Paul McCartney's Olympics Payday: Around $1.50

Paul McCartney / Photo by Getty Images

July 31 2012
by Kory Grow

Performers at the London games' opening ceremony collected a nominal fee for their services (gladly)

Negotiating a fair price for something special is delicate work. The people who organized the performances at the opening of this year's London Olympics are masters, though, and each "na-na-na" of Paul McCartney's "Hey Jude" last Friday cost them mere pence. That's because artistic director Danny Boyle & Co. paid Sir Paul — and allegedly the ceremony's other performers, including Arctic Monkeys, Dizzee Rascal, Underworld, Mike Oldfield and others — a single pound note, or about US $1.57, for their services.
The thing is, Macca and the others had originally agreed to play for free. In order to make their performance contracts legally binding, though, the organizers had to offer up a nominal fee. Scottish R&B singer Emeli Sandé, who performed the hymn "Abide With Me," commented to the London Evening Standard, "I got paid £1 for my work…I signed the contract myself. Mind you, I haven't received anything yet!" Then she added, "When I do, though, that £1 will be truly special."
Like Sandé, the other performers, including McCartney, thought the experience was worth it. "It was a trip and very exciting," the former Beatle commented in the same article. "It was a great opening ceremony." And rapper Dizzee Rascal seems as though he was overwhelmed by the experience. "The energy in the stadium was unreal," he told the Standard. "These opportunities only come by once in a lifetime and to be part of it was an unforgettable experience…I’ve loved being part of the build-up to the event, running with the torch, performing at Hyde Park and getting involved with [Rascal's song] 'Scream' being an official Olympic track — hopefully it will inspire the team to win gold."

The Killers - Runaways

July 30, 2012

US fans outraged by axing of Arctic Monkeys, Emeli Sande, Sex Pistols from Olympics Opening Ceremony

 

Photo Gallery: Arctic Monkeys
Photo: PA

US music fans were left outraged after NBC's broadcast of the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony failed to include a number of key musical segments.

Arctic Monkeys' version of The Beatles's 'Come Together' was included in the broadcast, but their performance of 'I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor' was replaced by an advert break, as was Scottish singer Emeli Sande's version of 'Abide With Me', which was sung in tribute to the victims of the terrorist bombings in London on July 7, 2005.

The segment which featured Sex Pistols hit 'Pretty Vacant' was cut from the final NBC broadcast and Frank Turner's appearance in the prologue to the ceremony was also ignored. Twenty-four advert breaks were placed into the four hour long Opening Ceremony, reports Yahoo, which was screened free of commercials live on BBC One last Friday (July 27).

Stateside music fans watching the delayed broadcast took to Twitter and began using the hashtag #nbcsucks when it became clear that the channel was not showing the full event. NME blogger Lyndsey Parker wrote:

Lÿndsey Parker @lyndseyparker

Seems NBC edited like 15 minutes out of the musical portion of Olympics opening ceremony. No punk tribute, no Britpop section. #nbcsucks

28 Jul 12

She also added: "Ummm, did NBC really cut to commercial RIGHT when Arctic Monkeys started to perform "I Bet You Look Good..." at Opening Ceremony? #nbcsucks"

Beady Eye - What's the Story Morning Glory - Heaton Park Manchester 30-0...

Noel Gallagher: 'Beady Eye should play my songs whenever they like'

Photo: Andy Willsher/NME

Noel Gallagher has said that he hopes his brother Liam and his bandmates in Beady Eye continue to play Oasis songs live as he's quite happy to pick up the royalties.

Beady Eye performed two Oasis songs - 'Rock 'N' Roll Star' and 'Morning Glory' - during their recent gig in Warrington and at Heaton Park supporting The Stone Roses and have vowed to continue to do so in all their future live shows.

Speaking in The Sun today (July 11), Noel said he hopes Beady Eye carry on playing the songs as long as they make sure they fill out PRS royalty forms after they do.

He said of this: "Beady Eye have my permission to play my songs and they should do whatever they like. I say he should go around the world, do those songs and fill out the PRS forms."

Beady Eye are booked to play this summer's Fuji Rock Festival in Japan and are currently working on new material for their second album.

Here's a quick YouTube clip of Beady Eye finally performing Oasis songs!

finally...some new material!

The Killers new song 'Runaways' -

The track is the first to be taken from forthcoming album 'Battle Born'

The Killers have unveiled their brand new single, 'Runaways'.

The track received its first official play on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show earlier this evening (July 10) and is now available to listen to online.

Scroll down to hear the track, which is a typically epic offering from the Las Vegas band, a heartland electro rocker complete with soaring chorus.

Speaking to Lowe, Killers frontman Brandon Flowers admitted that he checks online to see what the reaction to his songs is like. Of 'Runaways', which had leaked earlier in the day, he said: "I'm guilty of checking, seeing what the scoop is. I want people to like it, so I'm kind of curious as to what the reaction is."

He added that he was confident that the song would go down well with fans, saying: "I've always felt good about this song. It's exciting to think that we're gonna be playing again – we want people to hear this new stuff."


The Killers's new studio album 'Battle Born' will be released on September 17. A series of producers worked on the album, including Madonna collaborator Stuart Price, Steve Lillywhite, Damian Taylor and Brendan O'Brien. It is the band's first album for over four years.

Songs confirmed to appear on the album include 'Heart Of A Girl', 'Flesh And Bone' and 'Carry Me Home'. Brandon Flowers said to Lowe of the album title: "Whenever I needed help lyrically, I thought of that phrase and it helped me… There's some triumphant moments."

The Strokes - Is this It

Confirmed: The Strokes working on fifth album

 

Photo Gallery: The Strokes

The Strokes have begun work on the follow-up to 'Angles', NME can confirm.

The band, who were last in the UK to headline last summer's Reading And Leeds Festivals, were reported to have been working on new material at the famous Electric Lady Studios in their home city of New York earlier this month, but this was quickly denied by their management and record label.

However, in this week's NME guitarist Albert Hammond Junior's father Albert Hammond Senior has revealed that the reports are true and the band are in fact working on their fifth studio album.

Asked if the band were recording, Hammond Senior said: "Albert says that the stuff they're doing is incredible. They're doing it themselves with their friend, engineer and producer. He just says 'Dad, it's incredible'."

Then asked if he thought it would sound different from 'Angles', he said: "I don't think they'll go in a wildly different direction. Obviously the songs will be different, but I think The Strokes are The Strokes; they always will be The Strokes."

Check out some old school below....

The Strokes - Is this It

Confirmed: The Strokes working on fifth album

 

Photo Gallery: The Strokes

The Strokes have begun work on the follow-up to 'Angles', NME can confirm.

The band, who were last in the UK to headline last summer's Reading And Leeds Festivals, were reported to have been working on new material at the famous Electric Lady Studios in their home city of New York earlier this month, but this was quickly denied by their management and record label.

However, in this week's NME guitarist Albert Hammond Junior's father Albert Hammond Senior has revealed that the reports are true and the band are in fact working on their fifth studio album.

Asked if the band were recording, Hammond Senior said: "Albert says that the stuff they're doing is incredible. They're doing it themselves with their friend, engineer and producer. He just says 'Dad, it's incredible'."

Then asked if he thought it would sound different from 'Angles', he said: "I don't think they'll go in a wildly different direction. Obviously the songs will be different, but I think The Strokes are The Strokes; they always will be The Strokes."

Check out some old school below....