Who needs bathrooms? ([email protected])
Sun, 13 Dec 1998 08:53:09 -0700
N.Ireland violence erupts hours after peace award
December 11, 1998
Web posted at: 1:45 AM EST (0645 GMT)
LONDON, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Protestant demonstrators
attacked police with stones and fireworks near the Northern
Ireland town of Portadown overnight, British radio and
television reported on Friday.
Police were quoted as saying there were no casualties and no
arrests. The area was reported calm on Friday morning.
The violence broke out when several hundred people gathered
outside Drumcree parish church to support a protest by the
Protestant Orange Order.
Six police officers were injured last week in violence at
Drumcree, scene of clashes mid-year when authorities banned
members of the Orange Order from staging their annual march
through a Catholic area.
A small, permanent demonstration has been kept up at
Drumcree since the summer protests dispersed in July.
The latest violence came just hours after rival Northern Ireland
politicians John Hume and David Trimble received the Nobel
Peace Prize and called the award a spur to end three decades
of sectarian bloodshed.
Both men, who stood stiffly side by side during Thursday's
prize ceremony in Oslo, praised each other's work to end the
conflict in which 3,600 people have been killed.
Hume hailed Trimble's decision to negotiate and sign the Good
Friday peace accords in April, despite opposition from
Protestant hardliners who viewed the plan as a surrender to
Irish Republican Army militancy.
"David has come to the table to make an agreement, an
agreement that is not a victory for either side," Hume said. "We
look forward to a new beginning, to build a new north and a new
south, spilling sweat and not blood."
Neither referred to splits over the accords, aimed at giving
Northern Ireland greater self-rule and ties to Ireland while
staying part of Britain.
The pact is bogged down in acrimony over how to ensure
guerrillas hand in weapons and get a political voice.
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>From Addicted To Noise:
Universal Calls For Streamlining Following PolyGram Buyout
Universal Music Group announcement offers no details
about widely expected layoffs or dropping of bands.
The Universal Music Group announced an extensive restructuring of several of
its record labels Thursday (Dec. 10), which included plans to streamline the
company.
Without offering specifics about the impact of the Polygram NV buyout, UMG
chairman/CEO Doug Morris suggested in a press release that changes would
follow.
"UMG will be a lean, flexible organization that will benefit from economies of
scale," he said.
The reorganization immediately follows the now-completed $10.4 billion
purchase of PolyGram NV by Universal's parent company, the beverage-giant
Seagram. The merger makes Universal the world's largest music company.
News reports, citing various sources, have predicted for weeks that the
merger of PolyGram and Universal would result in pink slips for 3,000 record
-company staffers, as well as dozens of bands signed to Island, Def Jam,
Geffen, A&M, Mercury, Interscope and other affected labels.
The release included a list of more than 50 of the most popular artists signed
to the new UMG.
One staffer at an affected label surmised Thursday that the artists featured
on the list -- including hip-hop/folkie Beck, R&B artists Blackstreet and Erykah
Badu, shock-rocker Marilyn Manson, hip-hop's LL Cool J and Jay-Z, ska band
No Doubt and rock groups U2 and the Wallflowers -- would survive the
reorganization. "That list was designed for Wall Street's benefit," he said.
Critically acclaimed but less-profitable bands, such as avant-garde rockers
Sonic Youth and modern-rockers Girls Against Boys, are "question marks,"
said this staffer, who requested anonymity.
Morris did not, however, give any indication of how many staffers could lose
their jobs or how many bands would be let go in the restructuring, which is
expected to take six months to complete.
Universal spokesman Bob Bernstein did not return calls immediately.
The release largely confirmed a reorganization plan that had been reported
weeks ago. Under the new structure, Island and Mercury will be merged into
a single label in New York. Also housed in New York will be Universal Records,
which will now include the famed R&B label Motown.
Pioneering rap label Def Jam -- which had been expected to be woven into
Universal -- will remain its own unit in New York, according to the release.
No plans were revealed for UMG to buy the 40 percent of Def Jam that it
does not already own.
In Los Angeles, Interscope, Geffen and A&M will be rolled into a single label.
UMG owns half of Interscope and says it plans to buy the other half. MCA will
remain its own unit, also based in Los Angeles.
UMG said in its press release that it now has a 25 percent share of the U.S.
market and a 23 percent share of the world market.
The New York Times reported Thursday that Seagram had called a meeting
for PolyGram employees Friday morning in Manhattan's Hudson Guild Theater.
-- Chris Nelson
-------------
Condensed from PRNewswire:
Universal Music Group Announces New Worldwide Structure of Combined
Universal/Polygram Music Operations
NEW YORK, Dec. 10, /PRNewswire/ -- The new worldwide structure of the
Universal Music Group (UMG), which encompasses the combined Universal
and PolyGram music companies, was announced today by Doug Morris,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of UMG.
"The new Universal Music Group, which will be the market leader in every
region in the world, will embody the best of both Universal and
PolyGram's executives, artist rosters, and business practices,"
commented Mr. Morris. "The integration of these two companies presents a
rare opportunity to create an organization that is well positioned for
profitable growth. UMG will be a lean, flexible organization that will
benefit from economies of scale while nurturing a strong local
entrepreneurial spirit in its management team around the world."
Mr. Morris also announced the appointment of his worldwide executive
team: Bruce Hack, Vice Chairman; Zach Horowitz, President and Chief
Operating Officer; and Jorgen Larsen, Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer, Universal Music International.
Mr. Hack, who formerly served as Chief Financial Officer for Universal
Studios, will be located in New York and will be responsible for the
company's global strategy and business development; its functional areas
including Finance, Human Resources, and Information Technology; and its
global manufacturing, regional distribution centers and U.S. sales. Mr.
Horowitz, who was promoted from his position as President of UMG, will
be based in Los Angeles and, in conjunction with Doug Morris, will
direct the day-to-day operations of the global music company including
the North American record labels. He will also have direct
responsibility for MCA Music Publishing and Universal Concerts.
Mr. Larsen, whose appointment had been announced in June, will be based
in London and will manage and direct UMG's activities outside of North
America. He today announced the appointment of his key international
executives who will direct activities within their regions: Norman
Cheng, Chairman, Universal Music Asia/Pacific (formerly President,
PolyGram Far East) and Manolo Diaz, Chairman, Universal Latin America
(formerly President, PolyGram Latin America). Mr. Larsen will directly
oversee the Universal Music Group's businesses in Europe.
Mr. Larsen also announced the appointment of the managing directors who
will run the integrated companies in the five largest music markets
around the world:
*.Universal Music U.K. -- Located in London, Universal U.K.'s
operations will be directed by Chairman and CEO John Kennedy.
*.Universal Music Germany -- Wolf-D. Gramatke will serve as Chairman
and CEO of Universal Music Germany, based in Hamburg, as well as oversee
Universal Music Austria/Switzerland. Tim Renner has been appointed
President, Music of Universal Music Germany.
*.Universal Music France -- Based in Paris, Universal France will be
overseen by President and CEO Pascal Negre.
*.Universal Music Japan -- Located in Tokyo, Universal Japan will be
directed by President Kei Ishizaka, reporting to Norman Cheng.
* Universal Music Brazil -- Located in Rio de Janeiro, Universal Brazil
will be headed by Managing Director Marcelo Castello Branco reporting
to Manolo Diaz.
In North America, Universal Music Group will be the market leader,
combining the best of both organizations. Management has been assembled
from both Universal and PolyGram.
*.Island Records and Mercury Records will be merged to form a more
powerful label from the combined rosters. Located in New York, this
label group will be headed by Jim Caparro as Chairman and John Reid as
President.
*.An east coast label group, located in New York, will be comprised of
Universal Records and Motown Records and guided by Mel Lewinter,
Chairman. He will be joined by Jean Riggins, currently President,
Black Music, Universal Records. Kedar Massenburg will serve as
President and CEO of Motown Records.
*.Def Jam, which is 60% owned by UMG, will remain in New York under the
management of Chairman Russell Simmons, Chief Executive Officer Lyor
Cohen, and President Kevin Liles.
*.Verve/GRP, located in New York, is the result of the combination of
these two renowned jazz labels. The label will be led by Chairman
Tommy LiPuma and President Ron Goldstein.
*.A west coast group of labels, located in Los Angeles, will be
comprised of Interscope Records, Geffen Records, and A&M Records
and run by Co-Chairmen Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field and President Tom
Whalley. UMG expects to purchase the half of Interscope Records it
does not presently own.
*.MCA Records, located in Los Angeles, will continue to be headed by
President Jay Boberg.
*.MCA Records Nashville will continue to be guided by Chairman Bruce
Hinton and President Tony Brown.
*.Mercury Nashville will continue to operate under President Luke Lewis.
*.Universal Music Group (Canada), located in Toronto, will be headed by
Chairman Ross Reynolds and President Randy Lennox.
UMG's U.S. sales and distribution arm, Universal Music & Video
Distribution, will continue to be headquartered in Los Angeles and led
by President Henry Droz, and Co-Executive Vice Presidents/General
Managers Jim Urie and Craig Kornblau. The merging of the two companies
will place UMVD as the leading single supplier of home entertainment
product in the country.
A new combined special markets and centralized catalog division,
overseen by President Bruce Resnikoff, will be responsible for creating
and acquiring new catalog product (much of which will be released under
the Hip-O label) as well as marketing each of the U.S. labels' catalog
product. They will also handle the exploitation of master recordings
from Universal's various labels through ancillary markets and
non-conventional channels.
Universal Music Group Fact Sheet
Created from the combination of Universal and PolyGram, the new
Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world's premier music company. Its
global operations encompass the development, manufacture, marketing,
sales and distribution of recorded music through a network of
subsidiaries, joint ventures and licensees in 59 countries around the
world. UMG's businesses also include music publishing, live
event/concert promotion, and mail order music/video clubs.
UMG is significantly stronger than either of its predecessors,
integrating the complementary strengths inherent in both current
businesses.
UMG is number one in market share in the US, Europe, Latin America, Asia
(excluding Japan where UMG will be a strong number two) and Australasia,
giving it the critical mass needed to succeed in this competitive
industry. Combining 1997 figures for Universal and PolyGram, Universal
Music Group's overall market share is 23% globally and 25% in the U.S.
With unparalleled depth and diversity of music, Universal Music Group
leads the industry with its presence in countries around the world
featuring every musical genre from rock to pop and R&B to jazz and
classical. Its unmatched global market share and impressive roster of
established and emerging artists positions the Universal Music Group to
become the premier music company of the next millennium.
Extensive Catalog of Music
Representing some of the most influential and important recording
artists of this century, UMG owns an extensive catalog of music. Among
the legendary artists are Abba, Aerosmith, Louis Armstrong, Chuck Berry,
James Brown, The Carpenters, Eric Clapton, Patsy Cline, John Coltrane,
The Commodores, Bing Crosby, Count Basie, Bo Diddley, Bill Evans, Ella
Fitzgerald, The Four Tops, Judy Garland, Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix,
Billie Holiday, Buddy Holly, The Jackson Five, George Jones, Brenda Lee,
Loretta Lynn, The Mamas & The Papas, Bob Marley, Bill Monroe, Van
Morrison, Nirvana, The Police, Smokey Robinson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Cat
Stevens, Rod Stewart, The Supremes, The Temptations, Conway Twitty,
Muddy Waters, Hank Williams, and The Who.
Record Labels
The record labels under the aegis of UMG include A&M, Geffen, MCA,
Universal, Interscope, Mercury, Island, London, Polydor, Motown and Def
Jam; country music's MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville; jazz's Verve,
GRP and Impulse!; and classical's Decca, Philips and Deutsche
Grammophon.
Global Operations
The company has operations in 48 countries covering 98% of the global
music market: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada,
Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland,
Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru,
Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia,
South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand,
Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Distribution Systems
UMG has the leading distribution system in the world, reaching more
people and countries than any of its competitors. The company owns
state-of-the-art CD manufacturing and distribution facilities
strategically located around the world in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and
France.
Music Publishing
The combined MCA/Polygram Music Publishing Companies will have over 40
wholly owned operating publishing offices worldwide and will be the
third largest publishing company in the world. The combined catalogs
represent a powerhouse music publishing company with incredible strength
in every major music genre. It will control approximately 700,000
copyrights, including some of the world's most popular songs: "I Wanna
Hold Your Hand," "Candle In The Wind," "I Will Survive," "Strangers in
the Night," "Old Man River," "Born To Be Wild" and songs from "West Side
Story," among many others. Among the many catalogs, artists and writers
represented are such contemporary names as U2, No Doubt, Alanis
Morrisette, Glen Ballard, Brian McKnight, Mary J. Blige, The Beastie
Boys, Aqua, and All Saints; legendary composers represented include
Leonard Bernstein, Jerome Kern, Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Abba and
Henry Mancini; and top country writers/artists include Mark D. Sanders
and Gary Burr (both former ASCAP writers of the Year), Kostas, Bob
McDill and Shania Twain.
Concerts
Universal Concerts owns and/or manages venues such as the Universal
Amphitheatre (Los Angeles), Starplex Amphitheatre (Dallas), Lakewood
Amphitheatre (Atlanta), The Gorge (Seattle), Molson Amphitheatre
(Toronto), Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre and Paramount Theatre (Denver),
Blossom Music Center (Cleveland), and the new Coors Amphitheatre (San
Diego).
Mail Order Music/Video Clubs
The Universal Music Group operates the largest mail order music/video
club in Europe, UK-based Britannia, established in 1969, with over two
million subscribers, and the largest music/video club in France, DIAL,
established in 1970.
SOURCE Universal Music Group
-------------
>From NME:
Storm Protection
MASSIVE ATTACK, FATBOY SLIM, RONI SIZE and
U2 are among artists involved in a benefit album for the
victims of Hurricane Mitch.
'Protection', a 19-track album released through Earth
Love Fund Records, will hit the shops on January 18
and features five new tracks from artists such as 808
STATE and BANCO DE GAIA.
Tracks include Massive Attack's 'Protection' (BRIAN
ENO mix), U2's 'Mofo' (Phunk Force Mix) and Roni
Size's 'Brown Paper Bag' (Roni Size Sound Mix).
Hurricane Mitch struck in October and was the worst
natural disaster to hit Central America this century.
Thousands died and millions were left homeless.
Earth Love Fund, an Oxford-based group which
organised the album, is working to help provide
emergency relief such as food, clean drinking water,
shelter and medicine as well as long-term support for
the hurricane victims.
-------------
(Prarit's note: I think I reported on this last week...)
>From BillBoard:
Edited by Julie Taraska / December 9, 1998, 4:00 p.m. EST
Advertisement
U2 Releases Web-Only Video Retrospective
PolyGram Group Distribution and Island Records are
releasing anoriginal video retrospective of U2 as an Internet
exclusive. The video includes animation and live-action
photography and uses RealNetworks video and audio
streaming technology. Featured are the group's current
single, "Sweetest Thing," as well as other tracks from the
band's greatest-hits album, "The Best Of 1980-1990." The
retrospective can be accessed at www.real.com,
www.liveconcerts.com, www.island.co.uk/U2, and other
sites.
-------------
>From Addicted To Noise:
Details Of PolyGram-Universal Merger Reportedly Imminent
Lesser known bands expected to be affected by multibillion-
dollar deal.
Staff Writer Chris Nelson reports:
A major shake-up at labels affected by the impending merger of PolyGram
and Universal Music reportedly is expected to begin unfolding as early as
Thursday (Dec. 10).
The announcement of the $10.4 billion merger will start a process that, it
is widely believed, will leave many bands without record deals. Details of
the merger could be announced within the next 24 hours, according to
unnamed sources quoted in a Reuters news report.
"I'm getting a lot of calls from A&R [Artists & Repertoire] guys at other
labels, wondering who's going to be dropped," an employee from one of
the affected record companies said Wednesday (Dec. 9).
The employee, who spoke under condition of anonymity, said he expected
his label's roster to be cut at least in half.
Beverage giant Seagram, which already owns Universal, is in the process
of finalizing the purchase of PolyGram. News reports in recent weeks have
predicted 3,000 employees will be laid off and dozens of bands will be left
homeless.
The general consensus among industry insiders and those close to the
situation is that such popular artists as the ska-pop group No Doubt, hip-hop
folkie Beck and rock superstars U2, all of whom record for labels that are
divisions of PolyGram or Universal, are not in any danger.
But less sure-shot acts, such as modern rockers Local H, teen-age grunge
band Radish and the pop-rock band Weezer, who had a 1994 hit with "Buddy
Holly" (RealAudio excerpt), could be up for grabs.
The anonymous label source said he's been offering his best guess to
curious A&R representatives about what bands will remain.
But at this point, he said, it's all speculation.
The merger will create the world's largest music company and pare the
"Big Six" record companies (Time Warner, Sony, Bertelsmann, EMI,
Universal and PolyGram) to five. The labels affected include Def Jam,
Geffen, Interscope, Island, Mercury and Motown.
-------------
The new Frank Sinatra "Tribute" set, which consists of Duets I and
II comes with bonus -- a copy of a radio special, which features
Bono talking about Sinatra... (Thanks to Ken for this info)
-------------
Condensed from Yahoo:
(Re: Springsteen announces tour plans)
No dates or venues have been set, but Springsteen is
expected to do between 40 to 60 Stateside shows with a
relatively low ticket price of around $55. A Boss roadshow is
good news for the concert industry as it could be one of only
a trio of high profile tours in the marketplace-- rivaled only by
Madonna and U2, the latter expected to hit the road in late
1999.
-------------
>From @U2news:
The New York Times
December 3, 1998, Thursday, Late Edition - Final
HEADLINE: The Pop Life; Cartoons Dare To Mock Icons
BYLINE: By Neil Strauss
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES
The discipline of pop-music cartoon strips is a small and sad one, but one
of the best has always been "Great Pop Things." Running for 10 years in
alternative weekly newspapers, this pen-and-ink history of rock-and-roll
has informed readers that Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones ate so much
candy that "his entire body rotted away from the teeth downwards," Madonna
"tried to change organized religion" by "wearing her underwear outside her
clothes," Bob Dylan's music opened the way for new singer-songwriters who
"were usually discovered feeling sorry for themselves on the stairs at
parties" and Bono of U2 "retired from music to make LP's."
For those who don't live in the cities where the comic strip is regularly
published (Los Angeles and Chicago, mainly), this smart, skewed, pun-filled
and just plain inaccurate history of rock-and-roll has always been out of
reach. This month, its best strips have been anthologized for the first
time in the United States as a book, "Great Pop Things: The Real History of
Rock-and-Roll From Elvis to Oasis" by Verse Chorus Press. (In 1992, Penguin
in England released a hard-to-find anthology that the creators weren't
happy with, then retained the rights to the comics until last year.)
Steve Connell, who runs Verse Chorus Press and is a publisher of the music
magazine "Puncture," said he was attracted to the comic strip by "the
attitude of complete irreverence to things that are normally approached
with great reverence -- phenomena like U2 especially, which begs to be made
fun of."
-- Prarit....[email protected] U2 news: http://www.members.home.net/u2-news/u2.html
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