| CMU Daily - on the inside 14 May 2003 |
|
In today's CMU Daily:
• More merger news
• Carling Weekend news
• Goldfrapp festival news
• Party in the Park update
• Osbournes go head to head in radio race
• Review: Robert Hood - Wire To Wire
• Dannii gets permission to use Madonna samples
• Russian politicians protest at Macca gig
• Daft punk film gets Cannes screening
• Robbie tries to build fanbase with raunchy TV performance
• Drum and bass tent looking good at Homelands
• Former popstar signs to Universal Classics
• British Sea Power plan a party for their Garage gig
• Review: Marilyn Manson - Mobscene
• Slash's new project has a name
• Beckham may be designing for Jay Z
• Eminem may use Mariah messages on track
------------------------------------------------
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.
Q3: Which 1995 Coolio song sold a million?
------------------------------------------------
MORE MERGER NEWS
Why don't all the majors just merge into one giant company and be done with it? Oh, cos the European authorities wouldn't let them. Anyway. More merger talk. This time AOL Time Warner and Bertelsmann - both of whom have been having a difficult time financially of late - are said to be seriously considering merging their music operations to create a group on par with Universal Music. According to the Wall Street Journal a merged BMG Warners Music Group would be equally owned by both sides. The deal would probably only involve recorded music - the Group's respective publishing businesses remaining apart.
Although sources told the Journal there is still much work to be done word is these talks are considerably further advanced than recent considerations by both BMG and Warners to merge with London based EMI.
Sticking problems in the talks will include the 50/50 arrangement (Warners' catalogue is probably somewhat more valuable than that of BMG) and who should run the merged company. Then there's the problem of getting it past EU competition authorities. While it is generally excepted that recent mergers in other industries will dilute most of the EU's previous concerns (which blocked an EMI / Warners merger) they may object to the BMG and Warners deal so soon after BMG bought out the Zomba empire.
-----------------------------------------------
CARLING WEEKEND NEWS
Festival news part one. More additions to the Carling Weekend in Reading and Leeds - in particular The Thrills, The Kills, The Darkness, Cave In and Grandaddy.
Cave In and The Darkness will precede Blur on the Main Stage, while The Thrills, The Kills and Grandaddy will all play the BBC Radio 1 Evening Session Stage.
According to the NME Pennywise, Lagwagon, The Ataris, Alkaline Trio, Mad Caddies, Turbonegro, Thrice, King Prawn and Funeral For A Friend will all play the Concrete Jungle Stage.
-----------------------------------------------
GOLDFRAPP FESTIVAL NEWS
Festival news part two. Goldfrapp have confirmed they will be appearing at Glastonbury and the V Festival, as well as staging an outdoor gig at Somerset House in London on 13 Jul. The live dates will help promote the second single release from their 'Black Cherry' album - 'Strict Machine' - which is released on 7 Jul.
-----------------------------------------------
PARTY IN THE PARK UPDATE
More festival news, on a pop bent this time. Meatloaf, Atomic Kitten, Craig David, Busted, Mis-Teeq, Liberty X, Daniel Bedingfield, Mel C and Big Brovaz will all appear at Capital FM's charity pop fest Party In The Park which takes place in Hyde Park on 6 Jul. Tickets go on sale later today price £27.
-----------------------------------------------
OSBOURNES GO HEAD TO HEAD IN RADIO RACE
Eleven companies put in proposals for that big Birmingham radio licence, making it one of the most highly contested radio licences ever. On an amusing note Virgin FM's proposal - to stage a Midlands FM version of their national rock station - counts Ozzy Osbourne among its list of celebrity supporters. Absolute Radios proposed dance and pop station Jump FM meanwhile counts Ozzy Osbourne Junior - Ozzy's UK based son Louis - on its list of supporters. In fact Louis will host a show on the station if its bid is successful.
Speaking to the Sun about the family rivalry involved in the licence bid Louis said: "I'm not a rock fan and I would be playing very different music to my dad's. I won't be growing long hair and wearing leather either."
Ozzy responded: "It's obvious the birthplace of rock bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin should have a rock station for people who live there. The sort of music Louis plays always goes on for fucking hours and sounds the same. The best bit about it is the fucking end."
-----------------------------------------------
REVIEW: Robert Hood - Wire to Wire (Peacefrog Records)
Peacefrog seem to be roping in all the Detroit big guns of late and no exception here. Hood is a man synonymous with the Motor City techno scene, and was a founder member of Underground Resistance. Less dancefloor orientated than expected this 10 tracker is a fairly good slice of Detroit. The over happy 'Make a Wish' gets us off to a slow start along with the slightly jocular 4/4 of 'Interior Suspect'. The breakbeat of 'The Game' shows Robert can flip the script, also with 'Fragile Moments' which is in a mellow Kevin Yost mode. 'Slightly' is too obtuse, and 'High Plains Drifter' drifts off too far, and 'The Age of Eleven' is lacklustre. The title track is more like Hood of old, 4/4 with tight specials and synths, and the highlight is the fresh 'Aural 512' which you can imagine being slow pumped from a latin techno carnabal float. A good diverse, above mediocre album which should perhaps have lent more on his dancefloor material. PV
Release date: 30 Jun
Press contact: EPM [all]
----------------------------------------------
DANNII GETS PERMISSION TO USE MADONNA SAMPLES
A remix of Dannii Minogue's upcoming single ' Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling' which morphs it with 'Into The Groove' has been given the green light by Madonna's people and will feature as a b-side when the single is released. Dannii's label are hoping for big hit with the next single, the most poptastic track off album 'Neon Nights', and the remix featuring the Madonna classic should help in the task of shifting more units.
-----------------------------------------------
RUSSIAN POLITICIANS PROTEST AT MACCA GIG
A number of Russian politicians have labelled the Paul McCartney gig scheduled to take place in Moscow's Red Square later this month as "blasphemous", saying it is an insult to the memory of the communist leaders, such as Lenin and Stalin, who are buried there. In an open letter to the mayor of Moscow the politicians say: "We find it absolutely senseless and blasphemous to hold rock concerts in a special graveyard where Stalin, Lenin, Brezhnev, Gagarin, and other prominent personalities are buried." The Moscow concert is one of two planned for Russia as part of McCartney's world tour. The Beatles were banned from the USSR back in the good old days of communism.
----------------------------------------------
DAFT PUNK FILM GETS CANNES SCREENING
An animated musical from Daft Punk will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival this weekend. The movie - called 'Interstella 5555: The Story of the Secret Star System' - has been over three years in the making. They came up with the idea while recording their second album. In 2000 they came up with a concept and then teamed up with Japanese animators Leiji Matsumoto and Shinji Shimizu. The story is based on four musicians from another galaxy who are kidnapped by an evil manager who wants to make them the biggest band on earth.
----------------------------------------------
ROBBIE TRIES TO BUILD FANBASE WITH RAUNCHY TV PERFORMANCE
Robbie apparently shocked US TV viewers when he gave Simon Cowell a lap dance during an appearance on The Tonight Show. He then kissed fans and guest presenter Katie Couric (who was standing in for Jay Leno) and chatted up a pretty girl in the audience. When he tried to give the same treatment to other guest Mike Myers he hid behind a chair! No word on whether the raunchy appearance will help those flagging record sales.
-----------------------------------------------
DRUM AND BASS TENT LOOKING GOOD AT HOMELANDS
The buzz is going overdrive for the drum and bass arena at this years Homelands which is being run by Bulldozer Media, the people behind the Movement nights. Their Homelands stage boasts Photek, Krust and Die Ray Keith, Marky, Fabio, Dillinja and Andy C among its line up. Rumour has it the Movement festival may be launched at the end of the summer.
-----------------------------------------------
FORMER POPSTAR SIGNS TO UNIVERSAL CLASSICS
Universal classics have signed up former Hearsay member Myleene Klass for a £1 million contract aiming to promote classical music to a younger audience through up to six albums. Talking about the deal Myleene told reporters: "I started playing the violin and piano when I was four, then I took up the harp when I was about 11 or 12. Before I could even read I was expressing myself through music."
Bill Holland, MD of Universal Classics and Jazz added: "Myleene is one of the greatest talents I've ever heard. Her mission is to eradicate the barriers between pop and classical music." The first release from Myleene with Universal Classics is scheduled for the Autumn 2003.
While talking about the new deal Myleene also spoke about the breakdown she suffered after the Hear'Say split. Describing her former self as a "paranoid wreck" she told The Sun: "There's only so long you can keep the smile on your face before you crumble. But when you crumble you really go. I hit rock bottom when that happened, I really, really did. That wasn't a good time. It's sad because I feel I'm 25 going on 55 some days. I lost weight and my boyfriend called me Boney M, so I tried to put on a few pounds. I was well aware people were talking about me when I walked into a room. I was so paranoid."
-----------------------------------------------
BRITISH SEA POWER PLAN A PARTY FOR THEIR GARAGE GIG
Rumour has it British Sea Power's performance tomorrow night at The London Garage will feature an all-star finale. We're not quite sure what that means though we've been told it involves "many men and many drum kits". In fact the night is turning into something of an event because after the main set there will be Djing from Monsignor Ian, Phil King and SAS Dirtyman until the early hours, there are competitions planned plus there will be a prize for Most Remarkable Costume Of The Night. Don't say we didn't warn you.
-----------------------------------------------
REVIEW: Marilyn Manson - mOBSCENE (Universal/Interscope)
Former music journalist Manson has turned his attentions away from middle American evangelists, the media and being its scapegoat, and is using Hollywood's 30's excess as a parallel for today's society... and lot's of other very clever metaphors and symbolism. Not an amazing tune, but apparently the video is good. Few people use metaphor and allegory to such effect, and having created himself as a social demon for corrupting Italian convent school girls, Manson had much to wail about. But now we all know that he's a monster and a weirdo, but he goes out with straight pretty girls, and anyway, we're more concerned with Marshall Mathers and the havoc he's wreaking on the stereos of Middle America. JG
Release date: 2 Jun
Press contact: Polydor IH [CP, CR, RR, NR] APB [RP, NP]
-----------------------------------------------
SLASH'S NEW PROJECT HAS A NAME
That band made up of the original Guns 'n' Roses line up minus Axl has finally got a name. The band will be called Reloaded. The band's first album is due early 2004 though tracks from them will appear on the soundtracks to The Hulk and The Italian Job remake - both in cinemas this year.
-----------------------------------------------
BECKHAM MAY BE DESIGNING FOR JAY Z
Rumour has it Victoria Beckham will be designing clothes for Jay-Z's clothing range Rocawear. If true the deal will help raise the former Spice Girl's profile there which may impact on any record sales.
-----------------------------------------------
EMINEM MAY USE MARIAH MESSAGES ON TRACK
More rumours... Word is Eminem is considering using soppy voice-mails left on his phone by Mariah Carey during their brief dalliance last year on a forthcoming single. The stories are yet to be confirmed, though Mariah's people have already said she would sue if he does so.