Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:53 | By

Britney’s ex charged with various acts of violence

Artist News Legal

I think I might follow Britney Spears’ lead and get a restraining order against Adnan Ghalib. Except I might struggle to find anyone willing to serve him with the papers.

Britney ex Ghalib was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, battery and hit-and-run on Tuesday, the LA Country District Attorney’s office has confirmed. All three charges relate to an alleged incident earlier this month when, it is claimed, Ghalib ran down a man who was trying to serve him with the restraining order filed last month by Spears’ father.

And just in case you’re adding those charges together, the deadly weapon is his Mercedes and the battery is the act of hitting someone with his car.

The victim apparently jumped onto the car as it came towards him and hung on as Ghalib swerved to shake him off, which he did, breaking the man’s wrist in the process. Ghalib then drove away without stopping (there’s the hit-and-run, you see?).

Prosecutors have requested that bail be set at $110,000. If Ghalib is found guilty he faces up to seven years in prison.

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:51 | By

Britney stylist testifies against Lutfi

Artist News Legal

More Britney, and Spears’ hair stylist Roberta Romero has testified against the pop star’s former manager Sam Lutfi at a hearing to decide whether the restraining order against him should be extended.

As previously reported, the singer’s father, Jamie Spears, and his attorneys claim that Lutfi attempted to sabotage the conservatorship that gives them control of Britney’s personal and financial affairs. The original order was put in place when Lutfi was, amongst other things, accused of drugging the star in order to keep his control over her.

Romero claims that Lutfi spent three weeks over the Christmas period desperately trying to get information about Spears from her. She told the LA court yesterday: “Someone kept calling me from a private number… He said his name was Sam. He wanted information about Britney. He said he was on her side. I told him, ‘Leave me alone, stop calling me'”.

She added that Lutfi sent her a number of text messages, protesting his innocence over his alleged part in her mental breakdown, one of which she alleges read: “Please relay the truth to her. I did not do this to her”. Another stated: “I’ve done everything I can to free her from this. (I’m) very close to getting her free now”. Romero says that she continually asked him to leave her alone, and ultimately informed Spears about his attempted contact on 27 Dec.

Orders against Lufti, as well as ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib, as aforementioned, have been extended until 18 Mar.

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:50 | By

DMX facing new charges

Artist News Legal

According to reports, the chap I like to call a one man challenge to US law enforcement, DMX, has incurred further charges whilst serving a ninety day sentence, after he apparently threw a tray of food at a Maricopa County detention officer. As previously reported, the rapper, real name Earl Simmons, in in the clink because of a number of offences, including theft, drug possession and cruelty to animals.

County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is said to have confirmed that Simmons was charged with aggravated assault this week. The altercation apparently arose because Simmons took a meal he was not supposed to take, as he was on a bread-and-water diet because of an earlier transgression. Which sounds quite archaic. Is that a widespread practice? Answers on a postcard, please.

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:50 | By

Fielder-Civil back on the streets

Artist News Legal

Lock up your daughters! CMU’s favourite thug, Blake Fielder-Civil, has been released from prison.

Amy Winehouse’s estranged husband left HMP Edmunds Hill at 10am yesterday, a spokesman for the prison confirmed. You might remember, he was briefly released at the end of last year, before being locked up again for breaching his conditions of bail.

No word yet on whether or not he’s beaten up any more pub landlords, though we’ve not heard from Al Murray for at least 24 hours.

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:47 | By

MGMT take on French government

Artist News Legal

MGMT have hit out at French president Nicolas Sarkozy’s UMP party for repeatedly using their song ‘Kids’ without permission. They say the cheeky song stealing is ironic given the UMP is behind the hardline anti-filesharing rules that are being introduced in France.

MGMT’s French lawyer told Le Monde: “It seems that those who led the charge against internet users are not the most respectful of copyright”. He highlighted two meetings in January where the song had been used, as well as videos on the party’s website, where the song was used without express permission from the band.

Of course, the chances are that both the event and website were covered by blanket licences, which is normally the case when political types use music without an artist’s permission. Certainly that’s what the party’s new secretary general, Xavier Bertrand, says.

He responded to MGMT’s complaints by saying that the use of the song was cleared with French royalty collection agency SACEM, adding: “The UMP is very respectful of copyright. Compensation has to be expected … and we are presently looking at whether the band was fairly compensated”.

Given that when political parties use known songs it sort of implies featured artists endorse them, some reckon blanket licences shouldn’t cover events or media staged or owned by political parties.

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:45 | By

Former Billboard man dies

Business News Industry People Media Obituaries

Former Billboard man Mike McGeever has died at the age of 48 after suffering a heart attack. McGeever worked as Radio Editor for Billboard-owned trade publications Music Monitor and Music & Media throughout the nineties, but later returned to his hometown of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, to work for Schuylkill Community Action. He also hosted a weekly show on classic rock station WPAM 1450.

Jon Heasman, OfCom’s manager of commercial radio licensing, who worked with Mike at Billboard and Music and Media, is quoted by Radio Today as saying: “Mike was genuinely loved by all who knew him. He was a very warm, incredibly generous man who – above all – possessed an enormous sense of fun. He was a great journalist and, with his experiences drawn from both sides of the Atlantic, he was also a real authority on music radio, which was a medium he loved”.

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:40 | By

Muse, Oasis are NME Award winners

Artist News Awards

Muse won on points at last night’s NME Awards in London, picking up three awards, but Oasis beat them to the title of Best British Band. The Gallaghers were nominated in seven categories, but only took the one gong, though Noel Gallagher got an award for his band blog. Muse won Best Live Band, Best Album Artwork, and, er, Sexiest Man for the group’s Matt Bellamy.

Other winners on the night included The Killers, who were voted Best International band, Kings Of Leon, who took Best Album for ‘Only By The Night’, MGMT, who got Best New Band and Best Track for ‘Time To Pretend’, and Elbow, presented with the honour for Outstanding Contribution To Music.

Dizzee Rascal and Calvin Harris, the latter the recent winner of the CMU sponsored Best Remixer award at the MPG Awards, won Best Dancefloor Filler for ‘Dance Wiv Me’, despite Harris not being invited to the NME’s award show.

On hearing of his win he Twittered: “What kind of award ceremony has you win an award yet still doesnt invite you? NME admit it you fucking love me. Would you have loved ‘Dance Wiv Me’ with no music? When’s the last time an accapella got to no 1? Fucking ‘Caravan Of Love'”.

I’m assuming there’s some history here because earlier in the day Harris Twittered: “I am not going to the fucking NME awards. They didn’t invite me because I am the worst producer on the planet and also a cunt, their words. I am a cunt but Swizz Beats is the worst producer on the planet”.

Back to the NME winners list, and in the silly section, The Jonas Brothers were pronounced Worst Band, as well as being responsible for the Worst Album, whilst hero and villain of the year were Barack Obama and George W Bush respectively.

Best Venue went to the now closed though not quite yet demolished Astoria. As previously reported, The Cure were appointed this year’s Godlike Genius, and they closed the show – which featured appearances from Elbow, Glasvegas and Franz Ferdinand – with a half hour set. The ceremony is to be broadcast on C4 on Friday.

Your full list of winners goes like this:

Best British Band: Oasis
Best New Band: MGMT
Best Live Band: Muse
Worst Band: Jonas Brothers

Best Track: MGMT – Time To Pretend
Best Dancefloor Filler: Dizzee Rascal feat Calvin Harris – Dance Wiv Me
Best Album: Kings Of Leon – Only By The Night
Best DVD: Arctic Monkeys – At The Apollo
Best Album Artwork: Muse HAARP
Worst Album: Jonas Brothers A Little Bit Longer

Best Solo Artist: Pete Doherty
Best International Band: The Killers
Best Video: Last Shadow Puppets – My Mistakes Were Made For You

Best Live Event: Glastonbury Festival
Best Venue: London Astoria

Best TV Show: The Mighty Boosh
Best Website: YouTube
Best Blog: Noel Gallagher

Sexiest Male: Matt Bellamy from Muse
Sexiest Female: Hayley Williams from Paramore

Worst Dressed: Amy Winehouse
Best Dressed: Alexa Chung

Hero Of The Year: Barack Obama
Villian Of The Year: George W Bush

Phillip Hall Radar Award: The Big Pink
Outstanding Contribution: Elbow
Godlike Geniuses: The Cure

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:38 | By

Stevie Wonder gets Library Of Congress award

Artist News Awards

Talking of Barack Obama, which we were, briefly, in the context of him being considered a hero by the readers of NME, the new US president presented Stevie Wonder with the US Library of Congress’s Gershwin Prize For Popular Song yesterday.

Obama said of Wonder: “Stevie has always drawn on the incredible range of traditions in his music and from that he’s created a style that’s at once uniquely American, uniquely his own and yet somehow universal. Indeed, this could be called the American tradition – artists demonstrating the courage, the talent to find new harmonies in the rich and dissonant sounds of the American experience”.

He added: “I think it’s fair to say that had I not been a Stevie Wonder fan, Michelle might not have dated me, we might not have married. The fact that we agreed on Stevie was part of the essence of our courtship”.

Receiving his award, Wonder responded: “What is truly exciting for me today is that we truly have lived to see a time and a space where America has a chance to again live up to the greatness that it deserves to be seen and known as, through the love and caring and the commitment of a president – as in our president, Barack Obama”.

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:36 | By

New mobile music chart launched

Business News Digital Labels & Publishers

The Official Charts Company has launched a new chart tracking mobile downloads because, obviously, downloads bought via a mobile phone are totally different to those bought over the internet. The new chart is timed to coincide with launch of a new chart app for the iPhone.

Confirming the new chart, Charts Company MD Martin Talbot says this: “This new chart reflects the changing ways in which consumers are accessing and consuming music and underlines the Official Charts Company’s commitment to offering data on all types of music consumption. 2008 saw the launch of the world’s first Subscription Plays Chart in the UK – and 2009 will see the development of even more charts and data showcasing the fast-growing digital environment”.

In case you wondered, number one in the first mobile download chart is Lily Allen, which is interesting, because number one in the main download chart is Lily Allen, whereas number one in the overall singles chart is, erm, Lily Allen.

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:35 | By

“Quite psychedelic” Klaxons album nearly complete

Artist News

Klaxons have almost completed work on a “quite psychedelic” second album, Simian Mobile Disco’s James Ford has revealed.

Ford, who produced some of the album, told BBC 6music: “[The album is] kind of most of the way there. There’s still some things to do, but it’s gonna be really good, I think. They’ve tried to push forward, as they like to do, but also I think there’s quite a lot of stuff that people would recognise as Klaxons on there as well”.

Ford said that he is also working on a new Simian Mobile Disco album with his cohort, Jas Shaw.

He said: “The main thing I’m working on at the minute is obviously the Simian thing, because we want to get the record done. So, that’s been the main focus but I’ve also done, recently, tracks with Klaxons and Florence And The Machine. What with that and touring, it’s been keeping me pretty busy”.

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:32 | By

Yeasayer guitarist working on new musical

Artist News

Anand Wilder, guitarist with CMU Favourites Yeasayer, has revealed that he is working on a new musical, which is set to hit the stage and be released as an album at some point in the future.

Entitled ‘Break Line’, Wilder is co-writing it with pianist Max Kardon and has roped in collaborators, including a gospel choir and members of MGMT, Chairlift, Dirty Projectors and Man Man, to help out with the recording.

A spokesperson told Pitchfork: “The story revolves around an interracial love affair in a coal mining town around the turn of the century”.

In addition to this, Wilder is working with the rest of Yeasayer on the follow-up to their 2007 debut album, ‘All Hour Cymbals’. News of which is seriously lacking on the band’s recording news blog, here: odd-blood.blogspot.com

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:31 | By

New Enter Shikari for free

Artist News Releases

Enter Shikari have posted a new song for free download via their website, which you can download from www.entershikari.com in return for an email address. It’s called ‘Antwerpen’ and is from the band’s second album ‘Common Dreads’ which is due out in May.

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:30 | By

Von Bondies album and tour

Artist News Gigs & Festivals Releases

Von Bondies have announced the release of a new album, ‘Love, Hate And Then There’s You’, on 4 May via Fierce Panda. They also have a UK tour planned, dates as follows:

23 Apr: London Kings College
25 Apr: London Camden Crawl
26 Apr: Glasgow King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
27 Apr: Manchester The Ruby Lounge

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:28 | By

U2’s Spidey musical to open next year

Artist News

That previously reported Spiderman musical featuring music by U2 is reportedly to open in February next year.

‘Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark’, for that is its name in full, is apparently to preview on Broadway from 16 Jan then open on 18 Feb.

The £31million show hasn’t officially been cast yet, but Marilyn Manson’s former squeeze Evan Rachel Wood has claimed that she is set to play Mary-Jane.

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:27 | By

Bell X1 tour

Artist News Gigs & Festivals

The lovely Bell X1 have announced a series of tour dates to coincide with the release of their new album ‘Blue Lights On The Runway’ on 16 Mar.

5 May: London, Barfly
16 May: Brighton, The Great Escape, venue tbc
18 May: Birmingham, Barfly
19 May: London, Scala
20 May: Manchester, Club Academy
21 May: Glasgow, King Tuts

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:26 | By

Yeah Yeah Yeahs announce some gigs

Artist News Gigs & Festivals

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs will be in the UK to promote their new album, ‘It’s Blitz’, in April with some gigs.

Not many, though. They will play one show in Manchester and then two nights in London. Then they’ll be off and will never return. Well, they probably will return. I don’t know why I said that. Sorry.

Tour dates:
22 Apr: Manchester, Academy
25 Apr: London, Shepherds Bush Empire
26 Apr: London, Shepherds Bush Empire

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:25 | By

New under-age sister festival to Camden Crawl

Artist News Brands & Merch Business News Gigs & Festivals

Organisers of the Camden Crawl have announced they have teamed up with Red Bull to stage a special mini-version of the cross-Camden music festival especially for 14-18 year olds (well, those who don’t have fake ID).

The Red Bull Bedroom Jam X-Crawl will take place on 25 Apr, and feature 25 up and coming bands and DJs at venues curated by Artrocker, Visible Noise and the Red Bull Bedroom Jam team. There’s more info at www.redbullbedroomjamxcrawl.com.

The main Camden Crawl takes place on 24 and 25 Apr, info at www.thecamdencrawl.com.

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:23 | By

Festival line up update – 26 Feb 2009

Artist News Festival Line-Up Update Gigs & Festivals

Rounding up the latest festival line-up announcements…

T IN THE PARK, Balado, 10-12 Jul: The Streets, Ladyhawke, Foals and Florence And The Machine added to line up, headlined by The Killers, Kings Of Leon and Blur.

GLADE FESTIVAL, location tbc, 16-19 Jul: Underworld added to the bill, BLOC Weekend curators to host tent. www.gladefestival.com

SONISPHERE FESTIVAL, Knebworth, 1-2 Aug (and elsewhere in Europe on other dates): Bullet For My Valentine added to lined up, which already includes Metallica, Linkin Park, Alice In Chains, Avenged Sevenfold and Machine Head. www.sonispherefestivals.com

ROSKILDE FESTIVAL, Roskilde, Denmark, 2-5 Jul: Oasis have been announced as headliners, line up already includes Coldplay, Slipknot, Madness and Marnie Stern amongst others. www.roskilde-festival.dk

SOUNDWAVE FESTIVAL, Petrcane, Croatia, 17-20 Jul: Initial line up announced including DJ Yoda, Hexstatic, The Bays and Alice Russell. www.soundwavecroatia.com

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:20 | By

Former Pinnacle man goes to Essential

Business News Industry People Labels & Publishers

The former MD of Pinnacle Records, Joe Cokell, has joined Cooking Vinyl and their sister sales and distribution company Essential Music as a Business Development Director.

He told reporters: “Over many years, the [Cooking Vinyl and Essential] business model has been proved to be totally viable and the company could not be better positioned to become the perfect home for artists or labels who are looking for a pro-active working partnership, whether it be a one-off project, or a long term relationship”.

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:16 | By

AIM event looks global

Business News Education & Events Labels & Publishers

The Association Of Independent Music will stage an event on 2 Apr all about the global music market, offering tips to indie labels looking to expand their sales overseas.

Sessions will include discussions on how to build a buzz for your acts globally, on the merits of exporting CDs versus licensing your albums to local labels, and on how new technology is changing global sales and distribution.

Government body UK Trade And Investment, which promotes UK business abroad, is supporting the event and will also explain what they do and how they work.

This all takes place on 2 Apr at the offices of PRS For Music in London, from 6-10pm. Info at www.musicindie.com

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:15 | By

eMusic connects with Facebook

Business News Deals Digital

eMusic have announced a tie-up with Facebook which will allow subscribers to the independent download service to share with their friends album ratings, personal reviews and artist links from their eMusic profile. There will also be an eMusic Daily Download widget which will offer a free download every day, and which people can post on their social network pages or blogs.

Announcing the new social networking add-ons, eMusic SVP Deirdre Stone told reporters: “Back in the day of the corner music store, word-of-mouth was one of the best ways to find out about new music. Facebook is the modern day equivalent and we want to empower the eMusic community to engage in this way”.

“eMusic has always offered a richer experience than mass market digital music retailers, and integrating Facebook Connect will make it an even better place for fans to share information about their favourite music”.

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:12 | By

Grade proposes an ITV-C4-Five merger

Business News Media

ITV top man Michael Grade has suggested that one solution to the current problems being faced by both his company and commercial public service broadcaster Channel 4 would be for the two companies to merge, and for that merged company to then merge with Channel 5, basically putting all of the non-BBC terrestrial telly channels into the ownership of one body.

It’s a radical plan, but then again Grade can be a bit radical when he wants to be. Such a move would, of course, need government backing, as it would technically speaking breach media ownership and competition laws. And BSkyB would be sure to lobby hard against the creation of a competitor as powerful as Channel-ITV-Four-Five. Especially given that their being forced to sell their share of ITV.

Grade’s radical plan is being mooted as he tries to make ITV’s books balance in the face of a major advertising recession and growing competition for other digital services. As previously reported, Grade is expected to sell Friends Reunited and ITV’s bit of the Freeview infrastructure, and then slash programme budgets and cut jobs, in a bid to make things add up. And even then he may still have to cut dividend payments to shareholders.

Another radical plan Grade is reportedly putting about is for Channel 4 to become a wholly publicly funded enterprise – presumably funded by the licence fee – thus taking a major competitor for terrestrial TV advertising out of the marketplace. Though given the government’s unwillingness to give Channel 4 bosses a share of the licence fee to supplement advertising and sponsorship revenues, they are unlikely to support those proposals.

As previously reported, the government’s recent Digital Britain report smiled on proposals for Channel 4 to either merge with Channel Five, or to forge a closer alliance with the BBC’s commercial division BBC Worldwide, in a bid to overcome their future financial problems.

Channel Four prefers the latter of those proposals, and is already in talks with Beeb Worldwide – with proposals that C4 buy Virgin Media out of the UKTV network, so that that becomes a C4/BBC joint venture, seen as a stepping stone towards the Beeb and Channel 4 launching a combined commercial broadcasting enterprise with public service objectives, assisted though not funded by the licence-fee funded main bit of the BBC.

That said, the BBC Worldwide/C4 partnership is reportedly raising concerns among some political types, and a parliamentary report leaked to the Guardian opposes those proposals, saying it will make BBC Worldwide too commercially dominant and “aggressive”. The report apparently suggests a number of new rules to restrict the operations and growth of BBC Worldwide, with or without a Channel 4 alliance.

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:07 | By

Kapranos resigns as Guardian food critic

Artist News Business News Media

Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos has resigned from his role as food critic for The Guardian because he’s not hungry any more. No, wait, he doesn’t want to be seen as a food critic. He wants people to think of him as a musician. Good luck with that.

Kapranos told the newspaper: “I remembered working in my first restaurant in Fort William when a chef asked, ‘Hey, you want a slice of shark?’ And my response was, ‘Shark? What the fuck?’ I figured it would actually be interesting to write from a naive perspective. [But] I had a couple of calls from TV stations asking if I wanted to present food programmes, and I thought, ‘God, this has got to stop. This is not who I am'”.

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:05 | By

This week’s Sub.tv playlist – w/c 23 Feb

Artist News

These, in case you wondered, are the videos being played on the Sub.tv network of screens in students’ unions around the UK this week. New entries marked with a *. More info from DavidLloyd@sub.tv.

A-List
Asher Roth – I Love College
Chase & Status feat. Kano – Against All Odds
Fleet Foxes – Mykonos
Friendly Fires – Skeleton Boy
Glasvegas – Flowers and Football Tops
In Case Of Fire – The Cleansing
Katy Perry – Thinking Of You
The Killers – Spaceman
Ladyhawke – Paris Is Burning
Madcon – Liar
MGMT – Time To Pretend
NASA – Money
Oasis – Falling Down
Red Light Company – Arts & Crafts
U2 – Get On Your Boots
The Virgins – Teen Lover
VV Brown – LEAVE!
The Wombats – My Circuitboard City

B-List
Animal Collective – My Girls
The Asteroid Galaxy Tour – The Sun Ain’t Shining No More
The BPA – He’s Frank
Esser – Work It Out
Fever Ray – If I Had A Heart
Flithy Dukes – This Rhythm
The Hot Melts – Edith
Karima Francis – Again
Kids In Glass Houses – Dance All Night
Metro Station – Shake It
Noisettes – Don’t Upset The Rhythm
Peter, Bjorn & John – Nothing To Worry About
Ra Ra Riot – Can You Tell
Rex The Dog – Bubblicious
September – Can’t Get Over
Sneaky Sound System – I Love It
Starsailor – Tell Me It’s Not Over
The Voluntary Butler Scheme – Multiplayer

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:04 | By

Nash and Jarman to marry

And Finally Artist News

Kate Nash and Cribs frontman Ryan Jarman are planning to get hitched at a ceremony in Portland, Oregon this Saturday, according the The Sun.

A source told the tabloid: “Both of them are very excited about the wedding but they didn’t want any fuss. That’s part of the reason why they decided to do it in America”.

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:02 | By

Hooky on Joy Division covers

And Finally Artist News

Former New Order, Revenge, Monaco, Ad Infinitum and current Freebass bassist Peter Hook has been discussing covers of songs by another of his former bands, Joy Division.

Hook told Filter: “The great thing about age is you end up taking your life in stride, so that has gotten easier. You learn not be too precious about it. Because of Ian’s death I was more protective of Joy Division songs than with New Order”.

“I was on a flight once and there was a French cover version of ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’, and it was great. It’s something I have gotten used to. A friend sent me a house remix of ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’, that was just fantastic. It’s when you get something that’s so odd that works when it’s great, but then there is as ugly side of it: cover versions that don’t work”.

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:01 | By

Pet Shop Boys don’t approve of BRITs

And Finally Artist News Awards

The Pet Shop Boys have said that they don’t really approve of the Brit Awards, unless it’s them, receiving an Outstanding Contribution Award. Chris Lowe told Q Magazine: “We don’t really approve of the awards. But this one is a little different. It acknowledges the importance of pop in the world. You know, it’s not all rock”.

Band mate Neil Tennant expressed his surprise at the accolade: “I didn’t think we’d get it. EMI phoned and said, ‘If they give you this award, (a) will you accept it? And (b) will you turn up?’ I was impressed that that was how they still thought of us! When we got the award for ‘West End Girls’ in 1987 for best single, Chris didn’t turn up”.

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Thursday 26 February 2009, 11:00 | By

Cowell bets on Minogue’s X Factor return

And Finally Artist News Media

Okay, Dannii Minogue is definitely going to be on the judging panel of next year’s series of ‘X Factor’. Well, probably. She’s still got to agree to do it, but Simon Cowell wants her to be there. Following the previously reported rumours that Minogue was to be booted off the show, Cowell has confirmed that he doesn’t foresee any changes to the current roster of judges.

Cowell told The Mirror: “As far as the judging panel is concerned, let’s just say that if I was a betting man my money would be on Dannii returning to the show. She was great last year and I am adamant she should be there for the next series. All being well, pen will be put to paper this week”.

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Wednesday 25 February 2009, 12:00 | By

Eminem producer lawsuit could have big ramifications

Business News Digital Royalties Timeline Labels & Publishers Legal

Eminem

A long running and previously reported lawsuit between the production company who oversaw the early career of Eminem and the superstar rapper’s record company, Universal Music’s Aftermath, has finally reached the court room, and some big names are expected to be called to testify, including the boss of Universal’s Interscope division (under which Aftermath sits) Jimmy Iovine and maybe even Apple chief Steve Jobs. Eminem, who, despite what has been widely reported on the internet in the last 24 hours, is not directly involved in this lawsuit, is unlikely to appear.

FBT Productions is the company of production duo Marky and Jeff Bass, and it was they who arguably discovered the young Slim Shady at the start of his career, who negotiated his original deal with Dr Dre’s Aftermath label, and who actually produced many of the tracks that appear on the rapper’s first three albums. As early managers, deal brokers and producers for Eminem, the Bass brothers are due various royalty cuts on the rapper’s early catalogue, and the lawsuit is over allegations that Universal are not paying them their full share.

Royalty disputes between managers and producers involved in the early careers of superstar artists and said stars’ subsequent managers and labels are not uncommon, though this one possibly has wider ramifications, and could be more of a landmark case that we initially realised when the legal papers were originally filed. We knew the case centred on FBT’s claims that Aftermath was deducting ‘costs’ from their royalties which they argued they should not have to pay. It seems the disputed costs relate to Eminem’s digital sales – downloads and ringtones – which is why Apple representatives may be asked to testify, and why the case could have wider implications.

FBT seemingly claim that Universal is wrong to treat a digital sale like a CD sale, arguing that labels don’t distribute digital tracks to download stores like they distribute CDs to a record shop, rather they licence tracks to the download platform like they licence tracks to broadcasters and the like. The distinction is crucial, because more deductions are made by the label from distribution royalties (in theory because of the label’s costs) than from licensing royalties. If the label ‘licences’ rather than ‘distributes’ downloads, then artists and, in this case, FBT Productions would be due a bigger slice of the digital pie. The case is similar to that being pursued against Sony Music by the Allman Brothers Band and Cheap Trick, who make similar claims regarding digital royalties (that case, I think, is ongoing).

Obviously, if a court finds in FBT’s favour then the principle could be extended to many other artists (especially those whose recording contracts precede the internet age) who might, arguably, be due a considerably bigger slice of digital revenues than they currently receive. For record companies who are increasingly reliant on their digital revenues to make the books balance, having to hand millions more of those revenues over to their artists could be devastating.

Universal Music are reportedly telling reports they are confident they will win this lawsuit, though given the possible ramifications of losing, that might be wishful thinking as much as confidence.

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Wednesday 25 February 2009, 11:55 | By

BBC denies plugging U2 album

Artist News Business News Media

The BBC has denied accusations that it is giving far too much free promotion to U2’s new album, ‘No Line On The Horizon’, despite a string of shows about the band in the run up to the album’s release, a regularly-aired advert and a section of the BBC website dedicated to the band.

The band appeared on Zane Lowe’s Radio 1 show on Monday evening, followed by Radio 4’s ‘Front Row’ and BBC 2’s ‘The Culture Show’ last night, and will join Jonathan Ross’s BBC 1 and Radio 2 shows later this week. Then there’s that previously reported Live Lounge date on Radio 1 on Friday.

Speaking to The Daily Mail, Nigel Evans MP criticised the Beeb, saying it was providing “the sort of publicity money can’t buy”, adding: “Why should licence fee-payers shoulder the cost of U2’s publicity?”

A spokesperson for the BBC has denied their U2 coverage is OTT, saying: “We take extreme care in making fair decision about how we make popular artists accessible to our audiences, especially when the timing is around the release of a new album, book or film. U2 are one of the world’s most popular bands who have a diverse fanbase and we are reflecting this in our content”.

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