Archive for News UK
Behind the music: How Lady Gaga’s pop partnership became a Bad Romance
Lady Gaga’s $30m lawsuit with her former boyfriend and collaborator is a reminder that ‘pre-nups’ are a must for creative marriages
Creative marriages have produced huge hits over the years. But, like their romantic counterparts, the odds are against them lasting. And when you mix the two, things tend to get even more fraught – something Lady Gaga and Rob Fusari demonstrated last week when he filed a $30m lawsuit against her. Gaga hit back with her own lawsuit against Fusari, her former boyfriend and collaborator.
In Fusari’s defence, he had an agreement – a “pre-nup”, if you will – signed by Stefani Germanotta (Gaga’s real name), which would entitle him to a share of her earnings. Both parties were unavailable for comment, but reports say that Fusari, according to the agreement, was entitled to 20% of song royalties and 15% of merchandise. Reports also say that Fusari has been compensated for $611,000, but it’s unclear if this is from co-writing and production credits (it’s worth noting that it can take more than a year to get songwriting royalties).
It’s easy to dismiss Fusari as an opportunist, riding on the coat tails of a successful artist but, as is usually the case, there are always two sides to the story. We have no idea how instrumental Fusari was in developing Gaga’s sound. In a Billboard interview, Fusari says Gaga looked like a guidette, “totally Jersey Shore”, when they met, and insisted on doing rock music. He speaks of how he spent more than a year with her in his studio – a big investment for a working musician – developing her sound. He most likely did this because he was her boyfriend and he saw potential success for both of them.
This case reminds me of Lukas Burton, a songwriter I met years ago, who recounted his experiences with James Blunt on his MySpace blog in 2005: “Since I doubt if anyone gives much of a toss and almost no one will see this, it seems like a suitable place to vent somewhat about my involvement with the popular singer James Blunt.” Burton recalled how he met Blunt in 2001, long before he was signed, through Blunt’s then girlfriend. “His stuff was crude, occasionally laughably direct and betrayed his relative lack of musicianship or discernible influence … but I kind of loved the guy.”
The rest of the blog mentioned the months Burton spent developing Blunt’s songs. Burton brought in Amanda Ghost and Sacha Skarbek to co-write. Eventually, Blunt got a high-powered manager and Burton was squeezed out of the project. Blunt promised an understandably disappointed that he wouldn’t use any of the tracks they’d worked on, but when Burton eventually heard Back to Bedlam – one of the biggest-selling albums of the last decade – he noticed a certain familiarity. A royalties dispute ensued and PRS for Music froze payments for the tracks in question.
It’s next to impossible to find out what happened after that. There is no trace of Burton’s original blog, so it must have been taken down (hence why I can’t link to it). The PRS records show no sign of Burton’s name as a co-writer on the tracks in question. A source close to the dispute tells me that Blunt sent Burton a cheque in the end, but that Burton had “pissed everyone off in the process”.
And this is the danger of bringing in lawyers. You get a reputation for being a troublemaker, which is why it’s rare for songwriters and producers to do this. “A couple of people told me I shouldn’t be working with him (Blunt) without a contract in place,” Burton said. “But, to be honest, the love couldn’t have been thicker in the air.” Who’d want to bring up a “pre-nup” conversation then? It’s very unromantic.
Fusari, however, did have a contract in place. Gaga claims she wasn’t aware of the implications of what she signed. Surely, though, she must have had a lawyer. Otherwise, the contract wouldn’t be worth the ink. Fusari says she was one of the most driven, ambitious people he’d ever met. At the time, she needed him to get to the next level. Now, however, Fusari feels like he has been demoted to “one level beneath friend”. Crucially, he has not been asked to work on Gaga’s next album as she now favours producer/writer RedOne as a collaborator.
Who knows if Stefani Germanotta and James Blount (his original name) would have developed into two of the biggest-selling artists of the last 10 years without the help of their collaborators? Maybe they would have, or maybe they’d still be playing the local club circuit looking for a break. But even if Fusari and Burton were instrumental in their journey to the top, how is their price quantified? Since Burton didn’t get credited at all, he can’t even use his association with Blunt to get other work (having a co-write on a hit record can get you co-writes with other successful artists). Fusari, on the other hand, does have both writing and production credits on Gaga’s multimillion-selling album, The Fame.
Filing a lawsuit may lose him potential future projects, but eventually these things come down to the quality of the song. Pop stars are always in need of a hit. That’s why a great songwriter will always have the upper hand – pre-nup or no pre-nup.
Source: guardian.co.uk
Paul McCartney For Huge UK Gigs
Paul McCartney will play four UK shows this summer including a one-off gig in Hyde Park for the Hard Rock Calling festival.
Source: mtv.co.uk
Lady GaGa says she’s celibate and doesn’t have time for sex on tour
With her array of outrageously raunchy outfits, one could be forgiven for presuming the Lady is Ga-Gagging for it.
But no – apparently the singer says she’s taken a vow of celibacy after splitting from her boyfriend. The singer has announced she’s single after breaking up with Matthew Williams – a member of her off-thewall creative team Haus of GaGa.
She said at the launch of her Viva Glam charity launch in London: “I’m single. I haven’t got time to spend on the road to get to know anyone. Even Lady GaGa can be celibate, you don’t have to have sex to be loved.”
And forget Bad Romance, it seems GaGa has been getting some seriously bad sex. Wearing a giant flowered hat, she moaned: “Orgasms are the biggest obstacles for women. Sex should be fun, beautiful and colourful but women get the short end of the stick. We’re just receivers. We can’t talk about sex, we can’t sing about sex.”
GaGa, who is on tour around the UK, says she has found another way to satisfy her needs – the love of her fans.
She said: “I joke that I don’t have a house, I carry all my s*** on the road, wigs, clothes, everything.
“My fans are my roommates.” Blimey – must get a bit crowded. She went on: “The thing that keeps me warm at night is my sense of self. When I see my beautiful fans I feel how much they protect and mean to me. It would be irresponsible if I didn’t protect them and teach young people to be self-expressive, to love yourself.”
Shame no one’s taught her about punctuality. The diva kept her celeb fans including Agyness Deyn and Henry Holland waiting for 90 minutes for the launch at Il Bottaccio in West London.
She was only staying five minutes away too. Well, at least we know she wasn’t busy having sex…
Source: mirror.co.uk
EMI vows not to sell Abbey Road
James Thompson
The ailing music group EMI has vowed not to sell London’s Abbey Road, the recording studio made world famous by The Beatles, following months of intense speculation that it could be offloaded.
EMI, which is owned by Guy Hands’ private equity company Terra Firma, also said it welcomed English Heritage’s accelerated plan to make Abbey Road a listed building as a way of protecting it as a music heritage site. The music company confirmed it was holding discussions with “interested and appropriate third parties” to finance its plans to “revitalise” Abbey Road, where the studio has been losing money for a number of years.
The plans are thought to include creating a museum at the site. An EMI spokesman said: “At all times, these plans have focused on providing access to artists and, where possible, members of the public. In mid-2009, we did receive an offer to buy Abbey Road but this was rejected since we believe that Abbey Road should remain in EMI’s ownership.”
Today, the Baroness Andrews, the chairwoman of English Heritage, was expected to confirm to the Culture minister, Margaret Hodge, that the organisation remains committed to its 2003 recommendation that the studios should be granted Grade II listed status.
Source: independent.co.uk
Britney Spears gets back to bubblegum pop in new Candies campaign
Britney Spears wows as the all-American girl in new shots for Candies footwear
WE’RE always happy to see Britney Spears looking back to her poptastic best.
So when these new shots of Britney Spears looking fab in the new Candies campaign landed on our desks, we squealed with delight.
The All-American pop princess looks fit and healthy, and – gulp – uber-toned in the new images, which were taken by three famed photographers for the brand’s new Spring 2010 campaign.
In one, the Circus singer sits astride a chair as she playfully flicks her shoulder-length blonde locks in a cute Aztec-inspired frock, while in another she’s more bedtime Britney in cute lingerie with a hot-pink bear on her shoulders.
Next up and out comes her alter-ego – rocker Britney – as she poses in a red and black tribal-print boob tube and jeans, aside an, albeit candy-pink, motorcycle.
And in the most extravagant shot, the 28-year-old sits in a Moulin Rouge/Circus-style dressing room, with fuchsia-pink feather boas hanging in the background.
The shoot, which was captured by acclaimed snappers Mark Seliger, Terry Richardson and Annie Leibovitz, is another reminder to die-hard fans’ that the sweet Baby One More Time singer is back to her original best.
The mother-of-two, who suffered a very public meltdown, has been on fine form of late – putting on a dignified performance at the Grammys in a newly-dyed, glossy brunette do in a gothic black lacy dress.
The songstress did spark wedding rumours however, after arriving hand-in-hand with Jason Trawick sporting a dazzling ring on her engagement finger.
Source: ok.co.uk
Sir Paul McCartney hopes Abbey Road can be saved
Sir Paul McCartney has told the BBC he hopes the famous Abbey Road Studios can be saved, after reports that it has been put up for sale by owner EMI.
Selling the studios, best known for being the place where the Beatles recorded their albums, could raise £30m for the debt-stricken record company.
Sir Paul told the Newsnight programme some people associated with the studio may be “mounting some bid to save it”.
EMI and its private equity owner Terra Firma have declined to comment.
It is not known if any sale would see the site continue as a record studios or be converted for another use.
“There are a few people who have been associated with the studio for a long time who were talking about mounting some bid to save it,” said Sir Paul.
“I sympathise with them. I hope they can do something, it’d be great.”
Zebra crossing
EMI recently revealed that it needs to raise more than £100m from investors to prevent it from breaching its banking arrangements with US lending giant Citigroup.
Earlier this month, the record company also reported a pre-tax loss of £1.75bn for the year to 31 March 2009.
Abbey Road Studios still draws Beatles fans from around the world, many of whom pose for photographs on the nearby zebra crossing to imitate the front cover of the Beatles’ last recorded album, Abbey Road.
The building in the St John’s Wood area of London is a converted 1831 Georgian townhouse.
Source: bbc.co.uk
Bono and Alicia Keys join Hope For Haiti benefit
Stars including Bono, Justin Timberlake and Alicia Keys will perform in the Hope For Haiti TV fundraising event, organiser George Clooney has announced. The actor said more than 40 celebrities were expected to attend the Hope For Haiti event on 22 January. The aim of the telethon, he added, was “to show the people of Haiti that the whole world is paying attention”. Clooney and Haitian-born singer Wyclef Jean will host the benefit, to be shown on more than a dozen US TV networks. Other performers will include Sting and Christina Aguilera. Clooney attended the Golden Globe awards on Sunday, where he was nominated for best actor for his film Up In The Air.
Asked whether it was “a bit odd” to be thrown into an awards show while trying to organise a charity concert, the star replied: “It is, except this is a perfect place for me to go recruiting some people, so it works out.” Organisers of the Globes pledged $100,000 (£61,400) to Jean’s Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund and many of the night’s guests used the opportunity to raise awareness of the ongoing relief effort. Actor Mark Wahlberg said: “Haiti has been one of the poorest countries in the world for such a long time. And it’s important for people to continue to help and change that.” Penelope Cruz added: “Everybody can use an opportunity to remind people to do something. Even if it’s a little help. But everything counts.” The Hope For Haiti event will benefit the Red Cross, Unicef, Oxfam America, Partners in Health and Jean’s Yele Haiti Foundation. Clooney said songs from participating artists would be made available on iTunes, with proceeds going to the relief effort. Estimates of the numbers killed by the earthquake range from 50,000 to at least 200,000. Six days after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake, food and water are finally reaching some parts of the capital Port-au-Prince, but relief efforts are being slowed by bottlenecks. |
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Source: news.bbc.co.uk
Joyeux Noël | Merry Christmas
Meilleurs voeux pour un Noël plein de joies et une nouvelle année remplie de bonheur.
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
-Music Star News-
Rihanna to give girls a go?
RIHANNA would be open to having a relationship with a woman.
The Bajan singer is currently single after splitting with CHRIS BROWN following his assault last February.
Despite attracting plenty of offers, she’s preferred to go it alone and concentrate on pushing her new album.
However, when she’s ready to start dating again, Rihanna hints she might given women a go – preferably if they look like MEGAN FOX.
She revealed all when discussing possible future acting roles.
“I’d love to be an assassin. Either that or a lesbian. Maybe both,” she said yesterday.
“Hey, a gay assassin, there’s nothing hotter than that.
“Megan Fox would play my girlfriend – hands down. She’s yummy. She’s hot.
“All humans are born with the ability to be attracted to both sexes. I mean, I could see myself in a relationship with a girl.”
Source: thesun.co.uk
Myspace Buys Imeem Music Website, Promptly Closes It
Desire Athow
itproportal
MySpace, the News Corp owned social networking website, has announced that MySpace Music has completed the acquisition of Imeem, an online music sharing service.
The company said in a press release that it has finalised a deal to acquire certain assets of imeem and the press release mentioned that “In the coming weeks, our team will be working as quickly as possible to take aspects of imeem that users love and migrate them to MySpace Music.”
However, it seems that MySpace Music has totally scraped the newly acquired website as both imeem.com and ‘my personal imeem profile’ are redirecting to MySpace Music after the deal, worth around $1 million went through.
The company has also announced on the post that it will incorporate imeem playlists that its users have created into MySpace Music, “as quickly as possible”. Interestingly, the iPhone app for imeem is still up for grabs on the iTunes store, but then again, it probably won’t work.
Tech experts believe that the reason because MySpace music has scraped imeem is that imeem had lots of digital content which was not licensed properly, whereas MySpace Music claims that its content is “fully licensed”.
MySpace Music has also announced that imeem CEO Dalton Caldwell, CTO Bryan Berg, COO Ali Aydar and VP of Sales David Wade will be coming on-board as consultants during the integration process.
Source: itproportal.com
