News:
· Puff 'n' Stuff
Everything that's happenin in Adelaide this fortnight.
· Industry
The latest from the music industry.
· Puffio
Theatre news.
· Dance
Dance and electronica news.
· Metal
Updates from the wide world of metal.
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Industry.
Grierson Departing FMR
After seven years as chairman of Festival Mushroom Records, Roger Grierson has decided on a change. He leaves the company this month to get involved in a private arts club called Pacific Club at the Railway Institute (due to open this year) and write the biography of music legend and Stiff Records founder Dave Robinson (titled 'Working Stiff') to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Stiff in 2006.
After The MTV Awards...
Pouring rain might have dampened red carpet
antics at last week's inaugural MTV Australia awards in Sydney.
About 1 billion people were expected to view it through MTV
affiliates around the world, according to Nigel Robbins, head
of MTV Networks Australia. But it increased MTV's profile in
Australia against Channel V and Max. It brought on board record
companies, who were certainly impressed that half the viewer
voted awards were won by Aussies. It impressed advertisers that
MTV could get the likes of the Osbournes (even though they were
awful), Green Day who were dynamite, Ja Rule who got close and
personal with Dannii Minogue, Bryan Adams and Anna Nicole Smith's
boobs to appear. New long term sponsors and advertisers Pepsi,
Peugeot, Bacardi, Lovable, Optus and General Pants have signed
on. A coup for the year-old MTV Australia company. Robbins will
cast more spotlight on VH1 this year, with local versions of
Divas team-ups and sports link up 'Fairway To Heaven'.
Poston Posted Abroad
Mark Poston, head of Capitol at EMI Music Australia, moves to London as director of global marketing, Capitol Music from April 10. He will work with affiliates around the world to develop and implement marketing strategies for Capitol, EMI, Parlophone and Blue Note. Poston joined EMI in May 2000 as label manager for Virgin Records.
Download Chart
So why has it taken so long for ARIA to launch
its download chart? We hear one reason is that one of the download
companies wants to be paid for supplying them with data.
SA Hotels Discuss Issues
The rise of fees for playing music was one of the issues discussed at an Australian Hotels Association meeting in Murray Bridge last week before 20 pub and club owners. AHA's public affairs manager Hamish Arthur asked the owners to battle against the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia's plan to increase fees from seven cents (for each person allowed into a nightclub or pub with music) to $1 a person for use of music. The matter is before the Copyright Tribunal with the next hearing scheduled for May.
The AHA SA reckons that at least half of its 630 members will be affected. Arthur tells this column that originally the licence fee hike was to affect dance parties and nightclubs, but now has been extended to any venue that has a dancefloor, plays music and has a cover charge. Other issues discussed included the new smoking laws that come into effect on March 31 (all tobacco ads removed, only one cigarette machine per venue), gaming changes and, and the AHA's plans to negotiate with TVN on broadcasting Sydney and Victorian horse races.
Newson At The AEC
Tim Newson has been appointed function manager
of the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
Kazaa Freezes Assets
Two people allegedly associated with Kazaa have agreed to freeze their assets until the end of their court case with record companies. Last Friday the labels went to Federal Court, after they discovered that Sharman CEO Nikki Hemming sold her house in Castle Cove to the company's accountant for $2.1 million, and that Kevin Burmeister, head of Altnet - which the companies claim is an owner of Kazaa - sold his half of his Vaucluse mansion to his wife Beverley for $3.375 million. The labels also tried to get the Court to demand that Sharman reveals its assets, but Sharman refused. It looks as though the labels are aiming for damages of "several billion dollars."
Crue On Their Way
Motley Crue's 100-date world tour is looking
at hitting Australia later this year, as part of a trek to SEAsia
and Japan, they announced. The first nine dates of their 50
North American shows sold out, exciting the US tour industry,
which had a terrible year in 2004.
Linkin Park Lose Case
American nu-metallers Linkin Park cannot trademark their name for use on posters in Britain - which means they cannot sue suppliers of unauthorised posters with their names on it, and shop keepers can continue to sell unofficial posters of pop stars. A British judge last week ruled that unlike on a CD or a book, a famous name appearing on a poster was "descriptive". In a ruling that had the music biz gasping, "Third parties are, of course, entitled to take and exploit pictures of celebrities - the copyright in a picture of Linkin Park belongs to the creator of it and not necessarily to the group itself." He rejected Linkin's claim that it was unncessary for a poster trader to use their name. Judge Richard Arnold did not believe Linkin's members were as recognisable as David Beckham whose posters sold purely on image.
Venue Meltdown
Heat nightclub is Melbourne closing after
the Casino gave it the heave-ho. Something to do with brawling
footballers and crims let in... Brisbane's bad publicity prone
Exchange Hotel will know this week if it keeps it licence after
rival promoters held a closed meeting grizzling about why its
5 am licence was renewed... New York punk mecca CBGBs may close
by mid-year after its monthly rent doubled to $40,000 and operator
Hilly Kristal was reminded he owes $91,000 in back rent.
Lifelines
Born: son Tyler Charlie, to MTV's network program director Fiona Smith and Craig Green of Sony BMG's strategic marketing department.
Born: daughter, Tianic-Finn, to ex-Blue member Duncan James and ex-girlfriend Claire.
Expecting: Anthony Field (Blue Wiggle) and wife Mikki, their second, in October.
Hospitalised: Edwyn Collins had brain surgery after suffering a haemorrhage last month.
Ill: Joss Stone told not to sing temporarily due to throat nodules.
In Court: Simone Stacey of Cairns duo Shakaya, was fined $1600 and lost her driver's licence for 18 months after registering a blood alcohol level of 0.21 when pulled over for a random breath test on the Captain Cook Highway last November.
Suing: Cher takes action against Warner Chappell alleging they failed to pay her royalties worth US$250,000.
In Court: Chaka Khan's son Damien Hillard pleaded not guilty to killing a 17-year old at a party last year, after a struggle with a gun.
Charged: Ray Charles' engineer Terry Howard, with stealing master tapes, allegedly found in his house.
Arrested: British rapper Dizee Rascal for allegedly having pepper spray on his person, in London.
Charged: Static-X guitarist Tripp Eisen, over his alleged involvement with two underage girls he met online.
Died: Chris Curtis, original drummer of '60s band The Searchers, 63, after long illness. Born Christopher Crummey, in 1967 he also had a hit as the Flowerpot Men with Let's Go To San Francisco.
Died: Phil Fuemana, founder of New Zealand's Urban Pasifika Records, 41, of a heart attack. The label's biggest hit was OMC's How Bizarre which included his younger brother Pauly Fuemana.
Died: Thievery Corporation singer Pam Bricker took her life.
Died: Influential British DJ Tommy Vance, 63, three days after a stroke. One of the original pirate DJs, he joined the BBC and was also a regular presenter of TV show 'Top Of The Pops'.
Lil' Kim On Trial
Lil' Kim is on trial for lying to a grand
jury about a 2001 shootout outside a New York radio station
in which a man was injured. The rap gal insisted her manager
Damion Butler was not there when two dozen shots were fired
as her entourage left the station and rival Capone-N-Noreaga
arrived. Her lawyer claims she was too traumatised to remember.
She faces 30 years in jail is found guilty.
Womadelaide's Ticket #500,000
Last Sunday saw Womadelaide's 500,000th patron go through the gates of Botanic Park in Adelaide. Dutch tourist Claudia Ritzen, 24, was ushered to the VIP lounge, toasted with champagne and given tix to next year's event. The event drew over 60,000 although initial figures were down by one-third due to rain on the first of three nights.
Unplug Of The Week
Did the Village People's opening set for
Cher's Sydney show come to an untimely end because of "technical"
problems, or because the YMCA boys strayed into the headliner's
time?
UK, US, Attacks File Sharers
The UK music industry claimed a victory in its first battle against illegal file sharers. 23 people, aged between 22 and 58, promised not to do it again, and paid a total of £50,000 to settle out of court. The money goes back to record labels and artists. 31 more file sharers will now face court. In the US, 753 more folks were charged with copyright infringement. Altogether, 9,000 have been charged in America.
Daddy's Cool World
A documentary is being made on Daddy Cool.
If you filmed or took photos of a DC show between 1970 and 1975,
they want your stuff. Never mind if the sound is dodgy. Contact
Angie Vaughan, Forte Communications 03 9882 4319 or forte_communications@yahoo.com.au
Kylie A Waste Of Time
Kylie Minogue riding a bucking bronco as part of her Agent Provocateur lingerie ad is the most popular popstar email forwarded by bored schoolkids and workers to friends and colleagues. According to the website boreme.com it had more than 2.5 million downloads. Other time wasting emails were:
2. Missy Elliot caught bending over (Virgin ad)
3. Bush and Blair singing to Electric 6's Gay Bar.
4. Britney, Madonna and Christina kiss at the MTV Awards
5. Christina exposed (Virgin ad)
6. Kylie and Geri kiss
7. Michael Jackson's face
8. Janet Jackson's Super Bowl nipplegate.
9. Destiny's Child tripping onstage.
10. Ray Charles sing into the wrong mike
Latest Music Figures
In Roy Morgan figures covering readership
of magazines through 2004, in the youth/music section, 'Rolling
Stone' went up by 6.8% to 328,000 readers, 'Kerrang' up 6.1%
to 87,000 while 'Smash Hits' dropped by 14.5% to 194,000.
Cranney Joins IMMF Council
Alistair Cranney of What Management (Hirst & Greene, Things Of Stone And Wood) is the Music Managers Forum Australia's representative on the International Music Managers Forum Council.
J Awards
Triple J announces that its first nominees
for the inaugural J Award - its new gong for the best Australian
album - are Sydney singer songwriter Lior's 'Autumn Flow' and
Perth hip hoppers Downsyde's 'When the Dust Settles'. J music
director Richard Kingsmill, who heads the award panel, describes
Downsyde's album as "It's packed with one great track after
another. Their rhymes and production are first class once again"
and Lior's as "an independent album with plenty of depth in
performance and songwriting. (He) has one of the best voices
going around!"
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