FILE SWAPPERS ARRESTED IN JAPANESE ACTIONS 31/12/03
A Japanese peer-to-peer file-sharing network which claimed to keep user identities untraceable has failed to work and two users in Japan have been arrested. The developer of the P2P software has also had his home searched by police. There are around 250,000 users of the supposedly anonymous file-trading network, called Winny, which rides on the more well-known Freenet network.
Freenet is an open-source project and is part of a growing number of projects aimed at giving people the ability to communicate online without being tapped, traced or monitored.
MALASIAN SOFTWARE PIRATES RUN WILD 31/12/03
Malaysian software pirates are selling copies of the next generation of Microsoft's flagship Windows operating system, years before its official release and at a fraction of the expected price. Compact discs with a version of the system code-named Longhorn are being sold openly for less than $A 3.50 (£2.00) per copy .
Malaysia is one of the worst offenders, with CDs, CD-ROMs and DVDs sold openly in stores and street stalls. Longhorn is still in development and won't officially be ready until 2005 at the earliest.
STARS FLOCK TO ROCK IN RIO IN LISBON 31/12/03
Britney Spears is the latest star to be confirmed for the 'Rock In Rio' event in Lisbon on June 5, alongside Slipknot, Metallica and Guns N'Roses.
Britney tours the US in March and April before venturing to Europe. Sting is amongst the other acts scheduled to appear at the festival, which attracts around 100,000 people and takes place between May 29-30 and June 3-6. Britney performed at 'Rock In Rio' in 2001 in Brazil. The Portuguese leg of the event is based on its Brazilian counterpart.
Source: dotmusic
ELLIOTT SMITH CASE TO BE RE-OPENED 31/12/03
The investigation into the death of 34 year old singer-songwriter Elliot Smith who tragically died in October from stab wounds may be re-opened. The case was first thought to be a suicide with self inflicted wounds - Smith had been on prescribed anti-depressants but was not using drugs. But the Los Angeles coroners office claim that they are unable to determine if the stab wounds that killed Smith were self-inflicted and his autopsy report leaves questions surrounding the nature of his death. It will remain an open case for the LAPD to continue investigations.
KAZAA MOST POPULAR SEARCH ON THE NET 31/12/03
Yahoo has announced some unwelcome news for the Recording Industry Association of America saying that the string "KaZaA" was the number one search term of the year, beating out the likes of popular boy wizard Harry Potter, television show American Idol, and singer Britney Spears, among others. Yahoo's annual report includes the ten most frequently sought terms on the portal and search engine over the full year.
Source: AVN Online.
US DOJ DROPS INVESTIGATION INTO MAJOR LABEL'S ONLINE ACTIVITIES 31/12/03
After more than two years of investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice has announced that it is closing its antitrust scrutiny of the major record labels' online activities, without filing charges. When originally revealed in mid 2001, the regulators' investigation was said to be focused on the MusicNet and Pressplay online-music joint ventures and the possibility that the record labels were colluding to favour their own affiliated services at the expense of potential rivals. But events seem to have overtaken both the DOJ and the majors with services like OD2 and Apple's i-Tunes leading the field in field of legalised downloads.
Source: CNetAsia.
ROBBIE WILLIAMS NOW A TRADEMARK 31/12/03
Robbie Williams has trademarked his name and can now protect the right to use it on anything from videos and CDs to crayons and paper napkins. He joins stars such as Madonna and events such as the Glastonbury Festival who have filed their names to give them protection and added ammunition to avoid costly legal disputes over ownership of names.
Many well-known figures have used the system over the years provided their name is considered "distinctive" enough. Trademarks can give protection in numerous different areas and can now be applied for on a Europe wide basis (the Community Trade Mark).
Robbie is covered for a wide range of music and video recordings as well as clothing merchandise. The star is also protected for "printed matter", which includes address books, calendars, diaries and even tissues. Last year Robbie won ownership of the internet domain name back from an alleged 'cybersquatter' who had registered the domain name www.robbiewilliams.info which directed net users to a site full of pictures of Oasis - hohoho !
Source: www.Itv.com
US JUDGE ALLOWS ACCESS TO EMINEM 'RACIST' RECORDINGS 31/12/03
Controversial 'racist' recordings by rapper Eminen will be made available, a judge has ruled. US hip-hop magazine The Source had won the right to publish limited extracts from two tracks the rapper recorded as a teenager, which it maintains are racist.
The singer says he made the recordings when he was young, "frustrated, stupid and angry". His lawyers had argued that publishing the tracks would violate copyright laws but District Judge Gerald E Lynch ruled that limited reproduction constituted "fair use" of copyrighted material for the purposes of criticism. The magazine will be allowed to publish 20 seconds and eight lines from the songs. The Source magazine will now be allowed to publish CDs featuring up to 20 seconds of two previously unreleased works.
OZZY OUT OF INTENSIVE CARE 31/12/03
Ozzy Osbourne has been moved out of intensive care and into a private clinic to continue with his recovery from his quad bike crash earlier this month. The rocker was hospitalised after a quad bike accident at his home on December 8th. It is expected that it will take Ozzy six months to recover from his injuries. The singer benefited from massive UK popular support and he hit No 1 in the charts on December 14 for the first time in his career with 'Changes', the duet he had recorded with daughter Kelly though was unable to keep the position this week, when Michael Andrews feat Gary Jules scooped the Christmas Number One with 'Mad World'.
Source www.nme.com
ARE BLUR ON MARS? 25/12/03
As the rest of the UK settled down to Christmas lunch on December 25th, the members of Blur were holed up inside the Jodrell Bank Observatory waiting on word back from life on Mars.Today sees the climax of the band-backed Beagle 2 project, the British effort to land on Mars. If things go to plan, the probe will land on the planet's surface on Christmas Day and the first signal we Earthlings will hear back will be a Blur song. However, scientists are waiting for the signal, which wasn't heard when the probe was supposed to land. Damon Albarn composed Beagle 2, a song which first appeared as a B-side to their 1999 single 'No Distance Left To Run'.
Source www.nme.com
RECORDING INDUSTRY SUFFERS PIRACY SETBACKS IN THE NETHERLANDS, CANADA AND THE USA 21/12/03
It has been a very bad week for the record and music publishing industries as they face up to the ramifications of legal cases in three different territories.
Late last week the Canadian Copyright Board ruled that the personal dowloading of files from the internet was not illegal in Canada. Whilst an unusual decision Canada does have a system of blank tape, software and hardware levies which consumers pay and an exemption for personal use in the Copyrights Act.
Then in two separate decisions yesterday courts ruled against industry bodies. In Amsterdam the Netherlands Supreme Court rejected a case against Kazaa, the file-sharing program, ruling that the company cannot be held liable for the swapping of copyrighted music, movies and programs by users.
The Court upheld an earlier appeals court verdict rejecting a suit filed by music publisher societies Buma / Stemra. And in the USA in a substantial setback for industry efforts to stop music piracy, a Federal Appeals Court ruled yesterday that the Recording Industry Association of America cannot force Internet service providers to reveal the names and mailing addresses of alleged music swappers on their networks. By overturning a lower court's decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit eliminated a powerful tool used by the RIAA under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 to learn the identities of computer users and sue them for downloading music.
CANADA AND EUROPE TO TACKLE ONLINE PIRACY 17/12/03
The Canadian recording industry is about to get tough with Internet users who share music files. Brian Robertson, head of the Canadian recording Industry Association says it will file lawsuits against individuals similar to ones launched in the United States. The Association claims sales of compact discs have fallen by $450 million - or 23 per cent - since 1999 in Canada.
The European music industry also plans to take the fight against Internet piracy right to the doors of file sharers with individually targeted lawsuits, the head of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) says. Chairman and CEO Jay Berman says: "Lawsuits on a large scale have so far been restricted to the US; this 'fight back' will almost inevitably have to take place internationally as well."
Berman 's piece outlines the industry's global Internet strategy for 2004, suggesting that the organisation has next year in mind for its legal assault. The good news for the Record Industry is that 2004 is expected to see the European debut of Apple's iTunes Music Store and other legitimate music download services alongside OD2, currently Europe's only legal song supplier with major label back catalogue on offer. In the USAi-Tunes has just notched up its 25 millionth sale at 99 cents each and is joined in a growing market by Rhapsody and Napster.
Source:www.IFPI.org
UNIVERSAL EXPAND IN CHINA 17/12/03
Universal plans a major expansion next year for its small but profitable operations in China. The company plans to opentwo new offices, doubling or tripling its small China headcount, which now stands at a modest figure of about 10 out of 800 Asia-wide.
Other major western labels in China include EMI Group Plc and the music divisions of Sony Corp and Time Warner Inc. It is estimated the legitimate market for music sales in China totals about $125 million annually but the illegal copying and sale of music CDs is pervasive in China, where an estimated 90 percent of music sales are believed to involve pirated material. Universal plans to do more promotion in China of its Taiwan and Hong Kong artists, as well as other artists from its catalogue.
Source: Reuters
ILMC SAFETY FOCUS GROUP WINS E160,000 GRANT 17/12/03
The Safety Focus Group has won a grant of E160,000 from the European Union to produce a vital safety guide. The guide is intended for use by live music promoters and workers throughout Europe and beyond. It will reflect best practice in a number of European countries. As one of the conditions of this grant, the SFG must now raise a further E40,000 funding from the live music industry to secure the project. Scheduled to be ready by late autumn, 2004, the guide will primarily be accessible via a specially designed website, although a limited number of hard copies will be produced.
The grant has been awarded by the Bilbao-based European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (OSHA), The successful application was put together by the SFG (which has representatives from six different countries), the UK's Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College led by Professor Chris Kemp and live music welfare consultant Penny Mellor.
STONES, BRUCE AND CHER TOP THE 2003 LIVE TOUR GROSS 17/12/03
Seasoned veterans once again dominated the touring business in 2003. The top three tours for the year (to Nov. 18) were by The Rolling Stones (grossing $299.5 million), Bruce Springsteen ($181.7 million) and Cher ($76.3 million).
Source:www.billboard.com
WHITE STRIPES DATES PLANNED 16/12/03
Billboard report that The White Stripes have confirmed a New Year's Eve concert in Chicago, and will kick off 2004 with a handful of European/U.K. dates, taking up the latter half of January and stretching into February.
The Dec. 31 show at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom will see the Detroit blues duo share a bill with the Flaming Lips and Blanche. In mid-January, theStripes will begin a nine date UK tour on Jan 19 with shows in Liverpool, London's Alexandra Palace, Glasgow, Scotland's SECC and Blackpool Empress Ballroom followed by a February 1 date in Paris.
I-POD THE CHRISTMAS GIFT TO HAVE 16/12/03
Apple are reporting massive sales of their I-Pod player in the run up to Christmas in both Europe and the USA and MD of Apple, Steve Jobs said yesterday that more than 25 million songs have been downloaded from Apple's iTunes music store, launched in April. I-tunes, which charges 99 cents a song will soon face big new competitors. Wal-Mart is expected to launch a downloading site before year's end and Sony, Microsoft and Coke plan to enter the market in 2004.
BEYONCE, R.KELLY WIN BIG AT BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS 12/12/03
Beyonce and R. Kelly were the big winners at the 14th annual Billboard Music Awards, held last night (Dec. 10) at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas and aired live on Fox. Each snared four trophies, while Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz, Shania Twain and 50 Cent each took home three awards. The event aired live on Fox.
Source:www.Billboard.com
GREAT WHITE INDICTMENTS ISSUED 11/12/03
After a ten month investigation into the Rhode Island tragedy on February 20th at the Station Nightclub when pyrotechnics ignited during a peformance by Great White caused an inferno, the Grand Jury has now issued criminal indictments. The fire killed 100 people, including Great White guitarist Ty Longley, and injured about 200 others.
In the first indictments, former Great White tour manager Dan Biechele, and club owners Michael and Jeffrey Derderian were each charged with 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter with criminal negligence and 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter in violation of a misdemeanor. They were arraigned in Kent County Superior Court; all three pleaded innocent. Bail for the Derderians was set at $50,000, and $100,000 for Biechele, who lives in Florida; all were expected to make bail by the end of the day. At the same time it is estimated that over US$1 billion of civil lawsuits have been filed.
Source:www.Billboard.com
OZZY CRASH HORROR 09/12/03
Ozzy Osbourne has been seriously injured in a quad bike accident in the grounds of his Buckinghamshire estate. The 55-year-old rock star was transferred to hospital in Slough where he underwent emergency surgery after his circulation partially failed and to stem beeleding in his lungs.
Ozzy also broke his collarbone, six ribs and a vertebra in his neck. He was said to be in a stable, non life-threatening condition. Osbourne was taking a day off from promoting the UK release of 'Changes', a duet with his daughter Kelly, when the accident occurred and was due to be interviewed for Radio 1 this morning (9th December).
UK CHART ROW OVER COKE SPONSORSHIP 09/12/03
The British Phonographic Industry and Coca-Cola have agreed a new £2 million sponsorship package for the official UK charts but seem to have conveniently forgotten that official chart broadcaster BBC Radio 1 and BBC1 (which broadcasts Top of The Pops) are both governed by a charter which prohibits the state broadcaster having active involvement in commercial sponsorship and advertising.
The row has been escalated because the UK Government is currently targeting obesity in children and the dangers of junk food and sugar drinks, fuelling claims that the BBC is at worst hypocritical if not downright irresponsible. The BBC says it was not 'a party' to the negotiations although press reports say it was consulted and fully aware. It is understood that if the BBC stands firm, indepdent local radio owners will demand an investigation into the BBC's board of governors
Source:www.guardian.co.uk
MUSIC 2.0 CONFERENCE CHEERS UP LABELS 09/12/03
The Music 2.0 Conference held in Universal City heard that online music piracy isn't likely to vanish soon, but the rise of paid online services and the growing popularity of portable digital players portend better fortunes for the recording industry. Taking a mostly positive outlook on an industry that has suffered three years of falling CD sales, executives for record companies and Internet music retailers told hundreds of delegates that online music sales should take off in 2004. The recording industry feels it has made progress in 2003, after two years of trying to develop an online digital music model that could appeal to a majority of music fans - and educate those who make copies by downloading for personal use for a fraction of a CD's cost.
2003 has seen a rash of new online music services, offering music for subscription, download or both. Apple Computer's ITunes Music Store, which launched in April and sells individual song downloads for 99 cents, has sold more than 17 million song downloads as of last month. Napster has relaunched, playlouder.com are setting up a legal P2P file-swapping service, Coca-cola are reported to be entering the market and in CanadaPuretracks.com is has succesfully launched.
Delegates heard that the demand for portable music players and the rise of home networking devices, which allow people to also enjoy digital music and movies on their entertainment centres and stereos, will also drive digital music. Many of the panelists said they were bullish on the chances for digital music sales to pick up next year, but conceded that the industry has to be willing to change as it embraces the online music business model including making 'deep catalogue' (rare cuts, B sides, concert recordings) available to consumers online.
Source: LA Daily News
KAZAA LITE ELIMINATED 08/12/03
Sharman Networks , who own the controversial Kazaa software, have used legal tools to eliminate a pirate modified version called Kazaa Lite K++ which was touted as a way to protect Peer-2-Peer users from "organisations such as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) " invading their privacy and also blocked features of the Kazaa software deemed as adware and spyware.
Sharman Networks has reportedly contacted the Internet service provider of every Web site which hosted Kazaa Lite K++ and threatened under the provisions of the USA's Digital Millenium Copyright Act unless access to the modified software was removed. This follows a move earlier in the year when Sharman Networks used the same legislation to force Google to remove links or face a legal action.
Sharman Networks itself still face numerous legal challenges from the RIAA over the legitimacy of the Kazaa software.
Source:www.ZDNet.com
MEAN FIDDLER LINKS UP WITH MSD 08/12/03
The UK's Observer newspaper has reported that Vince Power's Mean Fiddler Group and Denis Desmond's MCD are to link up with MCD buying 16% of the Mean Fiddler Group for £4.6 million (E6.4 approx). Power remains the major shareholder in Mean Fiddler with a 35% stake but the group will be a powerful combined presence in the Anglo-Irish markets.
FLU STRUCK BOWIE CANCELS US DATES 08/12/03
David Bowie has cancelled two shows in the US which were part of his A Reality tour.. The dates were in Atlantic City (December 6th) and Fairfax (December 7th). Doctors have ordered the singer to stay in bed and the date for a return to touring has not been set although it is expected he will be well enough to perform at Boston on December 9th. The cancelled shows will be re-scheduled.
Source:www.livedaily.com
US LABELS ISSUE MORE DOWNLOAD LAWSUITS 05/12/03
In addition to the first round of lawsuits issued in September the Recording Industry Association of America has issued a further 41 lawsuits to private individuals who the RIAA say are 'chronic' abusers of online file swapping services. The news comes as the industry digests mixed data and results. Use of the high profile KazaA service seems to have declined and recent data shows that file swapping and downloading has passed its peak. In fact for the last two months CD sales in the US have been rising (although this could be blamed on big pre-christmas releases). However the US record industry is facing mounting claims of a 'heavy handed' approach and some commentators are now challenging the legitimacy of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act which the RIAA has been using and whether the Act itself is constitutional.
A number of Internet Service Providers and Academic Instutions claim that the RIAA's actions breach privacy LAW and the use of subpoenas issued without court approval is unlawful and unconstitutional.
VIRGIN ENTERS ONLINE MUSIC MARKET 05/12/03
Virgin announcing it is planning to jump into the crowded online-music download market. At the re-opening of a Virgin Megastore in San Francisco late Wednesday night, Glen Ward, the company's chief executive, said the British retailer's Internet music service would be launched early next year joining pay sites like Apple's iTunes. Roxio's Napster 2.0, BuyMusic and MusicNow.
HIP HOP LEADS GRAMMY NOMINATIONS 05/12/03
Beyonce , Jay-Z, OutKast and Pharrell Williams have each received six nominations for this year's Grammy's. Five nominations apiece went to Missy Elliott, Eminem, Evanescence, 50 Cent , Chad Hugo, Ricky Skaggs, Justin Timberlake, Luther Vandross and the late Warren Zevon.
Four of the five nominees for record of the year fell into the rap or R&B category:
Brit rockers Coldplay's song "Clocks" was the only exception. Rap and R&B also dominated the album of the year category although there is a strong showing from Evanescence in five categories.
VIVENDI UNIVERSAL ADDS TO RECORD COMPANY GLOOM 03/12/03
French media conglomerate Vivendi Universal added to record company woes by warning of further sales slides in 2004. Universal, which slashed CD prices by a quarter in the US two months ago, reported continued losses at the Universal Music Group (UMG). UMG lost E38 million (£53 million) in the first nine months of 2003 on a 22% sales slide. Online music piracy and competition from video games are blamed as a major factors in the decline. UMG has announced recent job losses and restructuring to stem losses.
MEAN FIDDLER BUYS BORDERLINE 03/12/03
London 's Evening Standard has reported (02/12/03) that Vince Power's Mean Fidler Group has purchased the Borderline venue in Soho for an undisclosed sum, extending the group's central London venues to seven in total.
UK CHART SPONSORSHIP SHAKES BBC 03/12/03
The UK's state and public broadcaster was adding a shy 'no comment' to reports that the UK's singles and albums charts would now be sponsored by Coca-cola and Coke. The bastion of public service said that the sponsorship was for the charts, not the channel, and that the BBC would not recieve a penny of the rumoured £2 million sponsorship despite the fact they would have to broadcast a sponsored chart. The BBC's charter prohibits such commercial arrangements being entered into directly.
STROKES SHOW STOPPED OVER CROWD SURGE PROBLEMS 02/12/03
The Strokes had to stop their show at the Glasgow Braehead Arena last night (Dec 1) amid crowd safety concerns. The show was the first Scottish show in support of their second album 'Room On Fire'.
The set was halted for approximately seven minutes. As well as appeals from singer Julian Casablancas, the group's tour manager came on the stage to appeal to the capacity crowd to move backwards, amid concerns that the front barrier might have to have been moved. After a short delay, the set continued as planned. The venue's manager told the Daily Record: 'There were no serious injuries and no danger of the barrier collapsing. The show was stopped while some precautionary measures were taken to move the barrier further back.'The Strokes resume the tour in Cardiff (December 3) and London Alexandra Palace (Dec 5-6) before the band head off into Europe for more shows.
Source:www.nme.com
MANDELA'S AIDS AWARENESS CONCERT FOCUSES ON AFRICA'S GROWING TRAGEDY
02/12/03
Bono , Beyonce Knowles, Jimmy Cliff, Peter Gabriel, Queen, The Corrs, Bob Geldof, and Ms Dynamite were among stars taking part Nelson Mandela's South Africa gig to boost the fight against Aids.
The five-hour concert was broadcast live on the web on Sunday (31 November) at www.46664.com. Highlights included a duet between Bono and Beyonce on 'American Prayer' and Peter Gabriel performing ' 'Biko' with the Soweto Gospel Choir.The remaining members of Queen unveiled a new track, 'Invincible Hope', that featured samples of Mr Mandela's voice. The song 'Long Walk To Freedom', written by Dave Stewart and the late Joe Strummer , was performed by Stewart and Bono.
The concert was organised to raise awareness of World AIDS day. Mandela, whose prison number was 46664, said that AIDS was a greater threat to South Africa than apartheid had been and added "millions of people infected with HIV and AIDS are in danger of being reduced to mere numbers unless we act. They too are serving a prison sentence for life so I have allowed my prison number to help drive this campaign".
Source:www.dotmusic.com
Photo Credit: The Corrs by Sean Preston
BOWIE TO HEADLINE ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL 02/12/03
David Bowie will be appearing at a series of UK festivals next summer including the newly reinstated Isle Of Wight Festival 2004. Bowie is the first name to confirm he is playing the Isle Of Wight Festival in 2004, an event that has, since its rebirth in 2002, witnessed performances by The Charlatans, Ash, Starsailor, The Coral, The Bees, The Cooper Temple Clause, The Thrills, and The Darkness.
The Independent newspaper reported Bowie as saying "I jumped at it ... I was so envious of other acts that got to do the other Isle Of Wight Festival."
The first Isle Of Wight Festival was held in 1968 and Bob Dylan, The Who and T Rex all played the event with the final year of the Festival in 1970 boasting the legendary line up of The Doors, Joni Mitchell and Jimi Hendrix. The Isle if Wight Festival takes place from June 11th till 13th.
EDINBURGH TO RECEIVE MTV AWARD 02/12/03
In a world first, Scotland and Edinburgh are to get an MTV award. Never in the event's ten year history have the host nation and city of the MTV Europe awards been given a prize. Organisers wanted to reflect the reaction of stars like Christina Aguilera, The Darkness, Justin Timberlake and Black Eyed Peas, who attended the cermony at Leith docks last month, praising Scottish hospitality.
Source: Scotland Today and see ILMC RTC News 07/11/2003
GLASTONBURY LICENCE GRANTED FOR 2004 27/11/03
After a three hour meeting Mendip District Council has granted a public entertainment licence for Michael Eavis's 2004 Glastonbury Festival on a 10-1 vote. There were no objections from the police or fire service although recommendations will be taken; eight points will be actioned for the fire service and all security personnel will be checked with the Avon & Somerset Police.
Director of Operations Melvin Benn confirmed that the 2003 Festival was very successful and should be adopted as the baseline standard. A number of areas will be improved to maintain the high standard of the Festival and reduce the impact on local villagers. These include improved site design, the fire exits in backstage areas to be brought up to the same standard as front of house, two village liaison officers, a reduction of conflict between vehicles and the public on-site, an improved waste recycling policy and additional lighting in the camping areas.
Website:www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk
STONES NEARLY BREAK THEIR OWN RECORD 27/11/03
The Rolling Stones ' 2002-03 Licks world tour posted the second-highest gross concert tour ever, Billboard Bulletin reports. The tour grossed nearly $300 million and played to more than 3.4 million people, putting it behind only the Stones' marathon Voodoo Lounge stadium tour, which grossed $320 million in 1994-95.
MEATLOAF RECOVERS 27/11/03
Meat Loaf has undergone heart surgery in a London hospital after being diagnosed with a condition that causes an irregular heartbeat.
The 52 year old star collapsed November. 17 as he performed at London's Wembley Arena and was taken to Northwick Park Hospital to recover from exhaustion due to a prolonged viral infection.
GLEN CAMPBELL ARRESTED FOR DRINK DRIVING OFFENCE 27/11/03
Country singer Glen Campbell, whose hits included 'Rhinestone Cowboy', struck another car while driving drunk, left the scene, then later kneed a police officer while demanding to see the police chief, authorities said today. The Toronto Star reported that he was freed early today on $2,000 ( U.S.) bail on charges of drunken driving and hit and run. He also was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer. Campbell, 67, was arrested Monday at his home after a collision at a Phoenix intersection in which nobody was hurt.
EMI LEFT OUT IN WARNER'S MUSICAL CHAIRS 25/11/03
UK record and publishing giant EMI seems to have been outbid in its attempt to buy Warner Music from Time Warner. Time Warner has received a higher offer from a consortium lead by Edgar Bronfman (who brought Universal whilst at Seagram) and television mogul Haim Saban which values the Warner music division at US $2.5 billion. Time Warner are no doubt attracted by the higher offer and also the fact that the Bronfman offer would not need to pass the detailed scrutiny of European and US competition regulators who would certainly need to examine any EMI-Warner tie up.
Source: The Independent 22/11/03
CANCELLED OZZY EUROPEAN DATES RESCHEDULED 24/11/03
Ozzy Osbourne , who cancelled his European tour at the last moment last month because of health worries, has announced rescheduled dates beginning in Germany on January 15th and ending in his home town of Birmingham on February 26th. As well as German dates the tour takes in Holland (Rotterdam Ahoy), Denmark (Copenhagen Valby Hallen), Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland, Austria (Vienna Stadthalle), Croatia, Czech Republic (Prague T-Mobile Arena), Hungary and final dates on February 22 in London (Wembley Arena) and February 24th and 26th at the National Exhibition Centre.
EVANESCENCE CANCEL US DATES 24/11/03
Evanescence has postponed its upcoming U.S. tour dates but the band will resume live performances with three shows in Canada in December Those will be followed by three weeks of dates in Australia, New Zealand and Japan. U.S. dates may follow in the spring.
JACKSON CHARGED WITH CHILD MOLESTATION, SPECTOR WITH MURDER 24/11/03
Michael Jackson has been arested and charged with multiple counts of child molestation by the Santa Barbara police and has been released on $3 million bail.
Legendary record producer Phil Spector, who had been arrested on the suspicion of the murder of actress Lana Clarkson in February after she was shot dead at his home, has now been charged with her murder. Spector is currently on $1 million bail.
ILMC TAX WORKING PARTY SCORES A HIT (Pt.2) 19/11/03
Back in June of 2003 the ILMC's own Dick Molenaar and Dr Harald Grams celebrated a major 'victory for common sense' after the European Court of Justice delivered it's final verdict in the long-running Arnoud Gerritse case - a vital test case in the battle against inequitable artist tax rates in Germany (and therefore elsewhere in the EU). Now you can read the full story in an article that was originally published by the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation (IBFD), Amsterdam in their monthly magazine called European Taxation (October 2003 issue).
"That is a top magazine, that international tax specialists are reading" - Dick Molenaar
Click Here to download the full article in .pdf format (220k).
JACKSON'S NEVERLAND IS SEARCHED 19/11/03
Police officers used a search warrant to enter Michael Jackson's fantasy Neverland ranch in California on the 18th November. The purpose of the raid and the investigation were not made public. Jackson was away from the ranch at the time shooting a promotional video.
EMI PROFITS FALL SHORT 19/11/03
EMI revealed that adjusted pre-tax profits had slipped to £39.4m from £42.2m in the six months to September, compared to the same period last year. Chairman Eric Nicoli pointed out that EMI sales had remained flat at £758.6m but had outperformed the global industry which had declined by more than 10%. EMI continues to talk with TimeWarner about a possible tie up with Warner Music.
SOLID PROFITS FROM CHRYSALIS 18/11/03
Multi media group Chrysalis annonced a strong growth in profits for their year end. The Group more than quadrupled pre-tax profits to £23.9 million (approx E34 million) for the year to 31 August 2003 on tuernover of £246 million (approx E340 million). CEO Richard Huntingford reported that radio advertising revenues were up 17.5% in the first quarter of the new financial year and that the Group's radio station Heart 106.2 had recently become the number one station in London. The Group's recorded music division achieved a 12% growth to £71.4 milion turnover on artists which include Outkast and David Gray.
UK COURT CASE HAS LIVE EVENT INSURANCE RAMIFICATIONS 14/11/03
A seemingly uninteresting case involving a cricket club could have important ramificatons in the live event industry. In a Court of Appeal decision (Bottomley -v- Todmorden Cricket Club) a small cricket club which engaged an independent contractor to put on a pyrotechnics (fireworks) display at the ground owed a duty to ensure that the contractor had adequate public liability insurance. It made no difference that the contractors were paid a fee.
Lord Justice Brookes said there might be many occasions when an occupier could be liable in negligence in respect of activities permitted or encouraged on his land. Here the club allowed a dangerous event to take place on its land with no written safety plan and no insurance and the occupier could not show that they had taken reasonable care to select a competent contractor. They were therefore liable in damages for injuries sustained by the cliamant.
LUMINAR TO SPEND £100k ON CLUB REFITS 14/11/03
Luminar Leisure is to spend £100 million to re-fit some of its unthemed nightclubs and to improve other clubs in an effort to boost business. The Group has seen interim profits drop by 20% and a recent drop in sales of 4%. Luminar's themed bars include Liquid and Chicago Rocks and the Group has pointed out that they wll be well placed to benefit from liquor licensing de-regulation in the UK in 2005.
Source: The Times 13/11/03
RIAA LEGAL ACTIONS TAKE EFFECT 13/11/03
A recent report shows that the threat of legal action against individuals who download copyrighted songs and swap files has led to a reduction in the number of infringements in the USA. The number of households acquiring digital music via p2p file-sharing services declined by 11% from August to September and the total number of music files downloaded decreased 9%. However the report also shows that the public image of record labels has suffered badly.
Source:www.musicdish.com
US MUSIC PUBLISHERS INCREASE REVENUE 13/11/03
US collection society BMI, which represents music publishers and artists such as Britney Spears, Sheryl Crow, Pink and Eminen, has announced increased annual revenues for last year, pre record industry actions. The performing rights organisation distributed royalties of more than $533 million, the largest distribution to BMI's songwriters, composers and music publishers in the company's history.
Royalties increased by $50.6 million or 10.5% from the previous year. Foreign collections also increased. This is particularly interesting in a period of rapid decline in CD sales; the increased distribution can be partially attributed to cost efficiency at BMI; the revenue increases to new forms of broadcast licensing and new income sources such as mobile ringtones.
Source:www.musicdish.com
PUB LANDLORD 1 VAN MORRISON 0 12/11/03
English pub landlord Gary Marlow has been awarded aproximately £40,000 in damages after Van Morrison cancelled a concert at the Crown Hotel public House in 2002.
The singer and his production company Exile claimed that the contract had been breached by Marlow publicly advertising the event but the court thought otherwise.
The damages included the return of a £20,000 deposit. However the damages fell far short of what Mr Marlow had asked for - he claimed the failed concert severely damaged the business of his pub and wanted damages of £400,000 for the long term damages to his business. This was not accepted in the High Court and Mr Marlow faces a substantial legal bill -it is also thought he may have turned down an offer of more than £40,000 from the singer to pursue the claim.
IFPI ANNOUNCE NEW ONLINE LICENSING SCHEME 12/11/03
In a deal negotiated by the International Federation of Phonographic Industries, internet service providers will be able to negotiate multi-territory licensing agreements with the music industry rather than face negotiations in each country where they provide webcast music services. The IFPI, which represents more than 1,500 music companies in 76 countries, said the system would modernise licensing arrangements by so-called collecting societies - the national organisations which hold the rights to sound recordings.
Jay Berman , chairman and chief executive of the IFPI, said "This is another milestone in the development of online music services. In the past, setting up webcasting licenses in multiple countries, for example across Europe, has been an arduous and time-consuming task. It was important for our collecting societies to set up a system that would remove these hurdles. It will be much easier for these companies to operate across borders, and we expect to see webcasting gain momentum as a result of this agreement."
Source:www.ifpi.org
AUSTRALIAN MUSIC WEEK 2004 10/11/03
St Kilda is set to become an international music hot spot when Australian Music Week moves to the picturesque Melbourne beachside suburb for five days of forums, industry networking, music and fun.
Australian Music Week 2004 will be hosted at The Esplanade Hotel between February 4 - 8 and will feature forums with Australian and international guest speakers, musician master classes, mentor sessions, networking parties, the AMW Song contest and up to a 100 acts on three performance stages over five days and nights.
"Melbourne to many, is the capital of Australian music," says AMW President, Michael Chugg. "World famous for it's thriving pub and club circuit with hundreds of bands and artists that have gone on to national success and some like Men At Work, The Little River Band and Kylie, who have had huge international success."
The 2004 Australian Music Week will include the largest showcase program in the country. One hundred unsigned acts (including 22 internationals) will showcase their talents to top music industry professionals from Australia and around the world. The winners will be guest performers on the Sunday at The Melbourne International Music & Blues Festival or the AMW Song Contest Awards to be held at The Hard Rock Cafe, Melbourne.
Says Event Director, Colleen Zulian: "This is Australia's major event for people who are serious about music. It gives young aspiring artists and musicians a chance to network with industry peers, make new contacts, hear the experts and have their music heard by the decision makers."
Information:www.australianmusicweek.com.au
SANCTUARY RAISE ADDITIONAL £20 MILLION 10/11/03
Sanctuary , whose interests extend from artists management to music publishing and whose artists include Led Zeppelin, Dolly Parton, Iron Maiden, The Strokes and Alison Moyet, have announced they have raised another £20.5 million in funding to allow for continued expansion and to repay some of the Group's more expensive bank debt. Sanctuary recently acquired MW Entertainment which manages Beyonce and Destiny's Child and is said to be looking at acqusitions in niche areas such as blues and reggae where the company has performed well.
SUEDE CALL IT A DAY 10/11/03
After over ten years of success, Britpop rockers Suede have decided to disband after their current tour. The band, fronted by Brett Anderson, said the split would not affect existing tour commitments. "Suede would like to announce that from next year they will be working on their own individual projects," a statement on their website (www.suede.net) said. "There will not be a new studio album until the band feel that the moment is artistically right to make one."
They had a string of hit singles including 'Metal Mickey', 'Animal Nitrate' and 'Trash'. Albums included their eponymous 1993 debut followed by 'Dog Man Star'. The band recently played five nights at London's ICA venue, to coincide with a greatest hits album. The band's early attempts to conquer the US market were almost defeated by American folk singer Suzanne DeBronkart who had recorded under the name Suede and held the trademark. Eventually, the group changed their name to The London Suede for their transatlantic fans.
Photo: Paula Davage
MTV EUROPEAN MUSIC AWARDS 07/11/03
And the winners from last night are:
Congratulations to one and all.
Source;www.mtv.co.uk
TKA LAUNCH NEW INTERACTIVE WEBSITE 07/11/03
International booking agency, Ted Kurland Associates have launched a new intercative website which contains features which facilitate the on-line booking as well as dynamic content which will promote and market TKA artists worldwide.
TKA 's Director of Information Systems, Pauletta Ridout said "Each artist profile includes an increased amount of content, additional files of reviews, bios, one sheets and outside links. We also implemented the availability of music clips on the site." The site also includes private management and artist-only views to pass back information in the booking process.
Source;www.tedkurland.com
SONY AND BMG TO MERGE MUSIC DIVISIONS 07/11/03
Sony Music and BMG have today (7 November) said they plan to combine their music divisions in a further move consolidation the music industry as it faces falling online CD sales online file-sharing and fierce competition with other forms of entertainment. The new 50-50 joint venture combines world No 2 company Sony, which includes such artists as Beyonce and Bruce Springsteen, with world no No 5 BMG (part of German media firm Bertelsmann) that is home to Britney Spears and Elvis Presley.
Both labels promise to try to maintain roster strength in light of the merger. No cash is expected to change hands although it is thought that both company's publishing interests and Sony's manufacturing interests will be excluded from the venture. Sony Music's Andy Lack will be chief executive of the venture and BMG's Rolf Schmidt-Holtz will become chairman. Both the Sony-BMG tie up and the proposed EMI-Warners merger will be subject to regulatory approval on both sides of the Atlantic. Sony-BMG would have a 24% market share and EMI-Warners 25%, rivalling Universal. But both European and US competition watchdogs have blocked earlier attempts to merge two of the world's top five music labels and would look carefully to a market reduced to just three major labels.
CLEAR CHANNEL REPORT FLAT RADIO MARKET IN USA 05/11/03
Clear Channel which has over 1,200 radio stations in the USA has reported radio revenues of $964 million (£590 million) for its third quarter showing no real growth in the readio advertising market. Televison and print advertising has been growing in recent months. Clear Channel's outdoor advertising division performed better with a 13% rise in revenues to $540 million in the third quarter.
BRITNEY PULLS OUT OF MTV AWARDS 05/11/03
Britney Spears has pulled out of the European Music Awards on 6th November at Edinburgh's Ocean Terminal Arena after suffering from exhaustion. MTV professed that they would miss Britney but still had a fantastic line-up including The Darkness, The White Stripes, Beyonce, Kylie Minogue, Pink, The Chemical Brothers, The Flaming Lips and Travis.
CLAPTON ANNOUNCES NEW WORLD DATES 04/11/03
Legendary guitarist Eric Clapton has announced six months of touring beginning in Japan. The Japanese dates begin at the Green Arena in Hiroshima on November 15th and run through to the Budokan Hall on December 13th 2003 where Clapton will play eight nights in total.
In April 2004 the European leg of the tour begins with shows in Antwerp (Sportpaleis) and then two nights at the Rotterdam Ahoy. Aiken Promotions have two shows in Dublin and Belfast before 3A Entertainments promote the final UK leg of the tour with shows at the Glasgow SECC, Manchester MEN Arena, Newcastle Telewest Arena, Birmingham NEC and six nights at the Royal Albert Hall in May 2004.
PINK FLOYD MANAGER DIES 31/10/03
The international music industry has been rocked by the news that one of it's leading lights has passed away. Steve O'Rourke, legendary manager of Pink Floyd, died suddenly on Wednesday, October 28th, after suffering a stroke.
Steve 's relationship with the Floyd began in 1968 when he was working for the Bryan Morrison Agency. He also managed the individual careers of David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Rick Wright. Apart from his accomplishments in the music business, though, Steve was also well-known on the world's motor racing circuits - both as a driver and team owner.
Our thoughts go to Steve's wife and children. To say that he will be deeply missed would be an understatement.
NEW ONLINE KAZAA WINDOW FOR EMERGING AND UNSIGNED BANDS 31/10/03
Emerging and unsigned artists have a new distribution method with Kazaa offering a special channel on their network for new artists. The Kazaa"Emerging Artists Channel" will offer unsigned artists the opportunity to promote their music on the Kazaa network of around 60 million users.
The service will cost musicians and bands a one time set up fee of US$49.95 plus US$9.99 per track to have their songs promoted in two ways; The songs are given preferred placement in Kazaa search results using Altnet's TopSearch service and tracks will feature on the Emerging Artist Channel. Altnet will digitally secure each song to allow artists to control the distribution of their works - as paid downloads, try-before-you-buy or free samples.
Source:www.zdnet.com.au
THE MONEY ROLLS IN FOR MACCA, MADGE AND MICK 31/10/03
Reports out today on the pop music 'rich list' estimated that Sir Paul MacCartney earned £40 million last year, motsly from his 'Back In The World' tour. The Sunday Times list estimates that Mick Jagger made £12 million again mostly from touring.
Estimates also had Madonna earning £15 million and Kylie £5 million. It is estimated Robbie Williams banked £26 million from his new deal with EMI. And yesterday Sir Paul and his wife Heather announced the happy news of birth of their daughter, slightly earlier than planned. Congratulations!
DREAMWORKS TO SELL LABEL TO UNIVERSAL IN $100 MILLION
DEAL 31/10/03
DreamWorks SKG , the multimedia group set up by Steven
Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg founded
with great fanfare in 1994 is set to sell its record label to the Universal
Music Group for approximately $100 million in another move towards
industry consolidation. More job losses and possible roster shrinkage are
expected. Dreamworks Records is one of the biggest independent
labels and home to Eels, AFI, singer-songwriter Nelly
Furtado and music country star Toby Keith.
MASSIVE PIRACY RAID IN ITALY 30/10/03
Police in Naples, Italy, have dismantled a major organised ring involved in the mass duplication of music, movies and software. The raids followed months of investigation, and involved 50 of Italy's Fiscal Police who located and seized six undercover burning laboratories in the suburbs of Naples on October 24.
The raids netted 496 CD and DVD burners, including 200 CD burners found at one location. Over 60,000 burned CDs and DVDs ready for distribution throughout Italy were also found. They included the latest film and music titles, such as Tomb Raider II and In Time: The Best Of R.E.M.. Nine people have been charged with criminal copyright law infringement. Enzo Mazza of FPM (Italian Record Labels Association) said: "This anti-piracy operation represents a very important step in the fight against an illegal trade that in Italy alone generates huge fiscal and cultural damage to the movie, music and software industries, as well as the loss of thousands of jobs and loss of taxes to government. The IFPI, movie and computer software trade associations assisted with the raid."
KYLIE APPOINTED AMBASSADOR FOR THE NSPCC 29/10/03
Kylie Minogue has been appointed Ambassador for the NSPCC (the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in the United Kingdom). Kylie, who releases new album, 'Body Language', on November 17 will lend her support to NSPCC led campaigns and act as an advocate for young people as part of her role.
Speaking of her new position, Kylie said: "Cruelty to children is an everyday occurrence, which must be stopped. The work undertaken by the NSPCC is essential and I fully support its mission to end child cruelty". In her role as Ambassador, Kylie will work predominately with the NSPCC's Child Protection Helpline, though her involvement with the Society's work will range from supporting the charities FULL STOP Appeal to providing auction items at major fundraising events. Mary Marsh, Chief Executive NSPCC commented: "We are delighted to name Kylie as our Ambassador for young people. We are honoured that she is lending her support to the Society and our work in protecting children."
AOL have reported that a pair of tickets for Kylie's forthcoming one-off live show at London's Carling Apollo, changed hands for £8,000 after boxing champ Joe Calzaghe became the first person to purchase them.
Source:www.nspcc.org.uk
HISTORIC DUTCH VENUE GETS FACELIFT 29/10/03
The legendary Paard van Troje, the largest live music venue in The Hague, has reopened to the public after a complete refit of the 20-year-old facility. Formerly housing a single auditorium, it now has one 1,100-capacity room and a smaller hall for up to 400 - both equipped with state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems designed by Ampco Flashlight Group. As the building is located in the city centre and surrounded by housing, each room has been built along the lines of recording studios using an acoustically isolating 'box within a box' construction. The main hall also boasts moveable first and second floor balconies, allowing the room to be reconfigured for different formats.
Contact:mikel@gasolinemedia.com
STONE'S CHINESE DATES SCRAPPED AGAIN 29/10/03
The Rolling Stones , whose original Beijing and Shanghai shows in April last were cancelled due to the SARS epidemic (see previous RTCNEWS), have again cancelled planned November shows in China after difficulties in scheduling the shows in mainland China. However the band will play two Hong Kong shows, their first ever in the territory, on November 7th and 9th. Previous Hong Kong shows were also cancelled because of SARS.
In other news, a number of Canadian retailers HMV Canada, Pindoff Record Sales and Sunrise Records are pulling all Stones product (including CDs, DVDs, videotapes and accessories). The retailers say the move is a response to the recent announcement that the veteran rock band's new four-disc DVD boxed set "Four Flicks", will be exclusively available through retailer Best Buy and not available at other stores.
Source:www.billboard.com
KORN AND LIMP BIZKIT JOIN UP FOR XBOX TOUR 29/10/03
Longtime pals Korn and Limp Bizkit have announced 12-city US/Canada tour for November that will see the nu-metal hereoes co-headlining small theater-sized venues. Dubbed the XBOX Live: Back 2 Basics Tour, the jaunt will kick off Nov. 10 in Las Vegas. At each venue a competition winning fans will have the chance to compete against band members on X-box gaming.
Source:www.rollingstone.com
NEW ONLINE MUSIC FILE SERVICE 27/10/03
PlayLouder.com has announced today that it is to launch a new-concept ISP, PlayLouder MSP (Music Service Provider), specifically set-up to capitalise on users who love music and use the internet for music access and access to music files. PlayLouder MSP has deals in place with leading Independent Record Companies to legally share their music files online, making PlayLouder the first ever ISP to legalise digital music trading. Discussions are ongoing with the major labels and technical trials begin 1 November for PlayLouder MSP. Playlouder has been the Glastonbury Festival's website partner and webcaster since 2000 and staged the world's first ever 'virtual festival' with Glastonbury in 2001.
Source:www.playloudermsp.com
POLL SAYS CHEAPER CD PRICES WILL REDUCE ILLEGAL DOWNLOADING 26/10/03
A poll of over 13,000 music users by Billboard magazine has shown that 73% of music lovers beleive that lower CD prices would stop internet piracy. However a hard and sizeable core of 27% beleive that if the same music that's on the CD is available for free, "why pay for it?", and this group is obviously resistant to recent record industry legal moves to curb piracy. Universal Music Group announced in September that it will drop its frontline pricing in the U.S. to $12.98 from $18.98.
Source:www.billboard.com
METALLICA CANCEL SOUTH AMERICAN DATES 26/10/03
Metallica have announced that they are cancelling their South American tour, which was set to begin on October 25th. All the shows in Brazil, Agrentina and ChIle have been cancelled, and no dates have been rescheduled at this time. The band cited physical injury and mental exhaustion as the reason for the cancellations.
In the offical press release Metallica's James Hetfield said "Between reconnecting, recording, and touring St. Anger, we've been going non-stop for the last eighteen months, and, simply put, we are fried... both in body and in mind." In particular, drummer Lars Ulrich, is being treated for a recurring rotator cuff injury, dating back to their 1991-93 Black Album tour, and has been advised to continue to rest his shoulder in order to avoid any further aggravation to the injury. The band's website goes on to say that the band "wanted to make sure that we would 100% be able to keep our commitment to our Japanese friends" The band have six dates in Japan commencing November 6.
Source:www.metallica.com
EMI LAUNCHES NEW ONLINE UK SERVICE WITH WIPPIT 25/10/03
EMI has struck a deal with UK file-sharing network WIPPIT to offer its entire digital music catalogue online. It means customers will be able to inexpensively download thousands of songs by artists such as Coldplay, Robbie Williams, Radiohead and The Rolling Stones. Subscribers to London-based www.Wippit.com pay a flat annual £30.00 fee. For this amount they can potentially legally download about 100,000 songs from EMI's vast back catalogue. The new service will be available from the middle of November. Wippit already offers its 5,000 subscribers 60,000 tracks from 200 independent labels, including Richard Branson's V2, Telstar, Domino and Grand Central.
Source:www.bbc.co.uk/entertainment
SONY JOB LOSSES ADD TO RECORD INDUSTRY GLOOM 23/10/03
Japanese technology and entertainment giant Sony has announced over 20,000 job losses across all of its divisions. The company's music division will loose approximately 10% of its staff, about 1,400 people, adding to the numbers being shed by Universal. The company says it needs to reduce core costs over the next three years in the face of recession and music piracy problems in the music and entertainment industries. The losses are expected to hit the music division in the USA and Europe in particular. Sony have also entered into exploratory talks with BMG about possible joint ventures after German based BMG ended talks with Warner Music after EMI made approaches to the US group.
BRITS BRING BACK BOOZE 23/10/03
The BRITS , the UK's prestigious live and television show promoted by the British Phonographic Industry are planing to bring back alcohol at the 2004 awards show after the 2003 event was branded 'boring'.
The BRITS have had a number of 'interesting' incidents in recent years including Jarvis Cocker famously stage invasion and bum wiggling during Michael Jackson's peformance of his 'Earth Song' and DJ Brandon Block's rambling attack on the 'wrinkly' Rolling Stones. Radio 1 presenter Sara Cox admitted she missed some performances at last years events whilst drinking wine from 'plastic cups' backstage and that the event audience was full of 'suits'. The 2004 event will be held at Earls Court and broadcast on ITV in the UK and in over 40 territories worldwide.
BRITISH COMEDIAN FACES CLAIM AFTER SHOW CANCELLATION 23/10/03
The British comedian Jim Davidson faces a claim of £35,000 after he cancelled a show at Plymouth Pavilions. The comedian backed out of the show after audience members in wheelchairs refused to move from the front row of the theatre before the show began.
The venue refunded 1,700 audience members with the cost of their tickets (£17.50 and £19.50) and the cost of programmes brought. However, Mr Davidson justified his actions because his show involves him 'taking the micky' out of the front row of any show and in the circumstances he did not want to appear to be insulting the front row which was wholly made up of disabled patrons.
Source; The Times 22/10/03
MICROSOFT IN THE DOCK AGAIN 21/10/03
Nearly a year after Microsoft Corp agreed to end its anticompetitive behaviour with the US Government and state justice departments, the Government is raising concerns the world's largest software maker is trying to use its dominant Windows operating system to influence where customers buy their music online.
If the dispute isn't resolved by the end of this week it could become the first test of Microsoft's unique and federal Court approved anti-trust settlement.The Justice Department and 19 state attorneys general have formally complained to a federal judge about a design feature of Windows that compels consumers who buy music online to use only Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser and steers them to a web site operated by the company.
NEW EVENT SAFETY BOOK TO BE PUBLISHED 21/10/03
A new health and safety book edited by Professor Chris Kemp and Iain Hill and titled Health and Safety Aspects in the Live Music Industry is being published in November by Entertainment Technology Press in the UK. Chris Kemp was a panellist at ILMC 15.
The book features a number of specialist chapters written by ILMC regulars including safe stage design (Roger Barrett), crowd safety (Mick Upton), audience welfare (Penny Mellor) and the law (Ben Challis). The book also contains a thesis by Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College's prize winning sudent Holly Marshall whose work on anti-social behaviour at rock concerts (and an examination of audience attitude to moshing, crowd dynamics and crowd management) is included as a final chapter.
The ISBN is 1-904031-22-6 and the publisher's website is www.etnow.com
US RECORD INDUSTRY ATTACKS FILE SWAPPING 21/10/03
The Recording Industry of Association of America has sent out a further 204 letters to 'chronic' file swappers in the USA warning them of potential legal action for copyright infringement. This is a further effort by the labels to crack down on piracy and file swapping which they say has devasted CD sales. The RIAA claim that these individuals, like the 261 individuals who were served with lawsuits by the RIAA in September, all had downloaded or transferred substantial numbers of music copyrights.
Groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation continue to speak out against the industry's "attack" of its own customers arguing that instead of continuing their litigation, the record labels should give their customers the option to pay a "reasonable fee" to continue file-sharing. The first wave of law suits sparked some strong anti-RIAA press and also a number of complaints from people served who denied any knowledge of file swapping.
WHITE STRIPES AND THE DARKNESS ADDED TO MTV EUROPE AWARDS 20/10/03
The Darkness and The White Stripes are to perform live at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2003 joining Beyonce, Kylie Minogue, Pink, The Chemical Brothers, The Flaming Lips and Travis.
MTV has also announced that Britney Spears, Kelly Osbourne and Huey Morgan (Fun Lovin' Criminals) will be joining Laurence Fishburne, Shirley Manson (Garbage) and Justin Timberlake as presenters of the annual awards which will be held at the Ocean Terminal Arena in Leith, Edingburgh on the 6th November 2003. The awards are to be hosted by Christina Aguilera. The MTV Europe Music Awards have a potential global TV reach of one billion viewers.
Source:www.mtv.co.uk
NEW LENNON MUSICAL PLANNED 17/10/03
After the success of Queen's "We Will Rock You", Abba's "Mama Mia" and Madness' "Our House" the latest musical being planned is a play based on the works of John Lennon. Simply called "The Lennon Project" the musical has the support of John's widow, Yoko Ono. As many as 30 of the former Beatle's tracks will be used and negotiations continue with Sony Music who control the composition rights to Lennon's back catalogue. The musical's co-producer Don Scardino said the show was expected to reach Broadway theatres next year and would tour internationally.
CD PRICE WAR EXPECTED FOR UK CHRISTMAS 17/10/03
After Universal slashed CD prices in the US, UK retailer WH Smith has announced that 2003 will be a 'very very competitive christmas' and that CD and DVD prices will be slashed by retailers. Retailers such as Woolworths and Virgin are alreday advertising heavily discounted new albums in time for the Christmas sales window and retalers say that the real winners will be the consumer.
OZZY TOUR CANCELLED 16/10/03
Ozzy Osbourne has cancelled his European tour after undergoing treatment for a nervous tremor. Osbourne had been previously worried that he might have Parkinsons disease but tests ruled this out. reports say that the 56 year old has been prescribed drugs which dry out his mouth preventing him from singing. The tour was due to open in Eire next week.
UNIVERSAL CUTS STAFF NUMBERS 16/10/03
Universal Music is to slash its staff by 800 as the record industry slump lingers on. Universal, the largest of the five majors with a near 25% market share, recently cut the price of CDs and DVDs in the USA to stimulate consumer sales.
Along with the other majors the label is in an ongoing battle against music piracy but the labels themselves are facing increasing pressure and complaints from consumers, commentators and their own artists over their response to the challenge of the internet.
EMI SHARES LEAP AS FORMER EXECUTIVE REVIEWS COMPANY 15/10/03
EMI shares leapt 5.46% today amid reports that its music division's former president and chief executive is considering a takeover for the music group. Jim Fitfield is said to have already approached private equity groups over a possible bid for the Group, according to the Financial Times.
EMI shares leapt 5.46% today amid reports that its music division's former president and chief executive is considering a takeover for the music group. Jim Fitfield is said to have already approached private equity groups over a possible bid for the Group, according to the Financial Times. Fitfield resigned from EMI in 1998 with a alleged £12 million pay-off.
The news comes as EMI continues negotiations with US media group Time Warner over a cash and stock offer for Warner Music in a two-way battle with BMG who were Warner's original suitors - all against a backdrop of regulatory interest in both the US and Europe. EMI shares have risen from just over 100p in may 2003 to 183p today. The Times recently posted a short news item saying that Dutch entrepeneur Jon De Mol had built up a 1.4% stake in EMI. De Mol also has a shareholding in Manchester United.
APPLE EXTENDS iTUNES TO WINDOWS 15/10/03
Apple will extend its online download service into a broader market with a Windows-compatible version of its iTunes Music Store on Thursday (October 16).
However the successful service, which has already achieved 10 million downloads at 99c each, is now facing a growing list of rivals, including Napster, MusicMatch, Rhapsody, and soon also Dell, America Online and Amazon. Apple users can copy, or "burn," single songs onto CDs an unlimited number of times, but not more than 10 times with the same playlist. Customers can transfer purchased songs to up to three computers and by seamless transfer to Apple's iPod portable music player.
REM TO PLAY SECRET LONDON GIG 14/10/03
REM are to play a one off secret concert in London this week to celebrate the release of their upcoming greatest hits LP. The band will play an exclusive set in front of just 250 people at Bush Hall in West London on Thursday, October 16. The afternoon show is invite-only though a number of tickets will be given away on London radio station XFM. The band release their greatest hits LP 'In Time: The Best Of REM 1988 - 2003' on October 27.
Photo: Sean Preston
UK VENUE OWNER RECEIVES SUSPENDED PRISON SENTENCE 14/10/03
The proprietor of an establishment in Guildford, England, breached a court order by failing to pay licence fees to Phonographic Performance Ltd in relation to certain sound recordings played at his establishment. He had also failed to comply with undertakings given to the court on a number of occasions. PPL applied for an order to commit the defendant, Tierney, for contempt of court in respect of his failure to comply with the court order. PPL suceeded in its application. Mr Tierney had been warned of the consequences of further breaches of the court order only six months previously. The court imposed a term of imprisonment of 35 days. In order that the sentence had the effect of ensuring future compliance, the court suspended the sentence for 40 months.
Source: www.simkins.com
DURAN DURAN SELLS OUT IN 4 MINUTES AS THE EIGHTIES COME ALIVE 12/10/03
Duran Duran 's one off concert at London's Forum sold out in four minutes as fans deluged phone lines for the 2,000 capacity venue. It is estimated that over 200,000 customers tried to obtain tickets for the concert. The band won a lifetme achievement award at the 2003 Q Awards and Robbie Williams has invited Duran Duran to tour with him in Australia 2004.
Duran Duran lead a host of 80s bands expected to reap the rewards of a resurgence in their popularity well over a decade later.
runs from December 12th to December 20th with dates at Sheffield Arena, Cardiff Internatonal Arena, Brighton Centre, Newcastle Arena, Manchester MEN, Wembley Arena and Birmingam NEC. The UK tour is preceded by November dates in Australia at Perth Burswood Casino, Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Melbourne Rod Laver Arena, Brisbane Entertainment Centre and Sydney Entertainment Centre.
Source: www.ananova.com
COURTNEY LOVE CHARGED WITH DRUG OFFENCES 12/10/03
Courtney Love faces a misdemeanor charge of being under the influence of a controlled substance after an incident last week outside the L.A. home of her ex-boyfriend, producer and manager Jim Barber. The charge carries a minimum penalty of ninety days imprisonment and a maximum of one year.
Police arrested Love after responding to a burglary call around 2 a.m. It is alleged that Love had broken windows of the house and was standing in the middle of the street when officers arrived. Delivery of Love's new album, 'America's Sweetheart', has been delayed by more than three months and is now expected February 10th 2004.
NEW IFPI INITIATIVES FOR 2003 11/10/03
A delegation from the IFPI met officials and minsters in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to discuss the importance of implementing strong measures to protect intellectual property rights in the music industry accross the Middle East.
The delegation consisted of representatives from leading international and regional music companies, including Founoon, Rotana and MegaStar. The delegation was led by Trevor Pearcy, Director of Planning and Administration at the IFPI Secretariat headquarters, and Joe Papovich, Senior Vice-President International of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). UAE Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Information officials have said that they are using their copyright laws to penalise violators and have succeeded in bringing down piracy levels considerably over the past few years.
The Middle East is a focus of preventative measures against the illegal copying of music and the region is responding to change. The next IFPI regional meeting in Dubai will cover this topic. Jordan recently amended its copyright laws to cover the digital distribution of music.
The IFPI are also promoting their online pro-music initiative www.pro-music.org and www.pro-musicorg.de launched in May 2003 to promote legitimate online music services and "confront the myths surrounding online music piracy". The website is supported by an international alliance of musicians, performers, artists, major and independent record companies and retailers across the music industry including Warners, EMI, Universal, GERA-Europe (representing entertainment retailers in Europe) GIART (representing music performers in Europe), the International Musicians Union (FIM) and the International Music Managers Forum (IMMF). The site includes the biggest international repository of information on the growing number of legitimate online music. The contact for the pro-music initiative at the IFPI is ILMC regular Fiona Harley.
BIZKIT SUED BY IRATE FANS 10/10/03
Limp Bizkit are being sued by 172 rock fans who attended July's infamous Chicago show, which ended after only 17 minutes when the band were booed off stage. A lawsuit was submitted yesterday to Cook County District Court in Illinois. The band were supporting Metallica on the 'Summer Sanitarium' tour, at Chigaco's Hawthorne Racetrack.
The suit alleges that the plaintiffs were expecting a ninety minute show but the band's front man, Fred Durst, fired-off a tirade against the city and the audience, before challenging the entire crowd to a fight. The breach-of-contract suit has been filed by Michael Young, the lawyer acting on behalf of the 172 aggrieved concertgoers, who are seeking a $25 refund from the July 26 show. opening the doors to some 40,000 re-payment claims.
Source: www.dotmusic.com
Simkins Spacebar: Limp Bizkit & Big Day Out
MICHAELSON WINS CASE AGAINST HOLLY VALANCE 10/10/03
Holly Valance 's ex-manager, sacked by the star when her pop career began to take off, has won his action against the star in an Australian court. The Court held that Vallance had unfairly terminated the contract of Scott Michaelson in January 2002. Lawyers for Valance claimed Michaelson - like Valance, a former 'Neighbours' actor - had been ill-equipped to manage the star's burgeoning music career.
Michaelson is seeking £160,000 in lost income, a 20% cut of sales of Valance's second album and exemplary damages. The Court will now assess damages. Valance first found fame in 'Neighbours'. She released her first album, 'Footprints', in October last year.
EARL'S COURT CELEBRATES RECORD YEAR 10/10/03
London's Earl's Court is celebrating a record number of seated shows for 2003. The venue has presented shows from Coldplay and Paul McCartney and hosted the annual BRIT Awards show. Other 2003 shows before the year end will include Radiohead, Fleetwood Mac, Justin Timberlake, Iron Maiden, Metallica and The Stereophonics.
Special Events Manager Charlie Shun commented "I have had a fantasic year here in my first full year at Earls Court - breaking the all time record for show numbers with a great line-up of artists and events - a nice way to celebrate my 30th year in the business".
BLACKBURN MAKES HIS POINT 10/10/03
ILMC stalwart Nick Blackburn, MD of ticketing operator the Way Ahead Group, has hit out at UK ticket agencies charging 25% and more on London West End tickets.
In an article in The Stage Blackburn claims that many ticket agencies are flouting their own rules and charging unjustifiable booking fees and mark ups.
The UK Consumer magazine Which? ran an independent survey into ticket fees and mark ups showing how ticket prices could vary hugely dependant on which agency was usd. Independent agencies have said that they need higher commissions to cover marketing, advertising and call centre costs.
BROADWAY THEATRES HAVE $5 MILLION MAKEOVER 10/10/03
The sixteen Broadway theatres owned by the Shubert Organisation are having $5 million spent improving access and facilities for disabled patrons. Box offices will have user friendly low level intercoms for wheelchair users, flooring will be improved, new handrails and grab bars will be installed along with new signage and ramps. In adittion venue personnel will recive training to assist wheelchair and other disabled customers. Some changes are required because of 1992 US disabilities legislation but the Shubert Organisation is taking a lead in improving facilites.
AOL TO LAUNCH ONLINE RADIO IN 2004 09/10/03
AOL has announced plans to launch over 100 internet radio stations in the UK in mid 2004. The Radio@AOL broadband service will offer wide variety of formats, all of them planned to be advert free listening. The broadband market in the UK is now very competitive and several service providers already such as Freeserve already offer music download facilities to users in partnership with Peter Gabriels OD2 music rights provider which has a catalogue of over 150,000 songs available. AOL are expected to join in with a download service and AOL's obvious source of catalogue is from sister company Warner Music.
PROPOSED NY PHILHARMONIC AND CARNEGIE MERGER OFF 09/10/03
The much lauded move by the New York Philharmonic to the Carnegie Hall was scrapped yesterday (Oct. 7). The US's oldest orchestra and its most fabled concert hall announced they would not merge, four months after the bold idea was first outlined. That means the Philharmonic will remain in its Avery Fisher Hall home at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Both organizations have said that each was better off on its own. "It is clear that each institution has unique, undeniable core values, which could have been compromised," the statement said. Reasons for the proposed move included the superb acoustics at Carnegie Hall. The planned merger left Lincoln Center's programming in chaos. Within three years, the Lincoln would had a 2,738-seat hall to fill so at least one party is happy "We're delighted they're back,"Lincoln Center president Reynold Levy said.
Source: www.billboard.com
AC/DC RELAUNCH REFURBISHED CARLING HAMMERSMITH APOLLO 08/10/03
Aussie rockers AC/DC return to the UK for the relaunch of the Carling Hammersmith Apollo in London on October 21. This will be the band's first UK show since playing Milton Keynes Bowl in 2001, and their first time at the Hammersmith Apollo since 1980. To mark the special event, Carling have capped the ticket price at the 1980 price of £10. The Carling Hammersmith Apollo reopens in October at almost double the capacity. After refurbishment, and with the venue's seats removed, it will move up from a 3,000 capacity venue to holding well over 5,000.
Source: www.nme.com and www.carlinglive.com.
NAPSTER GOES LEGITIMATE 07/10/03
Napster , the first truly global pioneer of free music sharing on the Internet, returns to life this week after being shut down by the US Courts in 2001. This time Napster is a legitimate service hoping to attract paying customers.
Software manufacturer Roxio (Easy CD Creator) paid $5 million to buy the Napster name in bankruptcy court, and an additional $40 million for the struggling Pressplay fee-based music subscription service last year. Pressplay shuts down Tuesday with its estimated 100,000 subscribers along with purchasers of a new Samsung "Napster" MP3 player the first users to test Napster 2.0 when it launches Thursday.
The service will debut with 500,000 songs (in comparison, Apple's iTunes has 200,000) and users will be able to buy songs a la carte, for about $1 per song, or download as much as they want for a monthly fee. There will be additional charge per song of probably about $1 for monthly users if they want to take hard copies of a track. Apple's iTunes has no subscription element and has sold 10 million downloads since launching in April at 99c per track.
Source:www.usatoday.com
DIDO SALES SOAR 06/10/03
Sales of Dido's 'Life for Rent' have topped 250,000 in five days after release on Monday (September 29th) making it the fastest selling album in six years. Weekend sales are expected to push total week one sales to 350,000. The London born singer helped sales on the way by chartering a jet and playing London and New York on the first day of sales.
ROBBIE WINS BEST LIVE ACT 03/10/03
The UK's Robbie Williams whose three sell out Knebworth concerts attracted over 350,000 customers won best live act at the Q Awards last night (2nd October). Other winners included Radiohead (best act in the world), Blur (best album, 'Think Tank'), The Cure (Inspiration Award) and Muse (Innovation award). The Thrills won best new act.
Photo: Sean Preston
THE VAN MORRISON CANCELLED PUB GIG REACHES COURT 03/10/03
The legal case between an English pub landlord and Van Morrison reached the High Court yesterday (2nd October). The landlord, Gary Marlow, is suing Van Morrison and his production company Exile for £400,000. The claim includes £20,000 for the return of an advance allegedly paid.
Van Morrison 's defence is that Mr Marlow breached the terms of a contract clause which prohibited any publicity save local advertising and advertising in the pub itself, the Crown Hotel in Wiltshire. Mr Marlow had previously staged concerts with John Mayall and Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green but says that his business has been suffering since the cancellation in July 2002.
20 HURT IN BIRMINGHAM STAGE COLLAPSE 02/10/03
20 actors and musicians were injurned in Birmingham, England yesterday during a Sound of Music tribute show yesterday. Injuries included head wounds, broken limbs, cuts and shock. The incident happened when members of the audience, dressed as nuns or members of the Von Trapp family , were invited onto the crowded stage, pushing performers forward over onto the covered orchestra pit at the Alexandra Theatre which was unable to take their weight. The incident will be investigated by Health & Safety officials.
SANCTUARY GROUP TAKE ON MWE 02/10/03
The Sanctuary Group, headed by Andy Taylor and Rod McSween and whose diverse activities include management (The Who, Kiss, Iron Maiden), Record Label (Alison Moyet) and music publishing (Trojan) have agreed to buy World Music Entertainment for £6 million (US $10 million) in cash and shares. MWE is owned by Mathew Knowles, father of R'n'B star Beyonce and manages Destiny's Child and members Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland. The move is expected to allow Sanctuary to expand into the fast-growing urban music scene
Source:www.ft.com
RECORD UK DAMAGES FOR SHOW INJURY 02/10/03
A trapeze artist who fell 20 feet from a hot air balloon at the Millennium Dome in London received damages of £510,000 (approx E800,000) from insurers of the performer's employer and the manufacturers of the faulty harness she was wearing.
Acrobat and choreographer Suzy Barton is now crippled, requires constant physiotherapy, has flashbacks and cannot stand for longer than ten minutes. The High Court heard that the harness had not been checked. Employers The Dream Engine admitted liability. Solicitors Douglas Mann, acting for Ms Barton through actors trade association Equity (British Actors Equity Association), negotiated the settlement with three insurers.
Source: The Times
RIAA SETTLE LAWSUITS AGAINST FILE SWAPPERS 01/10/03
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has announced that it has negotiated out-of-court settlements with 64 individuals accused of file-sharing, three weeks after the trade group revealed that it had filed copyright-infringement lawsuits against 261 users of peer-to-peer networks. The Association has also made over 800 amnesty offers to peer-2-peer file swappers who have agreed to stop illegally copying files over the internet.
Source:Billboard
COLDPLAY PUSH FAIR TRADE CENTRE STAGE 01/10/03
Chris Martin , singer and pianist with Brit rockets Coldplay have re-affirmed their support to Fair Trade. Two years ago, the band was approached by OxFam, the global humanitarian organization, and asked to spread the word about fair-trade practices and worldwide poverty. Having travelled to Haiti and the Dominican Republic to witness first hand the negative effects of global-trade policies, Martin has become the poster child for OxFam's Make Trade Fair campaign.
At the Video Music Awards in August, he had the Oxfam web address written on his hand, and during the Glastonbury Festival a special vdieo was shown as part of the BBC television coverage showing Chris and festival organiser Emily Eavis's trip to the Dominican Republic in support of Fair Trade. Coldplay also dropped in on the World Trade Organization meetings in Cancun to present the head of the WTO, Supachai Panitchpakdi, with a petition containing nearly 4 million signatures seeking reform of trade rules, with more than 30,000 of those collected at Coldplay shows.
EMI RAISES E425 MILLION 01/10/03
EMI , currently in consolidation talks with Time Warner, has secured E425m in 10-year bonds, topping the E300m hoped for when EMI announced the plan two weeks ago giving the label increased flexibility in its negotiations with Warner. EMI's shares rose 1.25p to 147.75p.
Source:www.telegraph.co.uk
TIMBERLAKE, WHITE STRIPES AND 50 CENT TOP MTV EUROPE NOMINATIONS 01/10/03
Justin Timberlake , White Stripes and 50 Cent have all been nominated for gongs at the 10th annual MTV Europe Music Awards, which will be presented November 6th in Edinburgh. Timberlake leads the way with the most nominations. He is up for best album ("Justified"), best male, best pop, best new act and best song ("Cry Me A River"). The White Stripes are up for best album ("Elephant"), group, rock and video ("Seven Nation Army"). 50 Cent is nominated in three categories.
NEW LAW PASSED IN FLORIDA TO BLOCK CONCERT SUICIDE 01/10/03
The St. Petersburg city council passed a law on Monday (Sept. 29) designed to scuttle a rock group's plans to feature an onstage suicide. The hard rock band Hell On Earth had said that a suicide by a terminally ill person would take place during a concert Saturday to raise awareness of right-to-die issues. The band created the furor by announcing the suicide would happen Saturday at the Palace Theater in downtown St. Petersburg. But the theater's owner, David Hundley, promptly cancelled the band's show, and another venue also turned away the event.
Source:Billboard
HMV CONTRADICTS THE BPI'S DOOM AND GLOOM 01/10/03
UK, Eire and European retailer HMV has contradicted the record industry's oft repeated fears that internet piracy is destroying CD sales by reporting bouyant album sales. The Group went on to predict a bumper Christmas and stong sales from artists like Dido, Kylie and Robbie Williams.
The BPI had said that record sales slumpted by 7% in the first six months of 2003 but HMV pointed to the UK's Official Charts which showed music sales actually increasing by 4% in the first half of the year. DVDs and games were also expected to be strong performers. Alan Giles, HMV's CEO said that the Group is working with record labels to get the price of singles down as these are what get young people into record shops in the first place.The HMV Group also includes Waterstones.
MEAN FIDDLER POST INTERIM LOSS 30/09/03
The Mean Fiddler Music Group which organises the Leeds and Reading Festivals has reported a pre-tax loss of £3.2 million for the first six months to June 30th, down from £4.1 million for the similar period in 2002. Turnover was up to £14.6 million (from £13.4 million). The results do not include the sell out Reading and Leeds festivals in August which the Group said would contribute significantly. The Group posted a £8.3 million loss for their 2002 year end (see RTC News 05/07/03).
The company, headed by Vince Power, announced that it is continuing to expand into Europe and is looking at a series of summer festivals in Spain, Eire and Germany. The company also plans new live 'Jazz Cafe' venues to be rolled out.
Source: The Guardian 30/09/03
ALLENTOWN USES PROHOBITION-ERA LAW TO RESTRICT NIGHT CLUBS 30/09/03
City officials in Allentown are reverting to a Prohibition-era law to restrict late-night dancing at the city's two dance clubs, which officials say contribute to early morning fights as the City's mayor looks to quieten down clubs after 1.00am by banning dancing.
Allentown dance clubs are allowed to stay open until 5 a.m but under the dance ban, which applies to clubs that don't have liquor licenses, individuals can face $25 fines for dancing after 1 a.m. Police, however, have been instructed to instead close the clubs when they see violations using a 1931 law.
Other US cities are also using legislation to restrict clubs - in Scranton, officials may make zoning changes to restrict dance halls and bring-your-own-bottle clubs. In Cherry Hill, N.J., a Philadelphia suburb, officials used a nuisance law to shut down an under-21 dance club two years ago after responding to brawls and a shooting outside. Drug arrests and an overdose at a rave club in Orange County, Fla., prompted officials to pass an ordinance outlining rules which clubs must follow.
Source:www.pennlive.com
MUSIC PUBLISHER BUY OUT UNDER FIRE 28/09/03
The agreed £40 million management buy out for music publishers Boosey Hawkes led by director John Minch has come under fire from two rival suitors and one, HgCapital, has said that it is formulaing an alternative offer which will be be at a premium to the MBO who have offered 195p per share. Music Sales, which owns nearly 4% of Boosey is also thought to be consdering an offer. Boosey's shares closed up at 210p valuing the Group at £43 million.b
MOBOS END WITH A BACKLASH 26/09/03
The UK's MOBO awards (Music of Black Origin) ended in controversy last night as organisers defended that fact that three winners where white. Justin Timberlake won Best R&B, Christine Aguilera Best Video and Radio 1DJ Tim Westwood Best Radio DJ. The organisers pointed out that all performers including black, asian and white were open to win awards but the music must come from the 'black' genre. The London Evening Standard reported that a number of black websites were openly hostile to the Timberlake award. The ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall last night (September 25th) was held with tight security.
The big winner was 50 Cent (Best Hip Hop, Best Album, Best Single) whilst Soweto Kinch won Best Jazz, Wayne Wonder collected best reggae act and Ibrahim Ferrer Best World Music Act. Big Brovaz collected best newcomers and shared Best UK Act with Punjabi MC. George Benson and Kool and The Gang collected achievement awards.
ROBERT PALMER DIES 26/09/03
British rock singer Robert Palmer has died in Paris of a heart attack at the age of 54. Best known for his 1985 hit 'Addicted to Love', Palmer was visiting Paris when he suffered the cardiac arrest. He was to travel on to Switzerland, where he had been residing for the past 16 years..
STEREOPHONICS SACK DRUMMER
25/09/03
The Stereophonics have sacked founder member Stuart Cable over 'committment' issues. The band have been using ex-Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman to cover the band's US dates and he will continue with the band. Cable has been ill recently but has also a number of interests outside of the Stereophonics including his own television show in Wales. A spokesman for V2 Records said that there was 'no concern about the band splitting up' and they would be playing forthcoming European and UK dates.
LEGAL ACTIONS AGAINST INDIVIDUAL FILE-SWAPPERS 'UNLIKELY' IN THE UK
25/09/03
Individuals who make copyrighted music available via file-sharing networks such as KaZaA are unlikely to be sued in the UK but the British Phonographic Industry's (BPI) chairman Peter Jamieson said he would not 'rule this out'.
Jamieson , making the keynote address at the 'In the City' conference on 14th September turned the spotlight on internet piracy and the individuals who perpetrate it. In the UK, music sales fell 3% in value last year after a five-year growth run, and the industry attributes blame to the unauthorised peer-to-peer services that make songs available to users as free downloads from other users' computers. The BPI has already brought actions against web sites and FTP servers that host unauthorized music files.
The BPI is concentrating on educating people on the dangers that file-sharing poses to the industry. Jamieson said that if internet piracy continues it 'will kill the music they love.' But he did not rule out litigation against individuals. 'Do we intend to sue?' he asked. 'The answer is hopefully not.'
Source: www.Out-Law.com
REGULATORS START TO LOOK AT THE MUSIC INDUSTRY 25/09/03
The current music merger 'musical chairs' in the music industry continues with The Times reporting that as EMI have now gatecrashed the private talks between Warners and BMG. BMG are now looking to exploratory talks with Sony to discuss the possiblity of a merger. With Vivendi Universal's media assets up for sale this means that all of the five major labels are in one way or another involved in discssions which would lead to consolidation in the music industry. But competition regulators in both the US and Europe will keep a keen eye on the recording and publishing industries and the broadcast industries. BMG were blocked last year in abortive take over talks.
In a seperate matter, Clear Channel's wish to expand its radio interests in the United States were dealt an unexpected but welcome helping hand this week when the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Michael.K.Powell resigned. Powell had been formulating rules to limit ownership of radio stations and consolidation in the radio industry.
UNIVERSITY PANEL TALKS SHOP 25/09/03
Music industry professionals touched on a wide array of subjects at the 4th annual Music Industry Panel at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College in the UK. Panellists included Sony's Simon Aldridge and David Bloomfield , record producer Steve Levine, Faithless manager Aubrey Nunn, record company executive Richard Chamberlain and (ILMC chief 'grown up') lawyer R