EMI, Century Media, PeopleLikeYouRecords

EMI takes on physical and digital distribution for Century Media’s newly affiliated label PeopleLikeYouRecords

COLOGNE, 3 DECEMBER 2009 — EMI Music’s Label Services division and Century Media Records, one of the world’s most renowned and successful heavy metal labels, have further expanded their relationship around the world.

In October 2009, it was announced that EMI will assume physical and digital distribution of Century Media’s roster of artists in Australia and New Zealand, in addition to the North American, UK and Continental European, South African and Middle East territories where EMI already distributes Century Media Records. Century Media’s artists include Lacuna Coil, Paradise Lost, Suicide Silence, In This Moment and Winds of Plague. In addition to physical distribution, it was also announced that EMI will take on digital distribution for Century Media in the UK, Continental Europe, South Africa, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand. EMI will also handle digital distribution for Japan (iTunes) and Korea (EMI Label Services added digital distribution services for Century in North America in January 2009).

As of January 2010, in addition to taking on physical and digital distribution for Century Media’s two newly-affiliated labels InsideOutMusic and SuperballMusic, EMI Label Services will also provide these services to Century Media’s most recent addition,

PeopleLikeYouRecords, a PunkRock/Psychobilly label that is home to the Broilers, Toxpac, and the Adicts, among others. EMI will distribute the rosters for all three of these prominent labels for Century Media in the UK, Continental Europe, the Middle East,

Australia, New Zealand, Korea, and for Itunes in Japan.

More information is available at the following websites:

www.insideout.de
www.superballmusic.com
www.peoplelikeyourecords.com
www.centurymedia.com

Norah Jones titles new album ‘The Fall’; reveals album cover artwoork & track list; announces 16 November release date on EMI’s Blue Note Records (17 November in the US)

Jones was surprise guest performer at Apple’s “It’s Only Rock N’ Roll” press conference; Come Away With Me am among first featured releases of iTunes LP

Multiple Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Norah Jones has announced the title and release date of her upcoming album, The Fall, her fourth studio album which will be released by EMI’s Blue Note Records on November 16 (17 November in the US). Jones has also revealed the cover artwork for the album, which features a portrait by photographer Autumn de Wilde.

Jones was the surprise guest performer at Apple’s “It’s Only Rock n’ Roll” press conference yesterday in San Francisco. Her breakout album Come Away With Me is one of the first albums to be released in the iTunes LP format, a new feature of iTunes 9 that reinvents the visual experience of the record album through live performance videos, lyrics, artwork, liner notes, interviews, photos, album credits and more. After being introduced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Jones performed Come Away With Me and also debuted Young Blood, a new song from The Fall.

# # #

Jones has taken a new direction on the The Fall, experimenting with different sounds and a new set of collaborators, including Jacquire King, a noted producer and engineer who has worked with Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, and Modest Mouse among others. Jones enlisted several songwriting collaborators, including Ryan Adams and Okkervil River’s Will Sheff, as well as her frequent partner Jesse Harris. King also helped Jones put together a new group of musicians to perform on the album, including drummers Joey Waronker (Beck, R.E.M.) and James Gadson (Bill Withers), keyboardist James Poyser (Erykah Badu, Al Green), and guitarists Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello) and Smokey Hormel (Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer).

Since coming on the scene in 2002, Jones’ has sold a collective 36 million albums worldwide. Her three studio albums, 2002′s eight-time Grammy Award-winning Come Away With Me, 2004′s Feels Like Home, and 2007′s Not Too Late have each topped the Billboard top 200 album charts in the U.S. and gone to No. 1 around the world. All three have been certified multi-platinum, while Come Away With Me has been certified diamond.

The track listing for The Fall is as follows:

1. Chasing Pirates (Norah Jones)
2. Even Though (Norah Jones/Jesse Harris)
3. Light As a Feather (Norah Jones/Ryan Adams)
4. Young Blood (Norah Jones/Mike Martin)
5. I Wouldn’t Need You (Norah Jones)
6. Waiting (Norah Jones)
7. It’s Gonna Be (Norah Jones)
8. You’ve Ruined Me (Norah Jones)
9. Back To Manhattan (Norah Jones)
10. Stuck (Norah Jones/Will Sheff)
11. December (Norah Jones)
12. Tell Yer Mama (Norah Jones/Jesse Harris/Richard Julian)
13. Man Of The Hour (Norah Jones)

Sir Simon Rattle’s album to be made available digitally before official release date

EMI and Gramophone magazine offer exclusive early access to Sir Simon Rattle’s album three weeks ahead of release. In a music industry first the album will be delivered to users using the new TellJack music distribution platform.

August 21, 2009 — The Gramophone Listening Room is officially launching with some of the greatest names in the world of classical music: Sir Simon Rattle, the great Berliner Philharmoniker and EMI, a company that has a long and distinguished tradition of recording the orchestra. To mark the release on September 7 on a new Brahms symphony cycle from Rattle and his Berlin orchestra on EMI, The Gramophone Listening Room will be offering its subscribers the opportunity to listen – ahead of release, and exclusively – to Rattle’s performance of Brahms’s Fourth Symphony. It is available to stream ahead of its official release date from August 24th.

This ground-breaking initiative with a major record company also offers visitors the chance to attend a concert in the orchestra’s virtual concert hall – the Digital Concert Hall. Users can sign-up for a free trail of the service atwww.TellJack.com.

The Gramophone Listening Room continues the magazine’s 86 year history of engaging with the latest technologies to broaden classical music’s appeal to as large an audience as possible. This follows the launch of Gramophone’s archive, gramophone.net, containing virtually every page of the magazine published since April 1923.

TellJack is the technology behind the Gramophone Listening Room, allowing subscribers to receive recommendations from the editors of the magazines, as well as the ability to listen to albums before their release date.

“TellJack is our desktop application that allows the delivery of content direct to the consumer,” explains Jack Brand commercial director John Hazell.

As a former trade marketing director at EMI and managing director of HMV in Australia, Hazell has a breadth of experience in the music business and he is convinced that the Jack Brand-run services will prove popular with aficionados of everything from Classical to Dance, folk or Rock.

“Our belief is that passionate consumers are happy to pay a little to have albums recommended by editors they trust delivered directly to them. In the digital world everybody has access to everything. What we are saying is that people don’t want access to the whole sweet shop, they don’t have time – they want someone they respect guiding them with a few carefully selected choices. The club promotes the music encouraging purchase, so everyone benefits. When the Gramophone Listening Room delivers content to a subscriber, it’s about delivering the passion and trust behind the brand.

Lee Woollard, from EMI Classics went on to say “We are extremely pleased to be able to partner with Gramophone.net to present Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker in this major new recording of the complete Brahms Symphonies. The exciting new Listening Room initiative is a great way to engage and excite the Gramophone readership by offering exclusive audio previews of our new recordings by way of new technologies. We’re delighted to be able to begin this new partnership with performances which should prove a new milestone in the history of recordings of these works, and a valuable addition to the growing catalogue of Sir Simon and the Berliner Philharmoniker.”

Robbie Williams releases his hugely anticipated brand new single “Bodies” on October 12, followed by his new album “Reality Killed The Video Star” on November 9

The amazing ROBBIE WILLIAMS releases his brand new single and album later this year on EMI’s Virgin Records.

The singer, who has sold a staggering 55 million albums worldwide, releases his new single “Bodies” on October 12 (digital release October 11).

This will be followed by his new album “Reality Killed the Video Star” which will be released on November 9.

Both single and album were produced by Trevor Horn and were recorded and mixed in London.

Robbie Williams has consistently set new records for album and ticket sales, not least when he entered the Guinness Book of Records in 2006 having sold 1.6 million tickets on one day for his 2006 tour. That tour played to 3.7 million people in total. Three years previously he played the biggest live music event in UK history when his 3 nights at Knebworth saw him play to over 365,000 people.

Robbie has also won more Brit Awards than any other artist to date, has won 3 Ivor Novello awards for songwriting and holds the UK record for the fastest selling Greatest Hits album ever – that same album reaching number 1 in 18 countries.

www.robbiewilliams.com

Iron Maiden’s Flight 666 lands at No. 1 …Globally!!

Following on from the hugely successful screening of Iron Maiden’s award-winning film Flight 666 in over 500 digital cinemas in 42 countries worldwide in April, the recent release of Flight 666 on DVD has secured another global triumph for the band by flying into the music DVD charts at Number One in 22 countries already, including the USA and UK , with many more charts yet to come in !!!

- In the USA it was not only No 1 debut but also the highest selling first week sales of any music DVD so far in 2009! This release closely followed the US TV Premiere of the movie on Palladia/ VH1 which was watched by over three million people, the highest viewing of a music documentary on the channel so far this year.

- In Canada it rocketed into the No.1 position outselling the No.2 DVD by over 6:1

- In the UK first day’s sales were over twice the total combined sales of every other DVD in the Top 50!!

- In Sweden Flight 666 is currently at #1, #3 and #4 on Sweden’s leading online retailer Discshop chart with the deluxe, standard and Blu ray formats respectively!

- In Australia it not only debuted at No.1 but was certified Platinum within its second week of release.

- In India, as well as being the No.1 music DVD, it entered at #6 in the mainstream DVD movie chart, placing it that week ahead of such international blockbusters as “Slumdog Millionaire” and many Bollywood movies !

- In Brazil, where 70% of the market is dominated by local repertoire, it debuted at No.3 in their national chart and is fully expected to reach No.1 by next week. It was a new entry at No.1 in Brazil’s international chart.

- Once again No 1 in Arabia

The countries in the five continents where Flight 666 flew in at No. 1 were Australia, Arabia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil int, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan int, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and the USA. Elsewhere in the world it entered at No.2 in Spain and Portugal, and at No.3 in France and Hungary and 4 in Holland. With more charts still to come from many other Latin American territories who will release the DVD this week, well over 30 countries and expected to achieve No. 1 for Flight 666.

And after four weeks of sales in Europe, Flight 666 is still holding strong at No.1 in Germany, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Norway and Italy, making this Iron Maiden’s most successful DVD release to date and proving yet again the unswerving, ever-growing support of Maiden fans young and old, from every corner of the globe, and the unstoppable resurgence of Heavy Metal. .

Flight 666 covers the first leg of Iron Maiden’s “Somewhere Back In Time Tour” which began Feb 2008 and encompassed 23 sold-out stadium and arena shows in Asia, Australia and North, Central and South America in just 45 days, covering 5 Continents and 13 countries, travelling almost 50,000 miles. All this made possible because of the unique method of travel; the band’s specially customised Boeing 757 plane, Piloted by Maiden vocalist and Airline Captain Bruce Dickinson and christened Ed Force One by Maiden fans, the plane (CALL SIGN 666) carried band, crew and 12 tons of equipment across the globe for the most adventurous tour in rock history. Directed by Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen of award winning Banger Productions, (‘Metal; A Headbanger’s Journey’ and ‘Global Metal’) and shot in spectacular High-Definition with thunderous 5.1 surround sound, Flight 666 takes you right inside the Maiden family with almost total access to the band, something which they have never allowed before.

Flight 666 was released through EMI Music on May 25th except on June 9 in Canada on EMI and in the USA on Ume. It is available on deluxe double DVD with a special 28 page booklet, standard DVD, alongside a double-CD soundtrack album and extended Blu-ray, along with The Soundtrack in Double CD and a limited edition double-vinyl picture disc. Both DVD and Blu-Ray include bonus footage of the full concert shot of 16 songs shot in 16 different cities.

Iron Maiden are currently taking time off before getting together later in the year to start work on a new album planned for release in 2010.

The Beatles’ entire original recorded catalogue remastered by Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music for worldwide release on September 9, 2009 (9-9-09)

London, England – April 7, 2009 – Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music are delighted to announce the release of the original Beatles catalogue, which has been digitally re-mastered for the first time, for worldwide CD release on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 (9-9-09), the same date as the release of the widely anticipated “The Beatles: Rock Band” video game.Each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. On the same date, two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released.

The albums have been re-mastered by a dedicated team of engineers at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios in London over a four year period utilising state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings. The result of this painstaking process is the highest fidelity the catalogue has seen since its original release.

The collection comprises all 12 Beatles albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK, and ‘Magical Mystery Tour,’ which became part of The Beatles’ core catalogue when the CDs were first released in 1987. In addition, the collections ‘Past Masters Vol. I and II’ are now combined as one title, for a total of 14 titles over 16 discs.This will mark the first time that the first four Beatles albums will be available in stereo in their entirety on compact disc.These 14 albums, along with a DVD collection of the documentaries, will also be available for purchase together in a stereo boxed set.

Within each CD’s new packaging, booklets include detailed historical notes along with informative recording notes. With the exception of the ‘Past Masters’ set, newly produced mini-documentaries on the making of each album, directed by Bob Smeaton, are included as QuickTime files on each album. The documentaries contain archival footage, rare photographs and never-before-heard studio chat from The Beatles, offering a unique and very personal insight into the studio atmosphere.

A second boxed set has been created with the collector in mind. ‘The Beatles in Mono’ gathers together, in one place, all of the Beatles recordings that were mixed for a mono release. It will contain 10 of the albums with their original mono mixes, plus two further discs of mono masters (covering similar ground to the stereo tracks on ‘Past Masters’).As an added bonus, the mono “Help!” and “Rubber Soul” discs also include the original 1965 stereo mixes, which have not been previously released on CD.These albums will be packaged in mini-vinyl CD replicas of the original sleeves with all original inserts and label designs retained.

Discussions regarding the digital distribution of the catalogue will continue.There is no further information available at this time.

http://www.thebeatles.com

The Stereo Albums (available individually and collected in a stereo boxed set)
The stereo albums have been remastered by Guy Massey, Steve Rooke, Sam Okell with Paul Hicks and Sean Magee
All CD packages contain original vinyl artwork and liner notes

Extensive archival photos

Additional historical notes by Kevin Howlett and Mike Heatley

Additional recording notes by Allan Rouse and Kevin Howlett

* = CD includes QuickTime mini-doc about the album

Please Please Me* (CD debut in stereo)

With The Beatles* (CD debut in stereo)

A Hard Day’s Night* (CD debut in stereo)

Beatles For Sale* (CD debut in stereo)

Help!*

Rubber Soul*

Revolver*

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band* (also includes 1987 notes, updated, and new intro by Paul McCartney)

Magical Mystery Tour*

The Beatles*

Yellow Submarine* (also includes original US liner notes)

Abbey Road*

Let It Be*

Past Masters (contains new liner notes written by Kevin Howlett)

‘The Beatles in Mono’ (boxed set only)
The mono albums have been remastered by Paul Hicks, Sean Magee with Guy Massey and Steve Rooke
Presented together in box with an essay written by Kevin Howlett
+ = mono mix CD debut

Please Please Me
With The Beatles
A Hard Day’s Night
Beatles For Sale
Help! (CD also includes original 1965 stereo mix)+
Rubber Soul (CD also include original 1965 stereo mix)+
Revolver+
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band+
Magical Mystery Tour+
The Beatles+
Mono Masters

Re-mastering the Beatles catalogue

The re-mastering process commenced with an extensive period conducting tests before finally copying the analogue master tapes into the digital medium. When this was completed, the transfer was achieved using a Pro Tools workstation operating at 24 bit 192 kHz resolution via a Prism A-D converter. Transferring was a lengthy procedure done a track at a time. Although EMI tape does not suffer the oxide loss associated with some later analogue tapes, there was nevertheless a slight build up of dust, which was removed from the tape machine heads between each title.

From the onset, considerable thought was given to what audio restorative processes were going to be allowed.It was agreed that electrical clicks, microphone vocal pops, excessive sibilance and bad edits should be improved where possible, so long as it didn’t impact on the original integrity of the songs.

In addition, de-noising technology, which is often associated with re-mastering, was to be used, but subtly and sparingly. Eventually, less than five of the 525 minutes of Beatles music was subjected to this process. Finally, as is common with today’s music, overall limiting – to increase the volume level of the CD – has been used, but on the stereo versions only. However, it was unanimously agreed that because of the importance of The Beatles’ music, limiting would be used moderately, so as to retain the original dynamics of the recordings.

When all of the albums had been transferred, each song was then listened to several times to locate any of the agreed imperfections. These were then addressed by Guy Massey, working with Audio Restoration engineer Simon Gibson.

Mastering could now take place, once the earliest vinyl pressings, along with the existing CDs, were loaded into Pro Tools, thus allowing comparisons to be made with the original master tapes during the equalization process. When an album had been completed, it was auditioned the next day in studio three – a room familiar to the engineers, as all of the recent Beatles mixing projects had taken place in there – and any further alteration of EQ could be addressed back in the mastering room. Following the initial satisfaction of Guy and Steve, Allan Rouse and Mike Heatley then checked each new re-master in yet another location and offered any further suggestions. This continued until all 13 albums were completed to the team’s satisfaction.

New Notes/Documentaries Team

Kevin Howlett (Historical and Recording Notes)

Kevin Howlett’s career as an award-winning radio producer spans three decades. His music programmes for the BBC have included many documentaries about The Beatles, including ‘The Beeb’s Lost Beatles Tapes.’ He received a Grammy nomination for his involvement with The Beatles’ album ‘Live At The BBC’ and, in 2003, produced the ‘Fly On The Wall’ bonus disc for ‘Let It Be… Naked.’

Mike Heatley (Historical Notes)

Mike entered the music business via HMV Record Stores in 1970, transferring to EMI Records’ International Division three years later. He eventually headed up that division in the early Eighties before joining the company’s newly created Strategic Marketing Division in 1984. In 1988, he returned to International, where he undertook a number of catalogue marketing roles until he retired in December 2008.

During his career he worked with many of EMI’s major artists, including Pink Floyd, Queen, Kate Bush and Iron Maiden. However, during the last 30 years he has formed a particularly strong relationship with Apple, and has been closely involved in the origination and promotion of the Beatles catalogue, besides solo releases from John, Paul, George and Ringo.

Bob Smeaton (Director, Mini-Documentaries)

Bob Smeaton was series director and writer on the Grammy award winning ‘Beatles Anthology’ TV series which aired in the UK and the USA in 1995. In 1998 he received his second Grammy for his ‘Jimi Hendrix: Band of Gypsys’ documentary. In 2004 he gained his first feature film credit, as director on the feature documentary ‘Festival Express.’ He subsequently went on to direct documentaries on many of the world’s biggest music acts including The Who, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Elton John, Nirvana and the Spice Girls.

Julian Caiden (Editor, Mini-Documentaries)

Julian has worked with Bob Smeaton on numerous music documentaries including ‘Jimi Hendrix: Band of Gypsys’ and the ‘Classic Albums’ series, featuring The Who, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Elton John and Nirvana among others. He has worked on documentary profiles from Richard Pryor to Dr. John to Sir Ian McKellen, Herbie Hancock and Damien Hirst and on live music shows including the New York Dolls and Club Tropicana.

The Abbey Road Team

Allan Rouse (Project Coordinator)

Allan joined EMI straight from school in 1971 at their Manchester Square head office, working as an assistant engineer in the demo studio. During this time he frequently worked with Norman (Hurricane) Smith, The Beatles’ first recording engineer.

In 1991, he had his first involvement with The Beatles, copy­ing all of their master tapes (mono, stereo, 4-track and 8-track) to digital tape as a safety backup. This was followed by four years working with Sir George Martin as assistant and project coordinator on the TV documentary ‘The Making of Sgt. Pepper’s’ and the CDs ‘Live at the BBC’ and ‘The Anthol­ogy.’

In 1997, MGM/UA were preparing to reissue the film ‘Yellow Submarine’ and, with the permission of Apple, asked that all of The Beatles’ music be mixed for the film in 5.1 surround and stereo. Allan requested the services of Abbey Road’s senior engineer Peter Cobbin and assistant Guy Massey and, along with them, produced the new mixes.

Two years later, he proposed an experimental stereo and surround mix of John Lennon’s song ‘Imagine’ engineered by Peter Cobbin. Following lengthy consultations with Yoko Ono, the album ‘Imagine’ was re-mixed in stereo and the Grammy award-winning film ‘Gimme Some Truth’ in surround and new stereo. This led to a further five of John’s albums being re-masteredwith new stereo mixes and the DVD release of ‘Lennon Legend’ being re-mixed in 5.1 surround and new stereo.

Further projects followed, including The Beatles ‘Anthol­ogy’, ‘The First US Visit’ and ‘Help’ DVD and the albums ‘Let It Be…Naked’ and ‘Love’ along with George Harrison’s ‘Concert for Bangladesh’ DVD and album.

For a number of years now, Allan has worked exclusively on Beatles and related projects.

Guy Massey (Recording Engineer)

Guy joined Abbey Road in 1994, and five years later assisted on the surround remix for The Beatles film ‘Yellow Submarine.’ This led to The Beatles’ ‘Anthology’ DVD and later, along with Paul Hicks and Allan Rouse, they mixed and produced ‘Let It Be… Naked.’ In 2004 he left the studios to become freelance and has engineered The Divine Comedy: ‘Victory for the Comic Muse,’ Air Traffic: ‘Fractured Life,’ James Dean Bradfield: ‘The Great Western’ and Stephen Fretwell’s ‘Magpie,’ co-producing the last two.Since leaving, Guy is still a vital member of the team, and has been the senior engineer for the re-mastering project and was responsible for surround and new stereo mixes for the DVD release of ‘Help!’

Steve Rooke (Mastering Engineer)

Steve joined Abbey Road in 1983 and is now the studio’s senior mastering engineer. He has been involved on all The Beatles’ projects since 1999. He has also been responsible for mastering releases by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

Paul Hicks (Recording Engineer)

Paul started at Abbey Road in 1994, and his first involvement with The Beatles was assisting engineer Geoff Emerick on the Anthology albums. This was followed by ‘Yellow Submarine Songtrack,’ ‘Anthology’ DVD and ‘Let It Be… Naked.’ Like Guy Massey, he has also become a freelance engineer and since leaving the studios he has been responsible for the surround mixing of Paul McCartney’s DVD ‘The McCartney Years’ and The Beatles’ ‘Love.’ Paul has been in charge of the mono re-masters.

Sean Magee (Mastering Engineer)

Sean began working at Abbey Road in 1995 with a diploma in sound engineering. With a wealth of knowledge in analog and digital mastering, he has worked alongside Paul Hicks on the mono re-masters.

Sam Okell (Recording Engineer)

Sam’s first job as a member of the team was in 2006, assisting Paul Hicks on Paul McCartney’s DVD ‘The McCartney Years,’ and during that same year he was responsible for the re-mastering of George Harrison’s ‘Living In The Material World’ CD along with Steve Rooke. This led to him restoring the soundtrack to the Beatles film ‘Help!’ in surround and stereo, in addition to assisting Guy Massey with the song remixes.

Sam has re-mastered ‘With The Beatles’ and ‘Let It Be.’

Simon Gibson (Audio Restoration Engineer)

Simon joined Abbey Road in 1990. He has progressed from mastering mostly classical recordings to include a much wider range of music, including pop and rock, with his specialized role as an audio restoration engineer. Apart from the re-mastering project, his other work includes George Harrison’s ‘Living In The Material World,’ John Lennon’s ‘Lennon Legend,’ The Beatles’ ‘Love’ and the ‘Help!’ DVD soundtrack.

Vodafone’s music catalogue from EMI, Universal Music and Sony switches to digital rights management free MP3 format for mobile and PC

First global mobile network operator to offer DRM free music across both mobile phones and PCs

Customers are free to play their downloaded music on any of their digital devices

Over a million tracks to choose from including a huge selection of today’s top artists such as Britney Spears, Coldplay, Duffy, Lady Gaga, Lily Allen and The Fray

Vodafone announces today that it has signed deals with the world’s largest record companies Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and EMI Music to offer their tracks and albums DRM free (without digital rights management) across Vodafone markets for both mobile phones and PCs.

The new deals are the first of their kind for a mobile network operator enabling dual delivery of DRM free music to a wide range of mobile phones and PCs with no need to sideload or synchronize. With over a million tracks available from every music genre, for the first time customers will be able to play and enjoy music bought from these three labels via the Vodafone Music store* without any limit to the type of device provided they belong to the customer.

In addition, those customers who have already bought tracks or albums from Universal Music, Sony Music or EMI in WMA format (with DRM) will be able to upgrade them to MP3 at no extra charge within the existing download allowance. DRM free music will be available through a number of Vodafone countries by the summer and will complement Vodafone’s current music offerings.

“Music is central to many of our customers’ lives,” said Pieter Knook, Vodafone Internet Services Director. “By Vodafone pioneering DRM free on mobile and offering MP3s on PC, they will now have the freedom to download tracks from their favourite artists without any device restrictions allowing them to experience their music however they want it, wherever they are.”

“EMI has long been a proponent of DRM free music because of the benefits it brings to fans and so we are very supportive of this initiative from Vodafone,” said Douglas Merrill, EMI Music’s COO of New Music and President, Digital Business. “With its international reach and commitment to music, Vodafone is taking a major step forward for our industry by offering consumers more flexibility and choice.”

“Vodafone has been a business partner of Universal Music for six years,” said Rob Wells, SVP, Digital, at Universal Music Group International. “This new deal shows how serious Vodafone is about music, and opens up new opportunities for both companies – but, more importantly, for consumers and artists.”

“We are thrilled that this agreement will provide Vodafone’s millions of customers in Europe with access to music by our popular local artists and global superstars,” commented Thomas Hesse, President, Global Digital Business, U.S. Sales, Corporate Strategy, Sony Music Entertainment. “Vodafone’s convenient mobile and PC solution gives fans another great way to integrate music into their daily lives and forge an even stronger connection with the artists they love.”

Pet Shop Boys release their tenth studio album “Yes” in the US on April 21 on Astralwerks

One of the most iconic and influential pop acts in the world, Pet Shop Boys return with their tenth album and first for Astralwerks on April 21, 2009. In a career spanning over 2 decades, the duo of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have created some of the most beloved and recognizable hits in the world (West End girls, It’s a sin, New York City Boy, etc.), and sold over 30 million records. They’ve worked with artists like Dusty Springfield, David Bowie, Liza Minnelli, Robbie Williams, Electronic, The Killers and Madonna. In the USA, Pet Shop Boys are the fourth most successful artist in the history of the Billboard dance charts (behind Madonna, Donna Summer and Janet Jackson).

Filled with sparkling state of the art pop songs, Yes is an affirmation of the duo’s knack for mixing innovative artistry with exuberant commercial appeal. Produced by the acclaimed Xenomania (Girls Aloud, Sugababes, Cher, Kylie Minogue, Saint Etienne), the album features guitar work by ex-Smith Johnny Marr and orchestral arrangements by Owen Pallett (Last Shadow Puppets, Final Fantasy).

Never far from the public eye, Pet Shop Boys have been very busy lately: producing a #1 UK dance hit for Sam Taylor-Wood (released on the ultra-hip Kompakt label), remixing a track for Lady GaGa and co-writing the hit UK single The Loving Kind for Girls Aloud. They are also working on a ballet, and were honored with the Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the Brit Awards last month. You can check out their performance here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OAlTWrNN6o

“We can’t seem to remember how we came up with the title Yes,” says Neil. “Our official story is that we may have taken it from the famous Yoko Ono exhibition in 1967 where you had to climb up a step ladder – as John Lennon famously did – pick up a magnifying glass, look at a tiny word written on the ceiling, and the word was ‘yes’. I think it partly came from that.” (Chris adds: “We thought No was a bit negative.”)
Tracklisting:
Love etc*
All over the world
Beautiful people
Did you see me coming?
Vulnerable
More than a dream*
Building a wall
King of Rome
Pandemonium
The way it used to be*
Legacy

* written by Tennant/Lowe/Xenomania
The release of Yes will be preceded by the single “Love etc”. Pet Shop Boys describe the song as “a post-lifestyle anthem which sounds like nothing we’ve done before.” See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InBiaRBUjUs

There will also be a limited edition version of the album featuring a bonus disc with ‘This used to be the future’ an exclusive track featuring Phil Oakey (Human League) and 6 dub mixes produced by Xenomania (‘More than a dream’, Pandemonium’, ‘The way it used to be’, ‘All over the world’, ‘Vulnerable’, ‘Love etc.’).

EMI Music debuts first iTunes Pass with Depeche Mode

US fans to have access to new and exclusive singles, remixes, video and other content over coming weeks

Includes Depeche Mode’s upcoming 12th studio album, “Sounds of the Universe” plus additional exclusive content released on iTunes

NEW YORK – February 24, 2009 – EMI Music today announced the debut of the first iTunes Pass with groundbreaking electro legends Depeche Mode. With iTunes Pass, music fans can get new and exclusive singles, remixes, video and other content from their favorite artists over a set period of time, delivered to their libraries as soon as they’re available.

The first iTunes Pass debuts today in conjunction with Depeche Mode’s forthcoming 12th studio album, Sounds of the Universe, to be released on April 21 in the US. Fans who sign up starting today get the alternative/dance pioneers’ new single, Wrong, as well as the Black Light Odyssey Dub Remix of the new track Oh Well. They will also receive the new album on its street date plus great music and video exclusives before and after the album’s release over the next fifteen weeks. The Depeche Mode iTunes Pass can be purchased starting today for $18.99.

“As we work to better understand music consumers and help create stronger connections between fans and artists, we are pleased to work with Apple and Depeche Mode to kick off iTunes Pass,” said Ronn Werre, president, Music Services for EMI Music. “We think it’s a great new platform that will change the way artists engage with their audiences and also a powerful new way for us to build value for our artists’ music. And with iTunes Pass, Depeche Mode are once again demonstrating that they are true trailblazers and innovators when it comes to creating amazing music and connecting with their fans.”

“iTunes Pass is a great way for artists to give exclusive music and video, on their own schedule, directly to their fans.” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Internet Services. “iTunes customers are going to love getting additional content directly from their favorite artists right when they make it available.”

“The relationship between Depeche Mode and their fans has always been our top priority,” said the band’s manager, Jonathan Kessler. “We are thrilled to be the first to participate with Apple in giving fans the kind of deep musical experience they expect from Depeche Mode.”

Today also marks the launch of the worldwide iTunes album pre-order for Sounds of the Universe.

As one of the most influential bands of the post-punk era with global sales in excess of 100 million, Depeche Mode belongs to a select premier league of supergroups who have survived from the early 1980s with their ideals, creative vision and core members intact. Formed in 1981, Depeche Mode – Martin Gore, Dave Gahan and Andy ‘Fletch’ Fletcher – continue to win critical and commercial acclaim across the world both in the studio and on the road. All of the band’s 11 studio albums have reached the Top Ten in not only the UK and USA but 20 plus countries around the world including Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, and Belgium. Since their inception, Depeche Mode’s live shows continue to be a must-see attraction, with the group playing to 2.8 million people across 31 countries on their last tour alone.

For more information please go to www.depechemode.com

In the pop collaboration of the year, Pet Shop Boys team up with producers Xenomania for their new studio album Yes which will be released on Parlophone on March 23

The single ‘Love Etc’ is release on March 16

In what is surely the pop collaboration of 2009, PET SHOP BOYS have teamed up with the hit production team Xenomania (Girls Aloud, Sugababes, Gabriella Cilmi etc) for their new studio album, “Yes”, which will be released on March 23rd.

Pet Shop Boys, who will receive the Outstanding Contribution To Music award at this years Brit Awards on February 18th, co-wrote three of the eleven new tracks on the album with Xenomania. The other tracks were written by Tennant/Lowe with a little assistance from Tchaikovsky on “All Over the world”. The album was produced by Brian Higgins/Xenomania.

Chris Lowe comments: “This album is amazing and it was great working with Xenomania!” Neil Tennant says: “It’s a fantastic, wide-ranging, pop record.”

Johnny Marr plays guitar on several tracks and orchestral arrangements on “Beautiful people” and “Legacy” are by Owen Pallett (Last Shadow Puppets, Final Fantasy).

The album track listing is as follows (* written by Tennant/Lowe/Xenomania):

Love etc *
All over the world
Beautiful people
Did you see me coming?
Vulnerable
More than a dream *
Building a wall
King of Rome
Pandemonium
The way it used to be *
Legacy
The release of “Yes” will be preceded by the single “Love etc” on March 16. Pet Shop Boys describe the song as “a post-lifestyle anthem which sounds like nothing we’ve done before.”

Pet Shop Boys are currently planning a very special performance at the Brit Awards in February. They have also co-written with Xenomania the current Girls Aloud single “The Loving Kind; the two groups met when both were recording at Xenomania’s studio in Kent.

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