August 2, 2004

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.