Led Zeppelin In Talks With Online Streaming Services:

There have been plenty of reports of the potential streaming of the Led Zeppelin catalogue – this via Rocksquare.com

Led Zeppelin, who have until now kept their heavy back catalog away from online streaming services, are currently in negotiations with a number of subscription streaming sites for exclusive rights to Zeppelin’s very loud and very lucrative discography.

According to The New York Times, Zeppelin and their representatives are in talks with such heavy hitters as Spotify, Rhapsody and Rdio. An exclusive deal with a band as big as Zeppelin would make for a huge edge in the ever-competitive business of online music streaming. The band sold 840,000 albums in the U.S. last year, bringing their cumulative U.S. sales to approximately 111 million albums. That translates to a whole lotta new subscribers for the company that manages to seal the deal with Page and Plant and Jones.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to collaborate with Led Zeppelin to activate streaming rights for their catalog,” a spokesman for the Warner Music Group, the band’s longtime record label, said in a statement. “We’re supportive of the band’s discussions with W.M.G.’s streaming service partners to create a window of exclusivity to maximize the impact of this launch.”

Led Zeppelin isn’t the last big act to make the streaming leap. Other notable holdouts include The Beatles, The Eagles, Pink Floyd and AC/DC. But with Metallica teaming with Spotify late last year and Zeppelin on the verge of making a similar move, it’s looking like peer pressure might inspire the few remaining refusers to get on board and hop online.

Via Rocksquare.com

http://www.rocksquare.com/community/musicnews/1807

DEBORAH BONHAM LINKING UP WITH PAUL RODGERS FOR CHARITY GIG – NEW ALBUM DUE AND TOUR DATES LINED UP:

Deborah Bonham and her band are lining up a string of tour dates to support the release in March of their new album Spirit. They will again be linking up with Paul Rodgers for a charity gig at the Venue in Chichester.

Here are the details:

Paul Rodgers & Deborah Bonham 30th March 2013 @ The Venue, Chichester UK

Paul Rodgers & Deborah Bonham Band, Saturday 30th March 2013 @ The Venue, Spur Rd, Chichester West Sussex PO19 8PR UK
Paul Rodgers has announced that he will be returning to The Venue in Chichester to raise funds for Animal Welfare on Sat 30 March. Joining Paul Rodgers on the bill again will be Deborah Bonham and her Band, who will once again be backing Paul Rodgers.All the proceeds will go to http://www.willowsanimals.com/
Tickets are limited and available only by emailing info@deborahbonham.com for booking information
Doors and Bar open 6-11.30pm, Showtime 7-10.30pm
Ticket Prices £30 standing
Memorabilia auction items and lots of merchandise on sale.

DEBORAH BONHAM TOUR DATES

FEBRUARY 2013
Fri 15 Theatre Royal, Winchester, Hamps SO23 8SB (3 Piece Acoustic Set, Guests of The Animals & Friends featuring Steve Cropper) http://www.theatre-royal-winchester.co.uk
Sat 16 Cranleigh Arts Centre, Surrey GU6 8AS (3 Piece Acoustic Set, Guests of The Animals & Friends featuring Steve Cropper) http://www.cranleighartscentre.org
Fri 22 The Bull Theatre, New Barnet, London EN5 5SJ (Deborah Bonham Band & Steve Rodgers) http://www.thebulltheatre.com
Sat 23 The Brook Southampton SO17 3SD (Deborah Bonham Band & Guest Steve Rodgers) http://www.the-brook.com

MARCH 2013
New Album Release ‘SPIRIT’ Amazon & iTunes. Advance CD Orders info@deborahbonham.com and we may squeeze your name onto the artwork! http://www.deborahbonham.com
MARCH 2013 FRANCE
13 Mar SAINT-ETIENNE (42)
15 Mar BARTENHEIM (68) – Le Caf Conf http://www.infoconcert.com/artiste/deborah-bonham-97687/concerts.html
16 Mar SAINT-GERVAIS (74) – Le Repaire des Ours http://www.repairedesours.com/
21 Mar SAINT-NAZAIRE (44) – Le VIP http://www.infoconcert.com/artiste/deborah-bonham-97687/concerts.html
22 Mar HENIN-BEAUMONT (62) – L’Escapade
23Mar LAX (12) – Festival Lax’n’Blues http://www.laxnblues.fr/

Sat 30 MARCH – Charity Concert with Paul Rodgers & Deborah Bonham at The Venue UK
Chichester PO19 8PR Tickets info@deborahbonham.com

APRIL 2013 with special guest Steve Rodgers
Fri 5 Blackheath Concert Halls, Lee Road, London SE3 9RQ http://www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/whats-on/events/blackheath-halls-events
Sat 6 Walkern Blues @ Times Club, Stevenage, Herts SG1 5RD http://www.walkernmusic.co.uk
Thu 11 The Stables, Milton Keynes MK17 8LU http://www.stables.org
Fri 12 Academy2, Liverpool L3 5UF http://www.o2academyliverpool.co.uk
Sat 13 Birdwell Venue, Barnsley S70 5UY http://www.birdwellvenue.com
Thu 18 Robin2 Bilston, W.Midlands WV14 7LJ http://www.therobin.co.uk
Fri 19 Touchline Club, Hullbridge, Essex SS5 6BJ http://www.touchlinelivemusic.co.uk
Sat 20 Tivoli Theatre, Wimbourne Dorset BH21 1LT http://www.tivoliwimborne.co.uk
Fri 26 The Duchess, York YO1 7NP http://www.theduchessyork.co.uk
Sat 27 The Diamond, Sutton in Ashfield, Notts NG17 4GH http://www.thediamonduk.com

Deborah Bonham
info@deborahbonham.com
http://www.deborahbonham.com

www.facebook.com/pages/Deborah-Bonham/106928079357640

Look out for an exclusive Deborah Bonham interview in the new issue of the TBL magazine.  

DL DIARY UPDATE:

Busy here on the final text of TBL 34 and there’s a lot of it.

In a mixed week of good and bad news, there were some inspirations – firstly the very  welcomed and surprise posting and unveiling of the David Bowie single. I had planned to put up a you tube clip or two on the TBL Facebook to mark his 66th birthday and clocking on early on Tuesday morning I was amazed to learn of the news of his return. Watching the wonderfully reflective Where Are We Now? video was a moving moment – the world just seemed a better place for his musical presence again – and the reaction on facebook and twitter was genuinely heartwarming. Like millions of others, I felt a real connection to this unexpected delight.

Writing about Bowie’s vocal on the track, I felt Caitlin Morgan in the Times caught the mood absolutely perfectly when she observed:

‘’It’s a voice that has a superior grasp of how large and unlikely the universe is: a voice that has become to appreciate the value in simply being alive…and when millions of people heard that voice again unexpectedly in the dark yesterday morning, for a beautiful hour of generational assembly, they appreciated that too’’.

All this Bowie activity got me thinking that a similar unveiling of new music from Jimmy Page would be a very special moment indeed…

Another inspiration was the splendid hour I had on the phone this afternoon interviewing Deborah Bonham for the forthcoming TBL mag. Deb was on great form talking about her excellent new album Sprit (which features Robert Plant on harmonica on one track), and her pride at the Celebration Day film and Kennedy Honors accolades. More on all this to follow.

CLAUDE NOBS 1936 – 2012

We are sad to report the passing of Claude Nobs, the legendary founder of the Montreux Festival.

Claude had a long association with Peter Grant and Led Zeppelin booking them on to the Montreux Festival and assisting them in their European touring activity.

This report via Billboard. com:

Claude Nobs, the founder and general manager of the Montreux  Jazz Festival,  whose passion for music and artistry introduced generations of legendary  musicians to international audiences  on the Swiss stage, has died. He was  76.
The Jazz Festival said Nobs, a native of Montreux, died   Thursday after sustaining injuries from a fall while  cross-country skiing  nearby on Christmas Eve.
Nobs worked his way from being a chef  and director of  Montreux’s tourism office, where he organized charity  concerts, to overseeing one of the most iconic music festivals in the world.
On its website, the festival said Nobs’ death came by  “surprise  as if to remind us once more, that in life as in music, each  great performance could be the last one even if the show must  go on.”
It was from a visit to the New York offices of Atlantic Records  that the first festival in his home city was born in June 1967, featuring  musicians such as Keith Jarrett and Jack     DeJohnette. The festival was an overnight success, building over the decades on Nobs’  passion for jazz, as much as his gumption and  contacts abroad.
From that meeting in New York, Nobs went on to gain career-forming  introductions to musical greats such as Roberta Flack and Aretha Franklin,  who would make her first European  tour at his request. The musical acts at  the festival also would gradually broaden to include rock and pop.
An early incident involving the rock group Deep Purple, which had come to Montreux to record an album after performing with Frank Zappa,  became forever linked with Nobs.
During a fire at Zappa’s  concert in 1971, Nobs rushed to save  several young concert-goers. Deep  Purple’s hit song, “Smoke on The Water,” would memorialize the accident –  Nobs as “Funky   Claude” pulling kids to safety.
Two years  later, Nobs became director of the Swiss branch of  Warner, Elektra and  Atlantic, a position that gave him added  clout to introduce heavyweights on  the Montreux stage.  By the 1990s, he was sharing  festival-directing duties with the  music producer Quincy Jones and bringing  in Miles Davis as an  honorary host.
Nobs, whose enthusiasm  for greeting musicians at his office and  chalet home cemented his standing  and boosted the profile of   his home, also became known for occasionally  taking the stage  to play harmonica.

http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/touring/claude-nobs-montreux-jazz-festival-founder-1008085172.story

WILKO JOHNSON:

It was also very sad to hear the news this week that Wilko Johnson has been diagnosed with terminal cancer of the pancreas. Bravely the  65-year-old former Dr Feelgood guitarist has refused chemotherapy and aims to keep performing concerts for as long as he can.

In a statement on Johnson’s Facebook page manager Robert Hoy says: “I am very sad to announce that Wilko has recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer of the pancreas. He has chosen not to receive any chemotherapy.

“He is currently in good spirits, is not yet suffering any physical effects and can expect to enjoy at least another few months of reasonable health and activity.

“He has just set off on a trip to Japan; on his return we plan to complete a new CD, make a short tour of France, then give a series of farewell gigs in the UK. There is also a live DVD in the pipeline, filmed on the last UK tour.

“Wilko wishes to offer his sincere thanks for all the support he has had over his long career, from those who have worked with him to, above all, those devoted fans and admirers who have attended his live gigs, bought his recordings and generally made his life such an extraordinarily full and eventful experience.” Wilko Johnson’s wife Irene Knight died of cancer in 2004. Since then he’s been fundraising in her memory.

Our best wishes and thoughts are with the iconic guitarist.

LED ZEPPELIN SYDNEY SHOWGROUND FEBRUARY 27TH 1972 CINE FILM:

On a brighter note, here’s some superb footage shot close to the stage at Led Zeppelin’s appearance at the Sydney Showground on February 27th 1972 –– short but very sweet…

with thanks to LedZepFilm via Royal Orleans web site. 

Have  a great weekend…

Until next time… keep reading -keep listening

Dave Lewis/Gary Foy

January 11th , 2013.

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