"There's still room for record companies but they should reinvent themselves as a service industry and not as owners. The structure of the old album and waiting for that to be finished still has some merit but you can do a lot of other things and I think it should be a lot looser and mixed up."
Gabriel's comments come a week after rock band Nickelback became the latest group to sign a global recording, touring and merchandising deal with concert promoter Live Nation, over a traditional record deal. Artists including Madonna, Jay-Z, U2 and Shakira have also all signed to the company in the past year.
Counterfeit News: Connector manufacturer Neutrik is using a new hologram technology which allows its products to be easily distinguished from lesser quality copies. Neutrik is one of many companies in the industry which has suffered from the presence of cheap quality, illegal product copies appearing on the market. Besides legal measures which Neutrik takes against the counterfeiters, the company has taken this further step in innovation to clearly distinguish its products from copies.
Theatre News: Reviewing its own top ten theatres at risk for 2008 in England, The Theatres Trust welcomed English Heritage's new initiative to protect the nation's heritage. Of the 68 theatres in England on The Theatres Trust's Theatre Buildings at Risk register (TBAR), 34 currently face an uncertain future and are at high risk. The top ten theatres in the Trust's 2008 TBAR include theatres that remain empty, are under threat of demolition, neglect or unsympathetic redevelopment, and lack of funds for repairs and restoration.
Live News: With the festival season easing into top gear, The Times' Lisa Verrico reports from Scotland, "In its 15th year, with an 80,000 strong crowd, T remains the blockiest, beeriest stop on the summer festival circuit - the reason perhaps why Kate Nash's set from a giant clam shell went down like a damp squib and even Sharleen Spiteri was given short shrift."
(Jim Evans)
