Brit Music Scene

Robbie Williams Rejoining Take That In Two Years Time?

Posted: 07 Oct 2009 06:17 PM PDT

The will he, won’t he story of whether Robbie Williams and Take That will reunite as a five piece once again has now been rumbling on for a couple of years. As soon as Take That without Robbie decided to get back together, it’s been a question fans have been asking.

The last couple of weeks have seen new twists to the tale, with Take That and Robbie reportedly meeting up in New York and heading for a recording studio together. It looked as though the reunion was imminent.

But while it remains very likely to happen, it now looks like there’s going to be a couple of years wait before anything actually comes of it. After all, Robbie is currently on the comeback trail and trying to promote his latest solo offering, Reality Killed The Video Star.

In an interview with GQ magazine, Robbie said:

“It will happen. But not in the next 18 months, two years. There’s contracts to fulfil. And then I can do what I want. I’d rather have this album come back, be huge and then go, ‘Right, can I go and play with me mates now?’”

“We all had a massive chat, one of those chats that other bands who split up can’t seem to have. It was really healing, if that doesn’t sound too nancy. And at the end of it everything had gone and we were in the kitchen and I’d got my arm round Gary. I just loved him. I think he felt the same way. It was really beautiful.”

So I’m guessing Robbie Williams has to release at least one more album as a solo artist on his current record deal and then he’ll be free to rejoin Take That. And I’m convinced that’s what will now happen, with Robbie then taking a break from his solo work to go and play with his mates.

[Photo Source: Newscom]

Post from: Brit Music Scene

Editors’ Tom Smith Talks Radiohead and Illegal Filesharing

Posted: 07 Oct 2009 10:16 AM PDT

The issue of illegal filesharing of music has been much debated in recent weeks, thanks to a new effort by the British government to curb the activity. Lily Allen started a blog about the problem, but then got cold feet and walked away. While other artists are pushing for fairness and compromise in how the issue is dealt with.

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Radiohead are a part of the Featured Artists Coalition which, although not fans of filesharing, are seeking for a better, longterm solution than the ones being proposed right now. And it was two years ago that Radiohead experimented with a different way of releasing an album, making In Rainbows available as a download with fans paying what they felt it was worth.

But Tom Smith, lead singer of Editors, feels that the two positions are in opposition to one another, and that Radiohead’s In Rainbows release wasn’t good for the music industry.

Smith told BBC 6Music:

“It’s a weird thing to say that but in giving it away for free, it didn’t feel like it had any connection to the bigger problem and it was selfish. It’s like music is just background [for file-sharers], you can just grab bits and pieces rather than an album as a whole. But I think the big artists have a responsibility for the smaller artists, to speak up when things are going wrong. I also find it weird that they [Radiohead] gave their album away for free. I think that’s in direct conflict to [taking a stance against file sharing].”

Smith then clarified his comments, telling NME Radio:

“All this debate… it’s hard getting involved because I don’t offer a solution. I’m not saying they [Radiohead] started a problem, I’m not spearheading a campaign against them. The problem is devaluing music. Radiohead gave away their record for free… big bands have responsibility for small bands.”

Smith is wrong. Radiohead can surely offer their music in whatever way they see fit, and In Rainbows was arguably a very successful release for the band. Also, I see no conflict of interest here because far from condoning illegal filesharing, In Rainbows being released as it was amounted to an effort to try and find a suitable alternative.

Like it or not, people share music over the Internet. And they’re going to keep doing so no matter what laws are brought in. The problem facing the music industry is how to turn people off the idea and persuade them to keep buying records. At least Radiohead are/were addressing the issue and coming up with possible solutions. Which is more than Editors are doing.

[Photo Source: Newscom]

Post from: Brit Music Scene