| CMU Daily - on the inside 26 Sep 2003 |
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In today's CMU Daily:
• Stereophonics sack drummer Cable
• 50 Cent storms MOBOs
• Cash tribute date set
• Eminem combines Tupac and B.I.G in new track
• RIAA drop rap download lawsuit against 66 year old
• Album Review: Billy Childish & The Buff Medways – 14 (Transcopic)
• Toronto SARS-stock lost money
• ITV to screen DJ reality show
• Radio groups warn of revenue falls
• Spree confident of new UK deal
• Hell On Earth lose venue for suicide show
• Harrison DVD previews
• US band pilot instant live package for whole tour
• Yoko on Lennon DVD
• Busted announce new single
• Meatloaf to perform an aussie symphony
• BBC may lose US shows because of encryption
• Belle & Sebastian re-jig tour dates
• Former Vivendi boss still has to wait for his money
• Bambaata to play Groove night
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STEREOPHONICS SACK DRUMMER CABLE
At the start of the day it was a vicious rumour, by tea time the subject of an official statement - V2's Stereophonics yesterday sacked drummer Stuart Cable, supposedly due to "commitment issues". Frontman Kelly Jones, who has been friends with Cable since childhood, said the drummer had not been suitably committed to the band since the release of Just Enough Education To Perform in 2001, though he described the decision to actually fire him as "heartbreaking".
In true rock 'n' roll style Cable was reportedly not aware of his sacking until he was called by a friend - BBC Radio Wales presenter Owen Money - for comment. Money claims Cable initially denied the news, but by the end of the day a message from Kelly on the band's website confirmed the decision.
In the statement Kelly told fans: "Me and Stuart started a band when I was 12. Emotionally to me this is heartbreaking, I love him like a brother, but commitment-wise there have been issues since Just Enough Education To Perform. We've tried resolving them but things stayed the same. Myself and Richard miss Stuart already, a band is like a gang and a lot of the time he simply wasn't there, although it was our fault to allow this situation to develop in the first place."
The split is not a big surprise for those close to the band - relationships between Kelly, the creative heart of the band, and Cable have been strained for some time. Many expected the band to split once their initial contract with V2 was fulfilled, especially when Jones embarked on a short solo tour a few years back. While those rumours never came true many will see it as an achievement that the two schoolfriends have remained band mates for this long.
Kelly plans to carry on working with bassist Richard Jones as Stereophonics, with former Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman joining them for live dates. Whether Gorman, or a new drummer, will be appointed if and when more studio work takes places is unclear. Gorman had already filled in on several US shows when Cable's absence was said to be due to "ill health".
It is unclear what Cable may do next, though he has been building a TV presenting career fronting a music show for BBC Wales.
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50 CENT STORMS MOBOS
50 Cent dominated at the MOBOs last night, picking up all three of the awards he was nominated for - best album for ' Get Rich Or Die Tryin', best single for 'In Da Club' and overall best hip hop act. He was very gracious after his victory - telling reporters "I've won a lot of awards this year from a lot of different people. I'd like to thank God for blessing me with the talent." And he seemed to be glad to be in London despite it taking him five hours to get through customs earlier in the day - a set back which forced the cancellation of an afternoon engagement and meant late arrivals at both the MOBOs and his Wembley gig that followed.
Elsewhere at the MOBOs Justin Timberlake was named best R&B act, while the prize for best UK act was shared between Punjabi MC and Big Brovaz, the latter also taking best newcomers. Best video went to Christina Aguilera featuring Redman for 'Dirrty', The Neptunes were named best producers and So Solid Crew's Lisa Maffia won the best garage category. Best reggae act went to Wayne Wonder, with BBC Radio 1's Tim Westwood taking the award for best UK radio DJ.
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CASH TRIBUTE DATE SET
The family of Johnny Cash have confirmed a public memorial service will take place at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium on 12 Nov. The venue once hosted a prime-time television presented by the man in black. The list of the people who will take part in the service is yet to be confirmed, though the date is so far off because his son John Carter Cash, currently on tour in Europe, wants to be involved.
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EMINEM COMBINES TUPAC AND B.I.G IN NEW TRACK
Eminem has put together a new track that includes raps from both Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. The track will appear on the soundtrack to the film ' Tupac: Resurrection'. The soundtrack gets a US release on 4 Nov, the movie premieres on 14 Nov.
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RIAA DROP RAP DOWNLOAD LAWSUIT AGAINST 66 YEAR OLD
The Recording Industry Association of America has backed down on one of the more high profile of the 261 anti-downloading lawsuits it launched earlier this month. As much reported, among the RIAA's targets was a 66 year old who was accused of sharing over 2000 tracks via KaZaA - many of them rap records. Sarah Seabury Ward argued she and her husband only used the internet to e-mail their family and had never downloaded MP3s or peer-to-peer software. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, who took on Ward's case, argued the technology that traced the location of computers sharing MP3 files must have been mistaken.
The RIAA yesterday said it was withdrawing that particular lawsuit as a "gesture of good faith", though it added they would continue their investigations and withheld the right to resume legal action against Ward at some point in the future.
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ALBUM REVIEW: Billy Childish & The Buff Medways – 14 (Transcopic)
Another Billy Childish album then, yes another. And guess what, yes, it was recorded at Toerag on vintage guitars, took days to record and has ended up as a listenable mix of 50's pop, slimy garage and simple punk. This album though does beg the question, can too much of one thing end up being bad? Well, yes, while the authenticity and credentials of Billy Childish cannot be faltered the fact remains that his mass of material appears to be congealing together like one big chocolate orange cricket ball and, 1914 included, just appears to be getting lost within itself.
Release date: 27 Oct
Press contact: Triad [CP, RP, NP] Transcopic IH [CR, RR, NR]
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TORONTO'S SARS-STOCK LOST MONEY
Toronto's post-SARS benefit gig - aka SARS-stock - looks like it will make a loss. Excess costs will be absorbed by the promoters Molson Sports and Entertainment.
The company's David Jones told reporters yesterday: "It's not going to be the end of the world. We'll absorb the loss. There was the expectation going in that there would be risk ... It was a great show and accomplished what it was supposed to."
That's a line being taken by everyone involved in the event. The loss won't affect the $1 per ticket donation to local health worker charities - and organisers stress how good the event was in terms of promoting the city to a global audience.
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ITV TO SCREEN DJ REALITY SHOW
A new ITV reality show, created as part of the Smirnoff Experience dance music sponsorship programme, will follow the careers of four aspiring DJs as they try to make it in the dance music world - supported by advice from Tom Middleton, Roni Size, Sister Bliss and Mr C. Each of the six shows will see the DJs - picked from 300 nominated by record shops, club promoters and DJ academies around the UK - trying their hands at different aspects of their craft. A series of clubbing events around the UK will also feature the DJs - these will be filmed for inclusion on the show. More details at http:// www.thejoyofdecks.tv.
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RADIO GROUPS WARN OF REVENUE FALLS
After a temporary lift in the fortunes of the radio industry, two of the key commercial players are warning investors of another dip in revenues.
Capital Radio yesterday told the City: "We anticipate revenues for the quarter to September 2003 will be broadly flat in line with expectations. In the quarter to June 2003 revenues were down 6% against the same quarter in the previous year. Consequently, revenue for the six months ending 30 September 2003 will be down 3% against the same period in the prior year." Interpreting this news Capital boss David Mansfield. told investors: "With the recent optimism in the media marketplace we have seen some limited signs of improvement. However, we remain cautious and believe that it is too early to tell when the UK advertising sector will recover."
Likewise GWR yesterday announced that advertising revenues for Classic FM have dipped by more than 10% year in the past six months. However chairman Ralph Bernard remained optimistic that the industry is slowly climbing out of the recent advertising slump: " Advertising revenues at Classic FM have continued to be volatile over the last six months, but recent short-term performance has been more encouraging. We are beginning to see improved short-term visibility of revenues. The group's trading outlook remains unchanged and the board is confident of delivering a satisfactory result for the year."
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SPREE CONFIDENT OF NEW UK DEAL
The Polyphonic Spree's Tim Delaughter has told the NME that they should have a new UK record deal by the time their next album is ready for release in early 2004. As previously reported the band were dropped by Warner affiliate 679 Recordings earlier this month due to poor record sales.
Commenting on the label situation DeLaughter told NME: "Yeah, well as you know we've signed with Hollywood Records in the States. And we've almost signed a new one in the UK too, but I can't tell you about that until I literally sign on the dotted line."
"I'm selling tonnes of records over here (North America) – and I'm not even doing anything! But I've got one of the biggest distribution companies in the world making sure my record's out there in the right places, so… Well, it'll be interested to see what happens once we change labels. Then again, maybe The Polyphonic Spree will never do it. I want people to know that we're not a novelty act. We've got some great new stuff – the album's almost finished being mixed. Shoot, man! I love the whole record! I'm really proud of it. It's the best thing I've ever been part of."
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HELL ON EARTH LOSE VENUE FOR SUICIDE SHOW
The Florida venue due to host that controversial gig by industrial rock band Hell on Earth, at which a terminally ill fan was planning to take his own life, has cancelled the performance. David Hundley, owner of the State Theater in St. Petersburg, told reporters that, while he was still not sure whether the supposed live suicide was a publicity stunt or an "illusion", he was concerned on the affect the stunt may have on younger fans. He told a news conference: "We deal with a lot of kids here and we don't want their parents to think that their kids are ever at risk."
Another local venue, Club Venom, also reportedly rejected the booking, though a notice on the band's website says the show, and the suicide, will go ahead at an undisclosed location within St. Petersburg city limits and will be webcast live. City officials, meanwhile, have been considered rushing through new legislation to ensure any such public suicide is illegal.
Although Hell On Earth are known for media stunts frontman Billy Tourtelot has insisted this is not the case this time round. Tourtelot also claims he has taken legal advice and that neither he nor any venue will be held responsible for the fan's death in the eyes of the law.
As previously reported, the fan wishes to commit suicide in such a public way to promote the cause for the legalisation of euthanasia.
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HARRISON DVD PREVIEWS
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were in California yesterday to watch the premiere screening of a documentary filmed at a star-studded George Harrison tribute concert last year. It was the first of several cinema screenings of the documentary - which features Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, and members of Monty Python among others - before it is released on DVD in November.
There will be a London screening of the documentary at the Odeon West End on 8 Oct. More information about the premiere and the DVD from [email protected] or Noble PR on 020 7272 7772
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US BAND PILOT INSTANT LIVE PACKAGE FOR WHOLE TOUR
US band Moe will be the first to extend Clear Channel's 'Instant Live' programme to an entire tour. As previously reported the 'Instant Live' programme records concerts as they are preformed. A block of CD pressing units then get to work instantly so that fans can buy copies of the recording as they leave the venue on the same night. The system was piloted earlier this year - Moe will offer the service on all 21 dates of their up coming US tour.
Coca-Cola is sponsoring the initiative that will let fans buy a copy of the Moe gig they have just seen for $15.
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YOKO ON LENNON DVD
Yoko Ono has been talking about a new John Lennon DVD she has been compiling. 'Lennon Legend' features a range of videos, live performances and documentary footage. Yoko says: "This is as definitive a collection as it is possible to be. John's life was an amazing one and one that I feel privileged to have been part of. Compiling this DVD has been a very emotional experience: unearthing rare footage, watching it increase in clarity before my eyes, reliving hundreds of memories that were part of our lives and which are now being passed on to a new generation. It is a film made with love and hope – my love for my husband and our hope that peace will prevail in the world. Give peace a chance!"
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BUSTED ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE
Hurrah. Busted have announced next single 'Crashed The Wedding' will be out on 10 Nov, just before they perform at that popular rock 'n' roll fest the the Royal Variety Show on 24 Nov. Those who care can catch the video first on TOTP's Saturday show on 11 Oct.
As previously reported the trio are currently working with The Matrix on a second album in LA.
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MEATLOAF TO PERFORM WITH AUSSIE SYMPHONY
After the success of Kiss's collaboration with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, now Meatloaf is scheduled to perform a series of concerts with the orchestra.
Andrew McManus, promoter of both the Kiss and Meatloaf events told reporters: "Kiss Symphony was such an amazing event, we knew we had to do it again. Very few artists have the music that can be truly enhanced by a symphonic accompaniment or have the stage charisma to pull it off - Meatloaf definitely has both in abundance".
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BBC MAY LOSE US SHOWS BECAUSE OF ENCRYPTION
The BBC's decision to unencrypt its satellite broadcasts might impact on its ability to secure big US TV shows.
As previously reported until recently the BBC's satellite signals were encrypted so that, even though you could receive them in Ireland and Northern Europe, you could only watch them if you has a Sky subscription or a Solus decoder card. The cost of running the latter was expensive so the BBC decided to unencrypt their signals, allowing anyone with a satellite dish and decoder to tune in.
Aside from pissing off Sky who got a good income to administer the Solus card - and ITV, Channel 4 and Five who still use the Solus card system and are now left with the bill - it seems the BBC might have lost the faith of some of the big US broadcasters who fear that when they sell the Beeb the UK rights to their shows viewers elsewhere in Europe will also be able to tune in for free.
The first show likely to affected by this move is Fox TV's '24' - the third series of which the BBC is currently trying to secure the rights to broadcast. With existing deals already done with broadcasters in France and Spain - countries which in theory can now pick up BBC 1 and 2 - Fox are reluctant to give the show to the Corporation.
Tough negotiations are ongoing, but if they lose '24' this might start a precedent with other international programme makers.
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BELLE & SEBASTIAN REJIG TOUR DATES
With their Bradford venue found to be not completely structurally sound Belle & Sebastian have had to rejig their up coming UK tour slightly. The Bradford show has been replaced with a Sheffield date, and that has caused their Liverpool date to be shifted too.
New dates line up as follows:
02 Dec: Sheffield City Hall
03 Dec: London Astoria
04 Dec: London Astoria
05 Dec: London Astoria
07 Dec: Bath Pavilion
08 Dec: Brighton Dome
09 Dec: Norwich UEA
11 Dec: Newcastle Northumbria Uni
12 Dec: Liverpool Royal Court Theatre
14 Dec: Edinburgh Usher Hall
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FORMER VIVENDI BOSS STILL HAS TO WAIT FOR HIS MONEY
Former Vivendi Universal boss Jean Marie Messier still hasn't got his $24 million severance pay. As previously reported, a US court earlier this month said Vivendi had to pay up despite their protests he didn't deserve the pay off because he left the company after more or less destroying it (well, words to that effect). But now, according to the New York Post, the US Securities and Exchange Commission has request to have the severance funds 'frozen' while it undertakes an investigation into the operations of the company. Not sure if that's true, nor what it means for Universal or Messier, except that the latter won't get his cash for sometime, if ever.
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BAMBAATA TO PLAY GROOVE NIGHT
Finally, here's one for your diaries - hip hop veteran, Afrika Bambaata will be in town to perform a two hour DJ set at Groove Armada's Lovebox on 3 Oct. Go see.