Friday, May 9. 2008
Peter Gabriel's website is back
Peter Gabriel's website and the website and ticket buying site for Womad, the world music festival he founded, are back online today after their servers and routers were stolen at the weekend.
Opal Telecom, which hosts the servers in High Wycombe, was unwilling to comment, but a spokesman for Gabriel's music company Real World said thieves got into the data centre on Sunday night/Monday morning.
He said: "We've got pretty much everything back online now including Peter's site and ticketing for Womad. And we can reassure people that all the financial details were stored elsewhere in a secure location and are safe. The thieves took servers and some core networking kit - routers. Despite the conspiracy theories we don't think we were targeted, it was just a hardware theft."
He thanked the tech team for doing such a good job of getting the site back online despite the Bank Holiday and for emailing all customers to reassure them their data was safe.
Robbers have targeted data centres before. Last year, thieves tricked security guards at a London centre by dressing as police officers. CI Host in Chicago was also hit.
Thieves are typically after hardware rather than data.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/07/womad_online_after_robbery/
Peter Gabriel’s Servers Stolen
Rocker Peter Gabriel’s Web site is running at partial capacity today. The reason: Thieves broke into the data center that hosts his site and stole his servers.
Stealing Peter Gabriel’s servers is one way to get digital copies of his hits
Here’s the message that greeted visitors to his site: “The majority of Real World, Peter Gabriel and WOMAD web services are currently off-line. Our servers were stolen from our ISP’s data centre on Sunday night - Monday morning. We are working to restore normal service as soon as possible.”
The Register tracked the data center to Opal Telecom. The people we spoke to there referred us to the marketing department. No one in marketing has yet returned our calls or emails. So right now, all we have is Peter Gabriel’s word. Also, we don’t know if the thieves were targeting Gabriel or if his tech equipment was stolen as part of a bigger heist.
We’re not ready to call robberies like this common. But we’ve seen our fair share of them – many of which happened in the U.K., where Opal is based. In December, thieves dressed as police officers broke into a London data center and walked away with $4 million of tech equipment. Armed thugs also robbed data centers in London in November and October. (It’s not a uniquely British phenomenon: There’s a data center in Chicago that has reportedly been broken into four times in the last two years.)
Not all data centers are easy to knock over. In response to a previous post on this topic we received a tour of a data center. The entry was walled off with bullet-proof glass and the premises were covered by cameras. There were even barriers to prevent someone from driving a truck into the building. Our conclusion was that you’d be better off just hiring a hacker to steal the data – if that’s what you were after. Odds are that Peter Gabriel’s servers will end up on eBay or some similar site.
http://blogs.wsj.com/biztech/2008/05/06/peter-gabriels-servers-stolen/?mod=WSJBlog
Thursday, May 8. 2008
Our man, Mr. Gabriel, is on Time's list of top 100 most influential people this year. See the full article here.
Saturday, April 26. 2008
Should this be posted here? .... love him or hate him ... Peter and Phil are still friends.
It looks like the other guys in Genesis will have to give Peter Gabriel a call if they want to do any future reunion tours: Phil Collins has announced that he is retiring from music. The 57-year-old Englishman told the Times that, although he will probably continue to write music, he has no plans to record or perform live in the future.
Collins started drumming on a toy kit at the age of five. After a stint as a child actor, he rose to fame as a member of the progressive-rock band Genesis. He started as the band's drummer, but took over as the singer when Gabriel left. Collins also had a hugely successful run as a solo artist.
To many of his fans, Collins's retirement is not news: he brought his solo career to a close with a farewell tour in 2005 (documented in a film, The Long Goodnight, which was released on DVD last year). However, his Genesis bandmates convinced him to rejoin them for a successful reunion tour last summer.
http://www.straight.com/article-143701/phil-collins-announces-his-retirement
Tuesday, April 15. 2008
Peter Gabriel wants to help organize entertainment options
The tech-savvy musician is launching a website that helps viewers sift through recommendations.
By Geoff Boucher
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
April 15, 2008
PETER GABRIEL has always roamed the sector between art and science. "My father was an electrical engineer," the English musician said, "and while I didn't inherit his talent for invention, I did pick up a love of innovation, a passion for finding the next."
The search for next has taken Gabriel into a dizzying array of directions (his pioneering CD-ROM "Xplora1" in 1995, for instance, framed many of the Digital Age possibilities for musicians), but right now he is most excited about an endeavor that narrows the number of ideas: The Filter.
"We've all sat there at the computer with muscle fatigue in our thumbs and faced with so much information without focus," said Gabriel, a partner in the new website. "Getting the good stuff without the grief, that is the dream. And I'm not talking just about music, I mean everything. Not just a disc jockey, but a life jockey."
TheFilter.com has a beta launch today and goes public in May to join a wide and churning group of recommendation engines. (Many track only music preferences; the Filter aspires to add film to the mix.)
Clearly, many people realize that the Internet can create a "tyranny of too much choice," as the Filter's chief executive officer, David Maher Roberts, puts it. The Filter combines purchase, consumption and browsing data (it tracks accounts on Netflix, Flixster, etc.) to create an experience map. The next level, Gabriel said, will be to meld your profile with someone else's.
"If you have a friend who knows more about reggae than you, or there's a critic or a composer who intrigues you, you can mash-up your profiles. That's where we want to go. That's where a lot of people would like to go."
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/interactive/la-et-filterapr15,1,3508364.story
Friday, March 14. 2008
March 10th, 2008
Sony BMG Signs with Ad-Supported Music Service We7
By Michael Santo
Editor-in-Chief, RealTechNews
What’s up with Sony BMG? Of late, they seem to be open to trying new ideas which, based on their rootkit-like DRM and other issues in the past, seem out of character. First they sign a deal with Amazon MP3 for all DRM-free music, and now this!
Sony’s new deal is with We7, an ad-supported music streaming / download service based in the U.K., with 100k subscribers and over 2m downloads as of February 2008. Sony BMG thus becomes the first major label to sign with We7, which was founded in April 2007. Musician Peter Gabriel is one of its founders.
The We7 service works by dynamically ‘grafting’ ads onto the front of music tracks and albums based on a user’s demographics such as location, age, gender.
According to the press release:
From the end of April, We7’s users will be able to stream music, on demand and for free with a short audio advert before each track, from the extensive Sony BMG catalogue. The label will also make available to stream on demand new releases from its current roster of artists. Initially the streaming service will only be available to existing registered users of We7, before it is rolled out to new subscribers.
Commenting on the announcement, Ged Doherty, Chairman of Sony BMG in the UK and Ireland, said “We are in the business of embracing a multitude of new ways our music can reach audiences. Our deal with We7 is an important step forward in offering fans greater flexibility in how they consume music.”
Steve Purdham, CEO of We7, commented “Today marks a significant leap forward for We7 and the industry as a whole, as Sony BMG lead the way in embracing the on demand streaming model for the benefit of music fans, artists and advertisers alike.”
Peter Gabriel, the musician and founder of We7, added “The digital revolution has provided exciting and extraordinary opportunities in the music business, even though it has been largely written off by many. We7 is a model that will supply free music to the consumer and still provide a stream of revenue to musicians and content owners. We are delighted that Sony BMG are exploring this new world, and are the first forward thinking major to come on board with us.”
As indicated above, initial access to Sony BMG music will be limited, but it’s unclear what “existing registered users” means. Does it mean only those already signed up as of this press release, or does it include those who sign up before the Sony BMG music goes live in April? I sent an email to We7 to find out.
It should also be noted that Sony BMG is only supplying tracks for the streaming part of We7’s service, not the download portion, although Doherty did not rule out a future deal including downloads. He also said that Sony BMG was in talks with other such ad-supported music services - interesting.
http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/5490
Wednesday, February 6. 2008
English musician Peter Gabriel, mentions in his January update video that he is working on music for WALL•E.
We are just working musically, for a song on a Pixar film, um, Andrew Stanton that directed Finding Nemo, um asked, in fact in 2005 originally I think ah, if I’d get involved with this project, which is, which is now nearly finished, called WALL•E. And it’s about a robot that is um, ah, left clearing up all the garbage and mess on earth, while the human inhabitants um are up in space. And ah, I think he’d done some of the research with NASA experts who explained that as we spend more and more time up in space, um our bones disintergrate, they uh, they don’t do well in zero gravity. Ah and so he has portrayed them as these sort of fat blobs floating around in armchairs. Anyway, it’s very..a lot of cool ideas, ah, and some of it I think is a response to Kubrick’s 2001 which made a huge impression on me when I was 17 when I first saw..they where also saying I think, some of the NASA guys that Kubrick was right on a lot of things….
What if mankind had to leave Earth, and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off? Academy Award-winning writer-director Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo”) and the inventive storytellers and technical geniuses at Pixar Animation Studios (“The Incredibles,” “Cars,” “Ratatouille”) transport moviegoers to a galaxy not so very far away for a new computer-animated cosmic comedy about a determined robot named WALL*E. After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, WALL*E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL*E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet’s future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans (who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home). Meanwhile, WALL*E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most exciting and imaginative comedy adventures ever brought to the big screen. Joining WALL*E on his fantastic journey across a universe of never-before-imagined visions of the future, is a hilarious cast of characters including a pet cockroach, and a heroic team of malfunctioning misfit robots.
A Short Funny
Teasers
By Paul Sexton
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."
Reuters/Billboard
January, 18th, 2008
Interview
Peter GabrielRocker 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 hospital.
Speaking on his official website, the Sledgehammer 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.
Link
Peter Gabriel has executive produced the original score for a forthcoming National Geographic 3D film 'Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure'.
Launching across IMAX cinema screens on October 20, the film features 60% CGI graphics of sea creatures from during the Cretaceous Period.
The soundtrack to the film has been scored by David Rhodes and Richard Evans - and Gabriel has also collaborated with them on one of the tracks.
Peter Gabriel has previously scored the soundtracks to Alan Parker's 'Birdy', Martin Scorsese's 'The Last Temptation of Christ' and Phillip Noyce's 'Rabbit-Proof Fence' - as well as contributing tracks to other films as diverse as 'Natural Born Killers' and 'Babe: Pig In The City'.
For more details on the new 3D film click here.
Tracklist:
01 - Underwater
02 - The Reveal
03 - Timescale
04 - Frolic In The Shallows
05 - Earth
06 - Israeli Dig
07 - Circle Of Life
08 - Migration
09 - Beauty And Wonder
10 - Below The Surface
11 - No More
12 - Different Stories Different Lives
http://www.dusk.it/
Wednesday, January 9. 2008
Peter Gabriel Hands Real Word to Ryko
Written by Mike Greenhaus
Monday, 07 January 2008
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.
http://www.relix.com/Features/Daily_News/Peter_Gabriel_Hands_Real_Word_to_Ryko_200801072679.html
Wednesday, January 2. 2008
Peter Gabriel is restarting his record label, Real World, with a new collaborative album and a slew of reissues. Newly distributed in the United States by Ryko, Real World will make its entire catalog available online and rerelease some of its albums on CD, with bonus material. The label’s first new project is Big Blue Ball, a group that includes Mr. Gabriel and Karl Wallinger of World Party. The album, due in May, has been in the works for 15 years, and the first single, “Whole Thing,” went on sale on iTunes last Tuesday. Real World’s catalog includes albums by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Sheila Chandra, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Papa Wemba and others.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/25/arts/25arts.html?_r=1&ref=arts&oref=slogin
MIDEM Talent Only’s 30 Top Artists
Thirty artists and groups have been selected to perform at MIDEM Talent Only next month. A new flagship event at MIDEM for the discovery and development of artists, MIDEM Talent Only offers four days of pop/rock, jazz and classical concerts, conferences and a range of networking events.
Headliners include The Black and White Years, produced by Talking Heads' Jerry Harrison, Troy Von Balthazar, former front-man of Chokebore and Finnish act 22-Pistepirkko. Classical and jazz performers include rising stars like pianist Paddy Milner, saxophonist Géraldine Laurent, trumpet player Ibrahim Maalouf, Slovenian pianist Bojan Gorisek and violinist Diego Tosi.
They will be joined by some key industry players at MIDEM Talent Only's conferences, including Peter Gabriel both in his capacity as artist and in his role as head of the Real World label, Domino Records founder Laurence Bell, and celebrated producer Tony Visconti.
The event has already created strong buzz in the industry, with some 270 acts participating via the Sonicbids on-line promotion platform.
The MIDEM Talent Only concerts will be held from Sunday 27 to Wednesday 30 January, throughout the day and into the evening, and will be open to both professionals and the general public. The MIDEM international music market will take place in Cannes from 27 to 31 January 2008.
http://home.nestor.minsk.by/jazz/news/2007/12/2503.html
Tuesday, December 25. 2007
Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noël! Fröhliche Weihnachten! From the family here at Solsbury Hill to you and yours, have a magnificent 25th! Once the gifts are opened the egg nog is gone, be sure and meander over to PeterGabriel.com to watch the December update, which has news of Big Ball Blue (to be released around March) and a sound clips of an as of yet unheard song.
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