| CMU Daily - on the inside 13 Aug 2003 |
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In today's CMU Daily:
• Ringtone sales to overtake singles sales
• Roc-A-Fella meltdown?
• Review: Ursula Rucker – Silver Or Lead (!K7)
• Cerys has baby girl
• Libertines junkie
• Ticketmaster String Cheese lawsuit
• Puffy lawsuit
• Sean Paul found guilty of profanity
• Snoop video investigation
• Worst artists in history
• Review: Olav Brekke Mathisen & Sideshow Jogge – NAOMBs (Discfunction)
• Nelly reschedules UK dates
• Drum and Bass Arena is seven
• Seal at Royal Opera House
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RINGTONE SALES TO OVERTAKE SINGLE SALES
According to new figures from the Mobile Data Association (MDA), sales of mobile phone ringtones are set to overtake that of CD singles. But don’t expect any complaints from the industry – ringtones retail from between £1.50 and £3.50 each and once the technology is in place actual costs are negligible. And as we all know, all but the biggest singles have become something of a lost lead.
MDA research reckons sales of ringtones will rise 60% this year: meaning an estimated £70m of ringtones will be sold this year, up from £40m in 2002.
A spokesman for London Records told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the profit margin for recent Sugababes hit Round Round was larger on the ringtone than the single. One young phone-owner said: "everyone's doing it - it's the latest thing to do" because it was "too boring" to keep the same ring.
The current UK ringtone chart (as supplied by ringtones.co.uk)
1. XTM - Fly on the Wings of Love
2. Beyonce Knowles (above) - Crazy In Love
3. Blu Cantrell - Breathe
4. Coldplay - Clocks
5. Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells
Personally nothing come close to ‘Champ’ by the Mohawks.
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ROC A FELLA MELTDOWN?
According to the NY Daily News the Roc-A-Fella bosses, Jay-Z and Damon Dash are dividing up their Roc-A-Fella holdings in music, fashion and movie production between them - even though they signed a four-year extension of their agreement with Island Def Jam to distribute their artists.
An inside source says Def Jam’s Lyor Cohen has proposed a plan that would allow Dash and Jay Z to each have his own label and artists under the Roc-A-Fella umbrella. Others say Jay may want to dump Roc-A-Fella completely and develop artists with Steve Stoute, the former Interscope exec who helped launch his ‘S. Carter Collection’ sneaker line for Reebok. Rumour also has it that Dash has approached other record companies to distribute some of his new artists.
In other Jay Z news, the Roc A Fella co-founder has pulled out of the Carling Reading And Leeds Festivals.
But that’s OK because The Darkness will be filling the spot.
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REVIEW: Ursula Rucker – Silver Or Lead (!K7)
When I heard Ursula Rucker on ‘Loveless’ from 4Hero’s first album I was unimpressed by her, but having heard her work with Jazzanova and the unrivalled ‘Supa Sista’ remix by Questlove, I’ve more than come round… and this album was the icing on the malapropism. Rucker’s uncompromising use of language, metaphor and symbolism is perfectly complimented by music from Jazzanova, 4Hero and relative unknowns, Mysterium, who’s ‘Lonely But Sweet’ and ‘Damned If I Do’ are wicked slabs of beats and loops. The future hiphop poetry blend at times makes for dense listening, all due to Rucker’s king size balls: it’s not black power and its not feminism but positive and forward thinking reflection. This is a powerful album with beats and words from the horse’s mouth. This is education. JG
Release date: 6 Oct
Press Contact: Shilland [all]
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CERYS HAS BABY GIRL
Cerys Matthews’ label announced yesterday that the former Catatonia girl has given birth to a baby girl. A spokesman for Warner Music UK said that mother and baby - not yet named, born on Sunday weighing 6lbs 10oz - are fine. Matthews, married American music producer Seth Riddle in a chapel near her parents' home in Trevine, Pembrokeshire, Wales in February.
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LIBERTINE'S DRUG TROUBLES
Now former Libertines singer Pete Doherty says he's addicted to heroin and crack cocaine.
Speaking to the Evening Standard after that court appearance on Monday in which he admitted to breaking into the house of former band mate : "Yes I'm a heroin addict, yes I'm addicted to crack cocaine, and I don't know what to do. When I was arrested for burglary, they found traces of opiates and crack in my blood. I'm all cut up, unsure, I don't know what I'm doing, I need a good kicking and I need some help."
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TICKETMASTER STRING CHEESE LAWSUIT
Ticketmaster have responded to a lawsuit brought against them by US rock band Stringe Cheese Incident. The rock band sued the ticket major last week over allegations Ticketmaster was using unfair business practices to stop their company SCI Ticketing from trading. SCI’s ticket company was set up to administer selling priority tickets to hard line fans initially for their own gigs, later for those of other bands. It is now traditional for Ticketmaster to give up small allocations of tickets at venues where it has a ticket monopoly in order to sell them direct to a fanbase – normally via a fan club. But Ticketmaster weren’t interested in dealing with another agency in this regard, even one set up by a rock band, hence the lawsuit.
Stating their case, a spokesman for Ticketmaster yesterday said: "The allocation of fan club tickets in excess of historical reasonable levels flies in the face of our contractual guidelines with our clients. By demanding very large allocations of tickets, SCI has attempted to break valid contracts for its own self-promotion and monetary gain. ... SCI and its ticketing company are trying to step in for a 'free ride' on the many benefits and services Ticketmaster provides its clients. SCI essentially wants to skim the best, most easily sold tickets and leave Ticketmaster and its clients with the job of selling the rest."
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PUFFY LAWSUIT
Two men - Thomas Guest and Damon Jackson – have filed lawsuits against Sean ‘Puffy’ Combs for $25m each, alleging that the producer’s security team attacked them for no reason on Aug 2002 at the Daddy's House studio on West 44th Street in Manhattan.
Combs' spokesperson says: “the lawsuits are totally baseless and the allegations are ridiculous.”
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SEAN PAUL FOUND GUILTY OF PROFANITY
Dancehall artist Sean Paul has pleaded guilty to using profanity during last month's Reggae Sumfest concert in Montego Bay, Jamaica and was fined the massive Sun of $34.
Paul said: "I promise that this won't happen again so I do not have to come again to waste the court's time."
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SNOOP VIDEO INVESTIGATION
Snoop Dogg has been named in an affidavit claiming that he, and the makers of the ‘Girls Gone Wild: Doggy Style’ tape, lured two underage girls to take their tops off for the camera by offering them marijuana and ecstasy.
The affidavit, which has been posted on the Smoking Gun website, relates to footage of Jaime Capdeboscq and friend Whitni Candiotto, both of whom appeared in ‘Girls Gone Wild: Doggy Style’ video, and is part of evidence amassed by authorities in an ongoing criminal investigation into the film’s producer, Joseph Francis.
The affidavit alleges that Francis and his employees knowingly taped underage girls for his productions, often enticing them to commit sex acts and disrobe, sometimes for money. The Snoop footage was shot in Feb last year when the rapper joined the ‘Gone Wild’ crew at Mardi Gras. The document also alleges that the producers and Snoop were aware that the two were underage.
Francis was arrested on April 3 and is charged with 22 counts, among them drug trafficking and knowingly videotaping underage women and paying them to perform sex acts.
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WORST ARTISTS IN HISTORY
US music magazine Blender has compiled the 50 worst artists in music history: Who’s in there? Well, Mick Jagger (13), Michael Bolton, Kenny G, Vanilla Ice, Celine Dion (26), Paul Oakenfold, Bob Geldof (39) and The Doors (37).
David Bowie's rock band Tin Machine came in at number 12, described as "really, really bad".
Jamiroquai's Jay Kay – dubbed as "the white, talentless Stevie Wonder" - reached 25.
At the top of the bottom were rap-rock duo Insane Clown Posse, famous for an ongoing feud with Eminem and asking Sharon Osbourne to "buff my pickle" on the Howard Stern radio show.
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REVIEW: Olav Brekke Mathisen & Sideshow Jogge – NAOMBs (Discfunction)
As the seconds turn into minutes, and the minutes into tracks, and so on – you find yourself lured into this 11-tracker with its pleasing synth sounds, electro/disco 4/4 beats, and sampladelic sensibility (check track one ‘Hasjbox’ with its samples of Bender from Futurama). This album from the Oslo-based two-piece is worth it for ‘Fluffy the Vampire’ alone: a wicked spacey cosmic mid-tempo retro-house cover of ‘Little Fluffy Clouds’ by the Orb. When I try and think of words for this review, the one that keeps wanting ot be written is, endearing. This is endearing music, and I suggest that nice people who like the sound of it buy it. It’s not for nasty people. JG
Release date: 20 Oct
Press Contact: Rocketscience [all]
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NELLY RESCHEDULES UK DATES
Nelly has rescheduled his UK and Irish tour dates having been forced to cancel gigs set for March after his sister was diagnosed with leukaemia.
The new dates are:
7 Nov: Manchester's MEN Arena
8&9 Nov: Wembley Arena
11 Nov: Belfast Odyssey
12 Nov: Dublin Point
14 Nov: Cardiff Arena
17 Nov: Sheffield Arena
18 Nov: Birmingham NEC
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DRUM & BASS ARENA IS SEVEN
Home of drum & bass on the internet, Drum & Bass Arena / www.breakbeat.co.uk turns seven years old on 15 Aug and will be throwing a massive Fabric party to celebrate.
Started by The Risky in 1996 the site has grown alongside drum & bass and now pulls in upwards of 200, 000 unique users every month, ranking it as one of the largest music websites on the web. All the latest releases and snippets of new dubplates are streamed and the latest development, D&BTV films, streams and archives top DJs sets and interviews at clubs across the UK.
In the run-up to the Fabric party, Drum & Bass Arena have been re-releasing classic sets lost in the archives (including Reprazent Live in concert and the Brazilian DJ sensation Marky on one of his first trips to the UK) and should capture a few more at the 15 Aug.
Andy C, Fabio, Zinc, Ed Rush, Marcus Intalex, Clipz, Transit Mafia are booked for what promises to be a varied bag of d&b. The event is broadcast live on www.breakbeat.co.uk
DNBA 7 B‚Day
15 Aug: @ Fabric, Charterhouse St, London. 9.30pm-5am. £12/10 NUS.
Also in the pipeline is the site’s second mix CD put together by scene legend Andy C with a DVD packed with extras (including documentary on the growth of musical d&b and an MCs feature). That arrives in September on React.
Press Contact: Alex 0114 2814470
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SEAL AT ROYAL OPERA HOUSE
Seal will play his first UK gig since 1995 when he performs an exclusive show at the Linbury Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden on 26 Aug. The concert will provide the ideal opportunity to showcase songs from his forthcoming album 'IV' (out 15 Sep), including the single 'Get It Together' (out 8 Sep).
Tickets for the show are strictly by invite only with none being made available for general sale. However fans can win tickets at www.sealliveincoventgarden.com.