Neko Case will release two new albums via Epitaph’s Anti- imprint in the coming months as part of a licensing deal with Mint Records for the world excluding Canada. The first set, “The Tigers Have Spoken,” is due Nov. 9. An as-yet-untitled new studio album is expected in spring 2005. Case was previously signed to Bloodshot as a solo artist.

“The Tigers Have Spoken” was recorded earlier this year across seven shows at venues in Chicago and Toronto. Case was backed by the Sadies, steel guitarist Jon Rauhouse and a host of guests, including Kelly Hogan, Jim & Jennie and the Pinetops and Carolyn Mark.
The track list includes two new cuts (the title track and opener “If You Knew”), covers of Buffy Sainte-Marie’s “Soulful Shade of Blue,” the Shangri-Las-popularized “Train From Kansas City” and her interpretations of the standards “Wayfaring Stranger” and “This Little Light.”

Also featured is the title track from Case’s latest solo album, 2002’s “Blacklisted,” which peaked at No. 31 on Billboard’s Top Independent Albums chart.

Case has two dates on her tour itinerary: Sept. 16 at the Parish in Austin, Texas, and the following day in the same city as part of the Austin City Limits Festival.

Source billboard.com.

An announcement is expected tomorrow (Aug. 4) with details of the upcoming Vote for Change tour, presented by MoveOn.Org’s political action committee MoveOn PAC and America Coming Together (ACT), an organization advocating change in government. The series is set to begin Oct. 1 in Pennsylvania and will include in the neighborhood of 40 shows in such presidential election “battleground” states as Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri and Florida.

Sources say the format will be several concerts in different cities in one state on a given night; shows include R.E.M. with Bruce Springsteen, Dixie Chicks with James Taylor and Jackson Browne with Bonnie Raitt, along with performances by such acts as Jimmy Buffett, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews Band. A host of additional acts are expected to participate.

Tentative plans call for a major concert featuring several acts on Oct. 10 in Miami. Among those spearheading the effort are Springsteen’s manager Jon Landau and R.E.M. manager Bertis Downs.

A number of artists will be hitting the airwaves tomorrow to discuss the tour; Matthews will appear in the morning on NBC’s “The Today Show,” while R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills will be interviewed by Al Franken at 1:30 p.m ET on the Air America Radio Network.

Source billboard.com.

Gov’t Mule has announced dates for its fall tour in support of the long awaited and much anticipated new Gov’t Mule studio record, “Deja Voodoo” to be released on September 14, 2004. This album, the first to include keyboardist Danny Louis and bassist Andy Hess along with founding members Warren Haynes and Matt Abts, is comprised completely of songs which have never been performed live.

Tour Schedule
10/15/04 Orpheum Theatre Boston, MA
10/16/04 State Theatre Portland, ME
10/17/04 Palace Theatre Albany, NY
10/20/04 Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN
10/21/04 The Pageant St. Louis, MO
10/22/04 The Riviera Chicago, IL
10/23/04 Michigan Theatre Ann Arbor, MI
10/24/04 Palais Royale Toronto, CAN
10/27/04 9:30 Club Washington, DC
10/28/04 9:30 Club Washington, DC

For more information, visit the band’s website.

Record sales rose 6.9 percent in the first half of 2004 — the first period of growth for the ailing business in four years. But even some top music executives are skeptical about the significance of the rising sales numbers, especially in a year of massive layoffs, budget cuts and record-store closings. “I remain cautiously optimistic,” says Antonio “L.A.” Reid, the chairman of Island Def Jam. “But I still believe that we’re deeply in the woods, with a long way to go before we can see clearly.”

Reid’s explanation for the sales increase is simple: big records. Usher’s Confessions (4.5 million sold in 2004’s first half) and Norah Jones’ Feels Like Home (3.1 million) have performed similarly to blockbusters by ‘NSync, Britney Spears and Eminem a few years ago. “The stars line up and you sell records,” says Reid. “Without those things, the industry would still be in the toilet.”

From 2000 to 2003, CD sales plummeted 16.4 percent, from 785 million to 656 million — so the increase from 286 million in 2003’s first half to 306 million this year is hardly a dramatic recovery. Some music-industry experts even wonder if the new numbers are misleading; Universal, Warner Bros. and Sony have recently dropped prices on many releases, perhaps leading to some sales increases but a proportional decrease in revenue.

Still, many executives see reasons for optimism. Jordan Katz, executive vice president and general manager of BMG Distribution, says Usher’s Confessions (on the BMG-owned Arista label) shows that quality CDs can remain in the Top Ten for months. He says that while Top Ten albums have been selling at the same level as a year ago, sales of releases ranked from 11 to 200 are up this year. “It appears we’re heading into a really healthy cycle of great artists,” Katz says. “Certainly the improvement of the economy has helped.”

This hasn’t improved the labels’ bottom line — so far. Earlier this year, the new Warner Music Group announced layoffs of 1,000 employees, and the EMI Group announced plans to lay off 1,500 people and cut twenty percent of its “niche and underperforming” artist roster.

Perhaps the most tangible effect of the sales uptick is that labels are able to put a positive spin on the layoffs and cutbacks. “Painful as this period has been, we’re a better, smarter company for it,” says Will Botwin, Columbia Records Group president, whose parent company, Sony Music, is working out a merger with BMG. “The best of the best are who are at the record companies right now. It’s a leaner, more creative, fast-footed business overall.”

Source rollingstone.com.

The annual Farm Aid benefit concert will be held on the West Coast for the first time this fall. The event is set for Sept. 18 at White River Amphitheatre on the Muckleshoot Indian Reservation outside Seattle, and will feature performances by Farm Aid co-founders Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young, as well as Dave Matthews.

“It’s a great time for Farm Aid to head to the West Coast,” Nelson says. “Washington is home to more than 35,000 farm families working to provide us with safe and healthy food. We’re proud to honor their contributions and recognize the Northwest region as a leader in building family farm food systems.”

Tickets for the Silk Soymilk-sponsored show go on sale Saturday (Aug. 7) via Ticketmaster. Members of the FarmYard organization have pre-sale access to tickets beginning today via FarmAid.org.

Farm Aid is also planning to unveil a new nutrition guide, “10 Ways to Ensure Healthy Food for You and Your Family,” via a week’s worth of events at Seattle’s Pike Place Market leading up to the concert.

“Seattle is a perfect example of how a city might embrace the philosophy of healthy food, from the farm to the table,” says Matthews, who has a home in the Seattle area and is a member of Farm Aid’s board of directors. “Like the rest of the world, Seattle faces the same big money pressure to put up with sub-standard food produced solely for profit at the expense of the environment and the quality of what we eat. The success of Seattle’s consumer awareness to demand quality food from farmers who care [like small family farms] should inspire us all.”

Source billboard.com.

PHISH will release IT, a deluxe 2-DVD set, in stores on October 12. Disc 1 showcases the ninety-minute feature program (which debuts tonight on PBS — see below) as well as 3 bonus interview segments. Disc 2 includes over 150 minutes of additional uncut performance footage plus an extensive photo gallery with a special soundtrack put together by the staff of “The Bunny”.

Shot in breathtaking high-definition video, the program combines exclusive interviews interwoven with live material. The program was produced by an award-winning production team, including producer/director Mary Wharton, 2003 Grammy award-winner for her documentary “Legend” on the life of singer Sam Cooke and the editing team of Thom Zimny, who won an Emmy for his work on Bruce Springsteen’s “Live in New York City” and editor Alex Hall. The concert footage was directed by Eli Tishberg, a veteran of several Phish projects and who also recently directed Phish’s Keyspan Park theater simulcast in June. Also part of the production team is sound engineer and five-time Grammy Award winner Elliot Scheiner, a pioneer in 5.1 technology, who mixed both the stereo and surround sound tracks.

Eclectic U.K. rock act the Beta Band will split before year’s end, according to its official Web site. The group in May released its latest Parlophone/Astralwerks album “Heroes to Zeroes,” which debuted at No. 18 on the U.K. album chart and No. 10 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers tally.

“Sadly, eight years of hard work and critical acclaim but little return in terms of commercial success inevitably takes its toll and a group decision was made to finally lay the band to rest,” the site says.

Group members Steve Mason and Richard Greentree are at work on solo albums, while John Maclean will keep “his foot in the musical door” while also pursuing opportunities in film. “The same can be said for Robin [Jones], who’ll also divide his time between his twin loves, film and music,” the site says.

The band is planning a final U.K. tour this fall, with dates to be announced. Beforehand, a handful of summer festivals remain, beginning Aug. 13 at France’s La Route du Rock and wrapping Aug. 24 at Edinburgh’s T on the Fringe event.

Parlophone is also eyeing a 2005 release for a comprehensive DVD featuring music videos and film clips.

Source billboard.com.

Although the recipient of the Shortlist Music Prize won’t be announced until Nov. 11, as an indication of the event’s growing prestige, the Shortlist has already lined up judges and sponsors.

This year’s judges — or Listmakers, as they’re called — are Norah Jones, the Dixie Chicks, John Mayer, Jack Black, Jim Jarmusch, the Cure’s Robert Smith, System Of A Down’s Serj Tankian, Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am, Dashboard Confessional’s Chris Carrabba, Massive Attack’s 3D and three returning names: Perry Farrell, Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme and the Roots’ ?uestlove.

MTV2 returns for the third time as TV sponsor, and XM Satellite Radio is this year’s radio partner. As it did last year, MTV2 will air a special on the Shortlist Prize that will include concert footage from the awards ceremony, which will take place at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles.

XM, in addition to presenting the winner with a $5,000 check, will add programming elements for the six weeks leading up to the awards.

“The growth we’re seeing is the size of the platform we’re able to offer the finalists,” awards co-founder Greg Spotts says. “Here we are just starting, and we’ve already cemented programming with two of the most progressive national [music] outlets.”

Providing exposure for emerging acts has been the goal since Spotts and co-founder Tom Sarig started the awards in 2001. “The world doesn’t need another ivory tower award that doesn’t mean anything,” Sarig says. “We wanted it to have practical goals that help break artists who are left of center.”

That was certainly the case with last year’s winner, Damien Rice. Sarig says Rice’s album “O” (Vector/Warner Bros.) had sold about 100,000 copies in the United States at the time it won last year. It has now sold 282,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

“Winning the award is another piece of the pie that shows he’s an artist to be reckoned with,” Sarig says.

The criteria for eligibility remain the same: any artist’s full-length release that came out between July 1, 2003, and June 30, 2004, that at the time of its nomination has not been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Listmakers submit up to seven albums. They then receive a list of all judges’ submissions and rank their 10 favorites. From that list, 10 finalists are determined and announced at the end of September.

Sarig says the Shortlist is also looking into a possible compilation album from the nominees and a tour.

Source billboard.com.

Mark Knopfler’s fourth solo album will be released Sept. 28 via Warner Bros. Dubbed “Shangri-La,” the set is the former Dire Straits leader’s follow-up to 2002’s acclaimed “The Ragpicker’s Dream.”

The 14-track album is named for the Malibu, Calif., studio where it was recorded. “People like Bob Dylan, Neil Young and the Band used to hang out there,” Knopfler says. “Old California seemed to go with a pile of the stuff I was doing and some of it rubbed off on the recordings. I found myself in the ’60s a fair bit and even earlier influences from when I was small, like Lonnie Donegan and the Shadows.”

In creating “Shangri-La,” Knopfler relied on longtime collaborators Richard Bennett (guitar), Jim Cox, Glenn Worf (bass), Chad Cromwell (drums) and his Dire Straits bandmate Guy Fletcher (organ, piano).

In March 2003, Knopfler was forced to cancel tour dates in support of “The Ragpicker’s Dream” to recover from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. He returned to live performance in November, joining Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings on a bill at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

“The Ragpicker’s Dream” debuted at No. 38 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 183,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

In other news, one of Knopfler’s guitars was among those auctioned earlier this summer to benefit the Eric Clapton-founded addiction treatment facility Crossroads Centre in Antigua. The artist’s Tobacco Sunburst Schecter Strat netted just over $50,000.

Source billboard.com.