TRIBUTES CONTINUE TO POUR IN FOR STEVE JOBS
As news of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs' death continued to resonate around the world yesterday, more tributes poured in, including many - via statement, interview or Twitter - from music business execs and artists. Here's a small selection...

Universal Music CEO Lucian Grainge: "Steve was a magnetic personality and a fierce intellectual debater of all things music, ranging from piracy to specific discussions about lyrics".

Warner Music Chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr: "To be a genius in any field is rare enough; to be a genius in three is impossible. Steve did the impossible. His incomparable brilliance in technology, design and business transformed not only the music industry, but many others, and in the process, changed our world. He will be missed by millions, but his legacy will last for generations to come".

Sony/ATV CEO Marty Bandier to Billboard: "The biggest upside [of Jobs' work in music] was that he made a new generation realise that they had to pay for music - and that is a tough battle when you are competing against free".

EMI CEO Roger Faxon: "Steve had an incredible ability to harness the power of innovation to satisfy and stimulate consumer demand in a way that few have ever been able to achieve".

RIAA CEO Cary Sherman: "He was a true visionary who forever transformed how fans access and enjoy music. With the introduction of the iTunes software and other platforms, Steve and Apple made it once again easy and accepted to pay for music".

Grammy Museum Executive Director Robert Santelli: "What he's done with the iPod and the iPad rank on the same level of importance and significance as the invention of the Walkman, the cassette, even the LP and the phonograph in general.... We counted on him as a world to show us how we listen to music and how we consume it. Now that he's gone, there's a vacuum in that area and it will be interesting to see how, or if, it can be filled".

Bono: "What made Steve Jobs truly great is that he was only interested in doing truly great things. He was bored by an easy ride or easy profit. In a world littered with dull objects, he brought the beauty of clean lines and clear thought. [He was] one of a very small group of anarchic Americans who through technology literally invented the 21st century. We will all miss the hardware-software Elvis".

Coldplay: "We are so sad to hear about the passing of Steve Jobs. In all of our encounters with him he was such a lovely man, and always so humble about his incredible talents. Like all of the people he knew, and the millions of others he didn't, we will miss him".

Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz: "There are few people who have made an impression in every area of the modern world. Steve Jobs was a such a person - a modern Leonardo da Vinci. He changed the way we thought about art, design, invention, and the future by combining them all. He has been someone that taught me it's important to believe in what you do no matter how against the grain or revolutionary it is. He was a true visionary in every sense of the word".

Chuck D: "If you have your health, consider it the top of the gift pile. Steve Jobs did a lot in 56 years and wished he had what many of you have. I did the Grammy webcast in 1996 for Apple at Madison Square Garden. As payment they said: '$1000 or two Power PCs' - I took the two Power PCs".

Ewan Pearson, from a forthcoming column for German magazine Groove: "It doesn't seem to me in any way odd two weeks ago to have written a short thank you letter to the man who helped shape so many of the machines I use on his retirement from Apple. For making a computer for people like me with no training in science or the dark arts of the command line, and for insisting that it wasn't wrong to experience delight or wonder in its use. Our affection for the objects we use to make things ought sometimes to be directed at the people who in turn made them; the likes of Bob Moog, Leo Fender, Dave Smith and Steve Jobs. Blessed are the tool-makers, the dreamers of our dreams".

Trent Reznor: "Thanks for the tools, the inspiration, the possibilities... Miss you already Steve".

Pharrell Williams: "God bless the family of Steve Jobs. He was our modern day Leonardo da Vinci. From Apple to Pixar, what a great life lived. He will be missed".

Josh Groban: "Such a sad day. I can trace my Apple memories to the IIC when I was a kid. RIP".

Kylie Minogue: "From my Mac to all Lovers... RIP Steve Jobs".

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

NOW THE JACKSON CONCERT WON'T BE STREAMED
I have to admit, the planning for the big Michael Jackson tribute concert in Cardiff this weekend has seemed, from the outside at least, so shambolic, I'm curious to see how it turns out on the day. However, without train tickets booked for Cardiff, it's looking like I won't get to see the show, because, according PC Mag, and in the latest shambles associated with the concert, the Facebook live webcast of the event is off.

Promoters Global Live Events only announced that the show would be webcast last weekend, offering fans the chance to see the show live via the Facebook platform for four dollars, or five dollars if they paid on the day. But, it seems, it didn't occur to anybody that such a webcast would need licences from the publishers who own the songs being sung at the show, and given that Facebook itself doesn't have any licences from music companies, the whole thing's hit a hurdle.

PC Mag initially noticed that the Facebook page meant to host the webcast had gone down. The magazine contacted the technology company which was managing the live stream, which explained: "Due to legal challenges brought by the music labels [or, rather, publishers] that own the rights to Michael Jackson's lyrics, concert promoter Global Live Events has notified us that the live Facebook broadcast of the Michael Forever tribute concert has been cancelled. As the technology provider behind the live Facebook broadcast, Milyoni will fully refund all customers who pre-purchased access to the concert using Facebook Credits or PayPal".

The statement continued: "While social media presents a new opportunity for artists and concert promoters to reach global audiences, it is still a new and disruptive frontier ripe with challenges. Milyoni will continue to work closely with our music and entertainment partners to pursue this new channel of distribution, beneficial to both artists and fans worldwide".

So there you go, now Facebook users won't be able to watch the Black Eyed Peas not performing. They, of course, pulled out of the show earlier this week, leading to tabloid speculation their current hiatus was about to become a proper split. Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Cee Lo Green, Leona Lewis and Craig David are all set to perform though.

As previously reported, while the show is endorsed by part of the Jackson clan, including the late king of pop's mother Katherine, some of the family have criticised the show because of its timing, in the middle of the high profile trial of Conrad Murray, the doctor accused of causing Michael Jackson's death.

back to top

TUPAC ESTATE WILL SUE SEX-TAPE SELLER, DIDDY LAMBASTES LATEST TUPAC SHOOTING ALLEGATIONS
Look at that, a story that we've been running as an 'and finally' gets promoted to the Pop Courts section simply through the threat of legal action. That's the real story here I reckon.

Administrators of the Tupac Shakur estate have said they will sue any company which tries to profit from the previously reported Tupac sex tape - well, blow job tape really - which has surfaced fifteen years after the late rapper's death. Various porn companies are reportedly interested in the short recording, which shows Shakur getting oral sex off a groupie, although one site said its offer of $150,000 had been knocked back by whoever is in possession of the tape.

But a spokesman for the Shakur estate has now said they will take legal action against anyone who sells the recording on the basis they will be profiting from the late rapper's image without their permission. I wonder if image rights actually include the penis. Could be an interesting case. The spokesman for the estate didn't go into any details, saying simply: "We will sue anyone who tries to sell a Tupac tape".

Elsewhere in Tupac news, Sean 'Diddy-whatnot' Combs has hit out at the latest person to accuse him of involvement in the 1996 shooting of Shakur. A new book by Greg Kading, who for three years headed the LAPD unit looking into the death of rival rapper the Notorious BIG a year after Shakur's murder, says he is convinced the Diddy ordered the shooting of Tupac, and that then Death Row Records chief Suge Knight subsequently ordered the shooting of Diddy associate Biggie the following year in revenge.

It's not an especially original theory regarding who was responsible for the two unsolved murders which, arguably, together constitute hip hop's darkest era, but Kading says he's had confirmation of these allegations from two witnesses, the gunman who he alleges Combs hired to kill Tupac, and an ex-girlfriend of Knight. Quite how reliable those witnesses are, and indeed, given just how much the LAPD bungled their investigation into Biggie's shooting, how reliable Kading is too, is debatable, though Combs is adamant the former cop turned author is talking bollocks.

Says the Diddy man to Allhiphop.com: "The story is pure fiction and completely ridiculous".

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

DEFENCE TOUGHEN UP: MURRAY TRIAL UPDATE
So, attention moved to the LA coroner's office yesterday as the Conrad Murray trial moved to day number eight. Murray, of course, is accused of causing the death of Michael Jackson by negligently administering the drug propofol, which ultimately killed the late king of pop in 2009.

Later in the day the jury heard from the toxicologist who worked on Jackson's body to identify the cause of death. He confirmed he found propofol in the singer's blood, liver, urine and stomach, as well as the sedative lorazepam and other medications elsewhere in the body.

But of most interest was the earlier testimony from Elissa Fleak, the investigator sent by the coroner's office to gather evidence from the room where Jackson died. Fleak was the first prosecution witness to really feel the wrath of the defence team.

Forensic evidence discussed yesterday seemed to support the prosecution's claim that Murray administered the fatal shot of propofol, and not the defence's argument that Jackson self-administered the drugs that actually killed him.

The singer's fingerprints could not be found on any of the vials found in the room which had contained medication, but Murray's prints were on a used 100ml vial of propofol, which - if administered that day - was considerably more of the drug than the doctor has admitted giving his patient.

But the defence focused on Fleak's conduct in gathering and documenting the medications she found in Jackson's residence. Defence attorney Ed Chernoff accused the investigator of making many mistakes, of moving objects before properly documenting them, and of amending her notes after the initial investigation.

Fleak denied making "many mistakes", though when questioned by the prosecution conceded her work might not have been perfect, but added that such work rarely is. She actually conducted two investigations, one shortly after the singer died and another four days later after Murray had given information to police about where other medications may have been stored. The investigator admitted that returning to the scene a second time was unusual, but said that this case was different to most.

The defence team focused in particular on the fact that Fleak had added to her report only earlier this year that she had found a bottle of propofol inside an IV bag in Jackson's room. That find tallies with claims by one of the security guards who testified last week about Murray's efforts to gather up and hide medications before paramedics arrived, but Chernoff suggested Fleak only added that information to her report after hearing of the guard's testimony, so to back up his claim.

Fleak denied that charge, though admitted she had destroyed her original handwritten notes, so it was impossible to see what she had actually noted down during her original investigation. Fleak insisted destroying such notes was routine in her work, though some commentators reckon this testimony was the first in the Murray trial so far that may have put some doubt in the jurors' minds regarding the reliability of the prosecution's arguments.

The case continues.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

MEN AT WORK EXHAUST APPEAL OPTIONS IN DOWN UNDER CASE
Aussie band Men At Work have lost in their very final bid to resist having to pay the owners of 'Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree' a slice of the royalties from their biggest hit 'Down Under'.

As previously reported, Larrikin Music, the publisher which ended up owning the rights in 'Kookaburra', sued Men At Work and their publishers EMI in 2009, claiming that the short flutey bit in 1980s hit 'Down Under' was taken from its song. Despite efforts to question whether Larrikin actually owned 'Kookaburra', and arguments that the flute part in 'Down Under' was too short to constitute copyright infringement, the claimant won, getting a 5% share of the hit song's royalties.

Men At Work and EMI appealed, but lost that too earlier this year. They had hoped to take the matter to Australia's supreme court, the High Court Of Australia, but judges there this week refused to hear the case, meaning the defendants have now exhausted all appeal options. Needless to say, Larrikin Music welcomed the High Court decision, while EMI said it found the ruling disappointing.

Earlier this year Men At Work's Greg Ham said that he was less angry about having to give Larrikin Music a 5% share of royalties as he was about them originally asking for 60%, thus preventing an out of court settlement and requiring the band and their publishers to spend vast sums of money fighting the case in court.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

DAVID CASSIDY SUES SONY OVER UNPAID ROYALTIES
Singer David Cassidy is suing Sony over unpaid royalties, though it's the Sony TV company the sometime actor has a problem with.

He reckons he is owed 15% of all monies generated by merchandise associated with 'The Partridge Family', the 1970s US sitcom in which he appeared. Cassidy's lawyers reckon the TV studio has made $500 million in profits from the show's spin off merchandise, and has failed to honour a royalty cut included in their client's 1971 contract.

Cassidy told CNN that he has been informed he has only ever received $5000 from Sony for merchandise sales. Sony is yet to respond.

back to top

STREAM THE NEW JAMES BLAKE EP
Conscientious fratstep objector James Blake is streaming his new EP, 'Enough Thunder', on his website. Erring towards the spare, slight sonic quality that made his eponymous debut album such a success, the songs are like fine-boned skeletons of hollowed-out noise, given flesh by Blake's spine-tingling voice.

Alongside four brand new compositions spotted with various clicks, pops and yelps, 'Enough Thunder' features a Bon Iver collaboration in 'Fall Creek Boys' Choir', and a fittingly dusky spin on Joni Mitchell's 'A Case Of You'. Stream it here prior to its release on 10 Oct.

www.jamesblakemusic.com/enoughthunder/

back to top

ROD STEWART TO WRITE TELL-ALL MEMOIR
Rod Stewart has penned a deal with Random House for his autobiography, pledging to "hold nothing back" when it comes to discussing his marital and musical endeavours.

He says of the memoir, which is due out next year: "I thought long and hard before committing to write my book. It is a funny old thing telling my life story but I truly intend to hold nothing back. I've had quite a life, known some extraordinary people and had some amazing experiences. I've waited all this time, until my 50th year in the business and realise I can no longer put it off. Forget skeletons in the closet; this one's going to be socks and knickers under the bed". Oh, blimey.

back to top

SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA PROPOSE ONE NIGHT STAND
Come 14 Jul of next year, Swedish House Mafia will host their very own nine hour-long 'One Night Stand' at the Milton Keynes National Bowl. The landmark event will find the Scandinavian beatsmiths playing to a captive crowd of 65,000 for a very, very long time. Assuming you have a spare £45 and aren't prone to dehydration, tickets are on sale now.

back to top

-----------------------------------------------

ICEAGE PLOT TOUR
Having caused a critical commotion with their debut album 'New Brigade', and having had an infamous run supporting Fucked Up, Danish post-punks Iceage have announced a fistful of UK headline dates. A quick flick through the band's blog promises one thing: there will be blood.

Tour dates:

6 Dec: London, Corsica Studios
7 Dec: Brighton, Green Door Store
8 Dec: Manchester, Kraak Gallery
9 Dec: Glasgow, Art School Union
10 Dec: Leeds, Brudenell Social Club

back to top

-------------------------------------------------

PONGATHON TO UNITE PING PONG, MUSIC AND ART
A new event combining music, art and, erm, ping pong is to launch later this month at the Rich Mix venue in East London with a world record attempt for the most players in a ping pong rally - the current record standing at 101, set by Shanghai's Cao Yanhua table-tennis training school last year.

Organisers of Pongathon, the UK Ping Pong Company, told CMU: "[We are creating] a social playground of art, design, music and ping pong innovations! Pongathon is a ping pong party like no other providing wall-wall ping pong tables set against a backdrop of live visual art, music, creative themes, social tournament play, exhibition games, ping pong robots, fancy dress and much more!"

As well as featuring free ping pong over two floors, there will also be music form DJs Ronnie Joice, Alex Gromadzki and Right Click Save As, visual art from Coco, those aforementioned ping pong robots(!) and more.

Pongathon will take place on 24 Oct from 5pm to 11pm. Sign up to take part in the record attempt here and find more information at www.pongathon.com.

back to top

ONE-DAY COURSE FOR WOMEN ASPIRING TO JOIN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY LAUNCHED
A free one-day course aimed at women aged 16-25 wanting to work in the music business is currently taking applications. Those attending will hear from professionals about artist management, A&R, radio, music and brand management; getting an overview of the industry and how it all works.

The course will take place on 22 Oct from 10am-5pm at Raw Material in Brixton. With spaces limited, contact Tessa Read on [email protected] (Tel: 07967384677) or Lulu Le Vay on [email protected] (Tel: 07956945847) to apply.

back to top

SOUNDCLOUD HIT BY DDOS ATTACK
SoundCloud has revealed that it suffered two days of prolonged downtime this week due to one of those Distributed Denial Of Service attacks. The perpetrators of the attack, or their motives, have not yet been identified.

In a statement published on its blog, the company said yesterday: "From Tuesday 9pm CET until last night Wednesday 7pm CET, we've been defending against an unidentified denial of service attack. After seeing the service stabilise for a few hours yesterday morning, unfortunately a second denial of service attack occurred around noon CET as the attackers adjusted to our preventive measures. This attack delayed full mitigation until we were able to implement more robust measures which are now in place. Around 7pm CET last night, our scalable defensive measures were in operation and we were able to stabilise the service gradually. As of this morning, all services are fully back and operational".

As much previously reported, DDoS attacks, which take sites offline by flooding their servers with traffic, have become an increasingly popular measure by online activists of late. Usually websites targeted belong to organisations who, the attackers believe, infringe freedom of speech or enforce copyrights unreasonably. Quite what these attackers have against SoundCloud isn't clear. Although the company does take down uncleared content if asked to do so by a rights owner - as copyright law forces it to - it's hard to see what else SoundCloud could have done to offend anyone in this way.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

LIVE NATION INVOLVED IN NEW BAND PLATFORM
Live Nation is involved in a new online music venture called Live Connection which will work with new bands to record audio and video content.

Once created, the content will be hosted on a new website, and be promoted to both industry types (some of whom will be given priority acces) and punters signed up to Live Nation, Ticketmaster and the Academy Music Group's mailing lists, and the bands will be free to use it for their own promotional purposes. The music created will also be made available via We7 and be played in students' unions via the Sub.TV network.

Live Nation's Paul Latham told CMU: "The exposure Live Connection can give to new artists is outstanding. With access to millions of music fans, Live Connection is the perfect exposure model for new and emerging acts. We're not only showcasing their talent to the right industry contacts, we're building communities, sharing their recorded music and video through Live Nation's mailing lists, websites and social networks. We'll also be pushing these artists towards publishing and distribution deals as well as looking to add live exposure and experience through our venue estate and festival output".

Live Connection goes live next Tuesday at www.live-connection.co.uk

back to top

BBC CUTS ANNOUNCED
BBC big cheese Mark Thompson yesterday told staff how the Corporation plans to shave £670 million a year off its running costs following last year's agreement with the government to keep the licence fee fixed at £145.50 and to take on the costs of the World Service and Welsh telly channel S4C.

Up to 2000 jobs will go over the next few years, 800 of them from BBC News. No one BBC service - TV or radio - will be axed, but most channels will have to reduce their costs, with only BBC One and Radio 4 being spared any major changes. BBC Two will lose original programming in the daytime, some news programmes, including 'Newsnight', will cut expensive outside broadcasts, such as broadcasting from political party conferences, and BBC3 and BBC4 will have more narrowly defined remits. Spending on sports rights and imported shows will be reduced, while existing plans to cut the number of senior executives and reduce web spending by 25% will also help.

Although original plans to close certain BBC radio services were dropped some time ago, most stations will have to make cost savings, though the biggest cuts are again likely to be in news, with more stations sharing news resources. Local radio will also take quite a hit, with local stations in the same region sharing more off-peak programming than before.

Although Radio 1 will have to cut nineteen of the 53 people who are somehow required to make news for Radios 1 and 1Xtra, it is unclear whether other parts of Radio 1 and 2 will see any radical downsizing - commercial radio bosses argue that both music stations are vastly overstaffed and that there is room for radical cost savings without any major impact on core programming.

Thompson said that the cuts programme, the result of his Delivering Quality First consultation, are radical and that if the Corporation was ever required to make further cuts in the future whole services would have to go. The National Union Of Journalists expressed concern at the level of cuts in news, and said it would have ramifications on the extent and quality of the Beeb's generally admired news output across TV and radio.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

SNOOP DOGG TO STAR IN NEW SITCOM
Snoop Dogg is to star in a new family-based sitcom on US TV network NBC, Deadline has revealed. Written by comedy writer Don Reo, the show will see the rapper playing a father figure, entrepreneur and marijuana activist. He and Reo previously worked together on Fox sitcom 'Brothers' on which the rapper made a guest appearance of a number of episodes.

back to top

BEEF OF THE WEEK: MUSIC V POLITICS
It was the Conservative Party Conference this week, the third of the three main UK political parties' annual get togethers.

As you'll probably have seen, Prime Minister David Cameron sparked controversy when he suggested that everyone should help out the economy by just paying off their debts. Aside from the fact that he apparently thinks we're all just in debt for the fun of it, we've previously been told to help the economy by spending more money, so I don't know what to believe any more. I guess I'll just pay off all my debts using a credit card. That should do it.

Next up, Home Secretary Theresa May suggested that the Human Rights Act should be repealed because the legislation, introduced by Tony Blair's government to bring the European Declaration Of Human Rights into British law, had enabled an illegal immigrant to stay in the UK on the grounds that he had a pet cat. The judiciary quickly pointed out that this isn't actually true, and then Justice Secretary Ken Clarke, a member of her own party, told the Nottingham Post that her claim was "laughable [and] childlike".

But it was something else May did that got tongues wagging in the music world. Her choice of music to play her off stage has come in for much criticism.

It's quite common for musicians to complain when right wing political parties use their music at public events without permission, most musicians having more left-wing leanings. In some cases this has led to copyright infringement claims, although in most countries playing music at public events is covered by blanket licences, so providing the venue owner or event organiser has general licences from the likes of PPL and PRS For Music no specific permission is needed from those who made or own specific songs.

As May left the stage, reports came in that she had walked off to 'Rocks' by Primal Scream. This seemed somewhat bizarre, it being quite openly about drug taking and prostitution. Still, that's what people, mainly The Huffington Post (www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/10/04/theresa-may-gets-her-rock_n_993732.html), were saying, and as a result the band felt moved to issue a statement distancing themselves from the Conservative Party.

They said: "Primal Scream are totally disgusted that the Home Secretary Theresa May ended her speech at the Tory party conference with our song 'Rocks'. How inappropriate. Didn't they research the political history of our band? Hasn't she listened to the words? Does she even know what getting your rocks off means? No. She is a Tory; how could she?"

They continued: "Primal Scream are totally opposed to the coalition government, Cameron, Osborne, Gove, Howard, Clegg etc. They are legalised bullies passing new laws to ensure the wealthy stay wealthy, taking the side of big business while eradicating workers' rights and continuing their attacks on young people, single parents and OAPs by slashing education and social security budgets, and persecuting the poor for being poor. We would like to distance ourselves from this sick association".

Finally, to really drive the point home, they said: "The Tories are waging a war on the disenfranchised, They are the enemy".

To answer part of Primal Scream's statement: No, May didn't listen to the lyrics of their song before she made her speech. But that's wasn't because of any sort of arrogance or ignorance on her part, it's just because she didn't actually walk off stage to 'Rocks'. When she left the stage it was 'Bohemian Like You' by The Dandy Warhols that was playing. Still something of an odd song choice, granted. But not 'Rocks' by Primal Scream.

This update to the story did not take long to make its way across the Atlantic and to The Dandy Warhols. Frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor was quick to respond, writing on the band's official website: "Where do I bitch about this? I'll tear their fuggin heads off. Well maybe not, but this happened to us in an Arkansas gubernatorial race and it makes me super angry. And then I wanna puke. Why don't these assholes have right-wing bands make them some right-wing music for their right-wing jerk-off politics? Oh, because right wing people aren't creative, visionary or any fun to be around. Nor are they productive or even introspective about it".

He added: "Wait ... neither are left-wingers [any of those things] come to think of it. Jesus, I tend to really dislike ANY people who take sides in politics. It is the single greatest contributor to getting nothing done. Fuck 'politics'. What a joke. I give my charitable donations to people who get on a plane themselves and go to Haiti or Africa and help other people. Do you? NEVER to a political machine. I like to get shit done. You do too. Fuck, now I'm pissed off".

So, there you go, they only had to play one song and the Tories pissed off two bands. Good work there. However, there was another story about a politician playing a song without permission this week, and this one wasn't in the UK or the US. For this one we have to go all the way to Nicaragua.

Sony's publishing company Sony/ATV has threatened to sue Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega if he refuses to stop using a reworked version of Ben E King's R&B classic 'Stand By Me' in campaign videos. Re-titled 'Nicaragua Triunfará' (or 'Nicaragua Will Triumph'), the new version of the song features lyrics in Spanish written by Ortega's wife Rosario Murillo, and was produced by their son Maurice Ortega Murillo.

In a letter to Ortega's Sandinista National Liberation Front, sent in July but published this week by Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa (www.laprensa.com.ni/infografia/1633), Sony/ATV said: "This constitutes a serious infringement of Sony/ATV's copyrights".

As yet the party has not responded and is apparently still using the song in Ortega's political campaign to be re-elected.

Watch the offending video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdcSlGa5rTM

back to top