Label:Life

Prince is king… We’ve seen that Prince has given away his music with the daily papers in the UK after finally escaping from his deal. We’ve seen Radiohead do it, Oasis want to do it, NiN are there too, these amongst a growing number of artists are taking their destinies into their own hands, being proactive not reactive, we’ve yet to see how well this will serve them in the long term.

Madonna on the other hand has played her hand and signed a deal with Live Nation, not a record company but an events company. With a three album deal for £60 million and the backing of Live Nations gigging ability and fans unwillingness to pay for music, could this could possibly the shrewdest move yet and the real beginning of a new era for the music industry…?

R&B queen Beyonce Knowles has topped nominations for this year’s Music of Black Origin (Mobo) Awards.

The glam singer has been short listed in four categories, including the award for best international female artist, where she faces strong competition from Mary J Blige and Nelly Furtado.

The 24-year-old US star is also up for best song and best video for her yet to be released track, Déjà vu.

She has also been named in the best R&B act category.

But Beyonce’s strong showing has been undermined by claims that Mobo organisers have rigged the rules of the awards to allow her onto their short list.

More@monstersandcritics

The Nationwide Mercury Music Prize will be unveiling its twelve nominees on Thursday, July 18.

The announcement will be made at 11.30am at a central London location by Jools Holland.

Album eligible for the prestigious prize must have been released between July 2005 and July 2006 by a UK based act.

The nominees will be hoping to follow the success of recent winners Franz Ferdinand, Antony and the Johnsons and Dizzee Rascal.

More@gigwise.com

High Tech Soul is the first film to tackle the deep roots of techno and the culture of Detroit, its home. Seeking to answer the hows and whys of techno music and its evolution, the film also demonstrates the weird & wonderful effects it has had on its pioneers. Featuring in-depth interviews with many of the world’s most famous exponents of the artform, High Tech Soul is a treat for anyone who has ever been inspired by the genre or got down and shaken their stuff to it’s original sound.

From the riots of 1967 to the underground party scene of the late 80\’s, High Tech Soul invites its audience to take a walk around the globe and back to one of the most challenging cities in the world. Artists explain why Techno with its driving beats, abrasive tones, and resonating bass lines could not have come from anywhere else other than Detroit. Much like the city itself, techno is deprived and emotional yet continues to set trends around the world, touching lives no one could have ever imagined.

More@ilikemusic

Music minister Shaun Woodward has called on councils to avoid using the Licensing Act to impose heavy handed conditions which discourage venues from hosting live entertainment.

New guidelines to the act call on local authorities to consult local musicians and owners regularly. If they find the local music scene is suffering as a result of their interpretation of the act, then they must rethink their licensing policies.

More@thestage

US rapper Common is the latest addition to Europe’s largest anti-racist festival, Rise: London United, which takes place in Finsbury Park on Saturday July 8.

The Chicago artist is well known for his socially conscious hip-hop lyrics and has won much acclaim for his successful Kanye West-produced platinum sixth album ‘Be’.

He will join the broadest line-up yet assembled for the annual event, alongside Graham Coxon, The Wailers, Buzzcocks, The Duke Spirit, jazz legend Roy Ayers, and Sway, plus Killa Kela, DJ Kayper, MC Inja & Mentor Kolektiv on the main stage.

Rise is a free festival organised by London Mayor Ken Livingstone to combat racism and celebrate London’s diversity, in partnership with the National Assembly Against Racism and TUC South East Region (SERTUC).

More@24dash

June is not just about Football: You can now book your British Black Music events – check BBMM events from link below, then email, using specified event title, as not all events have been updated on the britishblackmusic.com website at the mo…

Full Details here

Hip Hop Congress will be holding its 5th annual conference in Boulder, Co from Thursday June 22nd to Sunday, June 25th. The Hip Hop Congress National Conference is a yearly gathering of Hip Hop Congress chapters, artists and members throughout the country. Hip Hop Congress is a 501©(3) Non-Profit organization and international grassroots network whose mission is to unite, educate, and empower individuals. We utilize Hip Hop to inspire civic action and cultural creativity within the community. Hip Hop Congress has 30 chapters throughout the country and works with artists, organizers, promoters and a host of other institutions and organizations. Hip Hop Congress is involved in education, culture, politics, social justice and industry. (more…)

What do artists like Arctic Monkeys, Gnarls Barkley and Jono Mcleery have in common?

They are all part of the new music business model being championed by the British Music Week. The ‘future of music is online and online is the future’ would be the theme of the 2nd annual British Music Week event.

On September the 8th & 9th of 2006, British Music Week will bring together hundreds of National and independent music companies and affiliated associations for the second edition of the annual UK Music Convention @ The Mermaid Conference Centre in London. Launched for the first time in 2005 at the Wembley Conference Centre. The conference will offer a unique opportunity to assess the current position of independent labels in today’s marketplace, educate artists on new marketing models through conferences, seminars & workshops. An impressive line-up of industry heavyweights are already confirmed to participate in the summit and will be exchanging ideas and thoughts on the independent sector, and the important part it plays in the industry as a whole. (more…)

Podcasts have well and truly crossed over to the mainstream, with big guns like the BBC getting involved, and Ricky Gervais well on his way to making his next million from his paid-for podcast.

As MD of Audible UK, Chris McKee has the ideal vantage point on the latter podcast, but also has opinions on the balance between subscription and advertising-supported podcasts, what the prospects are for grass-roots podcasters, and why your favourite celebs could soon be blaring out from an iPod near you…

More@techdigest