Monday 28 May 2012, 11:51 | By CMU Editorial

EFF calls on US court to act over MegaUpload data in limbo

Digital Legal MegaUpload Timeline

Former MegaUpload customer Kyle Goodwin and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have called on the federal court in Virginia to figure out a way to return files the video maker had stored on the file-transfer platform when it was taken offline by US authorities in January, having become exasperated with talks between other parties regards the lost MegaUpload data.

As much previously reported, while the majority of the content stored on the MegaUpload servers in January, when the feds switched off the service after ordering the arrests of seven of the company’s executives around the world, was almost certainly copyright infringing material, a portion was original work created by MegaUpload’s customers, and by switching of all of the site’s cyber-lockers off without warning those people have now lost access to their own content. Goodwin, who films high school sporting events, is one such former customer.

The American company that MegaUpload hired server space from, Carpathia Hosting, is still sitting on all that data, but is keen to wipe it because it is filling up a warehouse full of computers that are currently unusable. Though the firm has so far not pressed the delete key, mainly because of fears that the likes of Goodwin might sue down the line if they do.

Meanwhile lawyers for MegaUpload, fighting charges against their client of copyright infringement, money laundering and racketeering, have suggested that the Mega company could start paying Carpathia rental fees again, or just buy the servers outright, and then return legitimate data to its former customers, though it would need access to seized funds to do so. Both the US authorities and the American movie industry have opposed that proposal though, fearing the Mega chiefs may simply take the servers outside of the USA and relaunch their service.

However, the Motion Picture Association Of America doesn’t want the old Mega data to be deleted either, because it reckons content on there is needed as evidence for when it launches the inevitable civil proceedings against MegaUpload and its owners. But Neil MacBride, the US Attorney for the Eastern District Of Virginia, has said he doesn’t care if the files are wiped, because he has all the evidence he needs, and former MegaUpload customers like Goodwin should have read the small print of the now defunct service’s terms, which warned that data might just disappear overnight.

All these arguments went before a US judge in mid-April, and he expressed sympathies with most parties before proposing everyone sit down outside the courtroom and reach a deal. Judge Liam O’Grady originally set a two week deadline, but six weeks on no agreement has been reached, and Goodwin has seemingly lost all patience, believing that all the other key players in this squabble have no incentive to get a deal done quickly because it’s not their data that is currently inaccessible.

For the EFF, which is helping Goodwin, this issue has wide-reaching implications for the rapidly growing cloud-storage sector, because if legitimate users of such services are in danger of losing their data when government departments or rights owners swoop on illegitimate uploaders, then people are going to stop using those services altogether. And with neither the US government nor the rights owners sticking up for the legitimate little guy who’s lost his data, the EFF says it’s the court’s job to champion his cause.

According to C-Net, in a new court filing last week, the EFF said that it “is of paramount importance” that people like Goodwin are reunited with their data, “not just to preserve Mr Goodwin’s rights, but to address the government’s apparent disregard for the effects its increasing use of domain and other digital seizure mechanisms may have on the innocent users of cloud computing services”.

The campaigning group added: “Given that the use of cloud computing services is already widespread and poised to grow exponentially in the next few years, this court should establish procedures to ensure that such innocent users do not become regular collateral damage. The government has refused to even consider Mr Goodwin’s proposals”.

Actually, the US government might be about to change its stance on the MegaUpload data, and particularly the viewpoint that it can all be deleted, given reports this weekend that FBI officials have found footage of child abuse amongst some of the files that were previously seized. While the presence of such material will not be relevant to the criminal proceedings against MegaUpload and its bosses, given there is no evidence they were aware of its existence, it could result in a second set of criminal proceedings being launched with regards the former MegaUpload servers, which would likely mean the data on those computers would be rescued from deletion, though would only further complicate matters with regards reconnecting former customers with their files.

Finally in MegaUpload news today, a German magazine called Stern has run a piece on its founder, German entrepreneur Kim ‘Dotcom’ Schmitz, who is currently living in New Zealand and fighting attempts by the American authorities to extradite him to the US. Quoting various former associates and even a former teacher, Schmitz is portrayed as a childish, narcissistic attention seeker who spent money “like a big kid who wanted to amuse himself with no thought about the consequences”. Presumably none of those sources will be called as character witnesses should the criminal case in America ever come to court.

Robin Gibb’s son discusses his father’s death

Artist News Top Stories

Robin Gibb’s son has spoken to the Sunday Express about his father’s recent death, clarifying that the Bee Gee star died of kidney and liver failure, rather than succumbing to the cancer he had been fighting for some time, which had actually gone into remission.

Says Robin-John Gibb: “The end was peaceful and dignified, there were no theatrics. It was only later that I cried and cried. It wasn’t the cancer that killed my father; those reports are wrong. Dad had actually gone into remission and the cancer was completely unrecognisable, it was too small to detect. No scan could see it. He actually died of kidney failure”.

Explaining the seeming ups and down in his father’s health in the months before he died, during which time Gibb and those around him frequently seemed optimistic he was past the worst, Robin-John says that his father had fought off both his cancer and survived the bout of pneumonia that left him in a coma for over a week, but then had a seizure that led to a sharp worsening of his condition.

He continued: “Three days before [he died], he was sitting up and watching DVDs and then suddenly he had a seizure. He was then dosed with sedatives to deal with the side effects of his chemotherapy and his liver just couldn’t process them. He deteriorated to the point where it started to affect his kidneys as well. Basically my father died of kidney and liver failure. It was a really sudden downturn”.

Robin-John concluded: “I was sitting next to his bed with my mother and we saw that his heart had started to give out. We knew it was the end. We called my brother and sister and they came in. I was cradling his head and holding his right hand, and my mother was holding his left. I gave him a kiss… We watched him go and told him we loved him”.

The late Bee Gee will be remembered at a private funeral next month with a public memorial service planned for September.

Bieber could be questioned over paparazzo altercation

Legal

Now, you might believe that if you choose to be a paparazzo for a living you just have to accept that every so often one of the celebrities you’re stalking will snap and you’ll get a bit of a beating. Or perhaps you reckon that stars like Justin Bieber earn so much money that they should just accept that their every move will be documented on film, and learn to steer their cars around persistent snappers.

Anyway, the Bieber could be facing charges of misdemeanour battery after an alleged run in with a photographer in LA County. According to TMZ, eyewitnesses say that an altercation erupted between a photographer and Bieber, who was with celebrity girlfriend Selena Gomez, after the snapper stood in the way of the singing star’s car. The Biebster seemingly got out of the vehicle and asked the photographer to move, but when he refused a “scuffle ensued”.

Police weren’t immediately called, but once the presumably pretty short lived altercation was over the paparazzo contacted officers complaining of a pain in his upper torso and fingering Bieber as the pain deliverer. Though before you feel too sorry for the injured snapper, TMZ says some witnesses have claimed that it was a lawyer at the scene who advised the photographer to call for an ambulance and file a police report, predicting that the man could make lots of money out of the incident.

The Bieber camp are yet to respond to the allegations. It remains to be seen if the paparazzo will claim his run-in with the pop star made him pregnant.

Sweden wins Eurovision

Awards

So, Sweden were the winners of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest over there in Azerbaijan, with a song called ‘Euphoria’, written by Thomas G:son and Peter Boström and performed by a lady who goes by the name of Loreen.

The Swedish singer’s victory will no doubt have pleased organisers of the Azerbaijani edition of the big song competition, who issued a statement criticising Loreen ahead of the event after she met with protesters in the country who used the big contest to highlight various human rights concerns. Not least allegations that some residents in the capital Baku had been forced out of their homes so they could be knocked down to make way for the big venue that hosted the Eurovision show.

The authorities in Baku said it was inappropriate for Loreen to use a musical event to make political statements, but the singer noted: “Human rights are violated in Azerbaijan every day. One should not be silent about such things”.

Though after winning the show, the Swedish songstress refrained from making additional political statements (despite having said in a brief interview during the voting period that she would), instead thanking her fans and those who voted for her, saying: “I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you. Thank you so much”.

Loreen is signed to Warner Music in her home country, and ‘Euphoria’ has already topped the charts there, as well as enjoying chart success elsewhere in Europe. Björn Lindborg, General Manager of Warner Music Sweden, told CMU: “Loreen is a unique talent and the Eurovision Song Contest has provided a great platform from which to launch her career as an international star”.

But how did good old Engelbert Humperdinck do for Britain? Well, he didn’t come last, that much is true. Rather, his twelve points secured him the second to last spot. The veteran crooner didn’t seem too upset though, telling reporters: “I’ve had highs in my career and Eurovision has been a wonderful experience. I want to thank everybody, especially my fans around the world, for their support”.

Organisers of the British entry into Eurovision had hoped that picking Humperdinck to represent the UK at the big contest, rather than a younger set of pop wannabes or has-beens, would help boost the country’s chances, because Humperdinck still enjoys a sizeable following in some of the Eastern European countries that increasingly swing the vote.

But such sneaky tactics failed on the night. Perhaps next year we should break with recent convention, and just enter a song that’s not shit. Though I thought Jedward’s song for Ireland, ‘Waterline’, was pretty good Europop, and they only managed nineteenth place, some way behind last year’s eighth place ranking for the duo’s first Eurovision attempt ‘Lipstick’. So, on second thoughts, perhaps we should follow second place Russia’s lead and have a load of old women singing along to a noisy dance track. Or maybe just lay the opening five minutes of any episode of ‘Loose Women’ on top of some dubstep.

As this year’s winner, of course, Sweden gets the honour and incredible financial burden of hosting next year’s Eurovision show. They might have to bring Abba out of retirement to fund it.

Finalists announced for Rock The House, plus House The House launched

Awards

The finalists have been chosen for this year’s Rock The House competition, the parliamentary new talent initiative run by former music businessman and now MP for Hove Mike Weatherly.

As previously reported, with Rock The House Weatherly’s fellow parliamentarians are invited to nominate artists, bands and small venues from their local constituencies for the three categories in the contest, and then a panel of artists, journalists and industry types pick the finalists. In the musician categories, the ten shortlisted acts will then play at a battle of the bands evening on Wednesday where overall winners will be selected.

165 MPs made nominations in this, the second year of Rock The House, and from the 195 artists, bands and venues nominated, the following finalists have been picked (with nominators and their constituencies in brackets):

Solo Artist
Victoria Ward (Johnathan Lord, Woking)
Jen Armstrong (Julian Smith, Skipton and Ripon)
Kevin Pierce (Bob Russell, Colchester)
Lauren Wright (Harriet Baldwin, West Worcestershire)
Marc Otway (Greg Mulholland, Leeds North West)

Band
Centre Excuse (Alan Duncan, Rutland)
Manukah (Louise Ellman, Liverpool Riverside)
The Verdict (Steve Rotherham, Liverpool Walton)
Blackbyrd (Chris Bryant, Rhondda)
Narrow Plains (Dr Andrew Murrison, South West Wiltshire)

Venues
The Electric Palace (Oliver Letwin, Bridgeport Dorset)
The Picket (Louise Ellman, Liverpool)
Korks (Greg Mulholland, Otley)

The overall artist winners will get a stack of kit and other useful prizes, plus bookings at various festivals and a shindig in the Houses Of Parliament. Commenting on this year’s competition, Weatherly told CMU: “It is fantastic that Rock The House has such widespread support from the Prime Minister and Ed Vaizey, the minister for the creative industries, to music legends. Rock The House has been all about bringing together musicians, parliamentarians, the music industry and government and I’d like to think this paves the path to ensuring we protect our world-leading creative economy”.

And if you’re a DJ thinking “but why don’t I get the chance to play in the halls of power?”, well, never fear, because a new DJ competition has been set up by dance music charity Last Night A DJ Saved My Life called House The House, the prize of which will be a parliamentary gig, plus a range of other music production goodies and an Ibiza booking. The competition will be launched in London on 19 Jun with submissions accepted from 25 Jun. The parliamentary DJ party won’t take place until next March though. More here.

Chilly Gonzales announces Solo Piano II

Releases

CMU favourite Chilly Gonzales has announced that the sequel to his 2004 ‘Solo Piano’ album, cunningly titled ‘Solo Piano II’, will be released via Gentle Threat on 27 Aug.

The album features fourteen new instrumental piano pieces, which were recorded over ten days at Studio Pigalle in Paris earlier this year. You can watch a video featuring a medley of all fourteen tracks here:

And here’s the tracklist:

White Keys
Kenaston
Minor Fantasy
Escher
Rideaux Lunaires
Nero’s Nocturne
Venitian Blinds
Evolving Doors
Epigram in E
Othello
Train of Thought
Wintermezzo
La Bulle
Papa Gavotte

Beat Connection preview first LP

Releases

Tropical pop quartet Beat Connection have made dewy rivulets of indie hype with word of their forthcoming first LP, ‘The Palace Garden’, which is issued via Moshi Moshi/Tender Age on 6 Aug.

And before all that the band will release ‘The Palace Garden, 4am’ – not to be mistaken for the long player itself – as a single on 19 Jul.

It sounds very pleasant indeed – all balmy and apt for the summer season – as you’ll note by streaming it here:

CFCF releasing instrumental mini-album

Releases

Montreal musician and producer Mike Silver, alias CFCF, is to release an EP of contemporary keyboard instrumentals via Dummy on 6 Aug.

‘Exercises’, as he’s chosen to title it, succeeds Silver’s debut long player ‘Continent’, and can be streamed in its entirety just here:

Jay-Z to soundtrack Willow Smith in ‘Annie’ remake

Artist News

Jay-Z is rumoured to be composing the soundtrack to a re-scripted version of 1982 screen musical ‘Annie’, as will star pop protégée Willow Smith as its orphaned protagonist. With Will Smith senior enlisted as a producer, the film will carry a screenplay written by actress Emma Thompson.

In lieu of having any ‘Annie’ info beyond the above basics to share, here instead is the video for Jay-Z’s ‘Annie’-sampling ‘Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)’.

The National score ‘Game Of Thrones’ episode

Artist News Media

The National are the latest indie act to cash in by scoring a major media franchise (Arcade Fire composing for ‘The Hunger Games’ being a past example), having recorded a little something for medieval TV romp ‘Game Of Thrones’. And why on earth shouldn’t they? The track is entitled ‘The Rains Of Castamere’, and will be broadcast as part of the series’ second season.

Apparently, Castamere is (or rather, was) “a castle in the Westerlands and the seat of House Reyne. It was destroyed by Tywin Lannister when House Reyne rose in rebellion against their liege lord, Tytos Lannister”. And thanks to the ‘Game Of Thrones’ Wiki for that information. Not that I’m any the wiser.

But whatever Castemere is (or was), you can hear The National’s Matt Berninger muttering earnestly about it below.

Since we’re on the subject of Mr Berninger, I may as well mention that the Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter last week also announced he’d be narrating new children’s ‘story app’ called ‘Dragon Bush’. He has said of the project, which will feature music by his bandmates Aaron and Bryce Dessner, that “the story has all my favourite things. Waterfalls, magical dragons, and the sound of my own voice”.

Gaga’s Jakarta show definitely cancelled

Artist News Business News Live Business

Lady Gaga’s planned gig in Jakarta, Indonesia definitely isn’t happening.

As previously reported, there had been reports that police chiefs in the city had request that the singer not be granted a visa to attend her planned 3 Jun concert amid fears protests by supporters of the Islamic Defenders’ Front, which has branded Gaga’s live show as “satanic”, might lead to violence. But Gaga herself said that she hoped the show could still go ahead, albeit in a stripped down form (in which she herself, presumably, would be less stripped down).

But it seems talks to reach a compromise have not achieved the desired result, and this weekend a legal rep for the show’s promoters Big Daddy told reporters: “Lady Gaga’s management has considered the situation minute to minute, and with threats if the concert goes ahead, Lady Gaga’s side is calling off the concert. This is not only about Lady Gaga’s security, but extends to those who will be watching her… Gaga’s camp did not want this show to cause any harm to anybody”.

Gaga herself said via Twitter: “There is nothing holy about hatred”.

The Weeknd books British live debut

Gigs & Festivals

The Weeknd’s Abel Tesfaye will make a single live stop at London’s Wilton’s Music Hall next month, this representing his first ever UK date. Sure to be a milestone moment for lo-fi R&B, the show will take place on 7 Jun, precisely one month prior to Tesfaye’s billing at the Wireless Festival.

You can purchase tickets for it via this link.

Japandroids playing for free tonight

Gigs & Festivals

Canadian exports Japandroids will prepare for the 4 Jun release of their new LP, ‘Celebration Rock’, with a free gig tonight at diminutive London pub/club The Old Blue Last.

They’re appearing as ‘secret’ headliners as part of a night staged by This Is Fake DIY, as also features grunge types Splashh and Oxford band Gunning For Tamar. Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis, so you’d be advised to arrive in time for doors at 8pm.

Even if you can’t make it this evening, why not just have a listen to the band’s new single, ‘House That Heaven Built’:

Hurray For The Riff Raff announce album and tour

Gigs & Festivals

CMU approved band Hurray For The Riff Raff have announced that they will release their new album, ‘Look Out Mama’, through Loose Music on 20 Aug. By way of a taster, they are giving away a free download of the album’s title track, which you can both download and stream below. Fancy.

Following the release, the band will also be over for a big old tour of the UK, the dates for which are here.

30 Aug: Glasgow, The Bay
31 Aug: Newcastle, Central Bar
1 Sep: Swansea, The Chattery
2 Sep: End Of The Road Festival
4 Sep: Nottingham, Glee Club
5 Sep: Sheffield, Greystones
6 Sep: Manchester, Night & Day
7 Sep: Norwich, Arts Centre
9 Sep: Winchester, The Railway
10 Sep: London, The Borderline
11 Sep: Brighton, Green Door Store

Festival line-up update – 28 May 2012

Artist News Festival Line-Up Update Gigs & Festivals

BELSONIC, Custom House Square, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 15-26 Aug: Backed by Absolut Vodka, Belfast’s headiest music happening is newly to host Newton Faulkner, Duke Special, Alesso, Brian Kennedy, Oberhofer and Congorock, all of whom will serve as supporting acts to such main attractions as Paramore, Skrillex, Emeli Sande, Tom Jones, Thin Lizzy, David Guetta and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. www.belsonic.co.uk

SHAMBALA, secret location, The Midlands, 23-27 Aug: Beth Rowley, Bison, Black Roots, David J, Dizraeli & The Small Gods and Gabby Young & Other Animals are amongst a horde of acts just added to the secretly-situated Shambala roster, and therefore join Roots Manuva, Billy Bragg, Luke Vibert and many more besides. www.shambalafestival.org

V FESTIVAL, Hylands Park, Chelmsford, Essex/Weston Park, Staffordshire, 18-19 Aug: The Twang, Jack Beats, Dodgy and Lawson prove an eclectic quartet of last minute updates to V’s twin listings, pulling level with subjects of prior roster revelations, not least The Stone Roses, The Killers, Snow Patrol, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Nicki Minaj, Beverley Knight, Cher Lloyd and Tinie Tempah. www.vfestival.com

WAKESTOCK, Abersoch, North Wales, 6-8 Jul: Wakestock’s latest influx of artists includes AlunaGeorge, Koan Sound, A Plastic Rose, Smiler and Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens, who align with existing bookings Ed Sheeran, Calvin Harris, Annie Mac, Katy B and Funeral For A Friend. www.wakestock.co.uk

WICKERMAN, East Kirkcarswell Farm, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland, 20-21 Jul: The introduction of Bwani Junction, Big Fat Panda, Kevin Gore, Horndog Brass Band and the Dumfries Community Choir to Wickerman festivities serves to further fill out the festival’s diverse 2012 bill, as stars Scissor Sisters, Texas, The View, Levellers, Newton Faulkner, The Blockheads, Bad Manners, Human Don’t Be Angry and Cast. www.thewickermanfestival.co.uk

WOMAD, Charlton Park, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, 27-29 Jul: Femi Kuti, Khaled, Gurrumul, Toddla T & Serocee and Spoek Mathambo trail the already announced Robert Plant’s Sensational Space Shifters, Jimmy Cliff, Hugh Masekela and Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club in a mass trek towards WOMAD’s worldly 2012 totem, which will this year mark its thirtieth year in existence. www.womad.org

EDM industry continues to boom, though new opportunities should be pursued

Business News Labels & Publishers Live Business

The genre that everyone seems to now agree should be called EDM (or electronic dance music on more formal occasions) was under the spotlight once again at the International Music Summit in Ibiza last week.

In particular the latest IMS Business Report was presented, authored by dance music journalist Kevin Watson, and providing some insights into what has certainly been a growing genre of late (especially if you include all that shit dancey-pop music that’s been doing the rounds in the EDM camp, which many people do).

Amongst the many interesting stats in the report were these:

• EDM was the highest growing mainstream genre in the US last year in terms of album sales.

• EDM’s share of singles sales in the UK grew for the first time in four years in 2011.

• The biggest EDM track of last year (Avicii’s ‘Le7els’) had 150 million global views/plays via digital platforms including YouTube.

• EDM DJs have seen the growth of their Facebook fanbases slow slightly in the last year, though numbers of Twitter followers have increased.

• A massive growth in popularity means Skrillex is now the third most popular DJ in the world behind Tiesto and David Guetta (according to Hype That Sound), and research suggests appearances at major US music events (eg Grammys) and festivals have played a part in that growth.

• The global EDM industry is now worth an estimated $4 billion a year when recorded music, live and broadcast activity and other spin off products are taken into account.

So, all good news, though research also presented at IMS by EMI showed that only 30% of EDM’s customer base was really active and passionate about the genre.

With that in mind, the major’s data experts suggested that perhaps too much effort was put into marketing artists and products to the already passionate bit of the market, while opportunities were missed to maximise the revenues that could be generated from the 70% of more casual consumers, most of whom are probably buying releases from the more pop end of the market.

Those consumers will be as interested in the lifestyle as the music, meaning that, for artists who appeal to that demographic, the opportunities possibly lie in product extensions more than the actual music itself.

You can download a copy of EMI’s presentation to IMS here.

Viagogo hires new PR chief

Business News Industry People Live Business Marketing & PR

Secondary ticketing firm Viagogo has hired a new Communications Director. Oli Wheeler is joining the sometimes controversial secondary ticketing firm from Freud, the famous PR agency where he has worked for eighteen years. Freud has provided PR support to Viagogo in the past.

The ticket resale platform has been courting controversy anew in recent months, of course, firstly via that ‘Dispatches’ exposé on the whole online ticket touting market, and more recently by liquidating its UK company and reincorporating itself in Switzerland, some might say to avoid any future clamp down on touting by the British government (though the company told Music Week that its growing European operations required a more central HQ). Whether recent bad press is behind the decision to hire a new communications chief isn’t clear.

According to PR Week, Wheeler told reporters: “It was a huge decision to leave Freud having spent almost all my working life at the agency. However, I have worked with Viagogo for the past six years and it is a very impressive, consumer-focused business. I am excited to be joining a company that is not only the leader in its field, but also one of Europe’s most successful internet companies”.

HMV appoints new non-exec director

Business News Industry People Retail

HMV has appointed David Adams, formerly Chairman of camera seller Jessops, to its board of directors in a non-executive post. Adams, who has worked in senior and board roles at various retailers, will bring a “wealth of retail experience to the HMV board”, the flagging entertainment retailer told investors. He will also head up HMV’s audit committee.

Confirming the appointment, HMV Chairman Philip Rowley said: “I am delighted to welcome David to the HMV Board. David’s knowledge of the retail sector will be of great value to HMV as we move the business forward”.

Meanwhile Adams added: “I look forward to working with the HMV team. I am encouraged by the progress they have made in stabilising the business and look forward to playing a part in the company’s ongoing transformation”.

HMV is operating in an ever challenging marketplace of course, and losses for the last financial year should top £16 million. A previous plan to diversify into other parts of the entertainment business has been shelved in favour of focusing on revamping the HMV high street stores. With that in mind, we expect any day now an announcement regarding the sale of the retailer’s live music business the MAMA Group.

As previously reported, it’s thought AEG Live will buy some of MAMA’s venues, while the rest of the business will either be held onto by HMV or, more likely, be sold to another party, very possibly a management buyout.

Google reveals which rights owners have requested links be removed

Digital

Google has published a report outlining all the requests it received to remove links to infringing content from its search results between July 2011 and May 2012, with Microsoft filing the most requests (536,716) and the UK record industry’s very own BPI coming in second, having filed 182,805 requests.

Also filing a lot of requests in that period were NBC Universal (165,662), the Recording Industry Association Of America (31,922) and various agencies that work for other content owners. In terms of the record labels directly, according to Billboard the numbers were as follows: Universal Music Group (9,299), Sony Music (8,074), EMI (6,020), Warner Music (3,977), and Beggars/XL Recordings (855). On the other side of the equation, the domains most complained about by rights owners and their reps are Filestube, Torrentz.eu and 4shared.com.

Although some in the music industry have criticised Google for not going far enough to stop its search service from directing users to illegal sources of content, the web giant insists that “we don’t want our search results to direct people to materials that violate copyright laws so we’ve always responded to copyright removal requests that meet the standards set out in the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act”.

Though, and hitting back at the rights industries a little, Google said that it also wanted to ensure that only genuine copyright complaints resulted in links being removed from searches, noting that some companies, mistakenly or deliberately, request content be removed which they don’t own. Google wrote in a blog post: “We’ve seen baseless copyright removal requests being used for anticompetitive purposes, or to remove content unfavourable to a particular person or company from our search results”.

It added: “We believe that the time-tested ‘notice-and-takedown’ process for copyright strikes the right balance between the needs of copyright owners, the interests of users, and our efforts to provide a useful Google Search experience. Google continues to put substantial resources into improving and streamlining this process. We already mentioned that we’re processing more copyright removal requests for search than ever before. And we’re also processing these requests faster than ever before; last week our average turnaround time was less than eleven hours”.

Scientists name spider after Lou Reed

And Finally

Biologists have named a just-discovered genus of spider after Lou Reed, so christening the species because it’s a ‘velvet’ spider and lives ‘underground’. I presumably don’t need to mention that this refers to Reed being an original member of 1960s psych pioneers The Velvet Underground, but I will anyway.

Sightings of the “dark and shiny” Loureedia spider, pictured here contemplating an unlistenable collaborative LP with Metallica, are said to be very rare, though various forms of it reside in Africa, Asia, Europe and Brazil.

Other rock icons with their own namesake arachnids include Neil Young and Frank Zappa, the latter chosen for the resemblance between his signature facial hair and the moustache-like markings noted on the Pachygnatha zappa. Though not a rock icon in any shape or form, Angelina Jolie also gives her name to the Aptostichus angelinajolieae, a trapdoor crawler from the coastal dunes of Northern California. Who knows why, perhaps it has a very spindly right leg.

And that concludes today’s spider-themed science seminar.

CMU Weekly Podcast – Friday 25 May 2012

Setlist

CMU’s Andy Malt and Chris Cooke review the week in music and the music business, including Ben Folds, Amanda Palmer and the fan funding phenomenon, Beach House and The John Butler Trio’s battles with advertising agencies, Bono’s Facebook millions and the reunions of The Stone Roses and Black Sabbath. Get the CMU Weekly Podcast every Friday by signing up via iTunes or RSS.

Editor’s Letter: Does the future lie in your fans’ pockets?

CMU Weekly Editor's Letter

Fan funding has been in the news this week, as it often is these days. But this week it’s been more interesting than most because two reasonably big artists, Amanda Palmer and Ben Folds, have given insights and opinions on it based on their own experiences of raising cash from fans rather than labels to get projects up and running.

Amanda Palmer, of course, is the new darling of fan funding (or ‘premium pre-ordering’ as it’s been repositioned as of late) after she started a project on Kickstarter to raise $100,000 for a new solo album, an art book and a tour. She hit that target in just six hours and had $350,000 within two days. As I write, her total stands at just over $850,000 with just under a week to go.

It’s generally expected that by the time the deadline for raising funds comes around on 31 May, Palmer will have $1 million to her name. This begs the obvious question: If she only wanted $100,000, then what’s she going to do with the other $900,000? Or to put it in the words of one of her Twitter followers: “So, are you loaded?”

This question prompted a lengthy blog post from Palmer this week, breaking down exactly where all the money will go, and why she won’t end up with just under a million in the bank.

Firstly, there’s the fact that prior to the Kickstarter project being launched, she borrowed $250,000 from friends and family to prepare everything that was needed to get her to the stage of presenting her plans to her fans. Then there are the continued costs of all this activity, which were always going to exceed $100,000, not to mention various commissions, fees and staff costs along the way.

Then there’s the simple matter of economics – the more you sell of something, the more it costs to produce it. Each person who has paid money into the project will at the very least receive a download of Palmer’s new album, the delivery of which has some albeit nominal costs. But, more importantly, in addition to that, the majority of her backers have purchased more than just a download, they’re expecting CDs, vinyl, books, gig tickets, gigs in their houses, dinner with Amanda, hand-painted vinyl turntables and more.

All of this costs money, and that’s what a big chunk of the remaining Kickstarter cash will go on. And, while corners could always be cut to save some money here, Palmer knows that so many fans have committed so much upfront because they trust her to deliver quality goods. Fail on that promise and future pre-order projects won’t go so well. Writes Palmer: “I could send you all cheap-ass jewel case CDs, fire my staff, make a cheap book on Xerox paper, and tour just with a solo piano with no crew, no band and RAKE IN THE DOUGH. I mean, I could potentially do that and walk with close to half a million dollars. But the products would suck and the tour would be a solo piano tour, and nobody would ever trust me again”.

For some artists as well as fans, Palmer’s outline of where the million she has raised will go should make for interesting reading. These are the costs that traditionally a label would not only cover in its upfront investment, but also manage, often without really explaining to an artist where the million dollars promised in a record contract is going (normally because, especially in bigger labels, no one person at the record company necessarily has a handle on all expenditure).

I suspect this fact alone accounts for a lot of the resentment that exists between a lot of artists and their former labels, especially when a project doesn’t turn out so well in the end. They’re told a lot of money was spent, and there’ll be a spreadsheet that documents the expenditure somewhere, but because no one outlined the grand plan at the outset people tend to assume someone screwed up, or something dodgy went on.

Which, I suppose, is one of the liberating things for artists who go the fan-funding route and suddenly enjoy so much more insight and control. Though having to work out these kind of logistical plans, manage all that money, and make it all happen, even with a good management team, is probably quite scary. Plus, if it all goes wrong, or the end product ends up being a bit rubbish, there’s no label to blame it all on!

But back to Amanda Palmer, who I am sure will deliver the goods in every way – she and her team certainly have a good record here. But what’s possibly most interesting about Palmer’s Kickstarter campaign – given what we now know about her budgeting – is that had she raised just $100,000, the whole project would have been deemed a success by the outside world, but Palmer would still have been in considerable debt. Certainly she would have relied on the revenue the outputs of the project might generate (traditional download sales etc) to break even, rather than looking at that money as the way she might personally profit from the endeavour. Which would have been a rather risky approach.

Almost certainly Palmer and her team expected this project to raise considerably more than $100,000, but were cautious when initially declaring their targets. The outcome of this project will be a major-label level album campaign delivered without major-label involvement or interference, but would something of that scale be possible via the fan-funding route for an artist who couldn’t expect considerable investment from the start – ie anyone who isn’t, as Palmer puts it, a “major label refugee like me”?

Ben Folds, who is currently raising money for a new Ben Folds Five album via PledgeMusic, recognises that those who have previously enjoyed success (usually via major label investment and marketing) are at a distinct advantage.

He told Forbes: “[Fan funding is] going to favour whoever can manage to engage the biggest audience on their own. Those will be the people who benefit the most from it. And the ones who know how to do things cheaply, because even if you raised a million dollars, if you spent a million and a half, it’s just like the record companies, it doesn’t benefit you at all. I think someone has to have a little bit of a head start before they Kickstart”.

However, he continued: “That’s always been the way in the music business. If you went down the laws of the things you know to be true about the music business, you’ll see that nothing is really changing. If you’re going to do well on Kickstarter or PledgeMusic, you have to have a leg up. You probably got your leg up by doing it yourself and getting out and playing gigs”.

I suppose there’s some optimism there – the ‘leg up’ might be a former life with a major label deal, but it might just be prolific touring and clever fan engagement (the Enter Shikari approach if you like). Perhaps new bands ultimately will be able to pursue major projects without major label support, utilising fan investment (or pre-orders) to remove the financial risk, and putting in place a great management team to take responsiblity for delivering everything else.

Though, it has to be said, so far most of the artists who have made headlines in the world of crowdfunding and direct-to-fan have had some sort of success (and usually considerable success) as part of the major label system previously – Amanda Palmer, Trent Reznor and (at a push) Radiohead, for example. For new bands, there’s still the issue of critical mass (do you have enough fans?), not to mention the negative inference many people will make – big names using fan-funding for creative reasons, new bands do it because they have no choice.

But perhaps there’s a middle way. We’re starting to see smaller labels using the fan funding system for their artists. Sometimes this might be for an entire campaign, or just a small part of it. In the case of a label I spoke to yesterday, a band had proven to be far more successful than they had expected and they felt another music video for a track from the band’s album would help to maintain the momentum they had built up. However, it’s an indie label with tight margins and this hadn’t been budgeted for, so they turned to the band’s fans.

You might say, but why work with a label if they aren’t putting in the money? But the label is doing more than just that, remember, there’s all the planning and logistics and worry and risk of just making big music projects happen. Some artists will have managers who can do all that, but many will not. Of course, the stigma that can come with new bands going to fans for upfront cash can still apply here, even when a label is involved, though I do believe that’s really just a PR challenge. If pitched correctly, the fans will feel involved in the career of one of their favourite bands, and if the rewards for investment are good enough then they won’t mind stumping up for them.

And this artist-fan-label partnership system potentially benefits everyone involved. One of the barriers to setting up an indie label and making a success of it has always been and always will be the money. You might have all the skills and knowledge needed to run a label, and the ideas and passion that are so important, but the bill for launching an artist runs into the thousands, and for some new label chiefs thats a barrier that can’t be crossed.

On the other side, a band might be able to raise enough cash directly from fans to record their album and have it pressed, but there’s a lot more to releasing a record than that. A record label might not be able to cover all an artist’s costs, but by partnering with one on a fun-funded project, a band could gain access to a team of people who have the time and skills to deal with the business side of things, and to ensure that the fans get everything they were promised at the outset.

So perhaps fan funding isn’t just for major label refugees; by new artists and new music entrepreneurs coming together on such projects, perhaps fan funding could deliver us both great new artists and great new labels too

Andy Malt
Editor, CMU

PODCAST
This week’s podcast features even more discussion of the fan funding model, as well as Beach House and The John Butler Trio’s battles with advertising agencies, Bono’s Facebook millions and the reunions of The Stone Roses and Black Sabbath.

The podcast will be online later this weekend here.

IN THE NEWS
So, continuing a trend I really hope will end soon, I again start this week’s news section with the death of an great popstar. The Bee Gees’ Robin Gibb finally succumbed to the cancer he had been suffering from for some time. Read our obituary here.

In digital music, both YouTube and German collecting agency GEMA appealed against a recent German court ruling which said that YouTube must ensure that songs represented by GEMA do not appear on its site. YouTube wants the ruling overturned, while GEMA wants more legal certainty around the rights its members have to protect their content online. Meanwhile, Spotify finally arrived in Australia and New Zealand. Though rather than excited flag waving, the company’s Antipodean MD was given a hard time over royalty rates by a presenter on the Triple J radio station.

In the US, Facebook floated on the stock market, which was fun for all involved. Well, it was for the few hours before its share price crashed and some people involved in the IPO were accused of dodgy dealings. Rubbing his hands together, though, was Bono, who was reported to have gained $1.5 billion from selling a stake he owned in the social network. However, when someone sat down and actually looked at the figures, it turned out he’d made nothing like that sort of money.

Over at HMV, the sale of HMV Live (aka MAMA Group) is moving nearer to completion. It was reported last week that AEG Live had been given preferred bidder status. However, it’s now thought that AEG only wants some of MAMA venues, with the rest of HMV’s live division being prepared to go elsewhere.

As well as the GEMA v YouTube appeal, there were many more goings on in the pop courts this week. Or not, in the case of Joel Tenenbaum, when the US Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal against the damages he was ordered to pay after being found guilty of file-sharing. Also refusing to do things was Kim Dotcom, who declined to reveal passwords which would give New Zealand police access to encrypted data that they seized from his home earlier this year.

Elsewhere, Doobie Brothers singer Michael McDonald joined the long line of artists with pre-internet record contracts suing major labels (in this case Warner Music) over royalty rates on download sales, and George Clinton settled out of court with The Black Eyed Peas over the unauthorised use of a sample from one of his songs.

Still in the pop courts, The John Butler Trio won a case against Poptent, an ad agency which used a sample from one of their songs for an advert for Dannon Oikos Greek yoghurt. And presumably soon to launch a similar lawsuit are Beach House, who noted this week that a song very similar to their own ‘Take Care’ is featured in a new VW advert.

In festivals news, Vince Power’s publicly listed festivals company Music Festivals plc was forced to admit to investors that ticket sales have been slow this year and the market as a whole isn’t doing so well this year. As if on cue, Golden Down and Cloud 9 announced they were cancelling their 2012 events.

In happier news, some people got back together this week. One Direction were played on Capital FM for the first time since February, when the station banned them for thanking Radio 1 when accepting the Capital-sponsored Best Single BRIT award, and The Stone Roses played a surprise free show in Warrington. Black Sabbath also performed a reunion show last weekend, though not with drummer Bill Ward, whose war of statements with his bandmates has continued this week.

And finally, how about I leave you with news that Justin Bieber’s penis is called Jerry? You wanted to know that, right?

FEATURES AND NEW MUSIC
This week we ran a great interview with Saint Etienne, and an also great playlist from current OFF! and former Black Flag frontman Keith Morris. In his column, Eddy Temple-Morris wrote an open love letter to Wall Of Sound boss Mark Jones, and in the Beef Of The Week column Alex Reid proved that cagefighting is good preparation for a pop career. And if it’s festival line-up news you want, then you only need look here.

In the CMU Approved column this week we had new music from How To Dress Well, Débruit, White Fence, ZZZ’s, and an amazing night of Techno due to take place in Detroit this weekend (if you happen to be near Detroit).

As well as that, we had album streams from The Walkmen, Sigur Rós, Alt-J and Fixers, plus more new music from Antony & The Johnsons, Metric, Peace, Foxes, Julio Bashmore, Nathan Fake, and Faye. And should you wish to see Josh Homme talking about The Scissor Sisters or Professor Green making beer, now is your chance.

The music business week in five – 25 May 2012

Business News Week In Five

So, I am off to Poland tonight to speak at the New Directions event as part of Warsaw Music Week, which is all rather exciting – do say hello if you’re also there. Then next week, back in London, it’ll be the latest edition of our Music Rights training course. Find out what exactly copyright is, how it works, and how it makes money. There are still a few places left, so get booking! Meanwhile, your week in five…

01: GEMA and YouTube both appealed GEMA v YouTube. The German collecting society has been in dispute with the Google-owned video service for a long time. GEMA reckons YouTube should do more to ensure that songs represented by the society are not uploaded to the video site, even though the Google service goes some way beyond the obligations set out in American copyright law in terms of removing unlicensed content. When the squabble reached a German court earlier this year, the judge hearing the case sided, in the main, with GEMA. So no surprise that YouTube has appealed the ruling. Though GEMA too wants a second hearing, saying there is still the need for more legal clarity about its members’ rights in the digital domain. CMU report | PC World report

02: Vince Power admitted that festival ticket sales were slow this year. With his current festivals company now publicly listed, the original Mean Fiddler founder has to keep investors up to date on how his music events are going, and in an investor briefing this week he admitted that ticket sales were slower than normal this year, a fact that might require some cost cutting at Music Festivals plc. Meanwhile, two more smaller festivals were cancelled this week, Cloud 9 and Golden Down. They join a growing list of cancelled events this year, including, of course, the arguably more significant cancellation of bigger fests like The Big Chill and Sonisphere. Power comments report | Cancelled festivals report

03: It looked increasingly likely that AEG will get a slice of HMV Live, as the live music conglom was reported to have been given preferred bidder status by the retail group, which announced its intent to sell its live music division, aka the MAMA Group, late last year. It’s thought AEG is definitely only interested in some of MAMA’s venues, and that the rest of the company will either be sold to another party, or (some reports suggested this week) remain part of HMV, or, as has long been expected and seems ever more likely, be subject to a management buy out. We expect proper word on all this pretty soon. CMU report | City AM report

04: Bono didn’t make $1.5 billion from Facebook, despite that being widely reported after the social network floated on Nasdaq last week. True, the U2 frontman’s investment company Elevation had a stake in the social network, but it only sold about a tenth of its Facebook shares last Friday, and the money generated will be shared around a number of investors and partners. Billboard reckons Bono could personally pocket anywhere between $4 million and $10 million. Which is a lot of money, but nowhere near $1.5 billion. CMU report | Billboard report

05: There was lots of streaming service news. Spotify went live in both Australia and New Zealand, leading to the MD of its Aussie branch having to face some tough questioning on Australian radio station Triple J about how much artists earn from the music service. Meanwhile rumour had it Spotify competitor Rdio was planning on ensuring artists get some cash from the boom in streaming by giving them a commission for every fan they persuade to sign up to the service. Elsewhere, music video platform VEVO was reportedly seeking more investment to enable growth, telling possible investors an IPO could happen at some point down the line. And US-based Pandora, now a publicly listed company, revealed losses were up, but still pleased investment types with better than expected ad revenues. Spotify report | Rdio report | VEVO report

And that’s your lot people – though do look out for the podcast with more retrospective chatter going live over the weekend – www.completemusicupdate.com/podcast

Chris Cooke
Handlowy Redaktor, CMU

Approved: KMS 25 – Tribute To Detroit

Club Tip CMU Approved

The club tip’s gone international this week, heading over to Detroit for a night that looks too good not to mention. This year marks 25 years since the launch of the legendary KMS Records, one of the very first techno labels, and on Sunday night founder Kevin Saunderson and some big names are getting together for a party in the city where it all started.

Providing the headline DJ sets will be Saunderson himself and his Belleville Three buddies Derrick May and Juan Atkins, plus Eddie Fowlkes, under the billing ‘The Creators Of Techno’. Plus there’ll also be a set from fellow pioneer Blake Baxter, and live sets from Carl Craig (in his early 90s 69 guise) and Inner City.

As well as that, there’ll be DJ sets from Kenny Larkin, Stacey Pullen, Buzz Goree, Kyle Hall, Terrence Parker, Marc MK Kinchen, Mike Clark, Mike Huckaby, Allan Ester, DJ Minx and D-Wynn.

It’s guaranteed to be an amazing night, but why not hear it from the horse’s mouth (as it were), in this promo video:

Sunday 27 May, Saint Andrews Hall, 431 East Congress Street, Detroit, Michigan 48226, 10pm – 4am, $40, more info here.

Waterman and Gambaccini criticise Universal’s EMI bid

Business News Labels & Publishers Top Stories

I’m not sure celebrity voxpops really have much sway when competition regulators at the European Commission consider mergers and acquisitions, but if they did then by my tally things would be moving against Universal’s bid to buy EMI.

Pete Waterman and Paul Gambaccini are the latest music industry old-timers to speak out about the proposal to merge the EMI record companies with the Universal Music empire, ultimately putting the iconic British music major in the hands of French conglom Vivendi. Pop maker Waterman and music pundit Gambaccini join legendary record producer George Martin in lamenting the proposed deal.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Waterman said: “Losing another British company is a tragedy, but even looking at this from a dispassionate point of view something has gone wrong. Universal has near total dominance of the music industry and we’ve reached a situation that is totally uncompetitive”.

Meanwhile Gambo, taking a break from mourning the dead on BBC television, has said he “reacted in horror” when it was first announced last year that the EMI labels could become part of Universal Music. Though, according to the Mail, he seems to accept the good intent of the current management at Universal, but worries what might happen to EMI if and when there’s a change of leadership or ownership at the world biggest music company.

For its part, Universal said it would happily explain to Waterman why its proposals are good news for EMI if he’d only call them. A spokesman told the tabloid: “If he [called] we would explain why his concerns are misplaced given the strong competitive environment in today’s music market. It [EI] will fare much better with us than with non-music owners, who would only asset-strip the business”.

As much previously reported, Universal’s bid to buy the EMI labels is currently being reviewed by various competition regulators around the world, but most notably the European Commission and America’s Federal Trade Commission. Meanwhile, the Sony-led bid to buy the EMI Music Publishing business has been green lighted in Europe, but still awaits approval Stateside.

Back at EMI, where staffers await the big split if and when the two takeover deals are approved later this year, there is some apprehension about the future, but some optimism too, and a real sense of the importance of getting on with things in the meantime. Or at least that’s what Amsterdam-based Bart Cools says. An Exec VP For Marketing on the labels side of the EMI business, he’s been speaking to Australian based The Music.

He told the magazine: “It would be stupid to say that we never think of it [what will happen after the acquisition]. But after the initial shock that this was going to happen, there was the realisation that we’ve been in this position for years now – Terra Firma, Citibank, Warners, not Warners, maybe Warners, now it’s Universal. And I think there’s also a realisation from everybody in this company that there’s no point in thinking about it 24 hours a day, because there’s really nothing we can do about it at the moment but try and do our job as good as possible and be the best possible company we can be by the time that it actually happens, and make our point, if you like”.

And while some, mainly outside EMI, have predicted significant workforce and roster culls post any acquisition (which is possibly overly pessimistic, though not without precedent in terms of past major label mergers), Cools notes: “I think [EMI] is a healthy company, in most territories making quite a bit of money. Universal didn’t buy this to destroy it, obviously. There is a sort of worry, but not too much”.

Of course there may be more worries on the publishing side of EMI because, while Universal has revealed very little about its plans for the labels post-merger, there was that leaked report from Sony last month indicating that up to half of EMI Music Publishing’s workforce could be ultimately axed once big chunks of the firm’s rights administration is handed over to Sony/ATV. Sony’s publishing chief Marty Bandier did try to allay fears at EMI Publishing, though not without implying that there would indeed be quite a bit of downsizing if the Sony-led bid to buy the company goes through.

Dappy appears in court over filling station fracas

Legal

Former N-Dubber Dappy made a brief appearance in Guildford Magistrates Court earlier this week in relation to those allegations he was involved in a fight at a Guildford petrol station back in February.

As previously reported, when Dappy and three other men were first arrested in connection with the incident, a spokeswoman for Surrey Police told reporters: “Two girls and three men were outside the garage at 3.30am. They were interrupted by two suspects who had turned up in a car and asked the girls to go with them. The invitation was refused and one of the suspects then spat at one of the girls. As a result an altercation ensued involving the first two suspects and a further group of up to six black and white men who arrived in two further vehicles. The trio of men were assaulted and received serious facial injuries in the attack”.

Speaking only to confirm his name at this week’s court hearing, Dappy and his co-defendants all deny the charges against them. The magistrate ordered all four to return to court on 19 Jul, and ruled that their unconditional bail would stay in place in the meantime. If found guilty of the charges against him, Dappy could face a fine of up to £5000 and up to six months in jail.

Respiratory infection forces Elton John to cancel Vegas shows

Artist News Gigs & Festivals

Elton John has been forced to cancel some of the shows in his latest Vegas residency because of a serious respiratory infection. John seemingly became ill during a show in the city last weekend, and was subsequently admitted to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for tests. Doctors have given the singer antibiotics to fight the condition, and told him not to perform for at least a week.

John said in a statement: “It feels strange not to be able to perform these ‘Million Dollar Piano’ concerts at The Colosseum [in Las Vegas]. I love performing this show and will be thrilled when we return to The Colosseum in October to complete the eleven concerts soon to be scheduled”.

Roc Nation signs management deal with MIA

Business News Deals Management & Funding

MIA has signed with the management division of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation company, joining a management roster that also includes Rihanna, Shakira, Santigold and Mark Ronson.

Indeed, Rihanna was one of the first to go public about the deal, tweeting: “Welcome home MIA”. Meanwhile Roc Nation’s official Twitter feed announced that “the nation just keeps on growing” with a link to MIA’s Twitter page and a slightly blurry photo of the occasionally controversial MC.

MIA’s fourth long player ‘Matangi’ is due out via Universal’s Interscope label in September.

Best Fit Recordings signs Faye

Business News Deals Labels & Publishers

Best Fit Recordings, the label offshoot of The Line Of Best Fit, has announced its latest signing, Swedish singer Faye. She joins I Ching and the CMU approved Fanzine on the company’s roster.

A former member of pop group Play and having previously gone by the name of Fanny, Faye is due to release her first single through Best Fit, ‘Water Against The Rocks’, on 25 Jun. An album will follow later in the year.

Says Faye: “The most important thing is that I do it myself and no one is making decisions for me… I want to use my vocals in a different way, and it’s a wonderful feeling for me to be able to make my own sound. It’s important for me to do this my own way”.

You can catch Faye live at Hoxton Bar And Kitchen in London on 27 Jun, and hear ‘Water Against The Rocks’ here:

Justin Timberlake making music… for the movies

Artist News

So keen is Justin Timberlake to do anything rather than record a new studio album, he’s now taken on the role of music supervisor for a forthcoming Hollywood movie starring his fiancée, actress Jessica Biel. I ask you, JT, when will this anti-album procrastination end?

Actually, it’s not all bad news for those pining for some original Timberlake tune-age. As well as selecting other people’s songs for his missus’s movie, the part-time MySpace exec and (very) occasional pop star has apparently also promised to write some new music for the film himself.

The movie, by the way, is entitled ‘The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea’. This is IMDB’s synopsis of it: “Unable to reconcile the grief from recently losing his wife, an introverted architect befriends a wisecracking young girl and agrees to help her build a raft to cross the Atlantic”.

Yes, really. Shooting on ‘The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea’ is due to begin in autumn, so we shouldn’t expect to hear anything of Timberlake’s soundtrack until 2013 presumably.

Monday 28 May 2012, 11:51 | By CMU Editorial

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Friday 25 May 2012, 16:00 | By CMU Editorial

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Friday 25 May 2012, 16:00 | By Andy Malt

READ MORE ABOUT: Amanda Palmer | Ben Folds | Kickstarter | PledgeMusic

Friday 25 May 2012, 12:16 | By Chris Cooke

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Friday 25 May 2012, 12:15 | By Paul Vig

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Friday 25 May 2012, 12:04 | By CMU Editorial

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