From: owner-support-system-digest@smoe.org (support-system-digest) To: support-system-digest@smoe.org Subject: support-system-digest V5 #181 Reply-To: support-system@smoe.org Sender: owner-support-system-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-support-system-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk support-system-digest Monday, September 16 2002 Volume 05 : Number 181 Today's Subjects: ----------------- GVSB [Dermich@aol.com] Bounced message [owner-support-system@smoe.org (by way of Jase ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 15 Sep 2002 01:43:48 EDT From: Dermich@aol.com Subject: GVSB Hrm, that's a tough call. For the "classic" Girls Against Boys sound, most people would say _Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby_, which was the first one where they really found their groove. The next two, _Cruise Yourself_ and _**House of GVSB**_ are in the same vein, and excellent. _Freak*on*ica_, their only album on Geffen, is still VERY good (ignore the bitching of the cooler-than-thou scenesters who hate any progression in a band's sound), but it's not the place to start. The new record has more traditional songwriting elements than the older stuff, but with more of the sound that made me a fan. I think it's their best album. Avoid either of the first two albums until you've decided you're into them. They're a different ball of wax. So that's the long version. The short one says: If you want to learn the old-school, get _Venux Lux_, and get the new one if you want to hear them at their peak. Can you tell I'm a liiiiittle bit into this band? Derek > the new disc the best one to start with, or would it be better to check > out one of their earlier albums first? ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Sep 2002 02:15:08 -0400 From: owner-support-system@smoe.org (by way of Jase ) Subject: Bounced message From: "cheddarcat" Subject: Re: support-system-digest V5 #175 > Liz: You know what? That's even better. Really, I don't read > fanzines very much. I get all these fanzines and I start to feel > bad. The more they pile up, I'm like "oh fuck", because I feel > guilty, so I put them away, and then there are these huge stacks. > I'm sorry. I like books! Even before I did this, I just loathed > fanzines because everyone I knew was into fanzines and it was like, > "the crunching, fucking, grueling, bone-shattering sound of the > guitar calls in over the anarchic vocalization from hell," and > you're just like, "what the fuck?" It was all this masturbatory > phrasing that told me nothing. I don't consume a lot of rock > paraphenalia; I don't buy records or buy magazines. that's the liz i love... thanks ken lee ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Sep 2002 02:16:39 -0400 From: owner-support-system@smoe.org (by way of Jase ) Subject: Bounced message From: Andy Peters Subject: possible new album in '03? I found this in the British paper The Guardian. It ran on Sept. 6. Sounds from this like there's at least a chance we'll get a new Liz Phair album next year.... Stuck in the EMI groove: Britain's music publishing business is trading on its past glories - but could still become a bid target By John Cassy, Media business correspondent There should be a party atmosphere at the headquarters of Britain's biggest music company this Sunday as the weekly album and singles charts are released. In a rare double for the industry, the number one bands in both are likely to be signed to the same company, EMI. Coldplay is expected to top the album chart, with Atomic Kitten having the top single, at the end of a week during which EMI held an unrivalled 35.6% share of the total UK album chart. Yet while the bands get stuck into the champagne, EMI executives will be contemplating a more sobering week ahead. On Wednesday, for the first time since being demerged from Thorn in 1996, EMI is expected to be ejected from the FTSE 100 index of blue chip stocks. The company's market value has more than halved since the start of the year - losing more than pounds 1bn - but relegation from the FTSE is the clearest sign yet that investors' patience with the company is wearing dangerously thin. The music industry is undergoing one of the most fundamental shifts in its history - and EMI, the biggest and best-known of Britain's record groups, is suffering badly. A dire global market for record sales, growing piracy and the thorny issue of internet distribution has got the five "majors" - Universal, Warner Records, Sony, EMI and BMG - in a spin. Latest figures from Nielsen Soundscan suggest that album sales in the US, the world's biggest music market, fell 9.8% by volume in the first six months of the year. Japan, the second most lucrative market, is down 8%. The UK has been more resilient, growing 3% in the first quarter, but the combined effect of the World Cup and Jubilee weekend saw the second quarter fall 15%. Recent surveys from the Recording Industry Association of the Americas suggests that internet piracy is increasing and the value of the legitimate market will continue to decline. The sales drops have called into question EMI's forecast that global music sales will fall by a maximum of 4% this year and its even more contentious claim that it can rise about the mire and avoid a fall in revenues, particularly when it is losing market share in both the US and Europe. Analysts at investment banks across the City are talking openly about EMI being forced to issue a profits warning, even cutting its already halved dividend. Sarah Simon, an analyst at Morgan Stanley, believes there is a strong likelihood of a downward guidance in revenue projections before EMI reports interim results on November 19. A Schroder Salomon Smith Barney analyst, Patrick Wellington yesterday added to the sense of despair by cutting his earnings estimates for the next three years. He believes that further problems could force EMI to restart merger talks with Bertelsmann's BMG. The man charged with charting a brighter future for EMI, is Alain Levy, a charismatic, chainsmoking Frenchman who made his name at Polygram Records. Mr Levy and his sidekick, David Munns, were brought in by chairman Eric Nicoli last autumn to replace former recorded music head Ken Berry, who left with a pounds 6m pay-off. Radical restructuring They were not slow to take action, announcing a radical restructuring aimed at reducing a cost base many in the City believed had become bloated. Mr Levy said 1,800 staff would have to go and as many as 400 artists sacked if a profitable business was to be maintained. The highest profile casualty was diva Mariah Carey, released with a pounds 38m pay-off after just one disappointing album. Mr Munns was dispatched to the US in an effort to improve performance in a market where EMI has traditionally been weak, while Mr Levy set about the search for new stars. The message from the new regime was clear: strong performance would be re warded handsomely but the historical excesses of the music industry and guaranteed bonuses would not be tolerated. Mr Nicoli is thought to be delighted by the progress the two men are making. Insiders say that staff are pulling together and for the first time in years, EMI appears to have a real sense of direction. Interim results are expected to show that Mr Levy has found further savings from his restructuring. It is this sense of optimism that has enabled EMI to stick to its revenue predictions, despite analysts' concerns. The group believes that a strong schedule of releases later in the year, plus the success of albums like Coldplay, which came in at number five in the US charts, and a soon to be released Rolling Stones greatest hits compilation should enable it to hit its target for the financial year which ended in March. Yet Ms Simon of Morgan Stanley warns that structural issues still need to be addressed. "One-off successes from greatest hits albums are temporary fixes to a more telling problem: sourcing and promoting new talent and exploiting album sales and follow-on publishing opportunities," she said. "Compared to Universal Group and Sony, we believe EMI is underperforming in bringing new talent to the market." And on the issue of new talent, a dark cloud lurks on the horizon. Analysts expect to hear by the end of this month whether EMI has lost Robbie Williams, its best selling artist of 2002, to a rival label. The former Take That star has been with EMI since he launched his solo career but has failed to crack the US market. Labels from Universal to V2 are actively courting him and with bids reportedly topping pounds 70m for a multi-album deal, Mr Levy could drop out of the race for fear of overpaying. Although the immediate financial damage would be limited, analysts say Williams' departure would point to deeper problem. One analyst commented: "If they can't persuade Robbie they can break acts in the US, how are they ever going to attract new acts there?" The forthcoming acquisition of Motown Records catalogue Jobete has also reignited concerns about EMI's debt, which is expected to increase to pounds 1.03bn by the end of 2003. Bedrock of profitability EMI is early next year expected to pay pounds 108m to pounds 166m for Jobete, but it is unclear how the deal will be funded. With the shares at depressed levels a rights issue is thought to have been discounted. As EMI shares plummet, the group's valuation is being supported by its music publishing division - the bedrock of its profitability. Guided by the widely respected Martin Bandier, publishing aggressively generates fees and royalties from every radio station, cuddly toy and advert that plays an EMI-owned song. In an average year, the unit generates around one third of EMI group profits, despite employing only 600 people. So aside from discovering new talent and an improvement in general album sales, how else can EMI improve profits? The collapse of renegade file swapping service Napster earlier this week offered a timely reminder of the opportunities and threats internet distribution presents. On the down side, Napster and its clones have educated a generation of music fans to believe that music can be listened to free of charge. Not even the pounds 60m Bertelsmann threw at Napster could find a may of making users pay. Yet the service has also shown that consumers are happy to access music digitally. Mr Nicoli believes that if the music industry can develop secure online distribution, profits could shoot up. Before then, however, EMI could face a takeover approach, according to Kingsley Wilson, an analyst at Investec Securities. The business world has changed dramatically since EU competition commissioner Mario Monti warned EMI that proposed mergers with both Time Warner and BMG would hit the buffers. Gunter Thielen, the new chief executive of BMG's owner, Bertelsmann, has hinted that he may seek a merger for his loss-making group. Mr Wilson also believes a cash-rich group like Microsoft might also look at EMI as a way of boosting its content offering. He estimates that at the current market capitalisation, including debt and a 30% premium, a bidder would only have to pay pounds 2.6bn to acquire the third largest music company in the world. An EMI spokeswoman said market concerns were overblown. "EMI Recorded Music is arguably in better shape than it's ever been in terms of the quality of its management and its focus; meanwhile EMI Music Publishing continues to deliver solid growth. We're feeling very good about our business." Tipped discs // EMI's potential million-selling albums in 2002/3: Richard Ashcroft; Atomic Kitten; Axelle Red; Blue; David Bowie; Dirty Vegas; Coldplay; Snoop Dogg; Doves; Bryan Ferry; Herbert Grenumeyer; Ed Harcourt; Norah Jones; Kennedy; Massive Attack; Manu Chao; Moby; Beth Orton; Liz Phair; Simon Rattle; Slum Village; Roxette; Rolling Stones; Utada Hikaru; The Vines. Sources: Schroder Salomon Smith Barney, EMI. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Sep 2002 11:18:53 EDT From: Athiena00@aol.com Subject: courtney takes over thanks for the info!!....what are the exact dates???? i hope it wasnt this weekend. i would be horribly mad!! i am going to have to watch it at school because i get mtv2 there. RAHHH!! athiena In a message dated 9/15/2002 1:17:26 AM Eastern Daylight Time, owner-support-system-digest@smoe.org writes: > Also, I'm curious if anyone here plans on taping Courtney Love on MTV2 next > weekend. She's going to be playing host on the channel for 24 hours, > starting Saturday night at 8:00 pm EST. It's apparently going to be totally > > unscripted and they're letting Courtney do and play whatever she wants. > > I'd love to see it, but apparently it's only showing on the American MTV2, > not the Canadian one. If anyone is going to tape it and wouldn't mind > making me a copy, I would greatly appreciate it and would gladly reimburse > all costs. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Sep 2002 22:17:47 -0700 From: Kenneth Lee Subject: vintage Liz uploaded Hi all, If you didn't know, the Liz Warped Reality interview has been uploaded to Mesmerizing, which contains a lengthy intro I didn't post to the list, so you'll have to go there to read that. Starting today, I'll be uploading more Liz pics that I have had piling up but never got around to until now. First up, two from a 1999 newspaper. Enjoy! - -Ken kenmlee@ix.netcom.com MeSmErIzInG - AnOtHeR LiZ PhAiR WeBsItE http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/2471/ ------------------------------ End of support-system-digest V5 #181 ************************************