U2 firm paid five employees €18m in wages last year

 

The Irish Times, October 26, 2007

 

 

 

Five people employed by one of rock band U2's companies shared almost €18 million in wages last year, the firm's accounts show. Barry O'Halloran reports.

 

It could not be confirmed yesterday if the band's members - Bono, the Edge, Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton, and their manager Paul McGuinness - were the people paid by the company, as the accounts do not name the employees.

 

A representative of U2's London-based management company refused to comment on the accounts yesterday.

 

Figures just lodged with the Companies Office by U2 Ltd, which controls rights to the band's music, show that its five staff earned salaries of €17.96 million.

 

U2 and the band's accountant and manager, Paul McGuinness, are involved in a number of businesses and ventures.

 

Their personal wealth is privately managed and is estimated to be in the region of €600 million.

 

The four band members own U2 Ltd through another company, Not Us Ltd, in which they each have a 25 per cent share.

 

According to the accounts, U2 Ltd makes money from licensing the band's music copyright, which entitles it to be paid for the sale, reproduction and broadcast of its music.

 

After the calculation of wages and other costs, the accounts show that U2 Ltd had operating profits of €5.4 million in 2006, compared with a loss of €5.9 million the year before.

 

Its profits before tax came to €4.6 million and it paid €765,578 in tax, leaving it with €3.84 million in profits for the year.

 

U2 Ltd was one of a number of companies involved in managing the band's recording and publishing interests that reportedly moved to the Netherlands last year after the Government capped tax-free earnings for artists at €250,000.

 

Taxes on royalties paid to artists and performers for use of their material are close to zero in the Netherlands. Bono drew particular criticism when the move became known, as people believed it did not tally with his calls on governments to give more cash aid to developing countries.

 

U2 Ltd's directors are named in the accounts as Jan Favié, an Amsterdam-based accountant, Dutch lawyer Roelof Kloeten, and Irish accountant Gaby Smith.

 

© The Irish Times, 2007.

 

U2's Bono Joins Gwen Stefani at $1.5 Million Concert

 

 

By Philip Boroff

 

Oct. 25 (Bloomberg) -- With an appearance by Bono and a concert featuring Gwen Stefani and Alicia Keys, organizers of a Manhattan fundraiser tonight to raise $1.5 million for AIDS promise it won't be standard benefit fare.

 

At most galas, ``you get your charity chicken, the entertainment goes on too long and the music is awful,'' said Leigh Blake, executive director of Keep a Child Alive, a nonprofit that provides medicine for AIDS-infected adults and children in Africa and India. ``Our event is not stodgy.''

 

Bono, the 47-year-old activist and lead singer of the Irish band U2, who was born Paul David Hewson, is being honored and isn't scheduled to perform at Hammerstein Ballroom. Keys, the 26- year-old R&B singer, will take the stage before 1,200 guests, along with Sheryl Crow and Stefani. Iman, the former model who was born in Somalia, is also set to appear.

 

Tickets for dinner and the show, which benefits the Brooklyn-based group, range from $100,000 for a table for 10 to $5,000 for individuals. Seats in the balcony upstairs in the hall for a pre-concert cocktail party and the show are $1,000.

 

The event is backed by media personalities and recording industry executives. Padma Lakshmi, host of ``Top Chef'' on the Bravo network, oversees the dinner menu. Co-chairmen of the event include Richard Beckman, president of Conde Nast Media Group, Theodore J. Forstmann, chief executive of talent agency IMG, and Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Universal Music Group's Interscope Geffen A&M Records.

 

Lobbying Efforts

 

The fourth annual ``Black Ball'' is honoring Bono for his support of AIDS awareness and treatment. In 2002, he co-founded DATA -- Debt AIDS Trade Africa -- which lobbies wealthy nations to adopt new trade and aid policies with Africa. In 2006, Bono helped start ``Product (Red)'' to raise money to buy AIDS drugs for Africans.

 

Blake, a native of London who now lives in Brooklyn, was an associate producer of the 1995 film ``Kids'' and co-produced ``Red Hot & Blue,'' a 1990 Cole Porter tribute album that raised money for AIDS research and education. She became more involved with HIV issues in Africa after marrying Earle Sebastian, a director of videos and commercials and a South African native. She started Keep a Child Alive in 2003.

 

Working with established groups, Blake said the organization provides medicine for 20,000 people in Africa.

 

She visits Africa four times a year. If it weren't for family obligations, she said she'd be tempted to move to Uganda or South Africa because of her affection for the people.

 

``They don't have anything,'' she said. ``They just give love and receive love. Here it's all about us and about what we need. None of that means anything.''

 

 

not sure if this is old or new news :w00t:

 

 

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1290655,00.html

 

Bono's Plans Cause A Rattle And Hum

By Tadhg Enright

Sky News, Dublin

Updated: 09:14, Tuesday October 30, 2007

 

Plans by music giants U2 to stamp their mark on the skyline of their home city have hit a wrong note with conservationists

 

They plan to build Ireland's tallest tower in Dublin and revamp their city centre hotel - to ensure their legacy lives on long after the music stops.

 

Bono and The Edge have unveiled plans to redevelop the Clarence Hotel on the city's historic quays, which they bought in 1992.

 

It has become one of the city's favourite celebrity haunts with a guest list that has included Kate Moss and Bill Clinton.

 

But with fewer than 50 bedrooms, its economic success has failed to match its star status.

 

The U2 frontmen believe their £100m plan will create one of the great hotels of the world that will be as synonymous with Dublin as Raffles is with Singapore.

 

"It's going to be a vision of expression of confidence for the city," said hotel manager Oliver Sevestre.

 

However, the design by London architect Lord Foster includes the demolition of several listed buildings.

 

The designers say the significant contribution the new hotel would make to the economic and social fabric of Dublin justifies the destruction of the protected buildings.

 

Michael Smith, of heritage organisation An Taisce, said he will take legal action if city planners give the go-ahead.

 

But U2 are no strangers to legal battles.

 

Five years ago they fought a compulsory purchase order on the band's recording studio in Dublin's docklands, which was to be demolished as part of a massive urban regeneration scheme in the area.

 

Legal representatives for the band arrived on the first day of public hearings into the development to argue that the studio's cultural significance warranted its conservation.

 

That became a place of pilgrimage for U2 fans so obviously they've got a kind of stake in the area," said Irish Times environment editor Frank McDonald. "It is the new Dublin in a sense, and U2 want to be a part of that."

 

Within a matter of days, the band withdrew their objections after they struck a deal with the Dublin Docklands Development Authority to get involved with a project to build Ireland's tallest building on a nearby site, which would house a new recording studio.

 

Construction of the U2 Tower is expected to begin next year, but other builders who lost out in the competition to develop the tower claim they were unfairly treated and are considering legal action.

 

Planners have yet to decide on the plans to redevelop the Clarence Hotel and it has been reported that Bono and The Edge will sell the hotel if permission is not granted.

 

For the band's legacy in Dublin, it seems U2 may still have not found what they're looking for.

 

 

Thank you Sparkieeeeee :yahoo:

’The sound of a drum kit in a room...’

Friday 2 November 2007, by Corinne/Dead

 

All the versions of this article:

[English] [français]

 

 

See online : U2.com

 

Get into a room with the band and ’everything is possible’ explains Bono, in the 40th anniversary edition of Rolling Stone. ’Really and truly. It’s this incredible thing. I treasure it. I treasure it now more than ever.’

 

Find the whole four page interview here including audio of Bono musing on a choice between ’U2 or activism’.

 

Great read, here’s a couple of highlights:

 

Has your activism affected how you think about being in U2? ’I’ve spent a lot of time in these two-dimensional worlds - numbers, values, analysis of statistics. And when I get away from it, being with U2 is such a playground. It’s made me realize how sacred music is. It’s a kind of sacrament - like marriage, like friendship. I’m not sure the other three in the band know this, because they - maybe sensibly - have avoided that other world. They just think they’re in U2, and that’s great. But I really know how great it is to be in U2.’

 

Is it as great as what you dreamed it might be like when you were young? ’When I was a kid and I was at school, I worked at a gas station. And I would just get wound up thinking about practice on Saturdays - or Wednesdays sometimes. Just hearing the sound of a drum kit in a room, the silver of the ride cymbal and the skin of a tom-tom. It meant a great deal to me. Then, as it became my job to be in a band, you take for granted that you’ve got a few hours with your mates in the studio. I don’t anymore. It is sanctuary and escape from the material world of causalities, profit and loss, cynicism and hard-bitten victories over your own indifference or somebody else’s. You get into this f***ing room and everything seems possible, and I’ve never really appreciated it more than now. Really and truly. It’s this incredible thing. I treasure it. I treasure it now more than ever. I’m terrified that I might lose my first love in the supermarket, in the maw of so many choices of what you can do with your time. But I also think I’m better for having my brain pummeled in so many different areas.’

 

 

U2 3D' On Screen in January

 

 

'U2 3D', the first live action movie ever shot, produced, and exhibited in digital 3-D, is set to open worldwide in late January. National Geographic Cinema Ventures have confirmed the details and we've got the first photos.

 

Filmed during the band's Vertigo Tour dates in South America last year, the movie is directed by Catherine Owens and Mark Pellington and will be released in both digital 3-D (REAL D and Dolby) and IMAX theaters from late January 2008.

 

"When the reviews came in after our screening at Cannes, we were thrilled," said Owens. "We wanted to use this technology to make viewers feel like they were actually at the concert and sometimes even onstage. The feedback from fans, critics and the industry was phenomenal."

 

Owens, a friend of the band since they were teenagers in Dublin, directs visual content when U2 are on tour and directed the 2005 video for Original of the Species. Pellington also goes way back with the band - at the helm for a version of 'One' back in 1992 (featuring artist David Wojnarowicz's buffalo imagery) and helping create to the unique visual vibe of ZOO TV.

 

Bono: Bloomberg could do a lot of good 'inside or outside the White House'

 

New York Daily News, November 01, 2007

 

 

 

 

Bono likes Mike.

 

The Irish rock star and philanthropist was full of praise for Mayor Bloomberg after meeting with him with him at City Hall on Thursday.

 

"He's a great and gifted manager and I think he could do an awful lot of good inside or outside the White House," the U2 frontman told reporters when asked about speculation that Bloomberg -- who recently dropped his Republican afficliation to become an independent -- might run for president.

 

Bono, whose real name is Paul Hewson, said he met with Bloomberg to discuss his charity work in Africa, where the rocker has been active in the fights against AIDS and poverty.

 

The billionaire mayor has been working on expanding the foundation that will focus on giving his money away.

 

"What I'm interested in is not just his cash, but his intellect, and how his business acumen could be used to work for the world's poor," Bono said.

 

 

© New York Daily News, 2007.

 

U2's tax decision defended by Bono

RTE.IE

http://dynimg.rte.ie/0000b57e10dr.jpg

 

Bono has defended the decision by U2 to move part of the band's business from Ireland to the Netherlands to reduce his tax bill and the tax bill of the other band members.

 

Bono was speaking at University College Cork, where he attended a meeting of the Irish Government's Hunger Task Force, of which he's a member.

 

He said Ireland's prosperity had been achieved through tax innovation and it would be churlish to criticise U2 for being innovative in relation to their tax affairs when that's what people were encouraged to do and that's what made the country prosperous.

 

AdvertisementHe said U2 paid taxes not only to the letter of the law but to the spirit of the law too.

 

The singer said anybody who knew him would know that he wouldn't ask anyone to do something which he wasn't prepared to do himself.

 

Around the world he said he had been asking governments to increase their spend on Third World aid by something like 0.2% and he was sure nobody was seriously suggesting that U2 weren't up to that too.

 

Bono praised the role being played by the Irish Government in eradicating famine in the Third World.

 

He said African countries were seeking to replicate the success of the Irish economy because Ireland had come from further behind than any other country in modern history to achieve the levels of prosperity currently being enjoyed.

 

This year the Government will spend €815m on Third World aid and Bono said Ireland's aid record and its recent prosperity gave the country an authority when advising African nations on their problems

 

Bono lauds our role in leading the fight against world hunger but hits out at 'churlish' tax critics

 

Independent, November 17, 2007

 

Ralph Riegel

 

 

BONO was back on the campaigning trail yesterday.

 

And he took the opportunity to sing the praises of under-pressure Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, saying the Government has championed the campaign to put world hunger at the top of the global agenda.

 

But the rock star also dismissed as "churlish" the critics who claimed that U2's campaigning credentials had been seriously undermined by the transfer of part of their music operations from Ireland to the Netherlands for tax reasons.

 

"Anyone who knows me knows I wouldn't ask anyone to do something that I am not prepared to do myself," Bono said.

 

"The increases in aid we are asking for are like 0.2pc -- I am not sure that anyone seriously thinks that I am not, or that U2 are not, up to that.

 

Churlish

 

"Our tax has always been not just to the letter of the law but to the spirit of the law. This country's prosperity came out of tax innovation so it would be sort of churlish to criticise U2 for doing what we were encouraged to do and what brought all these companies to Ireland in the first place."

 

The U2 singer paid glowing tribute to Mr Ahern, Finance Minister Brian Cowen, and former Junior Minister Liz O'Donnell, for their courageous stance on development aid as he attended the second meeting of the Hunger Taskforce in University College Cork (UCC).

 

Hundreds of students cheered the U2 star as he gave a press conference on the college lawn.

 

Speaking to the Irish Independent, Bono said that Ireland is now leading the way in devoting record amounts of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to Third World development aid.

 

Ireland is now set to allocate more than €800m in revenues to such projects in 2007/2008.

 

"World hunger is an anachronism of modern history -- it is a (poor) indicator of our spiritual well-being that there are people starving and hungry in the 21st century.

 

"Strangely global resources have not been applied in that direction -- global health, AIDS, malaria and things I have worked on have gained precedence.

 

"But there is something poetic about Ireland leading on world hunger because of our history. I am very proud of the Irish Government on this -- Bertie, Brian Cowen and Liz O'Donnell before that.

 

"It makes me very proud as an actor who goes out into the international arena to try and raise funds from governments that our Government is (already) there.

 

"There is something also very poetic about being on this (UCC) campus and in this room which was built at the time of the Famine as a public works programme to give jobs to the local community. It is in the background, the Famine thing, but we don't want to milk it.

 

"It is part of who we are, the Irish. I do think we have an unique role to play in tackling world hunger.

 

"What I will try to do is (beat) the war-drums. Other people watching or listening to this must then decide if it should be a priority."

 

The U2 star said the world's consciousness has come a long way since the Ethiopian famine in the 1980s which first shocked stars into involvement in devel-opmental campaigns.

 

"There is an incredible amount of Irish Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) getting stuck in all around the developing world.

 

"Everywhere you go in Africa there is Irish. What used to be priests and nuns jumping out from behind bushes is now NGOs, activists. It says a lot about who we are as a people, about the fact that we haven't completely forgotten about where we came from."

 

© independent.ie, 2007.

 

U2 finally get go-ahead for €150m hotel plan

 

Experts outraged at revamp nod

 

Independent, November 18, 2007

 

Larissa Nolan

 

 

U2 have finally found what they're looking for -- planning permission for a €150m revamp of the Clarence Hotel.

 

The rock supergroup have been given the green light by Dublin City Council to go ahead with controversial plans to turn the landmark property in Temple Bar into what Bono claims will be "the most spectacular hotel in Europe". His friend, former US President Bill Clinton, stayed at the hotel last night.

 

But conservationists and environmentalists have expressed outrage at the decision to allow Bono and The Edge to demolish four neighbouring listed buildings and erect a spaceship-style atrium on top.

 

Under planning law, council's should only give permission to demolish listed buildings "in exceptional circumstances".

 

Michael Smith, environmentalist and former head of An Taisce, the national heritage trust, has blasted the council's decision as "illegal" and accused U2 of "the biggest demolition of protected structures in Ireland in years".

 

Even the council's own City Conservation Architect, Clare Hogan, advised a refusal.

 

Ms Hogan said in her report, which was included in decision documents, that the planned development did not meet legal requirements. "The band were unable to provide exceptional circumstances as required under the Planning and Development Act 2000, to allow demolition of protected structures."

 

"The decision is reminiscent of the climate of 1960s speculative development."

 

Michael Smith -- who has been against the development since U2 applied for permission earlier this year -- said Clare Hogan's comments are damning.

 

"The planning authorities clearly ignored the good advice of the City Conservation Architect. She is blatantly saying that this should not have been given permission and recommended a refusal.

 

"Essentially, her comments say that permission in this case would be illegal. And it is."

 

However, senior executive planner Anthony Abbot-King felt the scheme was "an exemplary design solution" and that the owners have shown the existence of exceptional circumstances for economic reasons and through the proposal to reinstate facades, as well as the need to rejuvenate the west end of Temple Bar.

 

He also considered that the four Georgian buildings were in "poor to very poor condition".

 

It is expected that An Taisce, as well as the Irish Georgian Society, will soon make an appeal to An Bord Pleanala.

 

And Michael Smith has vowed that, should An Bord Pleanala give the go ahead, he will personally challenge the permission in the courts.

 

Co-owners Bono and the Edge plan to demolish the Georgian buildings and transform the 44-bedroom boutique hotel into a 141-bedroom, five-star hotel and spa complete with signature restaurant, bar and fresh food market.

 

The "skycatcher atrium" on top will be visible from all over the city.

 

The hotel was designed by the internationally-renowned architect Norman Foster. A recent online poll found that three-quarters of architects on website Archiseek believed the development should not be given permission.

 

© independent.ie, 2007.

 

From http://www.u2.com/news/index.php?mode=full&news_id=2173

 

 

Concert Rumours (Unfounded)

 

Just a note to correct reports that tickets are becoming available for planned U2 shows next year.

 

 

There are no plans for live dates next year :cry: - so please don't buy tickets for any U2 shows you see advertised.

 

You can be sure any future live announcements will be made on U2.Com as soon as they are confirmed.

 

<_< <_< <_<

Read about this in the paper. I did'nt expect any live dates next year anyway, well not big ones anyway. As long as we get the New album next year and I will be happy, and the tour in 2009/10. Besides, why would they pick the O2 Arena. What is the obsession with that place? :lol: Surely they would be playing in the new Wembley :lol:

Indeed. It holds nowhere near U2 type capacity. -_-

True, although alot of bands are playing in O2, like Led Zepplin who could sell out Wembley 20 times over in minutes, so I don't get it. The Stones also played their I think, and Boyzone are playing there next year as well as TT soon :lol:

 

The Foo Fighters are playing Wembley Stadium though, I would just love to go. They are such a great live act, did you see them at the Live Earth gig :o :wub:

Yeah. They were ace. :cheer:

 

 

Suppose it depends what time of year the acts are intending to tour. Stadia are only an option in the summer months. -_-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7110560.stm

 

 

Surprise U2 charity gig wows fans

 

Bono and The Edge played one 1987 track live for the first time

Bono and The Edge of rock superstars U2 delighted fans when they made a surprise appearance at a charity gig.

The Irish pair played an unannounced four-song set, before just 250 people, for Mencap's Little Noise Sessions at the Union Chapel, in north London.

 

Referring to their bandmates, Bono joked: "Don't tell Larry (Mullen) and Adam (Clayton) we've done this."

 

BBC Radio 1 DJ Jo Whiley, the event's curator, said the multi-million-selling duo "were actually nervous beforehand".

 

Whiley, who has helped curate a number of shows to raise funds for Mencap added: "Seeing them in a situation like this, in a tiny chapel, makes people realise just how great they are - worthy of all the praise they get."

 

Joshua Tree

 

The crowd were told about some "very special guests" by organisers, but had no idea who it would be until they walked out on stage.

 

"The singer, Paul, is a shy guy, so please be gentle with him," Whiley told the crowd, before Bono and The Edge - real names Paul Hewson and Dave Evans - appeared.

 

They opened their set with Stay, moving on to Desire and Angel Of Harlem.

 

Their closing track was a first-time performance for the song Wave Of Sorrow - a track originally written for their 1987 album Joshua Tree.

 

Both men left the stage to a standing ovation.

 

"After they came off stage, Bono was asking me if they'd been OK and they were also wondering whether the 'new' song had gone down well," Whiley said.

 

The pair acted as the first warm-up act for Biffy Clyro.

 

Rumours

 

Fan Simon Dowling, 20, from Newcastle, said: "I was here for Biffy Clyro. We turned up at 5 o'clock outside and got rumours it was Bono and the Edge and we were like, 'that can't be true'.

 

"I've used all the battery on my phone taking pictures of them."

 

Biffy Clyro singer Simon Neil said he had found out only on Friday morning that Bono and The Edge were to perform.

 

"We got to meet them earlier and they were very kind. They actually apologised to us for jumping on our show which obviously, you know, is incredibly polite," he said.

 

 

 

 

:o :o :o :o :o

http://www.nme.com/news/u2/32721

 

 

U2 play surprise gig in London

 

Band dust off rare track for acoustic show

24.Nov.07 12:01am

U2's Bono and The Edge played a surprise gig tonight (November 23) at London's Union Chapel.

 

Playing as part of Mencap's Little Noise Sessions, the duo surprised the audience with a four song set which included rare track 'Wave Of Sorrow'.

 

The identity of the 'special guests' was shrouded in mystery when introduced by host Jo Whiley as "a new band with a lot of potential...Dave the guitarist is very nervous...If he makes a mistake forgive him, he's new. The singer is very shy."

 

The band opened with 'Zooropa' track 'Stay (Faraway, So Close)' with Bono reading the lyrics off a sheet on a music stand.

 

The singer changed the lyrics: "You can go anywhere/ Miami, New Orleans, London, Belfast and Berlin" to " You can go anywhere/ Miami, New Orleans, Belfast and Islington," which was met by roars of approval from the crowd.

 

After the track finished The Edge said : "I hope you like our new direction."

 

Launching into 'Desire', Bono ad libbed parts of INXS' 'Need You Tonight' into the track. He sang the lyrics "I've got to let you know / You're one of my kind."

 

He started clapping before taking out a harmonica to play on the track's distinctive finish.

 

Bono introduced 'Angel Of Harlem' by saying : "This is our only Christmas song."

 

After a false start which saw the singer sing the start of 'Like A Rolling Stone' by Bob Dylan over The Edge's riff, the duo continued.

 

At one point Bono said : "Merry Christmas Yoko."

 

When the song finished the pair shook hands.

 

Bono then introduced the next track by saying : "So about 20 years ago we started a tune on 'The Joshua Tree' and yesterday we just finished it. This song is based on the experiences that my lovely wife Ali had in Ethiopia.

 

"You forget that this was the land of the Queen Of Sheeba...I was 25 and it was an extraordinary time to be there...It was an overwhelming experience.

 

"This (song) has never been played before. Just don't tell Larry (Mullen) and Adam (Clayton) we're doing it...Oh Adam's here! This is for you sir."

 

They played 'Wave Of Sorrow' with The Edge playing the keyboards.

 

Bono said : "Thanks for being so generous," and The Edge said : "I hope you didn't notice there were a few mistakes but I was told that was okay...I felt the love."

 

Ohhh lucky people who were there :o :cheer: :cheer:

23.11.2007

Making A Little Noise in London

 

Edge and Bono were on stage for a surprise acoustic set tonight for the Mencap Little Noise Sessions at London's Union Chapel. In a stripped down twenty minute performance, with Adam watching from the balcony, they played Stay, Desire, Angel of Harlem and Wave of Sorrow.

 

Presenter Jo Whiley asked the audience, who had come to hear We Are Scientists, Biffy Clyro and The Courteeners, to give a warm welcome for an up and coming act: the guitarist had not been playing that long and might make some mistakes while the singer was a little bit shy and not too articulate. 'Please welcome Edge and Bono!'

 

The audience provided a huge welcome for a haunting version of Stay, from 1993's Zooropa, which gave way to a pew-thumping performance of Desire, with Bono on harmonica, and segued into a timely rendition of Angel of Harlem. 'Our Christmas song,' explained Bono, on this cold winter's evening in north London.

 

With everyone demanding one more, Edge headed for the keyboards and opened up some chords to a U2 song never previously played live, Wave of Sorrow, found on the bonus CD of b-sides and rarities that comes with the remastered Joshua Tree. A song inspired, explained Bono, by his trip to Ethiopia in 1985. 'A really important time in the direction of my life and of the band.'

 

More soon.

 

U2.com

This was ont he front of todays Irish papers about their gig :o How great that must've been, and they played Wave of Sorror :o :wub: