MEDIA GROUP: REED BUSINESS (INFORMATION)
WEB PAGE:VARIETY.COM
(FULL STORY ON THE EMI GROUP WEB PAGE)

EMI to pinkslip up to 1,800 staff

Hands tells staff of restructuring plans

One of the biggest shakeups in the music industry's history is expected to be announced today by EMI.

It is likely that 1,500-2,000 people will be pinkslipped, a slew of artists dropped and departments at individual labels centralized. EMI's key pop labels, Capitol, Virgin and Parlophone, are likely to retain only their individual A&R responsibilities as sales, marketing and administration staffs are merged into a single entity.

A number of EMI offices are expected to close, and it's possible several of the company's smaller imprints will shutter. Speculation is that the profitable music publishing unit and A&R departments will be left largely untouched.

The company is looking to shed annual costs of nearly $400 million, a figure in line with the amount targeted by Edgar Bronfman Jr. when he took over Warner Music Group in 2003. Warner Music staff is now down to about 4,000.

Guy Hands, chief of EMI's new owners, Terra Firma Capital Partners, will deliver a presentation to EMI staff today at the Odeon Cinema in the Kensington section of London.

SOURCE:VARIETY MUSIC NEWS

NSDTCM:COMPANY:LIVE NATION
WEB LINK: LIVE NATION (UK)

Live Nation writing its own ticket

Concert promoter keys on sponsorships, resale

Live Nation is forecasting a $25 million increase in EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) once it installs its own ticketing system, and the concert promoter calculates that through sponsorships that figure will double.

The truly uncharted territory, however, is the secondary market, in which Live Nation expects to become an active participant. Once its ticketing system goes online in 2009, the company will essentially be in line to profit from the initial sale of a ticket and then from its resale.

“The fundamental strategy is that we need to control our tickets, control the allocation,” Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino said in a conference call Friday with analysts and investors. “To date, we don’t have a lot of flexibility.”

Live Nation struck a deal last month with the German ticket company CTS to create an inhouse ticketing service that would replace the promoter’s deal with Ticketmaster, which expires at the end of the year.

SOURCE:VARIETY.COM MUSIC NEWSLETTER
FULL STORY:VARIETY.COM/MUSIC
LINK:CTS EVENTIM AG
LINK:TICKETMASTER.COM

LABEL:NR ONE RECORDS (UK)

NEW BAND: VIOLET VIOLET (UK)
MYSPACE
PHOTO:VIOLET VIOLET.NET

COMMENT: I CONSIDER THIS BAND HAS A LOT OF POTENTIAL , CERTAINLY IS A GREAT BAND BUT WITH THE RIGHT DIRECTION THEY CAN GO EVEN FURTHER TO MORE WIDER AUDIENCES.

NSDTCM:COMPANY:UNIVERSAL MUSIC UK

Universal Music (UK)

Sublabels:Globe Records, Island Records, Loog Records, Polydor (UK), Serious Records, Universal Island Records, Universal Jazz (UK), Universal Music (Ireland), Universal Music TV, W14 Music, Wonderboy
Parent Label: Universal Music Group

Contact Info: Universal Music International Ltd
8 St. James's Square,
London,
SW1Y 4JU

Tel: +44 020 7747 4000

E-mail: info@umusic.co.uk
WEB PAGE: http://www.umusic.co.uk/
SOURCE:DISCOGS.COM

NSDTCM:GIRLS ALOUD
MYSPACE
SOURCE:UMUSIC UK

JANUARY SALES WITH GIRLS ALOUD!

Happy New Year! Brighten up your January by checking out some sizzling offers in the Girls Aloud store... SHOP WITH GIRLS ALOUD!

The Girls Aloud online store is having a massive January sale, where you'll find 20% off absolutely everything!

From the 2008 calendar to 'Greatest Hits' Tour t-shirts, everything is on sale. Snap up your must-have Girls Aloud goodies by heading here and launch 2008 in style!

But hurry... The sale ends on 1st February so get in there quick.

HELLO FROM THE GIRLS!!!

Over the festive period, we've been adding messages from the band about their stand-out moments of 2007 and what they're most looking forward to in 2008. Plus, Cheryl answers the latest Fan Question. Find out what the Girls have got to say over on GirlsAloud.co.uk


For all the latest Girls Aloud info check out www.girlsaloud.co.uk and Girls Aloud´s MYSPACE

SOURCE: UMUSIC UK
LINK:MYSPACE

COMMENT: THIS GROUP IS HUGE IN THE UK!!!
IT´S A SHAME THAT THEY DON´T HAVE THE SUCCESS IN THE U.S. AND SOUTH AMERICA.

NSDTCM:COMPANY:TICKETS NOW


OUTSTANDING SELECTION

TicketsNow.com lists the world's largest online inventory of secondary market tickets—nearly 6 times more than eBay. In fact, 9 out of 10 professional companies in North America that sell tickets online list their tickets at TicketsNow.com. You will find tickets for virtually every major sporting event and concert on our site. If you can't find the tickets you want, call us! We're happy to help you locate great seats to any event, anywhere.

STELLAR CUSTOMER SERVICE

Our commitment to customer service guarantees that a trained TicketsNow.com representative processes every order. To provide you with the best buying experience possible, our sales staff is not paid on commission. Our business is built on the solid foundation of customer loyalty. We sincerely appreciate your business and work hard to ensure that you will visit TicketsNow.com for all your ticket needs.

SECURE ONLINE SHOPPING

TicketsNow.com assures a safe, secure customer buying experience. Our offices are equipped with the latest computer technology powered by Microsoft BackOffice SBS. All transactions conducted on our Web site through a secure browser are protected by Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) software, the industry standard and the best software available today for secure online commerce business. All transactions are processed on our secure server with full 128-bit encryption. This means that all of your personal information, including credit card number, name, and address, cannot be read as the data travels over the Internet. We invite you to shop with confidence of knowing that your personal information is protected at all times. Please browse our site or contact us to learn why TicketsNow.com is the safest and best way to buy event tickets online.

OUR BUYER GUARANTEE

TicketsNow.com firmly stands behind the products and services we sell. Once your order is confirmed, we guarantee that you will receive the tickets you selected. After you receive an order confirmation from us, if for any unforeseen reason the tickets you selected are not available, we will substitute a comparable or better ticket for the same price or we'll refund your money. We guarantee it.

CHECK US OUT

TicketsNow.com is a member of the Better Business Bureau OnLine Reliability Program and a founding member of the National Association of Ticket Brokers (NATB), which was organized to promote the highest level of ethics in the secondary ticketing marketplace. We are fully bonded and licensed by the office of the Illinois Secretary of State (License #05-021).

OFFICE HOURS AND LOCATION

Our call center is open Monday thru Friday, 8 am to 9 pm (Central Time), and from 8 am to 3 pm on Saturdays. Of course, you are free to shop our web site for tickets 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

TicketsNow.com
3800 Golf Rd.
Suite 125
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
(800) 927-2770
(800) 927-2795 (español)
(815) 444-9800

Thanks again for choosing TicketsNow.com. We truly appreciate your business!

SOURCE:TICKETS NOW
LINK:EBAY

NSDTCM:BAND:LUKESTAR (NORWAY)
LABEL: MADE BY MADE (NO)
MYSPACE

ALBUM AVAILABLE MONDAY JANUARY 14th. !!
SHOP AT:INSOUND.COM

UPCOMING SHOWS IN NORWAY:

Jan 18 2008 Klubben, Samfundet, Trondheim
Jan 19 2008 Thorvald´s, Nesna
Jan 25 2008 John Dee, Releaseparty m/ Le Corbeau, Oslo
Jan 26 2008 Union Scene, Drammen
Jan 31 2008 Studenthuset Rokken, Volda
Feb 1 2008 Meieriet, Sogndal
Feb 7 2008 Kroa i Bø
Feb 8 2008 Energimølla, Kongsberg
Feb 21 2008 by:Larm, Oslo
Feb 23 2008 by:Larm, Oslo
Feb 27 2008 Charlie´s Bar, Kristiandsand
Feb 28 2008 Checkpoint Charlie, Stavanger
Mar 7 2008 Hydranten, Hamar

Booking Scandinavia: knut@artistpartner.no
Label/promo: kristine@tubarec.com
Band: lukestar@lukestar.com

SOURCE PHOTO:pressphoto here (© Jørgen Gomnæs).

COMMMENT: I THINK THIS IS A GREAT BAND!!!
SO CHECK THEIR MYSPACE PAGE!!

SOURCE: MYSPACE/LUKESTAR.COM/ INSOUND.COM

(CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

NSDTCM:ONCE NOTHING
LABEL:SOLID STATE RECORDS
MYSPACE

Tour Dates 2008

10 Jan 2008 - City Church of Mobile - Mobile, Alabama
11 Jan 2008 - The Fish Music Hall McCalla, Alabama
12 Jan 2008 - The Masquerade - Atlanta, Georgia
13 Jan 2008 - Underwood Community Center - Flowood, Mississippi
14 Jan 2008 - City Church of Mobile - Mobile, Alabama
15 Jan 2008 - The Pivot - Cleveland, Georgia
16 Jan 2008 - Transitions Art Gallery - Tampa, Florida
17 Jan 2008 - Island Oasis - Orlando, Florida
18 Jan 2008 - Life Pointe Church - Homstead, Florida
19 Jan 2008 - The Pit - Jacksonville, Florida
20 Jan 2008 - The Soundvent - Thomasville, North Carolina
21 Jan 2008 - Bullet Music Hall - Greenville, North Carolina
22 Jan 2008 - Living Word Church - Lynchburg, Virginia
23 Jan 2008 - Jaxx West - Spingfield, Virginia
24 Jan 2008 - The Vibe Lounge - Rockville Centre, New York
25 Jan 2008 - The Underground - Bangor, Maine
26 Jan 2008 - Rocko’s - Manchester, New Hampshire
27 Jan 2008 - Bethel Municipal Center - Bethel, Connecticut
28 Jan 2008 - Club Octane - Charleroi, Pennsylvania
29 Jan 2008 - Howell Opera House - Howell, Michigan
30 Jan 2008 - Rock Bottom - Dover, Ohio
31 Jan 2008 - Doh Wah Diddy - Berea, Kentucky
1 Feb 2008 - The Anchor - Nashville, Tennessee
2 Feb 2008 - 467 House - Auburn, Alabama
4 Feb 2008 - Mainstream - Houma, Louisiana
5 Feb 2008 - Red Door Cafe - Pensacola, Florida
7 Feb 2008 - City Church of Mobile - Mobile, Alabama
8 Feb 2008 - The Fish Music Hall McCalla, Alabama
9 Feb 2008 - The Pivot - Cleveland, Georgia
10 Feb 2008 - Sector 7g - Augusta, Georgia
11 Feb 2008 - River Run Church - Melbourn, Florida
12 Feb 2008 - The Capitol - Ocala, Florida
13 Feb 2008 - The Orpheum - Tampa, Florida
14 Feb 2008 - The Dungeon - Orlando, Florida
15 Feb 2008 - Life Point Church - Miami, Florida
16 Feb 2008 - The Pit - Jacksonville, Florida
17 Feb 2008 - Lucky’s Pub - Wilmington, North Carolina
18 Feb 2008 - Creation Skate Park - Kernersville, North Carolina
19 Feb 2008 - Club Relevant - Virginia Beach, Virginia
20 Feb 2008 - Room 180 - Rustburg, Virginia
21 Feb 2008 - Jaxx - Springfield, Virginia
22 Feb 2008 - St. Christophers Episcopal Church - Linthicum, Maryland
23 Feb 2008 - Mainstage - Pompton Lakes, New Jersey
24 Feb 2008 - Penn Monster Factory - East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
25 Feb 2008 - Good Shepherd Lutheran Church - Glenville, New York
26 Feb 2008 - Club Diablo - Buffalo, New York
27 Feb 2008 - The Attic - Kettering, Ohio
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Once Nothing have posted a new song on their MySpace Page called "Avoid Me Like The Plague." Their new album, "First Came The Law" isn't out until January 15,but you can pre-order the record over at Interpunk and get a free T-shirt with your purchase!

For your chance to preview a bunch of songs off of Once Nothing's upcoming record, check out their new e-card. You can also head there for the latest news, show info, buddy icons and more!

SOURCE: SOLIDSTATE RECORDS
LINK:MYSPACE
LINK:INTERPUNK

NSDTCM:LINKIN PARK
LABEL: WARNER REPRISE

LINKIN PARK ON TOUR

EUROPE TOUR
Linkin Park will be touring in Europe starting next week! See tour dates below.

U.S. TOUR

All U.S. and Canada dates are on sale now. Get your tickets to see Linkin Park on this headlining U.S. tour, with special guests Coheed and Cambria, and Chiodos. Also, for the first time ever, Linkin Park is offering fans the option of purchasing a Digital Souvenir Package with their tickets, a special post-gig memento which includes: the entire show, exclusive concert photos and a digital tour program.

Date	City	Venue	On-Sale
1/16	Hannover, Germany	TUI Arena	On Sale Now
1/17	Metz, France	Galaxie	On Sale Now
1/18	Basel, Switzerland	St. Jakobshalle	On Sale Now
1/20	Frankfurt, Germany	Festhalle	On Sale Now
1/21	Koln, Germany	Koelnarena	On Sale Now
1/22	Paris, France	Bercy	On Sale Now
1/24	Nottingham, UK	Arena	On Sale Now
1/25	Sheffield, UK	Arena	On Sale Now
1/27	Manchester, UK	MEN Arena	On Sale Now
1/28	London, UK	The O2	On Sale Now
1/29	London, UK	The O2	On Sale Now
2/12	Omaha, NE	Qwest Center	On Sale Now
2/13	St. Paul, MN	Xcel Center	On Sale Now
2/15	Columbus, OH	Nationwide Arena	On Sale Now
2/16	Detroit, MI	Joe Louis Arena	On Sale Now
2/18	Manchester, NH	Verizon Wireless Arena	On Sale Now
2/19	Baltimore, MD	1st Mariner Arena	On Sale Now
2/21	New York, NY	Madison Square Garden	On Sale Now
2/22	Montreal, Quebec	Bell Centre	On Sale Now
2/23	London, Ontario	John LaBatt Centre	On Sale Now
2/25	Lexington, KY	Rupp Arena	On Sale Now
2/26	Nashville, TN	Sommet Center	On Sale Now
2/29	Oklahoma City, OK	Ford Center	On Sale Now
3/1	Albuquerque, NM	Tingley Coliseum	On Sale Now
3/2	El Paso, TX	Don Haskins Ctr	On Sale Now
3/4	Los Angeles, CA	Staples Center	On Sale Now
3/6	Las Vegas, NV	The Joint (Hard Rock)	On Sale Now
3/7	Las Vegas, NV	The Joint (Hard Rock)	On Sale Now
3/8	West Valley City, UT	E Center	On Sale Now
3/10	Sacramento, CA	Arco Arena	On Sale Now

SOURCE:WARNER +REPRISE RECORDS

NSDTCM:BAND:OPERATOR PLEASE
LABELS: BRILLE RECORDS (UK)
EMI AUSTRALIA/VIRGIN NEW ZEALAND
MYSPACE
PHOTO:BRILLE RECORDS

NSDTCM:BAND:THE TWANG (UK)
LABEL:UNIVERSAL MUSIC
MYSPACE
SOURCE:UMUSIC UK

NSDTCM:LABEL:SONY BMG
SOURCE:BRIGHTCOVE

(CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

NSDTCM:SINGER:KAT DE LUNA
LABEL:EPIC
MYSPACE
SOURCE: SONY BMG
PHOTO:MUSIC BOX
LOGO PHOTO: LAST FM

NSDTCM:CHRISTINA AGUILERA
LABEL:RCA

SUPERSTAR CHRISTINA AGUILERA TO RELEASE
BACK TO BASICS - LIVE AND DOWN UNDER

"A THRILLING NEW CONCERT DVD FILMED LIVE IN AUSTRALIA AND EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE AT BEST BUY IN FEBRUARY "

JANUARY 2007 - NEW YORK -

Multi-platinum RCA recording artist Christina Aguilera took Sydney, Australia by storm when her "Back to Basics" world tour hit the Acer Arena for two shows in July 2007.

This breathlessly energetic, dazzling live concert spectacular brought the house down-and the cameras were rolling there to catch it all.

Back to Basics - Live and Down Under captures all the energy and emotion of Aguilera during her Sydney concert. Presented by the RCA Music Group, this new 90-minute DVD will be available exclusively at Best Buy on February 5 and online at www.BestBuy.com now.

"Christina's done it again - another stunning long-form from one of music's greatest performers. We are fortunate Best Buy shares our excitement and has partnered with us on this project," comments Tom Corson, EVP/GM RCA Music Group.

This concert spectacular features 18 great songs spanning the four-time Grammy Award-winning superstar's amazing career, including the smash singles "Ain't No Other Man" and "Candyman off "Back to Basics"; Number One hits "Come on Over Baby (All I Want Is You)" and "What a Girl Wants"; her No. 2 smash "Beautiful," the 2004 Grammy Award winner for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and more.

The DVD captures the excitement of this lavish tour, from the unique stage with 3 distinct scenes, more than 600 moving lights and a state-of-the-art hydraulic system, to production incorporating everything from burlesque cabaret to trapeze choreography, fire jugglers, and stilt walkers-but the heart and soul of the show is Christina Aguilera, with her awe-inspiring voice and silver-screen charisma.

Bonus material gives viewers a true 360° perspective of the tour by featuring exclusive interviews with her dancers, wardrobe (Simone Harouche), hair and makeup (Stephen Sollitto), musicians, background vocalists, musical director (Rob Lewis), Jordan Bratman (Christina's husband) and Christina herself.

"Christina Aguilera is one of the biggest female artists in the world and Best Buy is delighted to offer her fans the highly anticipated Christina Aguilera Back to Basics - Live and Down Under DVD," notes Gary Arnold, senior entertainment officer for Best Buy.

SOURCE:RCA RECORDS
LINK:CHRISTINA AGUILERA
LINK:BEST BUY
SOURCE PHOTO: SONYBMG´S MUSIC BOX

NSDTCM:LABEL:RCA RECORDS
SOURCE:RCA RECORDS
LINK: PLATINUM MUSIC PASS


SOURCE:RCA Records

NSDTCM:COMPANY:LIVE NATION
SOURCE:LIVE NATION

LINK:STORE LIVE NATION
LINK:PROMO LIVE NATION VIP
LINK:LIVE NATION TV

NSDTCM:COMPANY:APPLE

SOURCE:VARIETY MUSIC

EU, Apple agree on price of iTunes

Cost of music downloads will be standardized
By GORDON MASSON

LONDON — A European Union investigation into computer giant Apple has been dropped after the American company agreed to standardize its pricing policies across Europe for its iTunes music downloads.

The EU brought its case against Apple after receiving a complaint from British consumers’ association Which? about the high cost of iTunes downloads in the U.K., compared with elsewhere in Europe. British consumers have been paying about 10% more for songs than their equivalents elsewhere on the continent.

In response to the probe, Apple today announced that it plans to charge the same price for downloads across the European Union, prompting the European Commission to cease action against the iTunes business.

In a statement Wednesday, the commission said that it “welcomes Apple's announcement to equalize prices for downloads of songs from its iTunes online store in Europe within the next six months. This puts an end to the different treatment of U.K. consumers who currently have to pay higher prices for downloads.”

The statement also cleared the record industry of collusion in setting prices for downloads. “The commission’s antitrust proceedings have also clarified that it is not agreements between Apple and the major record companies that determine how the iTunes store is organized in Europe.

Consequently, the commission does not intend to take further action in this case.”

SOURCE:VARIETY.COM

SOURCE: APPLE/iTunes

SOURCE: APPLE

NSDTCM:LABELS: EMI

SOURCE:VARIETY MUSIC

EMI to exit IFPI

In a move designed to get major music trade organizations to reorganize, EMI has made the first step to exit the British trade group IFPI.

Top operating executives at the four major labels are in talks, seeking changes in the structure and priorities of major trade orgs, including the Recording Industry Assn. of America. The idea of merging the IFPI and RIAA has been broached as well.
Following the guidelines of the Intl. Federation of the Phonographic Industry, EMI sent a letter the last week of December to IFPI leadership stating that the company would file to leave the org if the structure and aims of the IFPI are not aligned with the interests of EMI.

A source close to the negotiations said all four major labels are in talks with IFPI about altering its course.
“This is not about cost-cutting,” the source said. “Functions and structure need to make sense to all major labels. Right now, funding them doesn’t make sense.

“This is not a case of just saying bye-bye (to trade orgs). In some countries, the trade bodies are also collection agencies.”

One idea that has been floated by the majors is a consolidation of the IFPI, which represents 1,400 record companies in 75 countries, and the RIAA into a single unit. Both groups focus on piracy issues and lobbying.

FULLSTORY ON:VARIETY.COM

SOURCE:IFPI

SOURCE (PHOTO):EMI GROUP

LINK:RIAA

NSDTCM:VARIETY NEWSLETTER
'IN RAINBOWS' ADDS COLOR TO CHARTS

Radiohead hits No. 1 with new album

Three months after Radiohead shocked the system with a “pay what you want” digital model for “In Rainbows,” the album hit No. 1 in its first week of availability on compact disc.

SOURCE:VARIETY.COM

SOURCE PHOTO:INRAINBOWS.COM

LINK:RADIOHEAD.COM