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- Bryan Ferry – Olympia: exclusive album stream
The latest solo album by the Roxy Music man sees Ferry reuniting with his old band
Olympia is the first solo endeavour by Bryan Ferry since his 2007 album Dylanesque. And yet despite being billed as a solo effort it sees the musician joining forces once again with Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera, Andy Mackay and Brian Eno, the first time all four have been in the studio together since the band's 1973 album For Your Pleasure. Olympia also sees Ferry collaborating with Scissor Sisters (Heartache By Numbers) and Groove Armada (Shameless), as well Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, Nile Rogers from Chic, former Stone Roses bassist Mani and Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers. Phew! The album is out next Monday (25 October), let us know what you think in the comments section below ...
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More FeedsПереслать - Behind the music: Why can't labels agree on a music streaming service?
Labels and ISPs have been trying to devise an alternative to Spotify for over a year, but the four majors continue to argue over the issue of unlimited downloads
Last year, I suggested that backing an "unlimited" ISP music service, like the proposed Virgin Media one, was a risk worth taking for record labels and music publishers. Negotiations between Virgin Media and record companies had been going on for more than six months, but labels were unable to agree on the cost of a monthly subscription and whether or not the scheme should be unlimited.
Almost a year later, we are no closer to seeing such a music service, while Universal Music Group, the first label to get on board with the project, has voiced its frustration with the lack of progress. Instead, last week brought the news that Virgin Media is set to team up with Spotify on a subscription-based music service.
Though there aren't any details as yet, I suspect it will be similar to the deal that Spotify did with Swedish ISP Telia, bundling Spotify Premium with the ISP's broadband, mobile and TV subscriptions. This collaboration was launched a year ago and, from what I understand, it's resulted in a big uptake of Spotify Premium in Sweden and a decline in usage of peer-to-peer sites such as the Pirate Bay. It's even possible that this, in turn, has played a part in the decline in support for the Pirate party. Last year, it received enough Swedish votes to get into the European parliament, but in the country's general election last month, it didn't win any representation.
So why, if labels were willing to license Spotify – which even has a free, ad-funded option – can't they agree to license a similar subscription service directly with an ISP? The difference may lie in the option of including unlimited downloads in Virgin Media's proposal. While Spotify Premium lets users access its catalogue on all their devices, it's only available to subscribers. In other words, users could download loads of music and then unsubscribe.
I'd argue that a good ISP music service, which includes interactive options where you can share playlists and recommendations, much like Spotify, would be attractive enough for users to not unsubscribe, even if it includes downloads. Record labels sell more new than old tracks, which suggests music fans would want to stick with such a service so as not to cut off the supply. And, after all, people hardly flinch at paying much more than £10 a month for unlimited access to hundreds of TV channels.
In a recent discussion with one of the labels on this issue, a representative told me that one of the first stumbling blocks when discussing music subscriptions with ISPs is their hesitation to invest in the development of a great music platform. "Yet I don't think it would cost more than £10m. Spotify has probably spent more than that on lawyers and licensing," he said. The idea emerged that labels could pool together to pay for a digital platformcatering to every niche music taste. This platform could then be presented to ISPs all around the world.
It's not a bad idea. Lots of countries don't have good legal digital music services – some don't even have any legal digital music services at all – and being able to approach their local ISPs with something like this could be the quickest way to give music fans a legal alternative.
Of course, this would require labels to work together, which is easier said than done. Two years ago, Behind the Music brought up the problem with servicing songs to radio months before they are legally available to download, which encourages some music fans to use illegal downloading sites. In March this year we reported that record labels were finally reassessing this practice. So what happened? According to a source, Sony and Universal are open to a trial period of six months, during which they'd close the gap, but Warner Music is not.
As revenues from recorded music plummet to record lows (Toby Keith reached No 1 in the US, last week, by selling just 70,830 albums – a fraction of what it took less than a decade ago), it's about time that labels embraced new ways of slowing down, maybe even reversing, this decline. Besides, the beauty of licenced services is that there's a time limit. If they don't work,labels can always revoke the licence once the term is up. And, as I've been saying for the past two years, closing the gap between radio release and commercial release is a no-brainer.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More FeedsПереслать - New music: Brian Eno – Emerald and Stone
Listen to an exclusive track from Eno's forthcoming album, Small Craft On a Milk Sea
Next month sees the release of Brian Eno's new album Small Craft On a Milk Sea, which features collaborations with Jon Hopkins and Leo Abrahams. Two songs have already been streamed online: the intense, skittish Horse and the equally intense but slightly more brooding 2 Forms of Anger. Those offerings were a world away from Eno's other high-profile project; a richly layered, expansive cover of Tim Buckley's Song to the Siren, with Bryan Ferry (and just about every other musician in the world). So, in fitting with Eno's eclecticism, Emerald and Stone sounds nothing like either of those tracks. It's a gentle, stirring sequence of piano arpeggios (Moonlight Sonata is the obvious reference point) played against the fluttering of birds' wings and the swelling of the tide. Quite lovely, but almost certainly nothing like the rest of the album (which is out on 15 November).
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More FeedsПереслать
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