02 MusicWeek 03.08.11 NEWS EDITORIAL
Parlophone: just fun and Games?
IT WAS bucolic anarchy. Beautiful pandemonium. Organised chaos. Danny Boyle’s jubilant retelling of Great Britain’s his/her-story at the Olympic Opening Ceremony last Friday was captivating, awe-inspiring and, in a most idiosyncratic manner, something to feel very proud about. This patriotically oxymoronic funfair consistently screamed out reminders of the astonishing musical highs of the British Isles throughout the centuries; music which, like the ceremony it soundtracked, grabbed the world’s attention through its electric spirit, its outright oddity and its downright brilliance. This was not a playlist soullessly curated to emptily fluff bureaucrats or to merely celebrate the Brit School; it came from Boyle’s heart - and the nation’s shared adoration. No mechanical waving of the Union Jack; no melismatic look-at-me cheerleading. Just Sir Hubert Parry, Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Ginger One From Two Door Cinema Club smashing it in a field. Yep, that’ll do us. Interesting that this celebration of world-beating British music should arrive on the same day that the EC forced
“Interesting that the Opening Ceremony should arrive on the day that the EC forces UMG into potentially breaking up a Brit music instituation”
Universal’s hand into potentially breaking up one of the UK’s most successful homes of glorious pop music. Under plans agreed with a demanding Commission,
Universal’s £1.2bn takeover of EMI must now come at a eyebrow- raising price: Parlophone will not be controlled by UMG in the UK, but the highest bidder. Although the world’s biggest major label will keep worldwide
rights to the Beatles, an act like Coldplay, for example, could find itself marketed, A&R’d, promoted and managed by different companies in different territories around the world. Bonkers, as Dizzee charismatically put it last Friday. The EC has forced Universal’s hand into doing what it feels is
best for the European music market, but appears to have completely forgotten that the assets its is clumsily apportioning are people and moreover, stars. As we print week-in-week out – and Universal itself has argued – artists themselves are sniffing around the rights table like never before. This looks suspiciously like a catalyst for some big name ‘going it alone’ action to me. In punishing Lucian Grainge, is the EC also setting up a further stomach-punch for the once-comfortable business of being a major label? Despite these harsh conditions, Grainge could soon own the house of both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. If the future is uncertain, at least he’s got the past sewn up. But sacrificing Pink Floyd? I almost feel sorry for him for that. Talking of feeling sorry: Patrick Zelnik. The man who seemed
to mutinously break ranks with IMPALA’s party line over a self- interest in Virgin Records suddenly finds no Virgin on offer and, no doubt, an icy atmosphere at IMPALA HQ. Don’t expect his counter-submission to the EC over the next
few weeks sound any where near as sweet as Mr. Boyle’s triumphant Olympic soundtrack.
Tim Ingham, Editor Do you have views on this column? Feel free to comment by emailing
tim.ingham@
intentmedia.co.uk
SALES BY TIM INGHAM
A
cts who played live at the Olympic Opening Ceremony have enjoyed
a significant uplift in album and singles sales since they performed last Friday (July 27). Over 86,000 unit sales across albums and singles have been clocked up by the artists, who include Arctic Monkeys, Mike Oldfield, Dizzee Rascal and Emeli Sande. Labels will be slightly cursing the timing of the event, as it meant any increase in sales over the following week was split between two Official charts. The biggest winners so far
have included Mike Oldfield, who played both Tubular Bells and In Dulci Jubilo live at the event. His Very Best Of album Two
Sides had shifted 2,649 units this week at the time of Tuesday’s midweek data from the Official Charts Company, putting it at No.6 and in contention for a Top 10 placing this Sunday. When Music Week asked the star if he was hoping for a long- term resurgence in interest in his work, Oldfield said: “Yes of course, and I hope that this new interest will inspire a young generation of musicians to push the boundaries of what is possible with instrumental rock music and the playing of real instruments. I was enormously honored and privileged to play the Opening Ceremony, and I am so thankful that I had the chance to work with Danny Boyle and his wonderful team.” Other big winners include the
Arctic Monkeys, whose Whatever People Say I Am (That’s What I’m Not) album sold 1,367 copies last week before Sunday. It had already jumped to No.23 on the Tuesday midweeks after 1,205 early week sales. Meanwhile, the band’s cover of
OVER 86,000 SALES FOR OPENING CEREMONY ACTS Olympic Bonanza hits UK charts
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The Beatles’ Come Together - which they played near the end of the ceremony - was also doing well, up to No.18 on the midweeks from No.67, with 5,113 early week sales recorded by Tuesday. The Monkeys’ I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor was up to No.37 on Tuesday with 2,314 sales already this week. Underworld’s Caliban’s
Dream, sung by Alex Trimble, was at No.5 on Tuesday’s midweeks, having sold 9,289 by end of play on Monday. The song, which soundtracked the entrance of the Olympic torch into the stadium, sold 3,389 copies on Friday and Saturday to land at No.69 on last Sunday’s chart. The Universal/LOGOG- issued soundtrack album Isles Of
Wonder had sold 12,748 copies this week by the Tuesday midweeks, putting it at No.2 on the compilation chart behind Now! 82. It sold 10,498 ahead of the last Official chart on Sunday. Dizzee Rascal’s Bonkers was
up from No.80 to No.49 on Tuesday’s Midweek on 1,832 early week sales. Emeli Sande’s rendition of
Abide With Me had leapt up from No.180 to No.32 on Tuesday’s midweeks, selling 2,759 copies in the early part of this week. Her album Our Version Of Events was also enjoying a boost, up from No.8 to No.4 on 3,752 early week sales. The London 2012 opening
ceremony drew a peak UK TV audience of 26.9m.
A REAL TURN UP FOR FRANK’S BOOKS Singer/songwriter Frank Turner played three songs during the televised prelude to the opening ceremony. Turner, whose last four albums are signed to indie Xtra Mile and released through PIAS, has seen single I Still Believe sell 2,945 copies this week, up to No.30 from No.97 on the Midweeks. The song also sold 2,366 copies last week – the vast majority of which came post-Olympics Ceremony. His latest album, England Keep My Bones was up to
No.23 from No.85 on the Tuesday midweeks with 1,205 sales by end of play Monday. PIAS UK MD Peter Thompson told Music Week: “Frank’s
a great artist and a populist artist, and that shone through at the Ceremony. This has refereshed a campaign which was naturally nearing its end. I Still Believe has now landed on Absolute Radio’s B- List, whilst PIAS are promoting new single If I Ever Stray ahead of a repackaged version of England Keep My Bones, released September 3. PIAS has also ramped up marketing, including radio ads on Absolute and TalkSport plus outdoor postering and digital advertising via Google.
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