Label:Life

A two night festival featuring a fresh crop of 40 plus independent music videos from all over the world, showcasing brilliant cinematography, astonishing flash and cel animation and the most precise and artful editing that is sure to rock each of your senses.Rarely seen,never seen and must be seen eye-popping,ear-blasting,heart-pounding audio/video extravanganza. [more @ www.mi2n.com]

Due to the recent negative publicity surrounding reggae music in the UK press, no alternative suitable venue could be found that was willing to take on the
perceived security risk represented by “Reggae In The Park”.

Therefore it is with sadness that the organisers have had to announce the cancellation of this event. Full refunds will be granted from Ticketmaster and Ticketmania.

The organisers plan to bring Reggae In The Park to London in 2005. For further information please contact: Richard Adeshiyan @ The Glen Yearwood Group T: 020 7053 2173.

[This is extremely bad news. Apart from the negative homophobic angle of some Dancehall artists, Reggae is with out a doubt providing some of the most positive influences in music today and this festival was a great opportunity to showcase that. Seems like a knee-jerk reaction to me. Here’s hoping for next year -Ed.]

In a milestone for the mobile content and entertainment industry, Madonna today announced the launch of the first artist-driven web-based store to sell ringtones, images, and other mobile content.

The mobile store, powered by m-Qube, allows Madonna to reach her fans in the U.S. and Canada from her Web site, Madonna.com, by offering exclusive content that they can personalize their mobile devices with.

[YR Media have been powering award winning artist-driven web based stores for mobile content for the last four years. Contact them at www.yrmedia.com -Ed.]

[08/31/04] A major new digital download site committed to championing independent music has today been launched.

KARMADOWNLOAD.COM will feature new music from over 3,000 independent labels across the world, as well as a vast amount of quality unsigned music and exclusive downloads from across a wide range of musical genres.

Initial deals for the new service include agreements with the Association of Independent Music (AIM), The Orchard, Barfly and over 120 UK independent labels, providing repertoire from amongst others Ninja Tune, Finger Lickin, Bella Union and Lowlife Records as well as key European labels, such as Germany’s !K7. In addition, 2 complimentary ventures, KarmaDownload Radio and KarmaDownload Sessions are currently being finalised for launch in the autumn.

As part of the UK based, privately owned Karma Music Group, which is committed to championing independent music, KarmaDownload.com has been in development for over a year and aims to provide a cutting edge alternative to existing download providers. By simplifying the search process through extensive genre and sub-genre categories, the service aims to target music enthusiasts with specialist knowledge of specific music areas/styles.

Prices will start at 99p per track, reducing to 80p if a customer purchases 4 or more titles, Albums start at £6.00 and free samples are available of every track on the site. Multiple track purchases will start from 80p for 4 titles or more. All downloads are in MP3 format and can be used with all MP3 compatible media players and portable devices. [more @ www.yrmedia.com]

One in five pubs, clubs and student unions has regular gigs More than 4,500 grass-roots gigs take place every day in England and Wales, one of the widest studies of the live music scene has found.

About 1.7 million gigs were staged in pubs, restaurants, clubs and student unions in 2003, according to a survey for the government’s Live Music Forum and that excludes dedicated gig venues whose main business is live music.

However, 11% of licensees said they would cut down or stop live music when the Licensing Act comes into force in 2005. [more @ www.bbc.co.uk]

Catching Blondie’s reunion tour broadcast at 4 in the morning wasn’t an option for XM satellite radio subscriber and single father Scott MacLean.

“I was missing concerts that were being broadcasted when I was asleep or out,” he said.

So the 35-year-old computer programmer from Ottawa, Ontario, wrote a piece of software that let him record the show directly onto his PC hard drive while he snoozed.

The software, TimeTrax, also neatly arranged the individual songs from the concert, complete with artist name and song title information, into MP3 files. [more @ www.reuters.com]

A month-Long rally in HMV Group came to a halt amid fresh concerns over plans by the book and CD retailer to push into digital downloading.
At its full-year results in June, the EMI spin-off said it would set out its strategy on music downloading later this year, sending its shares sharply lower on worries over the likely scale of its investment.

Although they have recovered during August, they retreated yesterday as RW Baird suggested that uncertainty over the success of its venture is likely to hold back the shares. [more @ www.timesonline.co.uk]

Four More Significant Independent Record Labels Join The UK’s Number One Source For Independent Music Online.

Wippit, The London based online Music Retailer and Subscription Service today announces the arrival of four of the most significant independent record labels to its service, continuing to fortify its position as the number one online resource for quality independent music. [more @ www.mi2n.com]

Yr are proud to announce that the Text and on-line voting for the Urban unsigned section of this year’s In The City conference, taking place in Manchester, UK, from September 17th-19th, is up and running from today.

People can register their votes from the Urban In The City website [www.urban.inthecity.co.uk], live at the event and from www.karmadownload.com.

Scottish rockers Franz Ferdinand were Britain’s only success story at the MTV Music Awards on Sunday night, as their single “Take Me Out” clinched them the best breakthrough video prize.

The band, recently nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, came out on top over the likes of the White Stripes, Kanye West and New Found Glory. [more @ www.independent.co.uk]