Sound Museum

New blog

2010-04-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

We have moved the blog! Check out http://soundmuseum949.wordpress.com

xo

Episode 29: February 16

2010-03-02T19:03:00.000-08:00

Dan Vo, formerly of The Fool and The Opera, filled in Johno's shoes tonight.

We shined the light on emerging Sydney singer-songwriter and Triple J presenter Brendan Maclean. Brendan has just released a brand new EP titled "White Canvas", which is available to purchase through his official website. In the interview, we talk about the making of the EP, the reception to his crazily entertaining live shows and being an openly gay performer. Petro also drags a skeleton out of the closet...

The Australian Music Prize shortlist was also revealed this week. The winner of this prestigious award is awarded $30,000 plus promotion on some major media outlets. We reveal the nine shortlisted artists and play tracks from a few of them.

Bertie Blackman — Secrets and Lies
Black Cab — Call Signs
Kid Sam — Kid Sam
Lisa Mitchell — Wonder
Lucie Thorne — Black Accross the Field
Oh Mercy — Privileged Woes
Sarah Blasko — As Day Follows Night
The Mess Hall — For The Birds
Urthboy — The Signal

For more information, visit the AMP website.

The boys also discussed the SLAM (Save Live Australian Music) Rally, taking place in the city on February 23rd. The campaign challenges the Victorian Government's new liquor licensing laws which are forcing the closure of some of Victoria's small live music venues. Click here for more information on the campaign.

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NEW 10PM TIMESLOT

2010-02-26T18:04:00.000-08:00

The Autumn programming grid for JOY 94.9 kicks off March 1 and programs are moving all over the place. Sound Museum remains on a Tuesday night, moving up one hour to 10pm.

So make sure to tune into Sound Museum on Tuesday March 2nd at 10pm.

We are on Facebook!

2010-02-12T20:07:00.000-08:00

Become a fan of Sound Museum on Facebook, and be kept up to date with what's happening on the show as well as the latest blog entries and podcasts.

Episode 28: February 9

2010-02-09T16:17:00.000-08:00

Oooooh supersensual indeed! We caught up with Sound Museum favourite, the beautiful and multi-talented Natalie Bassingthwaighte.

2010 looks to be another big year for the Bass with a swag of different projects under her belt. She is currently hosting the third season of So You Think You Can Dance, will star in the new Underbelly series The Golden Mile, and has just released a brand new single titled "Love Like This".

The track is the fifth single from her #1 album 1000 Stars and is the official anthem for the Wear It With Pride. The campaign aims to spread awareness about the recent 85 law reforms favoring same sex couples. For more information, head to the Wear It With Pride official website.

The single is available at digital retailers only. A 6 track EP for only $2.49 - not only is it amazing value, but all proceeds go towards LGBT causes. So what are you waiting for? Click here to purchase the EP off iTunes now.

We also went through the Top 20 Worst Pop Stars of All Time, according to Virgin Media. And who makes the top of the list? Poor Peter Andre! Nice abs...shame about the music.

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Episode 27: February 2

2010-02-03T19:01:00.000-08:00

The 52nd Grammy Awards took place on January 31st. With some incredible performances including a jaw-dropping duet between Lady Gaga and Sir Elton John, as well as tribute performance for Michael Jackson, it was the ladies who ruled the night - Beyonce breaking records for receiving six awards, and Taylor Swift receiving four.

For a list of all the winners, check the official website.

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Episode 26: January 26

2010-01-26T07:32:00.001-08:00

On tonight's show we discussed the music industry's contribution to the relief effort for the disastrous Haiti earthquakes, which have claimed the lives of up to 200,000 people.

The Hope For Haiti Now telephon which took place on January 22 featured performances from the biggest names in music including Madonna, Coldplay, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Bono, Christina Aguilera, Stevie Wonder, Jay Z, Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige, Justin Timberlake, Neil Young, Sheryl Crow, amongst others. Some of the biggest names in Hollywood took to the phones for donations. The telephon drew in 83 million viewerss in the US, and has to date raised $61 million. In Australia, the telephon was broadcast on free-to-air television on the Network Ten.

An audio album of the live performances is on sale at digital retailers. Proceeds from all sales go towards the relief effort. The album has set a record as the biggest one-day album pre-order in iTunes history. When it debuts at #1 in the US this week, it will be the first compilation album to do so, as well as the first digital-only album to do so. To download the album from iTunes, click here.

For more information on Hope For Haiti Now, visit the official website. You can make a donation via the website or phone: USA & Canada: 1-877-99-HAITI / International: +1 773 360 0205

In the UK, industry mogul Simon Cowell is quickly putting together a charity single. It will feature vocals from some of the UK's biggest names including our very own Kylie and Susan Boyle. The track will be a cover of the REM classic "Everybody Hurts".

There are many other examples of artists auctioning items, putting on charity concerts, or donating portions of ticket sales from their concert tours to the relief. In a time of immense devastation and loss, music has a way of bringing out the best in people. Madonna was right, music really does make the people come together!

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Episode 25: January 19

2010-01-19T16:25:00.000-08:00

This week was all about getting into the summery mood! We conducted a vox pop around the JOY 94.9 studios to see what music people had been listening to over the summer season. Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster and Florence and the Machine's Lungs received multiple mentions.

Hide & Seek presenter James Findlay spoke to Norwegian pop sensation Annie from Miami to chat about her brand new album Don't Stop. Annie has achieved one charting single in Australia with "Chewing Gum" (ARIA #46) back in 2004, from her debut album Anniemal.

The second album Don't Stop has been a long time coming. It experienced a bout of tedious delays due to a change in record labels, and a "first draft" prematurely leaked onto the internet which meant the need to record some fresh tracks. The album is a fantastic mix of eclectic sassy, electro pop with production courtesy of the brilliant Xenomania and Richard X - from the tongue'n'cheek fiesty anthem "My Love Is Better" to the mellow lullaby "When The Night"- both which we previewed on the show.

For more information on Annie, check out her official website.

The 30th annual BRIT Awards take place on February 16 in London. UK pop songstress Pixie Lott and Lady Gaga lead the nominations with three each, while two Aussies Daniel Merriweather and Empire Of The Sun will battle it out in the "International Breakthrough Act". Of course, controversy has arrisen as it appears the most successful British performer of the past few months (any guesses who that might be?) has been completely snubbed from all categories! Johno ain't happy.

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Episode 24: January 12

2010-01-12T23:04:00.001-08:00

Stepping into not only a new year, but also a brand new decade! The Sound Museum returned for 2010 and what a jam packed show it was. ARIA have released the Top 100 selling albums and singles over the last decade 2000-2009. And it's two Aussies who have come out on top!

TOP 100 SELLING ALBUMS OF THE DECADE

1 INNOCENT EYES Delta Goodrem 2003
2 FUNHOUSE P!nk 2008/09
3 I'M NOT DEAD P!nk 2006/07
4 COME AWAY WITH ME Norah Jones 2003
5 THE SOUND OF WHITE Missy Higgins 2005
6 ONLY BY THE NIGHT Kings Of Leon 2008
7 GET BORN Jet 2004
8 BACK TO BEDLAM James Blunt 2006
9 GREATEST HITS Robbie Williams 2004
10 THE EMINEM SHOW Eminem 2002

11 ODYSSEY NUMBER FIVE Powderfinger 2000
12 MICHAEL BUBLE Michael Buble 2004
13 FEVER Kylie Minogue 2001/02
14 LET GO Avril Lavigne 2002/03
15 FALLEN Evanescence 2004
16 LIFE FOR RENT Dido 2003/04
17 FEELER Pete Murray 2004
18 I DREAMED A DREAM Susan Boyle 2009
19 A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD Coldplay 2003
20 1 The Beatles 2000

21 BREAKAWAY Kelly Clarkson 2005
22 AMERICAN IDIOT Green Day 2005
23 SONGS ABOUT JANE Maroon 5 2004
24 NO ANGEL Dido 2001
25 VULTURE STREET Powderfinger 2003
26 BARRICADES & BRICKWALLS Kasey Chambers 2002
27 MONKEY BUSINESS Black Eyed Peas 2005
28 JUST AS I AM Guy Sebastian 2003
29 FUTURE SEX/LOVE SOUNDS Justin Timberlake 2007
30 IT'S TIME Michael Buble 2005

31 REACH OUT: THE MOTOWN RECORD Human Nature 2006
32 GREATEST HITS Red Hot Chili Peppers 2003/04
33 ELEPHUNK Black Eyed Peas 2004
34 CALL ME IRRESPONSIBLE Michael Buble 2007
35 THE VERY BEST OF FLEETWOOD MAC Fleetwood Mac 2003/06/09
36 BLACK ICE AC/DC 2008
37 THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT Shannon Noll 2004
38 X & Y Coldplay 2005
39 WOLFMOTHER Wolfmother 2006
40 MOULIN ROUGE Soundtrack 2001

41 ALL THAT YOU CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND U2 2000/01
42 EYES OPEN Snow Patrol 2006/07
43 LAUNDRY SERVICE Shakira 2002
44 PLAY Moby 2000
45 ESCAPOLOGY Robbie Williams 2003
46 AFFIRMATION Savage Garden 2000
47 ALL THE RIGHT REASONS Nickelback 2006
48 MORE THAN YOU THINK YOU ARE Matchbox 20 2003
49 LOVE, ANGEL, MUSIC, BABY Gwen Stefani 2005
50 TEA AND SYMPATHY Bernard Fanning 2005/06

51 SUNRISE OVER SEA The John Butler Trio 2004
52 VIVA LA VIDA Coldplay 2008
53 BY THE WAY Red Hot Chili Peppers 2002
54 ESCAPE Enrique Iglesias 2002
55 ONE VOICE: THE GREATEST HITS John Farnham 2003
56 A FUNK ODYSSEY Jamiroquai 2002
57 ON AND ON Jack Johnson 2003/04
58 SWING WHEN YOU'RE WINNING Robbie Williams 2002
59 #1'S Michael Jackson 2002/03/09
60 REARVIEWMIRROR Pearl Jam 2004/05

61 THE WINNER'S JOURNEY Damien Leith 2006
62 HERE COME THE DRUMS Rogue Traders 2006
63 SEE THE SUN Pete Murray 2005/06
64 MISTAKEN IDENTITY Delta Goodrem 2004
65 THE SECRET LIFE OF... The Veronicas 2006
66 STRIPPED Christina Aguilera 2003
67 BLACK FINGERNAILS, RED WINE Eskimo Joe 2006
68 BORN TO DO IT Craig David 2001
69 LIGHT YEARS Kylie Minogue 2000/01
70 30 #1 HITS Elvis Presley 2002

71 HOW TO DISMANTLE AN ATOMIC BOMB U2 2004/05
72 ANCORA Il Divo 2005/06
73 THEIR GREATEST HITS: THE RECORD Bee Gees 2002
74 BEST OF 1990-2000 U2 2002/03
75 GREATEST HITS Guns N' Roses 2004
76 ESSENTIAL MICHAEL JACKSON Michael Jackson 2009
77 8 MILE Soundtrack 2003
78 ENCORE Eminem 2004/05
79 MARSHALL MATHERS LP Eminem 2001
80 IN TIME: THE BEST OF R.E.M. 1988-2003 R.E.M. 2003/04

81 THE POWER Vanessa Amorosi 2000
82 ULTIMATE KYLIE Kylie Minogue 2004/05/06
83 CALIFORNICATION Red Hot Chili Peppers 2000
84 THE E.N.D Black Eyed Peas 2009
85 IN BLUE The Corrs 2000
86 IN YOUR HONOR Foo Fighters 2005
87 FEARLESS Taylor Swift 2009
88 HUMAN CLAY Creed 2001
89 THE FAME Lady Gaga 2008/09
90 DEMON DAYS Gorillaz 2005

91 CONFESSIONS Usher 2004
92 U218 SINGLES U2 2006
93 CHOCOLATE STARFISH & THE HOT DOG FLAVOURED WATER Limp Bizkit 2001
94 THE DUTCHESS Fergie 2007
95 HYBRID THEORY Linkin Park 2001/02
96 MAD SEASON BY MATCHBOX TWENTY Matchbox Twenty 2000/01
97 HOT FUSS The Killers 2005
98 METEORA Linkin Park 2003
99 PARACHUTES Coldplay 2001
100 IT'S NOT ME, IT'S YOU Lily Allen 2009

TOP 100 SELLING SINGLES OF THE DECADE

1 ANGELS BROUGHT ME HERE Guy Sebastian 2003
2 THE PRAYER Anthony Callea 2005
3 I GOTTA FEELING Black Eyed Peas 2009
4 POKER FACE Lady Gaga 2008
5 WHAT ABOUT ME Shannon Noll 2004
6 SO WHAT P!nk 2008
7 LOSE YOURSELF Eminem 2002
8 SEXY BITCH David Guetta Feat. Akon 2009
9 SEX ON FIRE Kings Of Leon 2008
10 LOVE STORY Taylor Swift 2009

11 THE KETCHUP SONG (ASEREJE) Las Ketchup 2002
12 JUST DANCE Lady Gaga Feat. Colby O'Donis 2008
13 LOW Flo Rida Feat. T-Pain 2008
14 BOOM BOOM POW Black Eyed Peas 2009
15 I'M YOURS Jason Mraz 2008
16 WITHOUT ME Eminem 2002
17 TEENAGE DIRTBAG Wheatus 2000
18 RIGHT ROUND Flo Rida Feat. Ke$ha 2009
19 BORN TO TRY Delta Goodrem 2002
20 DILEMMA Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland 2002

21 WHENEVER, WHEREVER Shakira 2002
22 I KISSED A GIRL Katy Perry 2008
23 BLEEDING LOVE Leona Lewis 2008
24 SHUT UP Black Eyed Peas 2004
25 APOLOGIZE Timbaland Feat. OneRepublic 2007
26 ALL SUMMER LONG Kid Rock 2008
27 USE SOMEBODY Kings Of Leon 2008
28 SWEET ABOUT ME Gabriella Cilmi 2008
29 LIKE IT LIKE THAT Guy Sebastian 2009
30 HOT N COLD Katy Perry 2008

31 DON'T CHA Pussycat Dolls 2005
32 HALO Beyonce 2009
33 I'M OUTTA LOVE Anastacia 2000
34 I WISH I WAS A PUNK ROCKER (WITH FLOWERS IN MY HAIR) Sandi Thom 2006
35 WHERE IS THE LOVE? Black Eyed Peas 2003
36 A LITTLE LESS CONVERSATION Elvis Vs JXL 2002
37 NO AIR Jordin Sparks Duet With Chris Brown 2008
38 SHAKE IT Metro Station 2008
39 SINGLE LADIES (PUT A RING ON IT) Beyonce 2009
40 MEET ME HALFWAY Black Eyed Peas 2009

41 LEFT OUTSIDE ALONE Anastacia 2004
42 TIK TOK Ke$ha 2009
43 PREDICTABLE Delta Goodrem 2003
44 BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY Fergie 2007
45 HERO Enrique Iglesias 2002
46 CAN'T FIGHT THE MOONLIGHT LeAnn Rimes 2001
47 THESE KIDS Joel Turner & The Modern Day Poets 2004
48 SMOOTH CRIMINAL Alien Ant Farm 2001
49 LONELY Akon 2005
50 SAY MY NAME Destiny's Child 2000

51 BLACK BETTY Spiderbait 2004
52 AXEL F Crazy Frog 2005
53 WHEN I GROW UP Pussycat Dolls 2008
54 GET SHAKY Ian Carey Project 2009
55 IN DA CLUB 50 Cent 2003
56 FREESTYLER Bomfunk MC's 2000
57 THE LAST DAY ON EARTH Kate Miller-Heidke 2009
58 CAN'T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD Kylie Minogue 2001
59 BRING ME TO LIFE Evanescence 2003
60 DON'T STOP THE MUSIC Rihanna 2008

61 YOU FOUND ME Fray 2009
62 IT WASN'T ME Shaggy 2001
63 SEXYBACK Justin Timberlake 2004
64 ANGEL Shaggy featuring Rayvon 2001
65 OVER AND OVER Nelly feat. Tim McGraw 2005
66 GIRLFRIEND Avril Lavigne 2007
67 UMBRELLA Rihanna Feat. Jay-Z 2007
68 HOW YOU REMIND ME Nickelback 2001
69 LOST WITHOUT YOU Delta Goodrem 2003
70 A THOUSAND MILES Vanessa Carlton 2002

71 VIVA LA VIDA Coldplay 2008
72 FOREVER Chris Brown 2008
73 JAI HO! (YOU ARE MY DESTINY) A.R. Rahman Feat. The Pussycat Dolls 2009
74 HEY YA Outkast 2004
75 WHAT YOU WAITING FOR? Gwen Stefani 2004
76 GIVES YOU HELL All-American Rejects 2009
77 4 MINUTES Madonna Feat. Justin Timberlake 2008
78 PAPARAZZI Lady Gaga 2009
79 UNTOUCHED Veronicas 2008
80 HANGING BY A MOMENT Lifehouse 2001

81 LIVE YOUR LIFE T.I. Feat. Rihanna 2008
82 THE WAY I ARE Timbaland Feat. Keri Hilson 2007
83 GROOVEJET (IF THIS AIN'T LOVE) Spiller 2000
84 THE CLIMB Miley Cyrus 2009
85 NOT PRETTY ENOUGH Kasey Chambers 2002
86 STRAIGHT LINES Silverchair 2007
87 MILKSHAKE Kelis 2004
88 YOU BELONG WITH ME Taylor Swift 2009
89 EVACUATE THE DANCEFLOOR Cascada 2009

90 FLAUNT IT TV Rock Feat. Seany B 2006
91 BEHIND BLUE EYES Limp Bizkit 2004
92 COMPLICATED Avril Lavigne 2002
93 I DON'T FEEL LIKE DANCIN' Scissor Sisters 2006
94 STAN Eminem 2001
95 BYE BYE BYE *Nsync 2000
96 THE FEAR Lily Allen 2009
97 DREAM CATCH ME Newton Faulkner 2008
98 SWITCH Will Smith 2005
99 NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN Melanie C with Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes 2000
100 IF I WERE A BOY Beyonce 2008

We also introduced a brand new weekly segment where we Step Back A Decade and take a look at what was ruling the charts 10 years ago, back in the year 2000. A very interesting way of seeing how much pop music has progressed and evolved over the past 10 years.

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A final note...for 09

2009-12-20T04:50:00.001-08:00

Sound Museum will take a three week break from the airwaves to re-charge its batteries. Our first episode for 2010 will take place on Tuesday 12 January at 11pm.

We would like to send out a whole heap of love to our listeners for tuning in each week. There are several people we owe a special mention for their contribution to the show during 2009: David Hunt, Damian Nicholas, Paul Anthony, Jade Gulliver, Jenny O'Joy, David Lim, Chris Jameson, Steve Toms and Dan Vo. To the management, staff and volunteers at JOY 94.9, thanks for your support. Here's to the year ahead!

Petro has written reviews in the brand new edition of "Hear Here", JOY's member magazine. Make sure to check them out.

A safe and fun festive season to all!
Petro and Johno
xo

Episode 23: December 15

2009-12-20T04:33:00.000-08:00

Our final episode for 2009! Tis the season to be jolly, so we're hanging up the milestone, decorating the tree and caroling to our favourite pop Christmas tracks.

We discuss the most popular music choices being made by Australian consumers this Christmas. Which album will find itself in a large number of stockings this year? And we take a look at Billboard's end of decade statistics including Artist Of The Decade, and Billboard's Top 20 selling artists of 2009.

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Episode 22: December 7

2009-12-15T10:18:00.000-08:00

Petro goes solo with a playlist consisting of beautiful downtempo, ballady pop numbers. He reveals the Top 10 selling tracks on Australian iTunes for 2009 and goes the major categories of the 52nd Grammy Awards, taking place on January 31 2010. This year Beyonce leads the pack with a whopping 10 nominations.

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Episode 21: December 1

2009-12-15T10:06:00.000-08:00

We celebrated our 21st episode and go through the winners of the 2009 ARIA Music Awards.

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Episode 20: November 24

2009-11-29T20:59:00.000-08:00

Petro caught up with Australia's top A&R record executive Michael Parisi.

They spoke extensively about the role of A&R, the relationship between artists and their record labels, the attitude of the Australian record buying public, the current state of the music industry and the artists Michael has minded such as Regurgitator, Kylie and Gabriella Cilmi.

Here's a brief timeline of Michael's career in the music industry.

1987-1989: Co-Founded "In Press" Magazine
1990-1992: General Manager of IMAGO Records (Baby Animals, Henry Rollins)
1993-1995: Artist Development Manager for Warner Music, looking after the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers, REM, Snoop Dogg, Ice T, Marilyn Manson
1995-1999: A&R Director at Warner Music Australia. Signed Regurgitator, The SuperJesus and The Whitlams
1999-2002: Formed own label SPUTNIK Records through Festival Mushroom and signed and had #1 albums with the likes of 28 Days, George, Motor Ace and MUSE

Michael signed Gabriella Cilmi at the age of 13. Her debut single "Sweet About Me", from the album Lessons to be Learned, reached #1 in Australia and was a Top 10 hit all over Europe. She won six ARIA Awards in 2008, and is preparing the release of her second album.

2002-2008: Managing Director of Festival/Mushroom Records; signed Eskimo Joe, Gabriella Cilmi, Scribe, re-signed Kylie Minogue and worked with the likes of ONJ, AC DC, Garbage, Tom Jones etc
2009: Formed new company Michael Parisi Management. Signed three new artists. Caterina Torres, Mark Sholtez and METALS. Continues to provide consultation to Warner Music.

Former Killing Heidi members Ella and Jesse Hooper are back with their new band The Verses. Michael is the A&R of their debut EP.

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Episode 19: November 17

2009-11-22T19:55:00.001-08:00

We chatted with one of Australia's highest selling male artists Guy Sebastian.

It's been almost seven years since Guy was crowned Australia's very first Australian Idol, and while other winners have faded into obscurity and joined an endless list of one hit wonders (Casey Donovan, Natalie Gauci anyone?), Guy has maintained a loyal fanbase and impressive level of success. 11x platinum over five Top 10 albums (Just As I Am '03, Beautiful Life '04, Closer to the Sun '06, The Memphis Album '07, Like It Like That '09), four #1 singles and numerous Top 20 hits, and a swag of awards and nominations, not bad hey.

In his first interview on JOY 94.9, Guy opens up about his experiences over the years, the fickleness of the industry and the possible reasons for his enjoyed longevity. We discuss the new album Like It Like That and the new single "Art Of Love", a duet with former American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, another Idol alumni who has enjoyed extraordinary chart success.

Guy is heading on a national tour in support of the new album in February 2010. Tickets are on sale, and we are told to expect a great evening of live entertainment. Who knows, he may even throw in the odd Britney dance move if we're lucky. For more information, check out his official website here.

Special thanks to David Lim from Diff'rent Strokes (Wednesdays, 10pm) for guest presenting the show while Johno was off in Sydney, witnessing Britney's Circus tour. David even treated us to a Diff'rent Strokes segment called "Album In The Blend", taking a look at UK pop-soul diva VV Brown's Traveling Like The Light.

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Episode 18: November 10

2009-11-12T17:40:00.000-08:00

Britney's in town bitch! It's the eve of Britney's first Melbourne show, and the Circus tour is already causing a stir - apparently some concert goers expected Britney to sing. She has mimed practically her entire career, did Australia expect a miracle? Get over it peoples! Maybe we've been too spoilt with Pink who can do it all. We are both off to Sydney next week to see Ms. Spears in action.

Johno caught up with independent gay country singer Steve Charles. Steve hails from Tamworth, and is onto his fourth album Welcome To Club Country, which features country mixed with dance beats - certainly country with a twist! We preview the first single "Let's Go". You can check him out here.

We also go through the international and regional winners of the 16th Annual MTV European Music Awards.

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Episode 17: November 3

2009-11-06T04:19:00.000-08:00

It was Halloween on the weekend, and we have the Top 10 Creepiest Music Videos! Of course, Michael Jackson's classic horror anthem "Thriller" makes the list...and speaking of Michael, both of us went to see "This Is It", which has already become the biggest grossing concert-movie of all time. We share our thoughts on the movie.

But forget Michael cause..."THIS IS IT!"

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Episode 16: October 27

2009-10-24T07:02:00.000-07:00

Tracy Bartram is one of Australia's most loved radio personalities, comedians and jazz singers. She began her radio career in Perth before being picked up by FOX FM. For six years, "Tracy and Matt" was the highest rating breakfast show. In 2006, she spent two years with MIX 101.1 presenting "Tracy and Tim", and has since done work for ABC 774.

Tracy is also one of the country's most hilarious comedians, having performed countless one-woman, self-written shows around the country to great acclaim.

Tracy performing with her band members Michael Jordin (drums), Kim Kelaart (keyboards) and Sam Le Mann (guitars)

Tracy also sings jazz, and Petro caught up with her backstage during her month-long run at Pricilla's Bar, on Commercial Road. During the interview Tracy reveals how the jazz show came about, plans to record a studio album, her frightening celebrity experiences, why she won't go back to commercial radio, her Riverdell Retreat which was awarded "Best Gay and Lesbian Friendly Place To Stay", plus plenty of other nonsense. It's a hoot!

Tracy's season has been extended by two weeks. Catch her on Wednesday November 4 and Wednesday November 11. Visit her official website here.

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Episode 15: October 20

2009-10-21T18:37:00.000-07:00

We spoke to Andrew Kitchen, Project Manager for FACE THE MUSIC 09 and The Push Artist Development Coordinator. He is promoting the upcoming music industry conference Face The Music which takes place at the Arts Centre on Saturday 31 October.

Face The Music will provide a forum for musicians and industry to workshop and explore song-writing, management, recording, publishing, touring, audience development and much more. Over 60 music industry professionals, including high profile artists, booking agents, publishers, record label directors, music lawyers, publicists and artist managers are generously sharing their time and experience. There will be representatives from Mushroom, Shock Records, Premier Artists, Triple J, triple j TV, to name a few, as well as musicians like Paul Dempsey, Megan Washington, Drew Goddard from Karnivool and hip hop artists Pez.

The day will cover sessions with musicians and producers sharing their experiences recording and producing albums, touring regional Victoria and Tasmania, record labels, music publishing and distribution, connecting with your fanbase, radio, business models, video making on the cheap and more. Of particular interest to your listeners might be the hands on workshops in the Sound House using Pro-Tools and Reason, as well as a panel about developing a career in hip hop, where the road starts, and what you need for the journey. There’s also an opportunity to seek one on one advice by booking appointments on the day.

Tickets for Face The Music 09 are selling fast. To book, head to the Arts Centre Box Office website website, or call 1300 182 183. The Push is a great resource for all ages gig and music industry resources, check them out here.

Last week we announced the ARIA Awards nominations. This week the AIR Awards (Australian Independent Record Labels Association) were announced. One of our favourites Bertie Blackman is up for four noms, and CW Stoneking and Sia have each been nominated for three awards. The awards ceremony will be hosted by The Chaser's Julian Morrow and will mark the event's fourth birthday. Winner will be revealed at the 2009 Jagermeister AIR Awards at the Forum Theatre in Melbourne on November 22.

For information, and a full list of categories and nominees, visit the official site.

We were also very pleased to announce that Vanessa Amorosi debuted at #1 on the Australian Singles Chart this week with her rockin' track "This Is Who I Am". After 10 years since debuting in the industry, this is Vanessa's first #1 single.

Her previous highest peaks where with "Shine" (2000) and "Perfect" (2008), both reaching #4. Vanessa is one of only two artists to debut at #1 this year (the other being Flo Rida), and joins Guy Sebastian and Jessica Mauboy has the three Australian acts to reach #1 this year. She is the first Australian female artist to debut at #1 since Kylie's "2 Hearts" back in 2007.

Congratulations Vanessa! The album "Hazardous" is due in stores November 6.

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Episode 14: October 13

2009-10-13T08:34:00.000-07:00

The 23rd Annual ARIA Music Awards take place on November 26 at Acer Arena in Sydney. This year, the industry's night of nights will broadcast on the Nine Network (not Ten who have had it for the past eight years). Currently confirmed to perform are Jessica Mauboy, Empire Of The Sun, Keith Urban and Hilltop Hoods. British megastar Robbie Williams will be this year's international guest performer. Tonight we went through each of the categories, and were delighted to see some of our favorites (especially Kiwi gal Ladyhawke) up for a few nominations.

Artists with multiple nominations this year:
Empire of the Sun – 11 nominations
Jessica Mauboy – 7 nominations
Hilltop Hoods – 6 nominations
Ladyhawke – 6 nominations
C. W. Stoneking – 5 nominations
Sarah Blasko – 5 nominations
AC/DC – 4 nominations
Kate Miller-Heidke – 4 nominations
The Temper Trap – 4 nominations
Lisa Mitchell – 3 nominations

For all categories and nominations, visit the official website.

David Lim from Diff'rent Strokes (every Wednesday from 10pm) caught up with British pop sensation Little Boots, who was in the country recently for the Parklife festivals. She's achieved mainstream success on the electro-pop scene with hits "New In Town" and "Remedy" from her debut album Hands. We played the full interview which detailed her rise to fame, the making of her album, and a moment of Rachel Stevens gushing. A big thanks to David for letting us play the interview.

Check out David's blog: Show & Tell

We also paid tribute to Boyzone singer Stephen Gately, who passed away on the weekend at the age of 33. In 1999, Stephen came out as gay, being the first boyband member to ever do so. May he R.I.P.

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Episode 13: October 6

2009-10-11T19:17:00.000-07:00

Last week, Johno was joined by JOY boys Elliot and JB. This week I'm back, and give a little report on La Roux's energetic gig at The Palace.

We had an interview with Scott Murphy, one of the Australian music industry's most respected and established executives. Scott began working at Mushroom Records at the age of 18 and remained with the iconic label for 15 years. Mushroom, created by Michael Guidinski in 1972, was responsible for some of the biggest locals acts - Split Enz, Kylie, Youth Yindi, Jimmy Barnes, Kate Ceberano, Renée Geyer and Skyhooks amongst others. In 1999, he helped set up Australian headquarters for international giant Zomba Records. Zomba was largely responsible for the American teen pop revival of the late 90s with its acts Britney Spears, N*Sync and Backstreet Boys.

Scott is currently developing new technological ways of increasing the value of payed music, and in 2005, established the prestigious Australian Music Prize, an award based on creative excellence. The prize is open to any Australian act who has commercially released an album. Past winners include Eddy Current Suppression Ring, The Mess Hall, Augie March, and The Drones. Entries for the 2009 award are now open, with a cash prize of $30,000! For details and entry conditions, visit the official site.

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PART 1 // PART 2

Episode 11: September 22

2009-10-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

We're leading up to the busy Christmas season which means the record companies are pumping out the Greatest Hits compilations, hoping to fill stockings. The rest of the year will see new ones from Madonna, Aqua, Britney, Michael Jackson, Jay Z, Foo Fighters, Bee Gees, Queen, Fall Out Boy and Snow Patrol, just to name a few. Tonight we have an in depth discussion about the the concept of the greatest hits album – why they are released, what we like about them, what we don’t like about them, who has sold plenty of them, and artists who have released them prematurely. The playlist is made up of classics from some of the huge selling Greatest Hits albums.

ARIA have released the mid-year sales figures and we analyse the stats. Mixed results, but things are looking up in the digital market. Click here for the report.

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PART 1 // PART 2

Episode 10: September 5

2009-10-11T17:50:00.000-07:00

Our 10th anniversary on the air (as in episodes, not years...we have a long way to go for that milestone!). This week we spoke to entertainer Lucy Holmes. She is most famous for her highly acclaimed 100% KYLIE tribute show. Being a die-hard Kylie fan myself, I caught the show a couple of years ago and was truly amazed by the attention to detail, from the impeccable costumes taken from different photo shoots, music videos and live shows to the mind-blowing tour renditions used throughout the show. Lucy does an incredible job playing the role of our much-loved gay icon. In the interview she gives us insight into how the show came about, the kind of research that was required, and how it has developed over last seven years.

But Lucy is more than just a Kylie look and sound-a-like. She has worked extensively in the local industry, performing on shows such as Dancing With The Stars, It Takes two, The Footy Show, The Singing Bee and Big Brother. She has performed at prestigious events such as the AFL Grand Final, the Men's Final of the Australian Open, the Logie Awards and performs annually at Vision Australia's Carols By Candlelight. She has shared the stage with many big names.

Check Lucy out at her official site. For the 100% KYLIE show, click here.

We also went through the winners, highlights and controversies of this years MTV Video Music Awards. Playlist theme, we played classic pop tracks that have been re-recorded by the original artist in other languages.

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PART 1 // PART 2

Episode 9: September 8

2009-10-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

Johno was in Sydney this week so I had the pleasure of sharing company with the adorable Jenny O'Joy from Local & Vocal (every Sunday from 1pm). Local and Vocal has been on the air for three years and is a chance for local artists to have their music played. Jenny is also the Youth Coordinator at JOY and runs the "Taste of Radio" course, of which both Johno and I are graduates. We discussed her love for local and independent music, her roles as an event manager for "Girl Interpreted", a show featuring a line up of female performers with sign language interpretation, as well as her stint as a band manager for a local female group.

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PART 1 // PART 2

Episode 8: September 1

2009-09-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

Yiasou!

It's 2.19am and I am still buzzin' after our 8th ep of Sound Museum tonight. In fact I have a lasagne heating up in the oven cause I'm starving! I know, healthy. But that's the life of a late-shift radio presenter for you.

Tonight's show was all kinds of greatness. We had our first proper interview with an industry expert. David Hunt currently works for JOY in Sponsorships. He has 25 years of music industry experience behind him, working for three major labels and independents. If you missed the show, hang out for the podcast - you won't want to miss this very insightful interview. More interviews are currently in the pipeline.

I attended the listening session of Whitney Houston's brand new album I Look To You (out this weekend). Was great to experience an "exclusive" industry event and sip a few champs while attempting to hear the record over a noisy crowd. Caught up with former JOY Music Director Damian Nicholas who is going great-guns with his voice-over work and the running of his brilliant music blog auspOp, a trusted resource for our show.

Podcast for episode 7 will be up very shorty. CPOD is being a pain at the moment and not uploading...very frustrating! Johno will be in Sydney next week so I'll be joined by the adorable Jenny O'Joy, from Local & Vocal, for a show featuring mostly Australian/New Zealand local talent. I'm already jumping over hoops in anticipation!

Cause every heartbeat babe is the soundtrack to your life

- Petro xox

1. Vanessa Amorosi – This Is Who I Am
TBA, 2009
2. Kylie Minogue – The One (Bitrocka Remix)
Boombox, 2008
3. Natalie Imbruglia – Want
Come To Life, 2009
4. Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls
Please, 1984
5. Paula Abdul – Opposites Attract
Forever Your Girl, 1988
6. David Guetta ft. Chris Willis – Gettin' Over
One Love, 2009
7. A-Teens – Sugar Rush
Teen Spirit, 2001
8. Girls Can't Catch – Keep Your Head Up
TBA, 2009
9. K.D. Lang - Just Keep Me Moving
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, 1993
10. Lilly Allen – 22 (Acoustic Version)
It's Not Me, It's You, 2009
11. Speedway - Genie In A Bottle
Save Yourself, 2003
12. Natalie Bassingthwaighte – After Midnight
Not For You (single), 2009
11. Darren Hayes - California
Truly Madly Completely: The Best of Savage Garden, 2005
12. Chicken Shed Theatre Company - I Am In Love With The World
Diana Princess of Wales Tribute, 1997

This week we interviewed former record label executive David Hunt about his 25 years in the Australian music industry. We spoke about his history, the different artists he has worked with, and his opinions on issues the industry currently faces.

David's taste for the industry began by working for and setting up record stores in Adelaide, and during the early 80s, he was hired by major label EMI, working in publicity and promotions. David worked on breaking acts through radio, print and television's most influential programs Hey Hey It's Saturday and Countdown. Artists he looked after included Crowded House, Grace Jones, David Bowie, Queen, Peudo Echo, Duran Duran and Pet Shop Boys. He then moved to Virgin Records, working with international acts such as Belinda Carlisle, Juian Lennon, Simple Minds, Bryan Ferry and Paula Abdul (helping break her #1 smash hit "Opposites Attract").

He later moved to Sydney to work in the head office of BMG. He has also worked with none other than Kym Wilde, John Farnham and Whitney Houston. Although never working for Kylie (she was signed to Mushroom in Australia), he has a very cool experience with her that he shares in the interview. Before joining JOY, he worked as a publicity agent for independent acts. He currently teaches at JMC Academy in the Diploma of Entertainment - Business Management.

Singles
Beyonce – Broken Hearted Girl
Bowling For Soup – My Wena
Newton Faulkner – If This Is It
Jessica Mauboy – Up/Down

Albums
Jimmy Barnes – The Rhythm And Blues
Jimmy Barnes – The Rhythm And Blues (Deluxe Edition)
Bloody Beetroots – Romborama
Patrizio Buanne – Viva La Dolce Vita
Colbie Caillat – Breakthrough (Deluxe Edition)
Dash & Will – Up In Something
DJ Nino Brown – Blazin Presents : The Afterparty 2
David Guetta – One Love
Michael Jackson – The Definitive Collection
Young Punx – Your Music Is Killing Me

Compilations
OST – Fame
OST – Funny People
Various – Chillout Sessions XII
Various – Triple J Hottest 100 Of All Time
Various – Wild Energy : Gold Edition

Wed 2nd September
ARMIDALE – Grafton Primary (University Of New England)
CANNINGTON – Dukes Of Windsor (Foundry)
HOBART – Eskimo Joe (Hobart City Hall)
MELBOURNE – Gin Wigmore (The Toff In Town)
TOOWOOMBA – Jimmy Barnes (Empire Theatre)
WOLLONGONG – Snob Scrilla (Oxford Tavern)

Thurs 3rd September
BALLARAT – Children Collide (Karova Lounge)
BRISBANE – Kate Ceberano (Concert Hall)
BRISBANE – Gin Wigmore (Troubadour)
BUNBURY – Dukes Of Windsor (Prince Of Wales Hotel)
LAUNCESTON – Eskimo Joe (Albert Hall)
MARYBOROUGH – Jimmy Barnes (Brolga Theatre)
MELBOURNE – Ben Folds (Palais Theatre)
SYDNEY – John Farnham (Star City Lyric Theatre)
SYDNEY – Angie Hart (Hopetoun Hotel)

Fri 4th September
CANBERRA – Snob Scrilla (ANU Union Bar)
GERALDTON – Dukes Of Windsor (Breakers)
MELBOURNE – Children Collide (Corner Hotel)
MELBOURNE – Shannon Noll (The Palms At Crown)
SYDNEY – Andy Bull (Hopetoun Hotel)
SYDNEY – John Farnham (Star City Lyric Theatre)
SYDNEY – Grafton Primary (The Metro)

Sat 5th September
BRISBANE – Grafton Primary (The Zoo)
BUNDABERG – Jimmy Barnes (Avondale Homestead Tavern)
HOBART – Children Collide (Republic Bar)
MELBOURNE – Shannon Noll (The Palms At Crown)
PERTH – Does It Offend You Yeah? (Capitol Theatre)
PERTH – Dukes Of Windsor (Amplifier Bar)
SYDNEY – John Farnham (Star City Lyric Theatre)
SYDNEY – Snob Scrilla (Oxford Art Factory)

Sun 6th September
BRISBANE – Jimmy Barnes (Tivoli Theatre)
FREMANTLE – Dukes Of Windsor (Newport Hotel)
LAUNCESTON – Children Collide (Hotel New York)
TWEED HEADS – Kate Ceberano (Twin Towns Services Club)

Go on sale Thursday 3rd September
La Roux (Sydney, Melbourne)
Pyramid Rock Festival
Cliff Richard & The Shadows (Adelaide)

Go on sale Friday 4th September
Fleetwood Mac (Nationally)
Hilltop Hoods (Nationally)

> Sound Museum favorite Ladyhawke will play her first headline Australian tour in November. Australia has been her most successful market to date with the album achieving gold sales and single "My Delirium" becoming a platinum, top 10 hit. Kicking off in Brisbane, she'll visit Newcastle, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide, before rounding the tour off in Perth on November 14. Tickets for all dates go on sale on Tuesday September 08.

November 05 : Brisbane (The Tivoli)
November 06 : Newcastle (Panthers)
November 07 : Sydney (Enmore Theatre)
November 11 : Canberra (ANU Bar)
November 12 : Melbourne (Forum Theatre)
November 13 : Adelaide (HQ Bar)
November 14 : Perth (Capitol Theatre)

> Aussie hip hoppers Hilltop Hoods have been dominating the charts over the past few months with their Top 10 hit “Chase That Feeling” and platinum album State Of The Art. They'll kick off the brand new 'Still Standing' national tour in October. Tickets for all dates are on sale this Friday, September 04.

October 16 : Darwin (Discovery Nightclub)
October 17 : Broome (Mangrove Resort Hotel)
October 18 : Perth (One Movement Festival)
October 23 : Sydney (Hordern Pavillion)
October 24 : Wollongong (University Of Wollongong)
October 25 : Newcastle (Fat As Butter Festival)
October 29 : Traralgon (Inferno Nightclub)
October 30 : Hobart (Wrestpoint Entertainment Centre)
October 31 : Launceston (Albert Hall)
November 06 : Brisbane (Big Top)
November 07 : Gold Coast (Seagulls Club)
November 12 : Mount Gambier (Shadows Entertainment Centre)
November 13 : Mildura (Settlers Tavern)
November 14 : Adelaide (Jubilee Pavillion)
November 20 : Bendigo (Bendigo Schweppes Centre)
November 21 : Trackside Festival)
November 22 : Albury (New Albury Hotel)
November 28 : Coffs Harbour (Open Arms Festival)
December 03 : Melbourne (Festival Hall)
December 05 : Sydney (Homebake 09)
December 10 : Mackay (Brothers Rugby League Club)
December 11 : Townsville (Riverway Stadium)
December 12 : Cairns (Brothers Leagues Club)

> New Zealand singer/songwriter Tim Finn has announced an Australian tour. Tickets for the shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Nowra, Brisbane and the Gold Coast go on sale on Monday September 21. The tour co-incides with the release of Tim's first ever anthology North South East West, to be released by EMI on October 02. The release is a 35 track, two disc set of highlights from Tim's incredible career, including tracks from his days in Split Enz and Crowded House. It will also include new collaborations with Missy Higgins, Bic Runga, Neil Finn and Liam Finn.

November 06 : Sydney (Enmore Theatre)
November 07 : Melbourne (Atheneum Theatre)
November 20 : Perth (The Quarry)
November 21 : Perth (The Quarry)
November 22 : Perth (The Quarry)
November 26 : Adelaide (Governor Hindmarsh)
November 27 : Nowra (Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre)
November 29 : Queenscliff (Queenscliff Music Festival)
December 03 : Brisbane (The Tivoli)
December 04 : Gold Coast (Twin Towns Services Club)
December 05 : Sydney (Homebake)

Natalie Bassingthwaighte turns 34 today!

Natalie was born on September 1, 1975. Before becoming a household name, she starred in numerous musical productions such as Rent, Footloose and Grease.

In 2003, she came to fame for her role as the deceitful, manipulative, man-eater Isabelle Hoyland on the long-running soap Neighbours. Izzy is most remembered for her affair with Doctor Karl Kennedy, destroying his marriage to Susan, and later baring his child after moving to London for a fresh start. Nat received a Gold Logie nomination for the role, and two nominations for Most Popular Actress.

In 2005, Natalie became the lead singer of Australian-based dance act Rogue Traders and together they released a string of Top 10 hits including "Voodoo Child", "Way To Go", "Watching You", "Don’t You Wanna Feel", and "I Never Liked You" from their two multi-platinum albums Here Come The Drums (2005) and Better In The Dark (2007).

Her first release away from the band was a charity single with Shannon Noll on a cover of the Peter Gabriel/Kate Bush classic "Don’t Give Up", which reached #2 on the ARIA Charts. In mid 2007, she left the Rogue Traders to begin work on her debut solo album. In February this year, the album 1000 Stars was released and debuted at #1, achieving gold sales. It spawned two top 10, platinum hits with "Alive" and "Someday Soon". She performed the glittery camp favorite "Supersensual" at this years annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Natalie also presents the high-rating, Network 10 reality dance series So You Think You Can Dance, for which she received her second Gold Logie Nomination. It has just been announced that she will star in the upcoming, third series of Underbelly, Australia’s highest rating drama.

Episode 7: August 25

2009-08-26T21:37:00.001-07:00

Hey y'all,

The theme of this week's show is reality television, and our playlist consisted solely of artists who launched their careers through reality television programs.

We've started a new poll asking whether or not you think Australian Idol has run past its used by date. The show is now in its seventh season, with television ratings and winner's record sales declining with each passing year. Do you still enjoy the show, or is it a tired format? Make sure to cast your vote!

A whole heap of podcasts are now up including episode 4 with Dan Vo and epidode 5 with Steve Toms! You can find the download links to the right of your screen, or stream them here.

Without the beat I'm nothing
Without a song in my heart

- Petro xox

1. True Bliss – Freedom
Dream, 1999
2. Ricki-Lee – Can't Sing A Different Song
Brand New Day, 2007
3. Bardot – Don't Call Me, I'll Call You
Play It Like That, 2001
4. Girls Aloud – Sound Of The Underground
Sound Of The Underground, 2003
5. Damian Leith – All I Want Is You
Where We Land, 2007
6. Jessica Mauboy – Up/Down
Been Waiting, 2008
7. Jordin Sparks – SOS (Let The Music Play)
Battlefield, 2009
8. Will Young – Leave Right Now
Friday's Child, 2003
9. Guy Sebastian - Closer To The Sun
Closer To The Sun, 2006
10. No Angels – Daylight In Your Eyes
Elle'ments, 2001
11. Kelly Clarkson - Yeah
My December, 2007
12. Rob Mills – Overrated
Up All Night, 2004
11. Carrie Underwood - Wasted
Some Hearts, 2005
12. Shannon Noll - Angels Bought Me Here
That's What I'm Talking About (limited edition), 2004
13. Leona Lewis - Run
Spirit: The Deluxe Edition, 2008

Over the past decade, reality television has had a huge impact on the music industry. This got us thinking...Is reality television the way to go for those wishing to launch a music career? To what degree have contestants from shows such Popstarts, Idol and X Factor been able to sustain long and credible music careers? Here's a quick history...

It all began in New Zealand in 1999 when the first ever Popstars series formed short-lived girl group True Bliss. Australia was next-up with Bardot, and the rest of the world followed as the format was sold to over 50 countries. The 2002 UK version produced the most successful act to come from the entire Popstars franchise, Girls Aloud, who managed to achieve 15 consecutive Top 10 hits and five studio albums.

The Idol franchise began in the UK in 2002 with gay singer Will Young taking the crown. It came to Australian shores in 2003 and six seasons later, original winner Guy Sebastian and original runner-up Shannon Noll remain the highest selling contestants and continue to create music. Other winners such as Casey Donovan, Kate Kate DeAraugo and Natalie Gauci have disappeared into oblivion. Original US winner Kelly Clarkson, without a doubt, remains the most successful Idol contestant with record sales past 20 million.

The UK's X Factor, whose biggest export Leona Lewis has become a worldwide phenomenon, attracts 10 million viewers and is a sure-fire win for the traditional Christmas #1. It is about to commence its sixth series, and is now a prime spot for other artists to perform when promoting a song.

Britain's Got Talent bought Susan Boyle to overnight international stardom, and the Australian version has produced young opera singer, 2009 winner Mark Vincent, whose debut album peaked at number two on the Australian Album Charts in the past couple of months.

Singles
Bag Raiders – Shooting Stars
Kelly Clarkson – Already Gone
The Fray – Never Say Never
Gossip – Heavy Cross
The Script – Before The Worst
Shakira – She Wolf
J-Wess – Anything For You

Albums
Arctic Monkeys – Humbug
Andy Bull – We’re Too Young
Andy Bull – We’re Too Young (Limited Edition)
Andy Cowan – When The Night Comes In
John Farnham – Essential 3.0
Jet – Shaka Rock
Kid Confucius – Let Go (Tour Edition)
Kisschasy – Seizures (CD/DVD)
Jessica Mauboy – Been Waiting (Deluxe Edition)
The Next – Light Of Day EP
Sean Paul – Imperial Blaze
Tex Perkins – The Best Of
Matt Walters – Echo On EP
Wiley – Race Against Time

Compilations
OST – Hannah Montana 3
OST – Wizards Of Waverly Place
Various – Dad Rocks!
Various – Songs For Dad

> Vanessa Amorosi has confirmed on Twitter that her forth studio album will be released later this year. The first single “This Is Who I Am” is due in stores October 16th. The track was co-written by Vanessa and Sweden’s Macho Psycho, who has also produced the track. Macho co-wrote and co-produced Pink’s hits ‘Stupid Girls’ and ‘Bad Influence’. Vanessa filmed the music video for the single last week in Los Angeles.

> Natalie Imbruglia’s comeback single "Want" goes to Australian radio this week, and she will be in the country to promote its release, making a visit to Rove this Sunday night. Her forth studio album Come To Life will be released on October 9.

> Leona Lewis has revealed the title of her second album – Echo. The record is due in stores worldwide November 17.

> Kate Ceberano is releasing a Christmas album in November. The album will feature a duet with Ronan Keating.

> Kate Miller-Heidke is set to release her first live album on September 18, recorded earlier this year at Melbourne’s HiFi Bar. The set will include popular live favourite “Are You Fucking Kidding Me (The Facebook Song)”.

> Music DVDs out in the coming weeks: The Veronicas’ release the “Revenge Is Sweeter” tour on September 1, Delta Goodrem releases “The Believe Again Tour” on September 18 and Tina Turner releases “Tina Live” on September 25, a live recording of her recent 'Tina Turner's 50th Anniversary' concert tour.

Wed 26th August
BRISBANE – Pink (Entertainment Centre)
HOBART – Snob Scrilla (Republic Bar)
MELBOURNE – Kate Ceberano (The Palms At Crown)
ROCKHAMPTON – Eskimo Joe (Pilbeam Theatre)
SYDNEY – Newton Faulkner (Oxford Art Factory)
WARRNAMBOOL – Dukes Of Windsor (The Loft)

Thurs 27th August
ADELAIDE – Lost Valentinos (Jive Bar)
BALLARAT – Augie March (Karova Lounge)
BRISBANE – Shannon Noll (Kedron Wavell Services Club)
FERNTREE GULLY – Dukes Of Windsor (Ferntree Gully Hotel)
LAUNCESTON – Snob Scrilla (Hotel New York)
MACKAY – Eskimo Joe (Mackay Entertainment Centre)
MELBOURNE – ARIA Hall Of Fame
MELBOURNE – Kate Ceberano (The Palms At Crown)
SYDNEY – Ophelia Of The Spirits (Vanguard)
SYDNEY – Gin Wigmore (Notes Live)

Fri 28th August
BALLARAT – Snob Scrilla (Karova Lounge)
CAIRNS – Eskimo Joe (Brothers Leagues Club)
GYMPIE – Shannon Noll (Gympie Muster)
MELBOURNE – Dukes Of Windsor (Corner Hotel)
MELBOURNE – Melody Gardot (National Theatre)
MELBOURNE – Angie Hart (Northcote Social Club)
PERTH – Lost Valentinos (Amplifier Bar)
SYDNEY – Pink (Acer Arena)

Sat 29th August
ADELAIDE – Snob Scrilla (Edinburgh Castle Hotel)
FRANKSTON – Dukes Of Windsor (Pelly Bar)
FREMANTLE – Lost Valentinos (Norfolk Hotel)
GOLD COAST – Shannon Noll (Twin Towns Services Club)
MELBOURNE – Augie March (Forum Theatre)
PERTH – Grafton Primary (Capitol Theatre)
SYDNEY – Ja Rule (Luna Park Big Top)
SYDNEY – Pink (Acer Arena)
TOWNSVILLE – Eskimo Joe (Townsville Entertainment Centre)

Sun 30th August
BRISBANE – Shannon Noll (Victoria Point Sharks Club)

Go on sale Friday 28th August
Jarvis Cocker (Melbourne)
Marilyn Manson (Sydney)

We put UK singer-songwriter Will Young, under the Queer Spotlight. He rose to fame in 2002 after winning the inaugural Pop Idol contest, making him the world's first winner of the now-worldwide Idol franchise.

He has since gone on to sustain a very successful career with four Top 2, multi-platinum albums, four number one singles and an impressive set of Top 5 hits. In November, he releases his first Best Of collection The Hits, closing this chapter of his music career, before moving into a dance direction. Will publicly came out as gay not long following winning the Pop Idol competition.

> iTunes reps 1 in every 4 songs sold in U.S.
iTunes-purchased songs now account for 25 percent of the overall music market -both physical and digital- in the U.S., says an NPD Group report released Tuesday. However, CDs are still the most popular format for music lovers, winning a 65 percent slice of the market for the first half of 2009.

> Politicians Demand Scrutiny of Live Nation-Ticketmaster Merger
Lawmakers have come out in force against the Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger claiming that Live Nation Ticketmaster “would enjoy a virtual stranglehold over the live entertainment industry.”

Episode 6: August 18

2009-08-18T21:14:00.001-07:00

This week marked the return of Johno after three weeks holidaying in Europe. It's so great to have him back! A gigantic thank you to Chris Jameson, Dan Vo and Steve Toms for co-presenting the show with me during his absence. I had a ball sharing the mic with these three passionate presenters and enjoyed the unique touch each of them bought to their respective shows.

A big hello to our new listener from Ireland with whom we communicated back and forth throughout the evening. I still get overwhelmed at the thought of people hearing us from all corners of the globe! What a thrill :)

Bohemian boys and Brazillian girls
A familiar noise in unfamiliar worlds
It's like a million beats in a Parisian heart
We're made of glass
From the boy in the West to the girl in the East
They've been working a sweat in the name of the beast
Where oblivion stops and oblivion starts
We're made of glass

- Petro xox

1. Whitney Houston – Million Dollar Bill
I Look To You, 2009
2. Alcazar – Stay The Night
Disco Defenders, 2009
3. Will Young – Who Am I
Keep On, 2005
4. La Roux – Tigerlily
La Roux, 2009
5. Lisa Mitchell – Coin Laundry
Wonder, 2009
6. Britney Spears – Radar (Bloodshy & Avant Remix)
Blackout, 2007
7. Missy Higgins – 100 Round The Bend
On A Clear Night, 2007
8. Annie – Songs Remind Me Of You
Don't Stop, 2009
9. Kate Ryan - Voyage Voyage
Free, 2008
10. Neneh Cherry – Man Child
Raw Like Sushi, 1989
11. Silverchair - Low
Young Modern, 2007
12. Röyksopp ft. Karin Dreijer Andersson – This Must Be It
Junior, 2009
11. The Saturdays - Up
Chasing Lights, 2008
12. Madonna - Celebration
Celebration, 2009

This week we went through Nick Southall's list "Top 10 Things I Hate About CDs". We could totally relate to some of his frustrations such as tight outer cardboard sleeves that make the CD case virtually impossible to get out, price stickers that leave yucky marks, and so forth, although we disagreed with the free DVD point...who doesn't love a little bonus?

Here's the countdown:
10. Outer sleeves
9. Stickers
8. Bad / unimaginative graphic design
7. CD tray pins
6. Inconsistent spine writing
5. Nipples
4. Free DVDs
3. Huge booklets
2. Hidden tracks
1. Digipaks

Singles
Daughtry – No Surprise

Albums
All American Rejects – When The World Comes Down (Tour Edition)
autoKratz – Animal
Cobra Starship – Hot Mess
Cassie Davis – Differently
Paul Dempsey – Everything Is True
Paul Dempsey – Everything Is True (Limited Edition)
Calvin Harris – Ready For The Weekend
Demi Lovato – Here We Go Again
Rolling Stones – Jump Back : Best Of Rolling Stones
Seal – Soul Live
Short Stack – Stack Is The New Black
Short Stack – Stack Is The New Black (Collector’s Edition)

Compilations
Various - Onelove Presents : Toolroom Nights
Various – Unclubbed

Wed 19th August
ALBURY – Dukes Of Windsor (Roi Bar)
BYRON BAY – Snob Scrilla (Great Northern Hotel)
FRANKSTON – Grafton Primary (Pelly Bar)

Thurs 20th August
GERALDTON – Shannon Noll (Queens Park Theatre)
GOLD COAST – Snob Scrilla (Coolangatta Hotel)
GRIFFITH – Dukes Of Windsor (Area Hotel)
MARGARET RIVER – Augie March (Settlers Tavern)
SYDNEY – All American Rejects (Live At The Chapel)
SYDNEY – The Audreys (The Basement)
WOLLONGONG – Lost Valentinos (The Harp)

Fri 21st August
ADELAIDE – The Audreys (Governor Hindmarsh)
BALLARAT – Dukes Of Windsor (Karova Lounge)
CANBERRA – Lost Valentinos (Club Academy)
FREMANTLE – Augie March (Fly By Night)
MELBOURNE – Grafton Primary (Corner Hotel)
PERTH – Shannon Noll (Burswood Theatre)
SYDNEY – Kate Ceberano (State Theatre)
SYDNEY – Tokenview (The Vanguard)
TOOWOOMBA – Snob Scrilla (Bon Amici Café)

Sat 22nd August
BRISBANE – Eskimo Joe (Riverstage)
BRISBANE – Snob Scrilla (Globe Theatre)
BUNBURY – Shannon Noll (Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre)
FREMANTLE – Augie March (Fly By Night)
HOBART – Dukes Of Windsor (Republic Bar)
HOBART – Grafton Primary (University Of Tasmania)
MELBOURNE – The Audreys (Northcote Social Club)
WOLLONGONG – Pink (WIN Entertainment Centre)

Sun 23rd August
LAUNCESTON – Dukes Of Windsor (Hotel New York)
MANDURAH – Shannon Noll (Mandurah Performing Arts Centre)
WOLLONGONG – Pink (WIN Entertainment Centre)

Went on sale Monday 17th August
Newton Faulkner (Melbourne, Sydney)
Flo Rida (Perth)
Homebake 09
Pearl Jam (Nationally)

Go on sale Thursday 20th August
Stereosonic (Nationally)

Go on sale Friday 21st August
La Roux (Sydney, Melbourne)

> Frontier Touring has announced two very intimate shows for British outfit La Roux, in Sydney and Melbourne. Frontier has suggested that tickets for the gigs will be extremely sought after, with the band scheduled to play 'strictly one show only' in each city. Tickets for both dates go on sale on Friday August 21.

September 29 : Sydney (The Gaelic)
October 01 : Melbourne (Prince Bandroom)

>West Australian outfit Tame Impala are hitting the road with series of live dates in virtually every state throughout September and October. It's the band's second tour of the country this year and will kick off in Caringbah in Sydney's south, on September 16. Tickets for all dates are on sale now. They play Melbourne at the Corner Hotel on October 23rd.

September 16 : Caringbah (Bizzo's)
September 17 : Wollongong (Waves Nightclub)
September 18 : Canberra (ANU)
September 19 : Albury (Indie Music Festival)
September 24 : Mona Vale (Mona Vale Hotel)
September 25 : Sydney (Manning Bar)
September 26 : Newcastle (Cambridge Hotel)
September 27 : Coffs Harbour (Coffs Harbour Hotel)
September 30 : Byron Bay (Great Northern Hotel)
October 01 : Gold Coast (Coolangatta Hotel)
October 02 : Brisbane (HiFi Bar)
October 04 : Maroochydore (Sands Tavern)
October 08 : Geraldton (Breakers)
October 09 : Fremantle (Fremantle Arts Centre)
October 10 : Bunbury (Prince Of Wales Hotel)
October 15 : Hobart (Republic Bar)
October 16 : Launceston (Hotel New York)
October 17 : Adelaide (Adelaide Uni Bar)
October 18 : Mildura (Sandbar)
October 21 : Ballarat (Karova Lounge)
October 22 : Geelong (Eureka)
October 23 : Melbourne (Corner Hotel)

> The first Australian Idol runner-up Shannon Noll won't finish his current tour of the country 'til early in October, but he's already announced another tour onto the end of this, with Aussie rockers The Screaming Jets.
The 'Dirty Rockin' Scoundrels' tour will see 'Shanny and the Jets' take in ten dates throughout New South Wales, the ACT and suburban Melbourne, kicking off in Penrith in Sydney's west on October 07. Tickets are on sale now.

October 07 : Penrith (RSL)
October 08 : Campbelltown (RSL)
October 09 : Newcastle (Panthers)
October 10 : Wollongong (Waves Nightclub)
October 11 : Canberra (Vikings Erindale)
October 14 : Hallam (Hallam Hotel)
October 15 : Ferntree Gully (Ferntree Gully Hotel)
October 16 : Sunshine (Westend Nightclub)
October 17 : Chelsea Heights (Chelsea Heights Hotel)
October 18 : Doncaster (Hotel Shoppingtown)

> Speaking of Idols, 2006 winner Damien Leith is about to release his second studio album of original material titled Remember June. To celebrate the album's release on Friday October 16, Damien will play two very exclusive and intimate shows; one at The Premier Room at Sydney's State Theatre on October 16 and one at Melbourne's Thornbury Theatre on October 17.

> Fleetwood Mac will tour Australia and New Zealand in December after the European tour.

December 01 : Brisbane (Entertainment Centre)
December 02 : Brisbane (Entertainment Centre)
December 05 : Hunter Valley (Hope Estate Winery)
December 07 : Sydney (Acer Arena)
December 08 : Sydney (Acer Arena)
December 11 : Perth (Members Equity)
December 12 : Perth (Members Equity)
December 15 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena)
December 16 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena)
December 19 : New Zealand

> The last month has been a complete career turnaround for Brisbane singer Kate Miller-Heidke with her first ever Top 5 hit “Last Day On Earth” and last year’s Curiouser album making it’s way back up the charts. She has announced on her Twitter that she plans to tour the country in November, her second Aussie tour for the year. No official dates have been released. Kate is currently doing shows oversees.

We put Melbourne girl Missy Higgins, Australia's highest selling female bisexual, under the Queer Spotlight. Missy is best known for her blend of acoustic folky-pop in the form of hits "Scar", "The Special Two" and "Steer", from the 9x platinum The Sound Of White (2004) and the 3x platinum On A Clear Night (2007). In 2001, she won Triple J's "Unearthed" competition, and has gone on to win six ARIA Awards.

"I’ve been in relationships with both men and women so I guess I fall most easily under the category 'bisexual'...Please rest assured that I am not, never have been, and never will be ashamed of my sexuality but also please respect the fact that when I do an interview I want it to be about my music and not about my love life!"

> Full stream ahead for music at $10 a month
In October, bandit.fm will introduce an "all you can eat" music service that allows subscribers to stream as much music as they like for $9.99 a month. The four major record labels have all jumped on board.

> US defends federal copyright infringement law
The US Justice Department on Friday defended a federal law that resulted in a 1.92m verdict against a woman for swapping 24 songs over the Kazaa internet service.

Industry News

2009-08-12T06:05:00.000-07:00

Idol's debut ratings nothing to sing about

Ratings for Sunday night's debut episode of the new family-friendly Australian Idol, shedded up to 20 per cent of last year's audience.

With ratings for the reality series continuing to slide - down more than 100,000 viewers nationally - the move to an earlier 6.30pm timeslot has failed to stem the tide against the program. The Daily Telegraph reports that despite acting swiftly to distance itself from shock jock Kyle Sandilands, the decision to dump the controversial judge appears to have fractured audiences further. Whether a protest vote against Sandilands' sacking or a snub of the radio star, who appears in this year's first three pre-recorded episodes, ratings across all demographics took a tumble.

Now in its seventh season, Channel 10's Idol finished third in the timeslot nationally, with an average of 1.29 million viewers, to Nine's returning Domestic Blitz (1.34m) and Seven's Dancing With The Stars (1.301m).

It was viewers aged in the overlapping categories of 25-54 and over 40 who voted with their remotes, losing 10.5 per cent and 20 per cent of viewers respectively on last year's audience figures. Sydney turned off the program in particular, with audience numbers down 12.7 per cent to 402,386 people.

It was the first ratings test of audience sentiment following Sandilands part in a live lie detector test of a 14-year-old girl on his 2DayFM breakfast show. The humiliating segment spiraled out of control when the teenager said under duress that she had been raped two years ago.
Link to article.

ACMA launches investigation into Vile and Tacky O controversy

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has announced it would launch an investigation, reviewing the practices that lead to the public humiliation of a 14 year-old alleged rape victim on the Kyle and Jackie O Show on 2DAYFM.

Public outrage has followed the stunt in which a 14-year girl was strapped to a lie detector and asked questions about her sex life. Two weeks later, Austereo is yet to release its findings or terminate the broadcasters who let the girl go live to air without delay while knowing she was 14-years old. The girl’s mother, who took part in the segment to win Pink concert tickets, has also been slammed for forcing her daughter onto the show and asking of her sexual experiences despite having prior knowledge of the alleged rape.

Despite recent claims by the girl's extended family that she was not raped in an interview with A Current Affair, the innocence of the girl will not be what the ACMA investigation is about. ACMA will be looking at the policies that were in place that allowed this to go to air in the first place.

It does not change the fact Kyle and Jackie O agreed and encouraged the under age girl to go on the program without her consent, hooked up to a lie detector, and allowed the questioning to go to air without using a 7-second delay. Kyle asking "Right … is that the only experience you’ve had?" straight after the girl claimed to being raped two years ago, in particular, has been subject to heavy criticism.
Link to article.

Episode 5: 11.08.09 Playlist

2009-08-11T09:37:00.000-07:00

1. Alesha Dixon – Let's Get Excited
The Alesha Show, 2008
2. Guy Sebastian – Like It Like That
Like It Like That, 2009
3. Kylie Minogue – Dancing Queen (Live)
Intimate & Live, 1998
4. Beyoncé – Diva
I Am...Sasha Fierce, 2009
5. Spice Girls – Who Do You Think You Are
Spice, 1996
6. Gin Wigmore – Oh My
Holly Smoke, 2009
7. Gossip – Men In Love
Men In Love, 2009
8. Michael Jackson – Butterflies
Invincible, 2001
9. Alicia Bridges - I Love The Nightlife
Alicia Bridges, 1978
10. Pixie Lott – Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh)
Turn It Up, 2009
11. Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Want To Have Fun
She's So Unusual, 1983
12. Sam Sparro – American Boy
Live Lounge, 2008
11. Kylie Minogue - Spinning Around (Live)
KylieX2008: Live In London (DVD), 2008

Issue under the microscope: Youth music industry workshops

2009-08-11T00:17:00.000-07:00

Sarah from FReeZACentral and The Push joined us on the show to promote a series of free music industry workshops taking place throughout August in metropolitan and regional Victoria. The accredited workshops explore how to establish your career in the music industry and are run by experienced trainers and established industry professionals.

Workshop presenters will cover song-writing, performance, sound engineering, recording, technical production, event and tour management, music business, band management, media, communications, marketing and publicity.

If you are between 15-25 years of age and keen to take part, register online or call 03 9380 1277 for a registration form.

The August dates are:
Tuesday 11th
COPAC, Civic Hall, Colac (cnr Rae & Gellibrand St) 5.45-8.30pm
Wednesday 12th
Radio Workshop w/ SYN, Storey Hall, RMIT, Melb (342 Swanston St) 5.45-8.30pm
Wednesday 19th
Civic Centre, Wodonga (Hovell St) 5.45-8.30pm
Saturday 22nd
Northcote Town Hall, Northcote (High St) 2-4.45pm
Wednesday 26th
Nexus Youth Centre, Horsham (14 Pynsent St) 5.45-8.30pm
Thursday 27th
ICU, Castlemaine Basement (1 Halford St) 5.45-8.30pm

For more information: freezacentral.vic.gov.au

Releases & Touring

2009-08-10T04:37:00.000-07:00

Main source: auspOp

Singles
Bertie Blackman – Thump
Cassie Davis – Do It Again
Paloma Faith – Stone Cold Sober
Freemasons Feat. Sophie Ellis Bextor – Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)
Pixie Lott – Mama Do
Pink – Funhouse
Pitbull – I Know You Want Me
Guy Sebastian – Like It Like That

Albums
Anjulie – Anjulie
Dada Life – Just Do The Dada
Dandy Warhols – The Dandy Warhols Are Sound
Little Einsteins – Little Einsteins Musical Missions
Matisyahu - Light
Chrisette Michele – Epiphany
Katy Perry – One Of The Boys (Tour Edition)
Katy Perry – One Of The Boys (Tour EP)
Nick Skitz – Come Into My World

Compilations
OST - Balibo
OST - Bandslam
Various – Girlforce
Various – Leave Them All Behind III
Various – Mashed 5

Wed 12th August
BRISBANE – Katy Perry (The Tivoli)
COFFS HARBOUR – Dukes Of Windsor (Hoey Moey)

Thurs 13th August
ADELAIDE – Eskimo Joe (Thebarton Theatre)
BALLARAT – Jimmy Barnes (Regent Multiplex)
BALLARAT – Lost Valentinos (Karova Lounge)
MELBOURNE – Pink (Rod Laver Arena)
NEWCASTLE – Dukes Of Windsor (Cambridge Hotel)

Fri 14th August
ADELAIDE – Shannon Noll (Governor Hindmarsh)
CANBERRA – Grafton Primary (The Academy)
CANBERRA – Tokenview (ANU Bar)
CASTLEMAINE – Augie March (Theatre Royal)
MELBOURNE – Lost Valentinos (Roxanne Parlour)
MELBOURNE – Katy Perry (The Forum)
MELBOURNE – Pink (Rod Laver Arena)
MELBOURNE – Snob Scrilla (East Brunswick Club)
SYDNEY – Dukes Of Windsor (Annandale Hotel)
SYDNEY – White Album Concert (State Theatre)

Sat 15th August
ADELAIDE – Jimmy Barnes (Thebarton Theatre)
ADELAIDE – Shannon Noll (Governor Hindmarsh)
CANBERRA – Kate Ceberano (Southern Cross Club)
FREMANTLE – Eskimo Joe (Fremantle Arts Centre)
GEELONG – Lost Valentinos (Club 4Play)
GEELONG – Snob Scrilla (Barwon Club)
MEENIYAN – Augie March (Meeniyan Town Hall)
MELBOURNE – Tokenview (Revolver Upstairs)
WOLLONGONG – Dukes Of Windsor (Waves Nightclub)

Sun 9th August
CANBERRA – Dukes Of Windsor (ANU Bar)
CANBERRA – Pink (AIS Arena)
MOUNT GAMBIER – Jimmy Barnes (Barn Palais)

Went on sale Monday 10th August
Jimmy Barnes (Brisbane)
Josh Pyke (Sydney)
Rob Thomas (Swan Valley)

Go on sale Thursday 13th August
Grinspoon (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane)

Go on sale Friday 14th August
Jarvis Cocker (Nationally)
Nickelback (Sydney, Melbourne)
Cliff Richard & The Shadows (Nationally)

> The Motown 50th anniversary celebration will head to Australia in February 2010 with The Temptations, Four Tops, Martha and the Vandelas, The Miracles and Mary Wilson from The Supremes. Special guest for the show will be Joan Osbourne while Australia’s Jimmy Barnes and Ian Moss will both also appear on the bill.

February 16, Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
February 19, Sydney, Entertainment Centre
February 23, Brisbane, Entertainment Centre

> Moby and Yeah Yeah Yeahs are two highlights for this year's Falls Festival. The 2009 Falls Festival will take place in Lorne, Victoria and Marion Bay, Tasmania over the New Years long weekend. Other acts announced include Hilltop Hoods, The Temper Trap, Xavier Rudd, Emilana Torrini, Little Birdy, Midnight Juggernauts, Sarah Blasko and so many more. Tickets will be allocated by ballot from the Falls Festival website.

> The line-up for the 2009 season of dance festival Stereosonic has been announced. The line up features some of the biggest names in the dance arena, with Axwell, Chicane and Deadmau5 topping the bill. Also joining for the 2009 tour, which kicks off it's five date jaunt around the country in Sydney on November 28, is Fedde Le Grand, Miss Kittin and Zombie Nation. Representing the local scene includes Andy Murphy and Onelove DJs Acid Jacks and Grant Smillie. Tickets for all events will go on sale on Thursday August 20.

November 28 : Sydney (Moore Park, Hordern Pavillion, RHI & Surrounds)
November 29 : Perth (Claremont Showgrounds)
December 05 : Adelaide (Bonython Park)
December 05 : Melbourne (Royal Melbourne Showgrounds)
December 06 : Brisbane (Eagle Farm Racecourse)

> The annual Good Vibrations Festival kicks off in Sydney in February 2010. No acts have been confirmed just yet, but pre-sale tickets for next year's event are set to go on sale this Friday morning.

February 13 : Sydney (Centennial Park)
February 14 : Perth (Claremont Showground)
February 20 : Gold Coast (Parklands Showgrounds)
February 21 : Melbourne (The Nursery, Flemington Racecourse)

Issue under the microscope: LAST.FM

2009-08-09T16:28:00.000-07:00

On last weeks show, I discussed the purpose and functions of one of my favourite websites LAST.FM.

LAST.FM is an online community for music lovers, founded in 2002. It claims over 30 million active users in more than 200 countries. The website includes the standard features of a social networking website such as friend requests, wall posting and a private messaging system. However, its primary purpose is to set up a music library detailing each members listening habits, by storing information about all the music they consume on their computer, ipod and other mp3 devices.

After signing up an account to LAST.FM, users must download and install a plugin, known as the "Audioscrobbler", which connects their music player (i.e. iTunes, Windows Media Player etc) to the website. LAST.FM will then automatically submit the artist and song title to your profile page, as you are listening to it, as seen in the picture above.

LAST.FM keeps a track record of the number of songs you've listened to since becoming a member. Since becoming a user in April 2006, I have listened to a total of 84,710 tracks! LAST.FM continually ranks the music you listen to in order of the number of times you have listened to particular songs and/or artists. You can see which songs/artists you've listened to the most in the past 7 days, the last 3 months, the last 6 months, the last 12 months and overall.

Above shows my top 10 overall listened to artists, and their play counts. No surprises with who pops up really!

Above in Table 1 is my top 10 listened to artists of the past 3 months (notice the different time periods you can select at the top, and the "see more" option at the bottom which can extend the table to show all artists). Table 2 shows my top 10 listened to tracks for the past 7 days.

Every artist/song has its own page where you can view the number of times they have been listened to by all LAST.FM users. These pages also have a "wall" where you can leave comments about the artist/song. Artist pages rank the artist's songs in order of their popularity amongst users. Taken from Michael Jackson's page:

As you can see, the most listened Michael Jackson song by LAST.FM users for the past week is "Billie Jean" with 22,751 spins.

On a social networking level, LAST.FM is great for recommending "friends" who share similar musical tastes with you. These are known as "Neighbours", and it's a great way of making online friends who share a passion for the same kind of music that you do. When you browse another user's page, it will list the common artists you share with that user, and provide a musical compatibility rating of low, very low, medium, high, very high and SUPER! This is one of my favourite features. Here is my compatibility rating with The Fool and the Opera presenter Dan Vo and Diff'rent Strokes presenter David Lim...no suprises here either!

LAST.FM also recommends you artists and videos that are in sync with your musical tastes - a great way of discovering artists you may not have otherwise noticed. There is also LAST.FM radio which allows you to stream your friend's playlists! You can also write journals, create groups, and event pages for upcoming concerts, festivals etc.

As you can see, LAST.FM is a fantastic service for people who are passionate about the music they listen to, and want to keep a record of their listening habits. Register an account today and start scrobbling your tracks! If you are a member, or are becoming one, make sure to join the Sound Museum group so we can see what our listeners are listening to. Happy listening!

Industry News

2009-08-05T22:39:00.000-07:00

Student ordered to pay for illegal downloading

Joel Tenenbaum, a student who admitted illegally sharing 30 songs online, has been ordered to pay a fine of $675,000 (£400,000). A jury decided that the 25-year-old should pay $22,500 (£13,370) per song to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), to be distributed between the record labels whose copyright had been infringed.

Tenenbaum's reaction was mixed, as he had been anticipating a fine of up to $4.5m. He said the result of the trial "sends a message of 'We considered your side with some legitimacy ... $4.5m would have been, 'We don't buy it at all'."
There was suggestion from Tenenbaum's lawyer, Charles Nesson, that the verdict would be appealed. The RIAA released the following statement: "We appreciate that Mr Tenenbaum finally acknowledged that artists and music companies deserve to be paid for their work. From the beginning, that's what this case has been all about. We only wish he had done so sooner rather than lie about his illegal behaviour."

Tenebaum was first approached by the RIAA in 2003, when the music industry body wrote to him asking for $5,250 in compensation for seven songs he had illegally shared on the P2P site Kazaa. He was among roughly 30-40,000 people fined, but only one of a handful to contest the fine. Shortly before the trial, the RIAA increased the number of songs he was being sued for from seven to 30.

Earlier this year, Jammie Thomas Rasset was found guilty of illegally sharing 24 songs via Kazaa. She was ordered to pay a total of $1.92m, or $80,000 per song. Tenenbaum, only the second person to be found guilty of illegal filesharing in the US, had reportedly said he would file for bankruptcy if the verdict stands.
Link to article.

Mariah's 'Memoirs' CD to include mini-magazine with ads

As music sales continue to drop like they're not so hot throughout the industry, Island Def Jam Music Group is jamming on a new business model: integrating brands into artists' CD booklets.

The first deal, created for the Mariah Carey release Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel on Sept. 15, is a 34-page co-production with Elle magazine that includes lifestyle ads from Elizabeth Arden, Angel Champagne, Carmen Steffens, Le Métier de Beauté and the Bahamas Board of Tourism. Providing the experiment goes well, the label is eyeing bigger brand deals for booklets of CDs by Rihanna, Bon Jovi, Kanye West and other artists.

The mini magazine contains Mariah-centric editorial ("VIP Access to Her Sexy Love Life," "Amazing Closet," "Recording Rituals") and lifestyle advertising along with lyrics and other CD booklet elements. Elle contributed the editorial and designed the layout.

The booklets were created for the first run of U.S. CDs (1 million) and the first 500,000 overseas, said Jeff Straughn, svp-strategic marketing for Island Def Jam Music Group. It will also be available in a digital format for those who buy music online.
Link to article.

Artist News

2009-08-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

Natalie comes to life

Natalie Imbruglia has finally revealed the release dates of her fourth studio album Come To Life. It will be released on Island Records on October 5 in the UK and Oct 12th in Europe. It will be preceded by the single "Want" on September 28.

The 10 track album is produced by Ben Hillier (Blur, Elbow, Depeche Mode), and features three writing collaborations with Coldplay including the first single "Want", which Natalie co-wrote with Chris Martin. One of the tracks is produced by Brian Eno (U2's main collaborator).

It has been a long four years since the release of her last studio album Counting Down The Days, which debuted at #1 in the UK. In 2007, Natalie released a singles collection before cutting ties with Sony. Come To Life is said to "chart an entirely new path for this vastly under-rated artist. This remarkable record combines dark, driving beats and gorgeously wistful ballads into a totally cohesive whole."

We can't wait! Meanwhile, a music video for the album track "Wild About It" has been released to create buzz for the album. This is not the single. Watch it here.

Kasey Chambers “Doing it for the kids!”

Australian country princess Kasey Chambers and her father Bill Chambers will release an album of children’s songs under the name Kasey Chambers, Poppa Bill and the Little Hillbillies.
Kasey’s husband Shane Nicholson and her brother Nash Chambers will play on the album. Nash and the Chambers family have produced the album. The album will also feature the songwriting debut of Kasey’s 7-year old son Talon who has written the song "Two Houses" for the album.

To coincide with the album, Kasey has also written a children’s book called Little Kasey and the Lost Music. The book will feature a bonus CD of the track "The Lost Music Blues" as well as an audio reading of the book by Kasey. “Writing this book has been a dream of mine since my first son was born 7 years ago. The idea of the story and characters started back then and have grown a little each passing year,” Kasey said in a statement. Both the book and CD will be released on October 30 through Liberation.

Eminem lashes out against Mariah

Eminem has attacked Mariah Carey with an extremely ugly rap called "The Warning". The lyrics graphically details his alleged sexual encounters with Mariah as well as an attack on her husband Nick, calling him a faggot (we're not impressed).

The public feud between the two stars began when Eminem released the track "Bagpipes to Baghdad" on his latest album Relapse. Mariah's latest single "Obsessed" is widely speculated to be about the rapper, although she denies this. It's hard to believe the song has nothing to do with Eminem when you watch the music video in which Mariah is dressed as Eminem stalking her! (see photo above).

Eminem claims to have had an affair with Mariah in 2001, although Mariah denies this ever happened. which she denies.

Pink breaks Rod Laver record

Pink has left her mark on Rod Laver Arena permanently. A pillar backstage has been painted pink to commemorate her record-breaking run of shows and she has even autographed it.

On Sunday, Pink performed her 13th show at Rod Laver Arena for the Funhouse tour, breaking John Farnham's previous record of most shows at the venue on one tour. Petro was at that very show and had an absolute blast!

Releases & Touring

2009-08-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

Main source: auspOp

Singles
Ciara – Work
JLS – Beat Again
Ricki-Lee – Don’t Miss You

Albums
Diafrix – Concrete Jungle
Chris Isaak - Soundstage
Michael Jackson – The Stripped Mixes
Kings Of Leon – Notion EP
Lisa Mitchell – Wonder
Modest Mouse – No One’s First And You’re Next EP

Compilations
OST – Handy Manny
Various – Onelove Presents : Toolroom Knights

Music DVDs
Boyz II Men – Motown : A Journey Through Hitsville

Wed 5th August
ADELAIDE – Pink (Entertainment Centre)
BRISBANE – White Album Concert (QPAC)
PERTH – The Game (Metro City)
SYDNEY – Phoenix (Enmore Theatre)
WOLLONGONG – Downsyde (Harp Hotel)

Thurs 6th August
ADELAIDE – The Game (HQ Club)
BRISBANE – Lost Valentinos (Somabar)
BRISBANE – White Album Concert (QPAC)
CANBERRA – Downsyde (Transit Bar)
LAURIETON – Something With Numbers (Laurieton Hotel)
MELBOURNE – Eskimo Joe (The Palace)
MELBOURNE – Faker (Prince Bandroom)
SOUTHPORT – Dukes Of Windsor (Delplaza)

Fri 7th August
BATEAU BAY – Something With Numbers (Entrance Leagues Club)
BULLI – Tokenview (Heritage Hotel)
FERNTREE GULLY – Downsyde (Ferntree Gully Hotel)
GOLD COAST – Lost Valentinos (Neverland Bar)
HARBORD – Shannon Noll (Harbord Diggers Club)
MAROOCHYDORE – Dukes Of Windsor (Sands Tavern)
MELBOURNE – Eskimo Joe (The Palace)
MELBOURNE – The Game (Festival Hall)
PERTH – Pink (Burswood Dome)
SYDNEY – Jimmy Barnes (Enmore Theatre)
SYDNEY – Faker (The Metro)
SYDNEY – White Album Concert (Opera House)

Sat 8th August
ADELAIDE – Kate Ceberano (Her Majesty’s Theatre)
BATEAU BAY – Something With Numbers (Entrance Leagues Club)
BRISBANE – Dukes Of Windsor (The Zoo)
BRISBANE – Eskimo Joe (EKKA)
MEENIYAN – Naked In The Woods
MELBOURNE – Downsyde (Esplanade Hotel)
NEWCASTLE – Tokenview (The View Factory)
PENRITH – Shannon Noll (Penrith Panthers)
PERTH – Pink (Burswood Dome)
SYDNEY – Jimmy Barnes (Enmore Theatre)
SYDNEY – The Game (Luna Park)
SYDNEY – White Album Concert (Opera House)
TOWNSVILLE – Faker (The Club)
WOOMBYE – Lost Valentinos (The Woombye)

Sun 9th August
BYRON BAY – Dukes Of Windsor (Great Northern Hotel)
BRISBANE – Eddie Kowalczyk (The Tivoli)
MOUNT BULLER – Downsyde (Kooroora Hotel)
SYDNEY – White Album Concert (Opera House)

Go on sale Friday 7th August
Rob Thomas (Nationally)

Iconic rockers Pearl Jam will visit Australia and New Zealand in November for their first tour down under in three years. Their new single 'The Fixer' was the most added track to local radio last week. Support for the seven dates will come from Ben Harper and Relentless 7 along with local singer songwriter Liam Finn. Chugg Entertainment has announced that the dates announced will be 'one show only' in each city. Tickets for all dates are on sale on Monday August 17. Pearl Jam's new album Backspacer is due into stores on September 18.

Australia
November 14 : Perth (Members Equity Stadium)
November 17 : Adelaide (Adelaide Oval)
November 20 : Melbourne (Etihad Stadium)
November 22 : Sydney (Sydney Football Stadium)
November 25 : Brisbane (QSAC Stadium)
New Zealand
November 27 : Auckland (Mt Smart)
November 29 : Christchurch (AMI Stadium)

Nickelback have added two more dated to their November tour, after initial shows in Melbourne and Sydney sold out.
The new dates:
November 14 : Sydney (Acer Arena) on sale AUG 14
November 17 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena) on sale AUG 17

British indie rockers Gomez are back in October for their seventh visit to our shores.

The band will perform tracks from their latest album A New Tide, which was released earlier in the year. Tickets for all dates are on sale Monday August 03.

October 22 : Sydney (Metro Theatre)
October 24 : Canberra (ANU Bar)
October 25 : Brisbane (HiFi Bar)
October 28 : Melbourne (HiFi Bar)
October 30 : Adelaide (Governor Hindmarsh)
October 31 : Fremantle (Fly By Night)
November 01 : Fremantle (Fly By Night)

Pop veteran Cliff Richard is teaming up with his former band The Shadows, and will tour at the start of next year. Cliff and the Shadows were responsible for a string of incredible hit singles throughout the 1950s and 1960s including "The Young Ones", "Livin Doll", "Summer Holiday" and "Bachelor Boy" and will tour Australia as a group in February for the first time in 49 years. Tickets for all shows will go on sale on Friday August 14.

February 06 : Perth (Burswood Dome)
February 10 : Adelaide (Entertainment Centre)
February 13 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena)
February 16 : Gold Coast (Convention Centre)
February 18 : Brisbane (Entertainment Centre)
February 20 : Hunter Valley (Hope Estate Winery)
February 21 : Sydney (Entertainment Centre)

Sydney group Kid Confucius have announced a national tour across Australia's east coast, making stops in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra. To celebrate the live dates, kicking off on September 13, the band is also releasing a tour edition of their 2008 album The Let Go. The new edition, in-stores on August 21, will include exclusive remixes, along with videos and the previously unavailable track "Daydreaming". Tickets for the live dates are on sale now.

September 13 : Bondi (Beach Road Hotel)
September 19 : Brisbane (Troubadour)
September 24 : Canberra (Transit Bar)
September 26 : Sydney (Oxford Arts Factory)
October 08 : Melbourne (Toff In Town)

Episode 4: 04.08.09 Playlist

2009-08-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

1. Madonna – Celebration
Celebration, 2009
2. Sophie Monk – Pie Jesu / Come My Way
Calendar Girl, 2003
3. U2 (Passengers) ft. Luciano Pavarotti – Miss Sarajevo
Original Soundtracks 1, 1995
4. Pink – Glitter In The Air
Funhouse, 2008
5. Alanis Morissette – Straightjacket
Flavors Of Entanglement, 2008
6. Ten Tenors – Bad Influence (Live)
JOY 94.9 Studio Recording, 2009
7. Malena Ernman – Un Bel Di
La Voix Du Nord, 2009
8. Natalie Imbruglia – Identify
Stigmata OST, 1999
9. David Daniels – Ombra Mai Fu
100 Best Baroque, 2006
10. Jessica Mauboy – That Girl
Because (single), 2009
11. Kate Miller-Heidke - Space They Cannot Touch
Little Eve, 2007

Queer Spotlight: Indigo Girls

2009-07-29T04:30:00.000-07:00

The Indigo Girls, an American folk-rock lesbian duo consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Sailers, went under the Queer Spotlight this week.

The girls began in 1985 with the release of a seven-inch single "Crazy Game", and an EP and full-length album titled Strange Fire followed. In 1988 they signed a major record deal with Epic Records and released their second, self-titled album. The album reached #22 in the US and was certified platinum. The duo was nominated a Grammy Award for "Best New Artist" (loosing to Milli Vanilli), and won one for "Best Contemporary Folk Album". The album produced their highest charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 "Closer To Fine", which reached #52.

The studio albums Nomads Indians Saints (1990), Rights Of Passage (1992), Swamp Ophelia (1994), Shaming of the Sun (1997), Come on Now Social (1999), Become You (2002), All That We Let In (2004) all followed until the girls departed with Epic and signed with Hollywood Records.

Their stay with Hollywood was cut short after the release of just one album, 2006's Despite our Differences. The album was highly praised for being "...the most infectious, pop-infused set that the duo ever has managed to concoct...its melodies, harmonies, and arrangements are so ingratiating that the album carries the weight of an instant classic." Since leaving, the girls are now releasing their music independently and in March 2009 released the album Poseidon and the Bitter Bug which reached #29 on the Billboard 200.

The girls are heavily involved in political activism. Their advocating for LGBT rights has made them gay icons. As well as this, they stand for environmental causes and have worked with Greenpeace, the rights of Native Americans, and are part of the National Coatition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Ray and Saliers have also appeared at the annual SOA Watch rallies, the March for Women's Lives, and several other rallies and protests.

In 2006, they featured on Pink's album I'm Not Dead in the song "Dear Mr President", a protest song criticizing George W. Bush about war, poverty, LGBT rights, abortion rights, and the No Child Left Behind Act. During June 2007 the Indigo Girls were part of the multi-artist True Colors Tour 2007, created by fellow gay icon Cyndi Lauper in benefit of the Human Rights Campaign and other organizations that provide support to the LGBT community. The Indigo Girls performed again on the True Colors Tour 2008.

Artist News

2009-07-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

Madonna's celebration

Here is the official cover for M-Dolla's (aka Madonna) forthcoming, career-spanning compilation titled Celebration. It was designed by street pop artist “Mr. Brainwash” who is best known for “throwing modern cultural icons into a blender and turning it up to eleven." Songs that are currently confirmed to appear on the compilation: "Everybody", "Express Yourself", "Vogue", "4 Minutes", "Celebration".

The compilation is set for release on September 28 2009 in the following formats: single cd, double cd, digital download and dvd. The single “Celebration” goes to radio August 3 and is produced by Paul Oakenfold who has remixed Madonna in the past.

Other Madonna-related releases around the corner: Filth & Wisdom, Madonna's first effort as a director, will be released in the USA on September 29. Her I Am Because We Are documentary will also get a DVD release by September 22.

Liam Gallagher storms off stage!

OASIS singer Liam Gallagher did not appreciate a free beer he received from a fan. Gallagher stormed off stage last night after fans threw beer at him. The singer disappeared during his band's set at London's Roundhouse venue, leaving his brother Noel and the rest of the group to play without him for half an hour.

Liam blamed "students in stupid pointy shoes", for upsetting him, then fumed: "I hope you feel as uncomfortable as I feel", before walking off. Noel then told the crowd: "I think someone's in a bad mood." The 42-year-old guitarist then took to the microphone and the performance continued until Liam returned later in the set. However, the atmosphere between the two brothers was frosty for the rest of the show, with them both leering at each other from opposite sides of the stage throughout.

Already Halo?

Since the release of Kelly Clarkson’s latest album All I Ever Wanted, many fans have noticed the similarity between her song "Already Gone" and Beyonce’s recent hit "Halo". Kelly collaborated with Ryan Tedder on the track, a dramatic ballad driven by a pounding heartbeat, twinkly piano and swooping strings. Unbeknownst to her, Tedder used suspiciously similar elements when he produced a track for Beyonce.

"Ryan and I met each other at the record label, before he was working with anyone else...He's from Oklahoma, I'm from Texas; we got along really well and had some of the same influences. We wrote about six songs together, four or five of them made the album. It was all fine and dandy. I'd never heard of a song called Halo. Her album came out when my album was already being printed. No-one's gonna be sittin' at home, thinking 'Man, Ryan Tedder gave Beyonce and Kelly the same track to write to.' No, they're just gonna be saying I ripped someone off. I called Ryan and said, 'I don't understand. Why would you do that?'"

Kelly claims she "fought and fought" to try and prevent her label from releasing "Already Gone" as her third single, out of respect for Beyonce. "In the end, they're releasing it without my consent," she sighs. "It sucks, but it's one of those things I have no control over. I already made my album. At this point, the record company can do whatever they want with it. It's kind of a s**tty situation, but.… You know, you learn."

In my opinion, while the songs have undeniable similarities, they still both have their own entities and different stories to tell. As Chris said on the show, hit songs follow identical formulas all the time, especially those produced by the same production teams. Just look at Max Martin!

Rob Thomas records INXS classic

Rob Thomas has put down lead vocal on "Never Tear Us Apart" with INXS. The band are in the process of recording a new album with special guest vocalists redoing their greatest hits.

Rob has done INXS before. In fact, Rob’s done "Never Tear Us Apart" before. On the last Matchbox Twenty tour of Australia, INXS drummer Jon Farris joined Matchbox Twenty on drums to perform "Never Tear Us Apart" and "Don’t Change". There is no word when the new INXS album will be released.

Kate goes top 10

Sound Museum favourite Kate Miller-Heidke has scored her first Top 10 hit with the third single from her Curiouser album "The Last Day On Earth". The song received attention during promotional adverts for the Neighbours storyline of Bridgit Parker's tragic death. It instantly climbed the iTunes chart, and this was reflected in the latest ARIA Singles chart when it jumped 28 spots to #7. Kate's previous highest charting entry was with her last single "Caught In The Crowd". It reached #33, but only remained in the top 50 for one week.

Kate has flown back into the country this week after gigging in the US, to promote the song. Here is a breathtaking live acoustic performance.

Releases & Touring

2009-07-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

Main source: auspOp

Singles
The All American Rejects – I Wanna
Natalie Bassingthwaighte – Not For You
Beyonce – Sweet Dreams
Paul Dempsey – Ramona Was A Waitress
Keri Hilson – Knock You Down
Kisschasy – Generation Why

Albums
Jon Por Birgisson – Riceboy Sleeps
Michael Jackson – Gold (2CD set)
Pete Yorn – Back And Fourth

Compilations
OST – My Sisters Keeper
OST – Public Enemies
Various – 101 ‘90s Hits (5CD set)
Various – Kickstart My Heart
Various – Ministry Of Sound Presents : Trance Nation
Various – Pasha Classics
Various – popCountry Girls
Various – Skitz Mix 32
Various – Urban Chill

Music DVDs
Andre Rieu – Romantic Moments

Wed 29th July
ADELAIDE – Phrase (Governor Hindmarsh)
JINDABYNE – Downsyde (The Station)
MELBOURNE – Friendly Fires (Prince Bandroom)
MELBOURNE – Pink (Rod Laver Arena)
WOLLONGONG – Eskimo Joe (Wollongong University)

Thurs 30th July
BUNBURY – Something With Numbers (Prince Of Wales)
HOBART – Hilltop Hoods (City Hall)
MELBOURNE – Pink (Rod Laver Arena)
MELBOURNE – The Specials (Palace Theatre)
MELBOURNE – White Lies (HiFi Bar)
MELBOURNE – Yves Klein Blue (Hifi Bar)
SYDNEY – Doves (The Metro)
SYDNEY - Eskimo Joe (Hordern Pavillion)
SYDNEY – Shannon Noll (The Basement)

Fri 31st July
EPPING – Shannon Noll (The Epping Club)
GOLD COAST – Tokenview (Miami Shark Bar)
HEPBURN SPRINGS – Naked In The Woods
MANDURAH – Something With Numbers (Players Bar)
MELBOURNE – Jimmy Barnes (Palais Theatre)
MELBOURNE – Hilltop Hoods (The Palace)
NEWCASTLE - Eskimo Joe (Newcastle Panthers)
NEWCASTLE – Lost Valentinos (The Cambridge)
SYDNEY – Downsyde (Annandale Hotel)

Sat 1st August
ADELAIDE – Hilltop Hoods (Thebarton Theatre)
BLACKTOWN – Shannon Noll (Blacktown Workers)
BRISBANE – Tokenview (The Troubadour)
CANBERRA - Eskimo Joe (ANU)
MELBOURNE – Naked In The Woods
MELBOURNE – Pink (Rod Laver Arena)
MELBOURNE – White Album Concert (Hamer Hall)
PERTH – Jimmy Barnes (Burswood Theatre)
PERTH – Doves (Capitol)
PERTH – Something With Numbers (Amplifier)
SYDNEY – Downsyde (Annandale Hotel)
SYDNEY – Lost Valentinos (Oxford Art Factory)

Sun 2nd August
MELBOURNE – Pink (Rod Laver Arena)
NEWCASTLE – Downsyde (Cambridge Hotel)
PERTH – Jimmy Barnes (Burswood Theatre)

Went on sale Monday 27th July
Jimmy Barnes (Melbourne)
Kate Ceberano (Melbourne)
Paul Dempsey (Nationally)

Go on sale Friday 31st July
Tori Amos (Nationally)
Little Birdy (Nationally)
Short Stack (Nationally)

Beyonce has cancelled two of her forthcoming Australian shows. In addition to the cancellation of the two concerts, one in Sydney and one in Brisbane, the singer is also moving the date of another show (also in Brisbane). The singer's first Australian concert, due to take place in Brisbane on September 12, has now been delayed to September 20. The tour will now kick off in Melbourne on September 15. According to touring agent Michael Coppel, the cancellations are due to an 'unforseen change in Beyonce's international schedule'.

Aussie hip hop artist Snob Scrilla, whose single '.....(The Song With No Name)' has been occupying the ARIA top 100 for the past few weeks, is set to embark on a tour around the nation. He'll be joined on the 16 date journey by fellow Aussies Dash & Will, whose new album Up In Something hits stores late next month. The tour, kicking off in Melbourne on August 14, takes in dates in every state bar the Northern Territory, with tickets now on sale.

August 14 : Melbourne (East Brunswick Club)
August 15 : Geelong (Barwon Club)
August 19 : Byron Bay (Great Northern Hotel)
August 20 : Gold Coast (Coolangatta Hotel)
August 21 : Toowoomba (Bon Amici Cafe)
August 22 : Brisbane (Globe Theatre)
August 26 : Hobart (Republic Bar)
August 27 : Launceston (Hotel New York)
August 28 : Ballarat (Karova Lounge)
August 29 : Adelaide (Edinburgh Castle Hotel)
September 01 : Cronulla (Brass Monkey)
September 02 : Wollongong (Oxford Tavern)
September 04 : Canberra (ANU Union Bar)
September 05 : Sydney (Oxford Arts Factory)
September 10 : Fremantle (Mojo's)
September 11 : Perth (Amplifier Bar)

Tori Amos is set to tour the country in November in support of her latest album Abnormally Attracted To Sin. The singer last visited Australia two years ago. The tour will take in one date each (so far) in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide with a couple of days in between to presumably fill with more shows if there's demand. The 'Sinful Attraction' tour is the singer's fifth to visit Australian shores and tickets go on sale on Friday July 31.

November 12 : Melbourne (Regent Theatre)
November 16 : Sydney (Opera House Concert Hall)
November 19 : Adelaide (Thebarton Theatre)
November 21 : Perth (PCEC Riverside Theatre)
November 24 : Brisbane (QPAC Concert Hall)

Matchbox 20 frontman Rob Thomas is set to tour. The singer, whose new album Cradlesong and single "Her Diamonds" have been occupying the top five in recent weeks, will play a series of concerts in February, including 'A Day On The Green' events in South Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. Vanessa Amorosi will be supporting. Tickets go on sale on Friday August 07, with tickets for the Sandalford Wines gig on sale Monday August 10.

February 05 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena)
February 07 : McLaren Vale (Leconfield Wines) ADOTG
February 11 : Brisbane (Entertainment Centre)
February 13 : Hunter Valley (Hope Estate Winery)
February 14 : Bowral (Centennial Vineyards) ADOTG
February 17 : Sydney (Acer Arena)
February 20 : Yarra Valley (Rochford Wines) ADOTG
February 21 : Swan Valley (Sandalford Wines) ADOTG

Episode 3: 28.07.09 Playlist

2009-07-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

1. Metric – Gimme Sympathy
Fantasies, 2009
2. Robyn – Be Mine!
Robyn, 2005
3. Ricki-Lee – Don't Miss You
Hear No, See No, Speak No, 2009
4. Lady Gaga – Paparazzi (Stuart Price Remix)
The Fame, 2008
5. Eminem – Beautiful
Relapse, 2009
6. Indigo Girls – Closest To Fine (Live)
1200 Curfews, 1995
7. Kelly Clarkson – Already Gone (Live on Letterman)
All I Ever Wanted, 2009
8. Mika – We Are Golden
We Are Golden, 2009
9. Gathania – Blame It On You
TBA
10. Mr DYF ft. Shena – Hold On
Freemasons: Shakedown 2, 2009
11. Fleetwood Mac - Seven Wonders
Tango In The Night, 1987
12. Paul Mac ft. Peta Morris - Just The Thing
3000 Feet High, 2001

Vote in our poll

2009-07-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

In light of our recent discussion on the topic of digital download vs. the CD, we'd like to know what your preferred musical format is. Are you a greater fan of the download age where music can be bought instantly from your very own computer, or do you prefer the physicality of the CD? Vote on the poll to the right of your screen now!

Industry News

2009-07-22T07:22:00.000-07:00

Kazaa relaunches as a legit music download service

Kazaa, once a peer-to-peer file sharing site at the centre of many copyright lawsuits, has officially been re-launched as a legal subscription music service. The new online payments model, being run by new owner Brilliant Digital Entertainment (BDE), allows registered users to download unlimited music mp3 files for US$19.98 per month.

However, the new subscription package is only for PCs, meaning the files won’t play on an iPod or any other portable music device and once a subscription is terminated, access to the downloaded music ends.

The new service marks a significant change for Kazza, whose turbulent past includes a $100 million legal battle against four major record labels for copyright infringement over its former file sharing network.

In 2006, Kazaa agreed to settle with Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, EMI Group and Warner Music Group, all of which claimed Kazaa's former owner, Sharman Networks, allowed its users to breach copyright laws by sharing and swapping songs.
Read article here.

Warner and YouTube still in talks over deal

Warner Music Group is still in talks with video sharing site YouTube to license its artists' music videos, as negotiations over payment reached an impasse. Videos from Warner artists like Madonna and Green Day were removed from YouTube last December after both sides were unable to agree on financial terms for the licensing rights. While talks are still ongoing no imminent announcements are expected. "We are working actively to find a resolution with YouTube that would enable the return of our artists' content to the site," Warner said in a statement.

Warner Music, the world's third largest music company, was among the first major music companies to sign a deal with YouTube. As chief executive, Warner Music's Edgar Bronfman is keen to improve terms of his previous deal with YouTube. Warner still makes videos available to MTV, MySpace Music and other sites.

The video sharing site is regarded by music industry insiders as one of the most important music discovery tools for fans. It has more than 100 million visitors every month in the United States alone and is just as popular in many other countries.
Read article here.

Issue under the microscope: Digital download vs. CD

2009-07-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

Throughout the decades, the way we consume music has evolved. From the vinyl record to the cassette tape, to the CD, to the digital download and even more recently the USB - new formats are created with the hope of enhancing the music listening experience in terms of quality, durability, accessibility and convenience. We leave the old one behind, sometimes with much hesitation, and embrace the new one.

Worldwide, legal downloading has steadily increased, while the physical CD has begun to suffer (although this suffering can be attributed more greatly to illegal downloading as opposed to legal downloading). It raises the question - is the CD becoming a threatened format? Are downloads the way of the future? Digital formats made up 20 percent of recorded music sales globally in 2008 according to IFPI figures, growing from 15 percent a year earlier.

A recent study in the UK however has found that consumers still turn to the CD as their preferred choice. The annual Speakerbox survey found that overall, 73 percent of music buyers prefer CDs. Even with the 14-18 year olds who are thought to be more download-friendly, 66 percent preferred the CD. Why do we remain loyal to the CD? Both formats have their pluses and minuses.

JOY music team administrator and on-air presenter Chris Jameson joined us this week to discuss the issue. He drew on his own personal experiences as a music lover and IT specialist. Here is a brief outline of the points discussed.

PROS OF THE SWITCH FROM CD TO DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

- Artists can more readily put music online because it doesn’t have to go through the long and costly manufacturing process. Especially great for indie/unsigned musicians.
- Download stores allow consumers more freedom to choose the songs they want. They are not forced to buy an entire album.
- Download stores allow consumers to sample (usually 30 seconds) before they buy.
- Physical music formats can break/scratch.
- Digital stores never run out of stock!
- Accessibility and convenience – you can buy music where you want it, when you want it. No need to travel to the record store.
- These days, most people listen to their music through computers – they rip all their CDs onto iTunes and rarely ever use them again.
- Environmentally friendly – no plastic or paper required.
- Effect on the charts. The inclusion of downloads means old songs can re-enter the charts. A song does not have to be formally released as a single to be able to chart. For example, Lily Allen's "Fuck You" was so popular on iTunes and begun charting around the world, the record label decided to turn it into a single. Inclusion of downloads means the charts are a greater reflection of what’s popular or events that are happening at the time. For example, the death of Michael Jackson saw his songs chart all over the world.

CONS OF THE SWITCH FROM CD TO DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

- Lack of physicality – what if your hard drive crashes and you lose all your music?
- Collectability – fans like to collect CDs by their favorite artists.
- No more artwork and linear notes.
- Killing the concept of the album? People now have the choice of only downloading the songs they want, as opposed to the entire album. From a business perspective, less money is being made for the labels. From an artistic perspective, are people missing the musical journey a full album takes you on?
- Quality of mp3s not as high as CD.
- CDs are available to all sections of society – you don’t need a credit cards/vouchers to purchase them. Older generations/ people who are not internet savvy loose access to music.
- Effect on the charts. The rise in legal downloads means the cd single is on its last leg and many retailers no longer stock them.

Further reading:
1. Monsters of rock sound upbeat at last
2. Music lovers still prefer CDs over digital downloads
3. Michael Jackson album sales highlight physical, digital merits
4. Vinyl record sales spinning upward

Queer Spotlight: John Barrowman

2009-07-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

This week we put John Barrowman, the multi-talented Scottish entertainer, under the Queer Spotlight.

Barrowman is best known on British television for his acting and presenting work for the BBC. His most prominent television role has been as Captain Jack Harkness in Doctor Who and its spin-off series Torchwood. He has featured in such light entertainment shows as Live & Kicking, Any Dream Will Do, How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, and I'd Do Anything as well as appearing on the celebrity ice skating show Dancing on Ice.

John has dual citizenship in the UK and US. As a result of his family's move to Illinois when he was eight years old, he speaks with an American accent on screen, but reverts to a Scottish accent when with family or in Scotland.

John has been with his partner, Scott Gill, since 1993, from when they met during a production of Rope at the Chichester Festival Theatre. Despite this long-standing relationship, John told Scotland's The Herald newspaper that he had no plans to marry, saying, "Why would I want a 'marriage' from a belief system that hates me?" However, he and Gill did become civil partners on 27 December 2006. As John explained when the couple were interviewed by Attitude magazine, the couple do not want to call this a marriage: "We're just going to sign the civil register. We're not going to have any ceremony because I'm not a supporter of the word marriage for a gay partnership."

Interestingly, he was turned down for the role of Will in the US series Will and Grace as the producers felt he was "too straight". The role went to Eric McCormack who is heterosexual in real-life. Of the decision, John said "The sad thing is it's run by gay men and women," said Barrowman in a January 2006 article. He later expressed contempt for the idea that all gay men act the same way.

He was voted the 2006 Stonewall "Entertainer of the Year" and was third in Broadcast magazine's "Hottest Commodity" poll in November 2006. He was named by Out Magazine as "One of the 100 Men and Women to make 2008 a year to remember".

In 2008, he released an album of mostly covers titled Music Music Music. We played the first single "What About Us", an original song penned by Gary Barlow and Chris Braide. Watch the video here.

Releases & Touring

2009-07-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

Main source: auspOp

Releases in stores this week
Singles
Da Hool – Meet Her At The Love Parade
Short Stack – Sway, Sway Baby
Jordin Sparks – Battlefield
Albums
Patrizio Buanne – Best Of
Dananananaykroyd – Hey Everyone
Diesel – Project Blues
DJ Sirvere – Major Flavours 4
Florence & The Machine – Lungs
Jordin Sparks – Battlefield
Sundance Kids – Fall Into Place
Compilations
Various – Ministry Of Sound Presents : Underground 2009

Playing this week
Thurs 23rd July
BRISBANE – Pink (Entertainment Centre)
BUSSELTON – Downsyde (Esplanade Hotel)
PERTH – Hilltop Hoods (Capitol Theatre)
SYDNEY – Kisschasy (Oxford Arts Factory)
Fri 24th July
BRISBANE – Hilltop Hoods (Hifi Bar)
PERTH – Friendly Fires (Amplifier Bar)
WOLLONGONG – Something With Numbers (Waves Nightclub)
Sat 25th July
BRISBANE – Pink (Entertainment Centre)
BYRON BAY – Splendour In The Grass
MELBOURNE – Evermore (Hifi Bar) UNDER 18s
NEWCASTLE – Something With Numbers (Panthers)
SYDNEY – Ja Rule (Luna Park)
Sun 26th July
BRISBANE – Pink (Entertainment Centre)
BYRON BAY – Splendour In The Grass

Tickets on sale this week
Went on sale Monday
Jimmy Barnes (Queensland)
Beyonce (Sydney)
Black Eyed Peas (Nationally)
Go on sale Thursday
Nickelback (Nationally)
Tame Impala (Nationally)

In touring news...
Pink was forced to postpone her Monday 20th gig in Brisbane because she has laryngitis. The show has been moved back a week until next Monday July 27. Tickets for the postponed date will be valid for the show next week. However, anyone who cannot make the show next week will be given a full refund if they contact Ticketek before 5pm this Friday, July 24.

The Black Eyed Peas have announced two more dates for their Australian visit. Tickets for the two new shows (one each in Sydney and Melbourne) went on sale yesterday. The concerts in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth are already selling quickly. The new shows take place:
October 03 : Sydney (Acer Arena)
October 07 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena)

Something For Kate frontman Paul Dempsey has announced a national tour. His new album 'Everything Is True' hits the stores on August 14. Tickets for all dates go on sale on Monday July 27. For Melbourne, he plays the Corner Hotel on September 12.

September 10 : Belgrave (Ruby's Lounge)
September 11 : Hepburn Springs (The Palais)
September 12 : Melbourne (Corner Hotel)
September 16 : Kincumber (Lizotte's)
September 17 : Wollongong (Wollongong University)
September 18 : Newcastle (Brewery NSW)
September 19 : Sydney (Manning Bar)
September 25 : Gold Coast (Sound Lounge)
September 26 : Brisbane (The Zoo)
October 01 : Adelaide (Governor Hindmarsh)
October 02 : Perth (Rosemount Hotel)
October 03 : Fremantle (Fly By Night)
October 09 : Ballarat (Karova Lounge)
October 10 : San Remo (Westernport Hotel)

The first Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian is playing some shows early next year in support of his upcoming album “Like It Like That”. You can check out the new video for the first single here. Tickets are now on sale.

February 12 : Perth (Convention Centre)
February 13 : Adelaide (Convention Centre)
February 14 : Sydney (State Theatre)
February 19 : Brisbane (QPAC)
February 20 : Melbourne (Hamer Hall)

Little Birdy have announced a new national tour on the back of the release of their new album 'Confetti', with dates in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, ACT and South Australia before it wraps up in Perth in early October.

Singer Katy Steele will also perform a solo show at Brisbane's Spiegeltent in late September. Tickets for the dates go on sale on Friday July 31.

September 10 : Adelaide (HQ Bar)
September 11 : Melbourne (Forum Theatre)
September 12 : South Morang (Commercial Hotel)
September 13 : Canberra (Hellenic Club)
September 16 : Wollongong (Waves Nightclub)
September 18 : Sydney (Enmore Theatre)
September 19 : Newcastle (Civic Theatre)
September 25 : Yamba (Bowling Club)
September 26 : Brisbane (Sounds Of Spring Festival)
September 27 : Brisbane (Spiegeltent - Katy Steele solo show)
September 29 : Gladstone (Entertainment Centre)
September 30 : Mackay (Convention Centre)
October 02 : Townsville (Bombay Rock)
October 03 : Cairns (Brothers Leagues)
October 09 : Perth (Astor Theatre)

Episode 2: 21.07.09 Playlist

2009-07-21T09:24:00.000-07:00

1. Kelly Clarkson – I Do Not Hook Up (Ashanti Boys Remix)
All I Ever Wanted, 2009
2. Mariah Carey – Obsessed
Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel, 2009
3. U2 – I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight
No Line On The Horizon, 2009
4. Bananarama – Love Comes
Viva, 2009
5. Jordin Sparks – Let It Rain
Battlefield, 2009
6. Kate Miller-Heidke – The Last Day On Earth
Curiouser, 2008
7. John Barrowman – What About Us
Music Music Music, 2008
8. Pet Shop Boys – Can You Forgive Her (Swing Remix)
Very, 1993
9. Little Birdy – Hairdo
Confetti, 2009
10. Bellatrax ft. Tina Cousins – Can't Hold Back
Can't Hold Back (single), 2009
11. Madonna ft. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland - 4 Minutes (PWL Remix)
Hard Candy, 2008
12. Savage Garden – I Bet He Was Cool
Truly Madly Deeply (UK single), 1997
13. Divinyls – Pleasure & Pain
What A Life, 1985

On tomorrow's show!

2009-07-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

On our second episode of Sound Museum, we'll be joined by a panel of JOY music lovers for a discussion about changes in music consumption: legal digital downloading vs. the physical CD. How does this advancement in technology effect the way we as music lovers consume music? What are the pros and cons of legal downloading? How does it effect the way artists communicate with their fans? Excite yourself for a very insightful and engaging discussion, from 11pm on JOY 94.9.

We're on Twitter and Last.fm!

2009-07-18T00:40:00.000-07:00

If you're twittering, you can now follow Sound Museum. We'll post live updates as we go to air, preview upcoming episodes, notify you when podcasts are available, and update you on the latest industry happenings as they happen.

We have also created a group on Last.fm, a social network for music lovers. For those who don't have a Last.fm account, create one now! It's a brilliant site for people who are really keen about their love for music. Simply install the free software which connects the site to your music player (such as iTunes or Windows Media Player etc) and it will list the music you listen to as you're listening to it! It keeps a library of your entire music listening history and showcases your listening habits - the number of times you listen to particular artists, the number of times you listen to particular songs, over different periods of time. It ranks your artists/tracks in order of how many times you have listened to them.

The more people who join our group the better because it will keep track of which artists we listen to as a group. Join the group here.

Artist News

2009-07-16T19:02:00.001-07:00

- Here is the cover art for Whitney Houston's forthcoming, seventh studio album I Look To You. This is Whitney's first studio effort since 2002's Just Whitney, and will hopefully provide a big comeback for the diva who once had it all, before the drugs took over. One track "I Don't Know My Own Strength", a big ballad, leaked onto the net last week to mixed reception from fans, but there is no confirmation that it will be the lead single as has been suggested.

On July 14, 2009 Houston was in London for the album's official launch party. In total nine songs were premiered including "Million Dollar Bill", "Nuthin' But Love", "I Didn't Know My Own Strength", "Like I Never Left" (featuring Akon), "For the Lovers", "I Look to You" (featuring R Kelly), "Worth It" and a cover of Leon Russell's "A Song for You". "Calling You Tonight" (produced and demo by Johnta Austin) was also played and cited as a likely lead single. Executive producer Clive Davis also pointed out that "we didn't try to fit Whitney into the market" and much of the songs were still unfinished. The album is not yet complete. Someone better get a rig along as the album is due August 28, the same date as Mariah's newie. We smell a big battle of the divas!!! Better get your armor as one Jordin Sparks would say.

- A 20 second clip of Madonna's brand new track "Celebrate" has leaked onto the internet and sees a return to the euro-dance sound of her 2005 studio effort Confessions On A Dancefloor. A wise move after the hard flopping of last year's underwhelming Hard Candy. The track, produced by Paul Oakenfold, will be the first single from Madge's new Greatest Hits compilation due in September. It will be released to radio stations on July 28, 2009 and on other areas on August 3, 2009.

- And speaking of hits compilations, Britney Spears is to release a singles collection later this year. A bit strange considering Brit has only released two studio albums since 2004's comprehensive My Prerogative: Greatest Hits compilation. It's set for a October 23rd release, perfectly timed for her first Australian tour.

- In local news, a couple of former Idol favorites have new music on the way. Guy Sebastian has a new song "Like It Like That" ready for release August 21st and you can listen to the track and watch behind the scenes footage of the music video here. Returning to an upbeat, feel good soulful sound, I have to say I'm impressed by this song and look forward to giving it a spin. Guy has spent much of the past year playing gigs and recording in the US where "Like It Like That" will be his first release. The album of the same name is out October 9 and will be his first album of original material since 2006's Closer To The Sun. His 2007 soul covers album The Memphis Album was a big success achieving double platinum sales.

- Meanwhile, Ricki-Lee has unveiled the cover of her brand new single "Don't Miss You". The track goes to radio next week and to retail July 31st. Her third studio album Hear No, See No, Speak No is due in October. Let's hope Ricki-Lee can redeem herself after last year's ill-informed decision to release a "Singles Collection" (with only 6 singles to her name!). Rightfully so, the compilation bombed miserably, failing to chart anywhere in the ARIA Top 100.

Issue under the microscope: Ticket Scalping

2009-07-16T06:36:00.003-07:00

This week we discussed the problem of ticket scalping. Ticket scalping is the practice of purchasing in-demand tickets for a show for the sake of making a profit. The scalper has no interest in attending the show, but to re-sell those tickets to fans for a value higher than the original cost price.

It's a greedy way of ripping off desperate fans who will pay extraordinary amounts of money to see their favorite artists in concert. The prices some fans are willing to pay may be hundreds, even thousands of dollars above the original price. Many scalpers operate out of houses filled with banks of computers and use multiple high-limit credit cards to buy tickets in bulk on the first day of sale. They then put the tickets on sites such as TicketsNow, eBay or StubHub.

A couple of examples:
- A-reserve tickets to AC/DC concerts next February for $410 each (cost price $149.90)
- Platinum seats for Simon and Garfunkel's show last month were selling for $1000 each (cost prince $358.50)

Michael Jackson's farewell memorial is a rather morbid example of scalpers cashing in on the superstars death. 1.5 million fans signed up to go into the draw to receive tickets to the memorial - just 8,750 would be chosen. Each person selected received two tickets. Obviously there is an incredible demand for these tickets. The nature of the event meant fans were emotionally vulnerable and willing to fork out whatever it took to be in that arena, watching the King Of Pop's final goodbye. Tickets were found on eBay at crazy prices up to $25,0000! The screen grab above this article sees a ticket going for $10,000. eBay tried to pull these auctions down as soon as they could.

The industry is testing new ways of fighting the problem. Young American sensation Miley Cyrus' concert tour is introducing a paperless ticketing system where attendees do not receive a physical ticket for the event. Ticket holders will be required to present the credit card they purchased the tickets with as well as photo ID. This raises some issues. What if you don't own a credit card? We cannot imagine that many of Miley's pre-teen fans are credit cards holders. Obviously there is the expectation that parents will escort their children into the venue, but what about older teenagers? Can't see them being too keen with the idea of dragging mum or dad to a Kings Of Leon concert in order to get through the door. It's an inconvenience. This system may also lead to pre-show mayhem crowds, as it would most likely become a longer process. Credit card and photo ID checks would surely take longer as opposed to the simple swipe of a ticket.

Green Day's latest tour has introduced new procedures to fight scalping. Ordered tickets will not be available for pickup until the night of the show. Holders of the "will call" tickets must present the original credit card used to order the tickets, confirmation number and photo ID. Once they have their tickets they are escorted directly into the venue. They will not be permitted to leave at any point. Additional box office staff will be in place, as well as additional security to ensure that the process runs smoothly and efficiently. "The concept is, you can't scalp tickets," says Duncan Gillespie of HECFI (Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Inc). "It ensures the person who buys the ticket sees the concert."

In Australia, only Victoria and Queensland have anti-scalping laws. Scalping has become a big issue for AFL matches. Under Victorian law, it is illegal to sell AFL grand final tickets above face value, but other games are not covered.

Further reading:
1. Ticket Scalping Discussion Paper December 2006
2. Cyrus fights scalpers with paperless tickets
3. Green Day cuts scalpers off
4. Green Day Apply Anti-Scalping Measures For Aussie Tour

Industry News

2009-07-16T06:36:00.001-07:00

Asia tests new ways of making music profit

The economic crisis has seen a dramatic downturn in physical sales of music and an increase in illegal downloading. Marcel Fenez of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ entertainment and media practice says that "Consumers are enjoying more hours of music, they just aren’t paying for it". Asia’s physical distribution market fell by 9.3 percent in 2008 – the biggest drop in 5 years. A survey of more than 8,000 young Asians b/w 15 to 24 year olds found only 11% paid for the music they obtained online - Scary statistic, isn't it?

The industry is exploring how it can capitalize on new technology and get paid for music in a completely new way.

Nokia is now offering an "All You Can Eat" music services bundled with its mobile phones. Instead of paying per song, music lovers are allowed to download onto their phone any song they want for a 12 to 18-month period. The cost of the music is factored into the price of the handset.

Another scheme, thought to be previously-unthinkable, that is being tried comes from internet giant Google, in partnership with record labels such as Warner, Sony and EMI. Working with Chinese music site Top100, the project, launched earlier this year, offers Chinese users music that can be legally downloaded for free. It hopes to cash in by attracting more visitors, and then capitalising on that increased traffic through advertising. Doubts remain about whether the venture can lead to real revenues. "We believe that by investing heavily in product innovation, the users will come and then the money will come," said Google China's engineering director Bin Lin at the Hong Kong conference.
Read full article.

Webcasters and music industry reach royalties agreement

Internet radio reached an agreement on streaming-music royalty rates with SoundExchange, the group that collects royalties on behalf of artists and labels. The two sides announced the deal, which comes after more than two years of negotiations, political maneuvering, and fans pleading with lawmakers to save Webcasting. It should be noted, however, that Webcasters are still at a disadvantage when competing with traditional broadcast radio. Over-the-air stations aren't required to pay royalty rates to artists or labels.

Steve Marks, an executive vice president for the Recording Industry Association of America and one of the people who helped close the deal, said the settlement is proof that the music industry wants to partner with technology firms. "Supporting new business models through innovative licensing agreements is critical to the future of our industry," Marks said. "We are pleased to have found an alternative in the hope of avoiding costly litigation in favor of building partnerships."

The agreement calls for large ad-supported radio services, such as Pandora, to either share 25 percent of revenue with the music industry or pay a per-stream rate of 0.08 cent retroactive to 2006, whichever is greater. That rate will increase until reaching 0.14 cent in 2015. Sites that generate less than $1.25 million in revenue must pay 12 percent to 14 percent of sales for streaming rights.
Read full article.

Collapse in illegal sharing and boom in streaming music

New research shows that the number of teenagers illegally sharing music has fallen dramatically in the past year. The survey of 1,000 fans also shows that many 14 to 18 year olds are now streaming music regularly online using services such as YouTube and Spotify.

At the same time less than a third of teenagers are now illegally downloading music, the survey suggests. In January this year 26% of 14 to 18 year olds admitted filesharing at least once a month compared with 42% in December 2007. The research revealed that many teenagers (65%) are streaming music regularly, with more 14 to 18 year olds (31%) listening to streamed music on their computer every day compared with music fans overall (18%).

Paul Brindley, CEO of Music Ally, which carried out the survey with media and technology research company, The Leading Question, said: "These figures challenge the idea that filesharing will just continue to grow. While we don't think for a second that it shows the war against piracy is won, it does at least suggest that there is encouraging news for the music industry." Music fan Dominique Wakefield, 24, said "While I was at uni I started listening to streamed music using MySpace. Bands would be friends with other bands and it was a great way of discovering new music. I don't really feel the need to own all that music, I know it's always there. I still buy the occasional CD, and sometimes use iTunes. If I find myself loving a whole album and listening to it again and again, then I will buy it. But it has to be quite special."

Legal digital sales are also seeing an unprecedented boom, although sales are far from making up from the shortfall created by the collapse of the physical market. Digital singles were up 41.5% in 2008, while physical singles sales plunged 43.5%, according to the BPI. Last year three albums – Coldplay's Viva La Vida, Kings of Leon's Only By Night and Duffy's Rockferry – sold more than 100,000 digital copies, and the impact of digital is nowhere more apparent than in the UK singles top 40, where Michael Jackson has 12 posthumous entries in the current chart.
Read full article.

Queer Spotlight: Adam Lambert

2009-07-16T06:35:00.001-07:00

Being a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered radio station, it was a no-brainer that we would showcase queer talent on Sound Museum. So each week we'll put a queer performer under the spotlight and highlight their professional and personal achievements.

This week we covered a very recent rise-to-fame. Adam Lambert was the runner-up of this year's American Idol season. For many he was favorite to win throughout the competition, but lost out to Kris Allen. With his trademark queer-friendly look of dark eye-makeup and alternative, punk style fashion, Adam was certainly something different for the squeaky clean Idol image, but won audiences over with his soaring vocals and energetic stage presence. He also took on some very interesting songs: "What's Up" by 4 Non Blondes, "Believe" by Cher, "Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry, "Black Or White" by Michael Jackson and "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin were just some of his choices.

His performances garnered critical acclaim each week from the judges. For his second Top 7 performance, Lambert sang "If I Can't Have You", delivering what Kara DioGuardi described as his "most memorable performance", while Simon Cowell described his vocals as "immaculate". Paula Abdul was reduced to tears. In the Top 4, Lambert performed "Whole Lotta Love". Cowell commented, "that was one of my favorite performances... nobody can top that now", while Abdul, punning on the song's title, described Lambert's performance as "a whole lotta perfect".

Questions about his sexuality came to the forefront when photos of him kissing other men, and in drag, began circulating the internet. Adam confirmed the photos where of him, saying he had nothing to hide, but never publicly confirmed his sexuality whilst on the show. Weeks after the finale, he came out publicly on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. He said, "I don't think it should be a surprise for anyone to hear I'm gay... I'm proud of my sexuality. I embrace it. It's just another part of me."

Adam is certainly not the first openly gay man to come from the Idol series. Last year, American Idol Season 2 runner-up Clay Aitken finally came out after years of speculation. In 2006, Australian Idol Season 2 runner up Anthony Callea came out after heavy speculation. See a trend happening here?!? And of course, 2002 UK Pop Idol winner Will Young is openly gay, and has enjoyed continued musical success over the years. Australia also had a drag contestant named Courtney Act make the semi-finals in its first season.

Adam is currently working on his debut album with producers Greg Wells and RedOne, due later this year. We played his gorgeous version of "Mad World" by Tears For Fears on this week's show.

Kiwi Corner

2009-07-16T06:34:00.003-07:00

Each week, Johno will run through the latest headlines concerning the New Zealand GLBT community, and play a track by a New Zealand artist.

Headlines:
- Auckland City Council has given out over $262,000 in its Community Group Assistance Fund for 2009, but all four applications from LGBT community groups have been declined. Read article here.
- Last month's glamourous Black Tie Drag Bingo night at Auckland's Hopetoun Alpha venue raised $7,032 for the Cartier Bereavement Charitable Trust - and the Trustees are "thrilled to bits" with the response to the new event. Read article here.
- Around 30 Aucklanders, and also a huge crowd of punters at K'Road's gay Naval and Family pub, participated in this collaborative video by singing along to Lily Allen's "Fuck You". Watch it here:

We played "Cruise Control" by New Zealand pop group Headless Chickens from their 1993 album Body Blow. The single was a number one hit in New Zealand and reached #26 in Australia.

Releases & Touring

2009-07-16T06:33:00.001-07:00

Releases in stores this week
Singles
Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling
Lady Gaga – Paparazzi
Albums
Benny Anderson – Story Of A Heart
Sarah Blasko – As Day Follows Night
Abbie Cardwell – Love Motel
Daughtry – Leave This Town
Red Riders – Drown In Colour
Compilations
OST – Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince
Various – Onelove : Smash Your Stereo

Playing this week
Tuesday July 14
ADELAIDE – Ten Tenors (Festival Theatre)
MELBOURNE – Pink (Rod Laver Arena)
MELBOURNE – Pink (Rod Laver Arena)
Wednesday July 16
BYRON BAY – Phrase (Great Northern Hotel)
ADELAIDE – Short Stack (The Governor Hindmarsh)
BALLARAT – Kisschasy (The Arms)
Thursday July 17
MAROOCHYDORE – Phrase (Sands Tavern)
SYDNEY – Pink (Entertainment Centre)
SYDNEY – Ten Tenors (State Theatre)
Friday July 18
ADELAIDE – Short Stack (The Governor Hindmarsh)
BRISBANE – Phrase (The Zoo)
SYDNEY – Hilltop Hoods (Enmore Theatre)
SYDNEY – Pink (Entertainment Centre)

Tickets on sale this week
July 14 : James Hunter (Sydney, Melbourne)
July 14 : Chris Isaak (Perth, Melbourne, Sydney)
July 17 : Wolfmother (Nationally)

In touring news...
- American rock-folk singer Aimee Mann will visit Australian shores for the very first time this year to play gigs in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Ben Lee will provide support for both the Sydney and Melbourne shows.
September 3 : Brisbane (Powerhouse)
September 4 : Sydney (Enmore)
September 5 : Melbourne (Palais Theatre)

- Nickelback have announced an Australian tour. Tickets go on sale Thursday July 23.
November 11 : Brisbane (Entertainment Centre)
November 13 : Sydney (Acer Arena)
November 16 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena)
November 19 : Adelaide (Entertainment Centre)
November 21 : Perth (Burswood Dome)

- Beyonce has announced a third show in Sydney for her forthcoming 'I Am' Australian tour. Four of the nine shows have now sold out – one in Brisbane, one in Melbourne and two in Sydney. It’s been announced that US hip-hop star Flo Rida and our own Jessica Mauboy will be support acts for the tour. Tickets for the new September 20 Sydney date, go on sale on Monday July 20.
September 12 : Brisbane (Entertainment Centre) SOLD OUT
September 13 : Brisbane (Entertainment Centre)
September 15 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena) SOLD OUT
September 16 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena)
September 18 : Sydney (Acer Arena) SOLD OUT
September 19 : Sydney (Acer Arena) SOLD OUT
September 20 : Sydney (Acer Arena) NEW SHOW
September 22 : Adelaide (Entertainment Centre)
September 24 : Perth (Burswood Dome) LIMITED TIX

- Evermore have replaced Faker as the support act for the remainder of the Aussie dates on Pink's 'Funhouse' tour.

- Sydney electro boys Grafton Primary have announced a series of live dates throughout August and September. Tickets for all shows are on sale now.
August 14 : Canberra (The Academy)
August 19 : Frankston (Pelly Bar)
August 21 : Melbourne (Corner Hotel)
August 22 : Hobart (University Of Tasmania)
August 29 : Perth (The Capitol)
September 02 : Armidale (University Of New England)
September 03 : Wollongong (University Of Wollongong)
September 04 : Sydney (The Metro)
September 05 : Brisbane (The Zoo)
September 11 : Adelaide (The Governor Hindmarsh)
September 12 : Gosford (Coaster 2009 Festival)
September 17 : Newcastle (University Of Newcastle)
September 19 : Albury (Indie Music Festival)

Episode 1: 14.07.09 Playlist

2009-07-15T18:24:00.000-07:00

1. MGMT – Time To Pretend
Oracular Spectacular, 2007
2. Kylie Minogue – Speakerphone
X, 2007
3. Cascada - Evacuate The Dancefloor
Evacuate The Dancefloor, 2009
4. Kid Cudi ft. Kanye West & Common - Make Her Say
Man on the Moon: The End of Day, 2009
5. Alexandra Burke - Hallelujah
Hallelujah (single), 2008
6. Little Boots - Remedy
Hands, 2009
7. Adam Lambert - Mad World
American Idol: Season 8 Favorite Performances, 2009
8. Aqua - Back To The 80s
Greatest Hits, 2009
10. Grafton Primary – SOS Hello
Eon, 2008
11. Natalie Bassingthwaighte - Not For You
1000 Stars, 2009
12. Headless Chickens - Cruise Control
Body Blow, 1991
13. Pepsi & Shirlie - Heartache
All Right Now, 1987
14. Daniel Merriweather - Impossible
Love and War, 2009
15. Whitney Houston & Deborah Cox - Same Script, Different Cast
Greatest Hits, 2000
16. Mark Vincent - Time To Say Goodbye
My Dream, Mio Visione, 2009

Red Carpet special

2009-07-13T06:11:00.001-07:00

It's an A-grade affair on the red carpet for the premiere of Sound Museum. Gaga forgot her pants, Britney forgot her underpants, Madonna refused to be photographed near Kylie, Elton and Lily pretended to enjoy each others company, and Natalie Imbruglia dodged questions about her forever delayed fourth album that was meant to be released in May.

But we know what you're all wondering...where's Dannii???

Let's just say Minogue Jr enjoyed her pre-show drinks a little too much. Those tiny Minogues and tequila shots don't mix folks.

Presenting your presenters

2009-07-12T18:30:00.000-07:00

JOHNO
Johno is New Zealand born, bred and PROUD, and has a gorgeous Kiwi accent to prove it! He has lived in Melbourne for three years. Each week, he will report on the latest news concerning the New Zealand gay and lesbian scene. Johno has always had a passion for the music industy and spends hours on the net researching artists.

A wild child of the 80s, his first ever album was Hunting High and Lowahe (1985) by a-ha on cassette, and he'll be showcasing many of his childhood favourites during our "Tragic 80s Flashback" segment. The first CD he ever bought was The Best of Belinda, Volume 1 (1992) by Belinda Carlisle. He has seen Michael Jackson, Kylie Minogue, Pink, Scissor Sisters, Ricky Martin, Janet Jackson - just to name a few - live in concert and has met K.D. Lang and Dannii Minogue.

Johno has been at JOY 94.9 for the past 8 months, having successfully completed the "Taste Of Radio" course. He has since become a regular Wednesday daytime presenter and co-presented Boombox during its course.

PETRO
Petro is a young self-proclaimed pop nerd. A defining point in his life was at the age of 9 when he insisted his grandmother buy him his first album, the Spice Girls Spiceworld (1997) on cassette! Growing up, before a CD player became available, he'd sit by the radio for hours on end, his finger firmly pressed against the record button, waiting for his favourite songs to come up. Pop music became his life.

He is a trained singer, has been involved in musical theatre, and spends way too much time and money in JB Hifi. He is an avid CD collector with a collection of almost 200 albums alone, as well as dozens of music DVDs and singles. He has met many leading Aussie popettes including Dannii Minogue, Delta Goodrem, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Vanessa Amorosi, Kate Miller-Heidke and Sophie Monk amongst others. He has seen the following internationally-acclaimed acts live: Kylie Minogue, Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Pink, Lily Allen, Justin Timberlake, Silverchair and U2.

Petro has been at JOY 94.9 for the past 8 months, having successfully completed the "Taste Of Radio" course. He has since become a regular presenter of Generation Next, presented several daytime shifts and co-presented Boombox during its course.

It's a premiere darling!

2009-07-11T05:35:00.000-07:00

A brand new show is about to take the airwaves at JOY 94.9 ...and it's the best thing since sliced bread! No seriously, it really is.

Ok, so we may not look as fabulous as Eddy and Patsy, but we're popping open the bubbly in true Ab-Fab style, celebrating the first episode of Sound Museum which kicks off Tuesday, July 14th at 11pm!

Those who have tuned into Boombox over the past two months will be familiar with the likes of young pop nerd Petro and the seductive Kiwi voice of Johno. They promise to deliver you a one-stop weekly guide to the latest happenings of the ever-evolving music industry. They will discuss the big issues, present industry and artist news, analyse the weekly music charts, reveal music releases and touring schedules, plus plenty more. Then there's the great mix of music - album tracks, rarities, b-sides, remixes and mash-ups will be our specialty.

So make sure to be there when it all begins, this coming Tuesday at 11pm! Join in on the on-air celebrations by SMSing 0427JOY949 or emailing us onair@joy.org.au