Scottish lager brand Tennent's have launched the fourteenth year of the T Break programme, which aims to find the grooviest new bands in Scotland and then put them on stage at the Tennent's In The Park music fest in July.

Sixteen bands will get to play the festival, picked by a judging panel including Radio 1 and PRS types plus reps from T In The Park promoters DF. Unsigned bands wanting to be considered for a T Break should get themselves over to www.tennents.com/tbreak before 16 Apr.

Launching this year's T Break programme, Tennent's sponsorship chief chap, George Kyle, said this: "We're passionate about new music at Tennent's Lager, and checking out the bands on the T Break Stage is always one of the highlights of T In The Park.  Over the years we've seen the likes of Biffy Clyro and Paolo Nutini on the T Break Stage so we're very excited to see what stars of tomorrow this year's T Break will discover".

Sean Lennon has been defending his mother Yoko Ono's decision to let carmakers Citroen use Beatles-era footage of John Lennon in a TV advert. Some have accused Yoko of cheapening Lennon's legacy by allowing the commercial use of his image.

But Sean insists Yoko didn't give her approval to the ad for financial reasons, but to keep his father in the public consciousness. He tweeted this week: "She did not do it for money. [It] has to do [with] hoping to keep dad in public consciousness. [There are] no new LPs, so [a] TV ad is exposure to young [people]. Look, [the] TV ad was not for money. It's just hard to find new ways to keep Dad in the new world. Not many things [are] as effective as TV".

It must be hard for Yoko to keep John Lennon's profile up. If only someone would release some new Beatles products, or perhaps make a film or two about Lennon himself. Bloody world, not doing its bit, leaving it all to poor old Yoko and French carmakers.

It seems Sean hadn't seen the ad when he did his original tweeting, but he stands by his mother's decision to collaborate with Citroen, even though he's not so keen on the advert itself. He tweeted later: "Having just seen [the] ad [and] I realise why people are mad. But [the] intention was not financial, [it] was simply wanting to keep him out there in the world".

The latest incarnation of Jack Daniel's music programme the JD Set will see bands grouping in one of three cities to recreate a seminal album from days gone by. The participating bands will record together for a week, with footage of their collaborations filmed for a TV show and the JD Set website. They will also perform songs from their assigned album at a special JD Set live night.

The first album to be recreated with be The Human League's 'Dare', this one in London and involving some rather fine Wall Of Sound signed acts, including CMU favourites Infadels plus The Shortwave Set and Shy Child. They will collaborate on the project in mid-April and play the results of their work live at Dingwalls in Camden on 5 May.

The second record to be recreated will be Buzzcocks EP 'Spiral Scratch' in Manchester. The Whip, Dutch Uncles, I Am Kloot and Charlotte Hatherly will be involved in that, with their live show taking place on 27 May at Band On The Wall. The third set of collaborations will take place in Glasgow with Malcolm Middleton, thecocknbullkid, James Yuill and Casiokids working on cover versions of Madonna's greatest hits, no less. They will play their tunes live on 17 Jun at Glasgow's ABC2.

Info on and footage of the collaborations will be posted at www.thejdset.co.uk

Depeche Mode and their tour sponsors, watchmakers Hublot, presented the Teenage Cancer Trust with a £400,000 cheque last week, which was nice of them.

The Mode have been doing various fundraising things during their Hublot-sponsored tour, including auctioning off twelve unique Depeche Mode watches made by the sponsor.

They presented the big fat cheque at a concert in aid of the Trust at the Albert Hall last week. The Mode gig was part of the Roger Daltrey's annual fundraising concert programme, even though it preceded the others by a month.

By the way, during that show former Moder Alan Wilder joined the band on stage during their encore, the first time he has appeared with the band since quitting fourteen years ago.

Good news for fans of credit cards, MasterCard have confirmed they will continue to sponsor the BRIT Awards for another three years. It's a good alliance for the record industry to have. Everyone hates the banks, even more than major record companies. Sit next to a financial services executive at dinner and you're bound to look good by comparison.

Confirming that the credit card firm still consider the BRITs to be a significant component of their global entertainment strategy and a way to meaningfully engage with the British public in a way that matters to them, not only through traditional media channels, such as print and broadcast, but also through developing unique content for digital activities and social media, Mastercard's VP Marketing Ben Rhodes told CMU: "The BRIT Awards is a significant component of our global entertainment strategy, allowing MasterCard to meaningfully engage with the British public in a way that matters to them, not only through traditional media channels, such as print and broadcast, but also through developing unique content for digital activities and social media".

Meanwhile, noting that the BRITs MasterCard tie-up was one of the longest and most immediately recognisable relationships in music, the boss of record label trade body and BRITs makers the BPI, Geoff Taylor, told us: "The successful BRITs partnership with MasterCard is one of the longest and most immediately recognisable relationships in music". When we asked him whether MasterCard appreciated the uniqueness and excitement of the BRITs and its ability to generate priceless moments, Taylor continued: "We know that MasterCard appreciates the uniqueness and excitement of the BRITs and its ability to generate priceless moments".

This year's BRITs take place on Tuesday. Your next Mastercard bill is due a week on Monday.

The Red Bull Academy, the annual programme of events for aspiring musicians from around the world, backed by the caffeine-rich syrupy stuff, is taking place in London this year, and kicks off on Sunday. sixty up-and-coming musical types will take part in a series of seminars, masterclasses and collaborative projects over the following month, with two two week 'semesters', each involving thirty people.

Most of the events that take place during the Academy are for participants only. Actually, for a brand-backed programme involving so many class acts as speakers and tutors, the Red Bull Academy is a remarkably low-key affair, focused on giving the 60 participants the best possible experience, rather than scoring the drink column inches, which should be commended, I reckon. But there are some events open to the public, kicking off with a special Innervisions night at Fabric this Sunday.

Giving some background to the Academy, one of its founders, Many Ameri, told CMU: "The Red Bull Music Academy is a source of inspiration for those who shape our musical future. Ever since we first started in Berlin in 1998, the Academy has fostered musicians' full creativity by bringing them together with a diverse and talented group of their peers from around the world - with state-of-the-art studios and music gear at their disposal".

He continued: "At the Academy, young aspiring artists have the unique opportunity to gain knowledge from and collaborate with the well-known music-makers who coined the very scenes and genres they are now pushing to new levels. They take the energy of this experience home to start new projects of their own, from collaborative albums to pirate radio stations to local workshops. So it's not about preaching to the converted and teaching skills that our participants already have. It's about mutual inspiration, helping them to connect the dots, and make their own valuable contribution to music - as part of a globe-spanning network that keeps on evolving through word-of-mouth".

There's more info at www.redbullmusicacademy.com with evening events open to the public listed in the 'calendar' section.

How about a Fightstar and Lethal Bizzle collaboration for breakfast? With some Jagermeister on the side? Well, that's how your Wednesday morning might kick off tomorrow.

The drinks brand are relaunching the music channel on their website tomorrow, and to celebrate they locked the rock band and the grime rapper in a room together. Unlike past efforts to marry the rock and grime scenes, no bottles of piss were thrown this time. Nor even a bottle of Jagermeister, of which presumably plenty were at hand.

Instead Bizzle, Charlie Simpson and other Fightstar members 1, 2 and 3, all settled down and wrote a song, a performance of which will be streaming on the aforementioned new look website from tomorrow. 

After collaborating with the rapper at London's Strongroom Studios, Charlie told CMU: "Most people have to go to work and sit at a desk all day - we get to do crazy stuff with Lethal Bizzle. Obviously our sound is different, but the funny thing is I don't think we're that far removed, when you actually mix the sound together".

The Bizzler added: "I'm a fan of music in general, so rock, indie, hip hop - it influences my music anyway. When I get opportunities I like to work with different people".

More on this and other Jagermeister supported bands at www.jagermeister.co.uk from tomorrow.

Camera makers Polaroid have announced a partnership with Lady Gaga, who will be given the title Creative Director atop a new line of products, which will be made in the spirit of Gaga - so presumably they'll be much talked about, rather garish, quite popular, but really rather mediocre. 

Confirming her partnership with the snappy people, Gaga told reporters: "I am so proud to announce my new partnership with Polaroid as the creative director and inventor of specialty projects. The Haus of Gaga has been developing prototypes in the vein of fashion/technology/photography innovation -blending the iconic history of Polaroid and instant film with the digital era - and we are excited to collaborate on these ventures with the Polaroid brand. Lifestyle, music, art, fashion. I am so excited to extend myself behind the scenes as a designer, and, as my father puts it, finally, have a real job".

Stephen Miller, co-CEO of the Polaroid company added: "Lady Gaga's broad creative talents and the way she connects with her fans in her own, unique manner made her a natural choice for Polaroid. Polaroid has had a special connection with its customers for years, we are delighted to be partnering with Lady Gaga to continue with that tradition and bring new and exciting products to the next generation".

If nothing else Gaga will presumably bring a bit of faded pop glamour to Polaroid's event at this week's Consumer Electronics Show, where their partnership will be formally launched. More on CES in a minute.

The people behind a new effort to launch an ad-funded download platform have announced a deal with Universal Music.

Australia-based Guvera plans to launch its service next February. As I understand it, their website will consist of a number of branded channels, each targeting a different audience, carrying a different assortment of music, and sponsored by a different brand. Users will be directed to channels that suit their musical tastes, and brands will be charged a fee whenever tracks are downloaded from their channels.

Ad-funded downloads (as opposed to ad-funded streaming services) were much talked about two to three years ago as a way for the music industry to win over young music fans used to getting their digital music for free via illegal file-sharing networks.

While the major labels, and especially Universal, were open to the idea, none of the proposed ad-funded download platforms got off the ground, partly due to the advertising recession, and partly because of the tricky issue of how you incorporated a brand's message into a one-track download (doing so normally involved some sort of digital rights management, meaning ad-funded services couldn't use the increasingly popular MP3 format).

The most high profile of the ad-funded services was probably Spiralfrog, which closed down earlier this year. I think Guvera hope that by brands taking ownership of genre channels on their website rather than just plonking ten second spot ads at the start of tracks, consumers may respond more positively to the proposition.

Confirming Universal were on board, Guvera CEO Claes Loberg told CMU: "I am excited to announce our content deal with Universal Music Group, which has been a pioneer in championing new digital business models, as well as a steadfast advocate for artists in seeking fair compensation for the use of their music online".

Universal's David Ring added: "We are delighted to partner with Guvera, whose service will only strengthen the connection between artists and fans. Universal Music is committed to cultivating legitimate online entertainment by offering our consumers even more ways to enjoy the musical experience where they want, how they want and in the manner of their choosing".

Universal Music have declared their F1 Rocks venture a success after an estimated 30 million people experienced the project worldwide: 27,000 live in Singapore and the rest via TV broadcasts in 172 territories.

As previously reported, F1 Rocks is a joint venture between the Universal-backed events company All The Worlds and the Formula One enterprise. It saw two big music shows staged alongside the Singapore Grand Prix in September. Beyonce, the Black Eyed Peas and No Doubt were among the artists involved.

It's an interesting project on at least two levels. First, it's a high level collaboration between the music and sports industries, two sectors which probably have much to gain by working together. Second, it is part of Universal Music's diversification, seeing the major working with key players in the live space, and extending further into the TV rights and brand partnerships business.

Commenting on the first year of the project, the boss of All The Worlds, Paul Morrison, told reporters: "These [viewing] figures are extremely encouraging for a first outing. Broadcasters enjoyed the interaction between the drivers and music A-listers. Singapore was flooded with our stars and this resonated around the world due to the huge exposure generated by F1 Rocks, widening the appeal of the Singapore Grand Prix Season".

A little follow up on our report on Friday on the new brand partnerships agency representing four independent record companies, IMU.

We said IMU would represent Moshi Moshi, Wichita Recordings, Because Music and Bella Union for sync rights deals. However, the agency will not be operating in the traditional sync domain, licensing tracks for TV ads and the like - in fact all four indies will continue to use their existing reps for traditional sync deals.

IMU will work with brands on more strategic projects, especially in the online domain, some of which might involve syncing tracks, but for so called branded content rather than traditional advertising. As an example, IMU's Ruth Clarke told CMU about a recent project with fashion chain Oasis, which saw the retailer form a mini-partnership with one of their labels.

Clarke: "The Oasis hookup was a small deal in which we licensed a track for use in a fashion film previewing their upcoming collection online and at a recent press day. It was licensed by their agency, Yellow Door. A simple deal, but our first opportunity to demonstrate the ease and speed with which these kinds of deals can be done through IMU".

Coca-Cola will sponsor the busking pitches on the London Underground network during December, and the fizzy pop brand hopes to persuade at least some buskers to sing one of their promotional jingles while they are on the stand. Yeah, good luck with that. They might have more success in persuading busking types to sing a few Christmas songs, which seems to be at the heart of the promotion.

A spokesman for the drinks firm told reporters: "We are in discussions with London Underground about incentivising buskers and giving them the option to include festive songs in their repertoire during their set, which could include the 'Holidays Are Coming' tune from the Coca-Cola Christmas ad. This would be completely at their discretion and is not something that is at all mandatory".

Perhaps they could expand the busking pitches to comedy and persuade Mark Thomas to come and do his "why Coke are evil" routine.

Smirnoff have announced the second year of their progamme which supports aspiring music promoters, previously called Night Vision, and now with the slightly less snappy but much more worthy name of Smirnoff Creative Grants. This year the programme will provide an online resource for grass roots promoters, as well as offering five grand grants to help four promoters cover the overheads of their nights. Proposals for the grants will be judged by, among others, Rob da Bank, DJ duo The Queens of Noize and Clash Mag editor Matthew Bennett.

Commenting on the programme, Rob da Bank told CMU: "I am very taken with the Smirnoff Creative Grants initiative for promoters. I started out as promoter putting on Sunday Best events with a £1.99 entrance fee, and now have my own Bestival and Camp Bestival festivals for up to 35,000 people. I'm delighted to help select some of the country's most unique and original new music promoters".

Applications for the grants should be made via the Smirnoff Facebook by 11 Dec - more at www.facebook.com/SmirnoffGB

Stationery supplies company Staples has entered into an interesting deal which will see its name attached to the LA venue that recently hosted Michael Jackson's public memorial for the rest of its existence.

Staples Inc has been the headline sponsor on LA's Staples Center venue since it opened in 1999.

The naming agreement was up for renewal this year, and according to Billboard the office supplies giant has reached a deal with venue owner AEG that will see the arena bear the sponsor's name until the day it falls down.

Financial terms of the deal are not known, but it's thought to be the first of its kind - ie no brand has ever bought rights to have their brand in a venue's name forever. The recession has really hit venue sponsorship deals of late, so it may be that Staples used that to their advantage to get a favourable deal on the LA building, which may be behind their interest to keep that deal going forever.

Dr Dre and Interscope man Jimmy Iovine have announced a partnership with HP to create a laptop with killer sound. The HP ENVY 15 Beats laptop is being produced through a partnership between the computer firm and Iovine/Dre's Beats Electronics venture, which developed those special Dre approved headphones I'm pretty sure we once mentioned. The new laptop will retail for a sweet $2,299 and will come with a free set of Dre headphones, so you can truly experience just how good the soundcard is. Probably best download some FLAC files to get the best out of the new PC.

Coca-Cola is now the official drink of Live Nation-owned venues in the USA which is great news for, well, erm, no one really. Well, it's good news for Live Nation presumably, as they will surely receive one of those lovely big cheque things, which are always fun. Coke will get branding on Live Nation's buildings and websites, and exclusive pouring rights in the soft drinks space in the live music conglom's venues. The drinks brand will also give away a load of Live Nation stuff - tickets, merchandise etc - via its own My Coke Rewards marketing platform. Lovely.

Absolute Radio and EMI Music Publishing have formed a new partnership that will sell the talents of EMI's composers and song-writers to advertisers. The deal will see Absolute market a service to its advertising clients to enable them to create a "stronger audio identity" through the use of original music. Although said music will feature on Absolute radio ads, clients who use the service will be able to use the music across all their TV and radio advertising, should they so wish.

EMI Music Publishing UK Head Of Sales Melanie Johnson, says this: "This deal poses a great opportunity for our songwriters and composers, who will be able to use their ability to connect with listeners in order to create significant income generating opportunities for themselves."

Vince Lynch, Absolute Radio Creative Director, says this: "It's about creating a sonic identity with our clients that defines their uniqueness, which in turn helps our business sound better. We all know that listeners don't hate adverts, they hate bad adverts. With the musical know-how of EMI Music Publishing and the creative minds at Absolute Radio, we can create ads and programming that people actually want to experience in order to make for a stronger listening experience".

Black Eyed Peas played their gig in Malaysia this weekend as part of Guinness' 250th birthday celebrations.

As previously reported, there had been some controversy behind what was one of the key events in the beer brand's global celebrations, with Malaysia's Muslims initially being told by their leaders that they shouldn't attend the gig. Religious leaders seemed mainly concerned about the promotion of an alcohol brand at the concert. But a deal was done regarding the promotion of Guinness, and the availability of alcohol at the concert, and Fergie presumably agreed to keep her attire pretty low key, allowing the country's Muslims to officially attend.

Commenting on that deal at a press conference ahead of the gig, Will.i.am told reporters: "I'm so thrilled. When we go to Dubai, when we go to Philippines, it's Muslims, Christians, everyone. The Black Eyed Peas is everybody's music. It feels so good to be able to come here and everyone's able to see us. And we'll be able to see everyone".

Confirming she would dress down for the show, to placate those religious officials, Fergie commented: "I have had to change my costume, but I mean the woman's silhouette is still there, whether it's clothes or not, whether you see skin or you don't".

HP, the computers not the sauce, are teaming up with NME Radio for a Freshers' Week style tour of those pesky universities. The HP Uni Tour will take in six universities, with the likes of VV Brown, Does It Offend You, Yeah? and Bombay Bicycle Club playing. It kicks off on 3 Oct in St Andrews.

HP's Charlotte Pleasants says this: "The combination of exciting new technology and live music is guaranteed to make an impact with freshers up and down the country!"

Do I need to write the usual "iPod ads are the new Levi's ads and help artists sell records" intro required by these announcements? No? Good. Let's just get on with it then.

Tommy Sparks' single, 'She's Got Me Dancing' will feature on an advert to promote the new range of iPod Touch MP3 players.

It'll give the track, and Sparks' album, a much-needed boost. Despite being one of CMU's favourite pop tracks of this year, 'She's Got Me Dancing' seems to have got lost in a pop haze up until now.