Double Win for Dido at Brit Awards

Singer songwriter Dido has demonstrated she is very much in tune with the music industry after walking away with two Brit awards for best female solo artist and best album.

Accepting the award for best album for "No Angel," she told the audience last night: "I'm a bit overwhelmed by that. Thank you very much. I had a lot of fun making this record -- about five years ago -- so it's amazing to be picking this up tonight."

Dido was virtually unknown until U.S. rapper Eminem used her track "Thank You" as the foundation for his 2000 hit "Stan."

But the evening was a disappointment for animated popsters Gorillaz who won nothing despite being the hot favorites with six nominations.

And Australian pop diva Kylie Minogue was crowned Queen of the Brits -- and she even had Oscar winner Russell Crowe to officiate at her musical coronation.

Sting felt as if he was getting a gold watch -- but the 50-year-old multi-millionaire still ripped off his shirt to belt out his greatest hits.

And the British record industry's annual award ceremony duly lived up to its rowdy reputation when bottles and insults flew between clean-cut Irish boyband Westlife and the garage group So Solid Crew.

Minogue, dressed in a stunning mini-dress and silver underwear, was close to tears after accepting the first of two awards from "Gladiator" star Crowe.

"This has been an incredibly special evening for me," the former soap star told the massed gathering of record executives who guzzled champagne like there was no tomorrow.

"This means so much to me," said the diminutive 33-year-old sex kitten after being picked as Best International Female Artist and for her album "Fever."

Sting had confessed that getting a Lifetime Achievement Award after 25 years in the music business "does feel a little bit like a gold watch."

But before launching into "Roxanne" and "Every Breath You Take," the former Police frontman was clearly moved.

He said: "I've had a very, very long career in music and if I gleaned any wisdom it would be encapsulated in five simple words...Music is its own reward."

Conspicuous consumption and inflated egos make for a combustible combination at awards ceremonies and the 2002 Brits were no exception.

Rowdy scenes erupted when Bryan McFadden from the Irish boyband Westlife took on So Solid Crew, whose tour last year was canceled on police advice after a gunman opened fire in a packed club during one of their London concerts.

"Bryan McFadden got rather too drunk and tired and emotional," a spokesman for the organizers told Reuters.

"As So Solid Crew went past him, he started to throw water. They reacted by throwing a few punches that didn't land. A few glasses and bottles were thrown but security stepped in.

"Unfortunately artists do tend to rather overindulge when they come to these events and have one too many," he added.

This year's Brits were all about Girl Power -- and there wasn't a Spice Girl in sight.

Kylie claimed two awards and so did Dido, who was virtually unknown a year ago but has now sold 13 million copies worldwide of her debut album "No Angel."

And girl power scored another triumph when the American trio Destiny's Child picked up the Best International Group title.

Kylie the Big International Star of Brits

Australian pop princess Kylie Minogue was the big international star of the Brits on Wednesday, scooping two top awards at the British music industry's annual extravaganza.

The former soap diva, now more famous for her raunchy pop videos, fought off Icelandic elf Bjork and three North American stars -- Nelly Furtado, Anastacia and Alicia Keys -- to be crowned International Female Solo Artist.

The diminutive sex kitten, who once famously had a passionate affair with late Australian rock star Michael Hutchence, also won the coveted International Album award for "Fever."

The other double winner of the night was Dido, selected as British Female Solo Artist and given the Best British Album award for her stunning debut "No Angel" which has sold 13 million copies worldwide.

Robbie Williams, the flamboyant former boyband star now riding high in the charts with an album of Frank Sinatra classics, landed a record 13th Brit award when he was picked as British Male Solo Artist.

Elton John's double bid for Brit glory failed but the veterans were not forgotten on the industry's big night of the year -- former Police frontman Sting won a Lifetime Achievement award.

The music business' equivalent of a gold watch capped what has been an already memorable 2002 for Sting -- he has been nominated for an Oscar and six million people have come to hear the 50-year-old singer on his latest world tour.

On the British front, Travis were chosen as the Best Group, Blue were picked as Best Newcomer and teen pin-ups S Club 7's "Don't Stop Movin" was Single of the Year.

Basement Jaxx were Best British Dance Act and the controversial garage group So Solid Crew won best video for "21 Seconds."

On the international scene, reggae superstar Shaggy fought off Bob Dylan and Dr. Dre to be picked as Best Male Solo Artist. Destiny's Child were chosen as International Group of the year and American band the Strokes were the 2002 Newcomer stars.

But Kylie did have to play second fiddle in the Pop Act category. That prize, voted for by fans, went to Irish boyband Westlife.

The awards, where hype reigns supreme among pony-tailed record executives looking for tomorrow's pop superstar, were a welcome publicity boost for an industry hit hard by rampant CD piracy and the global economic downturn.

But the 2002 Brits were dogged by controversy with critics labelling the awards a farce after superstars U2, Madonna and Britney Spears were overlooked.

In an embarrassing bungle, Dido was nominated for Best Newcomer after being in the Best Female category last year. The organizers quickly withdrew the nomination.

New Music Deals Keep Navarre Humming

Navarre Corporation today announced that its Entertainment Media division will be the North American distributor of seven new notable music labels, including Valley Entertainment, The Sanctuary Group (for selected product), Riviera Entertainment, Snapper Music, Ace Records, Evangeline Records and JSP Records. The music represented in these agreements spans a wide spectrum of established artists, emerging talent and broad catalogue from genres including new age, rock n' roll, heavy metal, blues, and more.

Navarre Entertainment Media (NEM) Senior Vice President, Steve Pritchitt states, ``These new labels offer the Company a great roster of artists, valuable catalog and new emerging formats - DTS 5.1 and DVD Audio. We are proud to welcome these imprints to our family of labels and anticipate great success with both the traditional and new formats they represent. Collectively, these new labels generated over $10 million worth of billing last year representing sales in excess of one million units. We look forward to working with these new labels to further enhance their past successes.''

The Sanctuary Group, a UK public company, became one of Britain's largest independent record companies following its purchase of Castle Music in July, 2000. Operating out of New York, Sanctuary has split distribution with many of its labels. The entire Noise and Rough Trade record lines will be distributed through Navarre. Navarre's first release from Santuary's independent arm will be a new recording from Phil Anselmo, lead vocalist for platinum-selling Pantera. Titled Superjoint Ritual, the CD will be available in May. Anselmo's last side project, Down, (Elektra) scanned in excess of 200,000 units.

Riviera Entertainment, based in southern California, continues its successful history and strong commitment to urban music. March 19th marks Rivera's first release through Navarre with a powerful new CD from multi-platinum artist Ol' Dirty Bastard entitled, The Trials and Tribulations of Russell Jones. ODB's last studio album has scanned over 690,000 units to date. Artists slated for releases include C-Murder, featuring Master P and Lil Romeo, Mack 10, Krayzie Bone, J.T Money, Mc Eiht, Spice One, and Sunz of Man.

Industry pioneer, Barney Cohen, founded New York based Valley Entertainment, offering new release and catalog titles representing the best in blues, Celtic, new age, rock and DVD-music. Product will be distributed by NEM under the Valley Entertainment logo and its sub-labels including DTS Entertainment, Hearts of Space, AudioQuest, Honest Gold, NYNO and RGB labels. Recently, the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) announced that David Darling's ``Cello Blue,'' on Hearts of Space/Valley Entertainment received a prestigious Grammy Nomination for Best New Age Album.

London headquartered Snapper Music was founded in 1998 by three industry veterans Jon Beecher, Dougie Dudgeon and Tony Harris. Snapper has built an impressive catalog of reissues as well as signing and promoting a number of formidable artists. Snapper revitalized the career of brilliant blues guitarist and Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green, with his Splinter Group albums; founded and nurtured the popular Prog band, Porcupine Tree, and recorded The Pretty Things first new album in 20 years.

Snapper's extensive mid-price ``Original Masters'' series includes releases by Genesis, Fleetwood Mac, John Mellencamp, W.A.S.P., Asia,, Steve Hackett, 10 CC, and many others. In 2001 they began promoting the Peaceville heavy metal label, including releases from Darkthrone, Katatonia, Opeth, My Dying Bride, and more.

Ace Records was founded in 1975, and is one of the most respected CD reissue companies in the industry. The Company's philosophy is rooted in rock n' roll and its catalog exceed 1500 releases, 600 of which will be distributed by NEM. The Company's imprints include Ace (blues, R&B, Cajun, gospel, oldies, and more), BGP (acid jazz and soul), Big Beat (rock and psychedelia), boplicity (jazz), Cascade (mid-priced compilations), Chiswick (rock and punk), Globestyle (world music), Kent (60's & 70's soul), and Southbound (70's soul & funk). Some of the best-selling CDs include The Very Best of Jackie Wilson, a rare album by Freddie King, and reissues of classic rare albums by The Zombies, Millie Jackson and Dion, among many others.

London based Evangeline Records was formed in 2000 by two longtime UK music industry veterans, Pete Macklin and Andrew Lauder. The labels' best-selling CDs include Carla Olsen and Mick Taylor, Luka Bloom, Mary Coughlan and Freddie Scott, plus reissues by Big Brother & The Holding Co., T-Bone Burnett, Jorma Kaukonen, Sons of Champlin, Hoodoo Gurus, and Sonny Landreth. 2002 releases from Evangeline will include a new live album by Gov't. Mule titled, Live With a Little Help from Our Friends, Vol. 2, and reissues from The Textones, Asleep at the Wheel, and Percy Mayfield.

Rounding out the list of label additions for Navarre Entertainment Media is London based JSP Records owned and operated by John Stedman. JSP offers both retrospective box set reissues and new artist recordings. The crown jewel of its reissue catalog is Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives & Sevens, a four CD set. It has been critically acclaimed as the best sounding release of its kind and has been widely reviewed as one of the most important reissues for this seminal artist. Following close behind are Django Reinhardt's 5 CD set, Classic Early Recordings, and his 4 CD set, Vol. 2 Paris and London.

Navarre Corporation's major business groups are: Navarre Distribution Services, which distributes quality consumer software, video games, major label music and DVD and VHS video to a broad base of retailers nationwide; Navarre Entertainment Media, distributes proprietary, independent music and DVD in the United States and Canada; the company operates a ``business to business'' Internet E-Commerce web site www.navarre.com.