Hassan Hakmoun

Photo by Angel Romero

World Music Central

Hassan Hakmoun was born in Marrakech in 1963. At the age of seven he began to study tagnawit, the Gnawa related arts and lore, under the renowned Hmida Boussou. Starting with a few dances and songs, he gradually moved on to learn drumming, sintir playing ( sintir is a three-stringed long-necked lute), litanies, chants, costume and knowledge of the spirits. Hakmoun began to play for the Derdeba (Gnawa ceremony), which can last from ten in the evening into the next day. It is believed to release spirits that have inhabited a person or place.

At fourteen, Hakmoun left school to pursue a less formal education on the road. He traveled throughout Morocco, Spain and up into France, learning from his experiences and from the Gnawa masters he visited on his journey. Returning to Marrakech, Hakmoun continued to work as a Gnawa, performing as an entertainer on Jamaa el-Fna, the town square and working as a m'allem (master musician) in the Derdeba. Along with other young musicians in Marrakech, he has begun to broaden the repertory of Gnawa entertainment songs by performing Arab and Berber tunes in the Gnawa style.

Whether onstage, or visiting with friends in a small apartment, as Hakmoun sings and plays himself into a trance, people around him seem not too far from a trance-like state themselves. The pentatonic scale and driving rhythm of the Sintir are instantly appealing and familiar to Western audiences; music of the Gnawa, like much American popular music, is built from elements borrowed from West Africa. Clawhammer banjo enthusiasts will also find commonality in the percussive style of plucking the Sintir.

Hakmoun made his U.S. debut in 1987 at Lincoln Center and has been living in New York City ever since. He performed at Woodstock '94 and on the WOMAD '94 tour. Besides performing traditional Gnawa music he has performed and recorded with jazz musicians such as Don Cherry and Adam Rudolph, pop stars like Peter Gabriel and Paula Cole, and world beat artists like Jamshied Sharifi.

In the year 2000, Hassan moved from New York to Los Angeles. He is romantically involved with pop singer Paula Cole.

Discography:
	Gift of the Gnawa (Rounder, 1991) Trance (Realworld, 1993) Fire Within (Music of the World, 1995) Life Around the World (Alula Records, 1999) The Gift (Triloka 7930185228-2, 2002)

Tony Levin performs solo for HopeTogether benefit

What do you want from Tony Levin first, the good news or the bad news?

The bad news? "Time travel will not be forthcoming," he predicts.

And the good news? "The day is coming when artificial intelligence becomes as intelligent as humans," he says. "The debate is, when will artificial intelligence reach us, in 20 or 30 years, or 150 years?"

Levin, the philosopher-bassist, professor of panspermia, plays Friday at New Covenant. It is a benefit for a high-minded cause: HopeTogether is the Penfield church's program that, since 2003, has sent members of its congregation on trips to Africa and the Katrina-battered Gulf Coast, with a specific mission to aid the poor in those troubled regions.

Levin, who has maintained his strong connection to Rochester since his days as a student at the Eastman School of Music, is planning a relaxed solo show. He figures he'll spend a portion of the evening answering questions about a career that's seen him play with Peter Gabriel, John Lennon, Paul Simon, King Crimson and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and as part of the three sold-out "Friends & Love" reunion shows last spring at the Eastman Theatre.

He'll bring his bass, of course. And the Chapman Stick, whose 10 strings are played by tapping them. And he'll probably bring out the Funk Fingers, the drumstick-like appendages that he wears on one hand, giving his bass a percussive sound. You can hear all of that on his latest album, Stick Man.

He'll also sing, by the way. Levin has always been in the background when he's opened his mouth, until his 2006 album Resonator. "Yeaaah," he says, looking for just the right tone of dismissiveness. "But I knew before I went into it that a lead vocalist has a lot of elements other than hitting the right notes. I just had a lot that I wanted to say that I couldn't say instrumentally."

He keeps a journal and writes poetry. And as one century gave way to the next, those observations needed to spill over into his music. "There was all of the turmoil from the end of the century, and 9/11," Levin says. "And I read a lot about science and religion, and I think there's been a lot of action in both of those fields. So I've been trying to imagine the coming century."

Science and religion have been stepping on each other's toes particularly harshly since George Bush took office, with the debates over creationism, placing the Ten Commandments in public places and stem-cell research.

On the question of artificial intelligence, Levin sees the fast pace at which new technology is introduced — "Look at how quickly people got cell phones" — as a sign that it will be 20 to 30 years, rather than 150 years, when we're surrounded by smart-aleck robots.

"I predict there will be a lot more conflict in 10-15 years, when science takes some huge leaps and, in my opinion, starts evolving humanity into a more advanced species," he says. "I don't think there's any holding it back. How will we react to man the creator, as opposed to God the creator?" To that end, he's written a song called "Throw The God a Bone."

"Dogs look at us as god. We provide for them, and they adore us," Levin says. "If, and when, we create life, will we want them" — meaning the robots or biological life that springs forth from our science — "to look at us in the same way?"

Similarly, "Places to Go" blends science with theology. Its first verse opens with, "The theory of panspermia, the theory that life came from other planets," Levin says. This was inspired by a NASA mission to Mars, the search for water there, and accompanying microbiological life forms. "The first verse goes, 'Hello Mars, it's good to be back,'" Levin says. "Having some inherent memory of having been there before." Before the song is done, he's also visited Boston, then his grandmother in heaven. "Gee, it's good to be home," he sings at each stop.

"Intellectually, I have lots of concerns," Levin says. "What I try to do artistically is not explain those things, but filter them in through my artistic sense. Not simply to sing about religion or science."

He's much more direct with one of his major passions, photography. Levin recently published Crimson Chronicles Vol. 1, available on his Web site. It catches King Crimson rehearsing and on tour through the '80s. Levin displays an eye for backstage moments, such as drummer Bill Bruford standing on his head while Robert Fripp noodles away on his guitar. But this ain't backstage with Motley Crue. Not a groupie is to be seen. Levin has stories to tell, but he'll never make the cut on VH1: Behind the Music.

"The bands I have traveled with never have been that kind of band," Levin says. "If you want to give it a category, they are progressive rock groups, which draw nothing like groupies. The fellows who get excited about that music have beards and play air guitar."

Jeff Spevak Staff music critic

Gabriel Recovering After Skiing Accident

AP Photo / Lionel Cironneau

Peter Gabriel is recovering after breaking his left leg while skiing in Switzerland. The former Genesis star is now "learning to hobble" around his home in Wiltshire, England, after starting the year in the hospital.

Speaking on his official Web site, the singer says, "We went away for a family holiday and I was skiing. ... I was with a group of friends who tend to go at some speed ... so I thought I'd get my skis out. I hit a rock and I could feel a loud snap as I broke my leg, and then I skied down to the piste, which was a bit stupid."

Showing off his cast from his home studio, Gabriel reveals, "I've been spending a lot of time in hospital ... but I think it's all been put back together." The rocker admits he's "frustrated" by his lack of movement, adding it has been 35 years since he broke his other leg after diving from a stage in Aylesbury, England. But it's not all pain and frustration for the hitmaker -- Gabriel was named Personality of the Year by music industry market MIDEM for his music and human rights work on Monday.

Shock the Monkey!

The 57-year-old injured rocker resurfaced at an airport in France last week, looking more and more like his former Genesis band mate, Phil Collins.

Peter broke his leg over the holidays in a skiing accident in Switzerland. In the late '80s and early '90s, Peter dated Rosanna Arquette.

The future is Peter Gabriel's to download

At an international music conference, the musician and Web entrepreneur says new technologies must be embraced.

January 30, 2008

CANNES, France -- Peter Gabriel was saluted in grand fashion here Monday as the 2008 "personality of the year" during the annual MIDEM international music conference, an award previously handed out to such music-biz luminaries as Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun, Clive Davis, Quincy Jones and Montreux Jazz Festival founder Claude Nobs. But the musician and technological innovator skipped the opportunity to revel in the past that this kind of honor affords.

Accepting a glass trophy from MIDEM President Paul Zilk before a group of about 300 industry movers and shakers that also included his mother and sister, Gabriel remarked that "It's time to put the corpse of what we know as the record industry in the ground and let some other beautiful things start to grow out of it."

Few appeared to take offense, as the forward-thinking musician echoed comments he'd made earlier in the day and that others have been raising during the five-day gathering of nearly 9,500 participants from 91 countries.

In both settings Gabriel, 57 and hobbling on crutches with a broken foot from a recent skiing accident, urged musicians and industry executives to embrace rather than fight the technological changes and shifting culture patterns that have put the music business into a nose dive in recent years.

One specific response of his own is the recently launched We7 Internet service that generates free legal music downloads by pairing music with brief advertisements that create the revenue to pay artists. Gabriel has sunk $6 million of his own money into We7, which he said has logged about 1 1/2 million downloads since it went online last year.

The advertising-driven download model is one that many companies represented at MIDEM are experimenting with in different ways, and Gabriel acknowledged the potential pitfalls of so directly mixing art and commerce.

"It's climbing in bed with the devil," he said shortly before the award dinner at the Carlton Hotel. But the day of keeping the two segregated may well be over."I'm a big fan of Neil Young," Gabriel said, "but the artist who has complete control of his music and keeps his music completely apart from advertising is probably a thing of the last century."

The way Gabriel sees it, most young listeners are accustomed to hearing music in advertising environments. So by combining the ad-sponsored downloads for free with commercial pitches tailored to each We7 user's individual interests, ads can "become less annoying and more informational. It's about not selling dog food to cat owners."

The idea expands on what Gabriel helped develop with TheFilter.com, a website that generates music playlists based on users' record collections. Asked whether he was worried about other similar services now coming online, Gabriel said, "I love competition -- bring it on."

And he pointed to Radiohead's recent release of its "In Rainbows" album first as a pay-what-you-will digital download and then a physical CD as the wave of the future. "I think we'll be seeing a lot more of that, where artists don't just release one thing in one form," said Gabriel, who bought the deluxe version of "In Rainbows" costing around $80. "Fans will probably be able to get a free download version, then have the choice of buying a physical copy, or paying a bit more for a deluxe version with lots of extras. Finally I think we'll be seeing more artists releasing the limited-edition, handmade, signed edition. I think all those models can coexist."

As for Gabriel's long-incubating "Big Blue Ball" project, featuring artists from around the world who recorded in his Real World studio in England over three years in the '90s, his numerous philanthropic activities have limited his time to finish it. He quipped that it would be released "this century -- weather permitting," but added that it should see the light of day in 2008.

It was his involvement with the Elders, a coalition of 13 world leaders including Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Kofi Annan and Jimmy Carter, that prevented the singer from joining his original band, Genesis, on its reunion tour last year.

"There's no animosity" with his former bandmates, Gabriel said, and left open the possibility of revisiting the reunion idea. Not long before Led Zeppelin's reunion in London in November, Gabriel said he got a call from singer Robert Plant, wanting to know one thing: "He asked which of us was going to sell out first."

By Randy Lewis Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

U2 manager takes Internet providers to task

Mon Jan 28, 2008

CANNES, France (Hollywood Reporter) - Paul McGuinness, longtime manager of rock band U2, has called on Internet service providers to immediately introduce disconnection policies to end illegal music downloads and urged governments to make sure they do. In a passionate keynote speech delivered Monday during the International Managers Summit at the MIDEM music conference, McGuinness said it was time for artists to stand up against what he called the "shoddy, careless and downright dishonest way they have been treated in the digital age."

He spread the blame between record labels that "through lack of foresight and planning allowed a range of industries to arise that let people steal music"; Silicon Valley companies that create marvelous devices but "don't think of themselves as makers of burglary kits"; and governments who "created a thieves' charter" by agreeing that ISPs should not be responsible for what passes along their pipes. "There's a lot of money in the music business, but it has stopped coming to the artists," McGuinness said, though he agreed that U2 long ago determined that it "would be pathetic to be great artists but not be great at business."

Decrying ISPs that hold up their hands in innocence when music is downloaded via their systems, he offered a comparison. "If you were a magazine advertising stolen cars, handling the money for stolen cars and seeing to the delivery of stolen cars, the police would soon be at your door," he said. "That's no different to an ISP, but they say they can't do anything about it. If you steal a laptop from a store or don't pay for your broadband service, you'll soon be cut off and nicked."

To great applause from the audience of music managers, McGuinness insisted that disconnection enforcement would work. "I call on ISPs to do two things. First, protect the music, and second, to make a genuine effort to share the enormous revenues. They should share their ingenuity as well as the money. We must shame them. Their snouts have been at our trough for too long."

Later, musician Peter Gabriel added his support, agreeing that a lot of money is being made out of music by ISPs. He expressed concern, though, about blanket deals. "The trouble with any blanket agreement is that the money doesn't tend to trickle down to the artists," he said at a news conference. "We've all been told in the past about these kinds of deals, and we never see it in our (bank) accounts. It needs to be not just verbiage. It needs to express itself in money too." In Cannes for a banquet honoring him as MIDEM's 2008 Personality of the Year, Gabriel wore a cast on his left leg as the result of a skiing mishap. "I hit a rock," he said. "And I used to think of myself as a rock artist."

By Ray Bennett Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

CDs down but not yet out, say music pundits

CANNES, France (AFP) — CDs may well be seen as 'yesterday's' technology by young digitally-savvy music lovers, but there's life left in the shiny discs for some years to come, leading industry executives said Sunday. Plummeting CD sales worldwide have been blamed for many of the current woes of the global music business as new digital music products and services continue to grow and seduce consumers. But that is only part of the CD story.

"I believe there will be sales of physical (CD and vinyl) products for many years to come," Jean-Bernard Levy, who heads up Universal Music's parent company, entertainment giant Vivendi SA, told a music conference at the MIDEM music mart, the world's biggest music industry event taking place in this Riviera seaside resort. Many consumers are still buying CDs in supermarkets, retail stores or from online stores such as Amazon, Levy said.

His view was echoed by another leading music executive, Thomas Hesse, who heads global digital business at another record major, Sony BMG. "Physical is a business you shouldn't talk down," he said. Thirty percent of Americans don't have Internet access, for example, and still buy music, Hesse noted. And of the 18 million copies of superstar Justin Timberlake's new album that sold recently, three million were CDs, he said.

CD sales, however, have been declining steadily over the past three to four years as digital music explodes onto a host of devices and online music download stores. According to the IFPI, the industry body that represents the international recording industry, physical sales, which are virtually entirely made up of CDs, dropped from 21.5 billion in 2004 to 17.5 billion in 2006 and slumped further to an estimated 15 billion in 2007. Digital sales have soared by comparison.

Record company revenues from online digital music sales climbed 40 percent to 2.9 billion dollars (1.9 billion euros) in 2007. But the jump still failed to make up for the drop in physical sales, which companies blame largely on rampant online music piracy. CD sales also seem to increase when artists include added value, such as extra tracks or information about the band along with the CD, industry experts said.

The concept of delux packaging has attracted at least one entertainer -- Genesis rocker and digital innovator Peter Gabriel, who told the influential US music magazine Billboard he has been looking into the concept for some time. The festive period also gave a shot in the arm to CD sales, according to industry analysts, which had a good Christmas in Britain.

AFP

Music industry trying new ways to profit from downloads

It's been a tumultuous start to the year for the digitally down-at-heel global music industry. First Robbie Williams went on strike from his label, protesting at the "EMI bean counters"' plans to restructure the ailing company. Then the figures came in from international music body, the IFPI, revealing CD sales fell about 10 per cent last year, a decrease only partially offset by the 40 per cent increase in digital music sales.

In Britain, the industry attacked internet providers who they accuse of allowing the public to download pirated music willy-nilly. It's pushing for EU law to make internet service providers responsible for monitoring traffic on their network and to cut off members downloading music illegally. Amidst the acrimony, there are some companies trying to come up with innovative ways to stave off the collapse of the music industry, although it's far too early to tell if they'll be successful.

A significant deal went down last week when web radio station Lastfm.com, bought last year by American broadcaster CBS for US$280 million (NZ$361.7m), signed a deal with major music labels to allow Lastfm to stream their songs on the web, free to access worldwide. It's a big move for Universal, EMI, Sony BMG and Warners, who favour paid-for digital downloads along the iTunes.com model over emerging business models - such as advertising-supported downloads and on-demand streaming services.

There's also the risk software will become widely available that will allow people to record high-quality versions of the tracks being streamed from Lastfm, making music piracy even easier than it is now. But the labels have built some conditions of use into the service to avoid making it too sweet for free-riding listeners. When the labels' 3.5 million tunes become available "in the coming months", you will only be able to listen to each song three times.

Lastfm says it will make a premium service available for people who want to pay for repeat playback of songs. The premium service and advertising on the Lastfm website will provide revenue and is immediately available to listeners in Britain, the US and Germany.

Taking a different tack is rock icon Peter Gabriel with We7.com, his music download venture which has just received a US$6m injection of venture capital. We7.com lets you download music tracks for free - but there's a catch. Each song has an advert at the start. You have to listen to the ad for the first eight times you listen to the song. I gave it a go, downloaded a zipped-up version of Ocean Colour Scene's single Make the Deal and ran it in Windows Media Player.

A five-second advert played before the song, a not very memorable melodic rock number. I like the model, but Gabriel and his fellow financiers have a bigger battle making We7.com work than getting people to listen to these short ads. None of the big labels are on board. So you can't even download Gabriel classics such as Solsbury Hill from the website he helped found.

But the key to the long-term future of Lastfm and We7.com may lie in a generation of emerging musicians. They comprise a good deal of the listings on We7.com. They share in advertising revenue, while Lastfm has a system so unknown artists can upload their songs to the website and receive a tiny royalty each time the song is played. Small steps, then, towards tackling issues facing an industry that grew fat on the CD.

By Peter Griffin

interview personnality of the year midem 2008

Kudsi Erguner

Kudsi Erguner lives and works in Paris as musician (Ney-flute, which is a reed flute), composer, musicologist, teacher, author, and translator.

He was born February 4 of 1952 in Diyarbakir, Turkey. Erguner comes from a family of Turkish musicians. His contact with many famous musicians from the older generation, who continually passed through his parents house, and his involvement with various Sufi-brotherhoods, whose music and teachings Erguner studied, left their decisive marks on him. He received his training directly from his father, Ulvi Erguner, who was the last great master of the ney.

In 1969 he became a member of Istanbul Radio Orchestra. A few yeas later, in 1975, he moved to Paris to study in architecture and musicology.

Erguner carried out musical research in 1976 and collaborated on the filming on location in Afghanistan of Peter Brook's movie, Meetings with Remarkable Men.

In 1980 he made a research trip to Turkey, commissioned by UNESCO. A year later he founded in Paris the Mevlana Institute for the study of the classical music and teachings of the Sufis.

During 1985-88 he created original compositions, including work for Peter Brook's Mahabharata (theater piece and film).

In 1986/87 he made an expedition to Pakistan commissioned by Radio France and France Musique for the purpose of recording and documenting traditional music

The year 1988 saw the creation of the group Fasl (later the Kudsi Erguner Ensemble) with the goal of reviving the classical music repertoire of the 16th century Ottoman Empire. That same year he collaborated with Peter Gabriel on the soundtrack for Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ.

In 1991 he composed original music for Neva, a ballet by Carolyn Carlson, performed at the Théâtre de la Ville de Paris. He also provided original music in 1997 for the ballet Le Voyage Nocturne by Maurice Béjart, performed at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris

Kudsi Erguner's Ottomania (1999) is alleged to be the first World Music project that integrates the classical music of the Ottoman Empire with Western jazz improvisations and rhythms. It documents the story of a remarkable musical encounter, and is a logical continuation of Erguner's eventful life. "Unfortunately, 99% of the fusion music that is produced today is simply badly pasted together collages. With Ottomania, I have attempted to let a fusion really develop. It was therefore necessary for both sides to take a step towards each other. With Kudsi Erguner's ensemble on one side, and three great musicians from the international jazz scene - the German saxophonist Christof Lauer, the French tuba and serpent player Michel Godard, and the American drummer Mark Nauseef - on the other, Ottomania has successfully taken this step."

Kudsi Erguner has given concerts and played in major festivals throughout the world. He has researched the music of India, Pakistan, and Turkey, grounded diverse music ensembles, recorded numerous albums, and has worked with such well known artists as Peter Gabriel (Passion, Us), Maurice Béjart, Peter Brook, Georges Aperghis, Didier Lockwood, and Michel Portal.

Erguner has thus made authoritative contributions to World Music. He has documented and revived nearly forgotten musical traditions and brought them to the attention of the Western public, securing them a place within Europe's cultural inheritance.

World Music Central

PETER GABRIEL NAMED MIDEM PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

PETER GABRIEL is to be named Personality of the Year on Monday (28Jan08) by music industry market MIDEM for his music and human rights work It is the latest honour for the Sledgehammer singer who, within the last year (07), has received a lifetime achievement at Britain's Ivor Novello Awards and a Man of Peace honour from the Nobel Peace Laureates.

Gabriel says, "I must be getting to that awards time of life; it's God way of telling you you're getting on." Reed MIDEM CEO Paul Zilk described Gabriel as "an outstanding musician with an international following of millions". He adds, "Throughout his career he's shown that music transcends pure entertainment and can be put to the service of important issues such as human rights."

Shuttleworth leads global open education drive

Today sees the launch of the Cape Town Open Education Declaration which aims to make learning and teaching materials freely available online, to improve the quality of education in schools in South Africa and the rest of the world, leveraging the potential for open collaboration on the Web.

The declaration resulted from a meeting organised by the the Shuttleworth Foundation and the Open Society Institute in Cape Town last September and it already has some high-profile international signatories, including Ubuntu’s Mark Shuttleworth, Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia, Lawrence Lessig of Creative Commons and musician Peter Gabriel.

Although named after Cape Town, this declaration is part of a global initiative to encourage governments and publishers worldwide to make all of their publicly funded materials freely available online. That the declaration has already been translated into 15 languages so far is testament to its global reach.As part of the declaration, teachers and students worldwide are urged to use the web to share, remix and translate classroom materials to make education more accessible, effective, and flexible. Part of the motivation behind this effort is to overcome challenges faced by low-income and far-flung areas in accessing educational materials, giving students unlimited access to high quality and constantly improving course materials.

“Open education allows every person on earth to access and contribute to the vast pool of knowledge on the web,” said Wales, who was also one of the authors of the declaration. “Everyone has something to teach and everyone has something to learn.”

The concept of open education combines the open source aspects of allowing free access to the source and the freedom to make changes together with a focus on the learners that allows them to provide feedback and become more deeply involved in the teaching process. Through this collaboration the aim is to provide educational materials that are individually tailored to best suit the needs of the learners.

“Open sourcing education doesn’t just make learning more accessible, it makes it more collaborative, flexible and locally relevant,” said Shuttleworth. “Linux is succeeding exactly because of this sort of adaptability. The same kind of success is possible for open education.” (To view a video press briefing given by Shuttleworth, go to http://capetowndeclaration.blip.tv)

“I am particularly pleased that this launch is taking place in Africa, because Africa represents both the greatest opportunity for transformation if we get this right and perhaps the greatest risk if we fail, to really open the doors of knowledge and learning to all in the world today,” he added.

“Cultural diversity and local knowledge are a critical part of open education,” said Eve Gray of the Centre for Educational Technology at the University of Cape Town. “Countries like South Africa need to start producing and sharing educational materials built on their own diverse cultural heritage. Open education promises to make this kind of diverse publishing possible.”

Readers are encouraged to sign the declaration, which can be done here.

"Très à l’écoute de ce qui se passe dans l’industrie"

La parole à Dominique Leguern, présidente du Midem, le marché international de la musique qui se tient depuis samedi à Cannes.

(...)

Cette année, le prix d’honneur va à Peter Gabriel. Comment choisissez-vous ce prix chaque année ?

On essaye de choisir quelqu’un d’emblématique sur lequel il n’y a pas de contestation possible. Peter Gabriel c’est une évidence. C’est un artiste de groupe qui a fait une carrière fantastique, qui a fait une carrière solo extraordinaire, ensuite il a créé un label de world music fantastique (Real World – ndlr), ensuite qui a créé un festival de world music extraordinaire aussi (WOMAD – ndlr), ensuite il s’est tourné vers les nouvelles technologies et il a réussi son coup. Parallèlement à ça, il a agi dans le domaine caritatif et le domaine de la paix avec une réussite incroyable. Franchement, il est beau, il est sympa, il est intelligent ! (Rires.)

Talia Soghomonian Metrofrance.com

Peter Gabriel: "Le modèle payant est dépassé"

Peter Gabriel, "Personnalité de l'année du Midem 2008", n'est pas venu au grand marché international de l'industrie musicale les mains vides. Pionnier des musiques du monde, entrepreneur avant-gardiste passionné par la révolution Internet, l'ancien membre fondateur de Genesis défend sa nouvelle plateforme de téléchargement de musique, We7, basée sur la gratuité, en échange de la publicité.

Peter Gabriel n'est pas qu'un musicien de talent. C'est aussi un businessman à la pointe des nouvelles technologies.

JDD: Vous semblez plutôt stimulé par la révolution Internet, à la différence de l'ensemble des acteurs de l'industrie musicale...

Oui pour moi il s'agit d'une opportunité excitante plutôt qu'un désastre. Pour les artistes, le Net permet de toucher les masses avec très peu d'argent. Au niveau de la distribution, c'est fantastique. J'espère voire une grande révolution venir : il existe des possibilités nombreuses de changer le contenu, la nature même de la musique produite, avec beaucoup plus d'audaces et d'expérimentations, pas forcément guidées par les impératifs économiques. Car Internet offre une vitrine inédite pour les musiciens dits "marginaux" Et donc une plus grande liberté de création pour des artistes qui peuvent produire et diffuser leur musique par leurs propres moyens. J'aime cette idée que les artistes auront peut-être un peu plus de travail, mais plus de liberté aussi. Reste la question centrale, le public est-il prêt à encore acheter des disques ? Oui, les succès de Mika ou Amy Winehouse le prouvent.

JDD: Après OD2, créée en 2000 - bien avant I-Tunes -, vous avez lancé en juin dernier We7, une plateforme de téléchargement de musique gratuite financée par la publicité. Vous ne croyez pas aux sites payants?

Pour les jeunes, le modèle payant est dépassé. Ils ont grandi avec Internet et n'entendent pas débourser un centime pour de la musique. Aujourd'hui, le prix de la gratuité passe par la publicité. Et je ne suis pas un adepte fervent de la publicité, loin de là. Mais comme elle est partout, pourquoi pas sur des sites de téléchargement où elles seront moins nombreuses que sur les radios ou télés commerciales. Sur mon site, quand un internaute télécharge un titre, il verra apparaître une publicité sur son écran. Mais la "nuisance" sera temporaire puisque la pub disparaîtra au bout de quatre à six semaines après le téléchargement du titre. A l'arrivée, vous gardez la musique sans la pub. Cela me semble une solution acceptable, la seule pour garantir la gratuité à l'internaute et assurer un revenu aux artistes.

JDD: Il s'agit de publicités ciblées obtenues grâce à des données personnelles des internautes. Quid de la protection de la vie privée?

C'est un problème. Il faudrait toujours garder l'option pour l'internaute de communiquer ou non des données personnelles. Mais il ne faut pas oublier un fait important: l'ère de la sphère privée est aujourd'hui révolue. A Londres, nous avons plus de caméra dans la rue que dans n'importe quelle autre ville au monde. Si je veux chercher des informations sur une personne, il suffit de faire un tour sur les réseaux sociaux comme Myspace et surtout Facebook...

JDD: Des maisons de disques sont déjà intéressées?

Des labels indépendants surtout comme V2 et Sanctuary (tous deux rachetés par Universal). Une major serait également intéressée... Nous en sommes au début de l'aventure mais nous avons déjà 1,3 millions de connexion pour 80.000 titres disponibles, dont des morceaux de Herbie Hancock, Coolio et des artistes plus confidentiels mais passionnants.

JDD: Et les annonceurs?

Michael Moore pour son film SiCKO, le premier à nous faire confiance. Sony Ericsson aussi et quelques autres qui tentent l'aventure. Michael Moore m'a dit que ce type de publicité se révèle aussi efficace que les pubs au ciné.

JDD: A terme, les maisons de disques vont-elles devenir obsolètes?

Non. Mais elles doivent apprendre à travailler différemment. Un petit groupe de grandes maisons de disques ont dicté les règles, cette époque est révolue, la situation s'est inversée. En outre les maisons de disques regorgent de gens passionnés, et ils doivent être utilisés à bon escient, dans des structures plus flexibles où ils seront plus efficaces que dans ces grands monstres monolithiques. Mais j'en suis convaincu, les maisons de disques existeront toujours. Radiohead a fait une belle opération avec son nouvel album : laisser l'internaute fixer le prix du CD. Mais dans le même temps, ils ont mis en vente un très beau coffret avec deux CD, un livre avec des visuels et des bonus pour 40 livres. Je l'ai acheté d'ailleurs. Et aujourd'hui, leur album est aujourd'hui distribué par une maison de disque.

JDD : Vous avez pensé quoi du dernier album de Radiohead?

Je suis fan, j'adore leur détermination à briser les frontières et à continuer à explorer. Cela me rappelle les débuts du rock progressif.

Vous avez prévu de sortir votre album cette année?

Franchement, à mon âge, je m'en fous. Je le sortirais quand il sera prêt. Je vais aussi attendre de voir l'évolution de la situation avec EMI pour me décider.

EMI traverse effectivement une crise avec la fronde d'artistes comme Robbie Williams et Coldplay, le départ des Rolling Stones et le plan de rigueur de Guy Hands (patron du fonds de pension italien Terra Firma qui a racheté EMI), lequel menace de virer les artistes non rentables...

J'ai grandi dans une ferme. Mon père faisait écouter de la musique à ses vaches et je peux vous garantir que le lait produit était de bien meilleure qualité que celui du voisin qui, lui, tapait ses vaches. Si vous voulez du bon lait des artistes, il faut s'en occuper et bien les traiter, avec respect. Guy Hands a du multiplier les rencontres avec des businessman, mais peu avec des artistes. Je pense qu'il ne les comprend pas vraiment, il semble même en avoir peur. Mais le business est basé sur le travail des artistes.

La tournée de Genesis l'été dernier ne vous a pas donné envie de rempiler avec vos anciens camarades?

Je n'ai même pas eu le temps de les voir. Mais je n'ai rien contre une reformation, ce n'est pas hors de question.

Par Eric MANDEL le JDD.fr

Peter Gabriel, homme de l’année au Midem

Libération, Eco-Terre, Les gens

Le musicien anglais est la «personnalité de l’année» du 42e marché international du disque et de l’édition musicale (Midem) de Cannes qui ouvre ses portes samedi. Ce visionnaire technophile a compris avant tout le monde que le futur de la musique serait très largement digital et créé avant iTunes et Napster la plateforme de distribution numérique OD2, revendue en 2006 à Nokia. Sur fond de nouvelle dégringolade des ventes de disques (autour de - 17 % en 2007 et - 50 % sur les cinq dernières années) et de faible progression du téléchargement légal, le secteur continuera d’explorer ces nouveaux modèles qui peinent à émerger. La transition est loin d’être terminée.

Cash boost for Gabriel's free music site

Peter Gabriel's free music downloads site We7.com has secured £3m in funding.

We7 has been pushing advertising-supported music in an attempt to encourage take-up of legal music downloads, as well as tap the growth in digital advertising. UK-based venture firms Spark and Eden Ventures teamed up with Gabriel for the second round of funding, with Eden co-founder Charles Grimsdale joining the We7 board.

The service has been trialling 10-second integrated adverts, which are tagged on to tracks and targeted at the demographic of the listener. Advertisers so far have included Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony Ericsson, Cafe Direct and the Michael Moore film Sicko. We7 was launched publicly in May 2007 with initial investment from Gabriel and its chief executive, Steve Purdham.

Gabriel said We7's aim was to keep music free for consumers while maintaining some income for artists. "When advertising is smart enough to be a responsive information service, it is less intrusive for the listener and more effective for the seller," he added. The site offers a catalogue of 80,000 tracks through deals with independent bands and partnerships with the Sanctuary, Big Fish and mTunes labels. Last week, it reached its millionth download.

Biko is at the Apartheid Museum

An exhibition at the Apartheid Museum traces the life and death of Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko, to show what is behind the icon.

It was revealed at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that Black Consciousness proponent Steve Biko died because he wanted to sit on a chair. As a result, he was brutally beaten by the security police and died from his injuries.

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of his death, the Apartheid Museum has put together an excellent exhibition on Biko. Through about 50 panels filled with text and graphics, the viewer can read the words of Biko, taken from his book I Write What I Like.

But there are also many other things to read about the man, and how he died a lonely death at the hands of the brutal security police. There is unique footage of Biko from a 1977 BBC interview; and then minister of police Jimmy Kruger's infamous comment after Biko's death:

"I am not glad and I am not sorry about Mr Biko. His death leaves me cold. I can say nothing to you. Any person who dies … I shall also be sorry if I die …" he said, laughing at his own joke.

There is also footage of Kruger. Initially, the security police said that the cause of death was a hunger strike. Several months later, when it was acknowledged that Biko had died of brain damage, Kruger said dispassionately: "A man can damage his brain many ways. I have also felt like banging my head against a brick wall many times, but realising now, with the Biko autopsy, that may be fatal, I haven't done it."

Born in King William's Town

Bantu Steve Biko was born in King William's Town in 1948, a tall, handsome man with a charismatic personality. He was a founder member of the South African Students' Organisation, from which the Black Consciousness Movement developed, with the slogan "Black is beautiful".

Biko said in his book: "When you say 'Black is beautiful' you are saying, 'Man, you are okay as you are; begin to look upon yourself as a human being.'"
A number of umbrella organisations were formed, one of which was the Black People's Convention, which played a role in the Soweto riots of 1976.

In 1973, he was banned and confined to Eastern Cape. After the riots he was arrested repeatedly; by his final arrest on 18 August 1977 he had been in and out of jail frequently, including spending 101 days in solitary confinement.

He was held naked and manacled at the Walmer police station in Port Elizabeth, says human rights advocate George Bizos in No One to Blame. On the morning of 6 September he was taken to the security police offices in the Sanlam Building and interrogated until 6pm, when he was again handcuffed and shackled.

Long journey to Pretoria

He was examined and transferred to the prison hospital; he was given a lumbar puncture, which revealed blood in his spinal fluid. It was decided to transfer him to Pretoria, a 1 200km journey that took 11 hours, with Biko lying naked in the back of the Land Rover. He died on 12 September 1977 in the Pretoria prison hospital later that night. He was just 31 years old.

His death caused a worldwide outcry which temporarily stopped the deaths in detention, but they resumed a year to two later. In all, 115 people died in prison between 1963 and 1990.

Biko's wife, Ntsiki, says of his death in detention: "I think Steve expected to die in the hands of the security police. I think all of us expected it. But Steve was prepared to sacrifice his life for the black cause. He felt his work was so important that even if he died it would be worth it."

And Biko himself said of dying: "You are either alive and proud or you are dead, and when you are dead, you don't care anyway. And your method of death can be a politicising thing." The chair

The story about the chair was recounted when those responsible for his death testified at the TRC, in a bid to obtain amnesty for their actions. They made a half-hearted effort at an apology, but were denied amnesty because they had not told the truth.

Bizos has a different interpretation of why the security police had to get rid of Biko: "The state considered Biko dangerous, not because he had ever taken part in violent activities, but because of his formidable intellect."

The exhibition traces Biko's birth and education, his spells inside jail, his relationships, and his death in detention. There is a section, right at the top end of the exhibition, which, says curator Emilia Potenza, attempts to record details of others who died in detention. A video broadcasts images of them and their families, and any other details that researchers have managed to accumulate.

Says Potenza: "It is an extraordinary story which moves beyond the icon on a T-shirt to what's behind that icon."
Besides the repeated recordings of Biko and Kruger, the constant refrain of Peter Gabriel's song, simply entitled Biko, first released in 1980, echoes hauntingly around the museum.

The exhibition was put together at the request of the national Department of Education, with assistance from the Steve Biko Foundation. It makes use of many original photographs, documents and audio-visual clips, and draws on interviews with a range of his contemporaries.

It will travel around the country and go overseas, says Christopher Till, the museum's director. "The Biko story is one that needs to be told." His philosophy has won over the minds of many. "Many of the BC [Black Consciousness] ideas have triumphed."

The exhibition will run until the end of June 2008. The Apartheid Museum is on the corner of Northway and Gold Reef roads, Ormonde. It is open from Tuesdays to Sundays, from 10am to 5pm.

Written by Lucille Davie Monday, 21 January 2008

"Nous voulons remettre l'artiste au coeur du débat"

Dominique Leguern, Dir. du Midem : "Nous voulons remettre l'artiste au coeur du débat"

Le Palais des festivals de Cannes accueille du 27 au 31 janvier prochains la 42e édition du Marché International du Disque et des Editions Musicales (Midem). Cet événement, qui réunit chaque année ...

(...)

R : Peter Gabriel est présenté au Midem comme l'homme de l'année. Pourquoi avez-vous choisi de consacrer cet artiste ?

D.L : Peter Gabriel rassemble un nombre de facettes incroyables pour un seul homme. En tant qu'artiste, au sein d'un groupe avec Genesis ou en solo, il a contribué à la richesse et la diversité de la musique mondiale. Mais Peter Gabriel n'est pas seulement le chanteur et compositeur que l'on connaît, c'est aussi un pionnier, un entrepreneur. Cofondateur de la plate-forme de distribution musicale OD2, il a aussi lancé en 2007 un nouveau site de distribution musicale baptisé We7. Très impliqué dans le modèle économique digital, il s'est aussi mobilisé à maintes reprises dans des oeuvres associatives, notamment à but caritatif.

42e édition du Midem
Du 27 au 31 janvier 2008
A Cannes
Site officiel du Midem : www.midem.com

Youssou N'Dour en concert le 28 mars à l'AB Bruxelles

Le chanteur et musicien sénégalais Youssou N'Dour se produira en concert le 28 mars à l'Ancienne Belgique à Bruxelles. Pour le public occidental, Youssou N'Dour est surtout connu pour sa collaboration avec Peter Gabriel, Neneh Cherry, Wyclef Jean et Axelle Red. Il a aussi joué et enregistré avec Sting, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Dido, Tracy Chapman et bien d'autres encore.

Il a débuté très jeune sa carrière, à l'âge de 12 ans. Après quelques années de concerts avec le "Star Band", le groupe le plus populaire de Dakar au début des années 70, il forme son propre groupe, "Étoile de Dakar", rebaptisé plus tard "Super Étoile de Dakar". Trois ans après son disque "Egypt", qui lui a valu un Grammy Award, Youssou N'Dour revient avec "Rokku Mi Rokka".

Il s'est, pour cet album, à nouveau associé aux musiciens de la "Super Étoile de Dakar" et a en outre pu compter sur les contributions exceptionnelles d'une partie de la vieille garde de l'Orchestra Baobab. L'album comprend également un nouveau duo avec Neneh Cherry, avec qui il avait enregistré, il y a 13 ans, le succès mondial "7 Seconds". (belga)

Riding the rollercoaster on a magic mountain

It's the time of year that the great and good from politics and business get together in the Swiss Alps to put the world to rights. If it's January, it must be Davos. Once again, this year, as every year, there is only one place to be next week for the movers and shakers of the global elite. (...)

Having initially wowed even the corporate moguls who cough up millions in backing for most of the forum's activities, the high-wattage Hollywood personalities' appeal began to dim. Davos regulars, and the organisers themselves, seemed to feel that the superstars were eclipsing the agenda and, perhaps, hogging their own annual place in the global limelight.

This year Klaus Schwab, the forum's formidable founder, executive chairman and global éminence grise seems to have banished the Hollywood hangers-on from the select Davos circle, returning the event to its bedrock of top leaders from business and government. The glitziest cultural figures gracing the icy pavements of Davos next week appear to be Emma Thompson, the actress, Yo-Yo Ma, the cellist, and Peter Gabriel, the musician. Thus in more sombre times for the world economy, this year the forum itself seems to be sobering up, just a little...

Peter Gabriel shares his passion for technology

LONDON (Billboard) - Peter Gabriel has long been admired as a pacesetter of musical exploration, a passionate campaigner for human rights and a pathfinder in technological development. That widespread admiration will much be in evidence January 28 in Cannes, France, when Gabriel is named Personality of the Year at music industry trade conference MIDEM (Marche international de l'edition musicale).

The honor from "the world's music market" befits a true man of the world in both music and communication. It's also the latest in a distinguished collection of trophies. In May 2007, Gabriel received a lifetime achievement title at Britain's Ivor Novello Awards, and a few months earlier the Nobel Peace Laureates bestowed the Man of Peace honor on him.

But far from resting on his laurels, Gabriel continues to pursue new challenges. The years he spent as frontman during Genesis' most innovative era barely hinted at the inquisitive spirit of this four-time Grammy Award winner. In the past year, Gabriel has worked extensively to develop more of the globe-embracing ideas that have always been his stock in trade. He spoke with Billboard about some of them and what 2008 holds in store.

Q: How do you feel about being MIDEM's Personality of the Year?

Gabriel: "I must be getting to that awards time of life; it's God's way of telling you you're getting on. MIDEM, I think I've only been once before, when we were doing OD2 (the digital provider he co-founded in 2002). We were trying to get this union together (MUDDA) of digitally downloading artists, but the artists didn't leap to it at the time. Nowadays, people get it a lot more easily."

Q: When you recently co-founded digital music platform We7, did that feel like a successor to OD2?

Gabriel: "Well, it was just another punt in the music business, but it is another thing I think is potentially important for artists. With their traditional stream of revenue -- record sales -- being largely taken away, we've got to be a little more inventive. There are lots of different models emerging, and it was exciting to see the Radiohead one. (Radiohead released its latest album online initially, letting fans set their own price.)

"With people used to hearing ads on commercial radio, we were trying with We7 to see -- if we did a lot less than that but still included ads -- (whether) there was a way people could get songs, and eventually films, for free.

"The theory is that the more targeted the ads -- and you obviously have to choose to volunteer information about yourself -- the less painful it is. If I'm looking for a hybrid car, that's the moment when I'm probably interested to hear the ads from different hybrid manufacturers, so you don't get the old 'dog food to cat owners' (advertising).

"It's not the only way of doing things, but for a generation that's grown up with 'music for free,' it's a way of continuing that but still getting some stream of income to the people that created the content."

Q: To some extent, did you pre-empt Radiohead when you said you were considering releasing your next album without a conventional record company?

Gabriel: "Yes, but I hadn't conceived of the 'pay-what-you-want' thing, which I think was very brave. Clearly they're at the peak of their career, so they can rely on a certain number of fans. Deluxe packaging is something I've been talking about for a while -- I do think that's going to work, where people get something for nothing, a regular package for a reduced cost, then a deluxe or handmade item above that."

Q: Since 2005, you've also been working on TheFilter.com. What's that about?

Gabriel: "It's a recommendation engine of sorts, but my dream there, which I'm still pushing hard for, is a mixer that you can stick anyone in, whether it's (a recommendation from) a favorite artist, a magazine, your friend, someone who looks like they've got interesting taste, and you (could) just press a 'do it' button and get a combination of people's tastes. At the moment, it makes recommendations for you based on what you like."

Q: You admire new technology not for its own sake but for what it can do to connect the world, don't you?

Gabriel: "Yes, I'm passionate about it; actually, I've been spending more time on that than music stuff in this last year. We've got this thing called TheElders.org up and running, and the Hub at (human rights organization) Witness, which is intended to be a sort of YouTube for human rights. The Elders is extraordinary: respected people, like (Nelson) Mandela and Kofi Annan, that are beyond career-building but still have leverage and respect and wisdom, which is still an underused natural resource. I'm also trying to push a thing called Face the World, which is a serious attempt to get every living face online. With Google Earth, I can pretty much zero in on any living tree, but I can't zoom in on any living face. It's only part of the process, but being able to hear people and listen to what's going on is the first step in any healing process."

Q: Will the mobile phone play a role in connecting people from different cultures?

Gabriel: "There was a 'Geek Week' on Channel 4 (on U.K. TV) where they tried to find a Masai tribesman without a mobile, and couldn't. Then they interviewed this fantastic Kenyan girl and asked her, 'What's going to change things in Africa?,' and she picked up her mobile phone. The interviewer said, 'I don't really believe in a single technological fix,' and she said, 'Oh, you don't believe in the wheel? Or fire?'

"In the Mandela Foundation, they gave mobiles to coffee growers in Zimbabwe, who were getting continuously ripped off. The very next day, they were getting the latest prices from Chicago, and suddenly could do a deal related to the current price."

Q: Did you get to see any of the shows on the Genesis reunion tour?

Gabriel: "I didn't. I was trying to get to the Rome (show), but if they do another (tour leg), I'll try to get there. We had discussions about (my taking part), but the time commitment they wanted was growing, and I knew with trying to get the Elders going, I wasn't going to be able to do both. I'm not in principle against the idea of doing something."

Q: How's the new album coming?

Gabriel: "Very slow at the moment. I've been heavily distracted, but I'm determined now to get back into it, and some new songs are coming through that I'm very happy with."

By Paul Sexton Reuters/Billboard

Gospel truth

South Africa's Grammy award winning choir are on their way. Would you like to see them?

There is nothing quite like the sound of a large group of voices united in the harmony of South Africa, and since their sell-out debut at the Edinburgh Festival in 2003, Soweto Gospel Choir have won critical acclaim and performed to full houses around the world.

The stars cannot get enough of them either, and not only were they guests of honour at the lovely Desmond Tutu's birthday party, but they have sung alongside Bono, Peter Gabriel and Jimmy Cliff and been heralded as the most exciting group to emerge in world music in recent years. This was confirmed when they picked up their 2006 Grammy Award for Best Traditional World Music Album (for their second album ‘Blessed’). As well being support act to the Red Hot Chili Peppers last summer.

Te SGC have also recently finished recording with Robert Plant in New Orleans for the Fats Domino tribute album.

Their sound is powerful and melodic, just right for the sterling acoustics of the Philharmonic Hall where they gather to wow Liverpool crowds on Sunday Feb 3 as part of a major UK tour promoting their Grammy nominated album African Spirit.

La Chine et Peter Gabriel à l'honneur pour la 42e édition du MIDEM

Le Palais des festivals de Cannes accueillera du 27 au 31 janvier prochains la 42e édition du Marché International du Disque et des Editions Musicales (MIDEM). Cet événement, qui réunit chaque année des artistes, des producteurs ou encore des représentants de maisons de disques, offre un espace de réflexion pour le marché de la musique dans le monde.

Pour sa nouvelle édition, le Midem a choisi cette année d'accueillir un pays asiatique : la Chine. Les artistes du pays du Soleil Levant seront présentés à cette occasion aux professionnels du monde de la musique.

Homme de l'année choisi par le Midem, Peter Gabriel, artiste complet avant-gardiste impliqué dans le nouveau modèle digital et dans les associations caritatives, sera à l'honneur de ce rendez-vous du marché international de la musique. Au total, le Midem recevra 495 artistes et proposera 98 concerts pop/rock, world, électro, classique ou jazz. De nombreux groupes et artistes ont ainsi été découverts au fil des éditions du Midem. L'événement cannois avait reçu en 2007, Amy Winehouse et Patrick Watson, ou encore Katie Melua et Ayo en 2005..

L'ombre de l'économie américaine planera sur Davos

Les «subprimes», la récession, mais aussi l'eau, Condoleezza Rice et François Fillon feront parties des tags de la prochaine réunion annuelle du World Economic Forum (WEF)....

...Alors que les stars – Bono, Peter Gabriel, Yo-Yo Ma, Emma Thomson ou Paulo Coelho – se comptent sur les doigts des deux mains cette année, le grand public, lui, est exclu de la réunion. A une double exception. Il pourra participer (mais les hôtels sont pleins!) à l'Open Forum autour des effets de la mondialisation, mis sur pied avec les Eglises protestantes. On y verra notamment l'ancien président iranien Katami ou l'ex-candidat à la présidentielle américaine Howard Dean.

Le WEF a aussi invité cette année les internautes à recourir à Youtube pour interroger les décideurs présents à Davos. Les meilleures vidéos viendront enrichir certaines sessions publiques. Plus largement en 2008, le WEF prend toute la mesure du Web, avec une nouvelle plateforme multimédia – «Davos Conversation».«Un face-à-face comme le permet la réunion annuelle ne sera jamais remplacé par le contact virtuel, explique Klaus Schwab. Mais la technologie permet d'étendre et d'élargir encore nos possibilités.»

Saatchi & Saatchi Award for World Changing Ideas

Press Release Embargoed Until Tuesday 8th January 2008

NEW YORK, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The names of the judges for the 5th biennial Saatchi & Saatchi Award for World Changing Ideas were announced today. Bob Isherwood, Saatchi & Saatchi's Worldwide Creative Director and convenor of the Award said, "We're honoured to have such brilliant people judging our Award. They are all world changers in their own way. We're extremely grateful to them for their time and commitment".

The Six Judges are:

Edward de Bono
The originator of the term 'lateral thinking', and judge for all of the Saatchi & Saatchi Award competitions. Believes that creativity can be learned. In 2006, received the Sloane Award, the International Association of Management Consultants' highest honour.

Peter Gabriel
Musical pioneer, campaigner for human rights, founder of the Real World group of companies. Recipient of Man of Peace Award from Nobel Peace Laureates.

HRH Prince Hassan
HRH Prince El Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan has been described as the voice of reason in the Middle East. He is a pluralist, believing in consensus and respect for 'the other'.

Malcolm McLaren
A constant innovator in fashion, film and music. Founder of the Sex Pistols, co-producer of 'Fast Food Nation', creator of breakthrough 'Duck Rock', 'Fans', 'Waltz Darling' and 'Paris' albums.

Carolyn Porco
American Planetary Scientist and leader of the imaging science team of the Cassini mission in orbit around Saturn. Skilled science communicator, active participant in guiding US planetary exploration program. Asteroid (7231) Porco named for her.

Philippe Starck
Most famous and prolific designer alive. His work has made an impression on so much of our lives, from door handles to organic food, watches to mega yachts. Hotels, restaurants, retail space and even space travel have all been blessed with his inimitable creativity too.

The task of the judging panel is to place the ten finalists (to be announced in January 2008) in their order of merit. The winner will be announced at a high profile ceremony in New York on Thursday 21st February 2008, where the ten finalists will exhibit their ideas. At the same ceremony, Edward de Bono will present his Medal for Thinking to the finalist whose idea best meets Edward's criteria of 'simple, practical and effective'.

Saatchi & Saatchi established the Award to spotlight, celebrate and promote ideas that have the potential to change the world of the individual, of groups of people with particular needs, or the whole world.

The winner of the previous Award in 2005 was Concrete Canvas, the near-instant building in a bag.

The US$100,000 prize is made up of US$50,000 cash and the equivalent of US$50,000 in Saatchi & Saatchi marketing consultancy. To find out more visit www.saatchi.com/innovation/

Peter Gabriel Hands Real Word to Ryko

In some of the first big label news of 2008, Ryko will take over U.S. distribution for Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records. As part of the agreement, Ryko will handle both digital and physical distribution of Real World’s catalog and will re-issue many of the label’s back catalog titles with new packaging and, in some cases, with exclusive bonus material. Gabriel launched the world music-centric Real World Records in 1989.

In a statement, Ryko Distribution President Jim Cuomo said, “Joining forces with Real World is a perfect complement to the artist-driven focus we have at Ryko and will enable us to reinforce Real World’s stature as the standard-bearer in World Music. We have shared and applauded Peter’s vision over many years and are both thrilled and excited to be able to contribute to Real World’s ongoing success.”

Gabriel adds, “The music on Real World is very precious to us, so we wanted to find a great home in America. We are delighted to have all our artists welcomed and look forward to building something special together.”

“Like so many, I have a profound admiration for Peter as a musician and artist, as well as a deep respect for the innovative and influential label he started nearly two decades ago,” says John Esposito, President and CEO of WEA Corp., who oversees Warner Music Group’s U.S distribution companies, including Ryko. “Real World’s impressive catalog is a true cultural gem and we will look forward to applying the resources of Ryko and WMG to assure it is treated with the care and dedication it deserves.”

The deal will include Real World’s entire catalog and future recordings. The label’s first project under the new agreement teams Gabriel and Karl Wallinger (The Waterboys, World Party) for a project that is said to be 16 years in the making. The Big Blue Ball project began back in 1992 when Gabriel opened his doors for the week to 75 international artists from over 20 countries. The first single from the Big Blue Ball project, “Whole Thing,” features Gabriel on lead vocal and keyboards, Tim Finn (Crowded House) and Andy White (ALT) on backing vocals, Karl Wallinger and Paul Allen Nord on guitar and Francis Bebey on flute. In a decidedly modern move, the single is now exclusively available via iTunes.

www.realworldrecords.com
www.rykodistribution.com

Beating down barriers

Not-for-profit organization does world of good through music

When he was in his early teens, Alan Davis used to drive his family and neighbours crazy playing the drums. He had aspirations of being a rock star and would often play for hours on end in his family's Parkdale home. "Playing music is one of the greatest pleasures in my life," said Davis, who graduated from Ryerson University when it was still a Polytechnical Institute back in the '80s. "I'm still in an active band. We have a gig next month."

Davis has been in many incarnations of bands since his teenage years. His latest is called Beatmap. They've been together for about three years. Davis describes their music as "a worldly, funky, rock thing. It could be a real kick-ass band if I was younger and had the kind of energy needed to sustain the group properly," he said. "But it's hard to find the time to do things that aren't of an immediate concern."
What's of immediate concern to Davis right now is his Small World Music Society. That's where he spends most of his energy and time these days, and has for the past 20 years.

Small World Music is a Toronto-based, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the presentation of world music, community outreach and developing the careers of Canada's diverse music community. Small World Music promotes between 40 and 50 concerts a year, including the annual Small World Music Festival that takes place in the fall. They bring in an eclectic mix of musicians from around the world and often pair them with Canada's best world music artists.

In the past four months, Small World Music has staged concerts featuring singer-songwriter Mansa Sissoko from Mali, virtuoso oud player and composer Marcel Khalife from the Middle East, Zimbabwean superstar Oliver Mtukudzi and the Kalman Balogh Gypsy Cimbalom Band from Budapest.

"I think world music is universal and speaks to any culture and language," Davis said. "What resonates most with me is the spiritual quality of the music and that 30 years from now you can listen to it and it still sounds good."

Davis grew up a fan of 70s and 80s rock bands like Led Zeppelin and Genesis, music he says that still "blows him away." And it was the former lead singer of Genesis, Peter Gabriel, who turned Davis onto world music.

"I was in my 20s when Gabriel started his Real World label and the music he was putting out just opened my ears to a wonderful sound," Davis remembers. "Due to Toronto's multicultural nature, I was able to experience some of the music I was hearing from Gabriel. I would go into the various ethnic communities and see people playing in restaurants and cafes. I decided to take some of those people and put them on stage."

Davis acknowledges it was a financial struggle in the beginning, and he never figured he would still be doing world music concerts 20 years later. But Toronto is even more diverse than when he started and is now one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Within that multicultural diversity lays one of Davis' small frustrations with some the concerts he puts on.
"We would do an Iranian concert and 90% of the audience is Iranian, the same if we do an Indian or Portuguese show," Davis said. "It's slowly changing. And I think that's great because it's important that we experience each others cultures. From a societal point of view, it helps break down mental ghettoes. Plus, a lot of these musicians deserve to be heard by a wider audience."

So instead of being the rock star he dreamed of as a youth, Davis now dreams of making stars out of the diverse musicians that call Toronto home. On Jan. 20, Small World Music presents the Shoghaken Ensemble from Armenia at the Markham Theatre for the Performing Arts, 171 Town Centre Blvd.

By NICHOLAS DAVIS, TORONTO SUN