25 years ago...
TOP STORY
FRENCH DRESSING French media conglomerate Vivendi signalled it was just “weeks away” from pulling off a $40 billion takeover of Universal Music Group’s parent Seagram. Both sides publicly admitted they were in discussions about a merger, which would help them provide a counterbalance to the proposed merger of Time Warner and America Online. “We are betting a lot on the internet and the importance of music in its development,” said one Vivendi executive. “People are saying, ‘Are you crazy?’ because there is a lot of piracy. But for us, new technologies will play a greater role in the distribution of music and we need the content.” The deal was completed in December 2000, creating Vivendi Universal.
FOR THE RECORD The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) stepped up its
campaign against Napster, filing a temporary injunction to shut down the notorious file-sharing service ahead of a full lawsuit hearing. The move followed an RIAA survey of 500 Napster users in which 13.6% said they had purchased fewer CDs or produced their own since they began using Napster. The RIAA also claimed that 87% of the 24 million files accessible through Napster infringed its members’ copyright. Although Napster shut down in its original guise in 2001, its impact can still be felt today.
BUILT TO LAST? The eyes of the industry were on the release of Last One Standing, the
debut single by Girl Thing. BMG A&R consultant Simon Cowell, who put the project together, said it was the most pressure he had ever felt to achieve a high chart position. “I’m in no doubt that many people at other companies are hoping that this record will under-perform, but I’m confident in the group and the song,” said Cowell. The track became Girl Thing’s sole UK Top 10 hit, peaking at No.8, while Cowell himself was just a year away from finding TV fame as a judge on Pop Idol.
Also inside… The European Commission opened a full investigation into the proposed Warner EMI Music group merger… Singers Lulu and Lonnie Donegan were given awards in the Queen’s Birthday Honours… Festival ticket sales were on the rise after two years of decline… Reef were set to tour schools to promote their latest single… Black Legend’s version of Barry White’s You See The Trouble With Me was the top single, while S Club 7 were at the albums peak with 7…
15 years ago... Kylie Minogue and team previewed her Aphrodite LP... New figures suggested the festival market was contributing more than £1 billion a year to the British economy… La Roux were tipped for big things after breaching the US Top 10 with single Bulletproof… The BPI agreed a partnership with Westminster Council to help local creative industries… Impala pressed EU officials to take a lead on piracy measures… David Guetta & Chris Willis’ Gettin’ Over You was the top single, with Jack Johnson’s To The Sea at albums No.1…
30 years ago...
One Little Indian (now One Little Independent) deleted and re-pressed its Björk album Post after just an hour on sale following a row over a sample… BBC Radio 1 extended Chris Evans’ contract… Granada secured a £5 million deal to screen Apple’s long-awaited Beatles Anthology series on ITV… Robson & Jerome had the No.1 single with Unchained Melody/White Cliffs Of Dover, while in the week his giant sculpture floated down the Thames, Michael Jackson’s HIStory – Past, Present And Future, Book 1 topped the albums tree…
musicweek.com Music Week | 85
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