FOUR GALLONS OF PROPOFOL SENT TO JACKSON DOCTOR'S GIRLFRIEND'S HOME: MURRAY TRIAL UPDATE
Conrad Murray had over four gallons of the all important drug propofol shipped to his girlfriend's house, as you would, it was revealed in court yesterday. Propofol, of course, is the drug that killed Michael Jackson, and Murray is accused of involuntary manslaughter for giving the singer the shot of the medication that the prosecution claim caused his death.

Murray's girlfriend, Nicole Alvarez, was on the witness stand yesterday, partly because the doctor stayed at her Santa Monica home while working for Jackson, who was living in LA at the time. She confirmed to the court that packages from a pharmacy in Las Vegas were delivered to her home "every now and then" while the doctor was staying their, though she said she didn't know what was in them.

However, Tim Lopez, the former owner of Applied Pharmacy in Las Vegas was able to help there. He testified that he sent propofol to Alvarez's Santa Monica address. He says that Murray, who was usually based in Vegas, told him the address was his Californian medical office, but the doctor, with licences to practice medicine in Texas and Nevada but not California, had no such facility.

Three other women with whom Murray has had relationships, some seemingly concurrently, also testified yesterday because the doctor had called them on the morning of Jackson's death. The doctor's mobile provider had already confirmed in court that Murray spent much of the time between administering the propofol to Jackson and discovering the singer was no longer breathing on the phone.

One of the women called was Sade Anding who, it's thought, was on the phone to Murray as he discovered Jackson was no longer breathing. She told the court how, half way through a conversation, she became aware Murray had stopped listening to what she was saying. "I heard mumbling sounds and coughing and a voice", she said, "and I kept saying, hello, hello, are you there? But I didn't get any reply". The line then went dead. That call was at 11.51am, half an hour before an ambulance was called.

The prosecution, of course, believe that Murray was negligent for not monitoring his patient constantly after having administered propofol, and also for taking a full half hour to call the emergency services. Testimonies from other members of Jackson's posse last week suggested part of the delay was Murray hiding some of the drugs he'd been giving to the pop star.

It seems that Murray was in relationships with both Anding and Alvarez at the time of Jackson's death, as well as having a wife back in Las Vegas, though the specifics of these relationships were not allowed to be discussed in the courtroom amid fears revelations about the doctor's personal life might skew the jury's opinion about the accused medic.

The case continues.

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COULD FOOTBALL COPYRIGHT RULING IMPACT ON MUSIC LICENSING?
An interesting case in the European Courts Of Justice could, in theory, have ramifications on music licensing across the European Union.

The case actually relates to football and Sky Sports. A Portsmouth pub landlady called Karen Murphy was accused of copyright infringement for screening football matches in her bar via a Greek TV network (accessed via a satellite TV system not locked to Sky) rather than via Sky Sports, a move which saved her over £10,000 a year in subscription fees.

The Football Association said Murphy was obligated to use Sky to screen football matches in her pub because the company had the exclusive rights to broadcast Premiere League games in the UK, and therefore she wasn't allowed to use the Greek service over here.

However, some lawyers argued that if the FA was allowed to dictate which European TV services British viewers were and were not allowed to use to watch Premiere League matches, that would breach some very basic rules of the EU regarding free trade across the Union, ie British consumers should be able, should they wish, to access Greek TV services if technology allows (which it does), and protecting the interests of territory specific copyright licenses was no justification to prevent such trade.

Actually, for Murphy's specific case it's not 100% clear cut, because showing football games in pubs constitutes a public performance, and there is the possibility that the landlady would need explicit permission from the FA to show elements of its output in public, over and above the permission she already has from the Greek broadcaster, and if that was so, the FA clearly wouldn't grant that permission.

But what the ruling does mean is that individual football fans able and willing to operate a satellite TV system that circumvents the Sky electronic programme guide, and then willing to watch Greek broadcasts of British football matches, possibly taking commentary from UK radio, can do so without being accused of copyright infringement. And while that may sound like a hassle, it's possible that entrepreneurs might see a gap in the market to offer a simple way to do all that at a price that undercuts Sky's consumer subscription rates.

As for music? Well, arguably the ruling means that consumers should be able to shop around across the EU for better deals on digital music in the same way they already can for CDs. So, if the labels licence a French digital music service in theory intending it to only be used by French consumers, they can't stop British music fans from also accessing it. Or, perhaps, the fact the German collecting society GEMA won't licence Spotify, shouldn't stop German music fans was signing up to Spotify UK, licensed by PRS For Music.

Of course, it is already possible to circumvent the IP address restrictions used to lock out foreigners by territory specific content services, though in theory this ruling legitimises that tactic, within the EU at least, which possibly also opens opportunities for entrepreneurs to simplify the process and sell it to mainstream consumers. All of which possibly makes territory specific licences unworkable. Which arguably could act as a catalyst for the music industry to finally crack pan-European licensing, something which, of course, European Union officials have been pushing for some time.

As one of those officials, European Commissioner For The Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes, told The Guardian ahead of the Sky Sports ruling: "If I can buy a music CD online from a company in the Netherlands and have it posted to me here in Belgium, why can't I buy a digital download from the same company? If I can watch my local team's football matches using online pay-per-view in one member state, why not in 27? This situation does not make much sense to the man on the street. To be honest, it is not a situation that makes much sense to me. And we need to fix it".

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VYBZ KARTEL CHARGED WITH MURDER
Frequently controversial dancehall star Vybz Kartel has been charged with murder. Jamaican authorities arrested the musician, a superstar in his own country, on Friday as part of investigations into the murder of Barrington 'Bossie' Burton, a music promoter and businessman who was killed in the Portmore suburb of Kingston in July.

According to Billboard, Kartel was arrested at the hotel where he was staying in Kingston while recording a new reality show for Jamaican TV in which 20 women battle to win the artist's affections. Initially charged for being in possession of a small quantity of marijuana, he was then escorted to various properties with which he is associated, that were then searched by officers. He was held in custody over the weekend and charged earlier this week. An initial court hearing is now expected any day now.

Kartel's legal reps have told reporters that their client plans to fight the charges against him. It's not the first time the controversial musician has been in trouble with the Jamaican authorities, though it is the first time he has actually been charged. Meanwhile, telecommunications company LIME, which was sponsoring the aforementioned reality show - and which was already getting flak from some in the Jamaican media for the salacious nature of the programme - has announced it will be axed.

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WIN STUDIO TIME WITH ADAM F AND DJ FRESH
As competition prizes go, this is pretty flippin good. To launch its newly released compilation, 'Bass Music 1', Breakbeat Kaos is giving away a day's studio time with the label's founders, Adam F and DJ Fresh. Both prominent names in drum n bass, they also released early material by Pendulum, Chase & Status and Nero.

To be in with a chance of winning, head over to www.breakbeatkaos.com. The closing date is 30 Dec.

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NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR FESTIVAL AWARDS EUROPE 2011
Nominations are open for this year's Festival Awards Europe, which means it's time to decide which festivals you think are the best in Europe. I probably didn't need to explain that. Last year's awards saw almost 200 festivals from 32 countries nominated, with over 350,000 votes in total. Organisers are hoping for an even bigger turnout this year, ahead of the ceremony on 11 Jan at the Eurosonic Noorderslas festival and conference in the Netherlands.

Festival Awards MD James Drury told CMU: "The European Festival Awards is a celebration of the incredibly diverse festival industry across the continent, and I'm looking forward to welcoming events from every country to take part. Last year's incredible number of voters shows just how much passion fans have for these events and artists and it's time for them to have their say on their favourites again".

Festivals can nominate themselves now at eu.festivalawards.com/apply before public voting opens on 24 Oct.

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ROBBIE WILLIAMS SPLITS FROM TAKE THAT (OR DOESN'T)
Robbie Williams is no longer part of Take That. He's gone for good. Or gone for a while. Because they're all on a break anyway. It's like the Schrödinger's Cat paradox - if you put Take That on a break, then Robbie Williams is both in the band and dead at the same time. Something like that.

Anyway, Gary Barlow gave an interview to the Radio Times, as you do - there's no law against it - and in it he said: "[The reunion tour] was beautiful. We got on well. We finished the tour. The fans have come along and been happy. Now Rob's doing a solo record and from this point it's back to where it was".

Most people took "where it was" to mean that Take That is a four-piece again. Not so, says a spokesperson for the group, who told the BBC: "I can confirm that the band are not splitting. The band are on a break, Gary is doing 'X-Factor' and Robbie is working on his new solo album".

I suppose while Take That are not actively working together, both of these statements can be true. This short video about Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle should help you understand: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vc-Uvp3vwg

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GRUFF RHYS SOUNDTRACKS WHALE APP
We've long suspected that Gruff Rhys likes Wales; not only his country of origin, but also the sea-dwelling mammalian creatures. By which I mean whales. As if to prove it, the Super Furry Animals frontman is releasing his latest 'Hotel Shampoo' solo single, 'Whale Trail', with a whale-themed iPhone/iPad game of the same name.

Rhys himself will narrate the game in Welsh, following the whimsical adventures of Willow The Whale as he collects 'Blubbles' to nourish his multi-coloured vapour trail. If by any chance that doesn't make sense, this here 'Whale Trail' preview might just help: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUQqYkrKrK0

With app and single both set for release on 20 Oct, you can also stream the song here: soundcloud.com/pias/sets/gruff-rhys-space-dust-2

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JULIANNA BARWICK RELEASES REMIX EP
Julianna Barwick released her beautiful debut album, 'The Magic Place', earlier this year. Now she's following up that collection of tracks built from layered vocals with an EP of remixes by the likes of Diplo.

Out now via Asthmatic Kitty, the tracklist for 'The Matrimony Remixes' is as follows:

Vow
Vow (Diplo & Lunice Remix)
Vow (Helado Negro Remix)
Prizewinning
Prizewinning (Alias Pail Remix)
Prizewinning (Prince Rama Remix)

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MADONNA TO PERFORM AT SUPER BOWL
Madonna has reportedly signed up to perform at next year's Super Bowl half time show, which will take place at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on 5 Feb, according to the SB Nation website. So that's nice.

It's not the first time Madonna has been rumoured to headline the show, of course. She's twice been asked and twice pulled out before. Maybe this time will be different, eh? Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know. Can I go now?

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BARDO POND TOUR
Following the release of their eponymous eighth album last year, space-rock survivors Bardo Pond are due to embark on a set of live dates later this month. They'll round things off with a slot at Birmingham alt-bash Supersonic Festival on 22 Oct.

If you haven't already, get a load of sprawling album cut 'Just Once' below.

Now, the dates:

18 Oct: Brighton, Hector's House
19 Oct: Bristol, Fleece
20 Oct: London, XOYO
21 Oct: Leeds, Brudenell Social Club

soundcloud.com/firerecords/bardo-pond-just-once

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ALEXANDER TUCKER TO TOUR
Having wowed crowds at the Great Escape earlier this year, experimental sort Alexander Tucker is once again taking his truly unmissable live act on the road. Having unleashed his latest album 'Dorwytch' earlier this year, he's poised to provide support at Bardo Pond's aforementioned XOYO show on 20 Oct.

As for Alexander's autumn festival schedule, that includes appearances at London's Café Oto for the Galvanised Festival on 11 Oct, Birmingham's Supersonic on 22 Oct, and also at the Oxford-based Audioscope on 12 Nov.

Tour dates:

20 Oct: London, XOYO (supporting Bardo Pond)
25 Oct: Brighton, Prince Albert
8 Nov: Manchester, Band On The Wall

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DOES IT MATTER THAT EMI WILL LIKELY CEASE TO BE BRITISH?
Daily Mail City correspondent Alex Brummer has noted that whatever the outcome of the ongoing sale of EMI may be, it looks likely the last major British music company will cease to be UK-owned. Of course, current owner Citigroup is American, but we've always known their ownership was to be temporary. And prior to that, whatever you thought of equity geezer Guy Hands, at least he was British.

As previously reported, it's thought that five (maybe six) bidders will put in final offers for EMI later today - US-based Sony/ATV (half owned by Japan's Sony Corp and half by the US-based Michael Jackson estate), French-owned Universal Music, German/US-owned BMG, US-based Warner Music (owned by Russian-American Len Blavatnik), US-owned MacAndrews & Forbes and the maybe, a consortium led by American billionaire Ron Burkle.

While most of us probably don't care as much as the Daily Mail about foreigners buying classic British companies, even the least patriotic among us (and obviously we're addressing only our UK readers here) will surely agree, if nothing else, that it is a bit of a shame that the big British music company won't be British anymore.

Of course, if no British companies are interested in buying EMI what are you do to? Well, says Brummer, why not float the music firm on the London Stock Exchange again? He writes: "What a pity that Citigroup seems to have rejected the idea of a flotation that would have brought EMI back to where it belongs - as a quoted enterprise on the London Stock Exchange. That is where a firm with the heritage and back catalogue of EMI should be".

Well, given that insiders are saying that Citigroup is not going to get the size of bids it was hoping for later today, which may force the bank to hold onto the firm for the time being, perhaps a flotation could be reconsidered in due course. Or perhaps we should just accept that the EMI labels will soon be American, and the publishing catalogue German.

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SOME MORE HADOPI STATS
Another little update on how three-strikes is going over there in France. As previously reported, the trios-strikes system for fighting illegal file-sharing, or the Hadopi system as some call it, started sending out warning letters to suspected file-sharers last October, based on complaints submitted by rights owners. According to Torrentfreak, the Hadopi agency has now released stats regarding how many letters have been sent out during the system's first year in operation.

The tech site says that as of last month 650,000 first warning letters had gone out, with 44,000 second warning letters also sent. The last time we had Hadopi stats in July it was about 470,000 and 20,500 respectively. Crucially 60 web users are now on strike three, ie they have failed to respond to previous letters and file-sharing continues on the IP addresses linked to them.

Quite what will now happen to those 60 people remains to be seen. The French law that enables three-strikes is more clear on third strike penalties than the UK's Digital Economy Act, which talks somewhat vaguely about possible "technical measures". Though quite what penalties will be actually dished out in France remains to be seen, Torrentfreak reckons 1500 euro fines and a one month suspension of the user's internet account, which is less than originally expected. Of course any sanctions will have to be approved by a judge, and it's not clear if that bit of the process has been scheduled yet.

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SPIRIT ANNOUNCES DEAL WITH CONCORD
The London office of the Spirit Music Group has announced a deal with US-based independent music firm Concord that will see the former represent the latter's recordings and publishing catalogues in the sync space over here. Concord's catalogues include those of legendary labels like Stax and Rounder Records, and artists like Little Richard, Ray Charles, Isaac Hayes, Booker T, Ornette Coleman, Mile Davies and John Coltrane.

Confirming the deal, VP of Creative Services at Spirit, Peter Shane, told reporters: "I don't think there's anyone on the planet that hasn't been influenced by Booker T's 'Time Is Tight', Ray Charles' 'Georgia On My Mind', Little Richard's 'Tutti Frutti' or CCR's 'Proud Mary'. We are thrilled to be collaborating with Concord in strategically promoting their songs and brand into film, television, advertising and a host of new media".

Concord's licensing man John Baldi added: "We are very pleased to be in business with Spirit Music and know that their highly regarded licensing team will not only find and create new outlets and opportunities for our music, but deliver beyond any and all expectations".

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APPLE LAUNCHES IPHONE 4S, MAKES ICLOUD ANNOUNCEMENTS
So, Apple made some announcements yesterday, and it was the first big press bash since Steve Jobs formally stepped down as the IT firm's CEO, meaning all eyes were on a bloke called Tim, aka Jobs' successor. But what did Tim have to say? Well, basically, "have an iPhone 4S everybody, but if you're here for the iPhone 5, prepare to be disappointed".

The iPhone 4S is a bigger and better iPhone 4. Well, it looks a lot like an iPhone 4, but Tim assures us it's all new on the inside. And that means a better camera, more efficient wi-fi and an annoying speech activated personal assistant. Good times. The new device will launch in seven countries, including the UK, later this month. I don't know what the UK price will be, but in the US it will be $199, $299 and $399 for 16, 32 and 64GB of hard drive respectively. The silly old iPhone 4 will then retail for $99.

There was also an update on the good old iCloud, Apple's previously announced revamp of its MobileMe digital locker service, that makes it easier to sync content between Apple devices, including content bought - in the past, present or future - via the iTunes store.

As with most recent launches in the digital locker space, iCloud more overtly encourages you to use the service to back-up and sync your MP3 collection between Apple devices though, as previously reported, unlike rival services offered by Amazon and Google the iCloud is backed by the music companies who will receive a cut of some subscription fees, which will be around £14 for 10GB of space, though with the first 5GB free.

Although announced earlier this year, Tim and his mate Eddy (also on stage yesterday) confirmed the basic iCloud service will go live in the UK later this month, while the clever bit - scan and match - which scans the MP3s stored on your computer and automatically plonks tracks into your remote digital locker without any uploading required, will go live in the US later this month too. It's not yet known when the Match bit will launch over here.

So, that's all fun, isn't it?

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JESSIE J TO JUDGE THE VOICE
Jessie J is the first judge to be announced for new 'X-Factor' rival 'The Voice'. Three more judges are due to be announced before the show airs on the BBC next year. The US version of the show has Christina Aguilera and Cee-Lo Green amongst its panel.

As previously reported, 'The Voice' originated in the Netherlands and differentiates itself from other shows of its ilk by holding blind auditions - the judges can't see what the singers look like until after they've decided whether or not they can sing.

Jessie says of her role: "I'm excited to be a coach, inspiration and mentor, and I jumped at the opportunity as it's all about 'The Voice'".

As also previously reported, Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson turned down an invitation to be a judge on the show earlier this year. Bruce Dickinson and Jessie J together - imagine that.

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PORN COMPANIES START TUPAC SEX TAPE BIDDING WAR
How much is a five minute video of Tupac Shakur getting a blow job worth? Not $150,000, that we can tell you. Not even close.

As previously reported, TMZ revealed the existence of a Shakur sex tape, dating from 1991, earlier this week. The footage shows the deceased rapper receiving oral sex, rapping along to an unreleased track, smoking marijuana, and at one point putting his arm around Digital Underground's Money B. It's got it all, except actual sex, the video apparently cutting off just as Shakur is about to get to that.

It may all come to a premature end, but porn site YouPorn is still willing to pay at least $150,000 for it. The site's head Corey Price confirmed to TMZ that he had put in a bid but it had been rejected. According to TMZ, the owner of the video considers this amount to be "way too low". Another company is also said to be bidding, though neither has actually seen the footage.

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