Hello, class, and welcome to Domestic History 101. I’m your teacher, Professor Axtagrind. Open your textbooks and we’ll get started with our first lesson, The Great Radio Confrontation, more popularly known as The War to End All Road Trips. Refer to the following timeline:

July 24, 1999: Two neighboring countries — Knowitallville and an area consisting of the burgs of Wifely Perfection, Impatience and Stubborn, known collectively as The Mouthland — merge in accordance with their common interest in the works of Puccini.

July 25, 1999: It is discovered that, under the duress of date-bragging, both countries lied. Seems neither knows a single Puccini song. In fact, neither can attest for sure that Puccini is not actually one of the Boobahs. Perhaps the purple one.

July 26, 1999, to March 24, 2007: Tension mounts as the countries discover that there is only one car radio and both desire total dominance.

This period, during which each country is forced to fake interest in “neutral music,” such as Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, and occasionally Larry the Cucumber to keep the peace while clandestinely plotting a stereo-overthrow, is known as the Coldplay War.

March 25, 2007: Knowitallville makes the first aggressive move while on a 10-hour road trip by turning up the volume on a Jethro Tull song.

“What’s that noise?” The Mouthland asks, checking the children in the back seat. “Is someone carsick?”

“It’s good music,” Knowitallville replies. “No wonder you don’t recognize it.”

The Mouthland gasps. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Once I got in the car and you’d left one of your CDs in. I thought a wild boar was caught in the fan belt.”

“Are you saying Pink Floyd isn’t good driving music?”

“Only if you’re planning on driving off a cliff. Pike’s Peak, maybe.”

This makes The Mouthland angry. So she does the most mature thing she can think of — she changes the station and turns up the volume until Knowitallville’s hair is bouncing to the beat.

March 25, 2007 (precisely 13 seconds later): Knowitallville issues a public announcement that the country has gone to war. The speech is short:

“You have no taste.”

March 25, 2007 (for the duration of the trip): Shots are volleyed fast and furious.

“If you don’t turn that off, I’m going to peel off my eyelids. It would be less painful.”

“This is my car and no disco will defile my speakers!”

“Are we driving through a logging community? I swear I hear chain saws.”

“Normal men don’t own the Dirty Dancing CD, you know.”

“Why waste your money on Green Day CDs when you could just have someone drive a jackhammer directly through your temporal lobe?”

“I know you’re not planning on listening to Sly and The Family Stone in here.”

“What’s wrong with Sly?”

“Nothing. I always play them when I’m heading out to buy a leisure suit and platform shoes.”

“Funny. Does your grandma think you’re funny when you’re borrowing her CDs?”

“I’m not the one stuck in another decade, Macho Man.”

“Oh really? What about the Beatles? I wasn’t planning on telling you this, but…I always thought John Lennon sounded a little nasalish.”

“Take that back or Diana Ross gets it!”

March 25, 2007 (sometime between the John Lennon comment and the flinging of a Luther Vandross CD out onto the highway): The fighting is silenced when a surprise attack is launched by small but mighty neighboring nation, TeenAngsterdam, who reaches forward and plunges a Nickelback CD into the player, blowing both Knowitallville and The Mouthland to smithereens. The Great Radio Confrontation comes to an abrupt end.

Knowitallville and The Mouthland issue a joint statement announcing their utter defeat and surrender. The statement is short:

“Are we there yet?”

Source: http://www.kansascity.com

Satirical blog article looking at a chance meeting with Coldplay...

The trendy hotel I stayed in at the weekend happened to belong to a trendy recording studio, and I'd heard that its private bar was likely to be full of trendy rockstars on their lunchbreaks.

You can imagine my disappointment, then, when the bloke from Coldplay walked in.

Never mind, at least he's a celebrity, and fortunately I've had a fool-proof plan prepared for quite some time now, in case I ever had the opportunity to befriend a famous musician.

Step 1

Use natural conversation-starter — ask for a light, for example, or roll eyes and say, "Urrfgh, wedgie!" whilst pulling knickers back out of bum at bar.

Step 2

Pretend not to have recognised him at all — talk about self at length then casually ask, "So, what do you do?"

Step 3

Let him avoid question and tell you about his very dull record collection instead. He'll enjoy the freedom of conversing with someone who isn't a gold-digger — for a change!

Step 4

Name-drop some of his band's painstakingly obvious influences — he'll think "finger is on pulse" and artistic tastes are similar to his. (You could even name-drop his own band here if you think you can pull it off).

Step 5

Feign embarrassment when he eventually admits to being famous musician — excuse ignorance by exclaiming, "God, I'm so sorry! I haven't got my glasses on!"

Step 6

Praise shockingly bad 5th track on his last album that nobody liked — don't gush; he'll see through it. Just say you thought it was "a real grower".

Step 7

Go on to design his band's next album cover and be the official photographer on their upcoming world tour.

Unfortunately, I'd just about got to Step 5 with the Coldplay bloke when I realised I really hadn't got my glasses on and he actually was a carpenter from Birkenhead like he'd been saying he was, after all.

Source: http://annierhiannon.blogspot.com

Jeff Buckley's mother, Mary Guibert, carries a shillelagh everywhere she goes. The quaint twisted knobbly stick can be found in the back seat of the car she drives around LA. It's her weapon of choice. "Jeff brought it back for me after the Trinity Ball in 1992," she remembers. "I treasure it. Most people in LA carry a gun around with them," she laughs, "but I've got my shillelagh! I just shake it at anyone who bothers me!"

Today, May 29th 2007 marks the ten year anniversary since Jeff's tragic death following an ill-fated swim in the Mississippi River. In hindsight it's the timing of Jeff Buckley's death which seems particularly cruel. He was just 30-years-old. Grisly parallels with the death of his father abounded. Tim Buckley, the cult songwriter, was also taken years before his time. An accidental heroin overdose brought him to his grave at just 28-year's-old. Jeff had met him only once.

While Tim managed to release nine albums in his sort career, the extravagantly gifted Jeff had only just begun to record the follow up to Grace, his debut and only completed record.

Released in August 1994, Grace remains a certified modern classic. Full of hope, longing and incomplete beauty, it is a record which has left an indelible print on modern music. Intrinsically beautiful, its influence remains incalculable. Without it we would arguably have never heard of artists such as Anthony and The Johnson's, Damien Rice or Coldplay.

Read the full article here

It’s been a lackluster year for rock feuds: The Kid Rock-Scott Stapp sex-tape battle has pretty much petered out, and even Liam Gallagher’s been keeping his mouth shut (though his last blow-up is still the stuff of legend).

Since everyone seems to be playing nice these days, Idolator has to step in and do the shit-stirring ourselves; luckily, we found this sorta-diss in today’s Guardian piece on Lou Reed:

Nervously, I pick the most topical question I can, and hit him with it.

“Mr Reed, what did you think of Coldplay covering your song Perfect Day at the Isle of Wight Festival?”

If it were humanly possible, Reed’s expression darkens even further.

“They did whaaaaaaat?”

I tell him Chris Martin told the media that because Reed hadn’t played it during his set, Coldplay did it in theirs.

“You’re kidding.”

Reed looks so infuriated that I’m still not sure whether his next question “Have you heard that?” is directed at me or members of his entourage.

Them’s fightin’ words! Vaguely disinterested, easily forgettable fightin’ words, but we’ll take ‘em. Our odds on the Martin-Reed title bout after the jump.

AGE

LOU REED 64

CHRIS MARTIN 29

KNOWN ENEMIES

LOU REED Lester Bangs, John Cale

CHRIS MARTIN Poverty

PREVIOUS ALTERCATIONS

LOU REED Bitten by a fan during a concert in Buffalo

CHRIS MARTIN Arrested for attacking an Australian paparazzo

MOST DANGEROUS WEAPON

LOU REED Metal Machine Music

CHRIS MARTIN X&Y

BIGGEST BLOW TO STREET CRED

LOU REED Being sampled by Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch

CHRIS MARTIN Being named “World’s Sexiest Vegetarian” by PETA

THE WINNER: LOU REED Sure, he’s 35 years older. But we wouldn’t mess with anyone who’s survived a trip to Buffalo.

Source: http://idolator.com/

“Kanye went out his way to give me a verse,” Beatz said. “He called me about it. I didn’t have to bug him. It was cool. [Turning him down,] I think that would have been rude.

If Coldplay could have been on the album, Kanye could be on the album. I’m honored to know he felt my sh– is hot to even wanna rock with me like that.

He could have made it competition, but he’s like, ‘Yo, Swizzy, I got you, let’s get ‘em.’ ”

Source: MTV

ALBANY, N.Y. - If you plant some trees, is it OK to drive an Escalade? The question isn't as silly as it sounds. People worried about global warming increasingly are trying to "offset" the carbon dioxide _ the leading greenhouse gas _ they spew into the atmosphere when they drive, fly or flick on a light. One idea popular with the eco-conscious is to have trees planted for them. You get to keep driving and flying, but those trees are supposed to suck in your trail of carbon.

Whole forests have been funded by tree-loving celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Coldplay, and more modest packages tailored to typical consumers are proliferating.

But some researchers say planting trees _ while a good thing _ is at best a marginal solution to global warming. Still others decry tree planters who continue to jet off to Cannes, drive their SUVs or generally fail to reduce their fuel-hungry lifestyle. To those critics, plantings and other carbon offsets are like the medieval practice of selling indulgences to wash away sins: It may feel good, but it doesn't solve much.

"The sale of offset indulgences is a dead-end detour off the path of action required in the face of climate change," says a report by the Transnational Institute's Carbon Trade Watch.

Groups that offer tree offsets typically rely on Web calculators requiring users to type in how many miles they drive, how much electricity they use and how far they fly. Figure out how much CO2 someone is responsible for (output), compare it to the work average trees can do (input), and you have a formula for neutralizing a person's "carbon footprint."

While the band Coldplay famously funded 10,000 mango trees in India to soak up emissions related to the production of a CD, the average consumer can get off far easier. For $40, Trees for the Future will plant 400 trees in a developing country to handle your car emissions. In June, Delta Air Lines will allow online ticket buyers to help offset emissions of their flights through tree plantings in the U.S. and abroad: $5.50 for domestic round trips, $11 for international.

"It's easy to do and it makes a big difference," said Jena Thompson of the Conservation Fund, Delta's partner and one of many groups that will plant trees on your behalf.

The science is sound: Trees take in carbon dioxide as part of photosynthesis and store the carbon. But even conservationists caution it's not as simple as planting a sapling so you can crank up the air conditioning without guilt.

Offset groups use averages to estimate how much carbon a given tree or forested acre can capture. For instance, the nonprofit Conservation Fund figures that each tree planted captures less than 1 1/2 tons over 100 years.

To put that in perspective, consider that about 7.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide was produced from the burning of fossil fuels worldwide in 2003, the most recent estimate available.

And how much carbon dioxide a tree can soak up varies, said John Kadyszewski of Winrock International, a nonprofit that works on environmental projects. A huge California redwood might have 30 tons of carbon stored while a 100-year-old pine might have less than a ton.

"Trees are all different," said Kadyszewski, coordinator for ecosystem services for Winrock, "and the amount of carbon in the tree depends on how old it is and where it's growing and what kind of tree it is."

Kadyszewski notes that most of the calculators use conservative numbers, meaning they're not likely to exaggerate benefits. The Conservation Fund and Carbonfund.org both say they plant more than enough trees to deliver on promised offsets.

There are other potential problems, however. Some researchers suggest forests in the snowy North might actually increase local warming by absorbing sunlight that would otherwise be reflected into space. And dead, decaying trees release some of that captured carbon back into the atmosphere.

Maybe most importantly, some researchers say it's simply not possible to plant enough trees to have a significant effect on global warming.

Michael MacCracken, chief scientist at the nonpartisan Climate Institute in Washington, said tree-planting has value as a stopgap measure while society attempts to reduce greenhouse gases. But University of Victoria climate scientist Andrew Weaver fears tree offsets could steal the focus of a problem that requires technological advances and behavioral changes.

"The danger is that you could actually think you're solving a problem," Weaver said. "It makes you feel good. It makes you feel warm and fuzzy, like changing a couple of light bulbs. But the reality is it's not going to have a significant effect."

Eric Carlson of the tree-planting nonprofit Carbonfund.org notes that his group does not promote trees as the only solution to climate change. Participants also can purchase offsets that support projects aimed at expanding renewable energy or improving energy efficiency.

Carlso bristles when critics focus on the perceived hypocrisies of the jet-setting, tree-planting rich people.

He fears the indulgence argument shifts the focus from what normal, everyday people can do to fight global warming: Cut down on electricity and gasoline use, support renewable energy and, yes, plant trees.

"You can find pluses and minuses to all the offset options," Carlson said, "but the worst thing is to do nothing."

On the Net:

http://www.conservationfund.org/

http://www.carbonfund.org/site/

http://www.carbontradewatch.org/

JUSTIN HAWKINS has taken a swipe at CHRIS MARTIN – branding him a diva.

THE DARKNESS frontman was unhappy with the COLDPLAY singer’s behaviour during the recording of the BAND AID 20 single last year.

And flamboyant Justin has vented his anger by doing a cheeky impression of Chris in the video for the band’s new single One Way Ticket, which is out today.

Justin said: “During Band Aid Chris swanned in, stayed for about 20 minutes — and had his own VIP area. We were there for two days and worked our behinds off. “He obviously didn’t care. I got the sense he was just doing it to raise his profile.”

Looking relaxed with his feet up at Bizarre’s London HQ, Justin also had a dig at Chris’s support for the Make Trade Fair campaign. He joked: “This ‘make fairs safe’ stuff he does gets on my nerves. It’s all a bit cheap.”

Justin came to see me after spending several months in Los Angeles recording new album One Way Ticket To Hell And Back. And he also had fighting words for critics of The Darkness. He said: “With Permission To Land, some reckoned we were just a novelty band. But we’ve sold three million albums worldwide and the fact we’re still around proves we’re not.”

The band have had their ups and downs, though, with bass player FRANKIE POULLAIN getting the sack in May. He was replaced by RICHIE EDWARDS, who joined Justin, his guitarist brother DAN and drummer ED GRAHAM.

It is noticeable that Justin, who has suffered from bulimia, has put on a few pounds. He admitted: “At the moment the catsuits wouldn’t be flattering on me. I’ve gone a bit pub rock.”

The album — out later this month — was produced by QUEEN’s legendary Bohemian Rhapsody producer ROY THOMAS BAKER. As a result it sounds enormous, with orchestras and synths.

Justin — who lives with Darkness manager SUE WHITEHOUSE — said: “Yes, it sounds a bit like Queen. But there are worse bands to be compared to. “Our hardcore fans will love it — but those who hate us will hate us even more. We’ve tried to fit in more knob jokes and be more like The Darkness than we were before. We haven’t just written songs that are a reaction to the last record. We are a glamorous rock band that talks about everyday stuff.”

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,4-2005520708,00.html

The bid battle for EMI took a fresh twist today when former chief executive Jim Fifield outlined plans to fight venture-capital king Guy Hands for control of the struggling group.

Fifield, dubbed 'Lucky Jim' after he left EMI with a £12m pay-off in 1998, said he 'remains interested in potentially making an offer' for the firm, whose artists include Coldplay, Joss Stone, Lily Allen and Norah Jones.

The development came just days after EMI agreed a 265p-a-share bid, valuing it at £2.4bn, from Hands' private-equity firm Terra Firma. Shares in EMI, the world's thirdlargest music group, put on 2¼p to 274¾p today as investors gambled on an offer from Fifield, possibly as high as 278p. Long-term suitor Warner Music is also thought to be interested. US-based Warner was looking at EMI's books when the London firm announced the Terra Firma deal.

Fifield, who lives in the US, had been working on a bid with investment management group Corvus Capital, but it said on Wednesday that it was no longer interested.

Today he said it was not the intention for him to be held to the terms of the withdrawal by Corvus, which is headed by Andrew Regan. Fifield is said to be working with fellow former EMI executive Charles Koppelman, and to have the financial backing of members of the Qatar royal family.

It is thought Fifield wants to run EMI's recorded music division, which also has The Beatles and Robbie Williams on its books, and sell its publishing assets to Koppelman. The publishing arm manages the rights to more than a million songs including hits by Beyoncé, Amy Winehouse, James Blunt and Jay-Z. It could fetch as much as £1.8bn. The bidding war is good news for beleaguered chief executive Eric Nicoli, who stands to make about £3m if he loses his job.

Nicoli, who has run the firm for almost eight years, would be due about £1.6m in pay, bonus and pension. He also has options worth £250,000 and owns shares worth £1.18m at the Terra Firma bid price. A rival bid above 265p a share by Fifield or anyone else would see Nicoli pocket even more. Last summer, he rejected a proposed offer from Warner at 320p a share.

He has also turned down an approach at 310p a share from private-equity group Permira. EMI has issued two profits warnings since then. Warner, the record company behind Madonna and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and EMI have been in on-off discussions over a deal for years. However, a tie-up between Warner and EMI would have to overcome considerable regulatory hurdles in the wake of difficulties experienced in the takeover of BMG Publishing by Universal Music.

EMI revealed this week that it made losses of £263.6m last year after revenues dived 15.8% to £1.75bn.

Source: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk

Travis frontman Fran Healy is nothing if not a realist. He knows his band helped soften the face of rock music with their 1999 album The Man Who.

Healy has had a little help from his famous friends. Coldplay's Chris Martin is not only a musical colleague but he and Healy are also both rock dads. Martin's son, Moses, and Healy's son, Clay, were born about the same time and the two meet at each other's houses for rock creches.

"We've had some lovely afternoons," Healy says. "Not many people have been through what we've both been through, so there's a real common ground. I guess it's like how women talk about childbirth because they've done it. We talk shop like doctors or mechanics would."

It was during one of those shop talk moments that Martin put a spin on The Boy With No Name. Martin asked Healy to play him the album when it was almost finished. Healy did so, minus a song called Big Chair. Martin asked what other songs he had. Healy played him Big Chair.

"He said, 'That's f---ing brilliant, why isn't it on the album?'," Healy says. "He's so blunt! He'll say 'That's s---'. "So at the 11th hour, our old rivals Coldplay helped out, I guess. He even helped me put the songs in order. Damn, I owe him now. S---, I'm Coldplay's bitch!"

When Chris Martin played DJ for a day on colossal UK radio station Radio 1 early this year he slipped Big Chair into his set, long before Travis released it. Martin also introduced the song by saying "Travis invented Coldplay". It was the kind of quote publicists dream of.

Read the full article here

A celebrity-frequented restaurant was ordered to pay £15,642 after a child fell down an open cellar hatch and cracked his head open.

Owners of E and O in London's Notting Hill pleaded guilty to two breaches of health and safety laws. They admitted a delivery hatch had been left open in the pavement outside the restaurant.

A five-year-old boy suffered a one-inch cut to the head when he fell 10 feet into the cellar, according to Kensington and Chelsea Council which brought the prosecution. He was taken to hospital for treatment and a CT scan and discharged the following day.

West London Magistrates Court ordered Asean Ltd, which owns the restaurant, to pay two fines totalling £9,750 plus £1,750 compensation to the boy's parents. During yesterday's hearing the court also ordered Asean Ltd to pay the council's costs of £4,142.

Councillor Fiona Buxton, cabinet member for environmental health at Kensington and Chelsea Council, today said it was "vitally important" for businesses to have proper procedures in place for using cellar hatches. "This was a very serious incident that led to a young boy sustaining a nasty injury," she said.

An E and O spokesman today declined to comment on the accident, which happened in September 2005. According to Tatler magazine's online restaurant guide, E and O is a fusion restaurant popular with famous names such as Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.

Source: http://www.24dash.com

Universal Music's takeover of BMG Music Publishing has been given the go-ahead by European Union regulators.

But Brussels warned that its "serious doubts" about the deal's effect on online music was only tempered by the firms' plans to sell some song rights. The 1.63bn euro ($2.1bn; £1.1bn) deal will create the world's largest music publishing company. BMG Music Publishing owns rights to songs by artists such as Coldplay, Robbie Williams and Justin Timberlake.

It is being sold by German owner Bertelsmann to clear debts. Universal Music's owner, French media group Vivendi has described the deal as "a unique opportunity to grow our music publishing business".

Read the full article here

The EMI Group, the British music giant that has drawn heavy takeover interest in the last year, said Monday it had agreed to be bought by Terra Firma, the private equity firm led by the financier Guy Hands. EMI, whose recent talks with another buyout firm, Permira, ended without a deal, said it was recommending Terra Firma’s offer to its shareholders. The bid values EMI at 2.4 billion pounds ($4.7 billion).

The song isn’t necessarily over, however: EMI’s shares rose Monday to 271 pence, above the 265 pence per share that Terra Firma has offered. That suggests investors hope another bidder will step up or that the takeover price will be raised. “The EMI board received a number of proposals from several different parties,” EMI’s chairman, John Gildersleeve, said in a news release Monday. “Terra Firma’s offer is the most attractive proposal received and delivers cash now, without regulatory uncertainty and with the minimum of operational risk to the company.”

EMI and its New York-based rival, the Warner Music Group, lobbed takeover bids at each other last year, but talks about a possible merger between the two were halted after a court decision in Europe raised questions about whether the transaction could win antitrust approval. Warner Music made a fresh approach to EMI, whose roster of artists includes the Beatles and Coldplay, in Janaury.

Source: Various

Warner Music is to make its latest attempt to buy EMI, the record group behind Norah Jones and Coldplay, joining three financial bidders in the £3bn ($5.9bn) battle for the UK music group.

The US music company, led by Edgar Bronfman, has begun due diligence after gaining access to EMI's books. Private equity firms Fortress, Cerberus Capital Management and One Equity are also going through EMI's data room.

Warner Music has tried repeatedly to merge with EMI. Last summer, Warner offered 320p a share, and then in March, following an EMI profit warning, approached the UK group with a tentative offer of 260p.

EMI chairman John Gildersleeve has opened up a data room at investment bank Greenhill & Co's offices and has asked potential bidders to submit firm offers by May 23 - the day EMI is set to report financial results for the fiscal year ending March 31.

Deutsche Bank and Citigroup are advising EMI boss Eric Nicoli on the deal, but sources said Gildersleeve and Greenhill are driving the process.

While the interest of private equity firms One Equity Partners, Fortress, Cerberus and Terra Firma is indeed real, without the cost-savings available to Warner Music, none of them can come close to the 260 pence offer the rival music label already has on the table.

Source: Various

Travis tell Craig McLean why their fifth album took so long – and why they won’t be eclipsed by Snow Patrol and Coldplay

In the strange setting of a Portakabin dressing room in the Californian desert, Travis are pondering their position as Britain’s favourite purveyors of sensitive, uplifting rock. This, arguably, is the sound they invented. But latterly, in the three-and-half years since the release of their last album, it’s been pinched by Snow Patrol. And before that, it was taken, developed and redefined by Coldplay.

“Travis were the band that invented Coldplay,” Chris Martin said on Radio 1 the other month, “and lots of other bands.” So, as Travis release their fifth album, The Boy With No Name – the first since the edgier but low-selling 12 Memories – I wondered, are they worried about their place?

“No,” replies singer Fran Healy instantly, ''because I think Travis do something that those bands don’t do. We’re far closer to the heart, there’s something more human. You know what it is? Our songs are smaller. Coldplay and Snow Patrol, they go for the big, massive stadium vibe, and that’s great. I’ve seen them live and when you’re in the audience you go, 'Wow, that’s mega.’ And it is awesome – that full stadium vibe.”

Read the full article here

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Johnette Napolitano, the voice and vision behind Concrete Blonde, is in town tonight to showcase her new solo effort, “Scarred,” which will be released May 29 via Hybrid Recordings.

Ms. Napolitano headlines the Canal Room, 285 W. Broadway at Canal Street in Manhattan. Showtime is 8 p.m. Tickets are $25. For further information, call 212-941-8100.

The new CD features 10 originals and covers of Coldplay’s “The Scientist” and the Velvet Underground’s “All Tomorrow’s Parties.” Ms. Napolitano collaborated with Nine Inch Nails/A Perfect Circle contributor Danny Lohner, Catfish Scar’s Sultan Ahmed and musical soulmate Will Crewdson on the release.

The singer/songwriter recently self-released a pair of limited edition albums, “Sketchbook” and “Sketchbook 2,” via CD Baby. To check out these efforts, visit www.myspace.com/johnettenapolitano.

Ms. Napolitano wrote, sang and played bass for Concrete Blonde, a mainstay on the L.A. music scene in the late ’80s and early ’90s. The band, which broke up in 1995, scored alternative hits with “Bloodletting” and “Joey.”

Online retailer Amazon.com is launching an online music store this year featuring millions of songs without copying limitations.

The company said it had a deal with British-based music publisher EMI Music to include its music catalogue as well as those from 12,000 other music labels. The move comes amid increased interest in freeing up online music from so-called digital rights management (DRM) that limits how a user may copy or transfer a song after downloading.

The announcement did not indicate the cost of the downloads, which typically cost around $1r at most digital music sites. Last month, EMI said it would offer songs by Coldplay, Madonna and a host of other stars for download without copy protection as part of a deal with Apple's iTunes website. EMI also said it would sell music without anti-piracy software over the internet soon.

Let me clarify something.

Coldplay and other artists with a Liberal P.O.V. aren't 'enemies' as I blogged in this space on Friday. I was wrong to say that. What I meant to say was that I struggle with entertainment choices sometimes due to the political views espoused by particular artists or actors or authors. The purchasing decision comes down to just how much I enjoy the music or the film or the book.

Having said that the concert was awesome. Chris Martin has a special ability to relate and interact with an audience with charm and class and grace and self effacing humor. During the song 'Talk' Martin grabbed a fan's cell phone and sang to whomever was on the other end of the line. I actually think that Coldplay is meant to be heard live rather than over your stereo. They sound better in person and the songs take on more life in concert which is not always the case with live music.

No political comments were made from the stage, which impressed me, and added to my enjoyment as did the multiple times the band thanked the audience for coming to the show, for singing along with nearly every song, for being friendly. It seemed sincere.

The son of one of my best friends--Quinn--is a huge Coldplay fan. So I called 'Q' and just held up my cell phone for the entire concert. He heard and enjoyed every word, every lyric, every note.

Whether you agree with their politics or not seeing Coldplay in concert is a pleasure.

Source: http://rightfromleft.blogspot.com

Sir Bob Geldof has launched a bitter attack on this summer’s ‘Live Earth’ gigs, calling them “just an enormous pop concert”.

The head of Live Aid has criticised the multi-national concerts organised by climate campaigner Al Gore for failing to secure any tangible solution to the issue. He rants, ”I hope they're a success. But why is he actually organizing them? To make us aware of the greenhouse effect? Everybody's known about that problem for years. We are all fucking conscious of global warming. I would only organize them if I could go on stage and announce concrete environmental measures from the American presidential candidates, Congress or major corporations. They haven't got those guarantees, so it's just an enormous pop concert or the umpteenth time that, say, Madonna or Coldplay get up on stage."

Geldof also adds the name of the event – which take place in eight major cities on 7 July - is causing confusion with his own campaign. He says, “It sounds like Live Aid. We're getting lots of responses from people who think we are organising it."

Source: entertainmentwise.com

It’s one thing for a band to explode from nowhere with a classic debut album. Following it up is a far greater challenge.

The second album, traditionally, is a band’s opportunity to transcend their original fanbase, infiltrate the mainstream. A great sophomore effort can catapult a band into the superleague – take Coldplay’s A Rush Of Blood To The Head. Equally, it can kill the buzz stone dead. Remember how the lustre of unassailable cool surrounding The Strokes evaporated in the wake of Room Of Fire?

Recently, Arctic Monkeys have negotiated the Tricky Second Album syndrome with consummate ease on Favourite Worst Nightmare. But the best second albums ever made? Q would make a case for the following. But what do you think?

Read the list here

Shares in EMI soared this morning after the music group revealed that it was in takeover discussions again.

The firm, which has Lily Allen, Coldplay and Robbie Williams on its books, confirmed this morning that it had received "a number of preliminary indications of interest to acquire the company".

The announcement followed reports that a private equity group was prepared to pay £3bn for the company. One Equity, the private equity firm affiliated to American bank JPMorgan, sent EMI a letter last month proposing a takeover, according to the Financial Times today.

EMI shares rose by nearly 10% in early trading, gaining 20.5p to 248p. The company's future has been uncertain since takeover talks with US rival Warner collapsed in March.

EMI had rejected Warner's offer of 260p a share, valuing the company at £2.5bn, claiming it was too low and warning that such a merger would probably fall foul of regulatory problems.

So far this year it has issued two profit warnings. Last month, in another blow to its long-suffering investors, it suspended its dividend and warned that revenues will fall 15% this year.

Source: http://business.guardian.co.uk

Rock couple Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale and their son Kingston have topped a new magazine poll to find Hollywood's Best Looking Family.

The Rossdales beat Coldplay star Chris Martin, Gwyneth Paltrow and their two kids and Smiths Will, Jada Pinkett, Willow, Jaden and Trey to top the new In Touch Weekly list.

In crowning the Rossdales the top family, In Touch editors say, "Whether the clan is going to their son Kingston's christening or a sporty family outing to the local tennis courts, they always look amazing."

Source: contactmusic.com

2005 - Performances from some of the world`s most popular and influential bands highlight the conclusion of sixth Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif.

About 50,000 people descend on this desert town for the two-day event, which features headlining sets by Coldplay and Nine Inch Nails, plus rare appearances from Bauhaus, Gang Of Four and hip-hop duo Black Star.

Read other random years here

Churchill Downs guards the names of its Kentucky Derby ticket holders so closely that only two executives at the track have access to the entire list, the company has said in court papers.

It considers the roster a trade secret, and its security sentinels scan sites such as eBay to catch people who resell tickets bestowed on them by the track. Then it cuts off their future supply. So how do thousands of tickets get on the Internet sites of ticket brokers across the country?

Some rock bands have been even more aggressive. Tom Petty last year voided 1,400 fan club concert tickets that fell into the hands of scalpers, and to cut out brokers entirely, Coldplay auctions tickets online to registered fans only.

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Have you heard about the weekly gig that’s going down a storm with music fans and attracting record company representatives?

It doesn’t take place in a venue in Manchester city centre, but at Bar Amp in Sale. Most of the bands who play on a Thursday night are unsigned and organisers Simon Williamson and Alex McCann say they always try to give priority to acts from the Greater Manchester area. But the event has also attracted artists from as far away as Belgium and the United States. Why has the event been so successful? “It’s a niche market and there’s nothing in the area like it. If you go to another pub or bar you often hear cover bands. These are original bands and you pay five or six quid in Manchester, and you can come to Bar Amp and get to see them for free,” says Alex.

At a recent gig, featuring a group called The Boy Majors, a representative from Colombia Records was in the audience, along Debs Wild, the person who discovered Coldplay. Alex says the area now known as Trafford has a distinguished musical past.

“What people forget is the Rolling Stones played in Altrincham 40 years ago and The Who also played there. The Stone Roses are from a mile down the road from the venue,” he adds.

In terms of bands to look out for, Simon and Alex say The Boy Majors and The Naughtys are ones to keep an eye on. The Thursday night gigs also attract music fans from across the age spectrum, all united by a mutual love of music.

* Any bands who are interested in playing at Club Designer Magazine@Bar Amp should contact the venue via myspace.com/baramp or via myspace.com/desinermagazine On May 3 Club Designer Magazine@ Bar Amp presents Token Jesture, Glyn Bailey, Laeka and Stormy Corner.

If bands get in touch, Simon or Alex can listen to their music online. Alternatively, groups can post CDs to Bar Amp, 102 School Rd, Sale, M33 7XB, or bring them in on the night. Gigs begin at around 8pm.

Source: http://www.thisischeshire.co.uk/

A Paulsboro man pleaded guilty Wednesday to aggravated assault, admitting he threw a bottle into the face of another man during a confrontation in the parking lot of the Tweeter Center in Camden after a concert on Aug. 7, 2005.

In his guilty plea, James McNulty, 46, made no reference to the acid that was in the bottle and caused burns on the face, back, shoulders and chest of the 19-year-old victim. Police at the time said McNulty then used a long lighter to set fire to the victim.

Assistant Camden County Prosecutor Joseph MacNamara said McNulty and the victim knew each other before the incident and had "a long-standing feud." Both had attended a Coldplay concert.

McNulty, who reported addresses on both Spring Garden Avenue and North Commerce Avenue in Paulsboro, was arrested 10 days later in an Ocean City motel on charges of attempted murder, aggravated arson and unlawful possession of a weapon.

He will be sentenced June 22 by Superior Court Presiding Criminal Judge Thomas A. Brown Jr.

Source: http://www.courierpostonline.com