| CMU Daily - on the inside 8 May 2003 |
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In today's CMU Daily:
• TVT awarded fortune against Def Jam
• Capital poach another Heart name
• Roc-A-Fella split?
• Rajars and Sonys announced today
• Middlesborough free fest announce line up
• Bertelsmann in the red
• Review: The Hidden Cameras - The Smell Of Our Own
• Suede record new tracks for best of
• Kinesis threaten to sue Topman
• Nelly launches bone marrow campaign
• First industry bill on its way to Senate
• Live Review: Kings Of Leon At Madame Jojo's
• Scanner plays department store gig
• Townshend cautioned
• TaTu shoot moved
• London music company wins Dre action
• R Kelly favourite for number one
• 50 Cent back at top of us charts
• Wall of Sound celebrate at Glastonbury
• Madonna fans flock for instore tickets
• Review: You Am I - No, After You Sir... An Introduction To
• Eminem the footballers warm up favourite
• Some useless gossip
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CMU POP QUIZ
Another MadPlayer (http://www.madplayer.com) up for grabs this week - once again collect the answers to each day's question and find out how to win on Friday. Last lot of ad related questions!
Q3: The song - Cornelius' 'Count Five Or Six' - whose ad?
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TVT AWARDED FORTUNE AGAINST DEF JAM
The courts told Universal label Island Def Jam to pay independent label TVT $132 million yesterday following that court hearing last month that said the major acted illegally when they blocked the release of a Ja Rule album on TVT. Ja was originally signed to the independent as part of Cash Money Click, but entered into a solo deal with Def Jam when a fellow CMC member was jailed and the project went on hold. TVT argued that when they released Ja Rule from his CMC contract the label reserved the right to release certain records involving Ja Rule, but when they tried to do so Def Jam unleashed a campaign to prevent the album's release. The courts sided with the independent saying the major was guilty of fraud, willful copyright infringement and wrongful interference with a contract.
Talking about the sizable compensation payment TVT president Steve Gottlieb told reporters: "I am obviously extremely pleased with today's verdict. The significance of this verdict can only be fully understood if one were to read the transcripts of the court proceedings, which reveal the systematic pattern of wrongdoings by Def Jam executives. I see this verdict as vindication for independent businessmen in every field."
For their part Def Jam released a statement saying: "We are disappointed
with the jury's verdict and we do not believe that it is supported by the facts or the law. We will immediately and vigorously appeal the verdict and are confident that it will not withstand the scrutiny of an appellate court."
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CAPITAL POACH ANOTHER HEART NAME
Following the poaching by Capital Radio of Emma Forbes from Heart 106.2 to host a weekend show, Capital's midlands station BRMB yesterday confirmed they had snapped up Phil Upton, a presenter on Heart's Birmingham station. He will front the station's weekday morning show and a show called Saturday Rhythm Birmingham.
Announcing the appointment BRMB controller Adam Bridge told reporters: "Having had over half of Heart's weekly audience tuning him to him, he's already proved himself a massive hit with listeners."
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ROC-A-FELLA SPLIT?
Rumours are rife that the co-founders of the Roc-A-Fella label - Jay-Z and Damon Dash - are parting company. The rumours seem to stem from reports that Dash's lawyers have been approaching other record labels with talk a new recording deal. This goes against the agreement Roc-A-Fella have with Island Def Jam - the label and its two founders are meant to be tied to the major for four years. Insiders at Roc-A-Fella deny the imprint may be closed down with Dash going elsewhere and Jay-Z working with Island Def Jam direct.
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RAJARS AND SONYS ANNOUNCED TODAY
A double day of reckoning for the UK radio industry today. The latest set of RAJAR figures - the radio listening figures - are officially announced today, with music radio stations likely to have suffered as people tune to talk stations and news TV during the war. We'll have a full RAJAR review on Monday.
Then tonight it is the Sony Awards - the big awards event in the radio industry - we'll run through the winners tomorrow.
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MIDDLESBOROUGH FREE FEST ANNOUNCE LINE UP
Junior Senior, The Darkness and The Bandits have all been confirmed to be on the bill for the free Middlesborough Music Live Festival which will take place in the town on 26 May. Reef, Biffy Clyro and newcomers The Delays are all expected to also appear. The festival's promoter Graham Ramsay told reporters yesterday: "Our watchword is diversity, and to see a current Top Ten act like Junior Senior - who are out and out pop - rubbing shoulderswith bands that offer everything from hardcore metal to traditional folk music is very rewarding." More info at http://www.middlesbroughmusiclive.co.uk.
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BERTELSMANN IN THE RED
BMG's parent company Bertelsmann has slid into the red in the first quarter of 2003 - blaming a slump in consumer demand, especially in the US, because of the war. Losses of £284.5m compared to profits of £1.8bn in the same quarter last year - though those were unusually high after Bertelsmann sold
ts stake in AOL Time Warner.
In a statement the group told investors: "The tougher market situation in the US, along with the weakness of the US dollar, has made itself felt in Bertelsmann's quarterly results. We still expect to make our targets for 2003 and resolutely strengthen our operating business." No breakdown was given for how each of its divisions faired individually so there is no indication of how BMG has performed post Zomba takeover.
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REVIEW: The Hidden Cameras - The Smell Of Our Own (Rough Trade)
'Gay church folk music'. From Canada. Doesn't sound particularly enticing does it? But that description by HC's Joel Gibb of his own music is not just uncannily accurate, it also belies the fact that this is arguably the most impressive and unique debut album of the year thus far. It's all rather hard to categorise (brief touches of Roddy Frame, a tiny hint of the Smiths, but if they'd grown up somewhere hot and sunny), but then these simple melodies and arrangements sound like they were conceived and executed with scant thought of absorbing 'influences' or, in fact, any frame of reference. Like countrymen Stars, the Hidden Cameras go a long way to prove that Canada has a lot more to offer musically than just Avril Lasagne. Full of gloriously uplifting symphonies and gospel-esque singalongs, these heartfelt paeans to homosexual love are worth discovering and worshipping religiously. Enthralling. MS
Release date: 7 Apr
Press contact: Wild [CP,CR] Rough Trade IH [RP, RR, NP, NR]
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SUEDE RECORD NEW TRACKS FOR BEST OF
As is now the usual way, Suede will include new tracks on their upcoming greatest hits album. Word is one of the new tracks will be 'Love The Way You Love' which was performed at two Danish gigs in April, and that track is likely to be released as a single alongside the album. Meanwhile author and long-time associate David Barnett is working on a Suede biography - and he is inviting any fans with stories to tell to contact him at [email protected].
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KINESIS THREATEN TO SUE TOPMAN
Kinesis are threatening to sue Topman because they claim the store has stolen some of their t-shirt designs. While promoting their last album Kinesis distributed t-shirts, stencils and spray paint packs for fans to make their own T-shirts, with the slogans 'Kinesis' and the name of recent single, 'Billboard Beauty'. And they reckon a new t-shirt being stocked by Topman has been lifted from said stencil pack.
The bands Conor McGloin told NME: "Our lawyers are pushing for action to get the clothes out of the shops. Hopefully they will stop them from reproducing any of it again." No word yet from the retail chain.
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NELLY LAUNCHES BONE MARROW CAMPAIGN
Nelly has announced that his sister, Jackie Donahue, is in immediate need of a bone marrow donor and that he is forming a new organisation to help her find a donor and to raise awareness of the National Marrow Donor Program Registry in general. The organisation will launch with events in LA, New York and Nelly's hometown of St Louis on 21 Jun. Info will go online soon at both http:// www.jesUs4jackie.com and http://www.marrow.org
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FIRST INDUSTRY BILL ON ITS WAY TO SENATE
The first of those bills on the operations of the US music industry which are being proposed by Senator Kevin Murray has been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in California and is now being sent to Senate. The bill aims to force record labels to be more open when reporting royalty income, with the threat of large interest payments should artists discover false accounting deprived them of due income. In positioning the bill Murray says he is simply asking for labels to account accurately, but the record labels aren't so sure. The Recording Industry of America Association argue: "It would basically mean that record companies would no longer be able to offer any innovative business models at the peak of our piracy problems."
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LIVE REVIEW: Kings Of Leon at Madame JoJo's on 5 May
With ridiculously big hair and tight trousers 'Kings of Leon' are seen as one of the most exciting new guitar bands of 2003. There's nothing particularly clever here, they simply just know their way round a tune. Grunge drawls of bands like Sebadoh, jubilance of The Monkees and screams of James Brown are thrown around the caged walls of a country-dive-pub. Such songs are going to be accessible anywhere, whether that be a trailer park, strip club (Madame JoJo's tonight), arena, or festival stage. The reason is easy - these guys have practised, practised, practised until they felt they were ready, there is no situation of them being thrust into the harsh spotlight with only a collection of soso-ish songs. Each song is nailed to its perfect tee, each sounding different but distinctively their own. They only play for forty minutes, they have no more songs, but it's enough, as weknow that much more is to come. DH
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SCANNER PLAYS DEPARTMENT STORE GIG
Leftfield electronica maker Scanner - aka Robin Rimbaud - will be playing a set in Selfridges of all places. The performance, on 21 May, is a collaboration with the Random Dance Company and appears as part a month long festival which explores our fascination with the human body. As part of the festival Selfridges will also house a temporary piercing clinic, a tattoo parlour and a women's sex store, as well as staging and programme of one off performances.
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TOWNSHEND CAUTIONED
Pete Townshend has been cautioned by police over those child porn offences and will be listed on the sex offenders' register for five years. He escaped charges because police could not find copies of any pornographic pictures of children on his computer - backing up his story that he accessed a child porn site for 'research' into a book he is writing.
In a statement Townshend told reporters: "From the very beginning, I acknowledged that I did access this site and that I had given the police full access to all of my computers. As I made clear at the outset, I accessed the site because of my concerns at the shocking material readily available on the internet to children as well as adults, and as part of my research toward the campaign I had been putting together since 1995 to counter damage done by all kinds of pornography on the internet, but especially any involving child abuse. The police have unconditionally accepted that these were my motives in looking at this site and that there was no other nefarious purpose, and as a result they have decided not to charge me."
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TATU SHOOT MOVED
Well, more TaTu news - that photo shoot we reported on yesterday, where the duo invited fans to flock to Westminster Bridge dressed in school uniform to appear in a video, was cancelled at the last minute because of police fears crowd size might get out of control.
A spokeswoman for the Met told reporters the event could have attracted too large a crowd for a day when Parliament, just across the bridge, is in session, plus she added: "we were given a day's notice of the filming. The details were faxed through yesterday. It was not only going to have 100 extras there, but also the press. If the press were there then it would have gone out further that this was happening. You could have lots of fans turning up and that is undesirable. We are not here to veto filming but with 24 hours' notice and with it being in contravention of this order, it was deemed to be unsuitable."
TaTu's people moved the shoot to outside the Tate Modern, but some fans weren't impressed by the cancellation, one telling reporters: "They havecancelled concerts and now this. It is beyond a joke now and they arekicking us when we're down."
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LONDON MUSIC COMPANY WINS DRE ACTION
London based Minder Music yesterday won their legal action against Dr Dre over the use of a sample on the 2001 track 'Let's Get High'. Minder argue the track sampled the 1980 song 'Backstrokin' which they own the rights to without their permission. Dre's people argue the sample is too generic for permission to be required. But an LA court disagreed, though after hearing from Dre they awarded the London company $1.5 million, only half the figure they were hoping for. Dre's lawyers intend to appeal.
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R KELLY FAVOURITE FOR NUMBER ONE
Midweek chart figures indicate R Kelly will top the singles chart this weekend having sold more units to date than last week's number one from Tomcraft and the closest selling new release from Big Brovaz. Also expected to enter top five are the Cheeky Girls with 'Take Your Shoes Off' with Good charlotte's 'Boys And Girls', Bhangra Knights VS Husan;s'Husan' and Feeder's 'Forget About Tomorrow'all expected to go top ten. Blur's 'Think Tank' is favourite to top the albums chart.
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50 CENT BACK AT TOP OF US CHARTS
Over in the US more good news for 50 Cent to balance those lawsuits from the promoter of a cancelled gig and a doctor who claims he is owed £20,000 in medical fees after he treated the rapper after he was shot. The good news is that his album 'Get Rich or Die Tryin' is back at the top of the US albumcharts beating the highest new entry - the dreadful sounding'American Idol finalists sing love songs' - into second place. That said it was a slow weekfor album sales in the US - 50 Cent has topped the chart this week despite selling less records than he did last week!
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WALL OF SOUND CELEBRATE AT GLASTONBURY
Wall of Sound will continue their tenth anniversary celebrations with a number of artists on show at the Glastonbury's Dance Tent. Both Themroc (new WoS signing) and Blak Twang are set to appear alongside label mates 2 Many DJ's (Soulwax), Jacques Lu Cont and Propellerhead and Will White.
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MADONNA FANS FLOCK FOR INSTORE TICKETS
Word got out that Madonna would be playing an exclusive set at the Oxford Street HMV before the official announcement on Dave Pearce's radio show last night - meaning over 250 fans were already queuing up for ickets before 6pm. The lucky fans were given wristbands which they must wear until the set
akes place later this week.
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REVIEW: You Am I - No, After You Sir... An Introduction To (TranscopicRecords)
Managing to misspell Lee Ranaldo's surname in two different ways is cool, as, possibly, is being big in Australia but unknown over here. You Am I have been going for 13 years and several albums, and this is heir attempt to break the UK. And it's hugely disappointing if, as this reviewer was, you've never heard them but would like to. They sound like they like to jam. And hey did their third album with the Black Crowes' producer and some other dullards. And their 1993 stuff sounds like lots of other sub-Nirvana pop grunge did in 1993. Damn. It's not all bad, though. 'Mr Milk' is a good un, at least lyrically. And they're probably good live... MB
Release date: 12 May
Press contact: Triad Publicity [CP, RP, NP] Transcopic IH [CR, RR, NR]
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EMINEM THE FOOTBALLERS WARM UP FAVOURITE
A survey of Barclaycard Premiership football clubs has found that Eminem is the artists of choice for footballers as they prepare for a game - though Man United choose Iggy Pop's Lust for Life and Newcastle United favoured Tyneside rocker Mark Knopfler.
Talking about the survey music psychologist Dr Neil Todd, of Manchester University, told reporters that choice of pre-match music can be important: "Eminem's music may play a role rather like The Haka in helping players reach an aroused competitive state. Some players will be motivated by the determined, repetitive dance rhythms combined with cutting lyrics that are often themed around reclaiming pride and self-confidence in the face of difficult circumstances. U2's music may work in a different way - lively, positive and uplifting songs such as 'It's A Beautiful Day' can help create a positive frame of mind, and also have a physiological effect by inducing a sense of euphoria by activating the brain's dopamine system. The release of adrenaline prior to a match has the additional effect of raising heart rate helping prepare the body before a game."
The ten most played albums in football club changing rooms are:
Eminem (8 Mile); U2 (The Best of 1990-2000); Nelly (Nellyville); Oasis (Heathen Chemistry); Red Hot Chilli Peppers (By The Way); Justin Timberlake (Justified); Robbie Williams (Escapology) Kylie (Fever); J-Lo (J to Tha L-O); Jay-Z (The Blueprint 2).
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SOME USELESS GOSSIP
And for today's useless pop gossip. Justin Timberlake was spotted having dinner with Posh And Becks in Manchester last weekend. Apparently Timberlake, yesterday appointed sports reporter for a US TV network, is a big fan of David Beckham.