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BRUSSELS, Belgium: EU antitrust regulators on Thursday delayed until June 1 a deadline to rule on Universal Music Group's plans to buy BMG Music Publishing for about US$2.09 billion (€1.63 billion).   They did not say why they needed more time to look at the takeover. If approved, the deal would combine the No. 3 and No. 4 music publishing catalogs, giving them a 22 percent market share and scraping ahead of current market leader EMI.   European Union approval is the last hurdle for the deal, wh

NEW YORK - EU regulators on Friday opened an antitrust probe of Universal Music Group's plans to buy BMG Music Publishing for about $2.1 billion, saying the deal could damage "the already concentrated music publishing market."   Officials in Brussels announced they would issue a final decision on whether to block or allow the deal by April 27.   BMG - owned by German media company Bertelsmann AG - has the rights to more than a million songs by recording artists such as Nelly, Maroon 5 and Coldpl

BRUSSELS, Belgium — EU regulators on Monday set a Dec. 8 deadline to rule on Univeral Music Group's plans to buy BMG Music Publishing for euro1.63 billion (US$2.09 billion).   BMG _ owned by German media company Bertelsmann AG - has the rights to more than a million songs by recording artists such as Nelly, Maroon 5 and Coldplay, as well as classic hits by the Beach Boys, Barry Manilow and other entertainers.   Vivendi SA's Universal is the world's largest music company. Its purchase of BMG must

Death, if we're so lucky, comes in the waning years of one's life. It would arrive with little suffering, as painless as closing your eyes and entering a deep sleep. Some of us aren't so lucky. My iPod wasn't. It suffered. And I cried a thousand tears.   On Monday, Feb. 27, 2006, at approximately 4:10 p.m., my 20-gigabyte, special-edition U2 black-and-red iPod died. No warnings, no goodbyes. It happened as I exercised on the elliptical machine at the gym. Its last words were: "You're seeing the

I know, it's only frock 'n' roll but they like it, like it, yes they do.   Musicians love to shop. The guys from Oasis, here for an ACC gig early this week, had been spotted everywhere from Roots to Harry Rosen's and Uncle Otis in Yorkville. Dropping by Roots for T-shirts, sweats, jackets and shades has been an Oasis ritual for the past decade. Roots even specially made a pair of negative-heeled shoes called Manchester City Blues for Liam Gallagher and his wife.   Coldplay's Chris Martin, who pl

It could have been the Coldplay song "Yellow" that upset the patron of a Wallingford (Seattle) neighborhood bar. Or perhaps it was the karaoke singer who belted it out.   Employees at Changes, on North 45th Street, said they don't know, but the ensuing melee just past 1 a.m. Thursday was one unlike anything seen at the bar before. As soon as the man on stage started singing about the stars in his best Chris Martin impersonation, the woman reportedly said: "Oh, no, not that song. I can't stand t

The Zionsville Community High School senior hopes to earn the coveted title by wowing the audience with his rendition of Kelly Clarkson's hit "Since U Been Gone" during Mr. Zionsville competition Tuesday in the Performing Arts Center.   "It's my favorite song in the world," Garvey said with a hint of sarcasm. "It's got me through some tough times."   Thirteen senior boys will join Garvey on stage as they show off their personalities and talents to compete for the honor of Mr. Zionsville. The ann

Minutes before showtime in Coldplay's darkened Dallas dressing room, Chris Martin cracks open a bottle of Jameson. He takes a shot, throws his head back and gargles loudly.   At least a dozen pill bottles litter the floor next to Martin's yoga mat. But it's all a lot less decadent than it seems: The pills are vitamins, and the whiskey is mostly to lubricate Martin's throat for the many quavering high notes to come. "It's pretty exciting back here, right?" cracks drummer Will Champion, who spends

Beck and Chris Martin performed a beautiful rendition of 'Heart Is A Drum' at the 57th annual GRAMMYs ceremony. Coldplay missed out on all three awards they were nominated for though.   The outstanding duet were the second to last act on the performance sheet for the starry night in Los Angeles. You can watch the exquisite performance from the duo, Chris Martin and Beck below (with thanks to gai)       Coldplay's nominations and the winners   Ghost Stories : ‘Best Pop Vocal Album’. Winne

The Sundance Channel is currently featuring a really interesting documentary titled In The Sun, which was created to remind Americans about the ongoing struggles of the survivors from Hurricane Katrina. The film also takes a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the In The Sun EP, currently available on iTunes. All proceeds from the sale of the EP go to Mercy Corps, which is devoted to those still suffering in the wake of the hurricane.   The film was collaboration between Michael Stipe [pictu

The Sundance Channel is currently featuring a really interesting documentary titled In The Sun, which was created to remind Americans about the ongoing struggles of the survivors from Hurricane Katrina. The film also takes a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the In The Sun EP, currently available on iTunes. All proceeds from the sale of the EP go to Mercy Corps, which is devoted to those still suffering in the wake of the hurricane.   The film was collaboration between Michael Stipe [pictu

Last Monday, we were treated to the video premiere of Coldplay's 1st single taken from "Ghost Stories", "Magic". Now the directors and Zhang Ziyi, the actress who co-stared alongside Coldplay's Chris Martin in the music video, best known for her roles in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Rush Hour 2 have revealed we will have the privilege of viewing the extended colour version of the music video!   Firstly, you can view a gallery of the new behind the scene photos of the Magic music video in

Ricky Gervais, who famously only made two series of The Office plus a two-part Christmas special, has indicated he may keep writing more episodes of his successful BBC follow-up show, Extras, if he can get his idols Meryl Streep, Dick Van Dyke and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on board.   Whether they will appear in a third series or a Christmas special is still unclear.   ABC premieres Extras’ star-studded second series in mid-February after Spicks And Specks, with hilarious turns from Sir Ian

If they haven't already, Snow Patrol are about to find out that the pressures of success can be every bit as oppressive, draining and potentially hazardous as those of failure.   Their fortunes were transformed by the two million selling Final Straw, a last throw of the dice for a band who, before it was made, had no money, no label and seemingly no future.   Now their future is alive with all sorts of possibilities - they have done the ground work for an assault on America, and the next, tantal

If they haven't already, Snow Patrol are about to find out that the pressures of success can be every bit as oppressive, draining and potentially hazardous as those of failure.   Their fortunes were transformed by the two million selling Final Straw, a last throw of the dice for a band who, before it was made, had no money, no label and seemingly no future.   Now their future is alive with all sorts of possibilities - they have done the ground work for an assault on America, and the next, tantal

EMI's failed attempt to buy Warner Music earlier this year cost the music company more than £6m, the world's third largest music group revealed yesterday.   The £6.2m exceptional charge added to restructuring costs of £33.5m in the first half for EMI. Overall, its revenue fell 4.1 per cent to £867.9m while profits before tax more than halved to £18.6m, compared with £41m last year.   EMI believes it sales this year will be boosted by strong sales of albums over the Christmas period from big-nam

With European markets going ga-ga over fair trade products, will those with the buying power in South Africa start doing the same? In the rush up to the silly season, here's how you can ensure that what you're buying is ethically produced.   Coldplay frontman Chris Martin writes the words 'fair trade' on his hand each time he performs. And with his DATA campaign (debt, Aids, trade, Africa), U2's Bono and his wife Ali have launched a fair trade fashion line, Edun, and are intent on hammering away

The "ethical" brand Fairtrade, backed by A-list celebrities and £2million of taxpayers' cash, leaves Third World farmers worse off, according to a damning new report.   Huge publicity, including a Government-sponsored education campaign in schools, has attempted to persuade the public to pay more for goods such as coffee, chocolate and bananas to ensure a better deal for producers in impoverished nations.   And stars such as Coldplay singer Chris Martin have been queuing up to endorse its prod

Springtime is finally here! I simply ADORE it when the clouds part and the sun shines down on the little village of North Londonshire On The Wold. It seems almost as if the whole world has been wrapped in a really fluffy yellow towel made of pure sunshine. It's a clean towel, with the smell of freshly-mown lawns on it, from some really expensive fabric softener that Gwyneth got in Harrods, only the other day.   On a gorgeous morn like this, I like to dramatically whip the curtains apart, open a

Revenue streams in the music industry have drastically changed since the advent of the Internet. Concerts and tours are the main moneymakers for artists and industry professionals alike.   Concert promoters have more on their plates than ever with ensuring ticket sales, arranging all-ages nights and, of course, promoting. Not only is the pressure on for promoters to deliver sold-out shows, but also to satisfy the needs of artists and CEOs alike. The most laborious task for any promoter is to adh

Earnings have fallen once again at EMI as the music group continued to feel the pinch from falling CD sales.   The UK firm said revenues from CD sales fell 19.8% in the three months to June as digital downloads gained ground. Overall revenues fell 5.1% during the period, amid tough market conditions and a light release schedule, EMI said.   The update came just days after EMI - whose artist roster includes Coldplay, Lily Allen and The Beatles - agreed a £2.4bn takeover bid from Terra Firma. EMI

A yoga lesson with Gwyneth Paltrow has fetched £30,000.   The Oscar-winning star was shocked to learn that an eager fan stumped up the astonishing amount for her unique offer. She said: "Someone's spent a great deal on money on it so I'm going to have to really come up with an excellent plan".   The blonde actress donated the prize for an auction in aid of Prince Charles' Prince's Trust 30th Anniversary - of which she is an ambassador. However, the lucky bidder should not get too excited about w

As reported previously, Coldplay completed a brilliant setlist for amazed fans in New York on Monday which included True Love which was hidden from public listening! Now see how other Coldplayers experienced the spectacular show on Monday.   The reviews come from the delighted bdevil89 on the Coldplaying forums and Christa42 + Texasluvsjonny, who are part of the great moderating team here at Coldplaying and who were our representatives that night! by bdevil89   Wow - the 9p show was ridicu

We've had a spate of excellent reviews of Coldplay's most recent show at Omaha's Qwest Centre and also much discussion and feedback on the crowd. Below are some of the fan reviews found on the Coldplaying forums, which you can also read and reply to (even if you went to the show or not) at the Coldplay Live forum here in the Omaha thread...   The show: I hung around outside early to try to get a glimpse of them, but some fat ass security guard who makes $10/hr had to feel on a power trip and tel

LONDON (Reuters) - Organisers said on Thursday that fans wanting to go to this year's Glastonbury Festival would have to register and provide a photo before getting a ticket to stop touts taking advantage of the hugely-popular event.   The pre-sales registration system, which is being introduced for the first time, will mean that every ticket issued will feature a passport-sized photograph of its official bearer.   "It's a much fairer system," said Michael Eavis, who owns the farm in southwest E