News: January 2008 Archives

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January 29, 2008

U2 manager wants illegal downloaders blacklisted

Adam Sherwin, Times Online Media Correspondent

Music fans who indulge in widespread illegal file-sharing should have their web connections cut off by internet service providers, the manager of U2 said.

Paul McGuinness, who has guided the Irish group to 150 million album sales during their 30-year career, said companies such as Yahoo! and AOL should be prosecuted if they fail to prevent illegal file-sharing.

Speaking at the Midem music industry convention in Cannes, Mr McGuinness said: "A simple three strikes and you are out enforcement process will see all serial illegal uploaders who resist the law face a stark choice: change or lose your ISP subscription.

"In the UK, the Gowers report made it clear that legislation should be considered if voluntary talks with ISPs failed to produce a commitment to disconnect file-sharers. I'd like to see the UK Government act promptly on this recommendation."

The UK Music trade body the BPI backed the call. Geoff Taylor, its chief executive, said: "We have tried to persuade ISPs to implement solutions that could avoid the need to take action against broadband customers who use illegal peer-to-peer filesharing.

"For more than a year, we have been negotiating with them to enforce their own terms and conditions about abuse of the account, but UK ISPs refuse to do even that on any meaningful scale. The time has come for ISPs to stop dragging their feet and start showing some responsibility, by taking reasonable steps to counter illegal music freeloading."

In France, President Sarkozy has backed the Olivennes initiative, by which ISPs will start disconnecting repeat infringers this year. This was a "brilliant precedent which other governments should follow", Mr McGuiness said.

He argued that the recent Radiohead release of a download priced on the honesty box principle had backfired. He said: "It seems that the majority of downloads were through illegal P2P download services like BitTorrent and LimeWire even though the album was available for nothing through the official band site. Notwithstanding the promotional noise, even Radiohead's honesty box principle showed that if not constrained, the customer will steal music."

In 2004, U2 signed a deal with Apple to release a branded iPod in exchange for a percentage of each device sold, but even Steve Jobs, the Apple boss, had not grasped the scale of the challenge to his own businesses, including the Walt Disney studio, presented by illegal downloading.

Mr McGuinness said: "I wish he would bring his remarkable set of skills to bear on the problems of recorded music. He's a technologist, a financial genius, a marketer and a music lover. He probably doesn't realise it, but the collapse of the old financial model for recorded music will also mean the end of the songwriter.

"We've been used to bands who wrote their own material since the Beatles, but the mechanical royalties that sustain songwriters are drying up. Labels and artists, songwriters and publishers, producers and musicians, everyone's a victim."

The manager predicted that Apple would reveal a wireless iPod that connects to an iTunes "all of the music, wherever you are" subscription service. "I would like it to succeed, if the content is fairly paid for," he said.

U2 will release a new album in October, Mr McGuinness said, which would be a collaboration with the producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. Unlike Radiohead, they are not seeking to leave their record company. Mr McGuinness said that the band had a positive relationship with Universal which would continue indefinitely.

Described as the "fifth member" of U2, Mr McGuinness negotiated a valuable deal in the late Eighties that guaranteed the group ownership of the master recordings of their albums.

Posted by Jonathan at 02:39 AM | Comments (0)

January 27, 2008

Bono gives iPod to Japanese PM for aid

DAVOS, Switzerland - Rock star Bono bowed deeply and gave Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda an iPod at the start of a meeting Saturday to try to get more Japanese support for the fight against poverty in Africa.

The gift broke the ice as Fukuda sat down with Bono, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and other major supporters of more aid for Africa.

Fukuda asked the U2 frontman if his music was on the red recording device.

"No, but you can download it," said Bono.

"My son has some of your music," Fukuda told him.

After the private meeting, Fukuda told government and business leaders at the World Economic Forum that African development would be one of the three major themes of the G-8 meeting he is hosting in Japan this July.

Part of the proceeds from sales of the special-edition red iPod go directly to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Africa.

Earlier this week, Bill Gates said the Red-branded products have generated $50 million for the fund in the last year and a half.

Posted by Jonathan at 06:51 PM | Comments (0)

January 22, 2008

U2 3D Brings Hyperreal Arena Rock to the Multiplex

Eliot Van Buskirk, Wired

As I left the Imax theater after seeing U2 3D, a man asked me, "So, what did you think?" Using my best Larry David impression, I responded, "Pretty good. Pretty... pretty good."

I was lying. The film I had just seen -- the world's first three-dimensional live-action concert film -- was astounding. I just didn't want to tell him that, because he was one of U2 3D's producers. What if I changed my mind before writing this review? Better to form an opinion after my post-show elation had worn off, I figured.

More than a week later, the film still resonates as a stunning cinematic experience, and the best rock show I've never attended.

With 3-D glasses trained on the Imax screen at the Luxor Casino in Las Vegas, I felt I was experiencing more of the U2 concert from my theater chair than I would have in person. Chalk it up to the impossible camera angles, the breathtaking close-ups and panoramas, or the convincing nature of the latest 3-D technology, but I was really there: watching guitarist-keyboardist The Edge play a Fender Rhodes from a vantage point 4 feet above his head, seeing lead singer Bono's hand reach out to the crowd, and flying through a massive stadium lit up by thousands of cellphones waving in unison like a school of glowing sea creatures. The capacity crowds filling these South American soccer stadiums go absolutely mad for the music of U2. Their hands wave to the beat just a few feet in front of you. Their enthusiasm is wildly infectious.

"Every development in the history of cinema has always been about making the experience more realistic, whether going from silent to talkies, or black-and-white to color," said John Rodell, the producer I spoke with outside the theater. "We see the world in 3-D, so this is a natural progression, now that the technological limitations have been conquered."

The 3-D format goes a long way toward making the movie great, but the film would not have been nearly as powerful with the cameras pointed at most other bands. U2's musicians are masterful performers, and the epic nature of their songs and stage act lends itself perfectly to larger-than-life treatment.

Still, watching a movie is a passive experience; to keep viewers fully engaged for more than an hour, Sassoon Film Design added a smattering of clever visual effects somewhat reminiscent of the square that Uma Thurman's character draws in the air in Pulp Fiction. Post-production staffers also added animated versions of U2's backdrop videos -- most notably a series of icons suggesting that the world's major religions are one. To capture multiple band members in the same frame, the filmmakers added as many as five 3-D layers to the final cut.

Other than that, U2 3D includes little visual or audio trickery. The band insisted that no audio overdubs be included; every note in the film was played live (although for on-stage close-ups, U2 agreed to be filmed playing one show to an empty stadium). "I could make my cat sound like a good singer with Pro Tools," said Rodell, "but we didn't use any of that. What you see there are those guys, playing that night, in front of 90,000 people."

Director Catherine Owens, whose background includes sculpture and music videos, used long, sumptuous cuts that encourage viewers to focus on the music -- as they should during a concert film -- rather than employing the exhausting, cut-heavy style so prevalent in music videos and even some feature films.

The 3ality hyper-realistic 3-D video-capture technology, which uses two lenses to mimic the human visual system with a degree of precision possible only with digital technology, is another crucial ingredient. Stereoscopic cameras have been around for ages, as my grandmother knew, but previous attempts at 3-D cinema were stymied by the complexity of forcing both cameras to work in perfect concert with each other -- thus the nausea and headaches associated with 3-D movies of the past. The 3ality solution begins with nine mobile camera setups, each consisting of two $115,000 Sony F950 CineAlta digital cameras and a surround-sound recording apparatus.

"Every camera has an onboard computer which is correlating all of the different parameters of the camera," said Rodell. "And each camera has 13 very precise Swiss motors on it, and they're moving those cameras relative to each other. They're also making sure focus, focal length, aperture and stuff like that is exactly matched between the two eyes.... This is also the first time zoom lenses have ever been used for 3-D, which is a very tricky thing with 3-D because you have to match your two lenses so precisely." Because even the best zoom lenses have slight variations, 3ality wrote software that finds those trouble spots and compensates accordingly.

Data from each camera traveled through fiber-optic cables to a control room, where it was recorded in the Sony HD SR format. Each frame uses nearly 20 MB of data, 9 MB to 10 MB for each eye. With a frame rate of 24 frames per second, that added up quickly. The entire film consumes almost a petabyte (1 quadrillion bytes) of data on 3ality's servers. Despite the advanced technology involved in creating all those bytes, Rodell pegged the total budget of the film at around $15 million, though he acknowledged "bills are still coming in."

The end result is amazing. U2 3D makes the band's four members -- Bono, Edge, bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. -- look and sound like musical heroes, even to this lapsed fan. The songs sound incredible. Only once does the specter of Ben Stiller arise: when Bono hugs the crowd in slow motion, gently ending in an embrace of himself as the crowd roars. The thing is, that's exactly the sort of gesture that electrifies a stadium crowd. As it turns out, such moves are nearly as effective in 3-D Imax theaters as they are in packed arenas.

For all the fun I was having, I did sense an occasional nostalgic pang for an experience I'd never actually had: being a member of these ecstatic stadium throngs. Watching the audience's energetic displays while strapped into my chair felt like being trapped inside of one of those pods from The Matrix -- feeling like a participant, yet participating in nothing.

Those feelings passed -- especially when I realized I could just saunter out of the theater rather than plodding with the other 90,000 or so attendees trying, cattlelike, to exit a stadium.

Besides, I'd had the best seat in the house.

- - -

The movie U2 3D, distributed by National Geographic Cinema Ventures, opens Jan. 23. To find local venues, go to the U2 3D website and click Find a Theater. According to producer Rodell, the Imax version offers a more immersive experience, while the Digital 3-D version features more vivid colors.

- - -

Eliot Van Buskirk has covered digital music since 1998, after seeing the world's first MP3 player sitting on a colleague's desk. He plays bass and rides a bicycle, usually not at the same time.

Posted by Jonathan at 03:40 PM | Comments (0)

January 20, 2008

3-D film about U2 is 1 big hit at Sundance fest

Larry D. Curtis

PARK CITY - In the galaxy of stars that is the Sundance Film Festival, could there be any bigger than the supergroup U2?

Despite the international fame, fortune and name recognition, U2, the band, premiered

"U23D," the film, Saturday night at an independent film festival.

And the scene was as frantic as at any big premiere.

Major news outlets lined the red carpet. Fans screamed inside the auditorium, but others were almost as enthusiastic outside waiting for the midnight screening. Rumors had tickets being scalped for more than $1,000.

And while anything branded with the U2 label may not seem inherently independent, as the Sundance name generally implies, the 90-minute concert film experience is precisely that.

Financed by the group that owns the Baltimore Ravens and made without at distributor, "U23D" promises to raise the bar for both concert films and the 3-D experience, according to the brain trust behind the film, which opens in wide release Jan. 23. It will be screened in both IMAX and digital cinema, giving fans what they hope is an immersive concert experience.

"This film is a love song to Latin America," said lead singer Bono from the red carpet. "We love playing for the people there. I really hope it communicates."

The documentary was filmed in seven cities but primarily in Buenos Aires, Argentina, during a South American tour with crowds reaching sizes up to 100,000. It features hits such as "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "One," "Vertigo" and "Beautiful Day."

"Watching it gives a real perspective of being in the audience at a U2 show," said guitarist The Edge. "So many concert films reduce the band. This one brings scale and grandeur."

Because the film was shot with as many as nine digital cameras per show, The Edge felt much more comfortable than during other digital video concerts because the cameras were small and less intrusive, he said. "This technology made it a lot easier."

Much of the talk of the film and the 3-D experience is how the technology is taking what viewers expected to be a marketing gimmick and making it into something that is easily viewed and enjoyed by a mass audience. Significant directors like Stephen Spielberg and Peter Jackson are embracing the technology that the crew behind the concert film developed.

The film is directed by Catherine Owens. It is her first feature, but the sculptor has a long history with the band and has directed some videos for them and their first four world tours.

Sandy Climan, a producer, said Owens' background is apparent in the finished product.

"This film is different than any other 3-D film anyone might have seen. People want to dance in this film. People behave like they would if they were seeing them in concert. They hold up their cell phones to the band and dance." He was excited to finally see the film with fans and related his experience when during a screening somebody stood up and blocked his view, which he then realized was part of the film.

David Model, an executive producer, tried to sum up Owens' work.

"It seems as though Catherine has sculpted a fantastic 3-D film," he said.

The team that developed the technology is not done improving and refining the way people experience 3-D films.

"Our goal in the end," Model said, "is to shoot live and broadcast live to your home on your TV where you will see it in 3-D without glasses."

Posted by Jonathan at 11:45 AM | Comments (0)

January 16, 2008

Bono Designed Tee Now Available Through Hard Rock Cafe

Brenda Clemons, Staff Writer

The Hard Rock Cafe has just launched a Bono designed tee shirt with proceeds going to charity. The cost of the shirt is $26.00 (US Dollars) and comes in both women and men's sizes. The women's tee is white with a blue design and the men's tee is black with red design.

Both tees picture a fish with the words,"fish can fly". According to Hard Rock, "Fish can fly is more than just a phase on a t-shirt. Its a message that tomorrow can be better than today. And that change is happening right before your eyes."

A percentage of the price of the tee shirts will go to benefit The Wildlife Conservation Society's "Conservation Cotton Initiative". The Wildlife Conservation Society aims to save wildlife and wild lands through science, international conservation, and education. The Conservation Cotton Initiative hopes to educate African cotton farmers about alternatives to pesticide use, and to educate them about organic cultivation while protecting wildlife habitats. The tee shirt is available through the Hard Rock Cafe website at www.hardrock.com.

Posted by Brenda at 06:49 PM | Comments (0)

January 09, 2008

Bono urges Sarkozy to keep aid pledges

Rock star Bono pressed French leader Nicolas Sarkozy to live up to pledges to increase development aid during a "feisty" meeting at the Elysee presidential palace, the aid advocacy group DATA said.

The organisation, co-founded by Bono, front man of the U2 rock group, has chastised France for lagging in fulfilling in a promise to raise development assistance to 0.7 per cent of gross national income by 2012. In 2006, French aid stood at 0.31 percent of gross national income, DATA said.

"The president admitted it would be very, very hard, but France would keep her word," the statement quoted Bono as saying following the meeting, which he described as "feisty" and "factual."

"The president knows the details and moves fast," Bono said, adding Sarkozy pledged to restore 20 million euros ($A33.58 million) to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

The French leader also "said he would send through a plan to restore promised French aid trajectories in the next few weeks," Bono was quoted as saying.

DATA's statement cites an October parliamentary report showing France's estimated overseas development assistance would be 0.35 per cent of gross national income in 2007 and would remain at 0.35 per cent in 2008.

Bono and Sarkozy met last year at a G-8 summit in Germany. There, the French leader reiterated his commitment to increasing development aid, particularly to Africa.

However, DATA has repeatedly blasted France for "making little real effort" to meet its medium-term aid goals.

Oliver Buston, the organisation's European director, said in a statement that "France is not on track for respecting its promises on aid to development in Africa."

"We hope that under President Sarkozy's energetic leadership, things will get better and not worse," the statement said.

Posted by Jonathan at 05:08 AM | Comments (0)

January 02, 2008

Lanois Promises 'Innovative' Songs on New U2 Album

by Steve Baltin, Spinner

Twenty years ago, producer Daniel Lanois teamed with U2 on the band's landmark album, 'The Joshua Tree.' Two decades later, Lanois is back in the studio with the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, working on their forthcoming album, due this year.

"I'm doing some writing with [Brian] Eno and U2," Lanois tells Spinner of the effort. "We're gonna knock out another record that's promising to be a fantastically innovative collection of songs. I'm excited about that."

As for what the new songs will offer, Lanois says that some hints may be gleaned from the music they've been listening to of late. "We've been referencing Jimi Hendrix records recently," Lanois says. "I was interested in the drum feels and that track 'Crosstown Traffic' has an incredible drum performance. When [we were] working a couple of weeks back, we wanted to hear some of that Mitch Mitchell drumming."

Lanois also revels in his collaboration with Eno, also a former U2 collaborator and who appears in Lanois' film, 'Here Is What Is.' "I play really well with Eno," Lanois says. "In a manner of minutes we've got something happening in the room that's special -- even without talking about it. We just pick up our instruments and we're there. I might have an idea, Eno might have an idea, somebody else has an idea, and as we jockey them around, momentum builds up and there's some kind of a whirlwind. We just thank our lucky stars that we have that chemistry within us."

Posted by Jonathan at 03:46 PM | Comments (0)

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