Paul McCartney's New Song (I Want To) Come Home. From the "Everybody's Fine", out on 4 December 2009.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Beatles fans lash out as hippie anthem used in BlackBerry ad
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Friday, 30 October 2009
Beatles fans have reacted angrily to the use of the band's hippie anthem "All You Need Is Love" to promote a range of £300 consumer gadgets.
BlackBerry, the US technology company, is likely to have paid millions for the right to play a cover version of the 1967 "flower power" song in a series of TV adverts for its smartphones.
One online critic wrote: "The idea of using this song to sell a product is distasteful enough, but BlackBerry uses a cover version with a whiny vocal that is so annoying that the song actually elicits hatred."
Another complained: "It sounds horrible. It's disgusting that companies are trying to make money off the Beatles just because of the new release of their albums." "People should stop using Beatles songs (and bad covers at that) to commercialise their stupid products," said another.
For decades owners of the Beatles back catalogue have refused album compilers, as well as radio and TV advertisers, the rights to use Beatles tunes but, in 2008, Sony/ATV announced it was making 259 Beatles compositions available to advertisers.
It is unclear whether Paul McCartney or Yoko Ono, John Lennon's widow, approved use of "All You Need is Love". Last year, Sony/ATV said it had a "moral obligation" to contact them before giving approving to such projects.
BlackBerry and Sony/ATV declined to comment.
Via:
www.independent.co.uk
Brief an to The Point
As far as we are concerned Grayson Matthews' version sounds more like a worsened Jonhas Brothers...The Beatles deseve better than this...
Friday, 30 October 2009
Beatles fans have reacted angrily to the use of the band's hippie anthem "All You Need Is Love" to promote a range of £300 consumer gadgets.
BlackBerry, the US technology company, is likely to have paid millions for the right to play a cover version of the 1967 "flower power" song in a series of TV adverts for its smartphones.
One online critic wrote: "The idea of using this song to sell a product is distasteful enough, but BlackBerry uses a cover version with a whiny vocal that is so annoying that the song actually elicits hatred."
Another complained: "It sounds horrible. It's disgusting that companies are trying to make money off the Beatles just because of the new release of their albums." "People should stop using Beatles songs (and bad covers at that) to commercialise their stupid products," said another.
For decades owners of the Beatles back catalogue have refused album compilers, as well as radio and TV advertisers, the rights to use Beatles tunes but, in 2008, Sony/ATV announced it was making 259 Beatles compositions available to advertisers.
It is unclear whether Paul McCartney or Yoko Ono, John Lennon's widow, approved use of "All You Need is Love". Last year, Sony/ATV said it had a "moral obligation" to contact them before giving approving to such projects.
BlackBerry and Sony/ATV declined to comment.
Via:
www.independent.co.uk
Brief an to The Point
As far as we are concerned Grayson Matthews' version sounds more like a worsened Jonhas Brothers...The Beatles deseve better than this...
Now Walmart sells the American way of death
From 'Dad Remembered' to 'American Patriot', coffins now available online
By Guy Adams in Los Angeles
Friday, 30 October 2009
As the world's biggest and most profitable retailer, Walmart has achieved staggering success in its efforts to put itself at the centre of American life. Now it's also trying to become part of the American way of death. The company, which owns the British supermarket chain Asda, has decided to get into the funeral business, and is now selling a range of coffins and urns at prices that dramatically undercut traditional undertakers.
Fourteen caskets, from the $895 (£560) "Dad Remembered" steel casket, to the exclusive "Sienna Bronze" model, which goes for $2,899 (£1,811), are available on Walmart's website. None are yet being stocked in stores, so customers must wait 48 hours for delivery. The range includes a special coffin designed for recently deceased servicemen, or military veterans. It's called "American Patriot," it is made from 18-gauge steel, and has the national flag embroidered on its lining.
"The American spirit glows in the embroidered front panel Stars and Stripes," reads the carefully written sales patter. "Stately and dignified, the American Patriot is made right here in the USA."
With the nation preparing for Halloween, news of Walmart's foray into the death industry could not have emerged at a more inappropriate time. A San Francisco Chronicle reporter apparently stumbled on the coffins while casually browsing the internet.
To avoid negative headlines, the firm had neglected to inform either shareholders or customers of its new range, which are categorised as "household products". "We are simply conducting a limited beta test [a low-profile, no-fanfare launch] to understand customer response," said a spokesman.
The coffins are all manufactured by an Illinois company called Star Legacy Funeral Network, whose chief executive Rick Obadiah revealed that no less than 200 of their products, including pet urns and "memorial jewellery", will eventually be sold by Walmart.
People who buy them will not necessarily be intending to carry out DIY funerals. Under US law, all funeral homes are required to allow clients to use coffins that are sold or made by a third party, rather than being forced to by the funeral directors' own models.
In keeping with its business model of undercutting the competition, Walmart is offering 12-month finance deals on the range, as well as an "enjoy no payment for six months" offer.
It also has a returns policy, and invites online customers to "be the first to review this product". But unlike other Walmart products available on line, customers will not be able to "try before they buy".
Via:
www.independent.co.uk
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