Organizers have confirmed the initial list of artists who will perform during the 2004 Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival. Set for Sept. 17-19 in the Texas capital’s Zilker Park, the event will showcase more than 130 acts representing many genres on eight stages.

The third annual event will feature sets by Sheryl Crow, Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio, Dashboard Confessional, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Modest Mouse, Big Head Todd & the Monsters, Solomon Burke, Franz Ferdinand, the Beta Band and reunited modern rock act the Pixies.

Among the newly announced acts is hip-hop collective the Roots and modern rock acts Wilco, Cake, Gomez, Broken Social Scene, My Morning Jacket, the Soundtrack Of Our Lives, Calexico, the Killers, Cat Power, Sloan and Spoon. Along with scene godfather Anastasio, such artists as Medeski Martin & Wood, the North Mississippi Allstars and Particle will represent the jam band contingent, while reggae acts the Wailers and Toots & the Maytals are also on board.

Singer/songwriters will also have a substantial presence, with the likes of Pat Green, Mindy Smith, Josh Rouse, Patty Griffin, Ben Kweller, Howie Day, Neko Case, Joe Ely, Jack Ingram, Donavon Frankenreiter, Shelby Lynne, Kelly Willis, Bruce Robison and Butch Hancock all due to appear.

Among a host of veteran artists confirmed for this year’s festival are Walter “Wolfman” Washington, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Solomon Burke, the Blind Boys of Alabama, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, the Holmes Brothers and noted blues belter Marcia Ball.

The full list of confirmed acts can be found at the ACL Music Festival Web site.

Columbia/Legacy will on Sept. 28 release Seven Steps to Heaven: The Complete Columbia Recordings of Miles Davis 1963-64, the seventh boxed set devoted to the late jazz trumpeter’s work for the label.

The seven-disc package will consider an important transitional period in Davis’ career. By 1963, his long-running rhythm section of pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb had dissolved; saxophonist John Coltrane, the star of Davis’ late-’50s quintet, had exited the band in April 1960 to lead his own group.

Source Billboard.com.

Clear Channel Communications is expected to hand over nearly $2 million to the Federal Communications Commission, as the government continues to crack down on allegedly indecent material, including broadcasts by Howard Stern.

Clear Channel, the biggest owner of U.S. radio stations, plans to admit it aired indecent material and pay the FCC $1.75 million to settle several complaints, according to Reuters. The company also plans to make changes to prevent further incidents, including implementing a zero-tolerance policy against alleged on-air indecency.

In April the FCC slapped Clear Channel with 18 citations totaling $495,000 in proposed forfeitures for broadcasting “indecent” material from Howard Stern’s morning show in six cities (see “Howard Stern Broadcast Costs Clear Channel Nearly $500,000”).

Source mtv.com.

Jam and Jay Goldberg Events & Entertainment are proud to announce the filming of the Summer Camp 2004 festival that took place at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, Illinois, on May 28th-31st.

With virtually no option to see “their” bands televised on any sort of regular basis, the “jam fan” fan can now stake claim to JamCam Chronicles! Summer Camp 2004 hosts Jay Goldberg Events and Entertainment have collaborated with 4th Street Productions to produce the inaugural edition of JamCam Chronicles; a brand-new, ground-breaking DVD subscription series tailor-made for the improvisational music enthusiast. Throughout the festival season, starting early spring through late fall, subscribers will receive, by mail, eight consecutive freshly edited issues of this scene-focused “DVD magazine.” “A celebration of music, art and the spirit of community and festival,” JamCam Chronicles is designed to produce positive impact across the entire community. All first year subscribers will receive the Summer Camp show, featuring performances by Leftover Salmon, Jeff Austin (YMSB) and several others, free-of-charge. To learn more about how you, your band, festival or organization can get involved, go to www.jamcamdvd.com or email Director Tom Ledermann at tom@jamcamdvd.com.

Representatives of the Beatles are in discussions with various online music services about licensing their songs for distribution on the Internet, according to people familiar with the discussions.

The Beatles have been one of the biggest holdouts in releasing their catalog for sale online, and the lack of such mega-hits as “Let it Be” and “Yesterday” has been cited as a major weakness for fledgling, Web-based music stores.

Negotiators for the Beatles have talked with several companies, with a particular emphasis on Microsoft Corp’s MSN, which is expected to open an Internet music store late this summer.

“MSN is working very closely with the music industry to build a top-quality music service for consumers, which includes providing a wide selection of music, but has nothing specific to announce at this time,” said a Microsoft spokesman.

The discussions by the legendary group were first reported yesterday (June 8) by CNET.

Sources familiar with the matter said the current round of talks is being steered by the Beatles’ representatives rather than their record label, EMI Group Plc. Representatives of the band’s two surviving members, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, could not be immediately reached for comment.

EMI owns the Beatles’ master recordings and would be involved in any final agreement, the sources said. The label has been trying to urge the Beatles for years to grant permission to distribute their songs online. “We think it would be great if the Beatles decided to make their music available on legitimate music services,” said an EMI spokesperson.

One person familiar with the discussions said he was optimistic that some deal could be reached by September.

“This would be a big deal because they have been one of the pre-eminent major holdouts in terms of licensing their digital rights,” said veteran entertainment lawyer Jay Cooper. “In the past year, various major artists are starting to put their toe in the water.”

Various services from RealNetworks’ Rhapsody to Apple Computer Inc.’s iTunes to Roxio Inc.’s Napster would all jump at the chance to distribute the Beatles, who broke up over 30 years ago, analysts said.

“We’ve always been confident that artists would see digital music as a must-have platform. We’re at the infancy stage of what will certainly be a booming business,” said Evan Harrison, VP and GM of Time Warner Inc.’s AOL Music.

Apple Computer, which launched its popular iTunes music store over a year ago, has been embroiled in a legal dispute with the management for the Beatles since September.

The Beatles, who formed similarly named London-based Apple Corps. in 1968 to manage its business interests and act as its music label, have accused the computer maker of violating a 1991 agreement specifying it could use the Apple trademark for computer products only.

The Beatles management have said Apple Computer broke the agreement when it used the logo and trademark to promote its iTunes online music store, the most popular Internet download service in the world.

A London High Court judge in April struck down Apple’s request to have the case heard by California courts. The computer maker argued the United States was the proper place for the hearing as this was where the original agreement between the two companies was struck.

Source billboard.com.

In what is being billed as the first appearance in 10 years by all of its key members, the Wu-Tang Clan will headline the July 17 Rock the Bells festival in San Bernardino, Calif. Organizers promise that RZA, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, U God and Cappadona will all be on hand for the performance.

“At first we thought we could get some of the members of Wu-Tang together and that would be enough, but it became a mission to bring them all out for one special day,” says festival organizer Chang Weisberg. “All the members have expressed their excitement to let their alter egos mash the stage and represent the ‘Clan.'”

A number of other major hip-hop acts have also signed for Rock the Bells, including Redman, Dilated Peoples, Sage Francis, Eyedea & Abilities and Supernatural with Jurassic 5 members Chali 2na and DJ Nu-Mark. Tickets go on sale June 18 via Ticketmaster. Organizers are also planning a Rock the Bells North American tour in 2005.

The Wu-Tang Clan will play eight festival and headlining dates in Europe this summer, beginning July 1 in Zurich, but it is unknown what the group’s exact lineup will be for those shows. As exclusively revealed here in November, the RZA-spearheaded book “The Wu-Tang Manual” is scheduled for a fall release by Riverhead Books, senior editor Sean McDonald tells Billboard.com.

Source billboard.com.

Former Toad The Wet Sprocket front man Glen Phillips and Nickel Creek will be joined by former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones and drummer Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello & the Attractions) for a 14-date summer tour. The outing, billed as the Mutual Admiration Society, begins July 27 at the Moore Theatre in Seattle, and concludes Aug. 18-19 at the Birchmere in Alexandria, Va.

The tour is expected to find the artists performing in solo and collaborative settings. It comes in support of the album “Mutual Admiration Society,” which Phillips and Nickel Creek recorded with producer Ethan Johns. Due July 13 via Sugar Hill Records, the set features songs written and sung by Phillips, with accompaniment and other vocals from the Grammy-winning band.

Phillips is working on a solo album for Lost Highway Records. Nickel Creek is working on its third album for Sugar Hill Records, as well as individual solo projects.

As for Jones, he produced the sophomore album from the Datsuns, “Outta Sight / Outta Mind,” released yesterday (June 7) in the United Kingdom. It will arrive Sept. 14 in North America via V2.

Here are the Mutual Admiration Society tour dates:

July 27: Seattle (Moore Theatre)
July 28: Portland, Ore. (Roseland Theatre)
July 29: San Francisco (Independent)
July 31: Los Angeles (Roxy)
Aug. 8: Minneapolis (Fine Line Music Cafe)
Aug. 9: Chicago (Metro)
Aug. 10: Cleveland (Beachland Ballroom)
Aug. 12: Boston (Paradise)
Aug. 13-14: New York (Bowery Ballroom)
Aug. 15: Charleston, W.Va. (Mountain Stage)
Aug. 17: Lexington, Va. (Theatre at Lime Kiln)
Aug. 18-19: Alexandria, Va. (Birchmere)

Source billboard.com.

New Orleans-based progressive funk band Galactic will make its national television debut on Last Call With Carson Daly as the show’s featured house band for one week. The episodes will air the nights of June 15th, 16th, 18th and 22nd on NBC. These episodes also mark a historic first for the show itself as never before has a house band been featured for a block of consecutive shows.

Following the Last Call with Carson Daly tapings Galactic will kick off their summer touring schedule with a stop at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in mid-June and a series of festival stops across the country. The summer will culminate with four dates opening for Dave Matthews Band in mid-July. All this comes on the heels of a one of the most successful winter runs the band has ever had, selling more tickets in the Midwest than ever before.

The Orb will release their album Bicycles & Tricycles on Sanctuary Records in

For the third consecutive year, the Bonnaroo Music Festival has sold out in advance. This year, festival organizers increased the ticket allotment to 90,000, selling all tickets through the festival’s Web site. Bonnaroo 2002 and 2003 sold 70,000 and 80,000 tickets online respectively, and the festival’s 2004 installment has enjoyed the same enthusiastic response from fans. Set to take place June 11 – 13, the three-day camping and music festival will once again be held on the same 600-plus-acre farm in Manchester, TN, 60 miles southeast of Nashville.

Recent additions to the festival’s lineup include rock’n’roll veteran Steve Winwood, and punk rock poet laureate Patti Smith. Bonnaroo alums Robert Randolph and Ween have also joined up, along with Danger Mouse (of The Grey Album fame), three-man DJ ensemble the X-ecutioners, experimental all-star band Praxis, and progressive bluegrass trio Jazz Mandolin Project, featuring Phish’s Jon Fishman.

Bonnaroo also continues to break ground with non-music attractions such as this year’s Yet Another (Comedy) Tent. Dedicated entirely to live standup and skit comedy, this performance tent will feature national headlining comedians appearing multiple times per day in a showcase format. Performers include Todd Barry, Louis CK, Jim Norton, and Rich Vos. These laugh specialists are regulars on network and cable television shows and specials, including Premium Blend, Comedy Central Presents, the Late Show with David Letterman, and Late Night with Conan O’Brien. In addition, New York City’s Upright Citizen’s Brigade comedy troupe will present a special Bonnaroo-themed improvisational show.

This year, Bonnaroo organizers are giving fans the opportunity to extend the enjoyment of live music beyond the festival weekend with LiveBonnaroo.com, the festival’s new online outlet offering digital, downloadable recordings of live performances from the festival soon after they take place. In addition to full sets from the festival in MP3 and FLAC formats, LiveBonnaroo.com will provide downloadable album artwork, CD labels, liner notes, and live photos. With the vast selection of high-quality artists performing at Bonnaroo LiveBonnaroo.com presents an unprecedented opportunity for fans to capture the magic of live music.

See bonnaroo.com for more info.