Rings around the world

The Seeds of Thomas Brooman's passion for music may come from briefly living as a child in South America. There he experienced tango in Buenos Aires and samba at Brazil's Rio Carnival, when he was only ten. But his co-founding of WOMAD, the World of Music and Dance Festival which celebrates its 25th anniversary this summer, came after receiving a phone call from Peter Gabriel.

It was the early 1980s and Brooman was a drummer in a Bristol punk band. He'd bumped into Gabriel in a Bath recording studio, and as editor of the Bristol Recorder felt duty bound to interview him. The Recorder itself was proof of his entrepreneurship; a local record magazine funded from the advertising space on the gate sleeve which housed each issue's free LP. Soon afterwards, Gabriel rang him "to see if we can promote some African music", Brooman recalls. "We were so eager that we got involved immediately in everything from letter-writing to the heavy organisational side." The outcome was the first WOMAD festival in Shepton Mallet in 1982. It flopped miserably.

Why? Rain, a bad location, poor publicity and a host of other problems faced by the ingénu collective. "We owed an awful lot of money - so, prompted by Peter, Genesis had their first and only reunion concert with Peter playing," says Brooman. "It was 2 October at the Milton Keynes Bowl and 30,000 came and proverbially saved our bacon. Ironically that rock'n'roll event made solvent our very un-rock'n'roll festival."

It took another ten years for that un-rock and roll event to break even, but today the UK festival alone has a budget of £2 million. There are also WOMAD festivals in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore Spain, Canary Islands and Sicily.

Regularly attracting 20,000 people, WOMAD's appeal lies not simply in the diversity of its programme - 100 artists from five continents - nor in its 450 toilets and 100 shower heads, but, as Brooman says, in its very special public. In contrast to the male-dominated audiences of most rock festivals, 60 per cent of WOMAD regulars are women with children, and older people. Each adult ticket gets two children under 13 in free, and for many it's their annual holiday. Children can spend their days in free art and music workshops working towards a massive procession on Sunday afternoon. Teenagers can club it all night to world DJs. Last year, to my eyes, there were more buggies than ever, pushed by twenty and thirtysomethings, with babies and toddlers laid out on blankets on the grass, or inside the covered Siam Tent day and night. WOMAD's special community spirit has effectively marketed its own future.

Add to the music and family scene the home-made food, from everywhere from Mexico to Japan, and you understand why the festival is a fixture in so many diaries. You can sit on a bale of hay and eat Thai green curry while listening, this year, to Toots and The Maytals, Calexico, Maritza, Kronos Quartet, Baaba Maal, Cesaria Evora and 94 other groups.

"We cover all tastes, so that if someone can only manage 20 minutes listening, say, to the Musicians of Nile they can walk to something else," says Brooman.

WOMAD helped establish the careers of Drummers of Burundi, was the first to invite Salif Keita and Ali Farka Touré to the UK, and has been blessed for years with the genius of the late Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. "It's all about the magic and mystery of music in performance. When an artist is great neither language or genre is important. It's always been like landing trump cards into a game bridge."

WOMAD has its politics too, with the presence of NGOs, such as Oxfam, Christian Aid and Amnesty International, as well as fringe groups. A few years back, Vanessa Redgrave came to talk about the Iraq War. Yet, as Brooman stresses, "Our politics are non-aligned and deliberately implicit. Redgrave was invited by one of the local Reading campaigning groups, so we were happy about that. If we as an organisation proselytised about anything, something essential would go. At our heart is respect for our musicians who come from all over the world."

WOMAD's 25th year sees it move from its Reading location to the 280-acre site of Charlton Park. Right by the abbey town of Malmesbury in Wiltshire, it's an aristocratic pile complete with arboretum, wooded copse and meadows. It offers 50 per cent more space, allowing for seven stages as well as incidental events, such as the new "Taste the World" sessions with artists cooking their favourite dishes, and "In Conversation" sessions with artists like Trilok Gurtu, Lila Downs, Billy Bragg, and BiIly Cobham. Plus there are new innovations, including a "Don't Get Me Started" Speaker's Corner, and an Art Bar where people can print photos and exhibit their own work.

"It's been both terrifying and exciting, but we've now sold more weekend tickets than ever, so it feels as if people were ready," says Brooman. "WOMAD is all about relationship with place as well as with the music. That is what makes people come back."

Gabriel, who last played at the festival in 1993, headlines on Friday night, when he will duet with daughter Melanie. As Brooman says, "WOMAD is a hybrid born of the Woodstock era but it has always had its feet in music impossible to categorise in conventional terms. And that paradoxically is the source of our success."

• WOMAD 2007, Charlton Park, Wiltshire, 27-29 July. Weekend tickets £120. For more details visit the website, www.womad.org

JAN FAIRLEY

Peter Gabriel's Make Up.

Peter Gabriel © Clément Kachelhoffer

Un concert sur mesure, sans demi-mesure...

Il existe dans le paysage musical mondial certaines voix reconnaissables entre toutes. C’est le cas de celle de Peter Gabriel.

Cependant cette caracté- ristique ne suffit pas à le définir en tant qu’artiste. Ce que l’on pourrait encore y ajouter, c’est ce formidable sens de la production, des chansons soignées et animées. Bref, toutes les composante qui expliquent sa notoriété. Sinon pourquoi serait-il non seulement connu pour sa carrière solo mais aussi pour son expérience d’ex-leader de Genesis ?

Un rendez-vous immanquable donc. Et plutôt concluant... Peter est arrivé clef en main avec tous les ingrédients nécessaires à la hauteur des attentes du public. Entouré de musiciens de talent (avec entre autre sa fille Mélanie, déjà présente lors de ses tournées « Growing Up » en 2002 et « Warm Up » en 2007), mais aussi et surtout enrichi d’une programmation faite par ses propres fans !

En effet, Peter Gabriel a demandé à son public de choisir, via un site Internet, parmi ses anciens morceaux les moins joués ces dernières années, les titres qu’ils souhaitaient entendre ce 20 juillet. Histoire de « les dépoussiérer... », dixit l'artiste.

C’est ainsi que l’on a pu entendre « In Your Eyes », « Solsbury Hill », « Signal To Noise » ou encore « Sledgehammer ». Belle façon de proposer une approche intelligente de ce que l’on peut appeler vraiment, pour le coup, un spectacle vivant.

Au final, Peter Gabriel nous a prouvé encore une fois qu’il était digne de figurer parmi les plus grands et les plus inventifs des artistes actuels. Toujours soucieux de trouver les solutions qui plairont au public qui se retrouve ainsi à chaque fois conquis.

Quentin Laurent

Lennox fuels mega-diva recording invasion

Annie Lennox isn't taking any chances on her upcoming fourth solo album, the whimsically titled "Songs of Mass Destruction." Apparently convinced that having guest stars -- the more the better -- is a good way to boost your appeal (rather than, say, to dilute your music), she has assembled a cast of accompanists that features almost every female pop vocal star in the known world, including Madonna, Pink, Shakira, Faith Hill, Mary J. Blige, Kelis and, um, Celine Dion.

They are each featured as part of the all-female chorus that backs Lennox on a song that will either be titled "Sing" or "Sing My Sister" and was inspired by South African leader Nelson Mandela's continuing campaign to combat AIDS in Africa. Joining Lennox, Madonna, et al, are Joss Stone, Sarah McLachlan, Bonnie Raitt, Dido, Gladys Knight, Fergie, KT Tunstall, k.d. lang, Anastasia and Angelique Kidjo. A total of 23 women artists will be featured on the song, although Britney was apparently unavailable, unwanted or both. The album, Lennox's first in four years, is due out in the fall.

Conspicuously absent from "Sing/Sing My Sister" are the recently reunited Spice Girls, who would add nothing vocally or otherwise, but were inexplicably hailed by Mandela in 1997 as his "heroes." Mandela recently invited the Spice Girls to perform at his 89th birthday party on July 29, at which Lennox is already set to appear with Peter Gabriel.

However, the advanced pregnancy of Emma "Baby Spice" Bunton is believed to make a Spice Girls' performance unlikely. We, if not Lennox, should consider the impending birth of Bunton's child a musical blessing.

les photos des vieilles Charrues Ouest France

Vieilles charrues : Peter Gabriel, l'ange joue sans frontières...

Ironie du sort, un magnifique arc-en-ciel s'est dessiné pendant le concert de Peter Gabriel. Au soleil couchant, l'artiste a « dépoussiéré » des chansons choisies par ses fans. Revigorant.

>> Découvrez les photos de la soirée de vendredi

>> Notre dossier spécial

Après Higelin, alors que le soleil décline tout doucement, Kerouac renvoie la balle sur Glenmor, où quelque 50 000 festivaliers piaffent d'impatience en attendant l'arrivée du très mythique Peter Gabriel. L'une des « stars » de ces seizièmes Charrues. Le fondateur de Genesis, artiste multi-médias, ardent défenseur d'une planète qui étouffe, des peuples oppressés est arrivé dans un bain de lumière solaire qui inonde et réchauffe le coeur de Kerampuilh. Depuis quand n'a t'on pas vu l'auteur de Biko, de Solsbury Hill, So, Games without frontiers, Big time, Shock the Monkey ou Sledgehammer, (tubes interplanétaires), venir redonner le ton et le tempo de ce côté-ci de la planète ? Un sacré bail... Une éternité diront certains fans. Elle n'a pas suffi à désarçonner le public breton qui continue à suivre de près le fondateur du concept même de « world music » et du si fameux label Real world, du festival Womad (liste non exhaustive).
Décidé à dépoussiérer

« Ce sont mes propres fans via mon site internet qui ont déterminé le choix des chansons de ce soir... Et nous sommes bien décidés à les dépoussiérer ». Du pur Peter Gabriel, altruiste jusqu'au bout des doigts qui caressent le clavier numérique. Percus battantes sur fond de nappes synthétiques vrombissantes, ultrapuissantes. La machine Gabriel sait s'emballer au bon endroit. Elle cisèle un son plus pop pour Blood in Evil que Gabriel traduit par « le sang du paradis » (proche de la genèse de l'artiste). Elle revient à l'orée des années 1980 quand il revisite le très halluciné I'm the intruder et puis No self control reconfiguré à la mode 2007 (l'électro est passée par là). Très vite, l'artiste au regard bleu acier déploie ses ailes sur Kerampuilh, pose sa patte et entre dans la place et dans le coeur de ses ouailles. Pas près d'oublier ce formidable retour en terre bretonne. C'était à Nantes à la Beaujoire, du temps de Genesis, il y a 30 ans. Au bas mot. L'horloge tourne. Pas pour Peter.

Peter Gabriel pour le bonheur de ses fans

Fidèle à sa réputation, Peter Gabriel, l'une des têtes d'affiche des Vieilles Charrues, a fait le bonheur vendredi soir du public de Carhaix. Il est vrai que son répertoire est riche de titres qui ont fait le tour de la planète.

Ils n'ont pas vieilli depuis des années. La preuve, ce concert qui restera comme l'un des moments intenses des Vieilles Charrues 2007.

Vieilles charrues. Ça pète sec !

Sec ? Oui, sec ! Après une ouverture dégoulinante et forcément gadoueuse (quelle idée, franchement, ces chaussures bateau, pour quatre jours de festival !) dans les prairies de Kerampuil, la « vraie » première journée des Vieilles Charrues a été épargnée par les intempéries, comme on pouvait l’espérer. Du coup, le moral des derniers grincheux, plus du tout indécrottables pour le coup, est remonté en flèche. D’autant que les copeaux de bois éparpillés sur le site se sont montrés efficaces dans l’aspiration du trop-plein d’humidité. Place à la fête, donc, et aux artistes du jour, qui, de Peter Gabriel à Ayo, en passant par Higelin, Kaolin ou (tard dans la soirée) Arcade Fire, ont envoyé le gros son. Qui s’en plaindra ?

De plain-pied dans le sillon de ces 16 e s Charrues, qui, depuis hier, retour d’un temps clément aidant, ont trouvé leur rythme de croisière ! D’impressionnantes cohortes de festivaliers ont continué à affluer jusque tard dans l’après-midi aux entrées du site. Les nouveaux, bluffés par l’immensité des lieux, et les habitués retrouvant, eux, immédiatement leurs marques et leurs points de ralliement. « Rendez-vous à 20 h 45, à 200 m, tout à gauche de la grande scène », pour les fans de Peter Gabriel. « On se retrouve au bar 8. Tu me reconnaîtras : j’ai un parka bleu et un pantalon marron (sic) », pour les premiers assoiffés...

Peter Gabriel. Les bras au ciel

Et l’Ange Gabriel leva les bras au ciel, semblant implorer les cieux, entraînant tout le public dans une communion de près d’une heure et demie, hier soir. Après quelques secondes toutes en douceur, le concert du grand Peter, la cinquantaine affûtée, la barbichette taillée de près, pouvait réellement démarrer, autour de la sainte trinité basse-batterie-synthés, si chère au divin chauve.

Mission accomplie

Et déjà, tiens, les premiers accords de « On the air » s’envolent, un tube parmi tant d’autres. Le début d’une longue liste : pour concevoir sa tournée 2007, Peter Gabriel, n’ayant pas de nouvel album à défendre, a consulté ses fans à travers son site Internet. À eux de définir une quinzaine de titres devenus rares au fil du temps et qu’ils souhaitaient à nouveau entendre interpréter par leur héraut. Du coup, les classiques, comme « Mercy Street », « Solsbury Hill » ou « Sledgehammer » (l’arc-en-ciel apparaissant en cours de morceau...), sont ressortis, hier, dans des versions un poil plus musclées : « Certaines chansons n’ont pas été jouées depuis longtemps... Nous sommes déterminés à les dépoussiérer », lança l’artiste en cours de concert. Pour ce travail, il avait convié quelques fidèles autour de lui, comme le bassiste Tony Levin. Mission accomplie : si une bonne partie des spectateurs des Charrues n’a pas connu la bande FM et les clips des années 80, elle est entrée à pieds joints dans son univers. S’il fait mariner ses anciens collègues de Genesis pour reformer la bande (peut-être en 2008), Peter Gabriel préfère parler à son public, avec sa musique et parfois ses mots, dans un français lu. Avec l’élégance en fil conducteur...

« Peter Gabriel ? Un grand monsieur ».

Richard : « Peter Gabriel. Je ne suis pas fan. Mais j’aime bien. Surtout, l’époque Genesis. Un titre qu’il a chanté ? Bon... En fait... je ne connais pas tant que ça. En vérité, si je suis venu aux Vieilles Charrues, c’était surtout pour voir les Rita. Mais je suis sûr que ça va être génial. Peter Gabriel, c’est Peter Gabriel, un grand "Monsieur"de la musique ».

Nelson Mandela launches Elders to save world

Global Elders [from left]: Peter Gabriel, Muhammad Yunus, Mary Robinson, Kofi Annan, Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Sir Richard Branson

Greeted by a 30-strong choir and hailed by a line-up of fellow elder statesmen eager to embrace him, Nelson Mandela celebrated his 89th birthday yesterday with a new initiative demonstrating the moral authority he still carries deep into his retirement.

The former South African president will be the leading figure in the "Global Elders", a group of "12 wise men and women" who will address global problems by offering expertise and guidance.

A frail yet still magnetic figure, Mr Mandela was greeted in Johannesburg at South Africa's Constitutional Court - where he was once held prisoner - by a choir that sang his praises before he outlined the Elders' objectives.

"The Elders can become a fiercely independent and robust force for good, tackling conflicts and intractable issues, especially those that are not popular," said Mr Mandela.

The group will "speak freely and boldly, working both publicly and behind the scenes, working wherever our help is needed".

He added: "This group derives its strength not from military, political or economic power, but from the independence and integrity of those who are here."

The club's members will comprise former presidents, elder statesmen, leaders and activists and probably five Nobel laureates.

There will eventually be 12 Global Elders - but the exact make-up of the group was in flux right up until yesterday's announcement.

As well as Mr Mandela and his wife, Graca Machel, the group comprises Desmond Tutu, the Anglican Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town; Jimmy Carter, the former American president; Mary Robinson, the former Irish president; Kofi Annan, the former secretary general of the United Nations; and Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel laureate economist and founder of the Green Bank in Bangladesh, where he is known as "banker to the poor". All were at the launch in Johannesburg yesterday.

Li Zhaoxing, until two months ago the foreign minister of China, has also been invited to join, along with Ela Bhatt, the Indian activist and founder of a women's association. Gro Harlen Bruntland, formerly prime minister of Norway and director of the World Health Organisation, may also become a member.

An empty chair was set on stage yesterday and will be reserved at all Elders meetings for the Burmese opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who is now the prisoner of the military junta despite her victory in a democratic election in 1990.

The initiative was the brainchild of Sir Richard Branson and the musician Peter Gabriel. As long ago as 2001, they approached Mr Mandela to ask if he and his wife would lead the project.

Sir Richard, Gabriel, the United Nations Foundation and a number of private benefactors are funding the initiative. The Elders should meet twice a year and maintain regular contact via video conferencing.

Archbishop Tutu emphasised that much of their work is likely to take place behind closed doors. "There may be things we can accomplish because people have been able to use their persuasive abilities in confidence. One of the ways to be effective is that no one gets to know precisely what we have done," he said.

But if their work is in private, it will be hard to gauge the Elders' success or failure.

Sceptics ask whether a group of 12 ageing and largely retired figures can possibly exert real influence over the world's most intractable conflicts. Mr Mandela himself rarely leaves Johannesburg and has ceased giving regular speeches.

Instead, much will rest on his moral authority, as well as his ability to generate enthusiasm for tackling injustice and hardship.

"Together we will work to support courage where there is fear, foster agreement where there is conflict and inspire hope where there is despair," he said.

Mr Mandela also emphasised that he is now "trying to take my retirement seriously", and his role is likely to be symbolic and inspirational rather than practical.

Certainly there was little doubt yesterday just how inspiring a figure he remains. His colleagues among the Global Elders paid a series of warm, if sentimental, tributes to him.

Muhammad Yunus spoke of how being on the same platform as Mr Mandela was "the proudest day of my life", while Li Zhaoxing demonstrated a surprisingly poetic sensibility by turning to Mr Mandela and reciting the first verse of Shakespeare's 18th sonnet: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day..."

But the last word went to Archbishop Tutu who, visibly moved as the frail figure of Mr Mandela was helped offstage, murmured rapturously into the microphone: "Isn't goodness beautiful?"

Peter Gabriel, l'envie d'être sur toutes les scènes

Les Vieilles Charrues Retour / Le festival / Paru dans l' édition du vendredi 20 juillet 2007

Le concert de Peter Gabriel devrait être, ce soir, un des temps forts du festival de Carhaix.

Vieilles Charrues. Personnage dans l'univers musical depuis 1970, Peter Gabriel, musicien et homme de paix, se produit ce soir à Carhaix.

Authentique, infatigable et indépendant : à 57 ans, Peter Gabriel a encore envie. L'envie de la scène, d'être sur tous les fronts, de faire ce que bon lui semble. Contacté en novembre dernier pour reconstituer Genesis, Peter a dit non. Puis, peut-être. Et finalement... plus tard.

En 1967, encore à l'école, il fonde, avec Tony Banks, Anthony Phillips, Mike Rutherford et le batteur Chris Stewart, ce qui va devenir un groupe de renommée mondiale. Grâce notamment à ses propres prestations scéniques, à ses costumes étranges et aux histoires qu'il raconte entre chaque chanson. Mais, peu à peu, sa personnalité envahissante crée des tensions. Et lui, se sent à l'étroit. Il décide de quitter Genesis, en 1975, après une ultime tournée. Phil Collins devient le nouveau leader.

Amoureux de Soul music, Gabriel développe son style sous l'influence de Nina Simone, Procol Harum et Cat Stevens. Même s'il a connu des succès commerciaux et auprès de la critique, avec des chansons comme Games Without Frontiers (3e album) et Shock the Monkey (4e album), l'un de ses hits reste l'incontournable Sledgehammer. Ce titre marque aussi l'arrivée de Peter Gabriel dans l'ère du clip vidéo sur MTV, dont il remporte neuf des récompenses en 1987.

Suivront deux albums studio, mais aussi des musiques de films, des projets multimédias, une participation au spectacle du millénaire à Londres, et surtout des collaborations avec des artistes de tous horizons. Peter Gabriel est aussi le créateur du label Realworld, du festival WOMAD et le promoteur du terme « world musique ». Il est également à ses heures perdues écrivain, réalisateur... Il se consacre aux grandes causes, des droits de l'homme (il est le premier artiste à s'être engagé contre l'apartheid), à l'environnement. Cela lui a valu, en novembre, d'être nommé « Homme de la paix 2006 » par une assemblée de prix Nobel.

Pour les programmateurs des Vieilles Charrues, Jean-Jacques Toux et Jean Philippe Quignon, la présence de l'artiste à Carhaix, « c'est un espoir de paix, une certitude de talent, l'âme de Genesis, le monde en musique... un homme d'exception, en toute simplicité. »

Jérémy PARADIS.

Aux Vieilles Charrues, ce soir sur la scène Glenmor. À l'affiche également ce vendredi, Arcade Fire, Jacques Higelin, Ayo... et bien d'autres. Ouverture des portes dés 15 h.

Peter Gabriel aux Vieilles Charrues

Peter Gabriel, artiste majeur et engagé, sera, à 20 h 50, sur la scène Glenmor. (Photo DR)

Peter Gabriel. Un ange passe

Chanteur du Genesis de la période « pattes d’eph » et précurseur de l’ouverture du rock aux musiques du monde, Peter Gabriel est aussi un showman hors du commun. Preuve sur scène, ce soir, à Kérampuil.

Attention : artiste majeur ! Rares sont les personnalités du rock qui suscitent un respect aussi profond que Peter Gabriel. Rares aussi sont les stars de ce calibre apparues aux Charrues. Leader flamboyant aux costumes, maquillages et coiffures extravagantes du Genesis « prog » des années baba, l’archange Gabriel le quitte en 1975, avant la transformation du groupe, sous l’impulsion de Phil Collins, en usine à hits calibrés FM.

Le chanteur, adepte des expérimentations sonores, se lance alors dans une carrière solo aventureuse et couronnée de succès (les tubes « Solsbury hill », « Shock the monkey », « Sledgehammer », « Don’t give up »...), crée l’hymne « Biko », devenu emblématique de la lutte anti-apartheid, fonde, en Angleterre, le festival Womad, porte d’entrée en Occident de la fine fleur de la musique africaine et orientale. En 1986, Peter Gabriel devient une superstar avec l’album « So » et investit ses royalties dans le lancement du label Real World qui permettra à des artistes de tous les Continents (Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn, Youssou N’Dour...) d’enregistrer dans les mêmes conditions que les stars occidentales.

« Homme de la paix 2006 »

Les années 90 et 2000 sont marquées par l’album « Us » et « Up » et de nouvelles tournées qui assoient encore la réputation de showman de Gabriel. Consécration, l’an passé : ce militant du combat pour les droits de l’Homme est désigné « homme de la paix 2006 » lors d’un sommet de lauréats des Prix Nobel.

Current of joy powers The Elders' peace gathering

...Introducing him and Mr. Gabriel, the archbishop remarked that he should ask Mr. Gabriel to sing Biko - his iconic hymn about the murder of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko 30 years ago. Sir Richard's head snapped up at that, and he shouldered his way back to the microphone, saying, "If you won't ask him, I will!" Moments later an abashed-looking Mr. Gabriel found himself in front of the crowd, clearing his throat.

It was a fitting place to sing this song: the gathering was held on the grounds of South Africa's Constitutional Court, which was once an apartheid prison. As the archbishop said, "This was a place of tears, of suffering, of humiliation. People were detained without trial here, people were tortured here. But they didn't buckle."

So Mr. Gabriel squared his shoulders and sang Biko, every haunting word, and the audience - journalists and dignitaries and a row of South Africa's Constitutional Court justices - joined him with a low and rhythmic hum.

Tumultuous applause erupted as he finished, but then just as quickly died away, as people noticed the archbishop: He was hunched over, hands clutched in fists, weeping inconsolably.

"We stand on the shoulders of incredible people," he choked out, taking off his glasses and wiping the tears. "We owe our freedom to incredible people."

Mr. Mandela said, with what sounded like a note of genuine regret, that "I am trying to take my retirement seriously" and so would not participate in the hands-on work of his group of Elders. But he will, as Mr. Branson said, pick up the phone when he needs to, using his unique level of moral suasion to get others involved.

In the end, Mr. Mandela left the gathering to celebrate his birthday with his children and grandchildren, and the other Elders went to work. Archbishop Tutu, dancing a little jig, sent everyone into the world with a final observation: "We have been through incredible times and God has helped us to see that the evil doesn't have the last word. It's ultimately goodness and laughter and joy," he said. "Those are what are going to prevail in the end."

WHO'S WHO

THE FOUNDERS

Sir Richard Branson

British adventurer, promoter, humanitarian and head of the Virgin brand of more than 350 companies

"You are a thousand years of collected wisdom."

Peter Gabriel

British musician and humanitarian

"Many people around the world are losing faith - our dream was that there might still be a group of people we could trust. ... Whose strength was based [only] on the faith they themselves had earned through their remarkable lives."....

Mandela unveils 'council of elders'

Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was invited to join the group but is under house arrest in her homeland

Reporters on the Job

Momentarily Starstruck: Correspondent Danna Harman was in South Africa in 1994, during the first free elections after the end of apartheid. She recalls Nelson Mandela dancing at a rally.

On Wednesday, she found herself a few feet away from Mr. Mandela at a press conference announcing the establishment of a global council of elders . "He's one of my heros and hasn't been seen in public recently. So, yes, I was a little starstruck. I smiled and gave him the thumbs up."

That was followed by another emotional moment, when British entrepreneur Richard Branson asked rock star Peter Gabriel to sing "Biko" – a song about Steve Biko, the South African antiapartheid activist who died in police custody. "Gabriel's band wasn't there, so he asked the crowd to hum along in key. Branson started crying. Biship Desmond Tutu was bawling, and I teared up," says Danna.

Later, Mr. Branson, he asked Danna what she thought of the event. By then, her reporter's hat was back in place. "The elders are admirable, even great people," she replied. "But I don't understand the meat of the initiative. What are they going to do?"

Mandela celebrates with panel of peace

From left, Singer Peter Gabriel, Bangladesh 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, former Irish President Mary Robinson, former United Nations General Secretary Kofi Annan, Graca Machel, wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela, Nelson Mandela, former United States President Jimmy Carter, former Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, South African Archbishop Emeritus esmond Tutu and entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson pose for a group photograph following the official launch of a new group, The Elders, on the occasion of Mandela's 89th birthday in Johannesburg yesterday.

Meet the Elders': Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, Muhammad Yunus and Many More

They Assembled in Johannesburg, South Africa, to Tackle Some of the World's Most Pressing Problems

Former South African President Nelson Mandela, flanked from left, by his wife Graca Machel, British singer Peter Gabriel, British entrepreneur Richard Branson and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, listens to South Africa's Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu address the audience in Johannesburg Wednesday July 18, 2007. Mandela celebrates his 89th birthday Wednesday with a star-studded soccer match and the launch of a humanitarian campaign, joined by "elders" of the global village. (Jerome Delay/AP Photo)

The Elders, a new alliance made up of an elite group of senior statesmen dedicated to solving thorny global problems, unveiled itself today in Johannesburg. The rollout coincided with founding member Nelson Mandela's 89th birthday. After a grand entrance, Mandela, the former South African president, announced the rest of the Elders.

The members include Desmond Tutu, South African archbishop emeritus of Capetown; former U.S. President Jimmy Carter; former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan; Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and Mohammed Yunus, the Nobel laureate and founder of the Green Bank in Bangladesh. The group plans to get involved in some of the world's most pressing problems -- climate change, pandemics like AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, violent conflicts.

It was an extraordinary gathering; a who's who of famous international leaders, with enough emotion to move some of them to tears. Under a large white futuristic dome, British billionaire Richard Branson and rock star Peter Gabriel, who conceived the idea for the Elders, gathered enough star power to change the world, or at least that's the hope.

"The structures we have to deal with these problems are often tied down by political, economic and geographic constraints," Mandela said. The Elders, he argued, will face no such constraints. Seven years ago, Branson and Gabriel approached Mandela about the Elders idea, and he agreed to help them recruit others. "This group of elders will bring hope and wisdom back into the world," Branson said. "They'll play a role in bringing us together. Using their collective experience, their moral courage and their ability to rise above the parochial concerns of nations ? they can help make our planet a more peaceful, healthy and equitable place to live, " Branson said. " Let us call them 'global elders,' not because of their age but because of individual and collective wisdom."

Calling it "the most extraordinary day" of his life, Gabriel said, "The dream was there might still be a body of people in whom the world could place their trust." Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who moderated the event and will serve as its leader, was moved to tears after Gabriel sang an impromptu accapella version of his hit song "Biko," written about a famous South African political prisoner.

Branson and Gabriel have raised enough money -- some $18 million -- to fund this group for three years. Also onboard are names less well known in the United States, including Indian microfinance leader Ela Bhatt; former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland; former Chinese ambassador to the United States Li Zhaoxing.

The group left an empty seat onstage -- symbolically -- for an elder who was invited, but could not attend because she is under house arrest in Burma, Nobel laureate and human rights advocate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Mandela and Carter emphasized the group's ability to talk to anyone without risk."We will be able to risk failure in worthy causes, and we will not need to claim credit for any successes that might be achieved," said Carter.

Carter said the group does not want to step on or interfere with other positive work that nations or organizations are doing but wants to supplement that work. Several members acknowledged that the actual activities and actions of the group remain to be determined. There are no titles, no ranking of the members. And it is not clear if they will travel as a group, deploy individual members to global hot spots, or simply sit in a room together to develop strategies or assist those who are suffering find help. But they certainly have high hopes.

"I didn't like the title "elders," because I didn't feel like an elder," said Yunus to laughter, "but I like the idea." Yunus said the world is without direction and he hopes the Elders can provide some direction. Speaking of the Elders, almost in the way one would describe a cartoon about superheroes, Mandela said, "The Elders can become a fiercely independent and positive force for good."

Annan added that the group does not "intend to go and take on Darfur or Somalia and resolve it singlehandedly. We don't have a magic wand," he said. But he argued that the group could intervene and perhaps force parties to honor agreements. "There are certain crimes that shame us all," said Annan. "We all have a responsibility, and I hope the Elders will take the lead in asking the question: What can we do to move the situation forward?"Sometimes by saying 'this is enough we can't take this anymore it must stop,' we are making a difference," Annan continued

Mandela and Branson both celebrated birthdays today. At 89, Mandela looked frail. He walked with a cane and Carter helped him to the podium. But once Mandela got there, he stood tall and easily delivered some 10 minutes of remarks. "He, as you know, walks sedately," Tutu joked.

By KATE SNOW, ABC News Internet Ventures

Global leaders, soccer legends celebrate Nelson Mandela's 89th birthday

Nelson Mandela celebrated his 89th birthday Wednesday with a star-studded soccer match and the launch of a humanitarian campaign, joined by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and other elders of the global village.

The elders event kicked off with about 250 people taking to their feet to sing «Happy Birthday» as Mandela beamed with delight before being helped to the stage by his wife and Carter.
«How God must love South Africa to have given us such a priceless gift,» Desmond Tutu, South Africa's former Anglican archbishop and chairman of the elders group, told Mandela. «You bowled us all over by your graciousness, magnanimity and generosity of spirit.

Mandela was imprisoned for nearly three decades for his fight against apartheid. Released in 1990, he led negotiations to end decades of white rule. In 1994, in South Africa's first fully democratic elections, he was elected president. He left office in 1999 but has continued to work to reduce poverty, illiteracy and AIDS in Africa.

The Elders stems from an idea of British entrepreneur Richard Branson, who shares a birthday with Mandela, and musician Peter Gabriel, who were present at Wednesday's launch.

The Elders, who include several Nobel peace laureates _ among them Mandela _ are dedicated to finding new ways to foster peace and resolve global crises, and to supporting the next generation of leaders.

The Elders are Annan; Ela Bhatt, a women's rights campaigner from India; former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland; Carter; Li Zhaoxing, a former Chinese envoy to the U.N. who started his diplomatic career in Africa; Mandela's wife Graca Machel, a longtime campaigner for children's rights; Mandela; former Irish President Mary Robinson; Tutu; and Muhammad Yunus, founder of the pioneering micro-credit institution known as Grameen Bank.

«I am confident that The Elders can become real role models. They will support courage where there is fear, foster agreement where there is conflict and inspire hope where there is despair,» Mandela said. «This initiative cannot have come at a more appropriate time. It brings together an extraordinary collection of people with skills and diversity to undertake what we know is an enormous task.

Mandela, who walked with difficulty Wednesday and was not expected to take an active role in the new group, joked about his attempts to stay in retirement. While still maintaining his ramrod straight posture and calm deportment, Mandela is struggling to walk, his ankles badly swollen. He appears thinner but less frail than he has at other recent appearances.

The atmosphere swung from tears to laughter Wednesday. At one point, Gabriel sang his «Biko» unaccompanied, leaving Tutu weeping. Black leader Steve Biko died at the hands of the apartheid security forces 30 years ago.

The Elders have received US$18 million in funding over three years from Branson and others. The members were to decide their priorities over the next few months, and would work with established groups. Questioned about how effective the group could be, Carter said: «My prayer is that the great potential of The Elders might be realized though sound judgment and through dedication and courage.

The Elders event was part of a week of birthday festivities featuring visits by Mandela's many friends, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Messages of support rolled in all day from all corners of the world. «The country and the world are privileged to celebrate the life of such an outstanding leader of our people,» said President Thabo Mbeki, who succeeded Mandela in 1999.

Later Wednesday, retired Brazilian soccer star Pele and three-time African player of the year Samuel Eto'o, of Cameroon, were to be among more than 50 past and present stars of the game taking part in «90 Minutes for Mandela» match later on Wednesday. Mandela, who is not expected to attend the game, smiled Tuesday as he received an official match jersey with the number 89 _ his age _ emblazoned on it. The match, to be played in Cape Town, will pit Africa against the rest of the world. Before the match, Jack Warner, vice president of FIFA, the world soccer organization, conferred honorary membership on the Makana Football Association, the soccer league formed by prisoners on Robben Island, where Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison. Separated from his comrades, Mandela watched the games from his cell window until authorities built a wall to isolate him further. «During the dark years of our incarceration, the association drew together all the prisoners on the island around the beautiful game of soccer,» Mandela said. «In this way it helped uphold the values of tolerance, of inclusiveness and reconciliation, and of non-racialism and peace that are still dear to all of us today.

On the Web www.theElders.org

Sinead O'Connor en terres celtiques

Sinead O'Connor est celte, d'Irlande, et les Bretons sont un peuple frère. Elle viendra donc chanter le 22 juillet à Carhaix, lieu de païennes célébrations où s'ouvre, le 19, le gargantuesque festival des Vieilles Charrues. Cheveux ras et regard enfiévré, l'enfant de Dublin sera ensuite, le 5 août, au Festival interceltique de Lorient qu'elle a fréquenté dans une vie antérieure, quand elle était pop star - un système "faux et hypocrite" auquel elle a tourné le dos en 2003.

Sinead O'Connor avait alors fait un passage par les ordres - une secte catholique qui l'avait ordonnée Soeur Bernadette Marie. On l'avait crue entrée en religion : que nenni ! Celle qui brûla une photo du pape Jean Paul II pour protester contre les carcans moraux était simplement revenue à la métaphysique, à la morale et aux écritures, explique-t-elle.

Paru en juin, son dernier album s'intitule Theology. Il est double (onze chansons, enregistrées deux fois, en acoustique à Dublin, électrifiées à Londres). Ecoeurée des moeurs de l'industrie discographique, la belle Irlandaise a lié son sort au petit label discographique, Keltia Musique, basé à Quimper.

La voix éternelle de Nothing Compares 2 U a pu réaliser, dit-elle, tout ce qu'elle voulait avec les Quimpérois : un album de chansons traditionnelles irlandaises, un autre de reggae et enfin ce condensé de vision de Dieu. Les militants de Carhaix s'y reconnaîtront, eux qui ont bâti l'un des plus grands festivals européens, en fréquentation, sur un désert culturel et économique.

Sinead O'Connor devra convaincre dans les prairies de Centre-Bretagne qu'elle est encore la resplendissante chanteuse de Fire On Babylon. Elle devra captiver l'attention de spectateurs venus par dizaines de milliers, au milieu d'un programme pantagruélique, où figure Charles Aznavour en aussi bonne place qu'Arcade Fire ou Peter Gabriel.

Sinead O'Connor est âgée de 40 ans, elle a quatre enfants de quatre pères différents. Le dernier, né en décembre 2006, s'appelle Yeshua, "le salut" en hébreu. Le père, Frank Bonadio, a défrayé la chronique en Irlande pour avoir longtemps hésité entre Sinead et son ex-femme, la chanteuse Mary Coughlan. Déjà une histoire interceltique.

Véronique Mortaigne, Article paru dans l'édition du monde du 19.07.07

Nelson Mandela lance un groupe de réflexion d'ex-leaders

L'ex-président sud-africain Nelson Mandela a lancé mercredi à Johannesburg, à l'occasion de son 89e anniversaire, un groupe de réflexion sur les problèmes de la planète, réunissant d'anciens leaders mondiaux comme Kofi Annan ou Jimmy Carter.

Le héros de la lutte contre l'apartheid, vêtu d'une somptueuse chemise grise, est arrivé au bras de son épouse Graça Machel, en s'appuyant sur une canne, dans le dôme de Constitution Hill qui sous l'apartheid abritait une prison.

Souriant comme à l'accoutumée, Mandela, qui fêtait également ses neuf ans de mariage, a salué ces anciens dirigeants pour avoir accepté de mettre «leur indépendance et leur intégrité» au service «d'un monde meilleur».

«Ce groupe peut parler librement et avec assurance, a-t-il déclaré. Ils n'ont pas de carrière à construire, d'élections à gagner ou d'électeurs à satisfaire.»

Pour le prix Nobel de la Paix, ces «Anciens» tireront leur force de cette autonomie: «Ils peuvent parler avec qui ils veulent», même si ce n'est «pas populaire».

«Quasi imperméable aux critiques extérieures, le groupe pourra conduire librement des analyses sur des questions complexes et partager ses idées», a renchéri l'ex président des États-Unis, Jimmy Carter.

L'idée de réunir d'anciens leaders est née en 2001 dans l'esprit du patron du groupe Virgin, Richard Branson, et du chanteur Peter Gabriel, qui en ont fait part à Mandela, la personne la plus admirée au monde selon un sondage canadien publié l'an dernier.

Mandela a réuni autour de lui Jimmy Carter, mais aussi l'ex secrétaire général des Nations unies, Kofi Annan, l'archevêque sud-africain et également prix Nobel de la paix, Desmond Tutu, l'ancienne présidente irlandaise Mary Robinson ou encore Muhammad Yunnus, prix Nobel de la paix 2006 pour ses travaux sur le microcrédit.

Le premier président noir d'Afrique du Sud (1994-99), qui s'est retiré de la vie publique en 2004 et limite ses apparitions publiques, ne sera pas un membre actif du groupe, qui prévoit de se réunir «au moins deux fois par an dans des endroits différents», selon Mgr Tutu.

«J'aurais aimé en être», a regretté Madiba --surnom clanique et affectueux de Mandela-- en souhaitant bonne chance à ses anciens collègues. «J'espère qu'ils parviendront à apporter de la lumière là où l'obscurité affecte le monde.»

«Les Anciens» disposent d'un budget initial de 18 millions de dollars, provenant en partie d'un don de Richard Branson. Ils prévoient d'aborder des thèmes généraux, comme le changement climatique ou les pandémies, mais espèrent également contribuer à la résolution de conflits locaux.

«Dans les sociétés traditionnelles, les anciens jouaient toujours un rôle dans la résolution des conflits, la réflexion à long terme, et apportaient leur sagesse», a rappelé Peter Gabriel, qui a tiré des larmes à Mgr Tutu en entonnant sa chanson consacrée à Steve Biko, militant anti-apartheid mort en détention en 1977.

«Les Anciens ne prétendent pas avoir de pouvoirs magiques», a souligné Kofi Annan, mais offrent «leur expérience». «Ils pourront réussir, comme ils pourront échouer. Mais en travaillant ensemble, nous devrions faire une petite différence dans ce monde.»

Mandela devait ensuite fêter son anniversaire en famille et suivre à la télévision un match de gala, réunissant des légendes du football comme le Brésilien Pelé et le Néerlandais Ruud Gullit, organisé en son honneur dans la soirée au Cap (sud-ouest).

Selon un sondage publié dans la presse locale mercredi, Mandela n'a jamais été aussi populaire dans son pays. Appelés à lui donner une note sur 10, les Sud-Africains lui ont décerné un 9,2 contre 8,2 en 1999, quand il a quitté le pouvoir.

Football et humanitaire pour les 89 ans de Mandela

L'ancien président sud-africain Nelson Mandela fêtait ses 89 ans mercredi. Un anniversaire célébré en grande pompe, avec un match de football rassemblant des gloires du ballon rond, dont Pelé et Karembeu, et le lancement d'une campagne humanitaire pour le développement et la paix, en présence de plusieurs autres prix Nobel de la paix.

Des messages de soutien ont commencé à lui parvenir de toute la planète. "Le pays et le monde ont le privilège de fêter un dirigeant aussi remarquable", a notamment déclaré le président sud-africain Thabo Mbeki, qui a succédé à Nelson Mandela en 1999.

Le Congrès des Syndicats d'Afrique du Sud, la plus grande fédération syndicale du pays, a affirmé qu'il avait "fait plus qu'aucun autre pour forger l'histoire de l'Afrique du Sud et nous aider à gagner la démocratie et la liberté".

Mandela a été emprisonné pendant près de 30 ans en raison de sa lutte contre l'apartheid. Libéré en 1990, il a mené les négociations pour mettre fin à la ségrégation raciale en Afrique du Sud avant de devenir président du pays en 1994, dans le cadre des premières élections réellement démocratiques du pays. Il a reçu le prix Nobel de la paix en 1993 avec Frederik de Klerk, dernier président de l'apartheid.

Il a quitté le pouvoir en 1999 mais a continué à travailler pour réduire la pauvreté, l'illettrisme et le SIDA en Afrique.

La semaine de festivités organisées pour son anniversaire sera marquée par les visites de nombreux amis de Mandela, notamment l'ancien président américain Bill Clinton. Une fête pour les enfants clôturera la semaine de festivités mardi prochain.

Le coup d'envoi a été donné mercredi avec un "Happy Birthday" chanté lors d'une cérémonie marquant le lancement d'un groupe baptisé "The Elders" ("Les Aînés"), destiné à oeuvrer en faveur de la paix dans le monde, à résoudre les crises internationales et à soutenir la prochaine génération de dirigeants.

Parmi ces "aînés" figurent notamment l'ancien secrétaire général de l'ONU Kofi Annan, Ela Bhatt, une militante indienne des droits de l'Homme, l'ancien Premier ministre norvégien Gro Harlem Brundtland, l'ancien président américain Jimmy Carter, l'épouse de Mandela, Graca Machel, l'ancienne présidente irlandaise Mary Robinson, l'ex-archevêque sud-africain Desmond Tutu, ou encore Muhammad Yunus, chantre du micro-crédit et fondateur de la Grameen Bank.

Mercredi, Mandela a affirmé que ce groupe, qui comprend plusieurs lauréats du prix Nobel de la paix, "soutiendra le courage là où il y a la peur, encouragera l'accord là où il y a conflit, et inspirera l'espoir là où il y a désespoir".

Les "Aînés" décideront de leurs priorités dans les mois qui viennent et travailleront avec des groupes constitués. Le milliardaire britannique Richard Branson et le chanteur Peter Gabriel, qui sont à l'origine du projet, ont expliqué que le monde avait besoin de tels "aînés", en qui l'on ait confiance, et capables de parler de manière libre et indépendante.

Plus tard dans la journée, l'ancienne star brésilienne du football Pelé, le Camerounais Samuel Eto'o, consacré à trois reprises meilleur joueur africain de l'année, ou encore le Français Christian Karembeu, champion du monde 1998, devaient faire partie des quelque 50 stars passées et actuelles disputant au Cap un match de football baptisé "90 minutes pour Mandela". L'Afrique devait être opposée au reste du monde à l'occasion de ce match de gala.

Richard Branson forms a band of 'Elders' with Mandela, Carter, Tutu and others

Melding serious statesmanship and a large slug of audacity, the former South African president Nelson Mandela and a clutch of world-famous figures plan to announce on Wednesday a private alliance to launch diplomatic assaults on the globe's most intractable problems.

The alliance, to be unveiled on Wednesday during events marking Mandela's 89th birthday, is to be called "The Elders." Among others, it includes the retired Anglican archbishop Desmond Tutu; Jimmy Carter, the former U.S. president; the retired United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan, and Mary Robinson, the human-rights activist and former president of Ireland.

Many, including Mandela, have been early and harsh critics of President George W. Bush and American foreign policy, particularly toward Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The group's members and backers insisted in interviews, however, that they are guided neither by ideology nor by geopolitical bent.

Mandela states in remarks prepared for Wednesday that the fact that none of The Elders holds public office allows them to work for the common good, not for outside interests.

"This group can speak freely and boldly, working both publicly and behind the scenes on whatever actions need to be taken," the remarks state. "Together we will work to support courage where there is fear, foster agreement where there is conflict, and inspire hope where there is despair."

Whether governments that become the objects of The Elders' freelance diplomacy will agree remains to be seen. One of the group's founders and principal sponsors, the British tycoon Sir Richard Branson, said that those leaders whom he had briefed - including Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain and the South African president, Thabo Mbeki - "very much support the initiative."

"There will always be skeptics of any positive initiatives, but these are people giving up their time for nothing," he said of The Elders. "Most individuals in the world would welcome a group of people who are above ego, who, in the last 12 or 15 years of their lives, are above partisan politics."

Precisely what problems The Elders will tackle is unclear; none have yet been selected.

A spokeswoman said the group would jointly decide where to step in, based in part on the seriousness of an issue and their ability to contribute to a solution.

In interviews, Branson and Carter offered two quite different hypothetical situations: The Elders might be able to help resolve regional crises like the wave of guerrilla fighting and kidnapping in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger River delta, Branson suggested.

For his part, Carter said the group might address problems like the waste and lack of coordination among aid organizations providing health care in developing nations. "The Elders won't get involved in delivering bed nets for malaria prevention," he said. "The issue is to fill vacuums - to address major issues that aren't being adequately addressed."

If the concept and the name seem a bit outsized - a diplomatic league of superheroes, one might say - that may stem from their ties to Branson, who rarely does anything in a small way.

In a telephone interview, Branson said that he began thinking about a the notion in 2003, after he sought to persuade Mandela and Annan to travel to Baghdad to ask Saddam Hussein to relinquish power in Iraq. The two agreed, but war broke out before arrangements were completed.

Later, after working on a concert for one of Mandela's charities, Branson flew home with Peter Gabriel, the British rock musician and human-rights activist. "I was talking about the need for a group of global elders to be there to rally around in times of conflict," he said, "and Peter said he'd had a similar idea, but using the global Internet to help elders relate to the world community."

Thus was born The Elders, named after the preeminence of elders in African village societies. Over the last year or so, Branson held a series of meetings at his Caribbean base, Necker Island, at which potential members and backers were recruited to the cause and asked to contribute their own ideas.

Carter said the meetings were a tightly held secret. "Before we went I didn't know what the meeting was all about," he said. "I went because of Sir Richard. We'd talked earlier about the possibility of a biofuels plant in my town, Plains."

Branson and Gabriel contributed funds to begin the project. Asked how much it would cost, Branson replied, "Obviously, it's not cheap." But enough donors have given money to finance The Elders' first four years of work, he said, and he anticipates that raising still more will not be difficult.

V2 on We7 4U

You’ve probably read about We7 — the advertising-supported free download music site. Some are calling it the way forward, others see it as grasping at straws. I thought I’d ask.

Recently, one of the bigger independent record labels, V2 Music signed a deal with We7 to release their music for free to consumers through the service, recouping through advertising revenue.

I’ve had some dealings in the past with Beth Appleton, the head of Digital and Business Development at V2. She introduced herself once as a reader of this site, and I’ve since come to know her as one of the smartest and most proactive managers at that end of the game — so I decided to ask her what the story was.

She kindly obliged with some answers.

We7 — isn’t that something to do with Peter Gabriel?

Yes, Peter Gabriel has teamed up with technology entrepreneur Steve Purdham and financial investor John Taysom to bring advertisers a new ad delivery mechanism.

How does it work?

We7 uses free music downloads as a vehicle to communicate personalised advertising messages, allowing brands to intimately connect with consumers on- and offline.

Why have you decided to put V2’s catalogue on We7?

We7 are driving a new business model for the music and the entertainment industry. V2 are constantly seeking to involve ourselves in new models and explore how music fans embrace these new ways of enjoying music.

Online environments, such as We7, where music fans can enjoy music when they want, where the experience to the music fan feels free and fun but critically labels and artists are being paid is an exciting legitimate alternative.

You’re trying quite a few different approaches to digital content distribution aren’t you?

The best way to find out what will work and what music fans want is to embrace, learn and involve ourselves with new platforms, technologies and business models. This is an approach which works for V2 and also we hope adds the edge to as a label when artists are looking for leading label to work with.

What’s having the best result for you?

Digital sales as a la carte downloads are very encouraging at present. Subscription models, which are still in very early stages are increasing in terms of people understanding and using platforms such as eMusic and Napster to access music.

The last 6 months has seen a rise in mobile sales and mobile revenue is now a significant part of our business which will only increase as the number of smartphones in the market increase and customer services via phones impove.

Are you one of the labels dissatisfied with eMusic’s payouts?

Not at all. eMusic is a significant player for V2 in the US market and the European service is still in early stages, we need to give services the time to gain critical audience.

Where do you think digital music distribution is heading? Pay-per-download? Subscription? Advertising-supported? Some other system?

I believe there will be a whole host of services, and business models all working in tandem. The consumer will decide which experience they want and when and this may change depending on the use/experience they are seeking.

Subscription services will extend to mobile with dual delivery and possibly will be paid for as part of another subscription eg. Sky, Mobile contract, BT.

Ad-Supported models will hopefully enable P2P to become a legitimate platform and will enable wonderful discover services such as Last.fm, Pandora etc. to operate in a licenced and commercial environment.

Does it vary depending on genre?

Slightly — in the sense that genre can be associated with demographic, and demographics have different associated factors such as disposable income, time in the home/on the move, use of hardware (phone versus digital music player), and involvement in social networking sites — which will influence where they enjoy music and how that experience is paid for.

What advice would you give to smaller labels struggling with the online environment?

Prioritise where you spend your time and effort building relationships. Know who your key partners are for commercial revenues and where the important areas are for building community.

In most cases for a small label it is best to go through a digital distributor as then you don’t have to spend time and resource putting contracts in place and getting involved in the technical delivery problems. You can then concentrate on the marketing and promotion building the necessary profile and involvement with the fanbase to build the excitement.

What does V2 know that the major labels don’t?

We understand how music fans like to enjoy music digitally and ensure that we make our music available in this way. We distribute our music as MP3s and subscription services as well as ad-funded models.

We embrace P2P and new business models. We are forward thinking and are keen to explore what technology can do (as an art) rather than what we need to do to restrict and control.

And — quick plug: who’s your Next Big Thing?

Blood Red Shoes

Peter Gabriel & Crowded House live in Marlay Park, Dublin

Peter Gabriel live 2007

Review Snapshot: Despite appalling weather conditions, Crowded House and Peter Gabriel managed to delight a field of sodden punters with two excellent, crowd pleasing sets.

Full review: Sometimes, just sometimes, you go to a gig that you’ll remember for the rest of your life. For me, the Crowded House / Peter Gabriel double header at Marlay Park was one of those. It seemed like an odd pairing to me when I first heard it announced - although I’m a big fan of both acts, it didn’t seem to me that they had anything in common in terms of their musical styles. I also felt a bit miffed that the House, who had a pretty big following back in the day, weren’t headlining.

The appalling weather in the week preceding the gig didn’t bode well for the event. Myself and my friend arrived at the site shortly after the gates opened (oddly, all the security seemed to be provided by An Garda Siochana rather than the usual private security mutts) and had time for a leisurely stroll around the usual array of ludicrously overpriced food stands, t-shirt tents, and the other assorted tat designed to part us from our hard earned...

...Next up was Peter Gabriel who also delivered a brilliant set with many of the songs taken from his classic third album (for reasons best known to himself, all three of Gabriel’s first three solo albums are titled simply Peter Gabriel. Thanks for that Peter). Highlights here were No Self Control, Intruder, Not One of Us, and the beautiful Family Snapshot. Solsbury Hill was another masterful song which got a great response from the crowd. Gabriel himself was in playful mood, at various times leading band members around the stage in a conga line reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen’s performances. We were also treated to the shameless crowd pleaser of Sledgehammer. Although I’d come mainly to see Crowded House, I hugely enjoyed Gabriel’s set too and left Marlay Park soaked but happy. Here’s hoping that the rest of the summer concert season lives up to this standard.

South Africa, World Fete Mandela on 89th

Nelson Mandela celebrates his 89th birthday Wednesday, launching a humanitarian campaign along with former President Jimmy Carter, ex-U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and other "elders" of the global village.

The initiative stems from an idea by British entrepreneur Richard Branson and musician Peter Gabriel to create a world council of elders to tackle issues such as conflict, AIDS and global warming.

"This group of international leaders will share how they intend to work together to contribute their wisdom, independent leadership and integrity in addressing some of the world's toughest problems," organizers said in a statement.

Branson and Gabriel, who founded an international human rights organization and championed the anti-apartheid cause, were expected to attend Wednesday's event, part of a week of festivities for Mandela's birthday.

A children's party that has become an annual fixture wraps things up July 24. Before that, events will feature Bill Clinton and soccer legend Pele, who will play in a special star-studded match to honor Mandela.

Mandela was imprisoned for nearly three decades for his fight against apartheid. He was released in 1990 to lead negotiations to end decades of racist white rule and elected president in South Africa's first free elections in 1994. He left office in 1999, but has continued to take a leading role in the fight against poverty, illiteracy and AIDS in Africa.

Clinton will open an exhibit on Thursday that focuses on the late Chief Albert Luthuli, an anti-apartheid campaigner who won the 1960 Nobel Peace Prize, and Mandela, who was given the honor in 1993.

Luthuli was the leader of the now-governing African National Congress when the group embarked on armed struggle against the racist apartheid regime. Mandela was the ANC's leader three decades later as it negotiated a peace settlement with the nationalist government.

On Sunday, Annan will deliver the annual Nelson Mandela Lecture. The first in the series was given by Clinton on July 19, 2003. Others who have delivered lectures include 1994 Nobel peace laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Kenyan environmentalist and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai and South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki.

Pele and soccer star Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon head a list of more than 50 players taking part in "90 Minutes for Mandela."

The match, to be played on Wednesday in Cape Town, will pit Africa against the rest of the world. Proceeds are earmarked for social programs, including Mandela's campaign against AIDS.

FIFA organized a similar all-star match in 1999 to honor Mandela when he stepped down as South African president.

Before the match, a ceremony will be held to honor a soccer league formed by political prisoners on Robben Island, where Mandela was incarcerated for 18 of the 27 years he spent in jail.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter will confer honorary FIFA membership on the Makana Football Association, which Mandela, separated from his comrades, used to watch playing from his cell window until prison authorities built a wall to further cut him off.

Makana, a local name for Robben Island, comes from a 19th century warrior leader of the Xhosa, the tribe to which Mandela belongs. The British banished Makana to Robben Island in 1819 and he died trying to escape.

Mandela has long recognized the importance of sports in helping to promote reconciliation. He appearing before a crowd of mostly white fans at the Rugby World Cup final in 1995 wearing a green and yellow South African team jersey, sending a powerful message to white South Africans that he was serious about racial reconciliation. Mandela also was instrumental in persuading FIFA to award South Africa the right to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup, a first for Africa.