BBC:

The administrator of Crystal Palace has said he would “welcome an approach” by rap star P-Diddy.

The music mogul’s publicist confirmed to BBC London that he is thinking of moving into the football business.

Brendan Guilfoyle, administrator of the bankrupt Championship side, said he “would willingly fly to New York to meet him to discuss a purchase”.

P-Diddy, reportedly worth £360m, held talks over investing in the club during a visit to the UK earlier this month.

Mr Guilfoyle, of The P&A Partnership financial firm, said he was “a big hip-hop fan” and would be “delighted if P-Diddy wanted to buy Crystal Palace”.

Commercial Appeal:

After consulting with Chilton’s wife and festival organizers, surviving Big Star members Jody Stephens, Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow confirmed that the panel and performance would go on as scheduled, effectively serving as memorials for Chilton.

“It felt like we had to pay tribute in some form,” said Auer. “In a strange way, it’s amazing that it happened around something like South by Southwest. So many people there are hyper-aware of Chilton and understand what he means musically, so it seems like the perfect place to do something like this.”

The Saturday night Big Star set is shaping up to be an all-star tribute. Though the lineup is still coming together, a variety of artists including X’s John Doe, R.E.M.‘s Mike Mills, indie-folk singer M. Ward, the dB’s Chris Stamey, Green on Red veteran Chuck Prophet and Chilton’s longtime New Orleans collaborators Doug Garrison and René Coman are among those expected to appear.

NME:

The band’s current bassist Ken Stringfellow confirmed that they are hoping to recruit REM‘s Mike Mills and members of Cheap Trick for the gig. The show is likely to take place at the South by Southwest festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas tomorrow (March 20), reports Spinner. Big Star were due to perform at SXSW with Chilton tomorrow night.

“We’ve decided to still put on some kind of performance in tribute to Alex,” Stringfellow, bassist for Big Star since 1993, told NME‘s sister publication Uncut. “There’s already a lot of people stepping forward, interested in augmenting the band and singing some of Alex’s songs. We drew up a shortlist of people we knew were playing at SXSW who might be interested, but I’m not sure exactly who can actually do it yet.

“Jon [Auer, guitarist for Big Star and the Posies] has already spoken to M Ward, John Doe and Chuck Prophet.

Fusari takes credit for convincing her “to abandon rock riffs and add dance beats. He demonstrated how the sound of a drum machine would not hurt the integrity of her music.”

The suit claims Fusari created her stage name by accident. A text message intended to read “Radio Ga Ga,” named after the Queen song, was changed by spell check on his cell phone to “Lady Ga Ga,” it said. “Germanotta loved it and ‘Lady Gaga’ was born.”

When am I going to get to hear a new Sleater-Kinney album?

Well, Janet, Corin and I are still great friends. And we will probably do something. It’s so intense, that band.

People love that band.

We spent 11 years committed to that band, heart and soul. To get back into it we have to be in that place where we can immerse ourselves fully. I think it will happen. We have to loop around, and we’re at the far end of the circle, away from the band, but I think we will come back and revisit it. And hopefully that record will be sometime in the next five years.

Kicking off our second decade as one of the globe’s premier showcases for cutting-edge electronic music and digital creativity, we’re proud to announce the first 30 confirmed performers for the highly anticipated 11th edition. MUTEK 2010 runs from June 2nd to June 6th and, as always, we’re jumpstarting Montreal’s summer festival season with an eclectic program featuring over 100 Canadian and international artists.

As always, the craftsmanship, experience, and sheer vitality of the current electronic arts serve as the foundation for our guiding principles, and this year there was a bounty of great talent out there to choose from.

This first wave of artists has in common strong reputations for sidestepping trends and enthralling audiences with exceptional and engaging live performances. This initial list will only grow more diverse in the coming weeks, with many more homegrown and international acts to be added, as well as a few surprises. For now, we are eager to share the broad contours of what will be a bold and multi-textured leap forward.

ACTRESS (UK)
BEN FROST (AU)
BRANDT BRAUER FRICK (DE)
THE CARETAKER (UK)
CARL MICHAEL VON HAUSSWOLFF (SE)
CHEAP & DEEP (US)
DAVE AJU (US)
DEMDIKE STARE (UK)
DIXON (DE)
DJ KOZE (DE)
GUILLAUME & THE COUTU DUMONTS (CA)
HENRIK SCHWARZ (DE)
IKONIKA (UK)
JON HOPKINS (UK)
KING MIDAS SOUND (UK)
MARSEN JULES (DE)
MATIAS AGUAYO PRESENTS CÓMEME (CL)
MATMOS (US)
MINILOGUE (SE)
MORITZ VON OSWALD TRIO (DE)
MOUSE ON MARS (DE)
NICOLAS JAAR (CL)
PAUL KALKBRENNER (DE)
PÉPÉ BRADOCK (FR)
REBOLLEDO (MX)
SAN PROPER (NL)
SHED (DE)
THEO PARRISH (US)
TIM HECKER (CA)
VLADISLAV DELAY (FI)

More info here:

Billboard:

The Universal Music Group could rewrite U.S. music pricing when it tests a new frontline picing structure, which is designed to get single CDs in stores at $10, or below. Beginning in the second quarter and continuing through most of the year, the company’s Velocity program will test lower CD prices. Single CDs will have the suggested list prices of $10, $9, $8, $7 and $6.

To accommodate the lower pricing, UMG labels also plan to step up deluxe versions of albums that can sell at higher prices for the more devout music fans and collectors. UMG is also banking that the lower price points will at the least be offset by increasing CD sales volume.

25% profit margin

Retailers should respond well to the new price points. But the level of their acceptance will likely depend on the profit margins that the new UMG wholesale prices afford. According to sources, the new pricing structure will carry a 25% profit margin, which means that $10 list CDs will wholesale for $7.50; $9 for $6.75, $8 for $6, and so on.

Consequently, retailers who buy from wholesalers will likely be less enthusiastic about the move.

Newbury Comics CEO Mike Dreese gives the initiative “two thumbs up.” But he adds that the industry still needs the other major labels and independents to make similar pricing moves for overall CD sales in order to be positively impacted.

New York Times:

The Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music company, announced plans on Thursday to test broadly whether lower prices — $10 or less — on new CDs will attract consumers who have cut back on buying CDs in recent years.

The trial, which is to start in the next few months and extend through most of 2010, will include a sample of the label’s new releases and involve most of the country’s major retailers, including Best Buy and Wal-Mart, the company said.

Jim Urie, the head of distribution at Universal, said CD sales had doubled at stores involved in a much more limited test of the pricing strategy. For the last nine months, Universal has worked with Trans World Entertainment, which set the lower prices at as many as 100 of its F.Y.E. stores.

CD sales have dropped by more than half since 2000, according to Nielsen SoundScan. And while many record executives say they believe that CDs and downloads appeal to different consumers, placing new CDs at $10 or less would bring the price closer to the going rate for many albums available on the iTunes Store or for download on Amazon.

The country’s top-selling album in the last week, Ludacris’s “Battle of the Sexes,” can be downloaded on Amazon’s MP3 site for $7.99, and a deluxe version for $9.99. The CD version of the album is sold on Amazon for $11.99.

Download Stacey Pullen’s Little White Earbuds Mix Here:

Little White Earbuds:

As an ambassador for Detroit, Stacey Pullen has been flying the flag for over fifteen years; DJing vigilantly around the world with a gruelling schedule that has brought him a dedicated fan base and releasing sought after, kinetic explosions of Detroit techno and house. His productions filtered out of the various labels through the early to late nineties came under a number of guises but all were imbued with an unmistakable soul and current of exploration. His talents were such that Virgin records gave him a major record deal in 1998, which lead to the recording of his first album under his own name, Today Is The Tomorrow You Were Promised Yesterday. In anticipation of his March 12th gig at Chicago’s Smart Bar (part of the D25 concert series) LWE spoke to Stacey Pullen about that album which lead to a bleak period of disillusionment, the early years at Transmat and feeling reinvigorated again with a basket-full of new music to unleash on the world. He was also kind enough to put together an exclusive mix for LWE of tracks he has been feeling lately.

This documentary explores the lives of four contestants on Afghan Star, an Idol-type TV talent competition in Afghanistan. The show was started after the end of Taliban rule, which had banned TV and even made listening to music illegal. So a TV show about singing was quite a new thing. One woman, the inspiring Setara, gets death threats after she dances on stage. (We’re not even talking Showgirls dancing, we’re talking a little shimmy fully clothed during her singing performance.) And voting for the show’s winner is some people’s first democratic experience(!).

Bingenheimer is planning a Disco installation, set for July, recreating the club in all its glittery glory with artists Erick Pereira and Shirley Morales of ltd Gallery (which now takes up the old club site). Before that, those looking to conjure the band and the era can buy T-shirts emblazoned with the “Rodney’s English Disco” logo from vintage-inspired tee line, Born Free Worn Free.”

Wired:

AUSTIN, Texas — ...independent musicians who are accepted by YouTube’s “Musicians Wanted” section will be able to do just that if their music videos and live musical performances draw enough views through a new feature of Google’s YouTube Partner Program…Another wrinkle: Artists will also make money when their YouTube videos are embedded on external websites, including music blogs. Considering the importance of blogs to the music scene, we’re inclined to agree with YouTube that this could turn into a significant source of revenue for independent bands and labels that make videos people that want to see and music they want to hear.

Youtube Blog:

Right up there with our love of award-winning Texas BBQ is our love of independent music and the people who create it. That’s why the indie-centric SXSW Music Conference in Austin is the perfect place to launch the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) for musicians, aka Musicians Wanted. It’s just the latest step in the YPP‘s continual expansion.

This time, we’re inviting thousands of artists who made the trek to Texas—and the rest of you accomplished musicians at home—to apply today. If accepted, you’ll join stars like ukulele songstress Julia Nunes, singer-songwriter David Choi and many others who, as partners, are able to make some money from their YouTube videos. Here’s multi-instrumentalist and YouTube musician extraordinaire Jack Conte and songstress Nataly Dawn (aka Pomplamoose) to tell you more:

We’ve also got a few words from our most recent YPP Music partner. You may have heard of them – they’re a little band with a viral hit or two and recently made headlines by starting their own indie label. As OK Go’s Damian Kulash puts it “YouTube has always been a great match for OK Go – creativity flourishes and we can connect directly with our fans. So when we heard about Musicians Wanted, it was a no-brainer: it sounds great for us. We’re honored and excited to be the first applicants. We can’t wait to get new videos up on our channel.”

So whether you make hip-hop, folk, noise-rock, jazz or a genre of your own invention, we are looking for all types of original music video content. One thing to keep in mind is that right now this program only supports video content by U.S.-based artists, though there are plans to roll out the program more widely in the future.

We’ll leave you with a final call to apply now to join our Musicians Wanted campaign and perhaps you, too, will find yourself autographing CDs, reporting from the road and collaborating with other amazing musicians on the site.

Just when you thought you had seen every hip-hop collaboration possible. Pharrell takes the partnership game to a whole new level as Kiehl’s, the high-priced lotion company, has announced an actual bottle designed by the famed producer-fashion designer-chair maker using the Billionaire Boys Club logo. The limited edition Acai Damage-Protecting Toning Mist designed by Pharrell is scheduled for a release in April of this year, in honor of “Earth Day 2010.

New York Times

Alex Chilton, the mercurial if influential rock musician, whose work spanned an eclectic gamut from the soul songs of the Box Tops to the multiple incarnations of his pop band Big Star, has died, The Commercial Appeal of Memphis reported. He was 59. The cause of death is believed to have been a heart attack.

Commercial Appeal

His Big Star bandmate Jody Stephens confirmed the news this evening. “Alex passed away a couple of hours ago,” Stephens said from Austin, Texas, where the band was to play Saturday at the annual South By Southwest Festival. “I don’t have a lot of particulars, but they kind of suspect that it was a heart attack.”

Everett True:

Sad news today. Alex Chilton R.I.P. He was responsible for so much sweet, sublime music.

Washington City Paper:

Alex Chilton has passed away. Whether you know it or not, you owe half your music collection to that man. And indie rock owes almost everything.

SXSW:

One of the greats, Alex Chilton, passed away today.

“Alex Chilton always messed with your head, charming and amazing you while doing so. His gift for melody was second to none, yet he frequently seemed in disdain of that gift. He seemed as troubled by neglect as he did by fame. He wrote the most accessible pop songs that turned into something quite sour on closer reflection. It was impossible to know what he was thinking. But it was always worth pondering, because that’s what a truly great artist makes us do. And make no mistake: Alex Chilton was an artist of the very highest caliber. It’s too early to do much but cry about our loss right now, but he’ll be missed, and missed more as the ages pass and his myth continues to expand – that music isn’t going anywhere. R.I.P. and thank you, friend.” – SXSW Creative Director Brent Grulke

Chicago Times:

The band was experiencing the latest in a series of career resurgences, thanks to the recent reissues of its celebrated albums from the ‘70s as the box set, “Keep an Eye on the Sky.”

Born William Alexander Chilton and raised in a musical family, Alex experienced his first taste of musical stardom at the tender age of 16 as a member of the Box Tops. His surprisingly deep, soulful and mature vocals propelled the 1967 single “The Letter” to No. 1 on the singles chart in the U.S. and many other countries, and his first group went on to score several other hits, including “Cry Like a Baby” (1968) and “Soul Deep” (1969).

When the Box Tops broke up in 1970, Chilton was left feeling jaded and bitter about the music industry, which he felt had exploited the group. He had lost none of his joy in playing music, however, and in 1971, he linked up with an existing group of Memphis musicians—Stephens, fellow guitarist and vocalist Chris Bell and bassist Andy Hummel—and Big Star was born as a band with a distinctive sound based in equal parts on the grit of Southern soul and the chiming guitars and irresistible harmonies of British Invasion pop.

Despite two brilliant records whose titles evinced Chilton’s sardonic sense of humor and ingrained skepticism about the music industry—”#1 Record” (1972) and “Radio City” (1974)—and the warm embrace of pioneering rock critics such as Lester Bangs and Cameron Crowe, the band’s label, Ardent Records, was unable to break the group on radio, and it struggled to find an audience during its original incarnation.

L.A. Times – Ann Powers:

Chilton was famous for packing his sets with the most obscure and hilarious rhythm and blues and early rock songs he could find. He’d take them at double speed, or stretch them out as if we were all tripping on hallucinogens in a hotel lounge in the hinterlands. He recorded some of these shattered gems on solo albums, but they were best experienced live, in sets that delighted everyone present, especially the rascal in front of the microphone.

In New Orleans, the town Chilton called home for many years, I saw him play a show heavy on boogie woogies and rolling, sexy blues. Two nights later, he and I were both at the famous Antenna Club in Memphis, and his sound that night was rougher, more damaged, yoking together the legacies of punk and outlaw Southern bar music. These Alex Chilton performances opened my ears to American music in ways that nothing I’d read or heard before had. His off-hand genius reminded me that this music was funny and rude as well as deep and beautiful.

I was a young woman in love with American sounds but a little scared of what seemed like a hallowed history; Chilton was a seasoned knockabout who insisted on showing me—and everyone in the room—that history is simply what people make out of their damage and their rudeness, their lust and their ambitious beating hearts. For that lesson, and all the laughs, I will never forget Alex Chilton. And I’m mad he’s not playing in Austin on Saturday night. I was going to yell out for a few of those songs he’d taught me so long ago, plus one or two of his own, and was prepared to be rebuffed, and thrilled, at what he’d play anyway.

The Y! Radish:

This playlist features 20 great (mostly) traditional Irish drinking songs.

Irish Drinking Songs

1. Seven Drunken Nights – Irish Lads Of Limerick

2. Whiskey In The Jar – Waxies Dargle

3. Beer, Beer, Beer – The Clancy Brothers

4. The Jug of Punch – Golden Bough

5. Glass Of Beer – Le Ceoltóiri Cultúrlainne

via Culture Bully.