sazzer writes:

Belligerent Ghoul sends the link:

Sanctuary held talks with potential buyers - Reuters
Fri Jun 3, 2005 07:51 AM BST

LONDON (Reuters) - Sanctuary Group, the music company which handles artists such as Morrissey and Iron Maiden, said on Friday it had held talks over a possible offer for the firm.

"The company confirms that there have been preliminary talks which may or may not lead to an offer or a further business opportunity", Sanctuary said in a statement.

"(It) notes that during the past 12 months, and indeed on a continuing basis, it has had exploratory discussions with a number of third parties about a wide range of future potential business development and investment opportunities", Sanctuary added.

Sanctuary shares closed at 43-1/2 pence on Thursday, giving the company a stock market value of around 160 million pounds.

A source familiar with the matter said Sanctuary had received several approaches from venture capital companies, including some based in the United States, and added that music industry companies could also be interested in Sanctuary.

Sanctuary's music catalogue has had recent album successes from English singer Morrissey and U.S. rock band The Strokes. Sanctuary also runs an artist management business, where its clients include heavy metal outfits Iron Maiden and Guns N' Roses.

Matt Retallick writes:
Excerpt:

MR: What do you hope to achieve musically within the foreseeable future..?
BB: I hope to write a lot more tracks in collaboration with other artists.

MR: You Are The Quarry was amazingly successful, what do we hope to see from the new album..?
BB: Erm ........... more of the same I think is the right answer. Cheers.

See Hear - review by Johnny Ray Huston, San Francisco Bay Guardian

Morrissey  Live at Earls Court CD (Attack/Sanctuary) Who Put the 'M' in Manchester? DVD (BMG Distribution)

Excerpt:

Close to 20 years ago, I was a Smiths-loving pen friend of Julia Riley, who has gone on to forge a reputation as the ultimate Morrissey aficionado – that flaring rarity, the fan who became the star's friend. My passion over the years hasn't been as consistent as that of Riley, who has followed Morrissey on entire tours. On the new concert DVD, Who Put the 'M' in Manchester?, he repays her devotion with several between-song comments aimed directly at her, as if there was no one else in the packed stadium.

wemissumoz writes: