MTV Blackmails European Independents

MTV Networks Europe will stop playing videos from European independent record labels on 31 March if they don't agree to a reduction in royalty payments of more than 55%.

The sector collectively accounts for 22% of the European music market and 7% of the world music market, worth $2.5 bn in 2002.

The dispute includes companies across Europe including Beggars Group, Telstar, Ministry of Sound, PIAS, Rough Trade, Naďve, Wagram, !K7, Domino, XL Recordings, Independiente, Ninja Tune, Edel, and Warp.

Artists signed to these record companies include: Travis, Craig David, Prodigy, Dizzee Rascal, Basement Jaxx, Feeder, Franz Ferdinand, Carla Bruni, Mis-Teeq, So Solid Crew, Feeder, Lemon Jelly, The Rasmus, Corneille, The White Stripes, The Strokes, Badly Drawn Boy, The Libertines, Moloko, Coldcut

The Association of Independent Music (AIM) and IMPALA (European Independent Music Companies Association) are holding a press conference on behalf of the UK and European independent record sectors.

The independents will make an important announcement regarding the dispute, in an open letter to MTV Networks Europe which will be made available.

They will also discuss the value of music in the modern, multi-platform world, and the benefits to broadcasters and third parties of acquiring their rights collectively.

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Crissy Cummings's "Whole Lotta Life" Receives Overseas Airplay

"Whole Lotta Life" by Angela Kaset, Amy Dalley, and Lee Miller was produced in Nashville by Mark Oliverius and is doing very well in the country charts overseas.

The new edition of HOT COUNTRY NEWS - a digest of the latest news from the country music world (edited by broadcaster and journalist Stuart Cameron from a European perspective) has it as #12 and has added it to it's list of the Top 30 Most Popular Songs released on the CHi Hotdisc promotional CD. Each week DJs and media people who receive the Hotdisc send back their reaction sheets where they are given the chance to rate every song from 10pts to zero. This chart records the songs with the highest ratings.

"Whole Lotta Life" on Digital Satellite

Crissy's song "Whole Lotta Life" has been added to the playlist for the next radio show for HOT COUNTRY NEWS Radio and will air on Friday 19th March at 9pm on Radio Caroline, which is available on the Sky TV Digital Satellite. The show features the latest country music and songs by major and independent acts from the UK and Overseas

"Whole Lotta Life" # 40 on the Texas charts

"Whole Lotta Life" is receiving airplay in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and elsewhere in the mid southwest region. We're happy to report that the song is rapidly climbing the country music charts.

Jolly Roger Management Looking For Interns

Jolly Roger Management is looking for smart, energetic, and ambitious interns for their main client, singer/songwriter Joe Condiracci. If you like live music, and you like hanging with a band, and you want to help them grow, this is for you... Looking for intern(s) to find creative ways to get people to hear his music, get people to his shows, post show listings, run internet radio campaign, and so much more. Must be computer savvy and good with people and phones. Ideal person(s) would be 21 or older so they can get into the venues, but if you're younger and you're ambitious, we'll find a way to make it work. We need a real go getter. Doesn't pay, but you get perks and college credit. Free CDs, get into shows for free, and a ton of experience in the music business.

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Intern Wanted: Gain Real Experience That Will Last Music Industry Changes

GURU PROJECT will give you lasting experience you need to survive this dynamic music market trend and assure the right qualifications for post graduate career opportunities.

GURU PROJECT is looking for interns to help run day to day management of operations and expand our business. Some tasks include but are certainly not limited to:
* Industry and contact research via phone and internet.
* Database management
* Assisting in various aspects of multiple production processes (video and music)
* Assist in promotional initiatives: seminars, events, artist showcases and concerts.

Intern Qualifications:
* Junior in College or higher.
* Someone who understands and has own philosophy on the state of the industry and where it's going.
* Interested and passionate about music in general and current trends.
* Intern must be flexible to handle the most tedious minute task, but still be able to handle more complex projects when the time calls for it.
* Must be articulate and be able to think on his/her feet when approaching industry contacts. B2B Phone experience is useful.
* Must be mature and respectful of relationships in the industry.
* Computer and Internet savvy. Should have good knowledge of cutting edge websites and reliable Internet sources.
* Detail oriented when assisting in production.

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Eagle Rock Entertainment Presents Celebrity Mole Hawaii - 3-DVD Box Set

The hit series Celebrity Mole returned to television this month with Celebrity Mole Yucatan, which began its seven-week run January 7, 2004 and will air Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on ABC. Prompted by the immense popularity of last year's Celebrity Mole Hawaii, which drew top ratings amongst the coveted 18-34 demographic, Celebrity Mole Yucatan returns with Emmy-award winning sportscaster, Ahmad Rashad, as host.

Once again, seven celebrities compete for a pot of up to $250,000 while The Mole, planted by the producers, undermines their efforts. For those fans who find themselves craving even more Mole after this season's finale has aired, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release all six episodes of Celebrity Mole Hawaii on DVD this March. Included in this 3-disc package are six 45-minute episodes, along with some of the most outlandish outtakes and bonus features that did not make it past the cutting room floorŠuntil now! Celebrity Mole Hawaii will be available as a 3 DVD box set on March 23, 2004 for $29.98.

Celebrity Mole Hawaii features Stephen Baldwin (Usual Suspects, One Good Cop), Corbin Bernsen (L.A. Law, Major League), Michael Boatman (Spin City, Arli$$), Kim Coles (Living Single, In Living Color), Kathy Griffin (Suddenly Susan), Frederique Van der Wal (Victoria's Secret Supermodel) and Erik von Detten (Princess Diaries). The players complete a series of physical and mental challenges to earn money for a pot of up to $250,000, while The Mole works against them, sabotaging their efforts. The players try to figure out who The Mole is and then learn as much about him or her as possible. In the final dramatic episode, The Mole is revealed and the one remaining player wins the jackpot.

This season's Celebrity Mole Yucatan features veteran cast members Stephen Baldwin and Corbin Bernsen along with five new contestants: former V.J. and talk-show host Ananda Lewis, comedian Mark Curry (Hangin' with Mr. Cooper), sitcom stars Tracey Gold (Growing Pains) and Keisha Knight Pulliam (The Cosby Show), supermodel Angie Everhart and legendary basketball bad boy Dennis Rodman.

Music DVD-Video Lets You See What The Music Looks Like

Independent Records recording artists "A little space" now offer a Music DVD of songs from their debut self-titled Audio CD (IR09712). As if having truly original Rhythm and Jazz songs wasn't enough, now there is intensely beautiful video content that enhances and completes the audio and video experience.

The DVD is comprised of 8 Vocal and 4 Instrumental tracks from the Audio CD titled "A little space". Each song is shown with a unique computer generated "Visualization", a program that interprets the music, expressing it in shapes and colors as kenetic art, merged with the music tracks and recorded onto DVDVideo for an incredible multimedia experience.

The Los Angeles based group A little space presents tuneful, intelligently written songs with heart. Call it "Rhythm & Jazz". It's jazzy, it's funky, it grooves, male vocals and instrumentals. On the same playlists now with artists such as Steely Dan, Al Jarreau and Sting, though uniquely original. Composer and Producer Alan Gruskoff (Big Al) is a prize winner in the Jazz category of the 2001 John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

NEMO Music Festival Now Accepting Band Showcase Submissions

Charging into its eighth year, The NEMO Music Festival & Conference is one of North America's premier music industry events. NEMO takes place in Boston, a city renowned for being a hotbed of new talent, breaking new acts, and the home of The Berklee School of Music. With three nights of music featuring nearly 250 artists from around the world performing in the areas premiere nightclubs and the prestigious Boston Music Awards.

There are two full days of pertinent panel discussions, industry workshops, clinics and a bustling industry trade show. A ton of valuable information, key networking opportunities, and useable tools that make NEMO the ideal forum for musicians, industry professionals, and music enthusiasts who want to explore the most up-to-date, current information, and critical issues that are confronting today's music industry. NEMO offers a unique opportunity to develop new contacts, advance careers, do business, and most of all spend three days totally immersed in the fun of music.

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Newyorkmusician.com Links Musicians To New York's Music Industry

A unique website, newyorkmusician.com, was launched this week. The site consists of a series of directories that catelog New York City's diverse music industry and provide visitors with links to its businesses and services.

Veteran magazine publisher, Bill Taylor, founded the website as a way of uniting New York's music business which he found fragmented and unrecognized. "There was absolutely no place where a musician could go to find the businesses and services they need to help them with their careers," he said, "Yellow Pages and local classifieds were woefully incomplete and many of New York's top people were laboring in obscurity. That's why I put this site together."

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Music-Tech.Net And Sonicbids Partner To Sponsor Indie Artist Showcase

In an effort to send independent artist sales through the roof, Music-Tech.Net, your premier marketing engine for the retail of digital music products, has designed an incredible marketing approach. The Music-Tech.Net Indie Artist Showcase runs in twelve week cycles and will prove to be a revolutionary predictor of indie artist success. Independent artists are selected on the basis of talent and marketability to be the next major label contenders. There are eight slots or more per quarter. Music-Tech.Net will feature artists during each quarter in custom marketing campaigns.

A prestigious award is given to the artist in the Music-Tech.Net Indie Artist Showcase with the most units sold per quarter. In addition, the winner will receive a gift certificate. The amount is to be determined by sponsorships. The winner will receive marketing support via our highly effective internet marketing team. The showcase will culminate in an event in the great city of Atlanta, GA where the Award of Distinction and gift certificate will be presented. The deadline for the showcase scheduled to launch April 19, 2004 is April 1, 2004.

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Effort To Reclaim Public Domain Scores Victory

A major roadblock to reclaiming content for the public domain was removed today, when a U.S. District Court ruled that a case challenging re-copyrighting of public domain materials could proceed despite the government's insistence that the Supreme Court's decision in Eldred v. Ashcroft invalidated the claims.

"Lawrence Golan, the conductor of the University of Denver's Lamont Symphony Orchestra, and the other artists involved will get their chance to show how severely they have been harmed by Congress's removal of numerous artistic works from the public domain by the grant of so-called 'restored' copyrights." said Edward Lee, Assistant Professor of Law at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and one of the attorneys for the Plaintiffs.

In the case, Golan and the other plaintiffs argued that Section 514 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA) is unconstitutional because re-copyrighting works does not promote progress as required by the Copyright Clause, abridges speech in violation of the First Amendment, and violates Due Process by depriving the public of the free availability of public domain works. Section 514 of the URAA was enacted in 1994 after the Uruguay Agreement negotiations and is now codified at 17 U.S.C. 104(a). While striking one term extension challenge based on the Eldred case, US District Court Chief Judge Lewis T. Babcock, rejected the government's Motion to Dismiss the case and allowed the plaintiff's three remaining claims to proceed.

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Ventana - Dedicated To Females In Music

Founded by three young ladies ­ Leila Conway, Kristyn Shreve, and a third who prefers only to be known by her Internet moniker "Worm Baby" ­ Ventana has always been about the girls. A continually growing Internet message board has now grown into a full-fledged, ambitious website, thanks in big part not only to its founders, but also to its Webmaster Mike Wheeler. Mike met the three founding members through another message board of the popular female fronted band Evanescence. Eventually he learned of their Ventana forum and their desire to expand into a website. Having a similar idea for a website that would feature only female fronted music from up and coming lesser-known artists, the Ventana team was an instant gel.

With a core team in place, the next step was to create a mission statement, "Ventana is dedicated to the promotion and recognition of females in music. Our goal is to make visitors aware of artists that we believe deserve just as much attention and respect, if not more, that some of the more major artists receive."

With their mission set, the team began recruiting new members to help with chores such as album reviews, concert reviews and most importantly artist features, which include interviews with the artists themselves. Now ten members strong with team members not only from the USA but also Holland and Norway, Ventana was ready to open its doors for business. They began by contacting artists to be featured, and right from the start the response was strong. From up and coming talents such as Tranquil, Eva, Lucid Fly, Zara and Unfinished Thought to more established acts like Lacuna Coil, After Forever, Flowing Tears, Beseech, Collide and many more agreeing to be featured, it was clear Ventana was already off to an early success.

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NCIAA Welcome's Mobile DJ Associations To Share Industry Resources

President and CEO Kris Sweeton announced Thursday, March 20th, 2004 that the NCIAA will now offer several of their standard membership services to Mobile DJ Associations in the their new Mobile Association Program (MAP). Sweeton says the new MAP partnership will offer many of the smaller Mobile DJ Associations, the opportunity to provide its members with many of the exclusive NCIAA membership services, as well as the opportunity to obtain new members and exposure from around the US and Canada.

By Joining the NCIAA these associations will have a much better scope of services to offer their members, giving them much needed refreshment to many of their benefit packages. While there are major differences between the two DJ Categories, Mobile and Club, there are far many more similarities that many of the mobile jocks have previously been excluded from at the association level.

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Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © Tag It 2004 - Republished with Permission