• The Top 40 countdown will be coming to an MTV near you. The Official Charts Company has struck a long-term deal with MTV that will see the television channel air the Singles Chart countdown across it’s channels for UK and European viewers.

• A local Cambridge band Hamfatter have secured a deal unlike any other by appearing on Dragon’s Den and winning the favours of judge Peter Jones. Selling 30% of their royalties on their next two album in exchange for a £75,000 investment the band have completed what they call “the deal of the century”.

• A study by the Chichester and Gloucestershire Universities has concluded that drumming in a rock concert can be just as demanding as playing in a major football match. The study found that the heart rate of a drummer would, on paper, be practically indistinguishable to that of say Cristiano Ronaldo after a league match.

...amazingtunes.com

As we move towards the back end 2008 – a year that some have hailed as the new 2007 – we’ve been met with the rather pleasant news that Britain can claim responsibility for 4 of the 5 biggest selling albums of the year to date. Is this the reemergence of a Brit invasion, or just a slow 6 months for state-side pop?

Here’s the low down:

1> Amy Winehouse – Back to Black—3.67m (9.78m total)

2> Coldplay – Viva la Vida—2.6m

3> Leona Lewis – Spirit—2.4m

4> Jack Johnson – Sleep through the Static—2.4m

5> Duffy – Rockferry—2.25m

• Independents Day – Tomorrow, the 4th July, will mark the first of what will hopefully become a well held tradition in raising a glass to the independent labels worldwide. The occasion, aimed at celebrating the big job undertaken by the little guys working in the thousands of independent labels, is a chance for the industry to recognise the industrious folk whose work keeps the music coming.

• Shakira joins Live Nation – The Daily Star has reported that Shakira has signed a deal worth around £35 million to join a growing A-list at the events and promotion company Live Nation. Now neighboring the likes of Madonna and Jay-Z, Shakira has signed a 360-degree deal meaning Live Nation will be involved in her future tours, recordings, sponsorship and merchandise.

• A great blog at the blogs.guardian.co.uk this week looks into the endorsements from big companies and their possibly detrimental effect to the creative side of the industry, against the obvious monetary benefits. Bebo are promoting their next online drama following the “real-life workings of Universal Music UK’s west London headquarters”, ran in conjunction with a mobile phone sponsor. A new income stream or a tightening strangle-hold?

...amazingtunes.com

• The two companies behind computer games Rock Band and Guitar Hero (MTV Games and Acti-vision respectively) are in a battle to win the license to make the official Beatles game. The Financial Times reports that representatives from the Apple Corp. are in talks with the two companies in a move aimed at pushing the Fab Four into new media streams.

• Mark Ronson, the producer and musician, was paid a handsome £1,000,000 to perform at the 21st Birthday bash of British heiress Freya Dawson. The comfortable earner saw him net over £370 a second. “Nice work if you can get it,” as Gershwin so aptly put it.

• The Lancashire police are in trouble with the rather unforgiving PRS for playing music within the workplace without paying for the correct licenses. Steve Finnigan, Lancashire police’s Chief Constable, is accused of infringing copyright by allowing music to be played in stations nationwide, while 11 police forces have failed, or refused, to obtain licenses for music. Should the case go to court it could create a PR nightmare for the royalties collections agency as other organisations and businesses could follow suit and find cause to refuse. You can read the whole story here