I guess we can thank the greedy bastards at Island Def Jam for depriving us of this show.
Looks like we are never gonna get this DVD, it's been nearly 2 years now.

I will never buy another album, mp3 or whatever from this POS record label.

Agreed. Not that there was any other artist I bought on the IDJ label aside from Utada. And if they're being this ostentatious about the concert footage (assuming it is IDJ that's holding everything up, although I can't imagine anything else would be), I can bet it's going to be hard for Utada, her management et al to wrangle song rights away from them (if they even care to). I'd hate to have to say goodbye to live renditions of Kremlin Dusk and YMMWBM, to say nothing of all the TITO songs that were so fantastically performed during "In the Flesh". :/

I've been waiting for this to come out for like ever... ugh wtf

I could never get my head around why Universal/IDJ did not agree terms that would usually be found clearly stated in the record contract, of course IDJ does not have to release any of the Utada?s work if they do not see fit, a behaviour that could be damaging for any artist who will spend years producing an album only for it to be turned down, however IDJ could have stipulated exclusive rights to the copyrights of all Utada?s ?English? songs , IDJ may have also insisted that U3 does not make any recordings or performances for anyone else without the IDJ prior permission, I have been lectured in classes that from a financial point of view Copyright is a form of property, ?copyrighted? work is an instrument that can be owned by a person or company as a ?property?, in whole or % shares.......

So I cornered a lecturer in copyright law who specialises in US constitutional rights management (whatever that is supposed to mean, lol), between wedging my eyelids open with cocktail sticks, I got the in and outs about when copyright was first established in 1790, the Berne convention, and advised to start researching from when Utada first signed to IDJ, because it is at this point that clear financial considerations and commercial interests are established and how permissions are used as a instrument to protect copyright.

Now on March 16 2002, U3 signed a deal that could be the root of all difficulties in formulating an agreement for the release of ?in the flesh?, the formal demonstration of ownership rights ....Billboard points out the problems .....

Two Languages, Two Deals for Japan's Hikaru Utada....read the last paragraph ...

First a photo scan of the original billboard piece .... by Steve McClure





Web summery below ....

http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-retail-stores-not/4660051-1.html


I will post tomorrow or Friday my promised summery of events and the issues surrounding U3 ,the involvement of Lyor Cohen, and the release of Exodus and TiTo.....

......For instance from above .....

The English-language album deal was set up by Island Def Jam Music Group president/CEO Lyor Cohen, who says Utada's first set will be recorded in New York this summer, "hopefully with the likes of the Neptunes and Rodney Jerkins," in time for release later this year or early in 2003.......

Now when was Exodus released !? ...lots more to come ....

Citibank is auctioning EMI this week it is theoretically possible for Universal to bid

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/06/23/uk-emi-universal-idUKTRE75M3CG20110623

I don't get why everyone keeps whining about this topic. It was never meant to be put on DVD. Just get over it and be happy you were there.

Ahh Polyrhythm you want it as much as any, you would not have spent all that time and effort designing that cool signature of yours if not, my whining is irritating granted, I cannot and will not except the fact that U3 spent the time and effort producing the material irrespective of the media, DVD or Digitally only to end up as an expensive family keepsake.

In the Flesh is uniquely up close and personal, small venues, Utada's personal musical production and arrangements... Emotionally speaking It's like taking down the Mona Lisa and drawing a tash and sunglasses on it....

Quote:
Very nice finds. I don't think I've ever read that article before; I find it interesting that the editorial speculates that Hikki likely departed from EMI for English-language work due to personnel changes, while much of the failed/non-motivated promotion that Exodus received under IDJ has been attributed to essentially the same business renovations. Sounds like the whole process was a catastrophe (if a strangely convenient sort of one); but it begs the question as to why, with EMI as a trusted label that Hikki had worked with before, she didn't simply wait out the management changes until the waters had calmed a little before making a move for the American market? How much of this deal was pursued by IDJ itself--and if Lyor Cohen really did facilitate her contracting to the company, it sheds some doubt on the veracity of the excuse we've been repeatedly peddled for Exodus's poor handling. The thing is, Cohen left IDJ in January of 2004, which would match up with much of the story we've heard over and over regarding a corporate makeover interfering with promotional activities, yet here we have Cohen stating that Exodus was slotted for release in 2003, ostensibly prior to his departure from the company. Presumably the album was pushed back, yet it seems beyond the bounds of simple negligence for the album's release (being a debut that was by all indications rather highly sought after) to be green lighted in the midst of a major corporate shifting of hands (Cohen was the Chairman, hardly some random busybody) that any discerning business person would have seen coming miles away-- and would know to affect the allocation of attention towards any non-established artist rather significantly. It all sounds almost like some conspiratorial nightmare (especially in light of this whole fiasco that's gone down with TITO, "In the Flesh" and, above all, "Utada the Best"), although I'm certain it was just really, really terrible management on all sides. Suffice to say, IDJ (in whatever form) certainly does not come off as extremely scrupulous on the whole, indeed appearing covetous and greedy to the point of heedlessness with regards to its artist's welfare and the fostering of their work, which is a shame, especially when real talent ends up being wasted because of ineffective and sightless managerial practices.

I look forward to hearing more about what you've uncovered, Pips. :3

Well, I'm happy for those who actually got to see her live, but man what about those who couldn't make it to her concert, It SUCKS geez....her first english concert, and I missed it.Ugh...it just pisses me off, excuse my language,lol. Thats so not fair..dumb IDJ...

Quote:

Ya this happened to Katy Perry too..She spent years on a record and then last minute her label decided not to release it..Seems like such BS if you ask me...
ITF was an amazing concert with so much energy (unlike a lot of her Japanese concerts) and it would have really been nice to have a copy on DVD to watch...This was probably my fav concert of hers too (T_T)

Adjective and nicely balanced break down of the article Shurikid, you have a better understanding of Utada?s musical artistry and personality so more able to look beyond the commercial aspect, you have joined up the dots nicely.

What made Mr T vacate a perfectly fruitful business relationship that spawned a unparalleled level of success in Japan will probably remain a mystery for ever, It appears many who have had dealings with Cohen and co have seen careers flushed away, and U3 seem to be no exception where Exodus is concerned ?.

Sokuri, Mr T has promised to sort it all out I think it is going to take a little longer than he thought ?

Before Cohen and co read this from 2005 ?.

Japan's pop princess heads west..It?s great fun and details a interview in London ? Benjamin Secher 12:01AM BST 27 Oct 2005

????She is one of the most successful popstars on the planet, but when Hikaru Utada walks into a busy Soho patisserie?...............

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandjazzmusic/3647477/Japans-pop-princess-heads-west.html
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????.

Lyor Cohen is a flamboyant character and a master of persuasion, steeped in controversy from early 2001, imprecated in the FBI Murder Inc Records raid in 2001 to the TVT Records lawsuit and his dealing with P. Diddy in 2002.

Quote: U.S. District Court Judge Victor Marrero later reduced the award to $53 million (with $3 million due from Cohen). But in his decision, Marrero described the defendants as ?morally reprehensible? and made note of ?inconsistencies? in Cohen?s testimony.?The jury found that the CEO of the biggest rap label in the country committed fraud,? says TVT attorney Peter Haviland. ?This is a guy, the co-director of Murder Inc., where bodies continue to drop every couple of weeks.?

Lyor Cohen, the Real Slim Shady?...from 2003

http://michaelseneadza.com/blog/2003/12/lyor_cohen_the_real_slim_shady/

http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/lyor-cohen
(click read more) ..

Def Jam, Lyor Cohen Guilty Of Fraud; Ja Rule Fights Patrick 'Dirty Dancing' Swayze

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1470748/def-jam-lyor-cohen-guilty-fraud.jhtml

Then we have Jean-Marie Messier Chairman and CEO of Vivendi/Universal standing to the left of Cohen in the photo, while Utada was putting pen to paper the two dudes leaning on her chair were conspiring in acts of insider trading and fraud ?

French Court Convicts Executives in Vivendi Case

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/22/business/global/22vivendi.html?ref=jeanmariemessier

Edgar Bronfman Jr convicted in Vivendi case...

Warner Music Group chairman receives ?5m fine for insider trading, while Jean-Marie Messier is convicted of another offence?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/21/edgar-bronfman-jr-vivendi

Listen to the Doug Morris Universal Music Group Chairman standing next to Jean-Marie Messier after the trial of Cohen?

?He?s always been slightly eccentric, but he?s totally irreplaceable,? UMG chairman Morris once said. And he was aggressive, a player who made things happen. Newsweek magazine crowned him ?rap?s unlikely king.?

?Lyor?s got a reputation as a hard-nosed businessman,? says Adler, who was Def Jam?s publicist during the Run-DMC era. ?But he?s in a hard-nosed business. You cannot be a cream puff and run a record label.?

Cohen once staked out rapper Foxy Brown?s home, convincing her to sign with Def Jam when she finally emerged. On another occasion, he signed the group 112 away from Sean . Diddy? Combs? Bad Boy label and then told the Financial Times: ?If you haven?t nailed it down, expect for it to be taken.?

Jean-Marie Messier was responsible for the near collapse of Vivendi/Universal 8 years ago, it is little wonder that Utada had little promotion during the US release of Exodus, literally as Utada was wondering what the hell was going on within the structure of IDF, Universal the parent company was concentrating fighting off bankruptcy ?..

This Utada?s take on the whole sorry saga?.From the Hikaru Utada: The Complete JQ Interview.. May 2009?

Yes, years prior to that. I was living in Japan at the time when that happened [in
2002], and I thought, ?Oh, it?s probably going to come out very soon,? and I think it
was something like a two or three year wait?And part of the reason was because of all that happening and..I guess I wasn?t mentally conscious and aware as an artist myself of how to promote myself that I?d never done that kind of stuff before. It?s not really the artist?s thing to worry about?it shouldn?t be, really. But now I?m more hands-on with it. I?m more involved in the promotional aspect of it, too. Because I learned from last time what kind of PR group you choose and have to work with you [on] what you don?t need, what you need, and how much to be in touch with the record company on this and who to be in touch with for what, and all those kinds of quirks with it. There?s a lot to work with it, and now I?m working with THE DOOR this time, we got a different company for that, and?everything?s quite efficient I think, much more efficient than last time, and I feel support, I feel some kind of face?I felt so insecure during the recording and promotion of Exodus, because it didn?t seem like anyone knew what I wanted to do, and I didn?t know how to get it across to these people. We were not on the same page at all, and now it seems we are.

http://jetaany.org/magazine_files/utada.pdf


Astonishingly Lyor Cohen and Edgar Bronfman Jr are current Warners CEO and Music Group chairman respectively and are expected to be one of the bidders for EMI .....

http://www.themusicvoid.com/2011/06/warner-music-blavatnik-bring-baggage-to-an-emi-deal/

Part 2 later next week ???