| CMU Daily - on the inside Monday 14th April |
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In today's (rather long) CMU Daily:
- European parliament vote against forcing ISPs to act on P2P
- Baidu stresses it is pro copyright protection
- Vanilla Ice in domestic violence arrest
- Zappa festival sued by Zappa family
- Britney, car bumps, comeback talk, better Fed relations
- Lawrence Brown dies
- Kanye West on mother's death
- CSS bassist leaves
- Fratellis release delayed
- Duffy responds to Estelle's soulful remarks
- Keys talks up gangsta rap conspiracy theories
- Green Day confirm Foxboro project
- Serj Tankian solves global warming
- Coldplay reveal tracklisting
- Yauch makes basketball docu
- Grace Jones for Secret Garden
- Eminem to headline Mandela concert
- Santogold announces UK tour
- Blondie announce Parallel Lines tour
- Isle of Skye festival cancelled as financial problems continue
- Oasis for autumn O2 residency?
- Cohen cancels Benicassim appearance
- T On The Fringe gets more Edge
- Wireless goes national with weekenders
- Single review: The Black Ghosts - I Want Nothing
- Dupri launches new label with body spray brand
- Edge raise over £20 million despite all the credit crunch nonsense
- Imagem buy Boosey & Hawkes
- Nokia music store to get French launch this week
- Polls galore on new site
- Avril video exclusive on Imeem
- Ministry launch vodka brand
- Xfm Scotland and Manchester unlikely to be sold
- BBC stage events to big up licence fee
- Chart update
- Total Rock world album chart
- Sub.tv playlist
- Student radio chart
- Robbie Williams host UFO documentary
- Futurehead on marriage after T
- More Mills nonsense
- Madonna reveals too much about cookies
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TOP BIT
Well, we've got loads to announce in the Top Bit this week, so expect lots of careless self-promotion. Today, though, I thought I'd go back through all that logistical information that I included up here last week, on the basis that if you talk about these things often enough they eventually sink in.
So, first, if you want coverage for your artists or companies or nights or whatnot here in the CMU Daily simply email news stories and press releases to [email protected]. Obviously we get hundreds more press releases each week than we have space to report on, but we do check the musicnews inbox daily and pick out the best.
Your press release has more chance of making it as a story if all the text is in the body of the email (ie not as an attachment) and if the release includes a quote from the artist/company it is about.
If you are an unsigned band or independent label, don't worry about crafting up a full press release. When anything vaguely newsworthy happens email the basic details, if possible a quote, and any relevant factual information (eg release date, tour dates) - we are just as likely to report on a short email than a full blown press release.
As a general tip - avoid including large graphics in the email or including large image/audio file attachments - large emails that take an age to download generally piss off journalists (not us, we're too nice, but most other journalists).
As for reviews, well, the best thing to do is to mail a review CD and press release to CMU, UnLimited Media, Floor 3 Unicorn House, 221-222 Shoreditch High Street, London, E1 6PJ. All CDs are entered into our reviews database which is distributed to our nationwide review team each Tuesday. They pick what they want to review and we send the CDs to them. It normally takes about ten days from receiving a CD to having a review published in the CMU Daily. We are stepping up our reviewing again in the next month, so now is definitely a good time to get your CDs in.
To see about featuring your band in the Same Six Question section on the CMU Music Network website, email details of your band and any upcoming releases or tours to [email protected] and, if we reckon we like them, we'll mail you the questions and schedule them into an SSQ slot.
Finally, what about the SNAP Of The Day and Club Tip slots? Well, to put bands forward for the former email your details to [email protected], and to put your nights forward for the latter email the info to [email protected].
And finally finally, if it's the CMU Social or any other CMU type thing you want to talk about (you want to sponsor us, you want to advertise with us, you want us to provide you with content, you want to tell us we're great, or ask why today's Daily is out so late) email [email protected]
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SNAP OF THE DAY: JAMIE LIDELL
Emerging from his knob-twiddling, bedroom electronica days, Jamie Lidell's 2005 album, 'Multiply', marked him out as an extraordinary soul singer graced with a remarkable, full-bodied voice. His new work reaffirms this, with single 'A Little Bit of Feelgood' continuing where 'Multiply' left off, echoing 'Innvervisions' era Stevie Wonder and one of soul music's earliest proponents, Otis Redding. With its horn drenched chorus and utterly funktastic beat, he's moving even further afield from his label's (Warp) famed electronic releases, but by doing so he's become a greater commercial prospect than ever and almost certainly one of the indie's priority artists. Out today, 'ALBOF' is also streaming at the MySpace link below.
http://www.myspace.com/jamielidell
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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT VOTE AGAINST FORCING ISPS TO ACT ON P2P
This round to the internet service providers then. MEPs in the European Parliament last week voted through an amendment that favoured the ISPs in the big music business debate of the moment - whether or not the net firms should take a more proactive role in policing the file sharing of unlicensed music on the big bad internet.
As much previously reported, the music industry has been increasingly calling on the ISPs to play a bigger role in combating online piracy, perhaps by introducing a three strikes then you're out system, whereby when the music industry alerts an ISP that one of its customers is illegally sharing music, they give that customer two warnings and - if not heeded - cut off the customer's net access.
The internet service providers are generally not keen to take on such a role, with Charles Dunstone, the boss of UK ISP Talk Talk, getting particularly vocal on the matter earlier this month. However, political types in France, the UK and Australia have indicated some sympathies toward the music companies in this domain, with the UK government implying it may force the ISPs to act through legislation if no voluntary agreement can be reached in the next twelve months.
However, despite the possibility of government intervention in France and the UK, the chances of a pan-European solution for the music firms in this matter seem unlikely. First, on a legal level, when a Spanish court recently asked the European courts whether there were any European laws to force ISPs to help record companies target file sharers, the European legal types said no (even when, as in that case, the file sharing had been proven in court). And now, in a European Parliament debate on a review of the cultural industries put forward by French political type Guy Bono, an amendment that specifically removes talk of forcing ISPs to police file sharing has been passed, 314 votes to 297.
A spokesman for the parliament told arstechnica.com that MEPs wanted "to strike a balance between the interests of rights holders and those of consumers, and that [therefore] big measures like cutting off internet access shouldn't be used". And while the European parliamentarians said they recognised "a reform of intellectual property rights is vital for promoting creativity and encouraging the development of cultural works" it added that "criminalizing consumers who are not seeking to make a profit is not the right solution to combat digital piracy".
Needless to say, the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry wasn't too impressed by the amendment, which they described as "badly drafted" and "rushed". The trade body's Exec VP France Moore told reporters: "Many of the recommendations in this report stress the need to protect intellectual property as a driver of growth in the creative sector. The report also calls on the European Commission and member states to provide the necessary resources to ensure that intellectual property is respected and protected. However, one badly drafted, rushed-through amendment was adopted which is in contradiction to the rest of the text. If the aim of the report is to protect creative content, including in the online environment, we should be looking at all options available in the fight against copyright theft. Instead, this amendment suggested discarding certain options before there is even a proper debate".
Of course the European Parliament vote does not stop national governments introducing measures to force ISPs to act on file sharing, it simply reduces the chances of their being pan-European legislative action on the matter.
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BAIDU STRESSES IT IS PRO COPYRIGHT PROTECTION
Chinese search engine Baidu has responded to that previously reported second lawsuit filed against it by the record companies.
As previously reported, the major labels don't like Baidu's MP3 search facility which provides so called 'deep links' to digital audio files, many on the net illegally, which, the content owners argue, make accessing illegal sources of music much easier. A previous lawsuit against the search engine over the MP3 search thing was unsuccessful, but a subsequent change in Chinese copyright law meant that a similar case against Yahoo! China in relation to their MP3 search service went in the labels' favour. As a result, the music firms hope a second lawsuit against the Baidu service - which the Beijing courts have confirmed they will hear - will be more successful.
Responding to the lawsuit, Baidu seems keen to stress that it is and always has been a supporter of protecting copyrights on the net, and adds that it is working with music and media companies to try and achieve this. It said in a statement: "As the leader in Chinese-language search, Baidu has always been an advocate of improving the protection of copyrights on the internet. Baidu is committed to working with record and media companies to develop new digital entertainment business models and explore ways to promote licensed content. We have cooperated with a number of record companies, including leading labels such as EMI and Rolling Stone [sic], as well as nearly half of the domestic record companies". Whether any of that means it is willing to budge on its MP3 search tool - in or out of court - or whether it simply wants to avoid being seen as being dismissive of copyrights ahead of any court battle, I'm not sure.
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VANILLA ICE IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ARREST
So, Vanilla Ice, you all remember him right? The early white boy star of hip hop? Regular reality TV participant and, erm, star of Five's 'The Farm'? Well, anyway, Ice, real name Robert Van Winkle, of course, was last week arrested by Florida police after being accused of domestic battery.
The rapper was taken into custody after his wife called police saying that he had hit and kicked her - although she later changed her claims to say that he had pushed her. The alleged incident happened when Ice began arguing with his wife after she bought a new bathroom set without his permission. Which would rile a man. I guess. He was arrested Thursday and released Friday after a short court session.
Laura Van Winkle told police they had been arguing since Wednesday and that she now wanted to divorce the star. The pair have been married for 11 years and have two children.
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ZAPPA FESTIVAL SUED BY ZAPPA FAMILY
The future of a music festival set up in honour of Frank Zappa is in doubt following a lawsuit brought against the organisers by Zappa's widow Gail, demanding £200,000 for the right to use her late husband's name.
The Zappanale festival has been running in the German village of Bad Doberan since 1990 as a way of celebrating the records of the avant-garde musician whose records had previously been illegal under the East German Communist regime. Gail Zappa, who formed the Zappa Family Trust in 2002, is demanding that she has a say in which Zappa tribute acts play the event, that the festival's logo - Frank Zappa's trademark moustache and goatee - be scrapped, that a statue of the musician in the village be pulled down and that the organizers pay £200,000 for the right to use the Zappa name.
However, the festival's organisers say they took out a "patent" (or trademark, you'd think, but I'm not sure) on the Zappanale name almost 20 years ago, and therefore, in the words of the president of the society who promote the event, Thomas Dippel: "It's our opinion that we own the rights to the name". He also told reporters that the festival did not expect to make a profit and was already £120,000 in debt.
A Dusseldorf court will consider the dispute.
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BRITNEY, CAR BUMPS, COMEBACK TALK, BETTER FED RELATIONS
More from Planet Britney, and the singer has been involved in a minor road accident on the Ventura Freeway in Los Angeles. It seems Spears drove her Mercedes into a Nissan which in turn bumped into a vehicle in front of it, though this all happened in slow moving congested traffic, so there was no damage and no one was hurt.
So, a complete non-story, had it not been Spears at the wheel of the first car. More so because it's not the first time the popstress has been involved in a traffic incident - you'll remember the time she bumped into another vehicle in a car park and then drove off, leaving herself open to hit-and-run charges. She escaped those charges last year after reaching an out of court settlement with the owner of the other car.
Elsewhere in Britney news, speculation is rising that Larry Rudolph, Spears' one time manager, is planning on working with the pop star again. Speculation has risen since he went out of his way to tell MySpace Celebrity just how ready the singer is for a proper comeback.
He says: "She's still got a comeback in her. She's in great shape, I mean really great shape. She's in an amazing position for a comeback right now. She could end up being the biggest comeback in history. The public, for a while, was throwing darts at her. I think the tide turned and people started to understand what was going on with her. Everyone is rooting for her. Everybody wants to see her get through it... to see Britney back on stage. She is the world's greatest entertainer".
Referring to her recent previously reported appearance on TV sitcom 'How I Met Your Mother', he continued: "It was a really positive experience for her. She talked about it quite a bit the last time I saw her... She wants to do it again".
And finally in Britney news, gossip that she is back on good terms with ex-husband Kevin Federline after the couple spent two days together on the island of Maui. Apparently she even bought him a belated birthday present.
One of those sources told the Daily Star Sunday: "[Father and conservator James Spears] personally approved the mini-vacation and birthday present purchases. There is nothing more he and Brit's mom Lynne would love than for her and Kevin to get back together. Kevin's whole attitude to his ex-wife has changed. He can see she is responding to treatment for her bipolar disorder, staying sober and trying to rebuild her life and career. Though she is again becoming the woman he fell in love with, they both know rushing into remarriage too soon could be dangerous. So they're taking baby steps - and it seems to be working".
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LAWRENCE BROWN DIES
Lawrence Brown Sr, one of the original members of R&B/soul/doo-wop group Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, has died at the age of 63 after suffering from a respiratory condition. Brown continued to perform with the Blue Notes until January this year, when he was taken ill during a show taking place in Chester, Philadelphia. Throughout the lifespan of the band, and frequent changes to the line-up, Brown remained second tenor.
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KANYE WEST ON MOTHER'S DEATH
Kanye West has spoken about his mother's death from complications following cosmetic surgery, and how it's affected the way he does things now.
West, who shortly begins his 'Glow In The Dark' tour, wrote on his official blog: "I don't do anything I don't love anymore... I loved the flashing lights vid so it didn't matter 2 me if someone one else didn't. While people chase money I pursue happiness. So many people talk about there investments or how much money they have but there's so many rich people who spend a lot of that trying 2 buy a piece of happiness. If there's anything my mom taught me is to enjoy life. I just recorded my first verse in the last 6 months 2 days ago at Bape's Studio in Japan. It felt good and I was inspired. I absolutely lost my mind (in a good way) on the new Glow In The Dark tour. The constant hours of creating helped me 2 keep from loosing my mind in a bad way. Chris Milk told me tragedy can produce great art and this is definitely true. I am a total mad man now, up till 3 am every night, trying 2 fight pain, board-um, and uncertainty with creativity. All that said, life is good..... good as finding the perfect fabric for a simple one button casual blazer with matching pants".
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CSS BASSIST LEAVES
CSS have announced that their bass player, Ira Trevisan, has left the band. There is no plan to replace her, with drummer Adriano Cintra taking on the role of bassist. For live shows they plan to use a session drummer to replace Cintra.
Trevisan says of her decision to leave: "I decided to move forward and dedicate more of my time to fashion and other projects. Just a big change of priorities, as I will never stop playing music. I am also a bit worried about climate change. People should care more and do something about it. I decided to fly less. CSS will always be in my heart. They said goodbye to their bass player, but they won a new life-time fan. In health and sickness, in happiness and so forth. Blah blah blah, so help us God".
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FRATELLIS RELEASE DELAYED
It's emerged that the release of The Fratellis' second album was delayed because the chap who was supposed to be mixing their new LP wasn't able to take on the project. The record, originally supposed to be out around now, is now expected to be released in June.
Frontman Jon explains: "The guy cried off the day before he was due to start. I was devastated. You just want to give up. He hadn't finished the Coldplay album but, as much as I like them, I thought that was a rubbish reason".
He adds that something good came of it though - whilst waiting for a replacement technician, another song for the album got written. The singer says: "I wrote 'Straggler's Moon' a week before the new guy who mixed the record came in".
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DUFFY RESPONDS TO ESTELLE'S SOULFUL REMARKS
Duffy has responded to those comments made by Estelle recently in which she said that the UK music industry was unwilling to put serious money behind black artists, and in which she criticised Duffy and Adele for being touted as soul when, she said, they simply were not.
Speaking to Radio 1, Duffy said last week: "If the talent and the desire is there, I don't really think it matters what colour you are. We don't live in the 1950s any more, we're in a multicultural country. So no, I think that [Estelle's remarks] are pretty far from the truth, look around and I think you'll see that it [black soul] really does exist".
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KEYS TALKS UP GANGSTA RAP CONSPIRACY THEORIES
Alicia Keys has been peddling some hip hop conspiracy theories in an interview with Blender magazine. She reckons that American government types meddled in the world of hip hop back in the eighties and nineties - in part creating so called 'gangsta rap' - in a bid to cause renewed tensions in the black community, to hinder said community's attempts to gain ground in mainstream American politics. Those tensions, she says, led to the various hip hop rivalries that in turn left rappers Tupac Shakur and the Notorious BIG dead. Keys admitted that she has been reading several Black Panther autobiographies in recent months, which have probably fed the conspiracy beliefs. She told the magazine: "Gangsta rap was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other. Gangsta rap didn't exist. [It was created] by the government and the media, to stop another great black leader from existing".
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GREEN DAY CONFIRM FOXBORO PROJECT
Green Day have confirmed that The Foxboro Hot Tubs is, as I think everyone knew by now, them by another name. The band told MTV: "We think that the only similarity is that we are the same band. That is basically the only similarity... We are four guys who love to play music and be spontaneous, [and] after a few late night jams and a few too many bottles of wine, we were inspired to record some rockin' eight-track recordings".
The band have already released some songs via their side project for free online, though they now say there will be a proper album release, saying: "The record goes up for sale any day. We hope people have a chance to pick up the soon to be released vinyl. If you want to buy it, buy it. If you already have it, buy it anyway!"
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SERJ TANKIAN SOLVES GLOBAL WARMING
System Of A Down frontman and recent solo artist Serj Tankian has been telling Billboard his ideas on how to combat global warming. "I've had an idea for a long time, which might sound a little crazy," he told the trade mag, "but I really want to look into holographic touring". Oh.
"I think we could reduce our need to travel if we could project ourselves into meetings and concerts", he continued. "We have the technology, and we're not using it right now. It would open up a whole new world for touring. Shows wouldn't have to be limited to bars or clubs. There would be no travel costs, so bands with very little money could play shows and tickets would cost less".
Do we have really "have the technology"? Maybe I'm a bit behind on the latest scientific developments in this area. Answers on a postcard to the usual address.
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COLDPLAY REVEAL TRACKLISTING
After being voted the band most likely to induce sleep last week, Coldplay have released the tracklisting for their forthcoming album, 'Viva La Vida'. And I must admit, I'm feeling a bit sleepy already.
Life In Technicolor
Cemeteries Of London
Lost!
42
Lovers In Japan/Reign Of Love
Yes
Viva La Vida
Violet Hill
Strawberry Swing
Death And All His Friends
The album will be released on 16 Jun and is named after a painting by Frida Kahlo. Although the band have hinted a single release prior to the album, no names or dates have been given as yet. Exciting.
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YAUCH MAKES BASKETBALL DOCU
Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch has made a documentary about American high school basketball players and their attempts to make a career in the sport. 'Gunnin' For That No 1 Spot', due to premiere at New York's Tribeca Film Festival on 28 Apr, features players who, since the filming began two years ago, have become big college basketball stars, although frankly their names don't mean anything to me, because I'm British. Heard of Kevin Love or Michael Beasley, anyone?
Yauch says he found it interesting how the young players generated so much media interest. He told the AP: "They have this infrastructure around them, and they are being groomed for stardom. When I was in high school I wasn't getting the quantity of media that these guys are. But it's not necessarily a bad thing".
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GRACE JONES FOR SECRET GARDEN
Grace Jones has been confirmed as one of the headliners for this year's Secret Garden Party. She tops a bill that includes the likes of Sons and Daughters, Glasvegas, Infadels, Morcheeba and Eddy Temple-Morris. Further acts, including two more headliners, are to be announced shortly. Tickets for the event, which takes place near Huntingdon from 24 - 27 Jul, are priced at £125. See http://www.secretgardenparty.com.
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EMINEM TO HEADLINE MANDELA CONCERT
Eminem is set to headline Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday concert, which will take place on 27 Jun in London's Hyde Park. The event will be hosted by Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
Acts so far confirmed for the event are Queen, Annie Lennox, Stevie Wonder and Razorlight. U2, the Spice Girls and Paul McCartney have also apparently been approached to play.
Tickets for the event will be sold via one of those pre-registration system things.
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SANTOGOLD ANNOUNCES UK TOUR
Santogold has announced a tour of the UK and Ireland, which is all well and good, except that her London show at the Scala is on the same night as the June CMU Social. So, I can't go to her gig and she can't come to ours, which is particularly sad news for her. Anyway, here are the dates:
16 May: Manchester Roadhouse
17 May: Brighton Digital
17 May: Brighton Concorde 2
24 May: Bristol Thekla
25 May: Nottingham Rescue Rooms
26 May: Birmingham Bar Academy
30 May: Glasgow Sub Club
1 Jun: Dublin Crawdaddy
3 Jun: London Scala
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BLONDIE ANNOUNCE PARALLEL LINES TOUR
Blondie will play a string of live shows this summer to mark the 30th anniversary of their classic 'Parallel Lines' album. The show will hit the UK in July, with dates as follows:
5 Jul: Guilfest, Guildford
6 Jul: Carling Academy, Bristol
22 Jul: Echo Arena, Liverpool
26 Jul: Carling Academy, Glasgow
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ISLE OF SKYE FESTIVAL CANCELLED AS FINANCIAL PROBLEMS CONTINUE
Organisers of the Isle Of Skye Festival, launched in 2005 and last year headlined by Kasabian, Primal Scream and KT Tunstall, have announced this year's event has been cancelled because of debts that have spiralled up to half a million, seemingly because hopes to expand the event in 2007 with those there high profile headliners were not so successful in terms of ticket sales. Some smaller acts are reportedly still to be paid for the 2007 event, and the financial problems have made a 2008 event impossible. Festival Director John Gilbertson admits: "We jumped out of our league. The festival was expecting 8,000 people a day and we managed half that".
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OASIS FOR AUTUMN O2 RESIDENCY?
In the same way every classic band is seemingly "in talks with Live Nation about a 360 degree deal", so every classic band is reportedly "close to confirming an O2 residency". But, given that every classic band IS seemingly in talks with Live Nation, perhaps all these bands are about to announce big runs at East London's The O2. The latest band rumoured to be planning a stay at the Dome are Oasis, who are rumoured to be considering a residency there to coincide with the release of their seventh studio album. The Sunday Mirror quote a "band insider" this weekend as saying: "The dates will be a real special event - and the first major rock residency at The O2. There have been lots of pop acts there - The Spice Girls and Prince. Led Zeppelin did one date. But no band has yet to set up camp there for a whole run. They are lining up 10 dates some time in the autumn at the Dome before taking on the rest of the world".
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COHEN CANCELS BENICASSIM APPEARANCE
According to reports, Leonard Cohen has cancelled his planned appearance at this year's Benicassim festival. Apparently, a post has been made on Cohen's online forum confirming that he will not appear at the Spanish event, which has received some angry responses from fans who have bought tickets for the festival in order to see him play. Reports suggest that Benicassim refuse to be drawn either way and seem to be saying that the festival consider the matter to be subject to negotiation.
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T ON THE FRINGE GETS MORE EDGE
Following the announcement earlier this year that the DF Concerts music strand at the Edinburgh Festival would no longer be sponsored by Tennents, and therefore no longer be known as T On The Fringe, DF announced on Friday that the strand would, from this point onwards, be known as The Edge. So, take note. Despite the new name, the music programme will follow a similar format to past years, with a range of gigs of different level artists at the city's Cabaret Voltaire, the Liquid Room and the Corn Exchange venues.
Confirming the new name, DF's Dave Corbet told CMU: "I'm really looking forward to bringing some of the hottest talent from around the globe to a truly international audience once again as part of the Edinburgh festivals. Over the last eight years T on the Fringe became one of the biggest selling events of the festival and one of Scotland's most popular music festivals and we are confident that this popularity will continue with The Edge. In 2008 there will be no outdoor shows due to the types of artists available this year but we will be putting on more gigs than ever at venues such as the Corn Exchange and Cabaret Voltaire".
A line up will be unveiled in June.
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WIRELESS GOES NATIONAL WITH WEEKENDERS
To tie in with the previously reported Wireless festival in Hyde Park London, the festival's sponsors, O2, have announced five 'Wireless Weekenders' which will take place in city's around the UK. Each Weekender will consist of various gigs at different venues in each city, which will include performances from some of the following: We Are Scientists, Reverend And The Makers, Sam Sparro, Young Knives, The Rascals, Scouting For Girls, Does It Offend You Yeah and Dan Le sac Vs Scroobius Pip. There will also be a daytime event in each city providing aspiring artists with guidance on how to make it in the good old music business. The Weekends will take place in Newcastle, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol during May.
O2 Marketing Director Sally Cowdry says this: "Over the past three years, the O2 Wireless Festival has established itself as one of the UK's top music events, entertaining music fans in London and Leeds and providing O2 customers with unique VIP experiences. With the O2 Wireless Weekenders we can bring everything that's great about O2 Wireless to even more UK cities, including some of the best up-and-coming acts and advice and guidance for people looking to break into the music industry".
Press info on it all from Hall Or Nothing.
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SINGLE REVIEW: The Black Ghosts - I Want Nothing (Southern Fried)
Not a day goes by without yet more juicy electro goodness to pontificate over. It's hard to believe this kind of music is currently so ultra fashionable. Just how did that happen? Anyway, today it's the turn of The Black Ghosts (aka Simon Lord and Theo Keating, ex of Simian and The Wiseguys respectively) to strut their synths and get you moving.
'I Want Nothing' is nice dancey pop somewhere between electroclash and nu rave, with some hands in the air synth stabs set to crunchy guitars and an expansive chorus made of pure pop gold, all with a slightly sinister dark edginess about it, which you might expect, given the duo's name, really. Exactly the kind of track you'd expect to hear coming out of Relish Records (i.e. storming retro electro), this is akin to Fischerspooner with a better understanding of what makes a great pop song. Sinden, Marcus Lange, Vincent Markowski and Jack Beats all complete the remix package, with various interpretations, none of which are anything revolutionary but all are perfectly respectable. MS
Release date: 24 Apr
Press contact: Bang On [all]
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DUPRI LAUNCHES NEW LABEL WITH BODY SPRAY BRAND
Universal's Island Def Jam and hip hop mogul type Jermaine Dupri are launching an interesting new hip hop label - in collaboration with North American 'body spray' brand TAG. In the same way Starbucks' record label can use its coffee houses to promote its music, artists signed to TAG Records will get promotion via the body spray brand's mega marketing campaigns. Dupri told reporters last week: "This label is going to provide new artists with a chance of a lifetime. New artists will receive ten times the typical marketing support - a first in the industry". The new label will announce its first presumably fragrant signing next month. TAG Records should not, of course, be confused with US based music consultancy TAG Strategic, which has nothing to do with deodorant, and is so called because it was founded by a Ted and a Gary, former EMI digital exec Ted Cohen and new media expert Gary Price.
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EDGE RAISE OVER £20 MILLION DESPITE ALL THE CREDIT CRUNCH NONSENSE
Is it just me that pictures a new kind of Muller dessert everytime you hear about the "credit crunch"? Well, I'm picturing that just now because entertainment investment house the Edge Group has just been telling me how they've "defied the credit crunch" and succeeded in bringing in £21.5 million in cash in its latest call for investors. The influx of money means Edge now manage £40 million in funds, which, they tell me, and who am I to argue, is twice as big as any other fund specialising in live music and events.
Edge founder David Glick told CMU: "We are very pleased that Edge has managed to outperform what was a very tough market this year for anyone trying to raise money, for obvious reasons. This wasn't a surprise to us. We always felt our combination of a de-risked investment - Edge offers an underpinned minimum return - into a growth market with attractive returns would prove increasingly attractive to investors as more risky investments seem less and less interesting in the current economic climate. This was our third fundraising round and word is clearly spreading about the high quality of our investments. It is a vote of confidence in Edge, but it is also a vote of confidence in the live music and events business".
So, there you have it. Now all they need to do is spend the cash. Oh, and earn a sound return on their clients' investments.
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IMAGEM BUY BOOSEY & HAWKES
Classical music publishers Boosey & Hawkes has been bought by rival publisher Imagem Music, the previously reported joint venture (though we called them ImageMusic last time we reported on them, because I'm sure that's what they called themselves at the time) set up by indie music publishers CP Masters and Dutch pension fund ABP. Imagem is the outfit that bought a chunk of the publishing catalogues Universal was forced to sell when it acquired BMG Music Publishing.
B&H's most recent owners, equity outfit HgCapital, confirmed the sale on Friday, with this delightful quote: "The sale completes a successful four-year investment for HgCapital, and represents a significant return following its original acquisition of Boosey & Hawkes, then a public company, for £75 million in December 2003". So, that's lovely.
B&H will continue to be run by current CEO John Minch and his existing management team, who have been busy reinventing the company in recent years to respond to the various new opportunities that exist in the music publishing domain. Confirming the deal from ABP's side, Head Of Strategy Ronald Wuijster told reporters: "We view this transaction as a great add-on to our recent acquisition of certain catalogues with popular music content from Universal Music Group. This acquisition of the largest classical music rights catalogue in the world greatly diversifies our portfolio and strengthens our position. We are committed to be a long-term investor in this space".
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NOKIA MUSIC STORE TO GET FRENCH LAUNCH THIS WEEK
The Nokia Music Store, the mobile and internet download store launched here in the UK late last year, is set to arrive in France this week, according to Billboard. Some label deals are reportedly still to be finalised, but insiders are hopeful to have everything in place for a speedy launch this week.
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POLLS GALORE ON NEW SITE
The former Head Of Digital at Island Records, Glenn Cooper, is launching a new website that hopes to capitalise on our collected passion for top five lists. Polls The People will encourage punters to submit their top five this and top five that - with some polls relevant to new releases or world events - and the overall opinions of everyone registered will be available via the site, searchable with all kind of demographic slants. The site is already live in beta and will go properly live later in the month. Retailers will be given stickers for products that appear in Top 50s on the poll site, and there are talks about turning the whole thing into a TV show. The site has been developed by digital marketing agency Hyperlaunch.
On the whole thing, Cooper told CMU: "Poll the People was borne out of frustration with the endless stream of magazine, TV and online polls where results were based on a very limited survey. I saw an opportunity to combine the global obsession with polls and top 5 list-making with the increasingly popular world of online communities to create a truly definitive survey based wholly on public opinion. Having worked with Hyperlaunch on a number of high-profile Island Record campaigns over the last 6 years, they were the natural partner to help me realise my vision for this exciting new site".
Hyperlaunch MD Jon Morgan added: "With 'Poll the People' we're giving people the chance to define themselves through their music, film and book choices, whilst leveraging the power of online communities to create a truly democratic, ever-evolving list of the worlds' favourite books, films and albums of all time".
Go check at http://www.pollthepeople.com/
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AVRIL VIDEO EXCLUSIVE ON IMEEM
Following their recent Rolling Stones preview exclusive, music based social networking website Imeem has announced a video exclusive from Avril Lavigne. Which is great news. For Lavigne fans. The social network had a first preview of the video to her new single 'The Best Damn Thing', which is due out next month. They are also offering a full track on-demand preview of the album from which that song is the title track, though given it came out last year presumably anyone who's interested already has a copy.
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MINISTRY LAUNCH VODKA BRAND
Ministry Of Sound has launched its own vodka brand, which is nice. For vodka drinking Ministry fans. Here's what the clubbing brand's Nicola Heyes has to say: "We wanted to take our vodka in a completely new direction from existing brands, to offer a clear point of difference and to provide synergy with the ethos of Ministry of Sound. The aim is to introduce Ministry of Sound vodka to both clubbers and non-clubbers and produce a series of campaigns that really connect with our whole target audience".
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XFM SCOTLAND AND MANCHESTER UNLIKELY TO BE SOLD
If Global Radio's current takeover of rivals GCap is completed, then the latter's alternative station Xfm will keep its Scottish and Manchester outposts. As previously reported, GCap CEO Fru Hazlitt has announced her intention to sell all three of the non-London Xfm licences as part of her bid to turn round the radio firm's fortunes. However, that was before the latest Global takeover offer was accepted by GCap management, and it now seems Xfm Scotland and Xfm Manchester will be saved, though the recently launched Xfm South Wales still seems likely to be sold. GCap is also unlikely to go through with Hazlitt's plans to sell the company's share in digital audio broadcasting company Digital One, a sale that has been on hold since Global began its most recent takeover talks. It's not clear what will happen to the Xfm South Wales station if it is sold.
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BBC STAGE EVENTS TO BIG UP LICENCE FEE
The BBC is planning a series of lectures fronted by the likes of David Attenborough and Stephen Fry bigging up public service broadcasting, seemingly an attempt to justify the TV licence and, some reckon, possibly an attempt to reinforce the Beeb's exclusive claim to licence revenues, something which was questioned again last week when media regulator OfCom said one solution to the fact commercial broadcasters like ITV and Channel 4 were struggling to fund their public service obligations was to give them a cut of the licence fee.
OfCom boss Ed Richards has clarified the situation slightly, saying he is a big fan of the BBC and has no desire to hinder its operations, but adding that a new way needed to be found to help the ITV and Channel 4s of the world meet their public service aims. He said last week: "I am a strong supporter of the BBC. I am very happy to get into a competition with anybody about who loves David Attenborough and Stephen Fry the most. The BBC does a lot of exceptionally good, very valuable broadcasting ... but that is not a good argument for saying let's just forget everybody else".
OfCom will consult the wider industry on the various options for funding public service broadcasting before publishing a review report later this year and final recommendations next year.
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CHART UPDATE
So, Estelle and Kanye West are still number one in the old singles chart with 'Amerian Boy', with Sam Sparro and Flo Rida following in second and third place. New entries this week come from September with 'Cry For You' at 9, Black Kids with 'I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend Now' at 11, Fragma with 'Toca's Miracle 2008' at 16, Elliot Minor with 'Parallel Worlds' at 22, Last Shadow Puppets with 'The Age Of Understatement' at 24, Will.I.Am's 'Heartbreaker' at 29, Cahill with 'Trippin On You' at 37 and Adele with 'Hometown Glory' at 38.
Albums wise, Duffy is still top, while the Rolling Stones have the highest new entry with their movie soundtracking 'Shine A Light' going in at two. Other new entries go like this: Courteeners with 'St Jude' at 4, James with 'Hey Ma' at 10, a Tammy Wynette best of at 23 and The Enemy with 'We'll Live And Die In These Towns' at 25.
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TOTAL ROCK WORLD ALBUM CHART
It's the Total Rock World Album Chart, as counted down on Total Rock over the weekend - http://www.totalrock.com. New entries and re-entries marked with a *.
1. Panic At The Disco - Pretty. Odd (Warner/Atlantic)*
2. Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (SonyBMG)
3. Linkin Park - Minutes To Midnight (Warner Bros)
4. Nickelback - All The Right Reasons (Warner/Roadrunner)
5. Simple Plan - Simple Plan (Warner/Atlantic)
6. Eagles - Long Road Out Of Eden (Universal)
7. Led Zeppelin - Mothership (Swan Song)
8. Eddie Vedder - Into The Wild (SonyBMG/J Records)
9. Daughtry - Daughtry (SonyBMG)
10. Buckcherry - 15 (Eleven Seven Music)
11. Cavalera Conspiracy - Inflikted (Warner/Roadrunner)*
12. Bon Jovi - Lost Highway (Universal/Mercury)
13. Bullet For My Valentine - Scream Aim Fire (SonyBMG)
14. Queen - Greatest Hits Vols. 1, 2, 3 (EMI)
15. Paramore - Riot! (Warner/Atlantic)
16. Bruce Springsteen - Magic (SonyBMG/Columbia)
17. Black Crowes - Warpaint (Silver Arrow)
18. Nightwish - Dark Passion Play (Nuclear Blast.)
19. Deep Purple - Very Best Of (EMI)*
20. Kid Rock - Rock - N Roll Jesus (Warner/Atlantic)*
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SUB.TV PLAYLIST
Here they are again, the videos being played on the Sub.tv video screen network in students' unions all over the UK. New entries marked with a *.
A-List
Against Me! - Stop (Warner)
Black Kids - I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend... (Almost Gold)
Delays - Hooray (Universal/Fiction)
The Envy Corps - Story Problem (Universal/Vertigo)
Estelle feat. Kanye West - American Boy (Warner/Atlantic)
Funkerman - Speed Up (Defected)
Goldfrapp - Happiness (EMI/Mute)
The Hoosiers - Cops and Robbers (SonyBMG/RCA)
Justice - DVNO (Ed Banger)
Kelly Rowland - Daylight (SonyBMG/RCA)
The Kooks - Always Where I Need To Be (EMI/Virgin)
The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age Of The Understatement (Domino)
One Night Only - It's About Time (Universal/Mercury)
Plain White T's - Our Time Now (Charisma)
Wiley - Wearing My Rolex (Warner/Atlantic)*
The Wombats - Backfire At The Disco (Warner/14th Floor)
B-List
Captain - Keep An Open Mind (EMI)
Crystal Castles - Courtship Dating (PIAS)*
Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - Look For The Woman (Sunday Best)*
Hadouken - Declaration Of War (Warner/Atlantic)
Kids In Glass Houses - Give Me What I Want (Warner/Roadrunner)*
Los Campesinos! - My Year In Lists (Wichita)
Make Model - The LSB (EMI)
Noah and the Whale - Shape Of My Heart (Young & Lost Club)
Operahouse - Diane (Marrakesh)*
Pendulum - Propane Nightmares (Warner)
Portishead - Machine Gun (Universal/Island)
The Script - We Cry (SonyBMG/RCA)
The Shortwave Set - No Social (Wall Of Sound)*
Simple Plan - Your Love Is A Lie (Warner/Atlantic)*
The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name (SonyBMG/Columbia)*
Tokyo Police Club - Tessellate (Memphis Industries)*
White Denim - Let's Talk About It (Full Time Hobby)
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STUDENT RADIO CHART
As played out live on air on 12 student radio stations this Sunday at 3pm, it's the official Student Radio Chart from the Student Radio Association, back after its Easter break. More info at http://www.studentradiochart.com
1. [19] The Kooks - Always Where I Need to be
2. [5] Panic at the Disco - Nine in the Afternoon
3. [7] The Futureheads - The Beginning of the Twist
4. [12] Gnarls Barkley - Run
5. [1] Foals - Cassius
6. [6] We are Scientists - After Hours
7. [2] Hot Chip - Ready for the Floor
8. [New] Delays - Hooray
9. [New] Nickleback - Rockstar
10. [New] The Black Keys - Strange Times
11. [Re] Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly - Find the Time
12. [4] Mystery Jets ft Laura Marling - Young Love
13. [New] Rogue Wave - Like I Needed
14. [8] Alphabeat - Fascination
15. [3] Kylie - Wow
16. [New] Athlete - Hurricane
17. [14] Kate Nash - Merry Happy
18. [New] Pendulum - Propane Nightmare
19. [7] The Wombats - Moving to New York
20. [New] Madonna ft Justin Timberlake - 4 Minutes
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ROBBIE WILLIAMS HOST UFO DOCUMENTARY
It was only last month that Robbie Williams was saying "I want to go out and investigate [aliens]. I'm stopping being a pop star and becoming a full-time ufologist" and now he's taking the first step in that direction with a BBC Radio 4 documentary next month.
The ex-Take That singer recorded the show with journalist Jon Ronson in Los Angeles earlier this year and at a UFO conference in Laughlin, Nevada. Entitled 'Robbie Williams And Jon Ronson Journey To The Other Side', the show will be aired on 6 May at 6:30pm. You'll have to listen to it on the BBC's Listen Again thing, though, because you'll be at CMU Social.
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FUTUREHEAD ON MARRIAGE AFTER T
According to the Daily Record, Futurehead Barry Hyde is thinking about playing T In The Park this summer, despite the fact that he is due to marry Dananananaykroyd bassist Laura Donaghey the following day. The pair apparently scheduled their nuptials so as not to clash with the festival, but unfortunately for them, T isn't taking place on the dates they expected.
Hyde told the tabloid: "Laura and I actually purposely chose July 13th as the date for the wedding, so that it wouldn't clash with T In The Park. But the festival's dates have been brought forward a week this year and, when it was announced, we were just gutted. Laura would love me to play it, too, and she would probably want to come and watch. But I guess that might cause a few problems, as we're not supposed to see each other the night before the wedding. It would have to be separate tents! I'm really not sure what to do for the best. But I guess playing a festival the night before you get married would be an amazing stag night. We are still talking about it and trying to make it work but it is a bit of a logistical nightmare".
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MORE MILLS NONSENSE
More Heather Mills madness everybody. The former Mrs Macca has given another interview to GMTV, this time looking back at her much reported divorce hearing. She again commented on how Paul McCartney's lawyer, Fiona Shackleton, came to look rather damp immediately after the conclusion of the hearing, telling the TV station: "Mrs Shackleton said something under her breath so I cleansed and baptised her. I thought she looked fantastic - I thought it did her the world of good".
Meanwhile, asked about McCartney's current private life, she observed: "Well I think he's got three different girlfriends so I wish all the girls the best of luck".
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MADONNA REVEALS TOO MUCH ABOUT COOKIES
According to reports, Madonna's hubby Guy Ritchie has been on the cookie diet. Which is one of those fad diets in which some 'doctor' brings out a range of products and you have to buy them all in order to follow the regime. Mrs Ritchie wasn't too impressed, because her husband wasn't up to much bedroom action. "My husband was on that [cookie] diet and it was such a turn off because he didn't want to have sex," she says. "He's not on it anymore - thank God!"
Presumably he didn't want to have sex because he didn't have the energy to. But that's all the speculating I'm going to do, because I really don't want to think about this any more than I already have.