Warner Music Group Corp. (NYSE: WMG) today announced an extension of its environmental program to include a “zero landfill waste” and “carbon-neutral” post-Grammy event. The WMG event will be held immediately following the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 10, 2008.”Zero waste” entails the elimination of waste in all of its forms (solid waste, emissions, hazardous waste, etc.) through the efficient use of resources and use of environmentally friendly resources.California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said, “California has consistently led the nation in environmental protection and we have learned that we can help our environment while at the same time protecting the economy and our lifestyles. I am very pleased that Warner Music Group, working with city, state and local leaders, has taken this issue to heart and is turning consumption into conservation on the important pop culture stage at this ‘zero waste’ event.”The event will achieve “zero waste” through a variety of green efforts, including: carbon-offsetting the event’s energy usage; use of energy efficient lighting and bio-diesel generators; recycled paper products; use of local farmers’ markets and vendors; eco-friendly soaps and detergents; invitations printed on 100% recycled paper and manufactured with wind power; and composting of paper and food waste, among other efforts.California’s Integrated Waste Management Board, the City of Los Angeles’ Bureau of Sanitation and Athens Services and several local companies and sponsors will partner with WMG.Lyor Cohen, Chairman and CEO of U.S. Recorded Music, Warner Music Group, said, “On an evening when we have so many industry luminaries celebrating our artists’ achievements over the past year, we felt it was equally important to turn the spotlight on the environment and remind others in the industry how they, too, can help promote a more environmentally friendly music business. I also want to thank the City of Los Angeles and all our sponsors who have helped underwrite the event and share our vision for environmental awareness.”Cynthia Ruiz, City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works President, said, “The Department of Public Works is grateful to companies, like Warner Music Group, that do their part in helping the City of Los Angeles become a zero waste city. We hope that everyone — businesses and residents — will join in and help us to achieve this very important goal.”Today’s announcement represents an extension of Warner Music Group’s industry-leading environmental campaign working with key environmental advocacy organizations around the country such as the NRDC and NativeEnergy.In the program’s first phase, WMG converted all CD/DVD products to use 30 percent post-consumer paper packaging; saving nearly 4.7 tons of wood per year. Post-consumer recycled paper is made from wastepaper disposed of by consumers. WMG has also implemented ecologically responsible and efficient paper practices across all of its labels and business units in the United States, including enhanced recycled paper procurement, paper reduction, wastepaper recycling efforts and the conversion of a significant portion of its materials to electronic format, rather than paper. Launched in February 2007, the program was expanded across each of the company’s business units later last year.As part of the program’s second phase, the company undertook a comprehensive review of its greenhouse gas emissions with the goal of developing a program to reduce or offset its “carbon footprint.” Over the past year, the company’s extensive nationwide waste reduction and recycling program has helped save nearly 2,000,000 pounds of solid waste. Together with a number of environmental organizations, WMG is working on carbon dioxide emission reduction as well as the development of an offset program encompassing the company’s complete activities — from new album releases to employees’ daily commuting habits.This marks the second consecutive year that WMG has celebrated this event with an environmentally conscious after-party.About WMGWarner Music Group became the only stand-alone music company to be publicly traded in the United States in May 2005. With its broad roster of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry including Asylum, Atlantic, Bad Boy, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Lava, Nonesuch, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros. and Word. Warner Music International, a leading company in national and international repertoire, operates through numerous international affiliates and licensees in more than 50 countries. Warner Music Group also includes Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world’s leading music publishers, with a catalog of more than one million copyrights worldwide.Contacts: Amanda Collins 212/275-2213 Email Contact Josh Cramer-Montes 212/275-1375 Email Contact
Teenagers listen to an average of nearly 2.5 hours of music per day. Guess what they’re hearing about? One in three popular songs contains explicit references to drug or alcohol use, according to a new report in The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. That means kids are receiving about 35 references to substance abuse for every hour of music they listen to, the authors determined. While songs about drugs and excess are nothing new, the issue is getting more attention because so many children now have regular access to music out of the earshot of parents. Nearly 9 out of 10 adolescents and teens have an MP3 player or a compact disc player in their bedrooms. Studies have long shown that media messages have a pronounced impact on childhood risk behaviors. Exposure to images of smoking in movies influences a child’s risk for picking up the habit. Alcohol use in movies and promotions is also linked to actual alcohol use. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine studied the 279 most popular songs from 2005, based on reports from Billboard magazine, which tracks popular music. Whether a song contained a reference to drugs or alcohol varied by genre. Only 9 percent of pop songs had lyrics relating to drugs or alcohol. The number jumped to 14 percent for rock songs, 20 percent for R&B and hip-hop songs, 36 percent for country songs and 77 percent for rap songs. Notably, smoking references aren’t that common in music today, with only 3 percent of the songs portraying tobacco use. About 14 percent of songs spoke of marijuana use, 24 percent depicted alcohol use, and another 12 percent included reference to other substances. About 4 percent of the songs contained “anti” drug and alcohol messages. The study authors noted that music represents a pervasive source of exposure to positive images of substance use. The average adolescent is exposed to approximately 84 references to explicit substance use per day and 591 references per week, or 30,732 references per year. The average adolescent listening only to pop would be exposed to 5 references per day, whereas the average adolescent who listens just to rap would be exposed to 251 references per day. Whether any of this matters remains an open question. While the impact of exposure to images of smoking and alcohol in film has been well documented, less is known about the effect of music on childhood risk behaviors. Although music lacks the visual element of film, adolescent exposure to music is much more frequent, accounting for an average of 16 hours each week for music compared with about 6 hours each week for movie images, according to the study authors. But frequency of exposure is not the only factor. Unlike visual media, music is a powerful social force that also taps into an individual’s personal identity, memories and mood. “Music is well-known to connect deeply with adolescents and to influence identity development, perhaps more than any other entertainment medium,’’ said the study authors.
Three global record companies have launched legal proceedings against China’s top Internet search engine, Baidu.com Inc, accusing it of violating copyright by giving access to music files, an international music trade body said.
Universal Music Ltd, Sony BMG Music Entertainment (Hong Kong) Ltd and Warner Music Hong Kong Ltd have asked a court to order Baidu (BIDU.O: Quote,Profile, Research) to remove all links on its music delivery service to copyright-infringing tracks they own the rights to, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry said in a statement.
The claims have been filed with a court in Beijing, said IFPI, which is backed by global music industry heavyweights.
Separate action is also being taken by Universal Music Ltd, Sony BMG Music Entertainment (Hong Kong) Ltd, Warner Music Hong Kong Ltd, as well as Gold Label Entertainment Ltd against Chinese media firm Sohu.com Inc (SOHU.O: Quote, Profile,Research) and its search engine, Sogou, the statement added.
In January 2007 Baidu and EMI Music, the fourth major global record company, launched an advertising-supported online music service in China.
Baidu’s shares fell 6.9 percent to close at $253.49 and Sohu’s shares fell 5.43 percent to $46.29 on the Nasdaq on Tuesday.
Yahoo China also faces proceedings after refusing to comply with a ruling in December by the Beijing Higher People’s Court, which confirmed the company violated Chinese law by committing mass copyright infringement, IFPI added.
Feist continues to win recognition from her peers, collecting four Grammy nominations — and now, winning the Shortlist Music Prize for her album “The Reminder.” The Shortlist, in its seventh year, pays tribute to artists who haven’t hit the mainstream yet. Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol and Ronnie Vannucci of the Killers were among this year’s panel of judges. Feist’s “The Reminder” is “the album of the year for 2007 or any year I can think of: It’s modern and classic all at once,” Lightbody said in a statement released Monday. “There are so many kinds of beauty in this record.” Leslie Feist, who uses only her last name professionally, hails from Canada. She grew up in Calgary and spent her teenage years as lead singer for a hardcore punk band. Her Grammy nominations include best new artist and best pop vocal album. The Grammys will be presented Sunday in Los Angeles. Finalists for the 2007 Shortlist Music Prize also included Arcade Fire, Burial, Justice, LCD Soundsystem, M.I.A., Spoon, Stars, Wilco and Working for a Nuclear Free City. Feist, 31, is the second woman to snag the prize, following Cat Power’s win last year. Past winners also include Damien Rice, N.E.R.D., TV on the Radio and Sufjan Stevens. On the Net:
Yahoo’s change in music offerings comes as Microsoft tries to acquire the company for $44.6 billion. By K.C. Jones InformationWeek
Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO)’s on-demand music service will be managed by Rhapsody, the company said this week.
Yahoo Music general manager Ian C. Rogers announced the Yahoo Music Unlimited partnership through his blog on Monday. Rogers said the music service took resources away from other objectives. That includes music.yahoo.com, the company’s music video site, and Launchcast Radio, which allows users to create their own “stations.” Rogers characterized the decision as a “major strategic shift” and said that Yahoo Music draws 25 million users a month, but the unlimited service accounts for a small portion. “It wasn’t an easy decision,” he said. “We’re huge fans of Yahoo Music Unlimited and those customers include many of our most loyal and valuable.” Yahoo Music Unlimited subscribers will be able to migrate easily to Rhapsody, and sometime this year music.yahoo.com will integrate with Rhapsody, allowing customers to use music.yahoo.com, as well as Rhapsody, with no increase in price. The service will work with PCs, Macs, “We sincerely apologize for any hassle and thank you for joining us in the Yahoo Music Unlimited run,” he said. “It was a wild ride for all of us.” Rogers said the decision does not mean that Yahoo will decrease music investments. He said the company acquired FoxyTunes, a media toolbar for Firefox and Internet The change in music offerings comes as Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) attempts to acquire Yahoo for $44.6 billion. Less than a week ago, Yahoo announced an earnings loss of 23% and plans to cut 1,000 jobs.
