Australian band Men At Work are being sued by a music publisher who claims their massive 1983 worldwide hit 'Down Under' plagiarises a song originally written for the Girl Guides.

Publisher Larrikin Music is suing record labels Sony BMG and EMI for breach of copyright, as well as seeking royalties from song.

The publisher claims that the Men At Work track, which was Number One in the UK, US and Australia, borrows unlawfully from 'Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree', which was written for the Girl Guides in 1934 by Marion Sinclair.

Men At Work dispute Larrikin Music's claims that it bought the publishing rights to 'Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree' in 1990, reports BBC News.

However, a Sydney judge has sided with the publisher and allowed a plagiarism case to go ahead.

Larrikin Music began the action after a television quiz show in Australia showcased the alleged similarities in 2007.

Source NME

Procol Harum member Matthew Fisher has won a court case to be named the official co-writer of the band's classic 1967 song 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale'.

Fisher claims he wrote the song's organ melody, and Law Lords today (July 30) ruled that he is entitled to his share of future royalties from the song.

In 2006, the High Court ruled that the organist was entitled to 40 per cent of royalties from the song. However, royalties were reverted to Procol Harum frontman Gary Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid in 2008, after the Court Of Appeal ruled that Fisher had waited too long – 38 years – to make his claim.

Speaking of the case, Lord Neuberger said Fisher had repeatedly asked Brooker and Reid if he could have a share in the rights to the record, only to be "rebuffed or ignored".

According to lawyers, the case marks the first time the Law Lords have been asked to rule on a copyright dispute involving a song, reports the BBC.

Fisher now works as a computer programmer.

Source NME

Chickenfoot/Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith says his 'main' band will reconvene to work on new recordings in October 2009.

"That's the plan," Smith told Billboard.com. After a long hiatus after touring 2005's Stadium Arcadium, Smith adds: "Everybody was like, 'Y'know, I really like having this time off, not being a Chili Pepper and doing other things... It'll be two years in September, so now we're ready.

"You can't force people to play when they don't want to play or aren't ready to play or whatever - not in our band, anyway."

Smith expects bassist Flea and guitarist John Frusciante to return.

Flea is currently studying music theory, composition and jazz trumpet at the University Of South California and is planning a solo album. And Frusciante told MusicRadar as recently as January that he had "no plans" to work with the Chili Peppers again.

MusicRadar will be speaking with Smith soon to hear about the band's new plans and we'll be recording something special too…

.Source music-radar

Elaine Paige, Lulu and Jason Donovan are the first artists to be confirmed for the London ABBA tribute concert which will take place in Hyde Park on September 13.

The tribute show, at which ABBA's songwriting duo Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus will both appear, will also feature a performance by the cast of the ABBA musical Mamma Mia.

Anderrson has told BBC radio that he hopes to persuade Annie Lennox to appear, to sing "The Day Before You Came".

The tribute concert Thank You For The Music... A Celebration Of The Music Of Abba will have more guests announced in due course.

Source UNCUT

Kris Kristofferson, who is to be awarded the BMI Icon Award at the 57th annual Country Awards in November, has revealed details about his forthcoming new studio album 'Closer To The Bone'.

Featuring Dylan drummer Jim Keltner on drums as well as Rolling Stones producer Don Was on bass, Rami Jaffee on keyboards and the late Stephen Bruton on guitar, the eleven track album is set for release on September 28.

Speaking about the new record, Kristofferson has said: “I like the intimacy of the new album. It has a general mood of reflecting on where we all are at this end of life.”

The track "Good Morning John" is written as a tribute to Kristofferson's mentor and friend, the late Johnny Cash.

Kris Kristofferson's Closer To The Bone album track list is:

'Closer To The Bone'
'From Here To Forever'
'Holy Woman'
'Starlight And Stone'
'Sister Sinead'
'Hall Of Angels'
'Love Don’t Live Here Anymore'
'Good Morning John'
'Tell Me One More Time'
'Let The Walls Come Down'
'The Wonder'

Source UNCUT

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl is set to have a street named after him later today (August 1).

The singer is expected to attend the event, which is part of a week long festival, in the city of Warren, Ohio at 5.45pm (EDT) where the city's Market Alley will be renamed after the former Nirvana sticksman.

Grohl and his parents lived in the city during his birth and his early years before he moved to Alexandria, in Virginia.

Local artists have been invited to paint murals along the alley walls in honour to his music, according to mainstreetwarren.org.

As previously reported on NME.COM, the band recently performed for US President Barack Obama for a special concert at the White House where they debuted a new track.

Source NME