BDO Announced
02 October 2009
After days of speculation and misleading leaks, the first batch of bands confirmed for the Big Day Out was released on Tuesday.
Rumoured to be included in the first announcement but left out were David Bowie, Placebo, Massive Attack, Jet, Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, Foals, Josh Pyke, the Dead Weather, Monsters of Folk, Dappled Cities, the Middle East, Philadelphia Grand Jury, Regular John and Former Child Stars.
Fans of these bands can only hold out hope that some of them will be included on the festival’s second announcement. Bowie was always a spurious contender, after spending the last five years in inclusion following his heart attack while on tour in Germany in 2004.
For now, the line-up will be left at Muse, Powderfinger, Lily Allen, Eskimo Joe, Groove Armada, Grinspoon, the Mars Volta, Ladyhawke, Dizzee Rascal, Karnivool, Peaches, The Temper Trap, Kasabian, Midnight Juggernauts, Rise Against, Magic Dirt, Mastodon, Lisa Mitchell, The Horrors, Bluejuice, Calvin Harris, Kisschasy, The Decemberists, Tame Impala and Girl Talk.
Reaction to the line-up has been lukewarm. Apart from a general lack of excitement surrounding the choices, criticisms include its repetition of certain acts that have been on the last three line-ups, such as Dizzee Rascal, Grinspoon, Eskimo Joe, Karnivool and Muse, and its placement of Muse as the headline act, a status that in recent years has been reserved for more iconic acts and nostalgic favourites like Neil Young, the Prodigy, Rage Against the Machine, Tool, Bjork, Iggy Pop and the Beastie Boys.
Tickets to the festival go on sale in the second week of October.
MOREKanye West Fall Out
15 September 2009
It’s almost redundant to report further on Kanye West’s outburst at the MTV Video Music Awards, but the days following his stage-bombing during Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for best female video have yielded further fascinating, if not as sensational, events.
Firstly, West has offered a series of incoherent apologies to Swift, Swift’s mother, and to show business in general. The first was an all-caps tirade of contrition posted to his blog shortly after being ejected from the VMA ceremony, which has since been removed. The full text of the post can be found at the Billboard website, but at its craziest, it read, “Everybody wanna booooo me but I'm a fan of real pop culture!!! No disrespect but we watchin' the show at the crib right now cause...well you know!!!! I'm still happy for Taylor!!!! Boooyaaawwww!!!!”
It has since been replaced with the more modest, but as bizarre, “I feel like Ben Stiller in ‘Meet the Parents when he messed up everything and Robert De Niro asked him to leave... That was Taylor’s moment and I had no right in any way to take it from her. I am truly sorry.” The statement appears above a post about glass sculptures of micro-organisms by British artist Luke Jerram.
His third apology came on the first episode of Jay Leno’s new prime time talk show. West had been scheduled to perform on Leno’s show before the VMAs, but reportedly, in Hugh Grant style, requested some time to discuss his outburst, which has dominated entertainment news since it happened. In the interview, West said that he would take time out of the public to reflect on his future.
Undoubtedly, such a pledge is meant to address the wave of anti-Kanye sentiment pouring out from all manner of celebrities, from Kelly Clarkson to Barack Obama.
So many special reports, tweets and blog posts have been dedicated to the controversy that relatively few people have noticed that rapper Li’l Mama performed a stage invasion of her own, leaping up alongside Jay-Z and Alicia Keys during their show-stopping performance of Empire State of Mind, taken from his Blueprint 3 album.
There have also been some (half-hearted) suggestions that the whole affair was staged.
MORENew Initiatives
03 September 2009
One Movement for Music Perth (OMFM) announces a number of exciting initiatives this week, further developing the reach and huge significance of the event.
Initiatives announced today include Private Industry Showcases presented by Rolling Stone, One Movement Fringe Festival, APRA Cross Cultural Collaboration and some new national artist submission platforms through Nova and Channel [V].
OMFM comes to Perth from 16-18 October at various locations in Perth’s CBD.
PRIVATE INDUSTRY SHOWCASES
Rolling Stone presents the Private Industry Showcases. These showcases are an exciting delegate-only opportunity to experience some great emerging talent up close and personal, hosted by some of the hottest music companies of today.
The Private Industry Showcases will take place at 3 of the CBD’s finest locales (to be revealed soon, and all within walking distance of the host hotels and Festival) and will take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. All you need is your delegate pass to get in.
Full details of the Private Industry Showcases will be revealed in the weeks ahead, but we can let you know that host companies already include Australian heavyweights Dew Process, Inertia, Hub, Albert Music, Street Press Australia and Sunset Events. There are more companies who will each be showcasing their priority acts to industry to be announced shortly.
ONE MOVEMENT FRINGE FESTIVAL
Music careers start at street level. The One Movement Fringe Festival – presented by Healthway – will transform Perth’s west end into music central, with performers presenting their wares from the most creative venues ... right in the heart of Perth’s CBD. With more than 100 performances over 3 days, Perth will truly come alive to the sound of music.
Stages will be set up off King Street and at Cloisters on St Georges Terrace, with many more intimate – and intriguing – spots in between! You literally won’t be able to miss the festive cheer that will come to the streets of Perth for these 3 days in October.
Full details of the One Movement Fringe Festival will be unveiled in the weeks ahead.
APRA CROSS CULTURAL COLLABORATION
In a first-of-its kind and in the spirit of fostering creative development and entering new artistic territory, OMFM announces the APRA Cross Cultural Collaboration.
OMFM has joined with APRA/AMCOS to develop a program that partners Australian and Asian talent for the week leading up to the event … then we stand back and see what greatness unfurls!
We are thrilled to announce Aussie disco beatniks Art Vs Science will team up with Japan’s very own princess of electro pop Tigarah. One can only dream of what potential this partnership has! Stay tuned for the results.
Also, Australia’s very own idiosyncratic troubadour Old Man River will join with Japanese pop rock singer-songwriter KAT, who has forged an impressive career in Japan blending her joint New Zealand and Japanese heritage.
"The Cross Cultural Project provides an outstanding opportunity for Australian and Asian artists to connect, collaborate and create. APRA is strongly committed to supporting events like One Movement for Music that provide Australian songwriters and composers with opportunities to develop their skills, network with their peers and showcase their works" said Sally Howland, APRA’s Director Member Services.
The results of this first-of-its-kind cross cultural song writing collaboration will be debuted to industry and fans alike at the One Movement Showcase Music Festival.
ARTIST SUBMISSION PLATFORMS
The One Movement Showcase Music Festival continues to draw intrigue the world over. 80 acts will unite in songs on the Perth Esplanade for two days, vying for the attention of the music industry and the fans alike.
We are excited to announce 2 new submission platform opportunities for artists wanting to secure their spot on the Festival.
Channel [V] – Channel U is a Channel [V] initiative that allows new bands to submit clips and audiences to vote what clips get aired. In conjunction with OMFM, all clips submitted before end of September will have the chance to play LIVE at the One Movement Showcase Music Festival. This is a great opportunity for any aspiring new artist. Channel [V] will judge the best clip and send the winning band to Perth to showcase their talents. Check out http://www.vmusic.com.au/onemovement for full details.
Nova – In line with Nova’s unsigned support, the network will be selecting one of the September Unsigned feature artists to perform at the One Movement Showcase Music Festival.
Oasis Over?
02 September 2009
Almost fifteen years to the day after their debut album Definitely Maybe was released, Oasis’ guitarist and principal songwriter Noel Gallagher announced on the weekend that he has left the band.
Although Oasis has frequently found itself on the brink of break-up, events last Thursday suggest that if any split was going to stick, it’s this one. After months of mounting tensions, Noel and brother Liam are rumoured to have fought verbally and physically backstage just minutes before a show in Paris, resulting in Noel smashing Liam’s guitar and leaving the venue. Support band Bloc Party were left to tell the crowd that the headline act would not be playing, to a chorus of boos.
Following the concert Noel posted a brief statement to Oasis’ website proclaiming his exit from the band with no details apart from being unable to “go on working with Liam a day longer”, followed by a more complete statement the next day. In the second statement, accessible only by registered members of the website, Noel blames an “intolerable” level of “verbal and violent intimidation towards me, my family, friends and comrades”, presumably from Liam, coupled with a “lack of support and understanding from my management and band mates”.
Despite this spat having a more serious tone than others, there is still some confidence among people close to the brothers and the band that they will reform. The brothers’ mother Peggy Gallagher has been quoted predicting their reunion, and betting websites offer short odds that Oasis will play a show before 2013.
The band’s latest and potentially final album is last year’s Dig Out Your Soul.
MOREJackson Wrap Up
26 August 2009The Los Angeles coroner has declared Michael Jackson’s death a homicide, the Associated Press reported on Monday. An anonymous law enforcement official has said that Jackson was found to have died from a lethal combination of drugs, some of which are may have been obtained and administered illegally.
While a designation of homicide on a person’s death means that it was caused by another person, it does not automatically lead to the laying of criminal charges. However, the AP also reported that the doctor that was with Jackson when he died, Dr Conrad Murray, is the target of a manslaughter probe by the Los Angeles Police Department. A lawyer representing Murray has said that the police affidavit detailing Jackson’s death misrepresents accounts given by the doctor.
The development adds fuel to a week full of Jackson stories. Jackson’s burial has again been delayed, now scheduled to take place on September 3 rather than August 29. No reasons were given for the delay.
Furthermore, over 80,000 tickets to a three hour King of Pop tribute concert to be held on September 26 in Vienna have sold out, despite no acts being named and the price of tickets reaching US$705. Jackson’s brother Jermaine, the concert’s organiser, has said that a line-up of “some of the world’s leading artists”, to be announced at the end of August, will perform Jackson’s hits, without mentioning any confirmed or potential performers. The concert website, which crashed with the volume of ticket-buying traffic, states that no refunds will be given on the basis of “the performance or non-performance of a specific artist”.
Another tribute, the hotly anticipated Jackson film made up footage from his This Is It O2 Arena rehearsals, has secured a short, worldwide theatrical release from October 28. A director’s cut DVD, two special edition DVDs and a soundtrack from the film are also in the works.
Finally, more bizarrely, and less credibly, a man has claimed to have had a romantic relationship with Jackson prior to his death.
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Bleach Revisited
20 August 2009
For the occasion of its 20th anniversary, legendary independent Seattle record label Sub Pop have announced that they will re-release Nirvana’s debut album Bleach on November 3.
The deluxe edition comes with a 48-page booklet (16-page with the vinyl version) and a bonus, unreleased live album titled Live at Pine Street Theatre, recorded at that venue in 1990. Bleach’s original producer Jack Endino oversaw the remastering along with Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic.
The re-release was expected to coincide with its exact release anniversary on June 15, but rumours abound that the band’s perennial legal issues prevented that. Whatever the nature of the delay, it has been resolved soon enough that the reissue may occur during the year of the album’s 20th birthday, if not the month.
Bleach sold 30,000 copies on its release, but following the phenomenal success of Nirvana’s second album Nevermind it went on to achieve platinum sales in the US. It was the band’s only release for Sub Pop before they moved to Geffen Records, and it is one of only two Sub Pop albums to reach platinum sales status – the other being the Flight of the Concords’ self-titled album.
MORERadiohead Revolt
11 August 2009If an interview that Thom Yorke recently conducted with American literary and arts journal The Believer is anything to go by, he thinks the music industry is ready for a shakeup.
In the interview, the Radiohead frontman revealed that Radiohead will not be making any more albums for the foreseeable future and confessed that he believed the CD has had its day.
Yorke says the band plans to release shorter pieces of music direct to fans, such as their recent song Harry Patch (In Memory Of), which is available from their website for £1.00. The song is a tribute to the oldest surviving British World War I veteran, who died on July 25 at the age of 111. Proceeds of the song will go to the Royal British Legion.
The band experimented with circumventing the record industry with 2007’s In Rainbows, their seventh and potentially last studio album, by making it available online almost three months before its hard copy release, for whatever price the consumer wished to pay. An estimated nine million people downloaded In Rainbows, with further estimates saying six million paid an average of £4.00 (roughly US$6.50) for their downloaded copy, making the album more profitable for the band than their previous album, 2003’s Hail to the Thief, before its physical release. The album reached three million CD sales, while the deluxe discbox sold 100,000 copies.
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2nd Round Announcement
11 August 2009
One Movement for Music Perth (OMFM) is shaping up to be one of the most important music events in the Southern Hemisphere this October. A pioneering music industry conference and showcasing event for the Asia Pacific Region, OMFM is proud to unveil the second round of speakers and showcasing artists for this groundbreaking event to be held October 16-18.
This brings the number of global speakers to 46 across two conference streams and the number of showcase acts for the One Movement Showcase Music Festival to 35. And there are still many more to be announced in the weeks ahead.
MUSEXPO ASIA PACIFIC – Held At The Parmelia Hilton Hotel
OMFM is proud to announce some of the music industry’s biggest movers and shakers will be taking the floor for MUSEXPO Asia Pacific at One Movement For Music Perth, including Korda Marshall (President of the UK’s legendary Infectious Records), Jeff Craib (Senior Vice President of Canada’s leading full service agency SL Feldman and Associates), Markus Kühn (Managing Director for Germany’s iconic MotorFM), Vijay Nair (Founder of India’s Only Much Louder) plus many of Australia, Asia and the world’s leading music industry experts.
They join, among others, Diane Warren (international hit-maker extraordinaire and Founder of publisher Real Songs) and Dave Holmes (Coldplay’s worldwide manager and founder of 3D Artist Management) for their first major speaking engagements in the Asia Pacific region, plus many more.
Tackling issues such as the ever-evolving digital industry, the growth of the Asian and Pacific Rim markets, music and visual media plus contemporary publishing, MUSEXPO Asia Pacific is the forum for the leaders of the future. A full program of forums and keynotes will be available in the weeks ahead.
Joining the esteemed list of speakers in this second announcement are:
Korda Marshall (UK - President, Infectious Records), Jeff Craib (Canada - Sr. Vice President, SL Feldman and Associates), Markus Kühn (Germany - MD, MotorFM), Vijay Nair (India - Founder, Only Much Louder), Ed St John (Aust - Chairman, ARIA and President/CEO, Warner Music Australasia), Ian James (Aust – Managing Director, Mushroom Music Publishing), Oum Pradutt (India - Managing Director, Phase1 Events), Jitin Abraham (India - President, 21 Tigers), Carel Hoffman (Sth Africa – Founder, Oppikoppi), Dean Buchanan (Aust - Group Program Director, DMG Radio), Iain Shedden (Aust - Music Writer, The Australian), Tim Prescott (Aust - CEO, Albert Music), Ashley Sellers (Aust - CEO, Inertia) and Myke Brown (Thailand – Manager, Tata Young Management).
THE INDEPENDENT TIMES – Held At The Rydges Hotel
Independent music is today the heartbeat of the music industry. In this essential program, co-presented by the Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR), industry experts will tackle subjects such as potential indie markets in Asia, the changes in media, digital myths, the growth of live music, licensing and more.
Featuring on panels for The Independent Times will be:
Lars Brandle (Aust - writer, Billboard), Steve McClure (Japan – freelance journalist), Jerry Soer (Aust – band manager/blogger), Jerry Francis (Malaysia – DJ and Promoter, Jungle Jerry), Philip Stevens (Aust – Founder Philip Stevens Management/Co-Founder Jarrah Records), Sebastian Chase (Aust – Founder and CEO, MGM Distribution), Ashley Sellers – (Aust - CEO, Inertia), Lawrence English – (Aust – Director, room40), Ken Bieber (Japan – President/CEO, On the One and PonyUp Records), Shin Fukazumi (Japan –A&R, P-Vine Records), Nick Crocker (Aust – Founder, Native Digital), Brett Murrihy (Aust – Senior Booking Agent, The Harbour Agency) and Alexis Kwong Alvarez (Hong Kong - Founder, AMUSE).
ONE MOVEMENT SHOWCASE MUSIC FESTIVAL ARTISTS
As the live music component of the event, the One Movement Showcase Music Festival is unlike any festival the Southern Hemisphere has ever experienced with 80 artists playing unique 30-minute showcase sets, premiering their latest material to industry and fans alike in a full outdoor festival setting over two days at Perth Esplanade.
UK pop sensation Frankmusik, the ever-sensational Sarah Blasko, Australian great Whitley and Singapore superstars Electrico are among the greats that join already announced acts such as Hilltop Hoods, Kate Miller-Heidke, Little Red, Meiko, Blue King Brown and many more.
New artists announced today who will be showcasing new music at the One Movement Showcase Music Festival are:
Frankmusik (UK), Sarah Blasko (Aust), Whitley (Aust), Electrico (Singapore), Miami Horror live (Aust), Art vs Science (Aust), Midnight Youth (NZ), Infusion (Aust), Dan Sultan (Aust), Harlequin League (Aust), John Steel Singers (Aust), Dallas Frasca (Aust), One Buck Short (Malaysia), Sorgente (Germany), Snob Scrilla (Aust), Kill Devil Hills (Aust), Vents (Aust), Felicity Groom & The Black Black Smoke (Aust), Capital City (Aust), Jackson Firebird (Aust), Grand Atlantic (Aust) and 26 (Aust).
MORELedger Modest Mouse Clip
05 August 2009
Another posthumous legacy has entered the music world this week – cracked country rock band Modest Mouse has released the video for King Rat, conceived by deceased Academy Award-winning actor Heath Ledger and realised by artist collective the Masses.
Though known and acclaimed for his acting work, Ledger also pursued an interest in directing. He completed three music videos before his death, two for Australian rapper N’fa and one for blues ‘n’ roots superstar Ben Harper. In 2007 he began planning the King Rat video and finalised its concept, but died in January 2008 before he could complete it. With Modest Mouse singer Isaac Brock’s consent, the Masses completed the video and this week posted it to their website and Modest Mouse’s MySpace.
The video is an animated, paper-mation critique of illegal commercial whale hunts that occur off the coast of Australia every year. Proceeds from the first month of iTunes sales of the video will be donated to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a non-profit organisation dedicated to preserving ocean life and habitats.
The story has renewed interest in a video that Ledger created for Nick Drake’s song Black Eyed Dog, named after Winston Churchill’s description of depression. Disturbingly, the song is said to be the last song Drake wrote before overdosing on anti-depressants in 1974 at the age of 26 and the video, which has screened at festivals and Nick Drake exhibits but is not widely available, stars Ledger and finishes with him drowning in a bath.
MOREBeastie Boy Cancer
21 July 2009
In a video announcement posted on the Beastie Boys website on Monday morning, founding member Adam “MCA” Yauch revealed that he has been diagnosed with salivary gland cancer.
In the video Yauch gives a surprisingly frank, even jovial account of his cancer in a recording studio with fellow Beastie Boys founder Adam Horowitz by his side. He states that the cancer is in his salivary gland and lymph node in his neck, but has not spread elsewhere. He also states that the cancer does not affect his voice and that in most cases it “is very treatable ” and “people don’t have continuing problems” with it. In fact, he seems more upset in the video about having to cancel the band’s upcoming shows at several large festivals, including Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits.
Yauch will undergo surgery immediately to remove the cancer, and will undergo radiotherapy afterwards. Chemotherapy is not currently planned. Salivary gland cancer is rare, occurring at a rate of about three in every 100,000 people, and is most treatable when the tumour occurs in a large salivary gland, like the parotid gland where Yauch’s is located.
The release of the band’s eighth album Hot Sauce Committee Part 1, originally slated for a September 17 release, has been halted. Its release will depend on the success of Yauch’s treatment.
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