ITV

Tag: White Stripes

  • Vh1 takes rock band Pentagram to Glastonbury festival

    Vh1 takes rock band Pentagram to Glastonbury festival

    MUMBAI: Vh1, the lifestyle international music channel, is sponsoring the rock band Pentagram to perform at the Glastonburg Festival in UK.

    The band will perform on 25 June.

    Glastonbury Festival, an annual three-day revelry of music and life, is regarded as the worlds biggest festival of performing arts, in a statement issued by Vh1.

    The only band from India at the festival, Pentagram will perform alongside some of the worlds hottest acts – Coldplay, Garbage, White Stripes, Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers, Stereo MC and Tori Amos.

    Pentagram, who had earlier performed at the Sundance Music Festival in Estonia, has also displayed its talent in various youth festivals across the world. But it will be the first time that the troupe will be performing at Glastonbury, a congregation of talented artists from the world over, informs the release.

    Vh1 India general manager Keertan Adyanthaya adds, “We are very proud to have an Indian rock band performing at one of the biggest music festivals in the world. India has a plethora of international music talent.

    “Unfortunately, there has neither been a serious avenue nor a true attempt to promote such artistes. With this, Vh 1 has put India back on the map of international rock music. This is just the beginning! Vh1 will take many more such initiatives to popularise Indian rock in India as well as internationally.”

    Vishal, lead vocalist of Pentagram, is elated. This is a big thing for Indian rock. Glastonbury is one of the worlds largest music festivals, and to play alongside some of the big names in rock music, is a dream come true. I thank Vh1 for having provided us this wonderful opportunity.

    Pentagrams other band members include Shiraz (drums), Papal (bass) and Randolph (guitars). The foursome will fly off to the UK shortly.

  • MTV Europe buries the hatchet with music labels

    MTV Europe buries the hatchet with music labels

    MUMBAI: The imbroglio over fee payment between MTV Europe and independent record labels has been settled. The two parties arrived at an agreement that allows bands like The Strokes and The White Stripes to remain on the air.

    In the end, it was the broadcaster that had to eat humble pie in the face of stiff resistance. A report in UPI stated that MTV signed an agreement with Video Performances limited, which represents 167 smaller labels to pay a fair value for the use of videos. Earlier MTV had asked that the royalty it pays be cut by 55 per cent. In retaliation the labels had threatened to boycott the broadcaster.

    Putting on a brave face was MTV Europe president Brent Hansen who said that MTV Networks Europe was always the home of independent music and artists. He also indicated that the broadcaster was happy with the terms of the new deal. The old contract was worth $3.5 million and the new contract is said to be close in value. “We hope and trust that the principle of collective licensing, dear to the independent community, is now respected and upheld” he added.

    MTV pays no royalties at all to independent labels in the US. Another report in the New York Times stated that to rectify the situation European trade groups would look to the US next. They plan to help local independent producers organise their efforts in order to force MTV and other music broadcasters pay royalties for using their music.

    The report further noted that the independent labels invested firstly out of passion rather than profit. Therefore a lot of cutting edge sound comes from there. MTV US as expected brushed off the issue saying that the business model was different.

  • MTV UK, Ireland to launch ninth channel

    MTV UK, Ireland to launch ninth channel

    LONDON. MTV Networks UK and Ireland will launch a ninth music channel next month.
     

    VH2 will launch on the Sky Digital platform on 16 December. Its content will consist of the best that rock and guitar-based music has to offer from the 1990’s till today. The target audience is the 25-34 year old album enthusiast. The channel has aimed at positioning itself as the home of credible artists and real music.

    The new channel launch follows extensive research commissioned by MTV Networks UK and Ireland, which reveals a gap in the market for this type of channel proposition. According to the research, over half of all viewers of music television are fans of this genre, and both consumer and industry appetite for guitar-based tracks and rock bands is on the increase.

    By concentrating this type of music content in one new channel, both VH1 and VH1 Classic can become even more focused on their own clearly defined playlists – accessible, upbeat popular tracks mixed in with your favourite songs from the last 20 years and the very best in nostalgia respectively.

    VH2’s tracklist will feature artists such as Coldpay, The White Stripes, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, REM. VH2 will also produce a musical strand Inside Track.. This will keep viewers informed of important artists’ release dates and forthcoming tours. The channel also plans to have themed weekends, live performances and coverage of festivals as well as artists interviews and hour-long specials.

    The new channel launch is just the latest element of the VH1 family’s long-term strategy. Since February VH1 has undergone a transformation to inject more glamour and music-based entertainment programming into its schedule. It will continue to evolve and offer even more music based programming and celebrity content than ever before.

    Since the initial changes were made, the channel claims to have increased its women’s 25 – 44 profile by around 10 per cent. The channel has also recently introduced a fresh vibrant new logo and has adapted its playlist to include more feel good modern music mixed in with favourite tracks from the last past two decades.

    MTV Networks UK and Ireland MD Michael Bakker added, “We are constantly in touch with our audiences to find out what they want. Research is telling us that there is an appetite out there for a very focused, guitar-music based channel that is not currently being met. We are delighted to be launching VH2 to fill that gap, complement our existing VH1 brands and to further extend the appeal and variety of our market-leading portfolio. This year, MTV Networks has taken almost 60 per cent of music viewing and the new launch will help to extend that lead further still.”