2009 April | U2Exit.com News Blog

It’s 2009. Do You Know Where Your Soul Is?

Posted by SPun2U on Apr 25, 2009 in News & Rumors | Comments Off

I AM in Midtown Manhattan, where drivers still play their car horns as if they were musical instruments and shouting in restaurants is sport.

I am a long way from the warm breeze of voices I heard a week ago on Easter Sunday.

“Glorify your name,” the island women sang, as they swayed in a cut sandstone church. I was overwhelmed by a riot of color, an emotional swell that carried me to sea.

Christianity, it turns out, has a rhythm — and it crescendos this time of year. The rumba of Carnival gives way to the slow march of Lent, then to the staccato hymnals of the Easter parade. From revelry to reverie. After 40 days in the desert, sort of …

Carnival — rock stars are good at that.

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Bono Favors Performance Rights Act

Posted by SPun2U on Apr 25, 2009 in News & Rumors | Comments Off

U2‘s Bono is the latest artist to speak out in favor of the Performance Rights Act, which would call for radio stations to pay roylaties to artists for playing their music. Bono joins other supporters such as Smashing Pumpkins founder Billy Corgan, will.i.am, Sheryl Crow, Herbie Hancock and Emmylou Harris, who have all joined the musicFIRST Coalition on Capitol Hill to lobby in favor of the Performance Rights Act.

Bono released a statement on the matter via musicFIRST, which is an advocacy group for artist rights. “While we have many friends at radio, and appreciate the many things that radio has done for our band over the years, we believe it’s only fair that when radio makes money by playing a recording artist’s music and selling advertising, the recording artist should be compensated just as songwriters are already,” said Bono. ”This is a principle accepted by radio broadcasters in virtually every country in the world. The music business is in a state of freefall at the moment, and while, thankfully, this no longer really affects us – there are many young recording artists out there who can no longer earn a living from the sale of their music, or from touring or selling merchandise… yet they remain a vital part of radio playlists throughout the USA. They should not be denied their fair share. In this time of so much positive change coming from Washington, we hope this bill will be embraced and become the law.”

In response to Bono’s statement, NAB EVP Dennis Wharton commented, “The irony is that it will be the less-established performers who will be hurt most by a performance tax. If radio stations are forced to pay to play music, program directors will be less likely to take a chance playing unknown artists and will instead stick with established musicians like Bono. New artists and niche formats will suffer, and Bono and Britney Spears will become wealthier.”

The House Judiciary Committee has been holding hearings on the legislation, and numerous broadcasters have testified that radio is facing an extremely difficult time in this economy as it is, and enacting a performance royalty would be devastating to the industry.

- FMQB

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U2 – STARS COME OUT FOR FREUD

Posted by SPun2U on Apr 25, 2009 in Appearances | Comments Off

More than 400 mourners including U2 frontman BONO and funnyman STEPHEN FRY turned out to pay their respects to late writer/broadcaster SIR CLEMENT FREUD at his funeral on Friday (24Apr09).
The former politician, whose grandfather was legendary psychiatrist Sigmund Freud and his brother artist Lucien Freud, died earlier this month (15Apr09) at the age of 84.

Freud was laid to rest with a memorial service in London on Friday afternoon, which would have been his 85th birthday, with members of the entertainment industry mixing with politicians and journalists to pay tribute to the veteran star.
British prime minister Gordon Brown read an address during the service.
Freud is survived by his wife of 59 years, Jill, five children – including PR guru Matthew and successful broadcaster Emma – and 17 grandchildren.

- ContactMusic

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Marriage to Bono can be tough but Ireland keeps us grounded

Posted by SPun2U on Apr 13, 2009 in News & Rumors, Releases | Comments Off

st_alihewson1 Bono’s wife, Ali Hewson, has said that she couldn’t imagine living anywhere but Ireland.

The down-to-earth wife of the U2 singer said she feels that staying in Ireland has given the family the stability they needed.

Ali (48) described her life at home as “rounded but frantic” but said it is important her family grew up here.

“It helps for us to live here, where we’re part of the community,” Ali said. “Ireland is what keeps us grounded — the Irish are no-nonsense and we’re Irish and it’s home.”

And the founder of the EDUN fashion label said that it helps that family and friends all live relatively close to the couple’s mansion in Killiney, Dublin. (more…)

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U2, Eno To Hit Studio In Advance of Band’s 2009 World Tour

Posted by SPun2U on Apr 13, 2009 in News & Rumors | Comments Off

According to the BBC, producer Brian Eno says he will be back in the studio with U2 some time next week.

U2 lead singer Bono has told Rolling Stone magazine the band plans to have another new record out in late 2009 or early 2010. Eno offered no further details about these new sessions, but one possibility is these are aimed at finishing that new record. Songs of Ascent is the title of the planned LP and while most details about it are sketchy, Bono has apparently already chosen “Every Breaking Wave” to be its first single.

Other songs rumored for possible inclusion on Songs of Ascent are “Tripoli,” “Winter,” “If I Could Live My Life Again,” “Love Is All We Have Left,” “North Star,” “Mercy,” and “Lead Me In The Way I Should Go”

No Line On The Horizon, U2′s first album in four years, was released in March of this year. Long layoffs and bursts of activity are nothing new for the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. Zooropa was finished during a break on the band’s mammoth ZooTV tour and was released on the heels of Achtung Baby.

Meanwhile, U2 is gearing up for a world tour in support of No Line On The Horizon. The U2:360 tour kicks off with two shows in Barcelona, Spain, the first of which is June 30. The first U2 date of the tour is September 12 at Chicago’s venerable Soldier Field.