| CMU Daily - on the inside 14 Apr 2003 |
|
In today's CMU Daily:
• Apple may buy Universal Music
• Snoop Dogg unharmed after his entourage is shot at
• Incubus settle dispute with Sony
• Popstar Tweedy denies racial attack
• Review: Simian – La Breeze
• Arrest after man allegedly manufactured a Bjork gig
• Glastonbury waiting list closed
• Eminem responds to Ja Rule’s dis rap
• Lowdown on Sky’s music channel line up
• Locomotion singer dies
• Live Review: The Rapture @ The Scala
• New radio licences awarded
• Island Def Jam moves into the fan club business
• Another Osbourne to play Homelands
• Asa says BBC Freeview channels are free
• Review: Nigel Hayes - It’s Your Move
• Dynamite wins race in media accolade
• 3D on his horrendous year
• Blue boy stopped by police for driving his own car
------------------------------------------------
CMU POP QUIZ
With Mr Scruff's remixed Sweetsmoke CD out end of May, we have some Scruff goodies (a mug, t-shirt and some vinyl) to give away. To be in with a chance of winning keep the answers to our sample related pop quiz questions each day this week – details of how to win on Thursday.
Q1: What Led Zeppelin track did the drums on De La Soul's 'Three is the Magic Number' come from?
------------------------------------------------
OUT TODAY – RECOMMENDED RELEASES
Singles: The Kills – Fried My Little Brains (Domino); Madonna – AmericanLife (Warner/Maverick); Meatloaf – Couldn't Have Said It Better (Universal/Mercury); Robbie Williams – Come Undone (EMI/Parlophone); Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Date With My Night (Universal/Polydor)
Albums: Run DMC – Greatest Hits (BMG/Arista); Various – Back To The Old Skool (Ministry of Sound); Who – A Quick One (Remastered) (Universal/Polydor); Cream – At The BBC (Universal/Polydor)
------------------------------------------------
CHART REPORT
Well after a few weeks of fine music filling the charts, the singles chart is looking less attractive this week. The slightly tiresome Room 5 track (which, OK, comes from the Lynx ad campaign, and not the Sure ads as we said last week) is still at number one, with the rather dreadful 'Cry' from Kym Marsh the highest new entry at number two (a song which caused my colleague to come up with the term 'disposapop', which is a pretty damn good description if you ask me).
Although 50 Cent's 'In Da Club' slips up two places, and Junior Senior is still in the top five, all in all it's a pretty poor top ten this week. New entries wise the highlights have to be Jacknife Lee's Run DMC remix at 20, the excellent The Transplants who go in with 'Diamonds and Guns' at 27 and the rather catchy Erasure cover of 'Make Me Smile' which goes in at 14. If you're a fan you’ll also be glad that Queens of the Stone Age's 'Go With The Flow' goes in at 21 and Richard Ashcroft is back at 26 with 'Buy It In Bottles'.
Albums-wise things are a bit better, though, while the top ten looks quite healthy (White Stripes still at number one, and Coldplay, Avril Lavinge, Linkin Park, Justin Timberlake and 50 Cent all appearing) there is very little new stuff in there except, ahem, the best of the Lighthouse Family. In fact with the exception of the aforementioned Family Lighthouse and the rather good Athlete in at 19 with 'Vehicles and Animals', there are no new entries at all!
------------------------------------------------
APPLE MAY BUY UNIVERSAL MUSIC
Well here is a turn up for the books in the world of major label mergers and acquisitions. Rumour has it Apple Computer is in discussions to buy Universal Music off struggling media giant Vivendi Universal. As you know, Vivendi have been selling off constituent companies in a bid to cover giant debts that crippled the company after alleged financial mis reporting last year.
Although the French media-giant said it wasn't actively considering selling off its music assets (which include Mercury, Polydor and Island in the UK), speculation grew with regards the future of the group's American based entertainment division after its boss, Barry Diller, quit the company last month. The latest reports, unconfirmed by either side, suggest Apple Computers is willing to pay up to $5bn-6bn to buy Universal's music assets. Presumably the deal would be part of Apple's move into online music – they recently signed deals with all five majors to distribute music via a new online music site designed for use with Apple's iPod MP3 player.
Although those contracts give the Apple network access to more or less every major artist, ownership of one of the majors may offer certain levels of exclusivity. That said, one analyst the BBC spoke to didn't see a purchase of Universal as a particularly logical step for the computer company – "the deal would make little sense for Apple and it wouldn't change our recommendation on Apple stock. But since we were already recommending clients to sell, things couldn't get much worse."
Some feel an outright purchase of a major label would be an extreme measure to simply enhance an online proposition, especially by a company that has had its own financial woes over the years. But competition authorities would probably be more enthusiastic about a computer firm entering the music industry than Universal's music assets merging with those of another major record company.
On a different note, if Apple did buy Universal Music there might be some naming issues. When Apple launched their computer business back in the early 80s Beatles label Apple Music gave them permission to use the name on the condition they never went into the music business!
------------------------------------------------
SNOOP DOGG UNHARMED AFTER HIS ENTOURAGE IS SHOT AT
Police have confirmed that Snoop Dogg was in a car which was shot at in LA on Friday, but that the rapper was unhurt. Reports suggest that the rapper and his entourage (which included seven bodyguards) were travelling through LA in a fleet of five cars late night Thursday local time when another car pulled alongside the convoy and three men with guns opened fire. Bullets hit two of the vehicles injuring one of the bodyguards. The injured man was taken to hospital but subsequently discharged. A police spokesman said it appears that one of the shooters wanted to speak with the rapper. Words were exchanged, followed by gunfire. It wasn't known what was said prior to the shooting.
------------------------------------------------
INCUBUS SETTLE DISPUTE WITH SONY
Rockers Incubus have reached a settlement in their legal action against Sony Music. As previously reported, Incubus sued to get out of their 1996 contract using the Californian state law that says entertainment companies can only claim exclusivity to an artist for seven years. But Sony counter-sued claiming the band owed them four more albums. In a statement, delivered jointly by the band's management and the label this weekend, reporters were told "the band and label have amicably resolved their differences, and will continue with their highly successful relationship." Reports suggested the label had offered an $8 million advance for the band's next album and $2.5 million each for two additional sets, as well as committing to $3 million in unrecoupable promotional expenditure. As reported last week, Incubus has parted company with founding bassist Dirk Lance and replaced him with former Roots bassist Ben Kenney, though it doesn't seem that decision was linked to the ongoing legal dispute with Sony.
---------------------------------------------
POPSTAR TWEEDY DENIES RACIAL ATTACK
Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy, starting her defence at Guildford Magistrates Court on Friday, denied those much reported allegations of committing a racial attack against nightclub attendant back in January. But that is more or less all that happened - at Tweedy's request the case was adjourned for a committal hearing on 4 Jun.
----------------------------------------------
REVIEW: Simian – La Breeze (Virgin/Source)
If there's anything more suspicious than being labelled "quirky", it's being accused of "taking a sideways look" at something. Just stop it. If you take a sideways look at something, you're likely to hurt your neck. Unless you're stuck lying in bed. And we don’t mock the bed-ridden here, so we’ll leave it. Quirky isn't what you’d describe Simian – a plain and simple use of the word splendid would suffice. Laced with discordant hooks and harmonies, this sun-drenched fusion of Delakota's instrumentation and Morgan's vocals sounds like a joyous mash of alt-country and ambient that you can clap and stamp along to. Daffy and non-formulaic, it switches between principles so quickly and seamlessly I was stunned to discover it lasts less than 3 minutes. TO
Release date: 12 May
Press contact: Virgin IH [all]
-----------------------------------------------
ARREST AFTER MAN ALLEGEDLY MANUFACTURES A BJORK GIG
A much more interesting pop related court trial this one. A 25-year-old man has been ordered to stand trial in the US over allegations he sold $14,000 worth of tickets for a Bjork gig that was never going to happen, and then ran off to Hawaii with the monies. It is alleged Alex Conate duped the manager of a San Diego nightclub into believing Bjork had agreed to perform. He then started selling $40 tickets to fans – but ran off with the takings before it was revealed Bjork had never been booked to play. Conate, who claims he is innocent, was subsequently arrested in Hawaii and now awaits trail.
-----------------------------------------------
GLASTONBURY WAITING LIST CLOSED
Elsewhere in the world of tickets, more on the Glastonbury sell out and attempts to stop touts from selling highly inflated tickets and redistributing the tickets bought by touts to a waiting list of real fans. Needless to say the Glastonbury office has been swamped with calls since a waiting list for redistributed tickets was announced at the end of last week. The list is now closed and Michael Eavis has warned many who called in will be disappointed. He told NME: "Let me explain the situation - we did make a list because we thought we'd have about 500 tickets back. We still have to retrieve them and make sure the whole legal thing is all above board, but we think we've got in the region of 500 tickets. We won't have any more tickets available. The ones that we can retrieve have all been bagged. The list is now closed, I'm afraid."
Meanwhile one Glastonbury fan has set up a website where anyone with a Glastonbury ticket unable to attend the festival can sell their tickets on – but only at the advertising ticket price. Richard Marks explained: "I've been going to the Glastonbury Festival on and off since 1983, and I was so annoyed at the touting of tickets that I've decided to do something about it. I've set up a web site, where people can buy tickets from others at face value. It works a bit like a dating agency. I've made sure that anyone buying tickets is aware of the risks they are taking in buying second hand tickets from dodgy dealer. I'm not making any money out of this, I'm doing this out of my love for the Glastonbury Festival and my determination to stop the forces of greed from spoiling an event promoting the ideals I support." His website is at http://www.scarletmist.com.
-----------------------------------------------
EMINEM RESPONDS TO J RULE'S DIS RAP
Well, the Eminem / Ja Rule war of rapped words continues. In an Eminem / 50 Cent freestyle aired on a New York radio station at the end of last week Slim Shady went back on the attack after Ja Rule's latest anti-50 Cent/Eminem rap earlier this month. Rapped over the beat to Tupac's 'Hail Mary' the track starts with 50's manager Chris Lighty, who Ja labelled a "coward" on his last freestyle, shouting insults at Ja collaborator and Murder Inc Records founder Irv Gotti - he eloquently shouts "Fuck you, Gotti!". Eminem then joins in with: "Irv Gotti / too much Bacardi in his body / you ain't a killer / you a pussy / that ecstasy got you all emotional and mushy / bitches wearing rags in photos / Ja's word being quoted / In The Source / stealing Pac's shit like he just wrote it." 50 Cents continues the rap, insinuating that Ja is a closet homosexual and declaring Irv Gotti is old and flabby like retired boxing great Larry Holmes. According to a Shady Records spokesman the freestyle will be featured on a mixtape due to released this week – 'Invasion Part II: Conspiracy Theory', the sequel to last year's 'Invasion'.
-----------------------------------------------
LOWDOWN ON SKY'S MUSIC CHANNEL LINE UP
Media website Digital Spy have been given some information on programmes we can expect from Sky's new music channels, which launch later this week. It looks like a small number of documentary and feature type shows will break up back-to-back videos. Shows reported to be among the schedules of rock channel 'Scuzz' are a quirky cartoon series called 'Cuddly Snuff', an extreme sports magazine called 'Freesports', a show about amps, guitars and musical kit called 'Big Tools & G Strings' and a bands rant sow called 'Road Rage'. On the indie / classic rock station The Amp expect genre documentaries in a strand called 'The Roots', introductions to new bands with 'Who The Hell Are...', bands reminiscing on their rock 'n' roll lifestyles with 'Debauched' and recordings of bands performing sessions for Xfm.
----------------------------------------------
LOCOMOTION SINGER DIES
Singer Little Eva, best known for her 1962 version of The Locomotion, died this weekend after a long illness. Eva's career began when she was discovered by Carole King and Gerry Goffin after they hired her as a babysitter. The story goes that they asked her to sing a demo of a song they had written called The Locomotion – it was so good they decided to release it. And the rest, as they say, is history.
----------------------------------------------
LIVE REVIEW: The Rapture @ The Scala on 10 Apr
Bands like The Rapture are the reason I'm not in a band. What's the point? I'll never be as good, compelling or exciting, it would just be a waste of everyone’s time. The Rapture are basically indie-punk kids who discovered drugs and hooked up with hot production team DFA. Sounds of house and rock are taken in to create a sound brimming full of such energy its quite unlike anything else around. Heavier tracks reminisce Fugazi thrashing their way through Daft Punk while the electro based numbers soundtrack New Order making out with The Fall. Visually that’s not a pretty thought, but it’s more than exhilarating in The Rapture. They only play for 45minutes, but that’s enough for all of their contemporaries’ to be blown back to their squalid garage holes. When The Rapture finally get round to signing a record deal their debut album will be out in the summer, be prepared to be amazed.
DH
-----------------------------------------------
NEW RADIO LICENCES AWARDED
Three radio licences were awarded by the Radio Authority at the end of last week. Firstly the much fought for new licence for the Maidstone area. 20/20 FM, a station backed by the local Kent Messenger newspaper, beat five other applicants to take the eight-year licence. They plans to start broadcasting a mix of "local news, views and information with a wide variety of music". In Scotland a new licence for the West Lothian area was awarded to sole bidder River FM. They plan a service focused on local news and events and community issues. Place your bets for how soon both services will go for a cheaper more music format! Finally a new digital radio multiplex licence for the Kent area went to sole applicant Capital Radio Digital.
-----------------------------------------------
ISLAND DEF JAM MOVES INTO THE FAN CLUB BUSINESS
Another major label is branching out into new income streams – a reaction to the inevitable decline in record sales revenues in the internet age. US based Universal label Island Def Jam is getting into the artist fan-club business with an internet-based club for Mariah Carey fans, which launches this week. The servicecosts $35 per year in the US and $45 per year elsewhere. Members get access to presale concert tickets, music and video exclusives, an autographed photo, an exclusive T-shirt, and a membership card that can be used at special retail and concert events. If successful the label is expected to set up similar ventures for half a dozen more of its artists.
-----------------------------------------------
ANOTHER OSBOURNE TO PLAY HOMELANDS
One of the Osbourne clan has been confirmed to play Homelands this year – it's 27 year old Louis Osbourne, Ozzy's son son from another marriage. The Birmingham based DJ, a resident of the local House of God club, will DJ in the Strongbow Rooms at the We Love... Homelands festival on 24 May. Louis, who lists Deep Dish, Danny Tenaglia, Darren Emerson and Slam amongst his musical influences, has been making a name for himself in the US after gigs in LA, Washington, Miami and word has it MTV are interested in giving him a show – presumably to continue what has become a family tradition.
-----------------------------------------------
ASA SAYS BBC FREEVIEW CHANNELS ARE FREE
The Advertising Standards Authority has said it is OK for the BBC to refer to its Freeview digital tv platform as being, erm, free. ASA received numerous complaints when the BBC said access to its eight digital TV stations was free – arguing that you had to buy a £100 set top box to receive the programmes, plus viewers were already paying some money towards the BBC’s digital output via the licence fee. But the ASA disagrees saying: "The Authority considered that the advertisement made clear that the channels were available free with satellite or cable services and that they were also available through the new Freeview service. It considered that, because the eight channels were free to satellite and cable subscribers and the advertisement explained the cost of the adaptor needed for the Freeview service, the cost of the adaptor did not negate the claim that the eight new BBC channels were free. The Authority concluded that the description of the channels as "free" was not misleading." As to the TV licence point, the Authority concluded: "...because television viewers were required to have a licence, irrespective of whether or not they accessed the advertisers' digital channels, the Authority considered that the cost of a TV licence did not have a bearing on the advertised product."
-----------------------------------------------
REVIEW: Nigel Hayes - It's Your Move (Sunshine Enterprises)
On the Viennese 'lifestyle' label Sunshine Enterprises comes this rather good varied follow up LP from Londoner Hayes. Hard to classify electronica, it comes across as a fusion between Pat Barry and Dzhian and Kamien, but with a slightly more live feel. From the folkish ‘Reach for the Sun’ to the mellow funk of roller of 'Its Your Move' he gets off to a good start. Then there’s the overly laid back beats in 'Operation' and 'In the Park', the mellow grooves of 'Dealing with Feeling' and the upbeat dancey 'Movin On', delivered in something of an Eddy and Dus vein. The pumping stealthy tech inspired house of 'Manipulation' sits back to back with afrobeat in 'Augustus' but then loses it with the over indulgent 'Can’t Run Away'. Very diverse and quite cerebral at times, it grows on you. Shame he isn't signed to a major cos' this could be pretty big with the right exposure. But realistically, it's probably consigned to be one of those 'nice' finds down
Reckless in the Autumn. PV
Release date: 26 May
Press contact: Pace PR
-----------------------------------------------
DYNAMITE WINS RACE IN MEDIA ACCOLADE
Ms Dynamite has been named personality of the year at the Commission for Racial Equality's Race in the Media Awards, beating Craig David and Manchester United footballer Rio Ferdinand to the title. Collecting the prize Ms D said: "I'm really happy to get this award. It means a lot thatpeople are noticing that I'm fighting for something positive through my music." Elsewhere in the awards BBC London received four trophies for its coverage of, among other events, the Notting Hill Carnival.
-----------------------------------------------
3D ON HIS HORRENDOUS YEAR
In an interview with The Guardian on Friday Massive Attack's 3D, real name Robert del Naja, said 2003 had been a "fucking horrendous" year. He was responding, of course, to those child porn allegations that have since been proved false. He revealed that the real reason Massive Attack had to postpone their New Zealand gigs after the allegations surfaced was because a tabloid newspaper mis-led the country's embassy with regards the allegations, leading to 3D's visa being revoked. Although said embassy later apologised for the mix up and gave permission for him to enter the country, by that stage it was too late for the act's first dates. On the up side the trauma has helped build bridges in his famously tense relationship with fellow Massive Attack member Mushroom. Del Naja told the paper: "we've spoken more in the last couple of months than in the last three years".
-----------------------------------------------
BLUE BOY STOPPED BY POLICE FOR DRIVING HIS OWN CAR
Favourite pop gossip story of last week. Blue's Lee Ryan was reportedly stopped by police under suspicion of stealing his own car. Apparently the police officers – obviously not fans of the boy band – didn't recognise the star and were concerned that some one so young was driving a £30,000 convertible Porsche Boxter.
------------------------------------------------
CMU POP QUIZ ANSWERS
The answers to last week's chart trivia pop quiz were as follows:
Q1: What was Anita Ward's one hit, back in 1979? 'Ring My Bell'
Q2: What was Partner In Kryme's one hit, back in 1990? 'Turtle Power'
Q3: What was Mr Oizo's one hit, back in 1999? 'Flatbeat'
Q4: What was Norman Greenbaum's one hit, back in 1970? 'Spirit In The Sky'
Q5: What was Doop's one hit, back in 1994? erm, 'Doop'
A little bit easier this week. Well done to Dexter at EMAP in London who wins an Xray subscription courtesy of our friends at Xfm. Mr Scruff stuff to win this week – check the pop quiz each day.