UK RADIO SPECULATION MOUNTS 30/09/04
Following on from the news that Capital Radio and GWR are to merge, speculation has mounted that other players in the independent radio sector in the United Kingdom will continue to consolidate the sector. EMAP whose radio holdings include Kiss FM are thought to be about to increase there stake in Scottish Radio Holdings where they already have a 28% shareholding (EMAP brought SMG's shareholding earlier this year). EMAP's predicted profits show a 19% increase in radio revenues for this financial year. Other players in the market include the Chrysalis Group and Virgin Radio.
SOUTH AFRICA MOURNS DOLLY RATHEBE 30/09/04
Internationally renowned diva Dolly Rathebe has died aged 76 following a stroke. After a successful film career Dolly became lead singer of two township bands, the Inkspots and the Harlem Swingers and then sang with leading jazz band the Elite Swingers.
Last year she was honoured in a series of concerts organised by Miriam Makeba and she used some of the proceeds to build a community hall for the elderly. She leaves two daughters and a son. Dolly's death comes three months after the murder of Ben Shabalala who was a member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo from 1987 to 1993. The singer, who performed on Paul Simon's 'Gracelands' album was murdered in Durban on June 18th. The world famous capella group have been touring South Africa in celebration of the nation's first decade of democracy. Ben's brother Joseph founded the ten piece group.
UK RADIO SECTOR CONSOLIDATES 27/09/04
Two of the biggest players in the UK's independent radio sector have agreed to merge in a no share premium arrangement which sees a massive consolidation in ownership. Capital Radio and GWR are in continuing talks to finalise the merger and both groups are planning to issue trading statements in the next week. The exact roles of GWR's CEO Ralph Bernard and Capital's CEO David Mansfield have yet to be clarified although it is thought Bernard is more likely to be made executive chair whilst Mansfield continues as CEO.
In a separate rumour, commentators are pointing to a move by quasi public broadcaster Channel 4 to take over the running of the BBC's youth and music broadcaster Radio 1 to compliment its television youth presence.
INTERNET SALES GROW AND GROW 27/09/04
New UK research shows a continuing shift in consumer spending to the internet, predicting a huge hike in online spending for Christmas 2004. Internet retail group IMRG reported
that online spending already accounted for 6% of the total retail market but
this was expected to grow by 40% for Christmas 2004 providing sales of £3.5 billion (compared to £2.5 billion for Christmas 2003). The previous increase (2002-2003) was a massive 70%. Annual online sales in the United Kingdom are estimated to be over £14.9
billion (E21.5 approx). Music CDs, DVDs, travel and event/concert tickets all
have substantial sales on the internet and broadband roll ut in the UK is a
major factor in the increasng market share of online sales. IMRG predicts the online share of the retail market will be 30% by 2009.
STONES TO 'RE-OPEN WEMBLEY' 24/09/04
The Rolling Stones look set to be the first band to play at the new Wembley Stadium on a tour scheduled for 2006 according to the Sun newspaper.
The veteran band, who toured last year to celebrate their 40th anniversary,
plan to hit the road again, and want the tour to culminate at the news and
as yet unfinished £750 million stadium in north-west London. The newspaper
reported that the band were determined to tour again in 2006 and will warm
up in Toronto and have their homecoming at Wembley as the
first band to play at the new 80,000 capacity stadium."
OASIS AND SNOW PATROL ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM RELEASE DATES 2/09/04
Noel Gallagher has revealed the release date of the new Oasis album. Talking on UKSky TV, he revealed that the band have set themselves a deadline of May 26 next year to release the long-overdue album.
Snow Patrol have revealed that they will start recording their next album in the spring and aim to release the follow-up to this year's 'Final Straw' by autumn 2005.The band are currently on tour in the US until December and singer Gary Lightbody said that life of the road means the group have not been able to write enough material yet for the LP.
NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR US VISA WAIVER PROGRAMME 24/09/04
From October 26, 2004, all eligible individuals seeking to enter the U .S. pursuant to the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) will need to present a Machine-Readable Passport (MRP). The VWP allows eligible foreign nationals to enter the U.S. for temporary tourist or business (non-employment) purposes, for 90 days or less, without first obtaining a B visa stamp at a U.S. consular post.
Ron Zeelans of RAZco Visas advises that citizens of Andorra, Belgium, Brunei, Liechtenstein and Slovenia are already subject to the MRP requirement. Citizens of Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom will be subject to the MRP requirement beginning October 26, 2004.
An MRP contains biographical data on a special data page that conforms to international specifications. This data can be read by an optical scanner that instantly uploads the information for use by an immigration inspector.
On October 26, 2005, one year after the MRP requirement is effective, foreign nationals seeking entry to the U.S. pursuant to the VWP will be subject to an additional requirement: Their passports will need to contain biometric data.
Biometric Passports (BPs) contain biometric identifier information (data derived from digital fingerprints and photographs) that is uploaded by computer for use by an immigration inspector to confirm identity and gain access to other security-related information. Biometric data are already incorporated into most visa stamps issued by U.S. consular posts. The US Department of State recommends that individuals who frequently travel to the U.S. pursuant to the VWP review their passports to determine whether they are in compliance with these upcoming MRP and BP requirements.
Contact: ron@razcovisas.com
BEASTIE BOYS TOUR 23/09/04
The Beastie Boys have confirmed a number of North American dates running from October 8th to November 10th followed by their first European tour for a number of years, set to kick off on December 6th in Manchester, England and to run through and run through to Dec 18 in Milan.
The Beasties are touring in support of 'To the 5 Boroughs' their first album since 1998's 'Hello Nasty.' Released in June, the set debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 926,000 copies in the United States. The European Tour takes in Berlin, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Amsterdam, Munich, Basel and Milan.
CAT STEVENS BARRED FROM US 23/09/04
Yusuf Islam who was formerly known as Cat Stevens has been barred from entering the United States and the plane on which he was flying to Washington diverted to Maine. The reason appears to be because Islam is on the Federal Government's watch list. Islam has been returned to the UK.
The singer was born Stephen Georgiou, took Cat Stevens as a stage name and had a string of hits in the 1960s and '70s, including 'Wild World' and 'Morning Has Broken.' Last year he released two songs, including a re-recording of his '70s anthem 'Peace Train,' to express his opposition to the US led war in Iraq. He abandoned his music career in the late 1970s and changed his name after being persuaded by orthodox Muslim teachers that his lifestyle was forbidden by Islamic law. He later became a teacher and an advocate for his religion, founding a Muslim school in London in 1983. Recently, though, Islam has criticized terrorist acts, including the September 11th attack and the school seizure in Beslan, Russia, earlier this month that left more than 300 dead, nearly half of them children.
Billboard.com reports that British rock act Marillion was on board the same flight as Islam. "We all had to get off the plane," said lead singer Steve Hogarth. "I then met a security guard who said the two people escorted off were Cat Stevens and his daughter. I was stunned. He is a pacifist and a great songwriter". Islam has said the situation is 'riduculous' and that it occured due to a glitch in the FBI's system.
NEW GROUP BOOKER FOR MKG 21/09/04
The UK's McKenzie Group Ltd (MKG) has announced the appointment of a new 'Group Booker' for Academy Events with the arrival of Jonathan Wing - who will be based at the Carling Academy Islington from Monday 4th October, 2004.
Jonathan joins MKG from the Barfly in Cardiff, where he was in-house venue promoter since 2001. Prior to that, Jonathan was a promoter for Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, working a wide range of shows and events such as Coldplay, Elbow and The Strokes.
JOHNNY RAMONE DIES AT 55 17/09/04
Johnny Ramone has died aged 55 surrounded by friends and family . He had been suffering from prostate cancer for a number of years and is now the third Ramone to die following Joey in 2001 (from Lymphatic cancer) and Dee Dee two years later from a suspected overdose.
The band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. The band, considered by many to be the 'godfathers' of punk released hits including 'Teenage Lobotomy', 'Beat On The Brat', 'Sheena Is A Punk Rocker' and 'I Want To Be Sedated'. Johnny died in Los Angeles on the 14th September 2004.
Website: www.ramones.com
BACKSTREET BOYS BACK ON ROAD 16/09/04
As their first album since 2001's "Black and Blue" takes shape, the Backstreet Boys have confirmed a host of international tour dates this Autumn. The tour kicks off on Friday September 17th at the House of Blues in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and will encompass shows in China, Japan and Mexico City through to October 16th. The Backstreet Boys will donate a portion of proceeds from their Sept. 24 show in Beijing to the Special Olympics.
Source: www.billboard.com
U2 CONFIRM EXPLOSIVE NEW ALBUM 16/09/04
The long-awaited new U2 album has a confirmed name: "How
To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb." The 11-track set will be released November 23 via Interscope. First single "Vertigo" will hit U.S. radio outlets on Sept. 24, while a commercial single is due in November. U2 have been nominated for a 2005 entry into the Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame.
Source: www.billboard.com
IFPI LAUNCH RECORDING INDUSTRY IN NUMBERS 15/09/04
The IFPI have just published the 2004 edition of the Recording Industry In Numbers which contains a mass of detail on the current state of the global music market:
The Top Ten Best-Selling Albums Globally of 2003 were:
The major companies' top ten albums and top ten videos are also listed. Market shares of the major and independent companies by country. For the first time IFPI has produced market shares based on wholly or majority owned content on a country by country basis.
The global market shares for 2003 were:
[Sony & BMG are now combined]
Analysis of trends in retailing show a clear trend towards non-specialist retailing and sales of music over the internet. For example, in the UK, supermarkets' share of the market increased from 8.9% in 1999 to 21.9% in 2003.
In France, where the trend is more pronounced, hypermarkets accounted for 39% in 2003.
Internet sales - the sale of physical product via online stores - has increased in Germany from 1% in 1999 to 12% in 2003. This section also charts retail trends across five years in seven major markets. An overview of the still nascent music-to-mobile market, a potentially exciting growth channel, includes details of the sector and the main service launches. The mobile providers claim a near 8% share in all spend on music.
Non IFPI members can order the full publication via www.ifpi.org
ANDREA WONFOR, DOYEN OF UK MUSIC TV, DIES AT 60 12/09/04
Andrea Wonfor , the much admired and loved television executive, has died of breast cancer aged 60. Andrea began her career with at Granada Television in 1966 and moved on to Tyne Tees TV where she became head of Youth and Childrens programmes in 1982.
Andrea launched the legendary Tube musc series in the same year fronted by Jools Holland and Paula Yates. Andrea went on to be Controller of Arts and Entertainments at Channel 4 from 1990 to 1993 and returned to Granada as Director of Programes.
In 2002 she set up her own independent prodction company, Liberty Bell. Andrea was the first woman to chair the Royal Television Society (from 1996 to 1998). Andrea leaves a husband, music television producer and film editor Geoff Wonfor and two daughters. She will be much missed in the music and television industries for her professionalism and for being just a terribly nice, decent and honest person full of imagination and charm. She died on September 10th.
GLASTONBURY TICKET FORGERIES? 12/09/04
The Glastonbury Festival has called in the police to investigate whether a number of tickets used to gain entrance to the Festival were forgeries. The Glastonbury ticket sale of 112,500 was criticised for being over complicated in 2004 with ticket holders having personalised tickets and needing to bring proof of identity and address. The BBC's Watchdog programme has recently investigated the black market in tickets for the Festival and
forged ID which saw prices rise to £1000 (E1,450) for a pair of tickets
with fake utility bills. Michael Eavis called the activities of 'front row ticket' website www.getmetickets.com "daylight
robbery".
POP IDOL FORMAT WARS - SIMON V SIMON 12/09/04
Simon Fuller , the ex-Spice Girls manager and owner of 19 Management and 19 TV which produces the succesful Pop Idol programmes has issued legal proceedings against Pop Idol judge
and A&R executive Simon Cowell, his companies Syco and Simco and Freemantle Media (part of Bertlesmann's RTL) alleging that Cowell and Freemantle's new talent competition 'X Factor' infringes the copyright in Pop Idol.
The programmes share two of the same judges, Cowell himself along with Boyzone manager Louis Walsh (along with new judge Sharon Osbourne), a shared presenter (Kate Thornton who presented for Pop idol on ITV2) and similarities in direction: contestants audition in front ofthe three judges and recieve immediate comment, the deliriously happy or distraught contestants are then commiserated with or hugged by presenter. Fuller is also investigating similarities in the music used, logo and other format similarities. Fuller also claims that a number of key Pop Idol production executives who have moved to X Factor are under non-compete clauses in their Pop Idol contracts. In an added twist, Cowell is still under contract for a further two Pop Idol series in the US.
Source: The Guardian 11 September 2004
For an article by Ben Challis and Jonathan Coad in
this area see articles.
NEW SECURITY STAFF REGULATIONS TAKE EFFCT IN UK 10/09/04
The new regulations covering door staff have begun to take effect in the UK.
Hampshire and the Isle of Wight were the first two areas to implement a new national standard Security Industry Authority licence for door supervisors in June 2004 and now more than half the country has joined the scheme with the North East entering on the 6th September. London will be the final area where the new personal licence will be compulsory after 11 April 2005.
The new scheme is meant to improvde standards of professoinalism and training and remove the criminal element which damaged the public's perception of the industry as a whole. The legislation behind the scheme (the Public Security Industry Act 2001) provides for penalties against an individual for working as a door supervisor without a licence (up to six months imprisonment or up to a £5000 fine) and substantial penalties including unlimited fines and five years imprisoment for knowingly employing or providing unlicensed staff. All door supervisors at licensed premises (including pubs, clubs and venues) whose duties involve guarding against unauthorised access or occupation, outbreak of disorder or screening the suitability of people entering the premises are covered by the PSIA 2001 and the SIA estimates that there are 85,000 potential door supervisors who will each need to be licensed on a personal basis.
Source: www.the-sia.org.uk
SONGWRITER BILLY DAVIS DIES 10/09/04
Songwriter Billy Davis who co-wrote 'I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing' initially as a theme tune for a Coke ('I'd Like to Buy The World A Coke') has died aged 72.
Davis was a very succesful songwriter although he started his career as a musician, occasional member and writer with the Four Tops. But his career moved more and more into songwriting as labels such as Chess and Motown recognised Davis's talents. Other hits included 'Reet Petite' and 'To Be Loved' (for Jackie Wilson) and 'Rescue Me'. Davis wrote for many other artists including The Dells, Etta James and Billy Stewart and combined this with a successful career in advertising writing jingles for brands such as Nescafe, Miller beers and Nabisco.
FRANZ FERDINAND WIN MERCURY MUSIC PRIZE 10/09/04
Franz Ferdinand , the Scottish band who met at Glasgow School of Art, have won the prestigious Mercury Music Prize. The four piece, famed for their blend of indie rock and funk as well as their taste in maching suits and ties, beat off strong competition from the likes of Joss Stone, Keane, The Streets and Snow Patrol.
Lead singer Alex Kapranos said that the band were 'gobsmacked' although the band later said that they would be donating the £20,000 first prize to others who needed the money more. The band's eponymous first album has sold over 2 million copies and the band begin a tour in the US in September.
MOBO's REJECT HOMOPHOBIA 09/09/04
The British Mobo Award organisers (Music Of Black Origin) have kicked two reggae singers off the awards short list because of homophobic lyrics. Elephant Man and Vybz Kartel both refused to apologise for their lyrics which allegedly incite killing homosexuals and have had their nominations for best reggae act withdrawn.
Source: The Times
UK'S PARKINSON KING OF PROMOTION 06/09/04
Whilst Michael Eavis's Glastonbury Festival has widespread television and radio coverage it is not the king of promotions for bands in the UK. Glastonbury, which had widespeard coverage on BBC television, BBC Radio and by internet streaming often produces dramatic increases in sales along with chart leaps and chart re-entries, is dwarfed by the 'Parkinson' effect.
An appearance on Michael Parkinson's show has extraordinary results according to retail website www.amazon.co.ukParkinson, the doyen of TV chat shows, has just swapped channels to ITV but figures when his show was on BBC showed sales increases for Jamie Cullum of 634%, for Norah Jones 80%, for Diana Krall 5088% and for Michael Buble 5766%. The sales were in the two weeks followqing each performamce. Acts booked for the new series include Razorlight, REM and Ronan Keating.
SIR CLIFF JUMPS LABELS 06/09/04
Sir Cliff Richard has announced that after 46 years he is ending his relationship with EMI Records and moving to Universal. The singer who has had hits over five decades has just finished recording a 'country album' in Nashville with Barry Gibb. It is understood that EMI passed on this album but will release a compilation album near christmas and the split is amicable.
REM JOIN ALL STAR CD TO AID DARFUR 03/09/04
REM have joined Ash, Badly Drawn Boy, David Gray, Futureheads and Faithless in recording a song for a compilation CD to aid victims of the bitter conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan. The CD, titled 'Songs for Sudan',
will raise funds for Oxfam who are active in providing support for the crisis.
The CD, which will sell for £7.99 (E11.20) in the UK with provide £5
(E7) for each unit sold going to Oxfam - enough to provide 15 people with clean drinking water for each CD sold.
The CD can also be downloaded at Oxfam's website www.bignoisemusic.com. More than one million people have been displaced in the crisis, many into neighbouring Chad. The UN estimates that up to 50,000 people have died.
THE MOVE'S CARL WAYNE DIES AT 61 03/09/04
Carl Wayne , who fronted the Move and more recently fronted the Hollies on international tours has died aged 61. In the sixties the Move where one of the UK's most succesful acts with hits such as ' Blackberry Way' and their track 'Flowers In The Rain' was the first single ever broadcast on BBC Radio 1.
Later in his life Wayne began a sucesful career in musicals including Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar and for six years as the highly acclaimed narator of Willy Russell's 'Blood Brothers' in London's West End which ended in 1996. In 2000 he agreed to front the Hollies touring the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Carl Wayne leaves a wife and son.
XM RADIO DISCONTINUE SOFTWARE AMID PIRACY CONCERNS 02/09/04
XM Radio have discontinued their XM PCR software, sold by XM Satellite Radio to give its more than 2 million subscribers satellite radio reception. Howvere in conjunction with a third-party software Time Trax, PCR let listeners download songs to their personal computers. Since XM discontinued the PCR, units have fetched steep premiums on eBay.
The device, which retailed for about $50, is getting bids of more than $350 with sellers advertising the unit as "discontinued" and "rare". The demise of the PCR comes as the recording industry battles music copyright threats on multiple fronts. Record companies, which have repeatedly filed lawsuits against people who use file-sharing programs such as eDonkey, Grokster and Kazaa and had noteable success in shutting down the original Napster and Aimster, recently lost a crucial battle, when the US Appeals court ruled that the Morpheus and Grokster fle swapping softwares were legal.
Time Trax software lets people with a PCR capture songs, artist and title information from the radio. XM said that whatever its plans for the PCR, the company is working to stop TimeTrax. The Recording Industry Association of America have paid close attention to the Time Trax software but have not taken legal action against XM whose discontinution of their own software seems voluntary.
OUTKAST AND JAY-Z TOP MTV VIDEO AWARDS 02/09/04
With four awards each, OutKast's "Hey Ya!" and Jay-Z's "99
Problems" were the top winners at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, presented last night on Aug 29th at the American Airlines Arena in Miami.
"Hey Ya!" won the prizes for best video of the year, best hip-hop video, best special effects in a video and best art direction in a video. "99 Problems," which led the field with six nominations, took the awards for best rap video, best direction in a video, best editing in a video and best cinematography in a video.
Other multiple winners were Usher's "Yeah!" (best male video, best dance video) and No Doubt's "It's My Life", which won the awards for best pop video and best group video. Outkast closed the show and other live performers included Usher, Simpson, Jet, Hoobastank, Yellowcard, Christina Aguilera with Nelly, the Polyphonic Spree, Terror Squad featuring Fat Joe with Ying Yang Twins, Petey Pablo and Lil Jon.
Source: www.billboard.com