Music news, album reviews and release dates, updated frequently

Factory Records co-founder Tony Wilson died Friday at the age of 57 of a heart attack while hospitalized for ongoing treatment for kidney cancer. Hugely instrumental in the Manchester music scene (especially during the 1980s), the one-time television presenter is best known for signing and managing bands like Joy Division, New Order and the Happy Mondays, and for co-founding the legendary dance club the Hacienda.

• Factory Records legend Anthony Wilson dies (NME)
• New Order pay tribute to Tony Wilson (NME)
• Peter Saville joins tributes to Tony Wilson (NME)
• Tony Wilson R.I.P. (Pitchfork)
• Joy Division/New Order Manager Wilson Dies (Billboard)

Rihanna’s streak of 10 consecutive weeks atop the UK singles charts came to an end when her “Umbrella” fell to number three, with Timbaland (”The Way I Are”) taking over the top spot.

UK survey group Entertainment Media Research has conducted its fourth annual opinion poll about music downloading, and 43% of respondents (a four-year high) indicated that they illegally download music. Only one in three respondents were deterred by the prospect of being prosecuted for illegal downloading.

A play about the life of the late John Peel–the legendary BBC DJ–will have its premiere in Edinburgh this weekend.

In the ongoing New Order saga, bassist Peter Hook has responded to statements by remaining band members Stephen Morris and Bernard Sumner that they would continue under the New Order name without him by threatening legal action against them in a lengthy post on his MySpace blog. Says Hook, “This group has SPLIT UP!”

Icelandic band Sigur Ros will be releasing a concert documentary DVD this fall, which will include footage from multiple shows, both large and small.

Pitchfork reports that members of the band Deerhunter were robbed at gunpoint in their hometown of Atlanta over the weekend. No one was hurt.

The Cure are planning a DVD documentary about themselves, to be released in 2009 in conjunction with their 30th anniversary. Next year will also see deluxe double-disc reissues of Cure albums “Wish” and “Disintegration.”

If you thought people were done cashing in on the work of the late Elliott Smith, think again. “Elliott Smith,” a new book of photography (of Smith) and interviews (with people who knew or liked Smith) is due in November. It will include a short CD with previously-unreleased tracks recorded during a 1997 performance at the Los Angeles club Largo.

From the Strange Bedfellows Dept.: Madonna is teaming up with Annie Lennox, Joss Stone, Celine Dion, Fergie, Gladys Knight, and many more female artists on a charity single, “Sing,” which will raise money for the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC). The song will also be included on Lennox’s upcoming new album, due in October.

It looks like the end of New Order was prematurely reported. Although bassist Peter Hook announced that the band had split up and were no longer working together, word comes today from frontman Bernard Sumner and drummer Stephen Morris that New Order isn’t going anywhere. Apparently, the two of them will continue on as New Order without Hook, although what exactly they will be doing as New Order remains unclear.

Speaking of Peter Hook, his new band Freebass, which also includes fellow bassists Andy Rourke (The Smiths) and Mani (Primal Scream, The Stone Roses), has approached vocalists Ian Brown (also of The Stone Roses), Tim Burgess (The Charlatans), and–ahem–Robbie Williams about contributing to their debut album.

It must be a slow news day, because we now know that Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe has revealed his favorite band to Details, and that band is The Hold Steady. Radcliffe is also an avid reader of NME.

In another example of the burgeoning “private concert” industry, the Rolling Stones were just paid approximately $5 million dollars for a single 80-minute, invitation-only show for guests of Deutsche Bank in Barcelona.

The latest signee to Starbucks’ Hear Music label is singer Joni Mitchell–maybe. The coffee empire has indicated that it will announce the signing of a big-name female artist in the next few weeks, and Mitchell is the rumored name. Of course, rumors earlier this year that Starbucks would sign Radiohead turned out to be baseless.

If the idea of a Starbucks record label still doesn’t sit well with you, it’s nothing compared to today’s news that McDonalds (yes, that McDonalds) is also entering the music business. Instead of a record label, the fast-food chain is organizing a tour to feature, among other artists, Ne-Yo and Twista. The shows will be free, and will be held in McDonalds parking lots across the country. (We know what you’re thinking: where will people park?)

“Lucky” music fans in Tennessee will have a chance to order Elvis Presley license plates, after an anonymous donor pitched in to ensure that the state’s pre-order requirement was met.

Rolling Stone is reporting that Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck will tour together as the Yardbirds later this year. No Eric Clapton, however.

We don’t cover movie reviews at Criticulture (at least, not yet), but when the movie is the Ian Curtis biopic “Control,” we make an exception. (So what if it doesn’t come out until the fall.) The film about the late Joy Division frontman, directed by acclaimed music video director and photographer Anton Corbijn, was very well-received by audiences and the jury when it screened at Cannes, and the surviving members of Joy Division/New Order who saw it enjoyed it, while also discounting its accuracy. (”None of it is true,” bassist Peter Hook told Rolling Stone.) READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE »