| CMU Daily - on the inside 12 May 2003 |
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In today's CMU Daily:
• Rajar report
• Sharon on the Sony / Osbourne split
• Competition hots up for Midlands licence
• New club to open in Kings Cross
• Review: Metallica - St Anger
• Downloaders rebel against anti-downloading campaign
• Robbie makes plea for support in US
• Live Review: Martina Topley Bird
• Former BMG boss in talks with investors
• Macca plays mega set in Rome
• MTV awards go to Scotland
• Review: Aphrohead - The Underground Made Me Do It
• Glastonbury politics tent to be expanded
• Campaign website hopes to halt media ownership change
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CMU POP QUIZ
Another, yes another, MadPlayer (http://www.madplayer.com) up for grabs this week - once again collect the answers to each day's question (all on million selling singles) and find out how to win on Friday.
Q1: Which comedian had a million selling single with 'Tears' in 1965?
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OUT TODAY: RECOMMENDED RELEASES
Albums: Marilyn Manson - The Golden Age of Grotesque (Universal/Interscope); Various - Late Night Tales mixed by Nightmares on Wax (Azuli); Lou Reed - NYC Man - The Ultimate Collection (BMG/RCA)
Singles: Staind - Price To Pay (Warners/Elektra); Less Than Jacke - She's Gonna Break Soon (Sire); Fallacy - Big 'n' Bashy (Virgin); Deftones - Minerva (Warners / Maverick)
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CHART UPDATE
A bit of a new entries fest in the top ten this week with five of the ten new this week, including the whole top three. As predicted R Kelly stormed straight in at number one with 'Ignition' closely followed by Big Brovaz at 2 and those Cheeky Girls at 3. The exciting new entries appeared lower down the chart. CMU favourites (well, I like them) Good Charlotte go in at 6 with the excellent 'Girls and Boys', while Feeder return with 'Forget About Tomorrow' at 12 and the DandyWarhols enter with the infectious 'We Used To Be Friends' at 18. Two other CMU favourites appear at the bottom of the top forty - Terri Walker with'Ching Ching' at 38 and Hell Is For Heroes with 'Retreat' at 39.
Albums wise no surprise that Blur go straight in at the top with 'ThinkTank'. Other than that no new entries in the albums top ten - quite a contrast to the singles charts - with Justin, Christina, Norah, Madonna and Busted all holding fast. That mega Drifters best of goes in at 11 and that is more or less it!
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RAJAR REPORT
Well last week was a stressful week to be working in radio with the annual industry awards event and this quarter's listening figures both appearing on the same day. All in all it wasn't a good day for commercial music radio - the BBC dominated the Sonys while many music stations saw audience figures drop as the public chose talk radio and news TV during that little war we had a few weeks back.
Mixed fortunes at Capital FM in particular who have been through a tricky year as audiences slide and all those rumours with regards Chris Tarrant's intentions to quit their breakfast show continue. Overall the revamped schedule and music policy didn't have much effect in the first few months with overall audience share falling to 8.1%, down from 8.8% in the previous quarter.
But the station did take heart that its much hyped new look breakfast show - designed to depend less on Tarrant as he prepares to retire (sometime someday!) - did add 86,000 listeners to its audience. That was enough to give station boss David Mansfield the confidence to tell his staff the revamps were still taking affect and overall things were good: "Capital's strategy is to create great radio that attracts loyal, long-term listeners and good progress has been made across the group." Actually the Capital Group faired better than its London station. The Manchester division of its Century FM brand did particularly well with the relative new comer now the largest commercial station in the North West.
And Capital will be taking heart that there was similar doom and gloom at BBC Radio 1 with the Beeb's pop station scoring its lowest ever audience share and a further slump in listeners for its breakfast show. The station's share fell to 7.9% for the first quarter of 2003, with its overall weekly audience of 10,343,000 between January and March having only exceeded Radio 1's record low audience by 7,000 listeners. Station bosses argue its audience is particularly web literate so they are being harder hit by the rising popularity of web radio. And of course, there was the war.
The war didn't seem to affect Radio 2 too much though. It is still the most popular radio station in the country (though admittedly there was a slight drop in overall listening figures). And as the bombs dropped Terry Wogan recorded his highest audience (of 7.86 million). Perhaps most importantly for station bosses new guy Jeremy Vine maintained the audience level held by his legendary predecessor, Jimmy Young.
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SHARON ON THE SONY / OSBOURNE SPLIT
Sharon Osbourne's publicist Lisa Vega Sharon has made an official statement about the reports last week that both Ozzy and Kelly Osbourne were planning to part company with Sony label Epic - home to Ozzy's music for over 23 years.
The statement reads: "The Osbournes and Sony Music are in the process of parting ways after 23 years. Sharon Osbourne and Sony mutually agreed that Kelly Osbourne would depart the label after former CEO Tommy Mottola resigned this past January."
In the statement Sharon herself was quoted as saying: "We've had 23 great years together. We've shared many great successes, but sometimes you have to search out fresh blood to get fresh ideas which is a philosophy that every record company, especially Sony, understands."
Sony won't be too bothered about losing Kelly whose album, despite the blanket MTV coverage, didn't do too well commercially. Some insiders reckon it was Sony's refusal to invest in Kelly long term that has led to a kneejerk reaction over Ozzy's long standing recording contract. Certainly the loss of Ozzy will be a much bigger concern for Sony management. Sharon's statement makes no mention of son Jack who has been employed by Sony as a talent scout in recent times.
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COMPETITION HOTS UP FOR MIDLANDS LICENCE
With the Sonys and RAJARS out of the way everyone in radio land is now turning their attention to Birmingham where every major radio company is bidding for a new terrestrial radio frequency, the second biggest outside London - the deadline for applications is this week.
GWR, Emap, Capital, Chrysalis and Scottish Radio Holdings are among the dozen or so bids being made, many of the majors looking for terrestrial outlets for their digital stations. GWR hope to launch a Midlands version of its digital station The Storm, EMAP wants to launch a terrestrial version of its Kerrang! station, while Capital are looking for another outlet for its childrens station, a joint venture with Disney.
Gregory Watson, GWR's head of corporate development explains the importance of the licence: "It is the second major market outside London and, for GWR, it is a major goal for getting into the major metropolitan areas outside London. There are two important factors - the area and the opportunity to develop the format of our station, The Storm."
This licence will be one of the last to be awarded by the Radio Authority before it is merged with Ofcom. However the outgoing regulator has advised that the new authority should look into advertising a further 32 terrestrial licences in the next few years, despite the industry's hopes for digital and web radio to take off. The full list of applicants for the licence to date include:
Chrysalis - WBC (a Birmingham version of LBC)
Emap - Kerrang! (the group's digital rock station)
SMG - Virgin Radio (a regional opt out of the national rock station)
GWR - The Storm (the group's digital rock station)
Capital Group - Capital Disney (the group's digital children's station)
GMG - Jazz FM
Scottish Radio Holdings - 3C (a country station)
Celador - WMMR (a new rock station)
The Wireless Group (a new news channel from the makers of Talk Sport)
Sunrise Radio (an Asian station)
Absolute Radio - Jump (a new pop station)
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NEW CLUB TO OPEN IN KINGS CROSS
Club owner Billy Reilly, the man behind The Cross and Pacha London, has confirmed he has bought a 5000 sq metre Victorian warehouse in Kings Cross which he plans to convert into a new venue called Canvas which will host theatre, art, live music, club, fashion and multimedia events. There will be a 300-capacity club space in the basement which will be run as a joint venture between Reilly and Way Out East promoter Tubbs. Talking about the venture Reilly told reporters: "It is great to have the opportunity to put something back into a building that has so much potential and at the same time put something back into Kings Cross."
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REVIEW: Metallica - St Anger (Universal/Vertigo)
Playbacks are always so funny. You're in a place you've never been before eating posh nibbles, necking free beer, listening to an album you've never heard before over the noise of media types whilst discussing the tiniest nuances of the LP with someone you've never met before. Any idea-bouncing and brain-dumping (ad talk) is good, and my review of Metallica's long/highly awaited album is well rounded. I like it. Unfortunately, that's not to say that a lot of Metallica fans will be disappointed. Having missed the last ten years of Metallica (apparently not a tragedy) remembering only the good ol' days of 'Justice For All' and 'Kill Em All', I get the impression this is nearer to that era that their newer ventures. Meaning those who discovered the band more recently may well be a little disappointed. That said, many might be glad that they've gone back to their heavier roots, with some tough melodic angst ('St Anger'), subtle electronic drum stuff ('Dirty Window'), and grinding dirge-core ('Sweet Amber' 'Purify'). But even they may be a little disappointed because despite being as tight as ever, by track three you're thinking, "where are the guitar solos?" But potential disappointments aside - there's tough, macabre, dark, tight and relentlessly aggressive playing aplenty, which is fine by me. JG
Release date: 9 Jun
Press contact: Wild [CP, CR] Mercenary [RP, NP] Universal IH
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DOWNLOADERS REBEL AGAINST ANTI-DOWNLOADING CAMPAIGN
No surprise here. As the Recording Industry Association of America steps up its campaign against individual music downloaders by tracking who downloads what and then sending them warning letters - a plethora of new tools are appearing online which help users hide their identity while they download and which can spot those fake MP3s that record labels are sneaking online.
One peer-to-peer news site, Zeropaid, is now providing lists of net addresses known to be used by the music industry to provide fake MP3s and track who is making music available via peer to peer systems. Technology can then be used that stop industry agents operating from those addresses from accessing your MP3s or, more crucially, your identity. Others are using the Kazaa Lite programme which lets you restict who can share music with your computer, thus allowing downloaders to bar industry spies from inspecting their hard disks.
As with the Napster debackle, it might just prove that the industry's legal attempts to block downloading sends the peer-to-peer systems even further underground - file sharing will continue we just won't know where or by whom!
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ROBBIE MAKES PLEA FOR SUPPORT IN US
Robbie, still struggling to break America, has urged 15,000 gig goers in New York to phone their local radio station and request his music. Some reckon lacking radio play has contributed to the poor performance of Williams' latest album in the US. But it is unclear if the crowd at the free Norah Jones gig where Williams was playing in a support slot were too impressed with either Robbie's music or his cry for help.
Certainly Robbie was going for the sympathy vote. Prior to singing 'Angels' he joked "This song was released here a few years ago and guess what? It wasn't a hit." When suggesting people request his records on their local radio stations he added: "Even if you don't like it, can you ask for it?"
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LIVE REVIEW: Martina Topley Bird on 30 Apr
I was already excited when I heard 'Need One' for the first time on the radio, thinking it was a new Tricky track. I was more excited on discovering it came from Martina, and even more so on hearing the new album (her solo debut) and speaking to her about it. It was therefore no surprise that I was salivating at the prospect of seeing one of the most distinctive vocalists today with her band (and it appears that everyone else in the industry was thinking the same. As one colleague pointed out "if you wanted to do a music version of the Valentine's Day Massacre, here, now would be a good place"). Martina was every bit the kooky queen of leftfield acoustica; the live show taking everyone on an explosive journey through record static, harmonica, turntables and her own moving vocals ... inimitable, heartfelt and truly beautiful. It is clear that Martina is not only a vocal and songwriting talent, but also a stylistic visionary; with elements of blues-root and afro-mytsic appearing high in the blend with beats and scratches. 'Need One' is out on the 2 Jun. The
album will follow shortly. JG
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FORMER BMG BOSS IN TALKS WITH INVESTORS
There were reports in the New York Post at the end of last week that former BMG chief Thomas Middelhoff has been meeting with execs from New York-based private-equity companies Blackstone and Apax Partners. No word yet on what he is raising finance for, or whether it will be a musical venture, though insiders say whatever deal is being done should be finalised soon.
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MACCA PLAYS MEGA SET IN ROME
Paul McCartney played a mega set this weekend in front of about 500,000 people outside Rome's Colosseum - the three hour set included a string of Beatles classics and various songs from his solo career.
The open air show followed a charity performance inside the Colosseum the day before where 400 fans, some of whom had paid up to £930 for a ticket, watched a much more intimate show. The charity performance was in aid of Rome's archaeological offices and to Adopt-a-Minefield, the anti-landmines charity backed by the singer and his wife Heather Mills.
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MTV AWARDS GO TO SCOTLAND
This year's MTV European Music Awards will take place in Edinburgh. Announcing the news Brent Hansen, President of MTV Networks Europe, told reporters: "We have wanted to bring the show to Scotland for a long time and this year's event will be extra special as we will be celebrating 10 years of the MTV Europe Music Awards. We will literally be building a 6,000 capacity venue specifically for the Awards in Western Harbour on the waterfront at Leith." The awards take place in November and will be beamed live into the homes of the 100 million households who have access to MTV across Europe.
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REVIEW: Aphrohead - The Underground Made Me Do It (Clashbackk)
Felix Da Housecat, aka Aphrohead, aka Felix Stalling Jr, returns with a new album on Clashbackk. Aphrohead used to be Stalling's moniker for his techno based harder material, but here he has tarnished his alter ego by going for some really poncey material.Weak tracks dominate - the rock feeling 'Kazoo', childish sexual references galore in 'Liquid Kitty', camp disco with 'Body Stronger' and a simply plain shite track called 'Cry Baby'. Not impressed. There is some redemption though. 'I Know Your It' is reasonable with its nod to disco and good funk aspect, and 'Days of The Future' is some dirty electrofunk action, back to the old school. 'Enter Nite Exit Lite' is also good, using his trademark filtered vocoder, while 'Piano Man' is top, old piano house nod and proper breaks amid the dense 4/4, and Tri Beka gets some thumping techbeats of old. Old Aphrohead lovers beware, he should have left the first 6 tracks on the studio floor. But lovers of electroclash and this new wave nonsense may purr with content, wishing the reverse. PV
Release date: 2 Jun
Press contact: Rocketscience Media
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GLASTONBURY POLITICS TENT TO BE EXPANDED
Glastonbury organisers have confirmed that the Left Field, the part of festival set aside for political debates and anti-war protests, is being expanded because it was so popular last year. Word is the line up will include the likes of Tony Benn, Mark Thomas and Mark Steele, while the bar in the debate tent will sell fairly-traded beer from the Workers Beer Company, and cocktails will be on offer with names like Che Guevara and Lefthook.
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CAMPAIGN WEBSITE HOPES TO HALT MEDIA OWNERSHIP CHANGES
US campaigning website Move On is staging a petition of Congress over proposed media ownership legislation in the US which, like similar legislation currently being considered over here, will allow a smaller number of media groups own all the newspapers, TV and radio stations. Calling on Americans to support the petition organisers say: "On June 2, the Federal Communications Commission is planning on authorizing sweeping changes to the American news media. The rules change could allow your local TV stations, newspaper, radio stations, and cable provider to all be owned by one company. The resulting concentration of ownership could be deeply destructive to our democracy. Congress is supposed to guard against monopoly power. But the upcoming rule change could change the landscape for all media and usher in an era in which a few corporations control your access to news and entertainment. Please join us in asking Congress and the FCC to support a diverse, competitive media landscape". Full info on the campaign is at http://www.moveon.org/stopthefcc
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Answers to last week's pop quiz and the winner's name will be here tomorrow.