Label:Life

The European Commission unconditionally approved a merger between record companies Sony Music and BMG but warned on Tuesday that it would look closely at any further proposed consolidation in the industry.

The deal creates a rival to market leader Universal Music and shrinks the number of music majors to four companies from five. Vivendi-owned Universal and Sony BMG, as the new company is to be called, account for about 46 percent of music sold worldwide.

“The Commission will keep a close watch on the music sector as it becomes even more concentrated and would very carefully scrutinize any further major concentration in the industry,” EC officials said in a statement. [more @ www.reuters.com]

Reacting to the decision taken last night by the European Commission the independents spoke out against the EU’s stance.

They are very disappointed that the EU has authorized this merger without any attempt to solve the competition issues that the Commission itself identified.

They remain of the view that this decision is fundamentally flawed. This is a sad day for Europe’s artists, entrepreneurs, culture, diversity and citizens. [more @ www.mi2n.com]

According to the New York Post, US radio giant Clear Channel is considering setting up its own record label. The paper said yesterday that the media conglom had been investigating a move into recorded music for months.

While a rumoured takeover bid for London based EMI is unlikely, the US company may look to acquire some smaller labels in a bid to enter the recorded sector. [more @ www.unlimitedmedia.co.uk]

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday signed a law giving recording artists more flexibility to audit record companies’ finances in search of potentially unpaid royalties.

The law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, allows artists to conduct annual audits and applies to any record companies doing business in California. The law holds down the cost of audits through means such as letting a single auditor work for several artists on the same label simultaneously. [more @ www.tuscaloosanews.com]

Sony Music and BMG plan to shed up to 2,000 jobs or about 25 percent of their combined work force once they get regulatory approval for their merger, the Financial Times reported on Friday.

The newspaper said Sony Music, a division of Japanese electronics giant Sony Corp., and BMG, a unit of German media company Bertelsmann AG, will begin work on a reorganization next week after European and U.S. regulatory approval of the deal.
[more @ www.reuters.com]

EBay is to trial selling music online in a six-month US trial as it looks at ways of muscling in on the success of legal download services.

According to reports, eBay will allow a number of its users to trade in digital music, in a reverse of its long-standing policy, which forbade users from selling it. [more @ www.brandrepublic.com]

Universal Music Group and Capitol Records have initiated a lawsuit against Napster investors Hummer Winblad and Bertelsmann, charging that they are liable for music-industry losses due to copyright violations that occurred when Napster was running an illegal music-downloading operation. [more @ www.newsfactor.com]

Yr Media are the Mobile partners for Urban In The City 2004. In addition to running mobile voting and other services for the conference, we are co-ordinating the online and mobile talent search for unsigned Urban artists in conjunction with Home Management/The Dairy Studios.

We are looking for acts to perform at IN THE CITY URBAN UNSIGNED and if you want a chance to perform and take your career to the next level then please send us your demo. Demos should include a 3 track C.D. a biog, photograph and producer/writer information. Successful applicants will be chosen by a panel featuring key artists, producers and managers from the UK Urban Scene.

In the lead up to the event there will also be a public vote on the ITC website with the act obtaining the most votes winning a recording session at The Dairy Studios in London. The Dairy’s recent clients include: Lemar, So Solid Crew, Ms Dynamite, Killa Kela, Jamelia, Big Brovaz, Asher D, Keisha White, Oxide Neutrino, Dizzee Rascal, Beverley Knight, Lisa Maffia, J.D. Naila Boss, Silibil Brains, Terri Walker And The 411.

Please send Demos to:URBAN UNSIGNED C/o YR Media (YourRelease) to the address at the bottom of Label:life.
[Related story @ www.mi2n.com]

The 2004 Mercury shortlist has been unveiled with Franz Ferdinand and Joss Stone among the nominees. But what does the list say about UK music?
The unveiling of this year’s Mercury shortlist is like a clarion call from these shores to the world – beat this if you can.

Our sporting heroes may be faltering and our athletes tipped for mediocrity in Athens, but show us a couple of guitars or a turntable and we’ll take on all comers. [more @ www.news.bbc.co.uk]

Apple Computer has unveiled the next-generation version of its popular iPod digital music player, with an improved naviation device and a reduced price. Also announced: Hewlett-Packard will resell iPod and the iTunes music service as part of its digital entertainment strategy.

The new iPod features a new navigation device called the “Click Wheel,” on which Apple has a patent pending. The wheel continues to provide the continuous scrolling of previous devices and adds five pushbuttons for one-handed navigation.

The battery life of the iPod is extended from 8 hours to 12. A new item on the main menu is “Shuffle Songs,” much like the random feature on many CD players.[more @ www.newsfactor.com]