Thursday 26 May 2011, 11:09 | By CMU Editorial

Believe offer discounts in response to Tunecore price hike

Digital

Now, there’s been a fair few angry reactions online from various parts of the grass roots music community to the news, earlier this month, that US-based independent digital distributor TuneCore was hiking its prices for distributing digital albums from twenty dollars per album per year to fifty dollars.

Some artists who use the service to get their content onto digital stores and platforms expressed anger at the 150% price increase, the notice period they’d been given of the change (four to six weeks, depending who you ask), and the slightly threatening tone of the email sent out about the price hike, which almost gleefully pointed out – albeit correctly – that if an artist moved to one of TuneCore’s competitors they’d lose any reviews and ratings associated with their releases on digital stores, and probably experience some downtime during the switch.

Nevertheless, many of TuneCore’s competitors in the grass roots digital distribution space subsequently announced special deals in a bid to make their rival’s altered pricing look even more unreasonable. The latest to do so is European set up Zimbalam, the spin off from Believe Digital that provides distribution services to start-up artists. They announced yesterday that they were offering a five pound discount, so that the first year fee for distributing an album would be £25. Subsequent years are charged at £20 per year, but only if enough royalties are generated to cover the fee.

Announcing the discount, Believe Digital MD Stephen King told CMU: “Our original intention with Zimbalam was to help to level the playing field in the digital music market. We cover the major stores, in all countries, and give artists and labels access to 95% or more of the market in their local territory, for all genres of music. It is important therefore not to price new talent out of the market by charging fees beyond their means. Artists and labels are charged a simple, one-off annual fee to use the Zimbalam service and can release their music on their own terms while retaining full control of their rights, creative decisions and revenue”.

Directly referencing the TuneCore price hike, he continued: “While our competitors are increasing their prices by over 150% we are fully committed to helping nuture and develop new talent and will do everything in our means, including offering significant discounts on our fees if necessary to make sure emerging artists and labels continue have access to a world class route to market”.

We should add that TuneCore last week claimed their price increase had been misrepresented, adding that as part of the pricing restructure various add-on services that had previously been charged as extras were now incorporated into the basic rate. CEO Jeff Price told reporters: “TuneCore customers now get distribution to an unlimited number of stores (as opposed to a per-store fee), an unlimited number of songs per album (instead of extra per-song fees), faster upload times, and expanded accounting systems”.

Sonicbids and SoundOut announce alliance

Digital

Bands-meet-promoters site Sonicbids has announced an alliance with UK-based audience insight platform SoundOut (you know, the one run by the guys at Slicethepie) which will offer customers of the former feedback and critique from the latter at no extra cost.

Says Sonicbids man Panos Panay: “Our goal is to help every band get a gig; that’s how we measure our success. Feedback is a critical part of that process. As an artist, the one thing you need the most is feedback to help you develop, and SoundOut is a great way to get that feedback from the people who matter the most to them – music fans and consumers”.

SoundOut man David Courtier-Dutton adds: “This fully integrated partnership enables Sonicbids artists to experience the value and power of SoundOut via a single click order process. This best of breed partnership offers tangible value to artists and gives them actionable intelligence about key aspects of their music. We look forward to working closely with Sonicbids to extend these benefits across the Sonicbids community”.

So, that’s all swell, isn’t it?

Cheryl Cole seemingly off X-Factor USA

Media

So, according to TMZ, Cheryl Cole’s big move to the USA is over. The gossip site reckons she is to be axed as a judge on ‘X-Factor USA’, with Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, who was set to co-host the American version of the talent show, now set to take her place as a judge.

Reasons given by different media for Cole’s sudden departure from the show, which has only just gone into production, include that she was homesick, that she didn’t “gel” with fellow judge Paula Abdul, and that test audiences just couldn’t understand that funny accent of hers.

Whether this will mean a return for Cheryl to the UK version of the programme remains to be seen – ITV bosses will probably be pleased if it does, insiders there have expressed concerns that three judges were set to be replaced in one go.

New Rock Sound editor appointed

Media

Rock Sound magazine has appointed Ben Patashnik, current Deputy Editor, to the role of Editor, replacing Darren Taylor who announced he was leaving the title last month. Patashnik, who joined Rock Sound from the NME in early 2010, will take over the top job at the rock monthly on 13 Jun. It’s also been confirmed that, although relocating to the US, Taylor will continue to oversee Rock Sound’s Exposure section.

Confirming the appointment, Rock Sound Publisher Patrick Napier told CMU: “Ben’s contribution has been hugely impressive since he joined and we feel he richly deserves this promotion. I’m also very happy that Darren will continue to look after the Exposure section so we will still benefit from his knack of spotting new talent which has been such a big part of Rock Sound’s success over the years”.

BBC Worldwide now talking to one bidder about magazine business

Media

BBC Worldwide has confirmed that Exponent, a private equity group which owns the media and PR information service Gorkana, is favourite to buy BBC Magazines, who publish Radio Times and Top Of The Pops magazine among many other titles.

As previously reported, the Beeb put its magazine business up for sale last amid calls from government and other media owners that the Corporation’s commercial division should focus more on broadcasting ventures. There was a lot of interest in some of the company’s key titles, but Worldwide said they wanted to sell the whole business to one buyer. Talks with both Haymarket and Bauer faltered.

Exponent are now in exclusive talks with the Beeb about buying the publishing wing. A spokesman for BBC Worldwide told The Guardian: “BBC Worldwide’s decision to move to exclusivity with Exponent has been approved by the BBC Trust. Discussions will continue with Exponent, with a view to completing an agreement this summer, which would be subject to the final approval of the BBC Trust”.

Nickelback man told to pay ex $25,000 a month

And Finally

Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger has been ordered to pay his former partner $25,000 a month in a preliminary hearing ahead of a court battle to decide how the former couple – who weren’t formerly married, but are being treated as common law spouses under Canadian law – should split up their possessions and property.

A judge said that although $25,000 was a high figure, Kroeger and Marianna Goriuk had lived an extravagant life during their six years as a couple, and compared to that it was a relatively modest sum.

According to the Vancouver Sun, Associate Chief Justice Anne MacKenzie wrote in her decision, “The parties’ lifestyle was extravagant. According to [Goriuk], they spent unlimited amounts to improve their properties. They ordered expensive food and wine, took private jets to Mexico and other places, hired helicopters at the last minute to fly into Vancouver for the evening and travelled in limousines… It is important to note that need is relative, and $25,000 is likely much below the status quo in this case”.

The full case to decide how the couple’s stuff should be divided will take place on 15 Aug.

Courtney Love isn’t a crackhead, okay?

And Finally

Crazy drug freak Courtney Love is sick to death of people calling her, erm, a “crazy drug freak”. Insisting she is now clean living, she says it annoys her when other celebrities and journalists speak as if she’s still addicted to drugs and drink.

Love told Thefix.com, “I’ve been maligned as this drug freak for years, and I’m getting tired of it. That’s not the way I live anymore. Obviously I’ve had a lot of issues in the past, but that was years ago. Since then, I’ve worked really hard to get myself together, but for some reason I’ve remained a punch-line… I don’t do smack. I don’t do crack anymore. I’ve never taken Special K or Ecstasy. I’ve been tempted, but every time I’ve wanted to try Ecstasy, I was talked out of it. I did do MDMA, however, a very long time ago…”

She concluded: “I still can’t escape the stigma for some reason. Even people like Kelly Osbourne feel free to fuck with me… She appeared on ‘Fashion Police’ with Joan Rivers, the bitch called me a crackhead”.

Q&A: Bachelorette

Artist Interviews

Bachelorette is the one-woman project of New Zealander Annabel Alpers, who now bases herself in New York. Influenced by psychedelic pop bands in her formative years, she studied computer-based composition at post-graduate level, putting her qualifications to good use in making her musical debut with 2005 EP ‘The End Of Things’.

First album ‘Isolation Loops’, the product of the best part of a year spent writing and recording in a beach hut, saw a limited release in Australia and New Zealand in 2006. Having sold her beloved station wagon to fund a US tour, Annabel was spotted at a show in Chicago by Drag City Records, who handled the American release of her next album ‘My Electric Family’ in 2009.

Now up to album number four, an eponymous record that came out last week via Souterrain Transmissions, Bachelorette is taking her live show on the road. Accompanied by a virtual ‘band’ consisting of three CRT monitors which emit recorded instrumental noises and trippy waveform visuals, the next stop on her tour with The Phoenix Foundation will be tonight at Cabaret Voltaire in Edinburgh. With this and a couple of further UK dates planned, including an appearance at London’s Camp Basement on 6 Jun, we approached Annabel with our Same Six Questions.

Q1 How did you start out making music?
We had a lot of musical instruments in the house when I was growing up – piano, guitar, violin, flute, recorders, autoharp, casiotone – I would play around on those a lot and sing. My brother and I would record things onto a tape recorder when we were kids. I guess that was the very beginning. I got a guitar and a Bob Dylan songbook when I was thirteen, and that’s probably the first time I wanted to make an effort to learn an instrument.

I started playing bass at high school, I think because female bass players were the dominant role-models in the music I was into (the Pixies, Sonic Youth, etc). I thought that was a role I could have in bands. I started playing bass in bands in high school and moved onto collecting vintage synthesisers and organs when I was eighteen.

I kept playing in bands – generally psychedelic/noisy outfits – once out of school, and moved onto guitar and keyboards. I tried my hand at studying for a ‘real’ job, but kept just going back to music, recording on my reel-to-reel four-track instead of finishing design assignments, so I threw that in to enrol in Music School, because I wanted to use their equipment and learn to use computers for multi-track recording. I majored in Composition at university, focusing mainly on computer-based noise/art composition.

Q2 What inspired your latest album?
It’s hard to answer that question without sounding poxy. I think in a lot of ways, while I was working on the album, I was feeling weird about the fact that I had all this time to focus on music for once. I was used to music being this thing that I had to make sacrifices in order to work on and then suddenly, due to some music licensing income, I had all this time on my hands to concentrate on nothing but music. And I just felt weird about it, like it was this ridiculous luxury and it felt extravagant to be able to just play around with lyrics and sounds and not have anything else for it to be an antidote to. It’s as though making music only felt like a worthwhile pursuit when it was a struggle.

So a lot of the inspiration was from just trying to find some meaning in having music as a focus and perhaps feeling a little cynical about that. I’m not even sure if that makes sense. That makes it seem like a self-referential feedback loop, but perhaps only a couple of tracks are like that. I worked on the album in a lot of different places (UK, Libya, Europe, NZ and the US), so I’m sure that had an influence on the material.

I generally get inspired by everyday stuff that goes on around me and in my head: loves, things I’ve read or seen; self-indulgent musings… I’m also (obviously) inspired by sounds: environmental, or from playing around on synths and the computer.

Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
I pretty much write the song as I record it. I generally start with an initial melodic idea and then take it to the computer to start constructing the song, seeing what instrumentation suits the idea, what lyrics work, adding bits and pieces, changing them around, taking bits away, that sort of thing. It’s not like the traditional process of writing the song and then recording it once you’ve worked it all out and can play it properly.

For this album, I used Logic as my recording, editing and mixing software. I have a collection of old synthesisers and organs back in NZ which are slowly dying. I started sampling their sounds a couple of years ago so that I could still play them live and record with them while travelling. I also sometimes use software synths, and whatever instruments happen to be lying around where I’m working.

Q4 Which artists influence your work?
I think I’m influenced by everything that I’ve listened to since I was a kid – Simon And Garfunkel, Neil Diamond, Blondie, Dolly Parton, Prince, Talking Heads, Ween, The Orb, Tall Dwarfs, Aphex Twin, The Smiths, My Bloody Valentine, Cornelius. I’m sure even TV show themes would get mixed up in there, when I think about some of the sounds I use.

People and bands whose work I’ve respected and revisited most as an adult would probably be Syd Barrett (and his Pink Floyd), John Lennon, Brian Eno, Will Oldham, Brian Wilson, All Night Radio, Beatles, Kraftwerk, Neil Young, Arthur Russell, Animal Collective, The Zombies… Most recently, I’ve been enjoying MIA, The Field, John Fahey, traditional folk music from around the world. I don’t think I can list everything, and I don’t think I could pinpoint their direct influence.

Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
Smoke some weed, listen to it alone, in bed, with good headphones or speakers. That’s probably the best way to really appreciate it.

Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest album, and for the future?
All I ever want for my music is for it to be heard by the people who would enjoy it, wherever in the world they might be. In order for those people to find out about it, I have to tour, do interviews, get photos taken, that sort of thing. All of those things make me uncomfortable, but I do them for that one purpose.

I have other projects that I would like to focus on, musical and otherwise, after this album comes out and after I finish touring for it. I’m enjoying working on getting the live show together for this album, and am looking forward to playing some of the new songs live. After that, Bachelorette will be taking an indefinite break so that I can focus on other things. I have a website – particletracks.com – for my past, current and future creative projects. I’m also a trained Shiatsu practitioner, and have been feeling the need to focus more on that, because music has been taking over for a while now. I’m hoping I’ll find an ideal balance between the two.

MORE>> www.particletracks.com

Approved: Frank Ocean

CMU Approved

Frank Ocean, one of the better behaved members of hyped skate-rap collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, is making smooth and subtle moves in the right direction with his suave new jam ‘Acura Integurl’. As the song skims along on an old-school piano hook, the clip depicts Frank winding his way through mountain roads on a night time cruise in a souped-up NSX.

Having notched up recent recording sessions with Nas and Beyonce, it’s been a high speed ride to success for Frank, who also just announced that Def Jam Records will finally release of his ‘Nostalgia, Ultra’ album in July. The album has been circulating online since February, when Ocean made it available for free on his blog, frustrated that the label was dragging its heals with regard to scheduling a release date.

Anyway, watch ‘Acura Integurl’ below.

EC sets out plan for intellectual property reform

Business News Labels & Publishers Legal Top Stories

The European Union’s Internal Markets Commissioner Michel Barnier yesterday set out plans to overhaul intellectual property rules across the European Union, with most of the proposals focused on well-trodden issues, including online piracy and the simplification of pan-European digital licensing.

Among the proposals are plans to introduce common rules for collecting societies, in theory making it easier for organisations that want to license digital rights on a pan-European basis.

Digital service providers have long bemoaned that the licensing framework for multi-territory services is far too complicated. In theory it is simpler if rights owners license their music via collecting societies (which the record labels don’t, but the music publishers, in many cases, do), though for pan-European services that approach can be even more tedious, because traditionally collecting societies only ever license you in one territory, meaning you need to do 27 collecting society deals to cover publishing rights across Europe.

The European Commission has, for some time, been pressuring the music publishing sector to enable its collecting societies to license on a pan-European basis, and in doing so to compete with each other, though some would argue efforts to date have, if anything, made the whole process even more complicated. It remains to be seen whether the EC’s plans for ‘common rules’ will improve things, and whether the collecting societies will embrace those proposals or fight them.

While putting ever more pressure on the music industry to simplify pan-European licensing, the EC is also planning on stepping up its efforts to fight online piracy. The European Union has not, so far, got especially involved in the crackdown on file-sharing and suchlike, generally leaving this to member states to sort out for themselves. In fact, in the European Parliament at least, there has actually been talk of the EU stepping in to do the opposite, ie introducing European laws that limit the extent of some of the anti-piracy frameworks being put in place by individual governments, such as in France.

But yesterday Barnier said the European Commission would start to look into what role it can play in cracking down on piracy on a pan-European basis, saying that “all options” were on the table, and that commissioners would, among other things, be giving time to considering what role the internet service providers should be playing in the fight against online copyright infringement. The proposals also suggest giving more powers in this area to the European Observatory On Counterfeiting & Piracy.

Elsewhere in the IP domain, Barnier said he remained committed to introducing a Europe-wide patent, something the UK government’s Hargreaves Review said should be a priority earlier this month too.

Warner faces second lawsuit from unhappy shareholders

Business News Labels & Publishers Legal

Warner Music Group

The Warner Music Group is facing a second lawsuit regarding the sale of the company to Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries. As previously reported, shortly after the Warner board, whose members control 56% of the music major, announced they were selling the company outright to Blavatnik, one minority shareholder launched legal proceedings through the Deleware court arguing the company’s directors had not secured the best possible deal for stockholders.

The new lawsuit, launched in the New York courts last week, makes pretty much the same claim. They also raise concerns about the sale process and the agreement between the Warner board and Blavatnik, which, they argue, make it very hard – and detrimental to all stockholders – for any other potential bidders to mount a hostile takeover by courting the 44% of shareholders not directly represented on the board. The introduction of a rival hostile bidder would, of course, most likely up the price Blavatnik would have to offer to buy up the Warner shares not controlled in the boardroom.

The new lawsuit also questions recent changes to the rules governing so called ‘restricted stock’ owned by Warner CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr, who is known to have supported the Blavatnik takeover bid, and who will stay in charge of the music firm under its new owners. The lawsuit says the rule changes have dramatically increased the cash payout Bronfman will receive for the restricted stock as part of the Access Industries deal.

Neither Warner not Access Industries have responded to either lawsuit so far.

Sum 41 tour continues, despite Whibley collapsing on stage

Artist News

Sum 41 have confirmed they are continuing with their Japanese tour, despite the band having to halt a gig last week after frontman Deryck Whibley collapsed onstage.

YouTube footage shows Whibley shortly after he collapsed, clearly in pain and writhing around the floor. However, after a short break, the frontman returned to the stage and continued with his show, and now plans to continue with the band’s tour, even though the cause of the agony isn’t clear. Whibley is quoted as saying: “My knees were quivering and I couldn’t stand… I don’t know what happened, I never had that feeling”.

Last August, the band were forced to cancel shows after Whibley sustained a slipped disc when he was attacked in a bar in Japan. Maybe he just shouldn’t go to Japan.

You Light Up My Life writer dies

Obituaries

Songwriter Joseph Brooks, probably best known for writing the Oscar winning track ‘You Light Up My Life’ for the film of the same name, has died seemingly after committing suicide in his New York apartment. He was facing a number of charges for rape and sexual assault prior to his death.

Brooks began his songwriting work in the advertising industry, writing jingles for ad campaigns. ‘You Light Up My Life’ was released as a single by Debby Boone in 1977 and became one of the most successful hits of the seventies in the US, selling over four million copies in America alone, and winning a Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globe.

Brooks went on to write music for a number of other films, and subsequently became a film and theatre director. His music career was halted after a stroke made it difficult for him to compose. In more recent years his life took a tragic turn, his son was accused of murder, and then a number of women accused him of luring them to his home under the guise of movie auditions and then sexually assaulting them.

The various rape and sexual assault charges, to which he pleaded not guilty, were still working their way through the courts system when he took his life this weekend. A police spokesman has confirmed they found a three-page suicide note near his body.

Marilyn Manson shares new music

Artist News

Marilyn Manson has posted a 26 second clip of a new song on Vimeo. So that’s nice. I don’t really know anything else about it, sorry. The video is titled “I am among no one (excerpt from an undisclosed song with an unreleased title)”. Oh, that Brian. He is a card.

Watch the video below, if you like.

Nas announces new solo album

Artist News

Nas has announced that he is ready to record his tenth solo album, the follow-up to his untitled 2008 long player. That record was originally to be titled ‘Nigger’, but eventually went out nameless, though it did still sport the controversial cover, which showed Nas’ back with flagellation scars forming an ‘N’.

Looking back, Nas is more concerned about the musical content of that album, rather than the controversy which surrounded its name and cover. He told Billboard: “I can look back at my last record and I know that some songs didn’t belong there. I really over thought it. There was a lot going on”.

This time around, he says he is very inspired by the quality of the current hip hop scene, remarking: “I’m happy about music, it’s pushing me back into the studio. I just love what’s happening: I love Odd Future, Wayne, Drake, Kanye West, Rick Ross. It’s something that threatens my position. Or it makes me question what I’m going to do next. What kind of impact do I want to have now that I’ve been in the business this long? It’s a challenge, it’s scary even. But I’m very comfortable. I’m excited to see what comes out of me… I’m ready”.

Despite a dispute with Def Jam over the delayed release of a rarities compilation last year, during which Nas wrote a latter to the label’s bosses accusing the company of being “a rap label that doesn’t understand rap”, it seems he will stick with them for the release of this new album.

The Rapture announce new album

Gigs & Festivals Releases

You can’t really buy publicity like this, can you? The Rapture haven’t released an album since 2006, but a side effect of all that talk of the end of the world last weekend was that people started talking about them again. Come Saturday, the world didn’t end, but yesterday The Rapture did announced plans to release a new album this year (a good month before the newly rescheduled end times).

Entitled ‘In The Grace Of Your Love’, the band’s third album will be released on 5 Sep through DFA Records, which released some of their early singles before they moved to Universal.

The band are also scheduled to play two UK shows around the release, at Manchester’s Club Academy on 7 Sep and XOYO in London on 8 Sep.

Here’s the album’s tracklist, like it means anything to you:

Sail Away
Miss You
Blue Bird
Come Back To Me
In The Grace Of Your Love
Never Gonna Die Again
Roller Coaster
Children
Can You Find A Way?
How Deep Is Your Love?
It Takes Time To Be A Man

Stephen Malkmus announces Beck-produced album

Releases

Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus will release his fifth solo album via Matador on 22 Aug, it has been announced.

Well, OK, the press release says “post-Pavement album”, not solo album. I’m never sure how we classify The Jicks. Let’s just say it’s a solo album, then we can avoid having a load of pointless waffle in this middle paragraph and just get to the news that Beck has produced it. OK, good.

Entitled ‘Mirror Traffic’, the new record will be last Malkmus album to feature his usual drummer Janet Weiss. She will be replaced by Jake Morris of The Joggers for the ensuing tour, which is soon to be announced.

Fuck Buttons man announces solo album

Releases

One half of noise duo Fuck Buttons, Benjamin Power, will release his first solo album under the name Blanck Mass next month. The eponymous long player will be released through Mogwai’s Rock Action label on 20 Jun.

Power says of the record: “I do like the fact that this album represents a pretty clear image of myself, that which I am aware of and that which might be controlled by some other type of subconscious guidance”. So there you go. As for possible future projects, he says: “Soundtracking nature documentaries would work out pretty well for me”.

Midler and Pacino set to appear in Spector trial movie

Artist News Legal

Bette Midler and Al Pacino are set to appear in a TV film for US network HBO about Phil Spector’s murder trial. The film will dramatise the trials that led to the legendary record producer being jailed for nineteen years for the shooting of one time actress Lana Clarkson at his home in 2003.

Pacino will play Spector, while Midler is expected to play Linda Kenny Baden, one of the producer’s defence team. ‘Arrested Development’ actor Jeffrey Tambor is also reportedly on board to play another of Spector’s lawyers, Bruce Cutler.

Nordic acts head to London for Ja Ja Ja this Thursday

Gigs & Festivals

Andy CMU will be in Denmark for Nordic music showcase festival SPOT on Thursday evening. That doesn’t mean we can’t all have some Nordic fun closer to home without him, though. In fact, it’ll probably be more fun without him there getting in the way.

Anyway, this Thursday evening will see the Ja Ja Ja night once again take over The Lexington, and as ever it has a great line-up of bands from the Nordic region.

Headlining will be Norwegians Young Dreams, a twelve-piece outfit who play Beach Boys and Phil Spector inspired pop. Before them will be Icelandic upstarts Retro Stefson, whose sound incorporates all manner of genres to create lush pop. Opening the show will be Finnish trio Eleanoora Rosenholm.

Check out interviews with all three bands and listen to their music here.

Ed Sheeran announces tour dates

Gigs & Festivals

Currently out and about on a sold out tour of the UK, rising singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has announced some more tour dates for October.

Sheeran will release his debut album, ‘+’, in September.

Tour dates:

2 Oct: Oxford, Academy
3 Oct: London, Shepherd’s Bush Empire
4 Oct: Bournemouth, Academy
5 Oct: Falmouth, Princess Pavilion
6 Oct: Brighton, Concorde 2
8 Oct: Hatfield, Forum
9 Oct: Bristol, Anson Rooms
10 Oct: Nottingham, Rock City
11 Oct: Birmingham, Institute
13 Oct: Leeds, University Stylus
14 Oct: Glasgow, ABC
15 Oct: Newcastle, Northumbria University
17 Oct: Manchester, Academy
18 Oct: Stoke, Sugar Mill
19 Oct: Cardiff, Millennium Hall
20 Oct: Reading, Sub 89
23 Oct: Norwich, UEA
25 Oct: Cambridge, Junction

Festival line-up update – 25 May 2011

Artist News Festival Line-Up Update Gigs & Festivals

BERLIN FESTIVAL, various venues, Berlin, Germany, 9-10 Sep: Amongst the new introductions to Berlin fest’s thriving bill are Aloe Blacc, The Rapture, CSS, Tune-Yards, Austra and The Naked & Famous. Alex Winston, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Housse de Racket are also new to the festivities, joining a truly wunderbar existing roster of acts including Suede, Primal Scream, Mogwai, The Drums and Health. www.berlinfestival.de

DEVON ROX, Powderham Castle, Devon, 6-7 Aug: Kicking off its inaugural event in style, Devon Rox welcomes a few more acts including Malefice, Stampede, Mordecai and Seven Year Kismet to its noise-heavy line-up, which prior to this latest announcement was already set to host Funeral For A Friend, The Quireboys, My Passion and Saint Jude. www.devonrox.com

JERSEY LIVE, Royal Jersey Showgrounds, Jersey, 3-4 Sep: Having scheduled their reformation to coincide nicely with recent apocalyptic rumours, The Rapture lead those acts added to this year’s Jersey Live line-up, with non-relations King Charles and Craig Charles also new appearances on a bill that boasts the likes of Madness, Plan B, Annie Mac, Wretch 32 and Katy B. www.jerseylive.org.uk

ROCKNESS, Loch Ness, Scotland, 10-12 Jun: RockNess organisers have confirmed a monstrous list of acts set to appear in the brand new Bacardi-sponsored Get Together Arena. Partaking in the boozy communal vibes will be big names including Alex Metric, Alan Braxe, Casper C, Herve, The Glimmers and Disco Bloodbath. Subjects of previous announcements include headliners Kasabian, The Chemical Brothers and Paolo Nutini, plus an array of such other trendsetting bands as Two Door Cinema Club, Bombay Bicycle Club, and Chapel Club. www.rockness.co.uk

Album Review: Alain Johannes – Spark (Domino)

Album Reviews

‘Spark’ is a tribute to Alain Johannes’ late Eleven bandmate and partner Natasha Shneider who died three years ago of cancer, and is a gorgeous record of many layers and depths in its short 29 minute run.

A man who has worked with and is lauded by many artists, from Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme to Mark Lanegan and UNKLE, Johannes is also part of Brody Dalle’s most recent formation Spinnerette, who produced what has to be one of my favourite albums of 2009. Johannes has a lot of that rock royalty behind him, permanently floating on his CV, but it shouldn’t distract from this debut solo effort. It stands perfectly strong on its own, a solid record, at once arresting, haunting and something really quite different and unexpected.

Multi-layered acoustics create a recurrently captivating platform for Johannes’ strong voice, a voice that’s hard to hide any iota of emotion within. ‘Speechless’ sounds dark and ominous, like a lonely desert scene in the middle of the night, and the dream-like ‘Spider’ and ‘The Bleeding Whole’ are more transparently reflective and undeniably despondent and despairing, as is the backbone of this record and everything holding it together.

Don’t let the darkness of ‘Spark’ deter you – it is an elegantly beautiful album with a lot to say, both sonically and lyrically, and is really something quite magical indeed. TW

Physical release: 23 May

Music strategist to discuss his hit making formula

Business News Education & Events

Jay Frank

American music strategist Jay Frank is due to speak in London tomorrow night about his fifteen point plan for making pop songs more successful online and in the charts.

SVP of Music Strategy for CMT in the US, and a previous head of music programming for Yahoo!, Frank recently published a book called ‘FutureHit.DNA’ which analysed a raft of music-related stats to propose formulas for songwriters to follow if they want to score hits. While many will not agree with that approach to songwriting, his findings make for interesting reading, and a presentation of some of them caused a bit of a stir at a recent conference organised by collecting society ASCAP in the US.

Frank will make a similar presentation at the PRS headquarters at 6.30pm tomorrow night at an event staged in association with the Music Managers Forum. He’ll also give some direct feedback to tracks written by members of the audience.

A handful of tickets are still available at £30 a shot, though if you use this special link here you can get your tickets for £20 plus VAT.

Justin Bieber launches perfume

Brands & Merch

Want to smell like Justin Bieber? I mean who wouldn’t want to smell like a seventeen year old boy? Yes people, the Bieber has launched a perfume, because presumably his teen girl fanbase, while happy that their finger nails are all covered in Justin Bieber nail polish, want to ensure their fragrance has been approved by their idol too.

The blurb accompanying the new perfume says: “Justin created Someday [that’s what it’s called] to give fans a personal invitation and intimate access to his heart. It’s a fragrance he can’t get enough of and can’t stay away from, making those who wear it irresistible. So take the experience past the music, beyond the performer, and journey deep into a world of possibilities”.

And if that’s already making you nauseous, whatever you do, don’t watch the official Someday advert – probably safer to conform to norm and watch this classic Bieber vid instead.

AIF raises concerns over Police Reform Bill

Business News Legal Live Business

The General Manager of the Association Of Independent Festivals has issued a statement raising concern regarding the previously reported Police Reform & Social Responsibility Bill which is currently being considered in the House Of Lords.

As previously reported, one section of the Bill proposes giving local authorities more powers over the licensing of large scale music events, a development which many fear will further complicate the process of getting permission to stage festivals. Ironically the Police Reform Bill is being considered at the same time as the Live Music Bill, which is aiming to simplify the licensing process, especially for grass root events.

With the licensing section of the Police Reform Bill due to be considered in the Lords this week, AIF General Manager Claire O’Neill told reporters: “We are incredibly concerned that changes to the bill will be passed with a ‘one size fits all’ approach that could be a further blow to UK festivals and music events. Festivals are one of the few places that people come together to celebrate and enjoy life in a relatively incident free environment, certainly compared with town centres on a Friday night. We urge the House of Commons Committee to reconsider those aspects of the Bill that will be detrimental to this positive social and cultural phenomenon”.

DJ Mag marks 20th anniversary

Media

DJ Mag today publishes a special edition to mark its 20th anniversary in its current form. As well as a feature detailing the history of the magazine, featuring contributions from former staff members and various DJs, including Fatboy Slim, Carl Cox, Armin Van Buuren, and John Digweed, the issue will come with a covermount CD mixed by Danny Tenaglia entitled ’20 Years On The Dancefloor’.

Contributing Editor Carl Loben told CMU: “The fact that DJ Mag is still thriving is testimony to the continuing strength of the electronic music scene. Like the magazine itself, it’s been through its ups and downs, but now it’s stronger and more exciting than ever”.

The Beatles were nothing without me, says Ringo

And Finally

Ringo Starr’s always good for a quote, isn’t he? This week, he’s been telling Live magazine how lucky The Beatles were that he decided to join them in 1962. Starr explained: “Within Liverpool, I was a lot more well know than them. [Starr’s then band] Rory And The Hurricanes were big shots in the city. We had the suits. That was our claim to fame. The Beatles were lucky to get me. It wasn’t just that I was a big shot; I was a cool drummer”.

He added that he’d like Paul McCartney to join his current outfit, Ringo Starr And His All Starr Band. He reckons it would be nice for Macca to play with a real Beatle, or something: “Every time I ask him to tour with the All Starrs, he says he is too busy. We’re as close as we want to be. We’re the only two remaining Beatles, although he likes to think he’s the only one. I actually think it’s people on the outside who perceive Paul as thinking he’s the only member left, when actually it’s me. I am the last remaining Beatle”.

TGE: YMCA winners round up

Awards Business News Education & Events Live Business The Great Escape 2011

On the final day of the convention this year Great Escape co-founder Martin Elbourne dished out the YMCAs, or the Yearly Music Conference Awards, an informal awards bash held late at night at a couple of previous TGEs, and this year brought into the main programme as a grand finale.

Organised by the guys at First Monday, the music industry social, these celebrated the best bits at other music business conventions, showcase festivals and city-based music events around the world. For those of you too tired / drunk / deafened with tinnitus to have heard Martin announce the winners on the day, here’s a round up of what awards went to who.

Best Conference Bag: Eurosonic (Netherlands)

Best Delegates Trip: Lobster Tour Prince Edward Isle (Canada)

Least Boring Trade Fair: Womex

Best On Line Experience: Canadian Music Week

Conference Junkie of the Year: Allan MacGowan

Best Agent For Breaking New Acts: Lucy Dickins (ITB)

Martin Elbourne Award for the Best Boutique Event in Canada: M For Montreal

Best New(ish) Event: Tallin Music Week (Estonia)

Best Line up for Breaking Acts: South By South West (USA)

Best Export Office: Sounds Australia

Best Hotel: W Hollywood

Best Delegates Bar/Party: The Queens Hotel in Brighton

The Moose Jaw Random Award for General Conference Randomness: Tony Scott

Special Total Legend Award: Seymour Stein

TGE: What the papers said 2011

Business News Education & Events The Great Escape 2011

Alexandra Topping in The Guardian on the Tony Wadsworth keynote: “They have been accused of greed and short-sightedness, seen as the fat cats making obscene profits on the back of musicians’ creativity. But record labels have been unfairly portrayed as dinosaurs of the music industry, the head of the body representing the UK’s record companies said on Friday. Speaking at the Great Escape conference in Brighton, Tony Wadsworth, chairman of the record-label body the BPI and former CEO of EMI, said that the record label in 2011 was leaner and a more flexible beast that would play a vital role in the future of the industry. Predictions of the demise of the label, as artists are increasingly able to release their own music and speak to fans directly using social networks like Facebook and Twitter, were premature, he said”. read the article

Duncan Geere on Wired.co.uk on ‘Making Money From Music’: “So how can record companies, management agencies, gig promoters, digital music services and – most of all – artists themselves make money from music in 2011? Turns out that there’s no easy answer – there’s a tangle of business models and management strategies, whipped into even more of a lather by the complex global licensing ecosystem. As a result, companies are rapidly evolving extra limbs to try and do everything – including the major record labels”. read the article

John-Paul Greenock in Music Void on the ‘Future Of Licensing’ debate: “The feel from the ‘Making Money From Music’ panel as a whole was that to make money in the current climate involves deft navigation via a range of business models convoluted by our ever complex global licensing system. This was backed up later in the day by the panel discussing ‘The Future of Digital Licensing’ which had Ed Averdieck (formerly OD2, now Real World) commenting it was “very difficult to move from national to global licensing with so many gatekeepers to navigate”. The subject of collective licensing caused temperatures then to be raised as Patrick Rascow (BASCA) took the line of ‘without collective bargaining you run the risk of getting less than a fair deal’ while others including Eric Mackay (CELAS), saw collective rights as a potential to be “shafted”. Thankfully all in the good spirit of debate”. read the article

Jim Carroll in the Irish Times on Will Page’s ‘What Now After MySpace’ keynote, which featured Topspin’s Ian Rogers: “Ian Rogers from Topspin talked a lot of sense during his spiel on direct-to-fans business models. For new bands, their business is not in 99 cent downloads but in tickets and t-shirts. He also said that bands shouldn’t under-estimate the huge sales potential in premium products, saying that the Beastie Boys were shocked by the demand from their fanbase for premium content. There was also a comparison made to the book market, with the hardback market as the “premium” market. Stressing the continued importance of email in the direct to fans channel, Rogers advised bands that their business model in this channel should be to do one small thing every week (ie blog post, video interview etc) and one large thing every month (ie release an album etc) to keep their fans engaged, but not to feel pestered”. read the article

Duncan Geere on Wired.co.uk on the same keynote, which also featured Bandcamp advisor Andrew Dubber: “So instead of one single replacement for MySpace’s role in helping bands make it, it’s looking like there’s a multitude, which all serve different – and complementary – roles. ‘People are finding the right tools to do what they want to do’, says Dubber. He added in a subsequent conversation with Wired.co.uk: ‘The main way of consuming music is undergoing a shift, and I think there’s cause to celebrate if it means that more people can be involved in making and sharing music as a social and cultural activity – not just when large corporations can make massive profits selling vast quantities of a small number of commodities”. read the article

PRS for Music Chris Carey speaking to M Magazine about his State Of The Nation session: “Looking at the headline statistics, 2010 was not a good year for the UK music industry, with the BPI reporting trade value from music sales falling 11% and PRS for Music live revenues (from ticket sales only) down almost 7%. But the problem with headlines is that they rarely tell the whole story. Certainly, there are concerns about the fall in trade value, but there were some encouraging signs last year too. Sales of single digital tracks grew by around 5%, outperforming the maturing US market, which saw no growth. Digital albums, which account for around 50% of digital sales value, saw double-digit growth and other digital revenues grew significantly”. read the article

Clash Magazine reports on the same session: “Speaking at the Great Escape, PRS For Music economist Chris Carey indicated that ticket sales dropped by almost 7% in 2010. The drop follows a decade of sustained growth, with sales rising by more than 9% in 2009. The dip could be seen as a market correction, with sales falling to a more sustainable level of growth. The Guardian reports that Carey told an industry panel: ‘I don’t think this is a disaster, I think it is a blip, I’m not worried about the future of live music. Continuing, the economist pointed to a lack of big name tours. 2011 by contrast, was set to be dominated by some massive live music events. ‘Take That going back on tour with Robbie is a game-changer’, he said. ‘Our opinion is that live is cooling to a more sustainable growth level'”. read the article

Paul Epworth talking to the NME, after his TGE In Conversation interview, about Adele’s recent success (he was one of the producer’s on ’21’): “You can always think these things might happen, whether they do or not is another matter. Everyone’s flabbergasted. She deserves it because she’s so nice. She’s a true artist with artistic integrity and she writes from the heart”. watch the video interview

CMU’s Chris Cooke discussing The Great Escape with Andy Malt on the CMU Weekly podcast: “The point of ‘Influencing The Influencers’ was, if you are the sort of artist looking for Guardian coverage or Radio 2 airplay, you probably can’t go straight to them, you have to infiltrate the networks they are part of, what’s influencing them. I found particularly interesting, Ed Horrox, A&R at 4AD, his first answer to the question ‘where do you discover new talent’ was ‘I talk to my existing artists’. They are on the road all the time – and apparently at the Beggars HQ there’s a flat above the offices where newer artists stay, so quite often bands will be staying in this flat and they’ll appear at 11am in their dressing gowns in Ed’s office saying ‘oh Ed, there’s this band we saw last night, you should check them out'”. listen to the podcast here

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