Publisher Given Go Ahead in Men At Work Plagiarism Case

Australian band Men At Work are being sued by a music publisher who claims their 1983 hit 'Down Under' plagiarises a song originally written for the Girl Guides.

Publisher Larrikin Music claims the flute riff from the 1981 hit is stolen from Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree, written by Marion Sinclair for the Girl Guides in 1934.

Larrikin Music is suing record labels Sony BMG and EMI for breach of copyright, as well as seeking royalties from the song.

The band dispute Larrikin's claim that it bought the song's copyright in 1990. But a judge in Sydney has ruled that the publisher does own the song, clearing the way for a plagiarism case.

The publisher began the action after the alleged similarities were pointed out in a music quiz programme shown in Australia in 2007.

No date has been set for the next hearing.

Hockey – Futures Stage, T in the Park 12th July 2009

Hockey was on my ‘Must See at T list’; ever since I heard they had been added to the festival line-up. So, when I could hear them playing ‘Work’ as I was approaching the tent that is the ‘Red Bull Bedroom Jam Futures Stage’, I was annoyed that I’d decided to nip to the bar before they came on stage, missing most of the set opener.

However, that was nothing compared to the panic and confusion I had when, towards the end of the song, singer Ben Grubin, said "Bye bye!" to the crowd before walking to the back of the stage.

“How long was I at the bar for?” I said out loud, then I noticed Grubin picking up a set of drumsticks and joining drummer Anthony Stassi in finishing off the track. They had me going for a second or two…..pesky kids!!

The Portland, Oregon band played a number of tracks from their soon-to-be released debut album 'Mind Chaos', including hit single 'Learn to Lose'.

Grubin was a bit surprised by the number of people singing along throughout the whole set. He looked bewildered as he asked a group of girls at the front "You guys must have seen us before, right?!"

Hit single 'Too Fake' got the best response from the Balado crowd, with most people dancing and singing along and a lot of them throwing their drinks in the air as they punched the sky whilst belting out the chorus.

I wished their set was longer; it seemed to go by so quick and I thought there would have been a bigger crowd. I was surprised to see the tent just over half full. Hockey have charisma as well as an incredible energy about them that’s totally infectious.

Set List:

Work
Learn To Lose
I Wanna Be Black
Song Away
Too Fake
Put The Game Down

Starlet

BBC Introducing Stage Line Up Announced for Reading & Leeds

Festival Republic today announced the line up for the BBC Introducing stages at the Reading & Leeds Festivals over the August bank holiday weekend.

Following its successful debut last year the BBC Introducing stage will once again feature at both festival sites showcasing the UK's best unsigned and emerging talent.

The line up includes electro band Soft Toy Emergency, punk-rock quintet The Living Daylights and soulful funk band The Sixty Watt Club.

The Introducing line up, which also includes To The Bones, Ellen and the Escapades, British Intelligence, The Ruling Class and Goldheart Assembly, will play at both Leeds and Reading on 28th-30th of August.

Bear Driver, The Teeth, Horse Guards Parade, Punch & The Apostles, Boney Black, Chickenhawk and Kinch are also playing.

The list is completed by: The Old Romantic Killer Band, Frontiers, Our Fold, Screaming Lights, Come on Gang, Kutosis, What Makes You Beautiful, Minnaars, A Plastic Rose, Suprise...Fire, The NEAT, Lovvers, Wonderswan and Milk White White Teeth.

The bands are chosen through a combination of the BBC's countrywide Introducing shows, Leeds promoters Futuresound and promoters Festival Republic.

Young Creative Awards Launched by Culture Secretary

Last night, the 2009-10 UK Young Creative Entrepreneur Awards were launched by Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw. This is the third time that the British Council is presenting the UK Young Music Entrepreneur (UKYME) award.

The British Council's Young Creative Entrepreneur programme began in 2004 and includes international and UK awards in nine sectors: communications, design, fashion, interactive, music, performing arts, publishing, screen and visual arts.

They are awarded as part of the British Council’s Young Creative Entrepreneur programme, which recognises the importance of young creative entrepreneurs in the development of a competitive and sustainable economy.

Bradshaw told last night’s launch at Stationers’ Hall in London that he was there because the UK Government attached great importance to the creative industries.

“We like to think Britain leads in the creative industries in a way we used to lead more traditional industries, which long since we handed over the baton for to other countries,” he added.

Applications for the UK Young Music Entrepreneur award 2010 will close at 2pm on Monday 30th November 2009. The competition is open to professionals in the industry, aged between 25 and 35 years, who have at least three years of industry experience and be resident in the UK.

For more information about the award and eligibility criteria.

Police Urge Festival Goers to Stay Safe at T In The Park 2009

Tayside Police have issued a number of tips and safety advice for this Friday’s T in the Park Festival at Balado Airfield near Kinross.

Local police advised festival goers not to bring valuables and to look after their mobile phones, to wear suitable clothes and shoes and to pack waterproofs.

Campers are advised to bring warm clothes for when the temperature drops overnight and to sleep with their tickets hidden from view in their sleeping bags.
They also warned fans attending this weekend's event not to take drugs, as in previous years, Tayside Police will not tolerate illegal drug use.

Drug amnesty bins will be placed at the entrance to the campsites, where people can dispose of any illegal substances without being excluded from the event or prosecuted.

There will be a zero tolerance approach within the venue and anyone caught dealing or carrying drugs will be arrested. Plain clothes officers and specialist drugs dogs will be present at the festival.

Ch Supt Craig Suttie advised fans to plan their trip to the festival ahead of arrival in order to maximise enjoyment.

T In The Park 2009 – Stage Times

2 days to go until this years T in the Park Festival gets underway at Balado, Kinross. Here is what is rumoured to be the final Stage times for this year’s event:

Friday 10th July:
MAIN STAGE
22:10 – 23:50: Kings of Leon
20:30 – 21:30: Franz Ferdinand
19:10 – 20:00: Maximo Park
18:00 – 18:45: James Morrison

RADIO 1/NME STAGE
22:15 – 23:45: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
20:40 – 21:40: Yeah Yeah Yeah’s
19:20 – 20:10: Idlewild
18:05 – 18:50: The Mars Volta

KING TUTS WAH WAH TENT
22:30 – 23:45: The View
21:10 – 22:00: The Courteeners
19:55 – 20:40: Jamie T
18:55 – 19:25: Edwyn Collins
18:00 – 18:25: The Maccabees

Saturday 11th July:
MAIN STAGE
21:10 – 22:50: The Killers
19:35 – 20:35: Razorlight
18:05 – 19:05: The Specials
16:45 – 17:35: James
15:30 – 16:15: Paolo Nutini
14:15 – 15:00: Lady Gaga
13:05 – 13:45: Calvin Harris
12:00 – 12:35: Bjorn Again

RADIO 1/NME STAGE
21:50 – 22:50: Nine Inch Nails
20:20 – 21:20: Jane’s Addiction
19:00 – 19:50: The Ting Tings
17:45 – 18:30: Katy Perry
16:30 – 17:15: White Lies
15:20 – 16:00: Starsailor
14:15 – 14:50: You Me At Six
13:10 – 13:45: The Horrors

KING TUTS WAH WAH TENT
21:35 – 22:50: Manic Street Preachers
20:05 – 21:05: Glasvegas
18:50 – 19:35: Jason Mraz
17:35 – 18:20: Foals
16:20 – 17:05: Friendly Fires
15:10 – 15:50: Noisettes
14:05 – 14:40: Iglu & Hartley
13:05 – 13:35: M83
12:05 – 12:35: Mumford And Sons

SLAM TENT
21:30 - 23:00: 2 Many DJ’s
20:10 - 21:30: Felix Da Housecat
19:10 - 20:10: Green Velvet (Live)
17:55 - 19:10: Slam
16:45 - 17:55: Laurent Garnier (Live)
15:25 - 16:45: Mr Scruff
14:45 - 15:25: Beardyman
13:15 - 14:45: Claude Von Stroke
11:30 - 13:15: Silicone Soul

BBC INTRODUCING STAGE
20:00 - 20:30: Telegraphs
19:15 - 19:45: Broken Records
18:30 - 19:00: Cat House
17:45 - 18:15: Answering Machine
17:00 - 17:30: Young Fathers
16:15 - 16:45: The Locals
15:30 - 16:00: Unicorn Kid
14:45 - 15:15: The Law
14:00 - 14:30: My Luminaries
13:15 - 13:45: Lowkey
12:30 - 13:00: Orphans & Vandals

Sunday 12th July:
MAIN STAGE
21:00 – 22:50: Blur
19:00 – 20:30: Snow Patrol
17:30 – 18:30: Elbow
16:00 – 17:00: Bloc Party
14:45 – 15:30: The Script
13:35 – 14:15: Seasick Steve
12:25 – 13:05: Squeeze
11:55 – 12:15: Parsonage Choir

RADIO 1/NME STAGE
21:35 – 22:50: Keane
20:00 – 21:00: Pendulum
18:40 – 19:30: Lily Allen
17:20 – 18:10: Doves
16:05 – 16:50: Eagles Of Death Metal
14:55 – 15:35: The Game
13:50 – 14:25: The Dykeenies
12:50 – 13:20: The Gaslight Anthem
12:00 – 12:25: In Case Of Fire

KING TUTS WAH WAH TENT
21:50 – 22:50: Mogwai
19:50 – 21:20: Pet Shop Boys
18:10 – 19:10: TV on The Radio
16:55 – 17:40: Peter Doherty
15:40 – 16:25: Regina Spektor
14:35 – 15:10: The Saturdays
13:40 – 14:10: Daniel Merriweather
12:50 – 13:15: Gary Go
12:00 – 12:25: Carolina Liar

SLAM TENT
21:30 - 23:00: Jeff Mills
20:10 - 21:30: Dave Clarke
19:10 - 20:10: Simian Mobile Disco (Live)
17:45 - 19:10: Boys Noize
16:45 - 17:45: The Streets
15:30 - 16:45: Tiga
14:15 - 15:30: Ben Sims
13:15 - 14:15: Joris Voorn
11:30 - 13:15: Funk D’Void

BBC INTRODUCING STAGE
20:00 - 20:30: Dananananaykroyd
19:15 - 19:45: Seal Cub Clubbing Club
18:30 - 19:00: Hitchcock
17:45 - 18:15: Milk Kan
17:00 - 17:30: Alto Elite
16:15 - 16:45: Decimals
15:30 - 16:00: Dally King
14:45 - 15:15: Ezra Bang And Hot Machine
14:00 - 14:30: The Twilight Sad
13:15 - 13:45: Leni Ward
12:30 - 13:00: Findo Gask

Depeche Mode Reschedule London O2 Arena Date

Depeche Mode have announced a replacement date for their postponed London O2 Arena show.
The British electronic band were due to give a performance at London's O2 Arena on 30th May but had to call off the gig after lead singer Dave Gahan had to undergo an operation to remove a tumour.

The rescheduled show will now take place at the O2 Arena on the 20th February 2010, with all tickets for the original date remaining valid. Fans that are unable to make the new date are asked to return their tickets to the point of purchase for a full refund.Gahan has resumed live duties with Depeche Mode after recovering from his operation. The European tour resumed in Germany on the 8th of June.

The band will also play a series of UK winter tour dates, ahead of the rescheduled O2 Arena show.

Depeche Mode’s Winter 2009 UK Tour Dates are:

December 2009
12th - Glasgow SECC
13th - Birmingham LG Arena
15th & 16th - London O2 Arena18th - Manchester MEN Arena

February 2010
20th - London O2 Arena

T in the Park Crowd to be Monitored by Night-Vision Cameras

Revellers at this year's T in The Park music festival will be monitored by a hi-tech night vision security camera attached to a blimp in the sky. The giant balloon was introduced at last year’s event to provide police with aerial views of traffic.

The state-of-the-art equipment is being introduced at the festival for the first time, backed up by increased police officers and festival stewards.

Tayside Police are stepping up security measures at the festival in Balado, Kinross-shire, in the hope the night vision facility will help to ensure there is no repeat of the horrific stabbing of a festival-goer at the 2008 event.

Mark Morrison, 23, was knifed 11 times after confronting two men who had assaulted his female friends at the event last July. The incident was recently dealt with by the courts and those responsible were given sentences of nine and nine and a half years.

Chief Superintendent Craig Suttie, the man in charge of policing this year's festival, said: ''I can reassure everyone that safety is our number one priority for the T in the Park community and we are committed to maintaining the festival's proud reputation as a fun and safe event for all."

He added, "We would encourage people if they feel any threats, if they feel there's anything untoward going on, come and speak to one of the police officers, speak to one of the stewards."

Colin Rodger, T in the Park event manager, said: "We have always worked closely with Tayside Police along with the emergency and security services to ensure the highest levels of safety at the festival.

"This is something that we build upon each year and, for 2009, we have introduced additional new on-site security measures. These include community patrolling of campsite, so that the festival’s community spirit continues to flourish.”

Five days to go until this year's T in the Park gets underway, on 10th to 12th July, which will see acts like Kings of Leon, the Killers and Blur headlining.

Pirate Bay's New Owners Reveal Ambitious Business Plan

The new owners of Pirate Bay, Global Gaming Factory, have revealed an ambitious plan to run the torrent site legitimately, according to a report in Business Week.
Speaking about their plans for the site, the new owners' CEO Hans Pandeya explained the site will follow a unique business model.
Users will be paid for joining the service and copyright holders will be paid royalties when their material is shared online.

The company will then pool the collective bandwidth of The Pirate Bay users into a large peer-to-peer network, and then resell the broadband capacity to internet service providers to help them cope when there is exceptional demand online.

"Let’s say a popular song comes out. Rather than a million downloads from a site, which would cause a considerable strain on that ISP, we can take that song and put it out on P2P," explained Hans Pandeya.He also told Business Week that the move could cut the costs of data traffic for ISPs by more than half.

Pandeya said: "Users will earn money by joining, which can be spent on Pirate Bay's other services, such as an expected online music store, or transferred to their bank accounts."Internet-phone service Skype uses a similar peer-to-peer network scheme.

Global Gaming Factory acquired The Pirate Bay earlier this month for £4.6m. The deal is expected to be finalised in August.

Jackson Songwriters Set for Huge Royalties Payout, Says PRS

PRS for Music reported that following Michael Jackson’s sudden death last week there will be a ‘phenomenal’ increase in royalty earnings for a number of songwriters.

Since the star’s death last Thursday there have been widespread reports of rocketing music sales and radio airplay domination, as his greatest hits including ‘Beat It’ and ‘Billy Jean’ are dominating the airwaves.

Songwriters who look set to receive a substantial increase in royalties include the UK’s Rod Temperton (who wrote Thriller) and US songwriters such as Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett (co-writers of Man in the Mirror, which is set to top the charts this Sunday) and Bill Bottrell (who co-wrote Black or White with Jackson).

“We have witnessed an unprecedented 1,735% rise in the amount of airplay, let alone sales and downloads of Michael Jackson’s songs since his death which will provide a royalty boost for his estate and his songwriters” explained PRS for Music.

Jackson wrote or co-wrote many of the songs he recorded, including hits such as Billy Jean, Beat It, Bad, Smooth Criminal and Black or White.

Since his death, these songs will continue to earn royalties for his estate and those nominated to look after the songs.

Blur – Pyramid Stage, Glastonbury 28th June 2009

Newly reformed Blur brought 2009 Glastonbury Festival to a close in spectacular fashion with an epic career spanning set. The Brit Pop icons headlined the Pyramid Stage on Sunday (June 28) night, their first Glastonbury gig in over a decade.

Blur attracted the biggest crowd of the weekend as thousands scrambled to relive their Britpop memories. The emotional 24-song gig is already being hailed as one of "the greatest headlining sets in the festival's 39 year history".

They received a rapturous welcome when they came onstage and kicked off with a storming version of first single, She's So High. The crowd sang along as they ran through their entire back catalogue, playing tracks from each of their seven studio albums. "I'm enjoying this," said Damon halfway through the set "Thank you!"

They were joined on stage by Quadrophenia actor Phil Daniels for their 1994 hit, Parklife. Playing songs such as Girls And Boys, There's No Other Way, End Of A Century and one of the highlights, Tender, which became a mass hug-a-long that gave me goose bumps as I suddenly knew that this night was very special.

The band looked to be enjoying it as much as the crowd. Albarn said "I'm pleased we decided to do these gigs now." But it’s when he sits on stage after, To The End, and breaks down, utterly overcome, it’s only then you know just how much this meant.

The Whole field went wild when they played Song 2, before closing the set with an extended version of, The Universal.

Set List:

She's So High
Girls And Boys
Tracy Jacks
There's No Other Way
Jubilee
Badhead
Beetlebum
Out Of Time
Trimm Trabb
Coffee And TV
Tender
Country House
Oily Water
Chemical World
Sunday Sunday
Parklife
End Of A Century
To The End
This Is A Low
Popscene
Advert
Song 2
For Tomorrow
The Universal

Review by Starlet