4 MusicWeek 30.03.12 NEWS NEWS IN BRIEF
EC: The European Commission has confirmed that it will decide whether to block or approve Universal’s £1.2bn ($1.9bn) acquisition of EMI Music by August 8. It said in a statement: “At this stage of the investigation, the new entity, which would be almost twice the size of the next largest player in the EEA, would not appear to be sufficiently constrained by the remaining competitors on the market, by its customers’ buyer power, and/or by the threat of illegal music consumption (so-called ‘piracy’).” BESTIVAL: Stevie Wonder will take the Sunday slot at the festival, joining artists such as New Order, The xx, Sigur Ros, Ben Howard and Michael Kiwanuka. SONY: Sony Music and management group Raw Power have announced a new rock-centric joint venture label, Search & Destroy. The imprint is the creation of Raw Power CEO Craig Jennings and Sony Music UK Chairman Nick Gatfield, and will be headed up by ex-Sony A&R deputy Tristan Lillingston. HMV: HMV is to close its Guernsey fulfilment warehouse and move its operation back to the UK, cutting 46 jobs in the process. LOVEBOX: Grace Jones will return to the Sunday stage at Lovebox for 2012 as the festival celebrates its 10th anniversary. The event will take place on June 15-17 in Victoria Park, east London.
NME ED PROMISES MAG IS STILL FOCUSED ON ‘THE BEST IN NEW MUSIC’
Nostalgic Musical Express: IPC at ease over ageing cover stars
MEDIA BY TIM INGHAM
C
rows’ feet and flecks of grey aren’t exactly traditional hallmarks of
NME cover stars – but 2012’s pick have been noticeably advanced in age. So far this year, the weekly’s
front page has featured artists including The Cure, Blur, Noel Gallagher, The Sex Pistols and Jack White. Lana Del Rey is the only
debut artist to have featured on NME’s cover since the New Year, whilst other front pages have been event-based (NME Awards – again fronted by Gallagher) or feature-based (100 Lost Albums You Have To Hear). Editor Krissi Murison
JACK DANIEL’S: The drinks giant will launch a series of hometown gigs in May called JD Roots. The Horrors, The Cribs (above) and Twin Atlantic will play in Southend, Wakefield and Glasgow respectively. ADELE: The XL-signed singer has overtaken Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms in the list of the UK’s biggest- selling albums of all time. 21 is now in sixth spot, having already surpassed Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon. GREAT ESCAPE: 141 more artists have been added to the festival’s 2012 line-up including The Temper Trap, who make their return to the event after three years, to headline the Brighton Dome. The Jack White- produced The Black Belles have also been added to the bill.
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(pictured) told Music Week that the magazine’s target readership, aged 16-25, were “often as passionate about the music of heritage artists as they are about their favourite contemporary
bands”, adding: “Our January New Bands issue has been one of the biggest-selling issues of the year so far, so we know they're certainly not turning their back on new music either.” NME covers in November
and December last year were also not shy of established and heritage artists. They included Amy Winehouse, Liam Gallagher and The Beatles, whilst The Stone Roses starred twice in October.
Virgin nets F1 partnership
Virgin has signed a partnership between electronic dance act The Japanese Popstars and Caterham F1 Team and it describes it as “a first in the music industry”. The deal will see the band
provide the official soundtrack to Caterham F1 Team’s 2012 season and work with the team on official after-race events. The group’s logo will also
feature on the Caterham F1 team’s car, alongside global brands including Dell, and Intel. “We are delighted that we
have been able to unveil the partnership between The Japanese Popstars and our team,” said Caterham F1 Team head of communications Tom Webb.
“We think it’s probably a first
for F1, showcasing a band on our car and in the content we use to take our fans into the heart of our team. It is down to a good idea being made possible by the commitment and energy of a lot of very good people.” The Japanese Popstars said,
“It’s great to be involved with Caterham F1. To be able to write music for something totally unique as this is equally a pleasure and an honour.”
Krissi Murison “This huge fan appetite for “Our covers include a mixture of new talent and
established acts,” added Murison. “This year, we have peppered the cover run with a few heritage covers and event issues - so far this has included Sex Pistols Never Mind The Bollocks anniversary and 100 Lost Albums You Have To Hear - as these test particularly well with our target audience, who tell us that they are as excited to uncover the incredible stories and music of older artists as they are contemporary and new bands.
heritage artists is also reflected in festival line-ups that have regularly started to include reunion gigs in recent years – e.g. Pulp and The Libertines at Reading and Leeds, Stone Roses and New Order at T In The Park. Our readers tell us that being able to access music from any decade or genre via the internet has opened their horizons to a lot of older music that they might never have had the opportunity to hear previously. “They treat this musical
discovery in exactly the same way they would a brand new artist and come to NME to give them more information and context about the legacy and ongoing influence of these artists today. “With our 60th birthday this
year, we’re committed to delivering NME readers with the best in new music as well as celebrating our unparalleled heritage and authority.”
Trojan goes for Jamaica gold
Trojan Records will put out a range of rare releases over the coming months to celebrate 50 years of Jamaican independence. A different reggae artist or
label will be featured over the next few months in the run up to the 50-year anniversary on August 6. Lee Scratch Perry is the first featured artist with three releases this month. April will see four releases
from the Treasure Isle label: Treasure Isle Presents Rock Steady, Treasure Isle Presents Original Reggae and a limited seven-inch single featuring two previously unissued Ska sides, Easter Bonnet and Feeling Of Love.
Finally, six titles will be
released in May as part of a Classic Island Records Artists theme. They will include Toots and the Maytals’ Pressure Drop, Black Uhuru’s Guess Who’s Coming/Best Of and Steel Pulse’s Prodigal Songs. Best Of collections from
Sly & Robbie, Burning Spear and Aswad will also be released in May. “The themed monthly
releases are just one of a number of exciting initiatives we are rolling out to mark the 50th anniversary of Jamaican Independence this year,” said head of Marketing at Trojan Records Johnny Hudson.
www.musicweek.com
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