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| THURSDAY 23 AUGUST 2012 | |
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PLAYLIST: JNEIRO JAREL Hip hop producer Jneiro Jarel is known for his eclectic style, which has led him to collaborate with the likes of Damon Albarn, TV On The Radio's Dave Sitek, King Britt, Jazzanova and many others. His latest release is an album with masked rapper DOOM, under the name JJ DOOM. Entitled 'Keys To The Kuffs', over Jarel's beats, DOOM explores his British roots (he was born in London) more>> |
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APPROVED: DAUGHN GIBSON A licensed ex truck driver who once played drums in stoner-metal band Pearls & Brass, Daughn Gibson has just signed to Sub Pop on the basis of his long playing April debut, 'All Hell'. Now he marks that well-earned Sub Pop signing with intrepid new track 'Reach Into The Fire', which sees him travel to the more electronic end of his Americana sound - less John Wayne, more Nicolas Jaar more>> |
| TOP STORIES |
| - Now the House Of Reps is considering Universal's EMI deal - Xfm's The Remix announces DJ Shadow special |
| IN THE POP COURTS |
| - TJ Jackson's co-guardianship of MJ's children confirmed - LL Cool J fights burglar |
| IN THE STUDIO |
| - The Wanted working on new album, ditch "wild" LMFAO collaborations |
| RELEASE NEWS |
| - Annie Mac presents third compilation - Macy Gray to cover all of Stevie Wonder's Talking Book - Oneohtrix Point Never releasing split LP with Rene Hell - Franz Ferdinand guitarist releases hip hop single - RVNG Intl to release Holly Herndon debut |
| GIGS & TOURS NEWS |
| - Peggy Sue to play free Pussy Riot fundraiser - Egyptian Hip Hop to tour |
| FESTIVAL NEWS |
| - Festival line-up additions |
| BRANDS & STUFF |
| - Lana Del Rey named new face of Jaguar |
| THE MUSIC BUSINESS |
| - Rubin does American deal with Universal |
| THE DIGITAL BUSINESS |
| - Spotify losses up, Canadian and Asian expansion planned |
| AND FINALLY... |
| - This Just-in: Bieber to make cartoon cameo in The Simpsons |
| HMV FORUM, BOX OFFICE MANAGER & STREET TEAM COORDINATOR The successful applicant will have experience of working within a box office environment and delivering a high level of customer care ideally within the live music industry. We are seeking an individual with a positive attitude and a passion for delivering excellent customer service, who has experience of managing both paid staff and volunteers and can demonstrate this. It would be beneficial if you have experience of running a large street team but it is not essential. For more information including a full job description and how to apply click here. |
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| TECHNIQUE, MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT A UK based Artist Management company are looking for a full time assistant. Working closely with the Artist Managers, you will support the team by organising diaries, arranging meetings, managing telephone calls, proof reading/testing/checking, arranging couriers, booking transport and accommodation, obtaining supplier quotes, managing databases, ordering equipment, creating download links, updating expense reports, liaising with trade organisations and collection societies and generally helping out. For more information including a full job description and how to apply click here. |
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| ADELPHOI MUSIC, NEW BUSINESS PRODUCER Music production company Adelphoi Music is an experienced team of composers and producers who take great pride in creating exceptional music and sound design from their central London base. The emphasis is on new business and we're looking for a candidate with fantastic contacts within the advertising, production and music world. For more information including a full job description and how to apply click here. |
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| AIR MTM, MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT/PA TO DIRECTOR To provide an efficient and responsive administrative, organisational, and logistical service to the Director, helping him to manage and prioritise his time as well as taking care of artists diaries on the Air MTM roster. The candidate must be continually networking and building contacts and have a good knowledge of the ever changing music industry. For more information including a full job description and how to apply click here. |
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| EVENTIM, CLIENT ACCOUNT MANAGER Eventim UK, part of CTS Eventim AG, the leading ticketing company in Europe, is looking for a Client Account Manager to join its London team. We need someone with experience of event ticketing and ticketing systems, who can build relationships with existing clients to grow Eventim's UK business. For more information including a full job description and how to apply click here. |
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NOW THE HOUSE OF REPS IS CONSIDERING UNIVERSAL'S EMI DEAL
Arriving a little late to the party, America's House Of Representatives has sent a letter to Universal Music and its two major label competitors asking questions in relation to the mega-major's bid to buy the EMI record company.
According to the New York Times, the letter, from the House Judiciary Subcommittee On Intellectual Property, Competition And The Internet, asks "pointed questions about how the merger would affect competition in the music industry", including whether the music sector "has unique characteristics that may increase or reduce concerns".
Universal's EMI bid is being assessed by the Federal Trade Commission in the US, of course, though this isn't the first time politicians have also shown an interest. As previously reported, in June congressmen in the Senate threw a spotlight onto the proposed acquisition with a very public hearing involving leading music industry execs both in favour of and against the deal. The Senate's anti-trust subcommittee then sent a letter to the FTC outlining the issues as it saw them.
Congressional committees have no real power to block the big EMI deal, though in theory their opinions could influence the FTC. Perhaps more importantly, interest in the deal on Capitol Hill means even more public scrutiny for Universal's expansion ambitions.
Nevertheless, the major welcomed the Representatives' letter yesterday, saying: "We welcome the opportunity to answer any questions that the subcommittee may have. The global music market has been in decline for over a decade and it needs well invested music companies to continue to create and nurture artistic talent alongside a strong and growing independent sector if it is to thrive".
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XFM's THE REMIX ANNOUNCES DJ SHADOW SPECIAL
DJ Shadow will appear on a special edition of Xfm's The Remix, presented by CMU's own Eddy Temple-Morris, next month. The show will mark the release of 'Reconstructed', the previously reported collection of some of the producer's best tracks.
The programme will feature specially commissioned mixes of Shadow's work by DJ Food, Stereo:Type, Bare Noize, Culprit One and Irn Mnky, plus two hours of the man himself chatting and playing some of his favourite music.
For that second part of the show, Eddy is inviting listeners to submit questions for him to put to Shadow on the night. So, if there's something you've always wanted to ask him, now's your chance.
Eddy writes in his CMU column this week: "Don't hold back. I want serious questions, funny ones, clever ones, stupid ones, and while we can't answer them all we'll have a great time trying. Let's do ourselves proud and help make the deepest, widest, most fascinating show that DJ Shadow has ever done on radio".
Send your questions in to askshadow@unlimitedmedia.co.uk now. The show will be aired on Friday 21 Sep.
TJ JACKSON'S CO-GUARDIANSHIP OF MJ'S CHILDREN CONFIRMED
A judge has finalised an arrangement to make TJ Jackson co-guardian of Michael Jackson's three children. Their grandmother Katherine Jackson will remain their primary guardian, but TJ will also have legally recognised guardian status.
As previously reported, TJ, a nephew of the late king of pop, was temporarily made a guardian of Prince, Paris and Blanket Jackson last month after concerns were raised about the Jackson matriarch's ability to care for them.
Katherine Jackson had spent ten days away from the home she shares with her grandchildren, and Paris Jackson had claimed on Twitter than neither she nor her siblings knew where their grandmother had gone. Meanwhile some claimed that other members of the Jackson family were trying to interfere, possibly linked to a dispute within the Jackson clan regards the will according to which the Michael Jackson Estate is being run.
While not all of Michael's own siblings were happy with TJ getting guardian status, an LA court confirmed he would retain that position yesterday, with a judge noting "it's clear to me the children have a very strong, loving relationship with TJ Jackson".
Meanwhile a legal rep for Katherine Jackson said her client supported TJ's status as a co-guardian, while adding, with regards allegations her client was being heavily influenced by other parties with their own motives, that: "Mrs Jackson is a well-informed, strong woman who makes her own decisions and can't be influenced by anyone when it comes to these children".
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LL COOL J FIGHTS BURGLAR
When LL Cool J caught a burglar in his kitchen at 1am on Wednesday morning, did he run away? No. Did he scream for help? No. Did he beg the intruder to take whatever he wanted and spare his life? No. LL Cool J beat the man to the floor and then held him there until police arrived. That's what LL Cool J did.
Los Angeles police spokesman Richard French told Reuters that there had been "a brief physical confrontation" between the 44 year old rapper and a 58 year old homeless man in his house, and that what injuries, if any, had been sustained on either side was not clear. French did confirm that the man would be charged with burglary though.
The rapper's spokesman, Rhett Usry said in a statement: "LL Cool J, and his family, are safe and thank everyone for their thoughts and concern. As a father, husband and citizen, he is committed to keeping his family safe and is cooperating with authorities on this private matter".
THE WANTED WORKING ON NEW ALBUM, DITCH "WILD" LMFAO COLLABORATIONS
The Wanted have been hard at work on their second album for half a year now, and they think it might still take another half a year to get it just right.
The band's Max George told MTV: "We've been working on it for, like, the last six months, but it's still not ready yet. We're still working away on that, though we've got plenty more travelling to do yet, so I'm not actually sure when the album is going to be ready".
Tom Parker added: "Everyone's talking about like November-ish, but then we were like, 'If the album's not ready for November, then we're going to do it in, like, the first quarter of the new year'. Though I think the first single off the new album will come before the new year".
One of the reasons it's taking so long is those wacky LMFAO guys, who, despite trying to help things along by coming to the studio with some "new fresh sounds", are just a bit too wacky for The Wanted.
Says Nathan Sykes: "[They're] real, real, cool guys, and their production on tracks is just insane. They've just been off to Brazil and they came back with all these new fresh sounds; it was cool working with them. I'm not sure if the sounds are a bit too wild to go on this album, but it was a great experience".
ANNIE MAC PRESENTS THIRD COMPILATION
Annie Mac has compiled the third volume of her annual 'Annie Mac Presents' mix series, and will release it as a double-disc LP under the AMP banner on 8 Oct.
Described by Mac as a "direct reflection of my DJ sets", the record's moombahton, trap, drum n bass and hip hop-themed first disc will feature tracks by Diplo, TNGHT, Nas, Netsky, Rudimental and Azealia Banks.
Disc two, meanwhile, represents Annie's "never ending obsession with house and garage music", and includes music by Wiley, Disclosure, AlunaGeorge, Kindness and famed house artist Frank Ocean.
The complete tracklisting is at Annie's official blog.
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MACY GRAY TO COVER ALL OF STEVIE WONDER'S 'TALKING BOOK'
For no particular reason - other than it's the 40th anniversary of the original's release - the ever wayward Macy Gray has recorded her own homage to Stevie Wonder's classic 1972 LP, 'Talking Book'.
Devoting the project to her personal favourite soul man, a Wonder-struck Gray: "This is my own personal birthday gift to Stevie Wonder, for all that I learned from him and for his miraculous songs that change my life every time I hear them. This is not a tribute album or concert, it's a love letter and a big thank you card on record and on stage".
As promised above, Macy Gray will perform the LP - which hasn't been assigned a release date yet - at London's Koko on 28 Nov.
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ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER RELEASING SPLIT LP WITH RENE HELL
Oneohtrix Point Never, aka Brooklyn electro soloist Daniel Lopatin, has co-sculpted a very conceptual split LP with LA digi-instrumentalist Rene Hell, real name Jeff Witscher.
Entitled 'Music For Reliquary House', Oneohtrix's half will comprise five re-rendered versions of music from an AV installation Lopatin staged with video artist Nate Boyce. Or rather, a "sequence of hallucinatory informatic assaults, a satirical re-envisioning of modernist sculpture". Or alternatively, re-constituted fragments of human speech, "dissected" by OPN by means of digital technology.
Rene Hell will present 'In 1980 I Was A Blue Square', a five-piece suite of classical/contemporary piano, synthesizer, and computer compositions.
Perplexing as all this sounds, it'll be intriguing to hear the two projects when they're released in tandem via NNA Tapes on 17 Sep.
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FRANZ FERDINAND GUITARIST RELEASES HIP HOP SINGLE
You may not know this, but Franz Ferdinand guitarist Nick McCarthy is part of a hip hop production duo known as The Nice Nice Boys. And he and Franz guitar-tech Andy Knowles (also drummer in Johnny Marr's band The Healers) have just released their first single 'Round Town', as features guest verses by London MC Marvellous Macc Mello.
Available now as a digital download, you can decide whether you like McCarthy's new direction here.
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RVNG INTL TO RELEASE HOLLY HERNDON DEBUT
A former member of electro outfit Electrocute, Holly Herndon has since gone on to earn a masters degree in Electronic Music and Recording Media and has recently begun a five year doctorate study of music composition. She's got quite a lot on her plate, but hey, when you're studying composition, it makes sense that you might compose some stuff. And compose some stuff she has.
Previously her only solo release was a piece called 'Car', an originally 'site specific' piece released on cassette (both sides of which you can hear here and here) via Third Sex last year. Now she's preparing for the release of her debut album, 'Movement', which will be released by RVNG Intl on 13 Nov.
Catch a clip of album track 'Breathe' here.
PEGGY SUE TO PLAY FREE PUSSY RIOT FUNDRAISER
A free fundraiser to benefit much previously discussed Russian politi-punks Pussy Riot is being staged at London's Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen on 9 Sep.
The event will feature live performances from Peggy Sue, Skinny Girl Diet, She Makes War and Neurotic Mass Movement, with New Young Pony Club, Esben & The Witch and Night Works amongst those delivering DJ sets. Actress/performance artist Penny Arcade, filmmaker Pratibha and Labour MP Kerry McCarthy will also appear as guest speakers.
Details via this Facebook page.
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EGYPTIAN HIP HOP TO TOUR
Having just been granted official CMU approval for their new single, 'SYH', sphinx-like pop quintet Egyptian Hip Hop have said they'll play but three live dates in promotion of their debut LP, 'Good Don't Sleep', which is out on 22 Oct.
And those dates happen to be:
6 Oct: Glasgow, Hug And Pint
9 Oct: Manchester, Soup Kitchen
11 Oct: London, Corsica Studios
FESTIVAL LINE-UP ADDITIONS
BERLIN FESTIVAL, Tempelhof Airport, Berlin, Germany, 7-8 Sep: Ghostpoet, Will Saul, Christine And The Queens, Lay Low, Turboweekend, HighasaKite, Le Galaxie, Muso, Tomfoolery, KMPFSPRT, FOOL, DJ Supermarkt, KRSN. www.berlinfestival.de
FROME FOLK FESTIVAL, The Cheese & Grain, Somerset, 16-17 Feb: Lucy Ward, Belinda O'Hooley & Heidi Tidow, Gigspanner, Coppin Silver, The Young'uns, Monster Ceilidh Band. www.fromefolkfestival.co.uk
I LOVE TECHNO, Ghent, Belgium, 10 Nov: Vitalic, Erol Alkan, Nero, Flying Lotus, Modeselektor, TNGHT, A-Trak, Netsky, Gesaffelstein, Dave Clarke, Zed's Dead, The Magician, Camo & Krooked, SCNTST. www.ilovetechno.be
LIVERPOOL PSYCH FEST, Camp & Furnace, Liverpool, 29 Sep: Dead Skeletons, The Time And Space Machine, Wolf People, Palma Violets, Milk Maid, Hookworms, Rosco, Ancient River, Edgar Summertyme, The Koolaid Electric Company, Mugstar, Plank!, Black Market Karma, The Lucid Dream, Thee Piactions, Baltic Fleet, The Altered Hours, Thee Piatcions, Factory Star, The Wild Eyes, Dark Bells, The See See, Mind Mountain, Black Manila, The Shook Ups!, Drenge, Helicon. liverpoolpsychfest.tumblr.com
LANA DEL REY NAMED NEW FACE OF JAGUAR
All-American starlet Lana Del Rey may well have to amend the "Bugatti Veyron" lyric in 'National Anthem' sharpish, having just been made the official face of elite - and supposedly British - sports car manufacturer Jaguar.
The car company yesterday announced the deal - thus marking Del Ray's second sponsorship franchise in as many months - and she will now front a promo campaign for the brand's new F-Type model, the grand unveiling of which takes place next month in Paris, not at Jaguar's Coventry HQ. Presumably then she'll be seen driving the car around, or at least standing near one. For now though, Jaguar has stuck her in a swimming pool.
Narrowly avoiding comparisons between Del Rey and an actual car, Jaguar's Global Brand Director Adrian Hallmark says: "Jaguar's allure is in large part due to its unique blend of authenticity and modernity, two values we believe are shared with Lana in her professional achievements".
RUBIN DOES AMERICAN DEAL WITH UNIVERSAL
Rick Rubin's American Recordings has struck a new deal with Universal Music, which will see the Universal Republic division work with the legendary producer on future releases under the American label banner. The specifics of the deal, the scale of the planned American operation moving forward, and what the arrangement means for the label's catalogue isn't clear.
American Recordings, first launched in 1988 four years after Rubin founded Def Jam Records, has had partnerships with various major music groups over the years. Most recently Rubin held an executive role within Sony Music, though he departed that major in February, with reported tensions at the company that the producer spent more time working in the studio with non-Sony artists than he did fulfilling his duties to the major.
American's collaboration with Universal will go into action almost immediately, with ZZ Top and Avett Brothers albums due out next month.
SPOTIFY LOSSES UP, CANADIAN AND ASIAN EXPANSION PLANNED
Spotify's losses rose from 28.5 million euros in 2010 to 45.4 million last year, reports the Wall Street Journal. However, the company's revenues also grew rapidly in 2011, up to 156.9 million euros - over 100 million more than the previous year's 52.6 million euros.
The figures, taken from the firm's most recent submitted company accounts, show that despite considerable growth, the streaming service is still relying heavily on venture capital funding, and noted that it "cannot exclude the need or desire to raise more funds in the future".
The document also revealed that Spotify set up new subsidiaries in Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong last year, all territories where it does not currently operate. Although the company would not confirm specific plans, this led the WSJ to speculate that launches in these countries are imminent.
THIS JUST-IN: BIEBER TO MAKE CARTOON CAMEO IN THE SIMPSONS
Springsteen, Starr, Shatner, Jackson... Bono, even; and now Bieber. Yes it's true, young Justin Bieber has become the latest iconic music personage to voice his own "#swaggy" cartoon character in 'The Simpsons'. He'll be playing himself, by the way.
Writing to fans via a since-deleted tweet (apparently it was still meant to be a secret) JB said: "Just did a voice over for 'The SIMPSONS'!!! #swaggy".
Confirming the Biebs-clusive to Entertainment Weekly, 'Simpsons' executive producer Al Jean revealed a little of what Justin's role in the forthcoming episode, entitled 'The Fabulous Faker Boy', will be: "He tries to get into a talent show that Bart is playing piano in and they won't admit him, draw your own conclusions".
He adds: "It's a cameo, but all of his fans should watch every minute of the show, before and after he's on".
'The Fabulous Faker Boy' airs in the US in 2013, which - according to normal trans-Atlantic TV protocol - will mean it won't be broadcast here for approximately 100 years. Sorry, British Beliebers.
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