is no longer for sale.

Absolute's current owner, India-based TIML Radio, indicated it was considering selling the UK-wide radio station earlier this year, and both former owners the Virgin Group and rival UTV, which operates national talk station TalkSport, were rumoured to be interested. Though it's thought neither were willing to pay the £20 million TIML Radio wanted for the national AM licence, London FM licence and various digital and online spin-offs.

According to The Guardian, TIML says it has now completed a review of its business and decided not to sell Absolute, which, it said, would now enjoy "long-term backing and confidence as it continues its ambitious digital growth plans".

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SIMON COWELL PAYS EX GIRLFRIENDS
Simon Cowell has revealed that he pays some of his former girlfriends money so that they can continue to live the lifestyle they have become accustomed to while they were with him, which is in equal parts creepy, arrogant and patronising. And besides, even if they do have to return to poverty, you'd think not having to date Simon Cowell any more would be compensation enough.

Speaking to The Guardian, Cowell said: "You can't have somebody in your life who's become accustomed to a certain thing, and just because you don't want to be in the relationship any more say to them, now everything is cut off. That doesn't make sense. It's not alimony. It's, I believe, doing the right thing. That comes back to me wanting them to be happy; you just can't do it too many times".

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