CLEAR CHANNEL POSTS $4 BILLION LOSS 28/02/05
Clear Channel Communications , the USA's largest radio
station chain, has reported a net loss of $4.67 billion (£2.44 billion)
after writing down $4.9 billion in the value of its radio licences. The Texas
based company said the charge was related to the way in which it calculates
the vaule of its Federal Communications Commission licences.
LONDON MAYOR PROPOSES LATER LAST TRAINS 25/02/05
Transport for London (Tfl) and the Mayor of London are proposing later running trains and later starting trains over the weekend in London. As the new UK Licensing Act provisions come into force in the UK, allowing more flexible late night drinking, this could be an added bonus for the leisure and entertainment industries.
At the moment clubbers and drinkers tend to rely on night buses and taxis although there have been a number of recent scares wth unlicensed mini-cabs. The first Underground trains generally arrive at central London stations at around 6:00am on Saturdays and 7:30am on Sundays; last trains depart from the West End on Friday and Saturday nights at around 12.30am. Tfl are proposing to make all these times one hour later: first trains would arrive at central London stations at around 7am on Saturdays and 8:30am on Sundays; last trains would depart from the West End on Friday and Saturday nights at around 1:30am.The start and finish times of the Underground on all other days would remain as they are now. Public consultation will run from 22nd February to 22nd April 2005.
Source: www.tfl.gov.uk
BLINK 182 TO SPLIT FOR THE FORSEEABLE FUTURE 24/02/05
Confirming recent speculation that something was amiss, Blink-182 have announced that they were going on an indefinite hiatus "to
spend some time enjoying the fruits of their labours with loved ones." In a statement, the trio added, "While
there is no set plan for the band to begin working together again, no one knows
what tomorrow may bring."
Rumours that the band had split began circulating after the band failed to appear at All Start Tsunami relief concert at Anaheim, Calif. Blink 182 were scheduled to play but pulled out of at the last minute due to "unexpected circumstances" and the split was fuelled by internet gossip.
Source: www.billboard.com
PIXIES TO HEADLINE SASQUATCH! FESTIVAL 24/02/05
The Pixies , Kanye West, Wilco and Modest Mouse lead the lineup for the Sasquatch! Music Festival, to be held May 28th at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington.
Other mainstage acts include the Arcade Fire, Ray LaMontagne, Jem, Bloc Party and U.S.E., The Frames, Joanna Newsom, A.C. Newman, Matisyahu, Bobby Bare Jr., The Be Good Tanyas and the Benevento/Russo Duo will perform on the second stage, while acts with local ties such as Smoosh, Aqueduct, Visqueen and the Blue Scholars will hold court on the third stage.
Source: www.billboard.com
SHOCKWAVE NME AWARDS 2005 21/02/05
the Shockwave NME Awards were held last week at the Hammersmith Palais in London, here is a complete list of all the winners:
Website: www.nme.com
UK SECURITY AUTHORITY OVERWHELMED 20/02/05
The UK's new Security Industry Authority (SIA) has put a brake on it's developing regulatory programme after admitting it was not prepared to implement the next stages of the regulatory framework for the private security industry. At present the SIA is finalising the national licensing of all club, pub and venue door supervisors under a national badge scheme which is due to be active throughout the UK by April 2005 . But to the fury of consumer groups, the SIA has announced that the next phase of regulation, initially for private car clamping companies, has been suspended indefinitely, despite the SIA setting this timetable itself.
There is also concern that the door supervisors programme will lack a framework for enforcement. The Magistrate Magazine reported that in one English county, East Sussex, the SIA has just 'one tenth'of the resources previously in place with possibly just one officer to supervise the entire county which includes the bustling towns of Brighton and Hastings.
Source: The Times 16th February 2005
EU COUNCIL OF MINISTERS RECOGNISE WITHOLDING TAX PROBLEM 20/02/05
The EU Council of Culture Ministers has decided (15/16 November 2004) to "solve the obstacles caused by the taxation of mobile artists". The formal aim to remove the problems with withholding taxation has been included as Paragraph 5 of the Work Plan for 2005-2006. Dick Molennar of All Arts Tax Advisors says that "this is an important step forward, because the EU now recognizes officially the issue of taxation of international artists as a problem to be solved. The Dutch Ministry of Culture has been very active during the Dutch presidency of the European Union (July - December 2004) to push this decision through. We hope that the English presidency of the EU (July - December 2005) can develop this subject further." Dr
Harald Grams and Dick Molennar from the ILMC Tax Working Group chaired a EU
conference in Rotterdam in October 2004 that made the recommendation for the
EU Council of Culture Ministers to progress in this manner.
KOREAN ONLINE MUSIC OPERATOR LIABLE FOR VIOLATIONS 20/02/05
A Seoul criminal court has found the operator of an Internet music site guilty of violating copyright laws. Park Sung-hun, chief executive officer of Bugs Co., the country's most popular online music site, was given a sentence of 18 months in prison with a three-year suspension, and his company was fined 20 million won (US$19,460).
Park distributed tens of thousands of music files on the Internet without permission from (musicians and recording companies). Seoul Central District Court Judge Lee Han-sup suspended his prison sentence in light of the fact that Park can potentially solve the dispute with the recording companies that filed the lawsuit. The court said Bugs' free music service violated "copyright neighboring rights," the right to distribute copyrighted materials owned by musicians and recording companies to the public.
NORWAY AND AUSTRALIA TAKE DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO COPYRIGHT REFORM 20/02/05
The Norwegian government is proposing new copyright legislation that will make attempts to crack copy-protection illegal. On top of this, it will allow copying of CDs and DVDs for personal use (even if this involves cracking the copy protection) as long as they are copied onto the same medium (i.e. a CD copied onto a CD-R). The biggest - and most controversial - issue is, however, the fact that consumers will not be able to copy CDs onto their portable digital players (as this will mean transferal from one medium to a different one). It is argued, on one side, that this is an important update of copyright law and, on the other, that it is a massive restriction on consumers' digital usage rights.
On the other wide of the world there could be a revision in Australian copyright law, relating specifically to fair use. The Attorney-General is preparing a discussion paper on how copyright law can evolve and one consideration is allowing consumers to transfer music or films from one medium (e.g. a CD) to another (e.g. a portable digital music player) as long as it is for personal use. If passed, a levy could be imposed as a means of compensating rights owners. Australian consumer rights bodies have welcomed this (tentative) legislative step although it is opposed by the record industry.
Source: Five Eight Magazine
GLASTONBURY PICKS UP MORE AWARDS 18/02/05
Paul McCartney and Glastonbury Festival organiser Michael Eavis took to the stage at the Shockwaves NME Awards to pick up the award for Best Event for Glastonbury.
The ex-Beatle stole the show at last year's festival, on a bill headlined on the other days by Oasis and Muse. Speaking from the stage, McCartney said 'Glastonbury is the best festival, always has been, always will be'. Glastonbury boss Eavis and his daughter Emily were also in attendance at the Hammersmith Palais, enjoying the evening on a table with McCartney. The Glastonbury Festival has been also awarded the 'International Music Festival of the Year' award by Pollstar. Eavis said he was very proud of the accolade.
At the forthcoming International Live Music Conference (London, 11th-13th March), Glastonbury has also been nominated for 'Liggers Favourite Festival' in the Arthur Awards. Click Here to register your vote.
OASIS SELL OUT THE GARDEN! 16/02/05
Oasis 's biggest ever New York show at the world famous Madison Square Garden, sold out in just over an hour when it went on sale on Saturday.
The concert featuring the not to be missed bill of Oasis and special guests Jet will take place on Wednesday the 22nd June as part of Oasis' US tour to coincide with their new album which is due out in May. The remaining shows on the June North American tour are selling fast, Philadelphia also sold out over the weekend.
JACKSON RUSHED TO HOSPITAL 16/02/05
Michael Jackson has been rushed to hospital as he made his way to court to face child sex charges. The singer had been taken to a medical centre just minutes after being picked up at his Neverland ranch. His lawyer described Jackson as being "very,
very ill" and he was said to be receiving treatment in one of the hospital's emergency rooms.
Judge Rodney S Melville made the announcement as crowds gathered for the start of the day's proceedings at the Santa Maria courthouse in California. Early reports suggested Jackson was suffering from the flu. The case has been postponed until next week.The Jackson team plans to call a star-studded list of witnesses in his defence including Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and Elizabeth Taylor.
TEENAGE CANCER TRUST LINE UP ANNOUNCED 16/02/05
Harvey Goldsmith and Who frontman Roger Daltry have announced their line up for a week of concerts for the Teenage Cancer Trust. The April 4th to April 8th run at the Royal Albert Hall, London, features:
Proceeds from the show go towards building a special hospital unit for teenage cancer sufferers.
TAKEOVER RIDDLER FOR FIDDLER 15/02/05
The Financial Times (15/02/05) has reported that the AIM listed Mean Fiddler Group headed by Vince Power has said that it had received a preliminary takeover approach in a statement that followed a 13 per cent rise in its share price on Monday.The Reading & Leeds
Festival organisers refused to elaborate on the timing of the approach or who was behind it, stating merely an approach had been made "from
a party that may or may not lead to an offer being made for the company".
PRINCE TOP MONEY EARNER IN 2004 11/02/05
Prince topped Madonna, Metallica and Elton John in 2004 as the year's top earner with receipts of £30.4
million.
The figures, calculated in Rolling Stone magazine's top 50 moneymakers poll showed Madonna a close second with earnings of £29.6
million. Prince's earnings were boosted by a major US concert tour last year and Madonna earned from her Re-Invention tour. Heavy metal stalwarts Metallica came third with earnings of £23.2
million.
KEANE, SCISSOR SISTERS AND FRANZ FERDINAND TRIUMPH AT BRITS 11/02/05
The 25th Brit Awards have kicked off with Robbie Williams winning the gong for the Best Song of the Past 25 Years for 'Angels'. Some of the biggest stars of the showbiz world turned up for the awards, hosted by presenter Chris Evans at London's Earls Court. Franz Ferdinand took the Best Rock Act award, but lost out in the Best Newcomer category to Keane. Keane also won Best Album.
Mike Skinner [ photo ] cast off his role as the perennial bridesmaid of the major music awards when he was named Best Male Solo Artist at the Brits last night. The singer, better known as The Streets, saw off two of television's most successful musical creations - Will Young, the Pop Idol winner, and Lemar, of Fame Academy - to pick up the award on the back of his second hit album, 'A Grand Don't Come for Free'.
Joss Stone won Best Female Solo Artist. Franz Ferdinand won Best British Act as a second gong but the resal winners were the Scissor Sisters. The quintet won awards for Best International Group, Best International Album and Best International Breakthrough Act, capping a remarkable year for a band that secured its first hit only 12 months ago.
Muse were winners of the inaugural 'Best Live Act' which was introduced at the Brits this year and Sir Bob Geldof received the award for his Oustanding Contribution to British Music.
BRITNEY TAKES ACTION AFTER INSURERS REJECT CLAIM 09/02/05
Britney Spears is suing eight insurance companies that have refused to reimburse her for cancelling her 2004 world tour. The refusal is allegedly because the singer had previously had a knee injury and had not notified insurers of this. The pop star cancelled her Onyx Hotel tour
last June after suffering a knee injury during a video shoot. She is now
seeking to be reimbursed for the tour's £5m ($9.3m) costs in a claim
filed at New York State Supreme Court.
Seven London-based companies and an eighth Paris firm have been given up to 30 days to respond to the complaint. The 22-year-old star initially missed a number of shows on the 82-date tour after injuring her knee during a show in Illinois last March. But she was rushed to hospital and needed surgery after a later incident while filming a video for her song 'Outrageous', leading her to cancel the rest of the tour, including dates in China. But when she and her company, Britney Touring Inc, submitted an insurance claim, most of her insurers refused to pay, saying she had lied on her application form. Britney had answered "no" to a question about whether she had seen a doctor or had surgery within the previous five years and "no" to another question about whether she had ever been told of any problems with her bones, joints, or muscles. In fact, she had had minor surgery on her left knee four years and 11 months earlier, which she says she forgot about. In legal papers filed at a New York Supreme Court, the singer said the operation was irrelevant because the insurers had covered her for other tours knowing she had been under the knife.
Source: news.bbc.co.uk
NAA MEMBERS WIN AT THE POLLSTAR AWARDS 08/02/05
The international venue categories at the annual Concert Industry Awards were picked up by members of the National Arenas Association.
The Royal Albert Hall won the International Small Venue of the Year award at the Los Angeles ceremony, and Wembley Arena came top in the International Large Venue of the Year category.
The Royal Albert Hall (which also won the award in 2003) has recently completed a major £70m refurbishment, and Wembley Arena (which last won in 2000) opens up a temporary 10,000 seat arena (the Wembley Arena Pavilion) this month whilst the original venue undergoes a year long renovation programme.
Source: www.ilmc.com/naa
EMI'S SHARE PRICE DIVES AS ALBUMS RUN LATE 08/02/05
EMI 's share price has fallen 14.7% (to 240p) and the company has suggested that music sales for this financial year will be down by 8-9% compared to last year.
Profits for the 12 months ending 31st March are expected to be £138M - 15% lower than analysts were projecting. Disappointing Christmas sales and the delay of two major albums - by Coldplay and Gorillaz - until after the end of the financial period have been blamed.
Source: news.bbc.co.uk
GLASTONBURY PICKS UP NOMINATIONS AND A GONG 08/02/05
Glastonbury Festival has been nominated for a prestigious ' Indies' award for the live television coverage of the Festival on BBC. Glastonbury TV producer Ben Challis said he was proud of the Festival's achievements in media coverage which now encompasses live TV on two channels, interactive TV, digital TV, radio and internet streaming as well as global television and radio distribution.
The awards, announced on the 10th March, celebrate TV programme making in the UK. In 2004 the festival filmed the main Pyramid Stage in hi-definition TV for the first time for Fuji TV in Japan and Rave TV in the US. The Festival was also nominated for a BT Ditial Music Award for the webcast coverage of the festival with www.bbc.co.uk and www.playlouder.com. And the 17,000 votes cast in the 2004 VirtualFestivals.com Festival Awards for UK's Best Major Festival and Most Innovative Festival meant that Glastonbury had another award.
Glastonbury organiser Michael Eavis said he was "thrilled" at the result.
"Obviously I am very, very pleased that the public have recognised
our work. It is a great accolade. It is thanks to the great team we have
working here doing a fantastic job every year." Speaking about the award for Innovation, Mr. Eavis added: "We
come up with new ideas for the festival all the time and I'm thrilled to
bits the public like that. My ideas come in the middle of the night. I always
keep a torch and a notebook by the side of my bed to write them down."
VOTE IN ILMC 17 AWARDS 07/02/05
Online voting has now opened for next month's International Live Music Conference - 'Arthur Awards' and is available to all ILMC members, not just those attending the conference itself. Voters have the choice of four nominees in eight different categories:
To Vote: Click Here
JACKSON SAYS CELEBRITY MADE HIM TARGET 05/02/05
Michael Jackson believes he "won God's smile of
approval" for bringing youngsters to his Neverland ranch, he has said in his first television interview since being indicted on child molestation charges. The superstar, who is under a gagging order during his trial in Santa Barbara in California didn't directly proclaim his innocence in the interview, scheduled to air on the 5th February 2005.
Jackson commented that he believes that celebrity had made him a target.
Source: www.billboard.com
EX-LIBERTINES PETE DOHERTY CHARGED WITH THEFT 05/02/05
Ex Libertines and now Babyshambles front man Pete Doherty (25) faces a third night on remand (in custody) in the UK after an alleged assault theft at a London hotel on TV documentary maker Max Carlish.
Carlish apparently suffered a broken nose and two black eyes in the fracas. He claims that Doherty had asked him for large amounts of money at the hotel. Carlish is making a documentary about Babyshambles and it is thought that he provided photos of Doherty taking heroin to the UK press.
Initial reports said that a second member of Babyshambles was arrested later that night. The singer was offered bail, set at £150,000 on the grounds that he surrendered his passport and did not contact witnesses but his label have so far failed to come up with the bail amount needed. Doherty has recently been linked with model Kate Moss after he attended her 30th birthday party and has publicly said that he needed to clean up his behaviour or lose her.
Doherty already has a suspended prison sentence for possession of a flick knife and was previously jailed for stealing from fellow Libertine Carl Barat to feed his drug habit.
REGGAE STAR SIZZLA GETS PRISON FOR STAGE SWEARING IN JAMAICA 05/02/05
Reggae star Sizzla, whose UK tour was cancelled after protests at his "anti-gay" lyrics, has been jailed in Jamaica for swearing on stage. The singer must serve 15 days in prison after he consistently swore during a concert in St Thomas, Jamaica, in January despite warnings by police.
He was charged under a law which prohibits indecent dress or expression. Sizzla's five-date UK tour was cancelled last November after protests by gay rights campaigners. He has released 25 albums since 1995 and is credited with taking dancehall music back to its reggae origins. Many Jamaican entertainers have appeared before the courts for use of profanity in recent years but they usually receive a verbal warning, a suspended sentence or community service.
Source: news.bbc.co.uk
FRENCH COURT IMPOSES HEAVY FINE FOR UPLOADING MUSIC 05/02/05
A 28-year-old schoolteacher has been fined C10,200 in the biggest legal crackdown to date against file-sharers in France. He was described as one of the biggest serial uploaders in the country, offering an estimated 10,000 tracks for download. The rights holders taking the legal action against him had originally sought C28,400 in compensation. The defendant was ordered to take out adverts in two newspapers detailing the verdict in the case intended as a deterrent for other uploaders.
Source: www.smh.com.au
END OF THE ROAD FOR 'RODON LIVE' 01/02/05
Greek promoters, Anosi, have announced that the well-known 'RODON LIVE' Club in Athens will cease operations at the end of June 2005 due to issues involving the building's ownership. The venue was converted for live shows back in 1987 and has been the main platform for artists within that capacity bracket ever since. Nick Hassid of Anosi says that there is some good news, however, as his company is already planning to create a new 'Rodon Live' in the not-too-distant future.