Jim Carrollon music
Prince album giveaway a sign of the times
Who said that print was dead? Prince's decision to give away copies of his new album with a Sunday newspaper in the UK has unleashed a huge wave of music industry navel-gazing.
Those who purchase this weekend's Mail on Sunday (including the 113,000 people who buy the Irish Mail on Sunday) will receive a free copy of Prince's new Planet Earth album.
Naturally, this will lead to a significant spike in sales for the newspaper, who are unlikely to disclose how much they have paid the pop star for this exclusive.
The giveaway also has consequences for music giant Sony-BMG, which had entered into a worldwide distribution deal with Prince. Now, following pressure from UK music retailers, Sony-BMG UK and Ireland have opted out of this deal.
However, one of the strongest retail critics of the move has performed a U-turn. HMV, whose chief executive, Simon Rox, originally tagged the move "absolute madness" and said it would "devalue music", will now stock the Mail on Sunday in stores this weekend.
The chain have robustly defended their change of mind. "Given the blaze of publicity, why should we leave it to our biggest competitor, which is the supermarkets, to sell the album through newspaper stands in their stores?" a spokesperson said.
The Mail on Sunday's move is particularly audacious given the music industry's ongoing opposition to newspaper covermounts. They've enlisted a smart accomplice in Prince, an artist who has been very successful in exploiting non-traditional music industry business models, thanks to his large, loyal fan-base.
Besides the deal with the Mail on Sunday, Prince is giving a free copy of Planet Earth to those who purchased tickets to his shows at London's 02 Arena. If all 21 shows sell out - and 16 already have - Prince will gross more than $26 million from that arena run to make up for any loss on the CDs.
Doubtless, other heritage acts are examining the Prince business model and weighing up their options. One poster on music industry website Record of the Day pointed out that the scenario would be ideal for a band such as Radiohead who currently don't have a record contract. It's highly unlikely that we'll see the new album from the Oxford laughing boys stuck onto the Mail on Sunday, but the Guardian might suit.
Big Bang brings sound of Bombay
Oh yes, it's another festival. The latest addition to this summer's never-ending run of fun is the Big Bang Festival of Rhythm, which will be responsible for a barrage of noise in various Dublin city venues from July 27th to 29th.
The star attraction is Bombay tabla maestro and percussionist Trilok Gurtu, a man who has provided a dash on outings with Don Cherry, Gilberto Gil and Bill Laswell. He performs his 20 Years of Talking Tabla show at the National Concert Hall on the Saturday night.
Other acts aiming to change your way of thinking about rhythm include 15-piece Rio samba band Monobloco, top frame drummers from Ireland and Italy and a mass drum-in, Big Bang 2, in Meeting House Square featuring drummers from all over the country marshalled by Riverdance drummer Ray Fean.
More information from www.bigbangfestival.com
Right side of the road
Since it first went on air in May 1999, Raidió na Gaeltachta's An Taobh Tuathail has gathered many accolades and positive notices for the breadth and depth of the electronic, ambient and other sounds featured on the show.
The time seems right, then, for long-standing presenter Cian Ó Cíobháin to compile a 12-track compilation for the Psychonavigation label featuring such favoured Taobh Tuathail acts as Cane 141, United Bible Studies, Phelan Sheppard and Jimmy Behan.
The CD is released in August with launch shows at Galway's Róisín Dubh (August 24th) and Dublin's Sugar Club (August 25th).
Oxfam raids the K club
Anyone for some Oxjam? Following on from the huge success of The Cake Sale album, Oxfam are planning a month-long music festival to raise cash and awareness.
Oxjam has already enlisted the support of DJ Shadow, Klaxons (left), The Kooks, Kaiser Chiefs and Kasabian (basically, bands beginning with "K"), but it is now seeking other acts to lend a hand with music events around the country during October.
Organisers point out that an Oxjam event which raises €500 can provide safe water for almost 420 people, six emergency shelters or essential medicines for three villages.
More information at www.oxfamireland.org/oxjam
