(Updated) - We have unfortunately been forced to close down our Discussions forum. The Daily Roxette had its own forum, originally called SmallTalk, for a decade, but now we decided to call it quits.

We tried our best to maintain the forum as a place that people would enjoy visiting to talk about their favorite band; but it seemed to also attract people who didn't know how to behave on a public forum and were ruining everybody else's experience. It's unfortunate to the well-behaving majority that our decision affects them as well.

It's likely that we won't open the forum again. We want to put our limited time and energy in writing news instead of babysitting badly-behaving people.

Update: Many of you have asked if we could open the forum as an archive so that you could still read the old messages but not post new ones. We will investigate if that's possible.

Update 2: The forum is now available as a read-only archive.

Visa Kopu (aka "Roxeteer")
The Daily Roxette Editor-in-Chief

NEW YORK - It's been awhile since we've given anything away to a lucky reader… and since we know there are those amongst you who are interested in discovering what else is happening on the Swedish music scene beyond what Per and Marie are up to… we thought we'd give away a sampling of music from Sweden this year.  Several CDs and a USB drive full of music from up-and-coming artists are included.

Most of the material was intended for music journalists and music industry insiders and was acquired by TDR at the annual Swedish Music Seminar held last month at Scandinavia House with Ulf Ekberg of Ace of Base as one of the participants. A poster of male Swedish recording artists hanging on one wall included a large image of Per Gessle.  Sweden is the third largest music exporter in the world with over 800 million dollars in revenue last year – superceded only by the U.S. and the UK. 

All you need do to enter is to send an email to [email protected] stating your TDR UserName, your real name, and the address we should use to send the items to should you be the winner!   One winner will be selected at random from all entries received by November 23, 2008.  We'll let everyone know who won during the last week of November.

Editor's Note:
Congratulations to Mihnea Nicolescu (mihnea27) in Romania, who was randomly selected (www.random.org) as the winner !!  Thanks to all of you who entered.  I'm always surprised by how many responses we get to these contests.  We'll try to do another one soon!  — LEO

NEW YORK - Capitol Records, part of the EMI group, will be releasing Roxette material in the United States this holiday season. In an exclusive interview with The Daily Roxette that appears on our Features page, Per provides details about this new U.S. record deal and opens the door even wider to the possibility of new Roxette music in the near future.

  Per speaks candidly with TDR News Editor Thomas Evensson about a number of other topics of interest to our readers in this interview, including Per’s take on life: “I like to keep my head busy,” he says.

  Along with this exclusive interview, you’ll also find a first-person account of the appearance of Roxette at Bravo Magazine’s gala anniversary event in Hamburg, Germany this past weekend. Written by TDR reporter Kirsten Ohlwein, the story takes you behind the scenes into the press room, where it was obvious that Roxette’s perfomance was the most anticipated event of the evening.

The latest article on our Features page brings you up-to-date on the issue of refunds still being owed to members of the former Official International Roxette Fanclub.

NEW YORK - Pick up just about any newspaper, and you’ll find more than just “hard news” stories. You’ll find a lot of other content once you start turning the pages.

  The Daily Roxette has had a Features section for some time now but, for the most part, it’s been utilized only to reprint interviews that have also appeared on the News page. Beginning with today’s edition, TDR plans to revitalize the Features page with interviews, stories about fans, various contests, opinions from columnists, and yes… even the occasional comic strip.

  Click on the Features tab today, and you’ll find an interesting story by TDR reporter Jorge Diaz about a remarkably talented tribute band that’s recently formed in Buenos Aires, Argentina. While you’re reading the story, be sure to click on the link to hear what they sound like. We think you’ll be impressed.

  Since TDR first started publishing almost 10 years ago, we’ve asked for you, our readers, to also serve as reporters. For those of you that like to write, but haven’t really had any “news” to share… well, here’s a chance for you to make a contribution as well! If you think you have something that might fit on this page, please let us know about it (just look for the “Submit Article” link at the top of the page). If enjoy writing, but don’t really have your own idea for a feature story, let us know that too, and we’ll try to assign a story to you. We really do need your help!

  A gentle reminder: Please click on the “Change Your Settings” link (top left) and make sure that your subscription information, including your real name and current email address, is accurate. You may elect to not share this info with other readers, but it must be accurate in order to have a valid subscription to TDR, and thus be able to enter our contests. Please take a moment to renew your subscription now.

As you can see in the tabbed menu above, The Daily Roxette now has an additonal section called “Features.” It will have all the longer and more exclusive TDR articles separated in their own section. Currently it only has older stories, but stay tuned for something very special!

HELSINKI - The winners of The Daily Roxette Per Gessle Mazarin summer tour contest have been chosen. The lucky winners are:

Tickets to the Oslo concert

• Marius Ellingsen, Norway
• Håkon Gundersen, Norway

Tickets to the Helsinki concert

• bandquitter, Lithuania
• Riina Perttala, Finland

We also had a surprise for the four runner-ups: they will receive a copy of Per’s “Mazarin” CD! Here are the winners:

• C. Greatbatch, Australia
• irvye, Canada
• Michaela Hertle, USA
• Majsan75, Austria

The Daily Roxette would like to thank Capitol Records Norway, EMI Finland and Welldone for making it possible to have this contest.

It’s been over four months since terrorists attacked the World Trade Center, yet people around the world – not just in New York – continue to grieve… and continue to feel victimized.
  Amongst the greatest tragedies of that day, is the fact that hundreds of children became orphans. We here at The Daily Roxette – who along with many of our readers and Roxette themselves – were deeply affected by the events of September 11th, believe there are still lives to be saved: the lives of these children.

  Wanting to make a difference, we’ve decided to support the Twin Towers Orphans Fund with a three-part, TDR-sponsored fund raising campaign. We’ve selected this particular charity because 100 percent of the funds they receive go directly to help raise the kids who lost one or both parents that day – and because we know that both Per and Marie themselves consider raising children a high priority in their own lives.

  To begin this campaign amongst Roxette fans worldwide, we’re announcing the availability of a limited edition t-shirt, available only to our registered subscribers. 100 percent of the proceeds from the distribution of these shirts will go to help these children.

  In an obvious reference to the events of September 11, Per and Marie had Jonas Åkerlund add the tag line “DO WHAT YOU WANT BUT HARM NO ONE” to an otherwise dark screen at the end of each of the “Room Service” concerts. It’s that slogan that you’ll see in white across the chest area of your solid black, heavy cotton t-shirt.

  We’re asking our readers to contribute a minimum of USD $15 for each shirt (postage and handling included). If you can afford to contribute more… great! Our goal, of course, is to raise as much money as possible. You can get your t-shirt by sending an e-mail to [email protected]. Further ordering information will be sent by reply e-mail. Read more…

Today’s article in the Swedish editions of Metro (shown to the right in a reduced size) has, understandably, created quite a stir in the Roxette fan community. Any mention of new material, tour plans, or an album release is guaranteed to generate such excitement.

  The Daily Roxette plans to publish a follow-up story tomorrow – as there has been some questions raised as to the validity of the information published by Metro. Our team of reporters is investigating. In the meantime, we’d like to simply point out that legitimate journalists do not “make up” stories.

We would like to wish all our readers a peaceful Christmas!

  Thanks for visiting our site. It’s been a great year for The Daily Roxette. This online “newspaper” is more popular than ever, and it’s all because loyal subscribers like you have made it a “must read.” We wouldn’t have this site if our readers weren’t also sometimes our writers. Our sincere thanks to everyone who has submitted an article this past year.

  Read on for TDR’s “Year in Review,” written by Visa Kopu (roxeteer), our Editor-in-Chief. Read more…