| CMU Daily - on the inside Friday 3rd October |
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In today's CMU Daily:
- A rather long ramble about Nokia Comes With Music
- CRB rules on US download publishing royalty - no change people
- Korda Marshall leaves Warner Bros
- Girls Aloud murder blogger charged
- Cobain safe at home with family
- Plan 9 frontman killed in road crash
- Nick Reynolds dies
- Single review: Holy Fuck - Super Inuit (Live) (Young Turks)
- Fall Out Boy donate cash to gay marriage
- TV On The Radio forced indoors
- Nick Cave to curate Aussie ATP
- Album review: Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Is This The Sea? (Domino)
- Iceland Airwaves to be accompanied by industry convention
- Definitive Jux renew EMI relationship
- ISPs start sending out P2P warning letters
- New PPL roles
- eMusic boss going to Venrock
- German distributor in administration
- Global appointments
- Hook on last days in New Order
- Will Young to appear on Question Time
- Gary Glitter evicted from London home
- Noel Gallagher on stuff
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SAME SIX QUESTIONS: LUNIK
Formed in 1998, Lunik are now one of Switzerland's most popular bands, reaching platinum sales in the country. Now they are hoping to spread that success further with their debut UK single, 'Do You Love Me', which was released through FOD Records last month. We spoke to the band's strong-voiced frontwoman Jael.
Q1 How did you start out making music?
I have sung for as long as I can remember. I used to make up melodies and lyrics before I was able to read and write. I sang when I was playing with my dolls and sang my own bedtime stories. My parents had a piano at home and I used to sit there for hours and improvise. I guess I wasn't very good back then, cause they sold the piano... But in school I learned to play the guitar and joined the band and one thing led to the other.
Q2 What inspired your latest single?
A guy... well it's a sad story, I don't want to bother you with it...
Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
Most of the time Luk [Zimmermann] writes the first part of a new song. He sends me an MP3 of the demo and I write lyrics and a vocal line for it, which I record at home on top of his work. Then we meet in the studio and rearrange the whole thing if necessary. Later we meet the whole band and work on the song as a band. With 'Do You Love Me' it was a bit different, because Swedish producer Tore Johanssen wrote parts of it, when we were in his studio for a session. It's actually the only Lunik song where someone outside the band took part in the songwriting.
Q4 Which artists influence your work?
I've listened to music my whole life and am very open to all kinds of styles. There was a time when I was really interested in unique voices like Bjšrk, Lou Rhodes and Tracey Thorn, then I fell in love with Johnny Cash's music and Lucinda Williams. Then all of a sudden I had this Joni Mitchell phase and also listened to Fado. When I wanted to work on my songwriting I listened exclusively to the Beatles for a year. Today I love listening to singer-songwriters like Leonard Cohen, Minor Majority, The Cardigans, some soundtracks like 'Shine'. I basically love nice melodies and lyrics that make sense to me.
Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
I always get out of the room if this happens! I can't stand the pressure and suddenly I hate my own voice... it's a weird self-preservation thing, I can't help it. If I could stay in the room I would tell them to close their eyes, turn up the volume and be ready for goose-bumps. I guess Lunik has a weird way of making you happy even though most of the lyrics are quite sad... well at least that's what our fans say... thinking about it... maybe they don't understand the lyrics.
Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest single/album, and for the future?
Well, I'm very proud to be the first Swiss female singer making it to the UK radio, as far as I know. I'm living my dream already - making music every day of my life, so I guess everything that comes in addition to this is mainly a very big gift; I'll take it and enjoy it as long as possible.
MORE> www.myspace.com/lunikband
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JOBS N STUFF
OFFICE MANAGER
Cooking Vinyl are looking for an Office Manager / PA to MD. The ideal candidate is organised, works well under pressure and has an impeccable phone manner. You will also have to be familiar with Word, Excel and Outlook. The role includes full reception responsibilities, and also assisting the marketing, international and production departments when needed, as well as ensuring the office is running smoothly. Cooking Vinyl's office is in Acton, West London. Please send CV and covering letter to david@cookingvinyl.com. Closing date 10th October.
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CMU FRIDAY TIPS
ANDY'S CLUB TIP: Twisted Licks
Twisted Licks celebrates new Shoreditch venue The Last Days Of Decadence's launch week with a night of dirty electro debauchery. There'll be live sets from The Young Punx, Modernaire and The XX, as well as DJ sets from Alex Egan (Skull Juice), Luca C (Cazals), Ortzroka, Guy (Fierce Panda) and Tim Fanucci (Standon Calling/Pukka Up). It's going to be a proper night out.
Same Six Questions: The Young Punx, Modernaire, Ortzroka
Downloads: Modernaire - Faites Vos Jeux http://www.mediafire.com/?mdlzonohfjm Ortzoka - Planets http://www.mediafire.com/?r2se2t7bsmm
Friday 3 Oct, The Last Days of Decadence, 145 Shoreditch High Street, 8pm - 2.30am, £8 before 10, £10 after, www.leylinepromotions.com/microsite.php?eid=145, press info from tamsin@leylinepromotions.com
VIGSY's CLUB TIP: 10 Years of Valve Sound System at The Warehouse Project
London based drum n bass gurus Dillinja and Lemon D bring out their gargantuan sound system and go mad for it in Manchester at The Warehouse Project tonight. It's hard to believe that it's a decade since these bass-aholics created their killa sound system, and to celebrate that landmark they have roped in some hardhitters to lend a hand, too: Brazilian boywonder DJ Marky, Raekwon from WTC (live), rising stars Chase & Status featuring Plan B, and the hardy, perennial Metalheadz magician Goldie, with Subfocus, Dexter, N-Type & Hatcha. If you've not seen this sound rig in action, be prepared. Get too close and it feels like the contents of your thoracic cage may rupture with the bass pressure. In fact, I think they are still obliged by Health & Safety to give out earplugs on the door. Don't say I didn't warn you. I've felt it in action, and it is something to behold.
Fri 3 October, The Warehouse Project, Beneath Piccadilly Train Station, Store Street, Manchester, M1 2GH, 9.30pm-5am, a hefty £15 adv, press info from Jonas at EPM, more info from www.thewarehouseproject.com
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A RATHER LONG RAMBLE ABOUT NOKIA COMES WITH MUSIC
So, Nokia Comes With Music has been officially launched, and will be available to buy from the Carphone Warehouse from 16 Oct. And, as is becoming usual, EMI signed up with just hours to spare before the launch, meaning the phone maker's new all-you-can-eat download store offers access to 2 million tracks coming from all four major record companies plus big indies like Beggars, PIAS and Ministry Of Sound. Independent aggregator The Orchard also confirmed it would be providing music for the Nokia catalogue.
There has been so much talk and speculation about Nokia's new music service since they first announced their intention to launch it at the end of last year, we already knew quite a lot about it. Punters can buy a Nokia phone which comes with 12 months access to a bespoke download platform, which can be accessed via the mobile device or a PC. Comes With Music phone owners can download as many tracks from the download platform as they like during those 12 months for free and, unlike other subscription based download offers such as Napster, when the 12 months are up the customer will be able to keep any tracks they have downloaded for good. The service will be available via the phone firm's new Nokia's 5310 XpressMusic handset, which, I think I am right in saying, is Nokia's first touch screen phone.
But what about all those recent reports of limitations and irritations with this potentially revolutionary new digital music service? The chatter that no deal had been done with publishing collecting society MCPS-PRS, potentially jeopardising the whole proposition? That the mobile networks, who don't like the fact that the Nokias and Ericssons of this world are moving into the mobile content provision market they were hoping to dominate, simply wouldn't support the new phone? That the 'unlimited' supply to free music wouldn't really be unlimited, and could be limited to as little as 120 tracks? And that the digital rights management technology employed would mean the free downloads, while technically permanent, would not last much more than a couple of years?
Well, let's take each of those things in turn.
First up, the publishing sector is on board, according to Nokia. They said yesterday that in addition to their record label deals, they had deals in place with major publishers Sony/ATV, Universal and EMI, plus the all important catch-all licence from MCPS-PRS.
Second, while it is true that none of the mobile networks are currently supporting the Comes With Music phone, meaning it will only work with a pay-as-you-go SIM card, Nokia's New York rep Elizabeth Schimel told Billboard talks with the UK mobile networks were progressing well, and that they expected to be able to offer Comes With Music on contract-based mobiles by the time or soon after the new phone goes on sale later this month.
Third, that allegation that Nokia's definition of 'unlimited' was rather limited. As previously reported, a recent Guardian article on the new service revealed that the Music Managers Forum had been told by the record companies that a portion of the wholesale price of the new phone had been allocated to cover the costs of downloads, and that given the pricepoint agreed with the record companies, that would cover the cost of just 120 tracks (and that's not including any publishing royalty). As Nokia have previously denied claims they will heavily subsidise the new service in order to gain a share of the digital music market, that led to speculation that actually the number of free downloads available to each consumer would be just ten a month, and after that there may be an additional charge for tracks.
However, Nokia maintain that unlimited means unlimited, though they've not explicitly stated all downloads are free, though they are certainly implying that is so. Asked about this, Schimel told Billboard: "There are no tricky limitations on how many [tracks] you can keep. What you download, you can keep. The basic offer is to allow consumers reasonable personal use and to download as many tracks as they want. We will, I believe, live up to that promise". We tried to get 100% confirmation from Nokia that Comes With Music offered unlimited access to free tracks, and that in theory everyone could go online and download all 2 million, but given Nokia have possibly the worst PR representation on the planet, we're yet to hear anything back.
But whatever, even if unlimited isn't really unlimited when it comes to Comes With Music, that fact is not really the biggest downer of the Nokia proposition. Which brings us on to the fourth point - digital rights management. It wasn't clear for some time whether the free tracks available via this new service would come with DRM - and there was certainly something in the way it was initially communicated that made me infer they would not. That, it has to be said, would be a revolutionary service even if the actual number of tracks you could get for free was limited, even to 120. Such is the confusion regarding the DRM status of Comes With Music, some people are still reporting today that the service is DRM free today.
However, tracks accessed via the Nokia device will come as Windows Media files with digital rights management embedded. The DRM will stop people burning their songs to CD, or transferring them to another mobile device, or playing them with non-Nokia technology, or even moving them to another PC once their 12 month subscription is up. Given all mobile and domestic computer hardware has a relatively short life expectancy these days, that means these free permanent downloads will only really be usable for a couple of years. Plus, as with any DRM, there is always the chance that when Nokia get bored with all this they'll turn the servers that power the digital rights management off - as WalMart are about to do in the US - and the tracks will stop working. And unlike with the WalMart DRMed tracks, users won't be able to rip backup copies to CD.
The role of DRM in Comes With Music is interesting on a number of levels. The cynic in me wonders if it's the limiting DRM that is the reason the major record companies, and especially Nokia's first partner on the venture, Universal Music, have so warmly embraced this potentially revolutionary new service. It brings DRM back into play in the digital music marketplace less than a year after the four majors finally publicly admitted their self-harm love affair with the technology in the a-la-carte download space was destroying their own industry. Perhaps those major label execs are missing their DRM fix.
The boss of London-based download store 7Digital, Ben Drury, certainly thinks a new digital music model that relies on DRM is not a good thing. Obviously he's a little biased, having just fully launched his own DRM-free a-la-carte MP3 download platform, now with all majors on board, he won't want us all switching over to a subscription-based unlimited permanent download service. But his points on the matter seem valid nonetheless.
He told CMU: "Nokia's new service is an interesting new model for digital music but at first glance seems fatally flawed. Songs downloaded through the Comes With Music service are not in MP3 format and are wrapped in DRM locks which means the downloads cannot be played across a multitude of music devices including iPods and all other MP3 players. Nokia claims users will be able to keep any downloaded tracks forever, even if they decide not to renew their contract. In reality, "forever" means for the lifetime of the device (typically 2 years) or computer they download to - users won't be able to transfer their music to new, non-Nokia devices in the future".
He continues: "Why would you download music in a format that is so restrictive, when you can get the same music in a universal format that can be played and shared across any music enabled device? MP3 is the only format that works on all devices - MP3 downloads are compatible with any music player, including iPods, iPhones, Blackberries, Sony Walkmans and all other MP3 players. A compelling music offering needs to escape DRM. The high-quality DRM-free MP3 format is what digital music consumers have been waiting for. We know that consumers see DRM as somewhat of a hindrance when purchasing legal digital music. That's why we announced we are now selling digital music in high quality (320kbps) MP3 format from all major and indie labels. We believe that quality, compatibility and flexibility are the crucial factors in digital music".
But perhaps it's too soon to dismiss the whole Nokia service - and the principle behind it remains very interesting. We look forward to getting our preview handset so we can try it out for ourselves. Oh no, hang on, Nokia have the most useless PR department in the world, we're not likely to see one. Oh well, let's end on a positive note anyway - here's what Black Eyed Pea Will.I.Am had to say at the London launch of Comes With Music yesterday: "It's awesome. You have an option, a smorgasbord of songs and compilations. That's dope". It certainly is dope.
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CRB RULES ON US DOWNLOAD PUBLISHING ROYALTY - NO CHANGE PEOPLE
The US Copyright Royalty Board has said the royalty rate paid to music publishers for each download sold via digital music services like iTunes should stay put at 9.1 cents.
As previously reported, the publishing sector was pushing for an increase to up to 15 cents, while the record companies and download platforms were recommending a cut in what the publishers get, and also a restructure that would see publishing firms get a percentage of total price rather than a fixed royalty, presumably so that the publishers won't get proportionally more if and when the download market goes through a price war. Despite neither side really getting what they wanted, all involved said they were happy with the CRB's ruling, which makes you wonder what the publishing firms wanted to start with.
The CRB also ratified that previously reported out of court agreement reached by the publishers and streaming and limited download services regarding mechanical royalties. As much previously reported, streaming music services in the US weren't too happy when the body that collects so called mechanical royalties for publishers insisted they were due a royalty from the digital firms in addition to the performing royalty they were already paying to the publishing firms, because technically speaking a streaming service results in both a broadcast of the song (performance royalty required) and a copy of the track being made (mechanical royalty required). The issue hasn't arisen in the UK because both performance and mechanical royalties are collected by the same body - MCPS-PRS. Anyway, all interested parties in the US agreed recently that digital services would pay a mechanical royalty of 10.5% of revenues minus anything previously paid for performing rights. And yesterday the CRB gave its approval to that deal.
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KORDA MARSHALL LEAVES WARNER BROS
The MD of Warner Bros UK, Korda Marshall, is leaving the major record company.
Marshall, of course, joined Warner following its 2003 acquisition of Mushroom UK, the indie label he had co-founded ten years earlier with Mushroom Records Australia. As part of that deal he became MD of Warner's EastWest division, which had acquired the Mushroom roster and catalogue. EastWest subsequently became Atlantic when Warner UK adopted the label brands of its US counterpart, and around about the same time Marshall switched to take the top job at the major's other main UK division Warner Bros.
Confirming his departure, Marshall said this: "I have enjoyed my time as Managing Director of Warner Brothers Records immensely and would like to thank everybody for their help and support over the years. We have had a great time breaking acts such as Gnarls Barkley, the Enemy, the Foals, Pendulum and Seasick Steve and I feel very proud to have been involved with such great artists as Madonna, Green Day and Michael Buble. I'm really looking forward to new challenges ahead at this exciting time of transformation in the music industry". Of course its 'Foals' not 'the Foals', but we won't get picky, because Korda's always been one of our favourite major label execs.
A spokesman for Warner added: "Having led the label to significant milestones during a period of fast-paced transformation, Korda Marshall has decided it is time for a fresh challenge. We are currently talking to him about an ongoing relationship. We have in place an exciting plan for the new leadership of Warner Bros Records UK, one that will further build our roster, augment the range of services we offer our artists and strengthen the company's position as a stand-alone label within the vibrant UK music scene".
Warner Bros UK GM Adam Hollywood and A&R Manager Rose Noone are also leaving. It's not clear just yet who will take over. Warner Music Europe chief John Reid is expected to stand in in the meantime.
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GIRLS ALOUD MURDER BLOGGER CHARGED
A man has been charged after posting a story in which he detailed the kidnap, mutilation, rape and murder of all five members of Girls Aloud. Darryn Walker, a 35 year old civil servant, is accused of uploading the 12 page story called 'Girls (Scream) Aloud' to a porn website, which was then spotted by the Internet Watch Foundation and passed on to police.
Walker is being prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act, one of the few times the act has been used against the written word since Penguin Books 1960 prosecution after it published 'Lady Chatterly's Lover'. He will appear at Newcastle Crown Court later this month.
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COBAIN SAFE AT HOME WITH FAMILY
So, as reported yesterday, German artist Natascha Stellmach is planning to smoke Kurt Cobain's ashes at Berlin's Warner & Partner later this month. However, according to Courtney Love's publicist, that won't be possible, because they (the ashes) are still in Courtney Love's house in LA.
As previously reported, The News Of The World claimed back in June that Cobain's ashes, which were kept inside a pink teddy bear along with a lock of the Nirvana frontman's hair, had been stolen along with a significant amount of Love's clothes and jewellery. At the time, the tabloid quoted Love as saying: "I can't believe anyone would take Kurt's ashes from me. I find it disgusting and right now I'm suicidal. If I don't get them back I don't know what I'll do".
However, Alan Nierob, Love's publicist, told Gigwise yesterday that Cobain's remains "were never taken" and that the original story had been "erroneously reported". So, the "confidential and kind of magic" way by which Stellmach claims to have come into possession of the ashes might actually mean someone sold her the contents of an ashtray.
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PLAN 9 FRONTMAN KILLED IN ROAD CRASH
Aaron Fuller, frontman of American punk band Plan 9, has been killed in a motorcycle accident in Oakland, California. According to the Oakland Tribune, Fuller lost control of his bike on a motorway exit ramp in the early hours of Tuesday morning, crashing into a concrete pillar and sustaining fatal head injuries.
Plan 9 bandmate, MadMike wrote on the band's MySpace blog: "Our friend, colleague, and brother Aaron Fuller had an accident on his motorcycle. He's gone. All of us are in shock.. I keep calling people to make sure it's for real and I'm not making some fucked-up mistake. If only... I know he was real happy with the new CD and was looking forward to doing gigs with us. It was an honor to know him and work with him for six years. He had an awesome voice and great sense of humor. One thing is for sure: things were never boring when Aaron was around. He was always down for a good time, he had an amazing intellect and told the most fascinating and hilarious stories. Who knows what he would've done if he'd had the time. He was the type of person who could do whatever he set his mind to. Plan 9 was proof of that. He'd never been in a band before, or wanted to, for that matter. But he came in from day one and kicked its ass. There isn't anything more to say, really. It's a surreal moment. Hard to believe..."
Fellow Plan 9er Scary Barrie added: "I am still in shock after 10 hours. It is a sad day for us and all who knew and loved Aaron. He joined the band reluctantly and bloomed into an amazing singer and front man. Will we carry on...? I think so. Aaron would have wanted it that way. It was a true honor to play with him and to know and ride with him. A true friend in every sense of the word. Plan 9 wants to extend our condolences to his family. He will live on in our hearts and in our music".
Fuller was a founder member of the California-based Plan 9 (not to be confused with the other bands called Plan 9), and was known for his incredible stage presence and vocal range.
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NICK REYNOLDS DIES
Nick Reynolds, one of the three original founding members of The Kingston Trio, has died at the age of 75, after suffering from a number of illnesses, including acute respiratory disease. He had been admitted to hospital in his home town of San Diego, and passed away on Wednesday, when his family took him off life support.
Reynolds was born in San Diego in 1933 and enjoyed music from an early age, learning to play the guitar taught by his father, a Navy captain. He studied at University of Arizona and San Diego State University, before finishing his education at Menlo College, a business school in California. It was around that time that he met Bob Shane and Dave Guard, and the three men formed the Kingston Trio, quickly securing a record deal with Capitol. The band, credited with helping to kick-start the US folk revival of the late fifties and early sixties, got their first hit, a version of nineteenth century folk track 'Tom Dooley', which made number one in the charts, and effectively launched the group's career.
The Kingston Trio still perform, albeit these days with a completely different line up from the original three. Guard left the band back in 1961, though Shane continued on until 2005. Reynolds initially left the group in 1967, and moved to Oregon, taking a break from music to raise his family. He returned to the Trio in 1988, and retired in 2003. His son, Joshua Reynolds, told reporters: "Dad was so happy he turned people onto music in a way that people could really approach it, in a simple and honest way. He was a very gracious and loving performer. He was a devoted family man".
He is survived by his wife and four children.
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SINGLE REVIEW: Holy Fuck - Super Inuit (Live) (Young Turks)
Holy Fuck's live version of 'Super Inuit', the opening track of their 2007 album, 'LP', is a playful clatter of rhythms and bleeps that amuses as much as it entertains. It is one of the least serious pieces of 'noise' music that I have encountered in a long time. The song itself whoops and judders with debris of toy microphone feedback and Casio-style keyboard grot. It is a joyful experience to hear, and would be perfect for a cartoon chase scene. There is a drop in the tempo to envelop creaks and delay feedback whirs before an overdriven, harmonically rich ending jolts and convulses into a mess of unrestrained delay pedal mashing. I like it. Holy Fuck aren't over-serious and like Black Dice offer a form of experimental music that is danceable and approachable to those who don't really feel the genre's greater excesses. PG
Release Date: 20 Oct
Press Contact: XL IH [all]
Buy from iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/3qpbxo
Buy from Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/4qzeah
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FALL OUT BOY DONATE CASH TO GAY MARRIAGE
Fall Out Boy have donated $50k towards fighting Proposition 8, a bill seeking to ban gay marriage in California, following the legalisation of same-sex unions in the state earlier this year. The band said in a statement: "We believe government shouldn't legislate love. Vote no on proposition 8", whilst bassist Pete Wentz wrote on his personal blog: "There are a lot of causes out there - a lot of 'good' fights to be fought. I think Proposition 8 is pretty lame - as many others do too. It's fucking lame."
In a slightly confusing online ramble, Wentz also hints that the money for the donation came from product placements in their new video for the track 'I Don't Care', saying: "I'd love to tell you the story of how we got someone to donate a bunch of money to fight Proposition 8 but I am not allowed to. You may be able to tell from the video. I'll let you have at it".
He adds that the inclusion of product placement in the video wasn't his idea, rambling thus: "This will probably end up deleted either by me or someone else but the version of the video that we worked on night after night is not the version that aired. Yet somehow a cut full of glorious camera phone shots did. Just to let you know. It doesn't make any sense to us. That bag of money is being donated straight to a cause far more worthy".
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TV ON THE RADIO FORCED INDOORS
As part of east London music and arts event Concrete & Glass, TV On The Radio had planned to play a gig in a carpark this evening. But thanks to a last minute freak out by the local council, that won't be possible. Instead, the show will take place in the more traditional venue setting of Cargo in Shoreditch.
Concrete & Glass said: "Due to unforeseen licensing restrictions imposed upon Hearne Street Car Park by Hackney Council the organisers behind Concrete & Glass have had to at the last minute move the TV On The Radio show to Cargo on 3 Oct. Whilst this is slightly more trying a situation than we'd like at this stage - we're still really happy that TV On The Radio and everyone involved has been so flexible and we look forward to a (very sweaty) and legendary show".
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NICK CAVE TO CURATE AUSSIE ATP
Nick Cave has been announced as the curator of the first Australian All Tomorrow's Parties, which will take place between 9-18 Jan in Sydney and Brisbane. Acts so far confirmed include Spiritualized, Fuck Buttons, The Saints, Harmonia and, of course, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Sounds like a great time to go and visit my family down under, then.
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ALBUM REVIEW: Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Is This The Sea? (Domino)
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, aka Will Oldham, delves back to his roots for 'Is This The Sea?', recorded live in 2006 in Edinburgh during his sold-out tour of Scotland and Ireland. As crisp and as coherent as a well-polished studio production, 'Is This The Sea?' combines Billy's rumbling and dulcet grasp of Americana vocal stylings with traditional Scottish instrumentals as provided by Edinburgh's very own Harem Scarem and Glasgow-based drumming legend Alex Neilson. Multifaceted and beautifully layered, we wouldn't expect any less from the 'Prince' as he runs down to the very end of his extensive back-catalogue of works, pulling together a thirteen song playlist of familiar classics. A cross between Loudon Wainwright III and the more recent Ray LaMontagne, Oldham's voice is smooth but troubled and his work is a proverbial reflection of love gained and lost. Album highlights are the gentle but passionate anti-lullaby 'Cursed Sleep', taken from the 2006 LP 'The Letting Go', and the unambiguous honesty of 'Master And Everyone' from the 2003 album of the same name. Traditional instrumentals are what really elevates the live performance, taking it from a safe place to somewhere far more passionate, if a little elongated. Those unfamiliar with the 'Prince' may find this live offering a little off-the-wall, but it's undeniable that die hard fans will eat it up. TW
Release Date: 20 Oct
Press Contact: Domino IH [all]
Buy from iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/3ju6n8
Buy from Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/4b96z9
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ICELAND AIRWAVES TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY INDUSTRY CONVENTION
It's good old Iceland Airwaves later this month, and this year alongside all the groovy bands that will be taking over Reykjavik there'll be a brand new conference for music makers and music business types called You Are In Control! The main topic for debate will be what are going to be the profitable music business model of the future, with specific panels on the opportunities in publishing, live music and digital. EA Games' Steve Schnur, Ninja Tune's Laura Search, Westbury Music's Paulette Long and Sony Independent Network Europe's Mark Chung are among the panellists.
Commenting on the new convention, Anna Hildur of Iceland Music Export told CMU: "The conference is an innovative dialogue between the creative and the technical needs of our new era in the music industry. We will present new ideas and tools, as well as looking at what works from our traditional ways of doing business in the music sector. The empowerment of entrepreneurial creative people in our business full of new opportunities as well as challenges is inspiring and deserves special attention".
She continued: "Iceland is known for its cutting edge music and individualism. Rising from a population of a mere 300,000 people and total lack of major label structure, there isn't a better place to explore the new opportunities arising in this fast evolving music industry. Innovative and cutting edge, this conference focuses on the creative sources, puts the artist in the spotlight and asks how new tools, new partnerships and new markets can create opportunities for different markets _ take local to global, and small to tall".
You Are In Control takes place on 15 and 16 Oct, with Iceland Airwaves running from 15-18 Oct. More details are available at www.icelandmusic.is
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DEFINITIVE JUX RENEW EMI RELATIONSHIP
New York based indie hip hop label Definitive Jux this week renewed its distribution relationship with EMI's independent distribution outfit Caroline, and announced it was actually expanding its relationship with the major by utilising their brand partnership and sync rights teams to seek new opportunities for their artists and music. EMI will also help the indie expand its digital presence.
Def Jux co-founder Amaechi Uzoigwe told AllHipHop.com: "Caroline/EMI is our longest standing and most successful partnership and we look forward to extending it. We're also excited and intrigued by the way the organisation is recalibrating itself for the future and look forward to accessing the dynamic resources being made available to help grow our brand and find continued success together".
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ISPS START SENDING OUT P2P WARNING LETTERS
The six major internet service providers who signed up to that memo of understanding with record label trade body the BPI in which they agreed to send warning letters to web users the labels suspect are accessing illegal sources of music online (among other things) will start sending out said letters today. The six ISPs due to starting posting the letters are BSkyB, Carphone Warehouse/Talk Talk, Tiscali, BT, Orange and Virgin Media, though the latter have already sent out lots of letters as part of its earlier agreement with the BPI. As previously reported, the net firms have not agreed to take any action against those customers who do not heed the warning given, nor to hand over their contact information so that the BPI can launch legal proceedings, so it remains to be seen if the letter sending campaign, due to be piloted for three months, has any real impact.
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NEW PPL ROLES
Recording royalty body PPL has announced the creation of two new roles, Head Of Public Performance Operations and Head Of Public Performance New Business, who together will look for new opportunities in public performance royalties (royalties paid when music is played in public spaces) and work to expand and improve current public performance royalty collection.
Christine Geissmar and Danielle Tilley will take on the new roles respectively, both coming from customer service and sales roles rather than music backgrounds. They will both report to PPL's Director Of Legal & Business Affairs And Rights Negotiation, Peter Leathem, who says this: "I am delighted that two such high quality executives have joined PPL, bringing a wealth of ideas, experience and best practice from other industries, of the type that we need to take forward our public performance licensing business".
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EMUSIC BOSS GOING TO VENROCK
Those of you losing sleep wondering which investment firm eMusic chief David Pakman is heading to, well, get ready to sleep this weekend, because we can tell you he's going to Venrock, who are rather big in the venture capital world I hear. Pakman announced earlier this week he was leaving the independent download firm to join an investment consultancy - he will specialise in digital media investments.
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GERMAN DISTRIBUTOR IN ADMINISTRATION
More depressing news from the world of music distribution, this time from Germany where record sales have slumped big time. The country's leading wholesaler of CDs and DVDs, TMI Top Music International Vertriebs, has filed for bankruptcy protection. Administrators now have three months to find a buyer, otherwise the company could go under and its 500 employees face redundancy. TMI supplies many German retailers with their CDs.
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GLOBAL APPOINTMENTS
More Global Radio appointments for you all, part of its takeover of GCap.
First up, Luis Clark, Programme Director for Heart FM in the Midlands, has become Group PD for the whole and rather expanded Heart Group (as previously reported, many GCap local stations are to be rebranded Heart). His former deputy, Paul Gerrard, will take over as PD in the Midlands.
Second, Mike Cass, PD for Galaxy, will continue to head up the Galaxy network, though that in itself mean an expanded remit because, as previously reported, that network is also expanding, with the rebranding of GCap's Xfm Scotland and Hampshire-based Power FM.
Next, Jonathan Richards, Programme Director for Global's news station LBC, will become Head Of News for the whole group. He'll still head up news and programming on LBC, but also oversee news operations at all other stations.
All three will report to Global Exec Director Richard Park, who says this: "These appointments complete the senior posts in programming, and will simplify the programming management structure for the group. There's a lot of work to do, but we now have the right team in place to lead this process".
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HOOK ON LAST DAYS IN NEW ORDER
Peter Hook has been talking some more about the tensions between him and Bernard Sumner before and following his decision to quit New Order, and his subsequent announcements that the band is no more (even though Sumner seems to differ on that point).
Hookie explained to Stuart Maconie on Radio 2: "Sometimes you wonder what you were arguing about. From what I can gather, Bernard was upset that I didn't go and see him to tell him that I didn't want to work with him anymore. To my mind it had gone. I had a manager and I was paying my manager 20 per cent, so got her to do the dirty work. I didn't see why I had to do my own dirty work. She told him in February and he never said anything, he just went, 'Right'".
He added that he was cross with Sumner for claiming that he had announced his departure from the band to the media without telling his bandmates first, claiming that he had made his intentions perfectly clear before going public: "I told him every night after the Brazilian tour that I wasn't going to do this again," Hook said. "I did Brazil for the money. I just felt it was like an empty shell, New Order. It really was for me. I can't talk for the others".
But he did say that remastering the band's albums had given him a bit of perspective, however, saying: "I must admit that when I listened to it, I was really proud of them [his former bandmates]. It did cheer me up because it made me realise that while we fight like kids in the playground we actually achieved something that we should all be proud of".
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WILL YOUNG TO APPEAR ON QUESTION TIME
Will Young is going to be on Question Time. He told Simon Mayo on 5 Live that he'd like to, and the programme's editor, Gill Penlington immediately rang up to say that they'd be delighted to have him on a panel "at his nearest possible convenience". The subject came about because Mayo had asked if Young had any plans to release any political music, given his politics degree from Exeter: "I don't think so because I don't see myself as an expert - I'm just a singer. Although I'd love to go on something like Question Time, I do have opinions on it, but that's not my job description".
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GARY GLITTER EVICTED FROM LONDON HOME
Gary Glitter has reportedly been thrown out on the street for being a dirty paedo. His neighbours in Mayfair, where he was renting a £2000 a week flat, objected to living next to the former pop star.
A source told The Sun: "It turned out certain neighbours objected to him being there. I mean, would you pay over a million quid for a flat to find out Gary Glitter has moved in next door? Talk about driving down your property price".
The now homeless Glitter was taken to a nearby police station to discuss where he might go next. Presumably somewhere where property prices have already been driven down.
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NOEL GALLAGHER ON STUFF
So, Noel Gallagher has been doing the radio station rounds to plug Oasis' new album, and here's some of the things he's been saying.
First he admitted that he once stole a bit of Abbey Road as a souvenir, telling Absolute Radio: "We recorded (there) years ago and got a bit carried away. We came in the studio, turned off all the lights and played every single Beatles album back-to-back at top volume while we got hammered. Someone told us to turn it down, and then they told us to leave. I ripped up a bit of the floor though when we recorded this album here as a bit of a souvenir".
Meanwhile, he told Xfm that his tendency for mouthing off about other bands is down to him being "cursed with opinions". He said: "The thing is, I never start any of this. I just trundle along through my life being brilliant, minding my own business and then someone will say 'fucking hell, have you heard what the keyboard player from the Kaiser Chiefs has said about you?'. You read it and then you go, 'Ok baldy, if you want it, you're going to get it'. I try and say 'no comment', but what can I do? I'm cursed with opinions!"
