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CMU is the Complete Music Update, the biggest news provider to the UK music business, covering industry, media and artist stories, big name, alternative and new talent, and with a passion for all music genres.
Top StoriesDonna Summer dies
18 May 2012. Last updated: 11:56AM
Disco queen Donna Summer died in Florida yesterday after losing a battle with cancer, she was 63. Confirming the singer’s death, a statement from her family read: “Early this morning, surrounded by family, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith. While we grieve her passing, we are[Click for full details]
read moreTenenbaum lawyer requests Supreme Court hearing
18 May 2012. Last updated: 11:52AM
And so the Joel Tenenbaum story continues, as lawyers for the file-sharing student seek a US Supreme Court hearing in their ongoing bid to quash the mega-damages their client has been ordered to pay the American record companies for illegally accessing a few tracks via Kazaa back in 2004. But first, the customary recap. Joel[Click for full details]
read moreThe Pirate Bay hit by DDoS attack
17 May 2012. Last updated: 11:02AM
The Pirate Bay was inaccessible for many for much of yesterday, but not because British ISPs were in the process of erecting blockades to stop their customers from reaching the controversial file-sharing site (although they are), rather the Swedish file-sharing search service was the victim of one of those Distributed Denial Of Service attacks usually[Click for full details]
read moreFinnish ruling on illegal file-sharing over third party wi-fi may have effects across Europe
16 May 2012. Last updated: 10:54AM
One of the more interesting questions raised by any anti-piracy three-strikes system, whereby internet service providers can be forced to send warning letters to suspected file-sharers of unlicensed content, and to then reduce the net connection of any such file-sharing customers who ignore the warnings (either to slower speeds or to full disconnection of service),[Click for full details]
read morePirate Bay founder takes case to European Court Of Human Rights
15 May 2012. Last updated: 11:12AM
So, with those pesky jail sentences now hanging over the founders of The Pirate Bay in their home country of Sweden, two of the three creators of the always controversial file-sharing search service are trying very different approaches to avoid prison. According to Torrentfreak, legal reps for Fredrik Neij are ready to fight the Swedish[Click for full details]
read moreMP3tunes files for bankruptcy, EMI vows to fight on
14 May 2012. Last updated: 12:19PM
One of the early music-focused digital locker services, MP3tunes.com, has filed for bankruptcy, its founder, Michael Robertson, has confirmed. The announcement brings to an end the latest venture from Robertson who, as the creator of the original MP3.com, has been innovating in digital music for years, though usually in a way that aggravates the big[Click for full details]
read moreUniversal’s EMI bid to be considered in US Senate
14 May 2012. Last updated: 12:17PM
More EMI, and a committee in the US Senate will consider Universal Music’s proposed acquisition of the EMI record companies, according to the Wall Street Journal. As previously reported, two lobby groups, Public Knowledge and the Consumer Federation Of America, recently called on the Senate judiciary committee’s antitrust panel to give time to considering the[Click for full details]
read moreThe Great Escape 2012: How to get noticed as a DIY artist
11 May 2012. Last updated: 10:57AM
One of the main strands of the first day of the CMU-programmed Great Escape convention, which kicked off in Brighton yesterday, was a series of panels looking at the DIY approach and offering advice to artists looking to manage their careers themselves, both creatively and commercially. The second session of the day saw PR company[Click for full details]
read moreThe Great Escape 2012: Record labels v self-releasing
11 May 2012. Last updated: 10:55AM
As part of the stand of sessions giving advice for artists considering going the DIY route on the first day of the CMU-programmed Great Escape convention, which kicked off in Brighton yesterday, the founders of four independent labels gave an insight into what goes into running an independent record label, and what they can offer[Click for full details]
read moreLive Nation buys a slice of Cream
10 May 2012. Last updated: 09:43AM
Live music major Live Nation has acquired a slice of Cream Holdings Limited, the company behind the Creamfields festivals and other Cream-branded clubbing and dance music ventures. Live Nation has bought the stake in the clubbing firm previously owned by entertainment investment outfit Ingenious, which recently announced that its involvement in growing the profitable company[Click for full details]
read more In The Pop CourtsFinnish ruling on illegal file-sharing over third party wi-fi may have effects across Europe
16 May 2012. Last updated: 10:54AM
One of the more interesting questions raised by any anti-piracy three-strikes system, whereby internet service providers can be forced to send warning letters to suspected file-sharers of unlicensed content, and to then reduce the net connection of any such file-sharing customers who ignore the warnings (either to slower speeds or to full disconnection of service),[Click for full details]
read moreJackson v AEG lawsuit unlikely to reach court until next spring
16 May 2012. Last updated: 10:50AM
Katherine Jackson’s lawsuit against AEG Live regards its employment of Conrad Murray as her son’s personal doctor will now not reach court until next April, after lawyers for the live firm said they needed more time to prepare. As previously reported, AEG’s attorneys had already said they were struggling to get all the information they[Click for full details]
read moreBret Michaels settles with Tonys
16 May 2012. Last updated: 10:49AM
American rocker Bret Michaels has reached an out of court settlement with the organisers of the Tony Awards, in relation to an incident at the 2009 edition of the event. As previously reported, the Poison frontman was knocked on the head by moving scenery as he left the stage after performing at the 2009 Tonys[Click for full details]
read moreDef Jam game maker says EMI lawsuit may put him out of business
16 May 2012. Last updated: 10:47AM
While MP3 resale service Redigi insists it has the resources required to fight EMI in court after the major sued the digital start-up claiming its business model infringes copyright, another company facing litigation from the record company reckons EMI’s legal action could push it out of business. As previously reported, EMI is suing gaming companies[Click for full details]
read morePirate Bay founder takes case to European Court Of Human Rights
15 May 2012. Last updated: 11:12AM
So, with those pesky jail sentences now hanging over the founders of The Pirate Bay in their home country of Sweden, two of the three creators of the always controversial file-sharing search service are trying very different approaches to avoid prison. According to Torrentfreak, legal reps for Fredrik Neij are ready to fight the Swedish[Click for full details]
read moreLil Wayne starts to settle Tha Carter III disputes
15 May 2012. Last updated: 11:09AM
Lil Wayne has settled two of the four (by our maths) lawsuits that stemmed from his 2008 album ‘Tha Carter III’. First up, TMZ is reporting that Wayne’s legal reps have just settled with producer and songwriter David Kirkwood, who sued last June claiming he was owed $1.5 million for royalties and “production services” in[Click for full details]
read moreMan accused of killing Jennifer Hudson’s family members found guilty
14 May 2012. Last updated: 12:14PM
William Balfour was found guilty on Friday of killing three family members of singer and actress Jennifer Hudson back in 2008. As previously reported, Balfour, who had been married to Hudson’s sister Julia, shot dead the singer’s mother Darnell Donerson and brother Jason, seemingly after seeing balloons outside the Hudson family home, and believing them[Click for full details]
read moreWonder nephew arrested over extortion charges
14 May 2012. Last updated: 12:13PM
A nephew of Stevie Wonder has been arrested and charged over allegations he tried to extort money out of his celebrity uncle. According to reports, Alpha Lorenzo Walker and another man were arrested earlier this month, with LA prosecutors confirming basic details about the charges on Friday. According to TMZ, Walker demanded $5 million from[Click for full details]
read moreThriller girl settles with Jackson estate
14 May 2012. Last updated: 12:12PM
The estate of Michael Jackson have settled with the former Playboy model who appeared in the iconic video for ‘Thriller’. Ola Ray sued Jackson shortly before his untimely death in 2009 claiming she was owed royalties from the monies generated by the pop promo. It’s not clear what kind of pay off Ray has now[Click for full details]
read moreMegaUpload reps want civil cases postponed
14 May 2012. Last updated: 12:11PM
Legal reps for MegaUpload and its founder Kim ‘Dotcom’ Schmitz have asked the US courts to postpone civil lawsuits filed against their clients, pending the criminal case against the now shutdown file-transfer platform. Lawyer Ira Rothken said that the previously reported civil cases already filed against the MegaUpload enterprise, by smaller rights owners Microhits and[Click for full details]
read more Pop PoliticsJay-Z has no problem with gay marriage
16 May 2012. Last updated: 10:46AM
It seems fairly ridiculous to me that there is any debate about who can get married to who. If people want to marry each other, why would you stop them? Really, it’s just a contract that says they can have each other’s stuff, isn’t it? And that they won’t be dicks to each other. And[Click for full details]
read moreLady Gaga denied Indonesian visa
16 May 2012. Last updated: 10:45AM
Lady Gaga has been refused a working visa to perform in Indonesia, after protesters there threatened to cause “chaos” outside a planned Gaga concert, a spokesman for the country’s national police, Saud Usman Nasution, has told Reuters. The show was due to take place in Jakarta on 3 Jun and is the second on the[Click for full details]
read moreProtests planned at Lady Gaga show in Indonesia
10 May 2012. Last updated: 09:38AM
Lady Gaga’s upcoming show in Indonesia is due to become the latest attract protests. The opening show of the singer’s latest world tour in Seoul, South Korea went ahead while a demonstration took place outside, and now campaigners are calling on her to cancel her planned performance in the Indonesian capital Jakarta next month. Speaking[Click for full details]
read moreUS Attorney doesn’t want to help “innocent” Mega users
04 Apr 2012. Last updated: 11:39AM
Neil MacBride, the US Attorney for the Eastern District Of Virginia, has a message for anyone who lost personal data when his office swooped on the MegaUpload operation in January: “Fuck you, I’m a fucking US Attorney and I can do whatever I fucking like”. Well, I’m paraphrasing slightly, but that’s certainly the sentiment expressed[Click for full details]
read morePlan B defends new video, calls for more discussion of riots
13 Mar 2012. Last updated: 11:48AM
Plan B has defended the depiction of violence in the video for his new single ‘ill Manors’. The first track released from the soundtrack of his new film project of the same name, which sees him return to rap after his foray into soul, the video shows staged violent scenes intercut with footage of last[Click for full details]
read moreLivingstone supports Ministry as Boris reconsiders planning application
06 Feb 2012. Last updated: 12:00PM
With the London mayoral election now just three months away, Ministry Of Sound is hoping support from Labour hopeful Ken Livingstone will make incumbent Boris Johnson wary of meddling in a planning decision that, the club’s operators claim, could put the club out of business if altered. As previously reported, Ministry last October succeeded in[Click for full details]
read moreMick Jagger pulls out of Davos summit
26 Jan 2012. Last updated: 11:21AM
Mick Jagger has pulled out of an event at this year’s annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland after accusing David Cameron of attempting to use him as a “political football”. Jagger was due to appear at an event hosted by Cameron intended to promote Britain. Other public figures involved include inventor[Click for full details]
read moreThom Yorke and Jay-Z discuss Occupy movement
12 Dec 2011. Last updated: 12:04PM
A video interview featuring Thom Yorke and Massive Attack’s 3D talking about the international Occupy movement and has been released online. Thom, 3D and one time UNKLE producer and DFA Records co-founder Tim Goldsworthy last week surprised Occupy London activists with secret DJ sets, appearing in the basement of a disused UBS building that has[Click for full details]
read moreKorean pop phenomenon breaks career for military service
12 Oct 2011. Last updated: 11:38AM
South Korean pop singer Rain, once dubbed the “Justin Timberlake of Asia” (when that meant “really big pop star” and not “sometime actor trying to rescue a dying social network”) has stepped back from his music career to go and do two years military service. Hundreds of tearful fans, some from Japan and China, watched[Click for full details]
read moreEuropean Parliament coalition adopts Pirate Party copyright policies
10 Oct 2011. Last updated: 11:44AM
According to The Pirate Party, the Greens/European Free Alliance, a coalition of political groups in the European Parliament, have adopted their policies on copyright issues. The Swedish branch of The Pirate Party, which advocates radical reform of copyright law, won two seats in the European Parliament in 2009, and those MEPs subsequently allied with the[Click for full details]
read more Artist Deals In The StudioMy Chemical Romance “a month away” from recording new LP
17 May 2012. Last updated: 10:46AM
My Chemical Romance are soon to begin recording sessions for an as-yet untitled fifth album, as will form the band’s first full-length since 2010′s ‘Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys’. Speaking in this interview with The Aquarian, MCR guitarist Frank Iero said: “It’s going really well, actually. I’m really excited. I can’t[Click for full details]
read moreDrake and Lil B may be doing “something real big”
16 May 2012. Last updated: 10:36AM
So, rumour has it that ‘based’ rapper Lil B has collaborated/is collaborating/will collaborate with R&B lothario Drake on “something real big”. Buzz around the prospective partnership began with a tweet from the former, who (presumably) was quoting Drake when he wrote: “I want to work with ‘THE BASEDGOD’ again, he is the only one, I[Click for full details]
read moreLittle Boots “putting finishing touches” to new LP
16 May 2012. Last updated: 10:35AM
Despite alt pop character Little Boots releasing a new single in the form of the James Ford-produced ‘Shake’ last November, there’s been no sign yet of an album to go with it. That is, there wasn’t until Ms Boots – real name Victoria Hesketh – gave an interview in the current issue of Q Magazine,[Click for full details]
read moreAC/DC album update: There is no album
15 May 2012. Last updated: 11:04AM
AC/DC’s next album, the follow-up to 2008′s ‘Black Ice’, is not on the way any time soon. This news comes despite previous claims by frontman Brian Johnson that fans could expect new material within a year. Speaking to Classic Rock, guitarist Malcolm Young said: “You know what Brian’s like. He just says things and then[Click for full details]
read moreFrankmusik debuts new demo
10 May 2012. Last updated: 09:31AM
Having decided, once and for all, that Frankmusik is the moniker for him, the pop artist momentarily known as Vincent Did It has added new demo ‘One Mile’ to his SoundCloud page. It’s the third in a line of other such tracks that may potentially feature on singer/producer Vincent Frank’s new LP, which will mark[Click for full details]
read moreNo Doubt share studio clip
09 May 2012. Last updated: 10:56AM
So, Gwen Stefani et al of a reformed No Doubt have posted a video featuring studio sessions for their untitled new album. It depicts the group, who ceased to record LPs after the release of 2001′s ‘Rock Steady’, taping instrumental and vocal parts for forthcoming single ‘Push & Shove’. Produced by Major Lazer’s Switch and[Click for full details]
read moreChris Martin “quite an influence” on new Tinie Tempah album
04 May 2012. Last updated: 11:43AM
Tinie Tempah has said that Coldplay’s Chris Martin has had “quite an influence” on the recording of his second album. Saying that various people have “listened to something or even mentored” him on the direction of his second longplayer, Tempah told NME: “Chris Martin has been quite an influence on this album. It’s definitely a[Click for full details]
read moreSlipknot will record new album next year
04 May 2012. Last updated: 11:40AM
Slipknot will begin work on their fifth album, the follow-up to 2008′s ‘All Hope Is Gone’, next year, the band’s DJ Sid Wilson has told NME. Plans to record were put on hold after the death of bassist Paul Gray in 2010, and for a time there was some dispute amongst band members about the[Click for full details]
read moreDepeche Mode discuss new album, may tour next year
04 May 2012. Last updated: 11:37AM
Having just released Vince Clark collaboration ‘SSSS’ via his techno side venture VCMG, it seems Martin Gore has now redirected his sights to a brand new Depeche Mode album. Updating Spin as to the tbc long player, which will mark the band’s thirteenth studio suite to date, he said: “We’ve probably got 20 songs demoed.[Click for full details]
read moreCheryl Cole drafts Lana Del Rey
02 May 2012. Last updated: 10:40AM
Cheryl Cole has drafted in Lana Del Rey for a track on her new album. Not because she’s quite popular at the moment (which, despite what all you backlashers might say, she is), but because Chezza heard her ages before you did. In fact Cheryl had her early techno white labels and everything. Cole told[Click for full details]
read more Release NewsThe Big Pink give away King Krule, Araabmuzik remixes
18 May 2012. Last updated: 11:44AM
In addition to announcing a set of North American tour dates and Euro festival bookings, The Big Pink are giving away a five-track remix EP featuring alternative versions of tracks from their second album, ‘Stay Gold’. King Krule and Hippos In Tanks signing d’Eon take mix responsibilities for ‘Hit The Ground (Superman)’ and ’77′ respectively,[Click for full details]
read moreJohn Maus releasing rarities compilation
18 May 2012. Last updated: 11:42AM
Synth-wave maestro John Maus is releasing a collection of rarities and previously unreleased material entitled… well, just that. Dating back to 2003, several of its sixteen tracks have already been heard as part of various compilations. The CMU approved ‘No Title (Molly)’ – as appears on Domino’s previously reported Record Store Day flexi-disc thing ‘Smugglers[Click for full details]
read moreSummer Camp announce EP
18 May 2012. Last updated: 11:40AM
Alt-pop’s premier ‘it’ couple Elizabeth Sankey and Jeremy Warmsley, aka Summer Camp, are to release a new EP entitled ‘Always’. Out via Moshi Moshi/Apricot Recording Company on 9 Jul, you can preview part of it via this SoundCloud stream of Donna Summer-ish disco hustle ‘Life’, which might just be the absolute best thing Summer Camp[Click for full details]
read moreR Kelly announces new album
17 May 2012. Last updated: 10:44AM
He may not have been doing much singing in any strip clubs lately, but R Kelly has seemingly been doing some singing in the studio. I can’t think of any other explanation for how he’s managed to record a whole new album. The singer has revealed that he will release his eleventh studio LP, entitled[Click for full details]
read moreDirty Projectors detail new album
17 May 2012. Last updated: 10:43AM
Last heard lending vocalist Amber Coffman to Major Lazer’s ‘Get Free’, Dirty Projectors have attached various vital details to their forthcoming LP, ‘Swing Lo Magellan’, which is to be released via Domino on 9 Jul. Firstly, the tracklisting: Offspring Are Blank About to Die Gun Has No Trigger Swing Lo Magellan Just From Chevron Dance[Click for full details]
read moreFlying Lotus sets back LP release
17 May 2012. Last updated: 10:40AM
Electronica artist Flying Lotus has delayed the release of his new record, ‘Until The Quiet Comes’, as was originally intended for a summertime issue, to October this year. October, “or some shit”. We know all this to be fact because of remarks the LA-based producer made to crowds during his festival set at Sónar São[Click for full details]
read moreLaurel Halo streams album
17 May 2012. Last updated: 10:37AM
Laurel Halo has made her debut album, ‘Quarantine’, available to stream ahead of it release via Hyperdub on 28 May. As previously reported, Halo’s King Felix alter-ego has also been busy of late, releasing the ‘Spring’ EP back in March via Mute sub-label Liberation Technologies. Now, let’s all get on with listening to this new[Click for full details]
read moreSigur Rós to stream album one time zone at a time ahead of release
15 May 2012. Last updated: 11:03AM
Sigur Rós have announced that they will stream their latest album, ‘Valtari’, a week and a half ahead of its release. However, there’s a catch. You’ll need to be in front of your computer at the right time to hear it. The record will be streamed once at 7pm in each time zone around the world[Click for full details]
read moreGold Panda shares new single
15 May 2012. Last updated: 11:01AM
Electronic artist Gold Panda, real name Derwin Schlecker, has previewed both sides of his new single, ‘Mountain’/'Financial District’, which he’ll self-release as a seven-inch via his own label NOTOWN on 11 Jun. A concept piece of sorts, Schlecker says the two tracks are a “short story” of the “modern hip hop” genre. He also says:[Click for full details]
read moreJulia Holter, Ariel Pink feature on Human Ear compilation
15 May 2012. Last updated: 10:59AM
Julia Holter, Ariel Pink and Nite Jewel are amongst the artists featured on a new archive mix compiled by Human Ear Music, a ‘curatorial’ collective based between LA and Berlin. Comprising a set of eighteen live recordings made between 2006-2010, the collection hasn’t yet been given a release date. You can nonetheless sample the whole[Click for full details]
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