| CMU Daily - on the inside 16 Jul 2003 |
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In today's CMU Daily:
• Riaa 1 – file sharers 0
• Aguilera censored
• Jay Z speaks out in support of Sigel
• 500,000 expected at Stones gig
• More voting for new Fame Academy
• Simon Fuller beans tops top 50
• Blur guitarist's new solo LP
• MGM may increase bid for VU's ents assets
• Warner manufacturing sell off imminent
• MTV2 in bed with NME
• Santana aids charity work
• Robbie mimic winner
• Lavigne supports iTunes
• Madonna and Missy in GAP
• White stripes postpone us tour
• "I was as drunk as Diana Ross mate"
• Benny Carter dies
• Billy Bob signs to Sanctuary
• Coldplay singer dishes on Paltrow
• Gay country?
• L!ve TV to relaunch
• Gareth & Jordan
• Moby wants a family
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RIAA 1 – FILE SHARERS 0
Web stats company Neilsen Net reckons illegal download services Kazaa and Morpheus has 15% fewer users last week after the Recording Industry Association of America threatened to sue heavy downloaders and file sharers. If true that means as many as a million less people used Kazaa in the second week of Kuly.
Neilsen Net's Greg Bloom told reporters: "With the negative publicity and threat of steep fines, some surfers appear to be backing off. However, with millions of loyal users, these applications aren't likely to go off-line in the near future."
Kazaa owners Sharman Networks weren't convinced though putting it down to normal fluctuations: "Aside from normal seasonal drops experienced on the internet, we regularly see fluctuations in the number of users online, and there are numerous factors that play a part in these cyclical changes, but they are rarely permanent."
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AGUILERA CENSORED
Christina Aguilera has criticised MTV after bosses at the station said that the original cut of the video for her new single 'Can't Hold Us Down' was too sexy for its mostly teenage audience. Aguilera reckons there are double-standards at play claiming male stars get away with more in their videos.
She said: "It's funny. There are all those hip-hop videos where women are objectified, but when a woman does it, it's a shock. It's not like Madonna hasn't been there before. It's not like you've never seen a woman who's comfortable with her sexuality and her body and with being in control of her surroundings and situation."
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JAY Z SPEAKS OUT IN SUPPORT OF SIGEL
Jay-Z has spoken out in support of his recently incarcerated friend and colleague, Beanie Sigel, who is in custody after being refused bail for gun possession charges. Jay reckons it is hard for young MCs to leave 'the streets' behind: "I have talks with Beans and anytime somebody is trying to leave something else alone, that's the most difficult time in your life. I know — I went through it. Whenever you're trying to transition and make everything right, it gets harder. You're at a disadvantage because you're not of that no more. It's just real difficult to make that transition. It's like God's test. Once [he passes] that test, he's gonna be all right."
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500,000 EXPECTED AT STONES GIG
Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino has issued a stern plea to the 500,000 fans expected to attend the Rolling Stones concert at the city's Downsview Park on 30 Jul.
Fantino said: "There's going to be a need for people to have patience, there's no doubt about that. People have to realize that before they come. There's no point in getting frustrated and upset because you have a couple of hours wait time to get on a subway car."
He advised fans to arrive early and be prepared to spend the night together as he reckons it will take until 5 am to clear the site – even though the Stones will leave the stage at 11pm.
Along with the usual concert contraband of alcohol and drugs, umbrellas, lawnchairs, blankets, coolers and recording equipment are also forbidden.
The concert, aimed at boosting Toronto's SARS-battered economy, will also include performances from AC/DC, Rush and Justin Timberlake.
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MORE VOTING FOR NEW FAME ACADEMY
The second series of Fame Academy, due to begin within weeks, will open with a new twist where viewers get to choose which the thirteen contestants they want in the Academy from a shortlist of twenty-five.
Show staples headteacher Richard Park, vocal coach Carrie Grant, fitness trainer Kevin Adams and personal tutor Jeremy Milne will all return.
Newcomers will include Carrie's husband David, also a vocal coach, and Jo, a music teacher.
The BBC expect the series to start in late Jul or early Aug, although it is expected that programmers will be aiming for 1 Aug in an effort to avoid a schedule clash with Big Brother.
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SIMON FULLER BEANS TOPS TOP 50
Simon Fuller, creator of the Pop Idol shows, has been named the most influential person in the UK music business in a top 50 chart of the industry's key decision-makers, published by Music Week. The top ten predominantly consists of chief executives and managing directors of labels, as well as the entertainment manager for the Asda supermarket chain.
Simon Cowell is up there (6), as is Jonathan Ross (38), and Daily Mirror gossip columnists the 3am Girls (50). Bono was the only artist to appear in the list (11).
Fuller's crimes against music include running the management company, 19, who gave us the Spice Girls and S Club 7, and as a result of Pop Idol Will Young, Gareth Gates and Darius Danesh. Since 1985, he's had 96 number one singles and 79 charted albums in both the US and UK. The Sunday Times Rich List says he's worth £90m.
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BLUR GUITARIST'S NEW SOLO LP
Former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon has just finished recording his new solo album having been back in the studio with producer Stephen Street. Street, who also worked on the first five Blur records, has likened the new album to early Blur.
Street said: "There's a lot of Kinks-type stuff on there, which has always been very prevalent on all the Blur stuff. There is also some really nice mellow stuff on there too that's similar to Beck's latest album - lots of strings and all that. Then there's the good old rockers he's going for as well. I rate Graham very highly as a guitar player so it's really great to hear him let loose on a few things. It's going to be difficult choosing a running order because we've recorded 15 tracks. Those will probably be whittled down to 10 or 12. It's a good situation to be in."
Details of the title, tracklisting or release date are yet to be confirmed.
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MGM MAY INCREASE BID FOR VU'S ENTS ASSETS
MGM has told Vivendi Universal that it will raise its bid for the media conglomerate's entertainment assets to $11.5bn if it is given access to more financial information about the film studio's commitments, carriage deals for the cable channels, licensing arrangements for Vivendi's film library, and the ownership structure of the theme parks. What's more MGM bosses have told VU that it was prepared to walk away from the auction completely if it doesn't have access to the information by 21 Jul. MGM are already reported to have put the most generous offer on the table.
Elsewhere in Vivendi news, and according to the New York Post Barry Diller has been talking to Viacom Chief Sumner Redstone about a possible joint bid for VU's show business empire. It is believed that Viacom is only interested in Vivendi's cable television assets, and possibly the television production business. But Vivendi are believed to prefer a one buyer option – so word is that Viacom might buy the whole lot, then sell on the studios and theme parks to Diller. He was, of course, the boss of Vivendi's entertainment operations until recently, but he isn't able to bid himself because of the conditions of past contracts with the French conglom.
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WARNER MANUFACTURING SELL OFF IMMINENT
Elsewhere in major news, Warner Music Group are expected to complete the sale of their CD and DVD-manufacturing unit within the coming week to one of two parties: Canadian manufacturer Cinram International or the private equity group headed by WEA head Jim Caparro.
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MTV2 IN BED WITH NME
MTV2 has hooked up with NME to launch a new alternative daily chart show on the channel. The NME Chart Show will be presented by MTV2 stalwart and Radio 1 newby Zane Lowe. The show will begin on 3 Aug and take on a regular 7pm slot. The chart will be chosen from a pre-picked selection of tracks by viewers and will be published in the magazine each week. Of course the show competes with Xfm's Sony award winning Music Response chart, now also screened by Sky's music channel The Amp, and formerly hosted by Zane Lowe! It's a small world…
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SANTANA AIDS CHARITY WORK
Grammy winning guitarist, Carlos Santana, has pledged the profits from the 23-city US leg of his 'Shaman tour' to AIDS charity work being done in Africa. He estimates that the tour raised at least $2m for a fund run by Los Angeles-based Artists For A New South Africa, which supports South African groups fighting the spread of HIV and AIDS.
Santana said to the finale crowd: "Because of you, there will be education, prevention, and there will be healing. Thank you for coming forward with your beautiful heart and your energy."
Artists for a New South Africa group executive director, Sharon Gelman said: "Carlos's pledge is a very significant contribution. This is basically Carlos working for a month and a half and giving away every penny he would earn to help other people."
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ROBBIE MIMIC WINNER
MTV viewers have chosen the winner of the 'Robbie Williams Impersonator Contest' on his new interactive pop video.
Manchester's Peter Caruana was voted the best Robbie wannabe in the video to new single 'Something Beautiful'.
Three fans were featured in a draft of the video which centres on a 'who can mimic Robbie best' contest. Fans were subsequently invited to vote at Robbie's website or on MTV interactive for which of the three should win in the fictional Pop Idol story. The video now has a new ending, with Peter clutching his prize.
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LAVIGNE SUPPORTS ITUNES
Avril Lavigne has made an EP available exclusively to Apple's iTunes. Her support for Apple comes after Metallica, Linkin Park and other precious groups pulled their music off the iTunes service worried about the commercial and artistic implications of fans being able to buy individual tracks and in doing so shun album tracks.
The five-tracker which will be available at iTunes from 15 Jul, features 'Sk8er Boi,' 'Losing Grip,' 'Nobody's Fool,' 'Unwanted' and a cover of Green Day's 'Basket Case.' The material was recorded live on 23 Mar at the Dublin gig of her 'Try to Shut Me Up' world tour.
Additional performances from the tour will be available 29 Sep on a full-length CD and DVD, 'My World'.
In (tenuously) related news, Volkswagen in the US, are giving away an iPod with every new Volkswagen. The iPod is already the world's top selling digital music player.
The iPod has a 15 gig hard-drive in a hand-held device, allowing the owner to store up to 3,700 songs, or in most cases their entire CD collection.
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MADONNA AND MISSY IN GAP
While Gap spokeswoman gave little away, she did confirm yesterday that both Missy Elliott and Madonna will appear in a new ad campaign for the clothes chain in the US. Madonna is also set to do some tie-ins with Gap to promote her children's book, 'The English Roses', due 15 Sep.
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WHITE STRIPES POSTPONE US TOUR
The White Stripes' New York press company 'Girlie Action', have confirmed that as a result of that compound fracture to Jack White's left index finger suffered in a car crash last week, the band have been forced to postpone their US tour dates. Singer/guitarist Jack White will be unable to play for the next four weeks, and all US tour dates until 10 Aug have been postponed until further notice.
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"I WAS AS DRUNK AS DIANA ROSS MATE"
A judge has just ruled that the results of breath tests taken from Diana Ross can be used as evidence in her case. Ross faces three drunk driving-related charges in Tucson City Court, Arizona after being stopped by police on 30 Dec. Although she has pleaded innocent, the breathaliser test, 'stand on one leg and count to ten test' and the 'walk in a straight line test', suggest that she was shit-faced. The trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 9.
Her lawyer, Stephen Paul Barnard, attempted to have the breataliser evidence thrown out because Ross said that she felt intimidated when an officer asked her to take more tests later. The ruling for it's inclusion came after a judge watched a police videotape that 'shows that Ross doesn't appear to be scared'.
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BENNY CARTER DIES
Pioneering jazz musician Benny Carter has died aged 95, after two weeks in a US hospital complaining of bronchitis and fatigue. Big band leader Carter, helped break the racial boundaries that existed on the circuit and in film scoring, breaking many black composers. Carter was one of the first black composers and arrangers to work on mainstream Hollywood films, and had an illustrious career spanning seven decades, and bringing him into contact Miles Davis, Fats Waller and Dizzy Gillespie. Close friend Quincy Jones said: "If Benny was not there, we wouldn't be here. We walked through the door on his shoulders. He was a quiet and dignified man. And one of a kind."
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BILLY BOB SIGNS TO SANCTUARY
Billy Bob Thornton has signed a recording deal with Sanctuary Records Group. His second album, 'The Edge of the World', is due on 5 Aug. Sanctuary Records Group CEO, Merck Mercuriadis, said: "Billy Bob is the real deal. He is a genuine artist who is as powerful behind the microphone as he is in front of the camera."
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COLDPLAY SINGER DISHES ON PALTROW
Chris Martin spoken about his relationship with Gwyneth Paltrow to Radio 1 for the 'The Ticking Of Clocks' documentary. He said: "This is the only time I'm ever going to talk about this. When you have a high profile girlfriend, people forget that really she's like, well like everyone, Jack Nicholson or the Pope, they're just people with parents and worries, you know what I mean? We're a high profile band now, but we don't feel any different. People might treat us differently when they meet us, but after ten minutes with anybody, you realise you either like them or you don't, you know? The initial thing of fame is short lived - it doesn't really mean anything."
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GAY COUNTRY?
Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer Larry Dvoskin is on a mission to unite gay America and country music.
The songwriter/producer who has worked with Ricky Martin, David Bowie, Brandy, Fischerspooner, the Beach Boys, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Cheap Trick, is conducting the search for America's first openly gay country music star. Open auditions begin in New York on 7 Aug, followed by a dozen other cities around the country. The whole process will be filmed for an as-yet-titled reality TV series.
The project is the result of a debate with a media friend who suggested that the music business would never accept an openly gay country singer. Dvoskin, who is gay, subsequently placed a wanted ad in the Nashville Scene: "Gay country singer wanted . . . 18-23-ish, exceptionally good-looking, extraordinary singer who plays guitar . . . [and] grew up in Nashville, the South or the Midwest."
Dvoskin said: "People would chicken out or they'd use aliases. It was as if they were doing something naughty or illegal. But I'm a New Yorker, so I'm very liberal. I thought, 'What's the big deal here? You're just singing. Haven't we all heard of Elton John?'"
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L!VE TV TO RELAUNCH
Test transmissions for the comeback of cable channel L!VE TV are now underway. Latest word is that the channel will fully launch on 28 Jul on satellite. Whether it will follow the original Liquid News style local entertainment news format, or the later soft-porn Granada Men & Motors style, remains to be seen.
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GARETH & JORDAN
Gareth Gates has admitted that he was involved with dainty and bashful English rose Jordan. Gates said that he was naive and flattered by Jordan's advances and embarrassed by the press coverage at the time.
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MOBY WANTS A FAMILY
Moby has said he will quit touring to start a family. The techno star has told his band he's tired of the road and wants to have children. But he'll need to find a steady girlfriend first. Which considering the fact that he's a middle-aged bald non-smoking vegan, may narrow his chances. But then he has sold millions of records, and has truck loads of cash, so anything is possible. Look at Michael Douglas.