Articles

Razorlight and Muse have released albums with dreams of world domination written all over them.   The title of best band in Britain could be up for grabs with Coldplay taking a break, though Radiohead may still return to take the crown. Pretenders such as Keane, Snow Patrol, Embrace, the Feeling and Kooks will also want to assert claims.   The battle is given extra bite with the Muse CD nominated for the Mercury Prize. The Arctic Monkeys and Editors are also on the list. Muse's "Black Holes an

EMI and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) have joined forces in the $1.5 billion (£822 million) auction for BMG, Bertelsmann’s music publishing business, and are through to the second round, The Times has learnt.   It is understood that Vivendi’s Universal Music arm and Warner Music have also passed the first hurdle, as has the venture capitalist BC Partners, but the final field is likely to be considerably larger.   Other likely survivors are Sony and GTCR Golder Rauner, the Chicago buyout firm, as

LONDON (AFX) - EMI Group has cut a deal with Vodafone Group, making 200,000 of the music label's songs available to the mobile giant's 3G subscribers.   The agreement will allow subscribers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to download tracks from the likes of Robbie Williams and Coldplay onto their phones, in addition to EMI-licensed ringtones and realtones.   Source: Various

The 2006 Mercury Music Prize shortlist has been announced, and the twelve albums chosen by the esteemed judges, ain’t exactly a bunch of happy choons.   Announced by dear old Jools Holland in London yesterday, the finalists were whittled down from more than 250 entries and the lucky beggars going head-to head include Thom Yorke, the Editors, Richard Hawley, Muse, Arctic Monkeys and newcomers the Guillemots.   Despite most of them being a tad on the miserable side, the biggest ‘shock’ is the lack

In NPR music critic Ken Tucker's head, big Britrock band Coldplay's mega-seller stature belongs a whole lot more to Denver-bred indie power-pop (and significantly less money-logged) band Dressy Bessy.   In reviewing both bands' most recent releases (Coldplay's X&Y and Dressy Bessy's Electrified) on air, Tucker marked the British band's piano-driven pop as uninspired, unexciting pap and the American counterpart's power-pop as the kind of energizing, trend-bucking material arenas full of peopl

Wigan born singer-songwriter Richard Ashcroft is to perform at the M.E.N. Arena on November 30 as part of a nationwide tour.   The former Verve frontman has already performed two sell-out tours this year, including a gig in front of a 30,000 capacity audience at Old Trafford cricket ground.   His new album, Keys To The World, has recently gone platinum and includes the hit singles Break The Night With Colour, Music Is Power and Words Just Get In The Way. The Verve met at Wigan's Winstanley Sixth

The Top 100 Tours of 2006 grossed a combined $1.012 billion, which was a whopping 38.5 percent above the $730.9 million generated in the first half of last year. The increase is also up a healthy 14.5 percent over the same period in 2004.   It’s no secret that the modern concert industry has consistently been fueled by artists that have been around for decades. The biggest earners are the acts the Baby Boom generation grew up with. But rock stars who are now in their 50s and 60s physically won’t

FRANKFURT/LONDON, July 18 (Reuters) - German media conglomerate Bertelsmann said on Tuesday that a European court ruling that annulled approval of the Sony BMG merger would have no implications for the ongoing auction of its music publishing business.   The company said both strategic and financial bidders would participate in a second round of bidding. Fifteen prospective buyers have been sent information about BMG Music Publishing, which owns the copyrights to songs by Coldplay, Nelly and oth

A reminder that he actor/director has announced the track listing for the soundtrack to his upcoming film, The Last Kiss. Will it be as highly regarded as the one for Garden State?   Actor/director/producer Zach Braff is at it again with the announcement of the track list for his upcoming flick, The Last Kiss. Braff announced the track list for the album on his official website and Coldplay ['Warning Sign'], Snow Patrol, Athlete, Aimee Mann, Imogen Heap, Fiona Apple, Amos Lee, and a crooning cre

Following in the footsteps of straight-laced, big-sound Brit-rock outfits like Travis, Keane and Coldplay, Scottish collective Snow Patrol are well and truly on their way to establishing their mark on the scene with this fourth album.   Which is to say, more of the same stadium-sized anthems and overwrought, emotive singalong vocals, and no such artistic adventurism on the order of, say, prime-era, incendiary Primal Scream, or the perennially, restlessly innovative Flaming Lips.   However conse

Call it an occupational hazard, I suppose. When you write about music, you find you have a whole group of New Best Friends and an ever-growing collection of demo discs from bands who, for the most part, will never go any further in their music careers.   I still have what they called "tapes" in the 1980's from local "new wave" bands who went on to pursue brilliant careers in retail management, banking and law. It wasn't that they were terrible musicians-- they just didn't understand that jamming

Professional Wireless Systems (PWS), a division of Masque Sound, introduces the Antenna Kit ($1,850).   The kit is comprised of two HA-8089 helical antennas, two LPDA (bat wing) antennas and two pairs of 25-foot and 50-foot low loss cables, and is designed to provide drop-out free performance for in-ear monitors, wireless microphones and intercom installations.   Packaged in a road-worthy black (or optional yellow) storm case outfitted with latches and custom foam inserts, the PWS Antenna Kit i

Don't tell anyone about this, said Alain Levy, boss of EMI’s recorded-music division, as he unlocked a black Hermès briefcase and took out an unmixed, copy-protected CD of Robbie Williams’s new album, Rudebox 1974, which will be released this autumn.   The 59-year-old Frenchman cranked up the volume and grinned like a proud father. “This track’s mixed by William Orbit, who did Ray of Light with Madonna,” he boasted. “Robbie sings in French at the end of this one, y’know.” Levy and Williams are n

“I don’t understand the thing about this bloody commercialism,” says Michael Eavis, founder of the Glastonbury festival, as cows moo in the background.   “We’re charging £130 for something we could charge £400 for and it would still sell out.” He’s talking about the self-appointed guardians of the Glastonbury gate, for ever warding off real or imaginary snake-oil salesmen, and crying foul.   “The old hippie argument was that it wasn’t free any more. But water alone is half a million, electric’s

It's not released on DVD until Monday, but if you live in the Uk you can watch director Julien Temple's film tonight. According to ITV.com, Glastonbury will air on BBC2 at 22:30 GMT.   The 2-disc DVD contains plenty of extras including an interview with Coldplay.   Join the discussions and check out the tv listings here

I think I'm going to hug an SUV driver. As David Cameron said of hoody-wearers this week, they need our love and understanding. Indeed these two urban tribes — the skulking teenager brimming with attitude and the tiny stressed mother encased in her monster vehicle — are manifestations of the same mindset. Both are, as Mr Cameron put it, “more defensive than offensive”, trying to stake out space, to keep the scary, maddening, overcrowded city at bay.   Such is my prejudice I never, ever let SUV

The Glastonbury Festival has set up his own record label.   The Glastonbury Phonographic Society has been put together specifically to release classic live Glastonbury performances on CD and DVD.   The first album - 'Music From Glastonbury The Film' - is the live soundtrack to the recently released Julien Temple-directed 'Glastonbury' film. Over the coming months there are plans to release a number of live albums and DVDs of performances from the festival - the label is currently in talks with D

The modernist house where Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie posed as man and wife for a 60-page photo spread last year (05) is for sale.   The Kenaston Residence in Rancho Mirage, California, has been put on the market for $2.9 million (GBP1.6 million). The four-bedroom home wraps around an outdoor pool and boasts floor-to-ceiling glass walls and mountain views.   The estate is a favourite location with art directors and has been used in photo shoots for James Blunt, Madonna and Coldplay.   Source: h

Oxfam yesterday announced plans to channel the spirit of last year's Live 8 concerts into a month-long event which is in many ways its polar opposite.   In contrast to the enormous gigs of last summer, the charity unveiled Oxjam, the umbrella title for thousands of small-scale gigs and events across the country. Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs, Goldfrapp, Magic Numbers and the Automatic have signed up. The charity is in talks with dozens of other acts to perform alongside local bands in community

Shares in music giant EMI tumbled today after a European court ruling cast doubt over a possible trans-Atlantic merger with US rival Warner.   The European Court of First Instance annulled previous EU approval of a 2004 tie-up between Sony and BMG which created the second largest music company in the world behind Universal.   The ruling sparked fears in the City today that a combination of London-based EMI and Warner could also be blocked. The pair are currently locked in a takeover tug-of-war a

Brit rock has been on a sappy, melodic overload since Coldplay’s X&Y last year, culminating in the double whammy of Snow Patrol and Keane recently.   But the band that doesn’t know how to play without distortion pedals are back with what looks like an absolutely storming release.   Muse’s Black Holes & Revelations was officially released in its native Britain on July 3, and it’s headed straight to number one there and in Ireland and also number two in Holland and six in France. The US go

Late country legend Johnny Cash has topped the US album chart for the first time in 37 years.   A total of 88,000 copies of American V: A Hundred Highways were sold in its first week of release, according to music magazine Billboard. The album is Cash's first to reach the number one spot since the 1969 album Johnny Cash at San Quentin.   It features material Cash was working on in the months leading up to his death in September 2003.Cash also tops the country album chart, knocking the Dixie Chi

Music group EMI is to reshuffle its digital music operations in the midst of its bid and counter-bid battle with rival Warner Music.   The company, which is home to artists including Coldplay and Robbie Williams (pictured), aims to decentralise decision making in the digital arm and shift more power to local managers. As part of the restructure, it has parted with executive vice-president for strategy and business development Adam Klein, who oversaw EMI’s digital strategy.   Digital music sales

Without even trying, White Light Riot have kicked my ass at one of my specialties.   "Hi, sorry we're late," Mike Schwandt says as he, bassist Dan Larsen, and guitarist Joe Christenson bound up to the table in front of the Nicollet Mall Caribou Coffee where I've been waiting like a fool for nearly three minutes.   "No problem," I say, sinking into my chair a bit. "I'm just pissed at myself. I'm never on time. I pride myself on it. It was an accident, I swear."   Read the full review here

With 6.1billion people on the planet, climate change is something that should be on everybody's mind. Melting ice caps, rising tides and expanding deserts are just some of the ways the environment is reacting to the tons of daily toxins released into the atmosphere.   But what you may not know is that most of the damage being heaped on our planet is caused by our own hands. Running a car, using central heating and even going on holiday all produce harmful gases and use large amounts of energy.