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Read this text about music and answer the questions that follow it in ENGLISH.

 

Watch out for the second British invasion

 

Joss Stone’s latest album, Introducing Joss Stone, has stormed into the US charts at number two. Her success follows hot on the heels of other UK artists like Amy Winehouse, KT Tunstall, James Blunt and Snow Patrol, all of whom have scored US chart success in the last 12 months.

 

It seems reminiscent of the so-called “British invasions”, which saw a wave UK acts conquer America in the 1960s and 80s.

 

In April 2002, there were no British acts in the US top 100 singles for the first time in 38 years. International stars like Robbie Williams found their albums shelved and no British girl band could match the impact of the Spice Girls. So why have British artists suddenly found favour with the American public? What makes Lily Allen a more attractive prospect than Robbie Williams? How can Bloc Party be making strides where Oasis have stumbled?

 

Snow Patrol are just one UK group who have utilised the power of TV to sell their records in the US. Their Chasing Cars single became a top five hit after it was played over the closing scenes of the second season of medical drama Grey’s Anatomy.

 

British acts have had to look for alterna tive means to promote their music. “Tie-ups for things like TV commercials and the use of the Internet have become very important,” says Chris Dwyer. Of course, there is always the old-fashioned getting out there and playing to people! Pop star Natasha Bedingfield says it took hard work to score a top five hit with her single, Unwritten. “Initially I only went to America for a month and then it just extended because people started to play the record on the radio and love it,” she says.

 

Hard work was also the recipe for James Blunt’s US success. He went on to the Oprah talk show, he charmed the audience and that’s when the record exploded.

 

Right now, the American market is in a little bit of a black hole wi th regards to good music. There’ s some interesting things but most of it is a bit samey. Hip-hop has got into a bit of a glut, so the time is ripe for British acts to make progress in the US.

 

Adapted from http://www.newsalerts.com

 

Decide if the statements are TRUE or FALSE according to the content of the text. Yóu will get one mark for each correct answer. (4 x 1 = 4)