MICHAEL EAVIS - JAZ-Z TAKES BLAME FOR LOW GLASTONBURY DEMAND

Rapper SHAWN 'JAY-Z' CARTER's headline slot at Britain's Glastonbury Festival has caused a downturn in ticket registrations for this summer's (08) event, according to organiser MICHAEL EAVIS. Eavis admits demand has waned - based on the numbers of those applying for tickets early - but blames this on his decision to assign an artist of "middle range" popularity to a headline spot, as opposed to festival crowd pleasers such as Radiohead, Coldplay or Oasis. Eavis says, "There's not as many as last year because we haven't got the super, big, big, big sort of headlining act anymore. We've gone for something middle range, although Jay-Z is huge in America. "But it's not like Radiohead or a Muse or a Coldplay or an Oasis, is it? So we didn't expect the demand to be quite as high." Muse and The Verve are the other two headliners at the Somerset, England event, which takes place 27-29 June (08).