JUNE 2, 2001 Masic Volume 18, Issue 23 £3.95 Atomic Kitten's Whole Again (Innocent/Virgin) is this week's Sales Breaker on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles, at number two. Media®we taller to radio M&M chart toppers this week Enemies become friendsBuoyant EMI Eurochart Hot 100 Singles looking ahead SHAGGY FEAT. "RIKROK" DUCENT as Vivendi buys MP3.com Ii Wasn't Me by Emmanuel Legrand (MCA) by Juliana Koranteng works on My.MP3.com, MP3.com's digi- European Top 100 Albums tal locker service. LONDON. - Just like its recent 22 - REM LONDON - The acquisition of US In fact, while four majors reached million selling Beatles compilation, Reveal music portal MP3.com by French media an $80 million out -of -court settlement the EMI Group is planning to be 1. giant Vivendi Universal is not the prod-with MP3.com, UMG saw the dispute After what EMI Group chairman (Warner Bros.) uct of a snap decision. through to the bitter end and won $53 Eric Nicoli described as a "challeng- European Radio Top 50 Michael Robertson, million in damages. ing" year dominated by two aborted REM founder of MP3.com, tells "Even though we were in mergers, the UK -based major is plot- Imitation Of Life M&M that he was in talks dispute,Iapproached, Mr. ting its future to grow and develop as (Warner Bros.) lastyearabout working [Jean-Marie] Messier [chair- a stand-alone company. withVivendiUniversal, man and CEO of Vivendi Presenting EMI Group's results for European Dance Traxx which on May 20 agreed to Universal] because it made the financial year 2000-2001 on May FAITHLESS acquire MP3.com for $372 sense to get in front of him 22, Nicoli reaffirmed his belief that We Come 1 million ( 423m), even and discuss what we were thecompanyhas (Cheeky/Arista) though the two companies doing," the San Diego, US - the strength to were at loggerheads during based Robertson explains. thrive and the re- Inside M&M this week a bitter legal dispute. Afterthelitigationended,the sourcesto grow. Through itssubsidiary Universalmajors began licensing repertoire to "Now that it is clear Music Group (UMG), Vivendi Universal MP3.com, and UMG's new media unit that, in the current STAR SUBSTITUTES was one of the five multinational record eLabsstartedexchangingresearch regulatory environ- '60s mod -gods The companies that won nearly $140 millioninformationwith MP3.com. Two ment, a merger with Who (pictured) have from the unauthorised use of copyright continued on page 21 another major music company cannot forthefirsttime be pursued at acceptable cost and endorsed an official risk, we will proceed as an indepen- all-star tribute dent,music -focusedgroup,"said album, which sees REM recapturing glory days?Nicoli in a statement. the likes of David EMI Recorded Music CEO Ken Bowie, Paul Weller by Siri Stavenes Dove Berry and EMI Music Publishing and SherylCrowe covering Who CEO Marty Bandier both tell M&M classics. Page 6 LONDON - A decade ago they were that, after a one-year hiatus linked to the biggest band on the planet. And the merger regulatory processin CARPET SLIPPERS TO with the May 14 release of Reveal, Europe and in the US, they will be CARPET BAGGERS? REM's record company expectsto pursuing their own growth strategies. Much to the chagrin of the UK's return the band to "the dizzy sales "We'll stick to selling records and commercial radiosector,public heights of the late '80s and early '90s," music publishing and making money MOR station BBC Radio 2 has according to Warner Music Europe's for our shareholders in that way," been moving into younger, AC ter- senior director of marketing Jon Uren. says Berry. ritory in recent years, with spec- The band's last album, Up, sold "Obviously we plan to make our tacular success. Pages 7-8 only 1.6 million units compared to years successful through the organic over six million each for 1991's Out Of growth process," he adds. "But if the AGGREGATORS ADDING UP Time and 1992's Automatic For The opportunities to buy things do come Inthismonth's M&M Online, People. This optimism is fuelled by a along, and they don't that often in the Julia Koranteng asks whether the record that bass player Mike Mills Warner started gearing up the cor- recorded music world, we're definitely Internet's generalist content describes as comprising "a very strongporate machine in support of Reveal at interested if it's a good fit and brings aggregators, such as Yahoo! and batch of songs" and a marketing cam- the end of last year. In January 2001, a something to us that we don't have AOL.com, represent the future of paign that Uren says has been "allnumber of key marketing directors and otherwise." digital music delivery. Pages 9-10 about planning." continued on page 21 continued on page 21 NEW AIR ALBUM 10 000 HZ LEGEND AmericanRadioHistory.Com NEW ALBUM_14.05.01 NEW SINGLE DREAM ON AT RADIO_ HEAVY ROTATION ON ALL MUSIC CHANNELS ACROSS EUROPE WWW.MUTE.COM WWW.DEPECHEMODE.COM AmericanRadioHistory.Com NEWS copyright infringements through a painful and costly Music settlement process with all the main labels. In the coming months, the majors will be ready to Media. Upfront license their music for downloads, through their Music - by Emmanuel Legrand, Music & Media editor -in -chief Net and Duet portals. Because it is a legitimate site, Call M&M on: MP3.com will be in the enviable position of taking full tel (+44) 207 420 6005 fax (+44) 207 420 6016 Slowly but relentlessly, the online music map is being advantage of the catalogues made available for down- redesigned, and to the benefit of those who initiallyloads, while Napster will have to await the end of its For direct lines dial +44 207 420, looked like the losers in the new digital environment-legal confrontation with the labels. followed by the required extension the record labels. MP3.com is mostly a US site, but through its associ- Publisher: Ron Betist (ext. 6154) A few months after the AOL Time Warner mergeration with Vivendi Universal it could quickly take a Editor-in-chiet Emmanuel Legrand (6155) more global outlook, rolling out its site in other territo- Director of operations: Kate Leech (6017) (which linked the biggest online portfolio of clients with Editorial the biggest "content" group), in the wake of Bertels-ries and languages. Deputy editor: Jon Heasman (6167) mann's acquisition of Napster, and following the cre- On the whole, the Vivendi Universal/MP3.com Associate editor: Gareth Thomas (6162) ation of the Duet and MusicNet platforms, another affiance proves that it is becoming increasingly difficult Features/specials editor: Steve Adams (6160) - Music editor: Adam Haworth (6161) bridge has been crossed with the arrival of MP3.comfor independent online services to Reporter: Siri Stavenes Dove (6163) into Vivendi Universal's portfolio. sustain a business without being Charts Scresearch Some analysts are arguing about the price paid, but part of a wider group-a point that Charts editor: Raid Cairo (6156) Jean-Marie Messier's investment in MP3.com should has not escaped some US congress- Charts researchers: Menno Visser (6165), Beverley Evans (6157) prove to be a smart move and a valuable asset in themen, who have expressed serious Production long run. concern about the future of indepen- Production & art co-ordinator: Mat Deaves (6110) For a start, the company built by Michael Robertson dent online music providers. Correspondents is one of the best-known brands in the online world and It's another example of the old Austria: Susan L. Schuhmayer - (43) 1 334 9608 has built a strong community of followers. Rather than economy taking its revenge for being Belgium: Marc Macs - (32) 3 568 8082 being embroiled like Napster in a bloody legal battlemade look outmoded by the new Classical/jazz: Terry Berne - (34) 91 474 4640 Dance: Gary Smith - (33) 49172 4753 with labels, MP3.com cleared the table last year of all economy. Denmark: Charles Ferro - (45) 3369 0701 Finland: Jonathan Mender - (358) 503 527384 Music & Media values its readers' opinions-you can e-mail the editor -in -chief at: [email protected] France: Millane Rang (artist profiles) - (33) 14887 1599 Germany: Gesa Birnkraut - (49) 4101 45930 Italy: Mark Worden - (39) 02 3807 8239 The Netherlands: Menno Visser - (44) 207 420 6165 New Media Juliana Koranteng - (44) 208 891 3893 Bernard to take strategic role at GWR Norway: Kai R. Lofthus - (47) 918 21 208 Spain: Howell Llewellyn - (34) 9 1593 2429 Sweden: Johan Lindstrom - (46) 8 470 3730 by Jon Heasman says: "I come from a programmingGWR's need to find a new chairman, background so I have an interest infollowing Henry Meakin's decision to SCIISand N/IcirketIng International sales director: LONDON - Long -serving GWRthe product. Although he's interestedstep down from that post after 14 Ron Betist (UK, USA) - (31) 299 420274; Group chief executive Ralph in the productyears. mobile: (31) 653 194133 Bernard is to become the UK as well, Patrick Bernard is quick to point out Sales executives: Patrick Jansen (Benelux & Scandinavia) - (31) 299 420274 radiocompany'sexecutive is more on thethat his change of role will not Francois Millet (France) - (33) 145 49 29 33 chairman, with fmance director financialside, mean he is in any way reducing his Beth Dell'Isola (US Radio) - (1) 770 831 4585 Lidia Bonguardo (Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal) Patrick Taylor stepping up to and is also veryrole in the business that he has - (39) 031570056, replace him as chief executive. managed since its early days Olav Bjerke (Germany) - (49) 221 868005 Bernardsaysthemove as Wiltshire Radio.