AMY WINEHOUSE INQUEST REPORT SENT TO WRONG ADDRESS
A report outlining the results of the inquest into Amy Winehouse's death, intended to be sent to the singer's family, fell into the hands of someone else, the Metropolitan Police have confirmed. It's not yet clear exactly what happened, but police think the document "may have been delivered to an incorrect address". It's either that or it was dropped in a puddle. Anyway, the report was handed in to a police station in North London on Friday.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: "Police were informed that material relating to a forthcoming inquest may have been delivered to an incorrect address. Inquiries are now under way to establish the full circumstances of this matter". The results of the inquest into Winehouse's death in July this year are due to be publicly announced at a hearing on Wednesday.

In other Amy Winehouse news, her father Mitch has revealed that he has approached Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding about being an ambassador for his Amy Winehouse Foundation charity, due partly to her alcohol problems for which she recently checked into rehab. He told The Sun: "If we could pick Sarah up when she recovers and put her in front of a school assembly to tell those kids the reality of drinking and alcoholism, it would be making a big start. Sarah will be ideal, but all in good time when she has faced her own problems. There might be some kids who actually take notice of what she has to say".

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A PHARMACOLOGICAL NEVER-NEVER LAND: MURRAY TRIAL UPDATE
A dramatic witness throughout, anaesthesiology expert Dr Steven Shafer left the jury with a compelling conclusion yesterday, referencing Michael Jackson's obsession with Peter Pan: Conrad Murray's treatment of the late king of pop was a "pharmacological Never-Never Land".

Murray, of course, is accused of causing Jackson's death by negligently administering the anaesthetic propofol as a cure for insomnia. The defence argue that Murray only gave his patient a tiny amount of the drug, and that Jackson must have woken up and self-administered a larger fatal shot while Murray was out of the room.

But, in a multi-day testimony, the dramatic Shafer - who, on hearing the defence were, at one point, suggesting Jackson may have drunk the fatal shot of propofol, himself downed a shot of the drug to prove it had next to zero affected when taken orally - poured scorn on the defence's argument throughout.

The levels of propofol in Jackson's system, he said, made only one theory feasible: Murray, far from administering just a tiny amount of the drug, was pumping a constant supply of it into the singer's body via an IV system when he left his patient's room to make some phone calls. Yes, some crucial kit was missing from Jackson's bedroom, but only some tubing Murray could easily have disposed off when panic ensued in the minutes after Jackson's death.

Shafer's testimony brought to an end four weeks of arguments by the prosecution, allowing the defence to spend more time on their theory that Jackson himself administered the fatal shot of propofol. They began by bringing in other medics consulted by the singer regards his troubles sleeping. The bid was to show that insomnia had made Jackson a desperate man, desperate enough to take dangerous drugs without his doctor's knowledge in a bid to induce sleep.

Nurse Cherilyn Lee, who met Jackson via one of his bodyguards in 2009, confirmed the singer frequently struggled to sleep - though, she noted, his concurrent addiction to Red Bull and other caffeine filled drinks played its part in that condition. She had recommended various herbal remedies to help Jackson sleep, she told the court, and the singer had been eager to try them. After signing up to the 'This Is It' residency in London, Jackson had suggested to Lee that she travel to the UK with him, so he could have a ready supply of her sleep remedies.

But Jackson's interest in sleep-aiding medications went beyond the herbal. The defence's second witness, Dr Alan Metzger, who said he had treated Jackson on and off for two decades, confirmed the singer suffered from anxiety and sleep disorders throughout that time. He also confirmed what Murray has argued throughout, that the singer's interest in using anaesthetics to induce sleep preceded the defendant's employment as Jackson's personal physician.

Metzger said Jackson first discussed the possibility of using 'intravenous sleep medicine' - ie anaesthetics - in early 2009. Murray, of course, claims that in the weeks before the pop star's death that June, he was trying to wean Jackson off a dependency to propofol. That said, Metzger's testimony didn't entirely go in the defence's favour. Yes, Jackson had asked him to administer 'intravenous sleep medicine' too, the doctor said, but, unlike Murray, he had refused, telling the singer how dangerous it would be to use such medications in a domestic setting. "No amount of money would have persuaded me to grant this request", Metzger told the court.

The case continues.

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ALLEGED STONE ATTACKER PLEADS NOT GUILTY
One of the two men accused of conspiring to murder Joss Stone yesterday entered a plea of not guilty to the various charges he faces, including conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm and conspiracy to commit robbery.

Kevin Liverpool and Junior Bradshaw, both from Manchester, were back in Exeter Crown Court for a routine hearing yesterday. As previously reported, the two men were arrested near the singer's Devon home back in June, seemingly with plans and equipment to harm and maybe kill the singer before stealing from her property.

Liverpool entered the not guilty plea, while Bradshaw chose not to enter a plea at all at this time. The two men were remanded in custody, and will reappear in court in December, though their actual trial is unlikely to happen until next August.

Stone did not attend the hearing, though her mother was in the public gallery.

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IAN BROWN AVOIDS DRIVING BAN
Stone Roses frontman has been fined £650 and been given six points on his drivers licence, but escaped a driving ban for speeding.

Chester Magistrates Court was told that on 25 Apr this year at around 12.30am, police observed Brown driving his Lexus at over 94mph for five miles on the M6 near Holmes Chapel in Cheshire, reaching a top speed of 105mph. Brown initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, but switched to a guilty plea shortly before the hearing.

His lawyer argued that a driving ban would cause him "insurmountable" problems in both seeing his son, who lives in London, and attending rehearsals with the now reunited The Stone Roses, the location of which was kept a secret.

As well as the fine and points, Brown was also told to pay prosecution costs of £300 and a £15 victims charge. Lucky he sold all those Stone Roses tickets last week, really.

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ARTISTS Q UP FOR AWARDS*
So, it was the Q Awards in London last night, a true celebration of where music is at right now, reflecting, as they so often do, just how rich and varied the musical landscape is, and how enthused music fans are to be able to discover what is new and exciting.

Well, that's what I think anyway. I wonder what Q Editor In Chief Paul Rees has to say. He told reporters: "This year's awards were a true celebration of where music is at right now - being, as they were, reflective of how rich and varied the musical landscape is, and of how enthused music fans are to be able to discover so much that is new and exciting". Yeah, that's sounds very familiar Paul, doesn't it?

Anyway, here's your list of winners. Oh look, Coldplay are the best act in the world today. Team Q do know about the Steps reunion right?

Q Best Male Artist: Tinie Tempah
Q Best Female Artist: Adele
Best Live Act: Biffy Clyro
Best Act In The World Today: Coldplay

Breakthrough Artist: Ed Sheeran
Best New Act: WU LYF
Q Next Big Thing: Lana Del Rey

Best Track: Adele - Rolling In The Deep
Best Album: Bon Iver - Bon Iver
Best Video: Jessie J - Do It Like A Dude

Q Classic Song: Snow Patrol, Chasing Cars
Q Classic Songwriter: Gary Barlow
Q Innovation In Sound: Kaiser Chiefs
Q Icon: Noel Gallagher
Q Inspiration: Fatboy Slim
Q Outstanding Contribution To Music: Siouxsie Sioux

Hall Of Fame: Queen
Greatest Act Of The Past 25 Years: U2

*This classic headline is trademark CMU. I'm just saying because of the "Q Editor steals CMU summary of his own event scandal".

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BJÖRK OPENS COSMOGONY LYRIC COMPETITION
Björk has called upon fans to compose a new verse for 'Cosmogony', the celestial centrepiece of her current album, 'Biophilia'.

Entrants are encouraged to use this existing verse as a template: "And they say: back then our universe/ Was an empty sea - until a silver fox/ And her cunning mate began to sing/ a song that became the world we know".

The rules are that fans must use their new verse to describe another "creation myth", beginning with the line "and they say", and ending with "became the world we know". Simple. The writer of the winning idea will have their 'Cosmogony' verse performed live by Björk at one of her forthcoming tour dates, which is quite an ace prospect. Interested parties have until 7 Nov to submit their entries.

More information here.

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THE STREETS' MIKE SKINNER AND THE MUSIC'S ROB HARVEY ANNOUNCE NEW BAND
The Streets' Mike Skinner and The Music's Rob Harvey have formed a new band together called The DOT. I'm not sure what DOT stands for. Maybe Department Of Tunes. Or Damn Ornothology Tutors. Or Deftly Officiated Tantrum. Or Double Oncologist Takedown. Or Diagnosis: Old Toes. It's probably one of those.

The good news is that we've got a little bit more time to find out, as the band isn't due to get properly out into the wider world just yet, with a few more gigs to go before Skinner actually calls time on The Streets next month. The Music, of course, split earlier this year. In the meantime, there are fifteen videos currently online at http://the-dot.net.

Those videos, by the way, are works in progress. The duo announced on their Facebook page on Sunday: "The videos are experiments and a work in progress. They are inspiring the songs that will eventually be on the record. This is happening. We are very excited".

Speaking to The Guardian, Skinner added: "It's hard to speak for both of us but we have a very similar work ethic and love for high quality tea ... It's like one of those buddy movies from the 80s where the dream is impossible until they both make each other see things in themselves that they previously didn't know".

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CHRIS CORNELL ANNOUNCES ACOUSTIC COVERS LP
Chris Cornell has announced that he will release a solo acoustic album on 21 Nov. Entitled, 'Songbook', the collection will mainly comprise tracks originally recorded by Cornell's various bands: Soundgarden, Audioslave and Temple Of The Dog. Though as you'll note from the tracklisting below, the LP is also set to feature covers of John Lennon's 'Imagine' and Led Zeppelin's 'Thank You'.

As Hope And Promise Fade
Scar On The Sky
Call Me A Dog
Ground Zero
Can't Change Me
I Am The Highway
Thank You
Cleaning My Gun
Wide Awake
Fell On Black Days
All Night Thing
Doesn't Remind Me
Like A Stone
Black Hole Sun
Imagine

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THE SOUND OF ARROWS DETAIL DEBUT
The Sound Of Arrows, one of a select smorgasbord of really good alt-pop sorts that have seemed to spring from Sweden of late (also in that group: The Deer Tracks, Icona Pop, Lykke Li), are poised to release their long-anticipated debut LP, 'Voyage', through Skies Above on 7 Nov.

Sample the duo's grand, ambitious electronica by way of this here album trailer, which should provide the perfect soundtrack to a quick browse of the 'Voyage' tracklisting. www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsh0SGOHG68

Into the Clouds
Wonders
My Shadow
Magic
Ruins of Rome
Longest Ever Dream
Hurting all the way
Conquest
Nova
There is Still Hope
Lost City

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NOEL GALLAGHER'S HIGH FLYING BIRDS BOOK 2012 TOUR
Noel Gallagher (accompanied, of course, by his High Flying Birds) has scheduled a big old arena tour for next year. Said live jaunt will run as follows:

13 Feb: Manchester, MEN Arena
16 Feb: Belfast, Odyssey Arena
17 Feb: Dublin, O2 Arena
23 Feb: Newcastle, Metro Radio Arena
24 Feb: Glasgow, SECC Hall 4
26 Feb: London, O2 Arena
1 Mar: Birmingham, NIA

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MONDKOPF TO PLAY LONDON SHOW
French producer Mondkopf is to present the live version of his recently released album, 'Rising Doom', at London's XOYO on 18 Nov.

Filmed at a show at Paris' La Gaité Lyrique earlier this year, take a look at the rather blinding custom light-show that will form the backdrop to his set, here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMnbtF-30Qc

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THE JEZABELS ANNOUNCE LONDON SHOW
CMU Approved Aussie quartet The Jezabels have announced that they will play a one-off show at Heaven in London on 29 Nov. Recently signed to Play It Again Sam, the band will be showing off tracks from their forthcoming debut album, which has already risen to the top end of the Australian charts, beaten only by Adele.

The band's latest single, 'Endless Summer', is out now, and you can listen to it right now below.

soundcloud.com/thejezabels/endless-summer

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IMAGEM'S UK MD STEPS DOWN
Independent publisher Imagem Music has announced its UK MD Tim Smith will depart the company next week to pursue new projects, details of which will be announced in due course. Tim has been Imagem's UK MD since the company launched three years ago. Amongst the various deals he has overseen in that time, Smith has signed to the publisher the likes of Temper Trap, Sparks, Guy Sigsworth, Bombay Bicycle Club, Steve Robson, Chris Rea and Darwin Deez.

Confirming Smith's departure, the company's UK CEO John Minch told CMU: "Tim has played a important role in the growth of Imagem Music since our launch in 2008. He has overseen the development of a dynamic roster of acquisitions and signings and has helped assemble a world class team. We wish him success with his future endeavours".

Smith himself added: "My time at Imagem Music has been hugely rewarding and I depart feeling extremely proud of our achievements as a company over the last three years. I was tasked with creating an exciting, dynamic and successful roster and I feel that has been achieved. I have really enjoyed working with the amazing team at Imagem Music and with the many great writers and artists that the company represents and feel that the time is now right for me to move on and pursue new opportunities. I am leaving a great company in great shape and wish them every success moving forward".

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SYNC PUBLISHER LAUNCHES LABEL
The owner of an indie music publisher in the US, which specialises in getting sync deals for independent artists, has been talking about how he's set up a sister record label to capitalise on the profile sync deals can deliver

Bob Mair's Black Toast Music has been representing independent songwriters in the TV, film and videogame space for 20 years, but he set up the Black Toast record label earlier this year to help those artists he works with on sync deals who have no label relationship to get their music out there, enabling them to capitalise on any interest a high profile sync can generate.

Mair told reporters: "Due to the overwhelming demand from fans that have heard our music in various films and TV shows, we decided it was a great time to form Black Toast Records. We can now offer our fans the means by which they can find, listen, and buy the latest releases from dozens of the great indie artists and singer/songwriters whose music we have placed in hit TV series and movies".

Meanwhile, one of the songwriters who has signed to the new label side of Mair's company, St John, aka Richard Trapp, told Variety: "The way the music business has been declining, having a new label like Black Toast Records gives fans of a song they heard on their favourite TV show instant gratification. They can go to iTunes right after they hear it, and grab it".

Mair has been talking about the new strand to his business ahead of a panel debate on sync to be held in LA next week, organised by a website called Taxi, an A&R exchange which is a bit like a label/publisher version of SonicBids, and which Black Toast uses to discover new talent.

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LD COMMUNICATIONS LAUNCHES DIGITAL DIVISION
London-based entertainment PR firm LD Communications has announced that it is launching a new digital division. Headed up by Doug Hall, formerly of PPR Publicity, LD Digital will operate its own roster of clients separate from the main company.

LD Communications MD Claire Singers told CMU: "LD Digital will offer clients a bespoke digital PR service. The online world has fundamentally changed the PR landscape and we are delighted that Doug has joined LD to help our clients navigate it".

Doug Hall added: "I am very excited to be given the opportunity to develop a digital division at LD and I am very much looking forward to putting together some exciting digital initiatives and results driven campaigns for existing and future clients".

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NEW COPYRIGHT LAW WON'T JAIL BIEBER
An online campaign in the US capitalising on the Justin Bieber phenomenon has thrown the spotlight on a new bit of legislation being considered in US Congress which will make it a criminal offence to stream copyrighted material without the rights owner's permission. Under the proposed new laws, anyone doing so could be jailed for up to five years.

With various anti-piracy measures being considered in the American political arena just now, this particular proposal hasn't got so much coverage. Until now. An organisation called Fight For The Future has set up a website titled Free Bieber. The site is a call to action to encourage people to oppose the new legislation (even though you might think any law that would result in the Bieber being out of all our ways for five years is something worth supporting).

The logic is that Bieber first rose to wider attention by posting videos of himself singing other people's songs - without said songwriter's permission - to YouTube. That, Fight For The Future concludes, would make the teen pop icon guilty of a felony under the proposed new law, meaning the popster could be jailed for five years.

But, as the Copyhype website has pointed out, that's not the case at all. First of all YouTube is a licensed platform, with agreements in place with collecting societies around the world so that songwriters whose work is covered on the video site get a royalty. And, of course, there's the take-down system - operated under the US's Digital Millennium Copyright Act - so that rights owners can request versions of their works appearing on the video site be removed. For these reasons YouTube is not liable for infringement under the civil copyright system, so would not be liable under the proposed new criminal laws either.

And even if that wasn't the case - ie YouTube wasn't licensed and didn't operate a workable DMCA takedown system - it would still be YouTube and not Bieber which would be liable under the new laws. Under existing copyright law, in theory Bieber could be targeted because, by uploading his videos, he is making a mechanical copy of someone else's work without licence. Though in reality any rights owner suing would go after the owner of the website, who is allowing unlicensed performances of the song, rather than the individual who uploaded the original copy.

Plus, according to Copyhype, the new criminal law would only apply to unlicensed performances, not unlicensed reproduction, so the Justin Biebers of this world would be explicitly excluded from the new laws, even if they made use of a YouTube rival without licences or a take-down system in place.

So, sorry Bieber haters, this new law won't be putting the pop irritant behind bars. Not that those who oppose stricter copyright rules are necessarily wrong for opposing these new legislative proposals, but their current arguments are definitely incorrect. For a more detailed critique see the Copyhype website:

www.copyhype.com/2011/10/justin-bieber-is-not-going-to-jail/

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COWELL INSISTS WALSH SAFE ON X-FACTOR UK
I'm thinking we should probably have sent one of those 'breaking news' emails out about this yesterday afternoon, because I suspect most of you were up all night worrying after The Sun reported Louis Walsh faced the axe from 'X-Factor'.

According to yesterday's Sun front page, with the 'X' charade losing viewers left, right and centre this series, and following Walsh's recent on air hissy fit in which he called one contestant, Misha B, a "bully", producers of the show were in talks to axe the aging judge from the programme, and to use his empty chair to get Simon Cowell - now judging on the US version of 'X' of course - back onto the ailing British version of his talent contest franchise.

But worry not all you Walshers out there (that's what they call Louis Walsh fans I believe), because Cowell has personally contacted his former colleague and given him his word that "your job is safe". In fact, rarely has the 'X' founder been so resolute in ensuring his support for one of the show's regulars. I mean, not since those vicious rumours circulated about Cheryl Cole's future on the US version of the show has the Syco man been so unwavering in his reassurances that the gossipers have it wrong.

But it's not just Cowell sending out words of reassurance to the talent franchise's resident OAP, apparently the show's UK producers and ITV programming boss Peter Fincham have also insisted the rumours are not true. One of those sources told Digital Spy: "Louis was bemused to see the Sun story, but after eight years on the show he's not concerned at all, most years the papers say he is for the chop but he's still the last judge standing".

It's true. Anyone would think that publicists for 'X-Factor' are feeding The Sun made up stories to get their flagging show some free publicity, perhaps in the hope websites the world over will pick up on the story on Monday, and the subsequent denial on Tuesday, ensuring even more exposure. You might think we've been suckered into that plot also, but hey, you should see what writing about 'X-Factor' does to our web traffic.

And if you're disappointed that CMU might be involving in the dirty business of jumping on the 'X' bandwagon just to get some extra online readers, well, rest assured, it's only so we can remind everyone how the money-grabbing bastards who run the ITV show get their thrills screwing over children's charities:

www.thecmuwebsite.com/article/x-factor-bosses-screw-over-childrens-charity/

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FORMER BEATLES MANAGER TOLD EPSTEIN "THEY WILL LET YOU DOWN"
The Beatles' original manager Allan Williams has told of his decision to sell his contract with the band to Brian Epstein for £9 in a new biography by Colin MacFarlane, entitled 'Love Me Do'.

Williams arranged early gigs for the band, and was responsible for taking them to Hamburg, where they developed their sound into that which would make them famous. However, when Epstein first approached Williams about taking them off his hands, the Fab Four's then manager told him: "Don't touch them with a fucking bargepole, they will let you down".

Nevertheless, Williams agreed to hand the band over to Epstein on the condition that the rival manager would give him the £9 commission from the Hamburg gigs that the band had failed to pay him.

Williams told Scottish newspaper The Sunday Mail: "I still lose sleep over it 50 years later. No one could have guessed The Beatles would become so famous. At that time, there were 300 groups in Liverpool who were as good or better than The Beatles. And I didn't even get my £9!"

He added: "I remember watching them doing a performance before the Queen about a year later and throwing a cushion at the TV. But I no longer have regrets. I am glad to have been there in the 60s at the start of it all".

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