Thursday 28 June 2012, 11:59 | By CMU Editorial

Irish judge says Eircom’s three-strikes operation can continue

Business News Digital Labels & Publishers Legal

The major labels have secured a court order in Ireland quashing a noticed issued by the country’s Data Protection Commissioner last year which halted Eircom’s three-strikes operation to combat illegal file-sharing.

As much previously reported, Ireland’s biggest ISP, Eircom, voluntarily introduced a so called graduated response system to combat illegal file-sharing as part of a legal settlement with the country’s major record companies. Under that agreement, it started sending warning letters to suspected file-sharers, ultimately with the threat of sanctions if file-sharing continued. But Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner started raising concerns about the legalities of the operation, and – after evidence surfaced last year that some warning letters had been sent to the wrong people – ordered it be halted on data protection law grounds.

But both the majors and Eircom raised formal objections to that DPC ruling, and were given permission in late February to take the matter to judicial review. According to the Irish Times, the record industry claimed that the DPC’s order was “an unlawful and irrational attempt to reopen data protection issues already determined by the courts in their favour”. The Commissioner, for his part, denied that was so.

But this week Judge Peter Charleton basically sided with the record companies, ruling that the DPC failed to provide sufficient justification for his order to Eircom (it was a matter of privacy rights, the DPC said, but that argument was no sufficiently specific, the judge countered). Not only that, but the reasons given – as far as they could be ascertained – “involved a misconstruction of the relevant law”.

All of which means that Eircom can resume sending out warning letters to suspected file-sharers. The Irish Recorded Music Association welcomed the ruling and said it planned to continue with its efforts to get a three-strikes system in place both via its agreement with Eircom and beyond.

Live Nation settles legal dispute with Cohl

Business News Legal Live Business Top Stories

This is no fun at all. Live music conglom Live Nation has settled its legal dispute with its former Chairman, American live music veteran Michael Cohl. And we were hoping for a long bitter trial.

As previously reported, Live Nation and Cohl began a legal battle in 2010 over the agreement the two parties had reached when Cohl was pushed out of his executive role at the live music major in 2008. In that agreement Cohl agreed to pay the live music firm nearly $10 million over a number of years in order to circumvent a non-compete clause in his previous contract with the firm, meaning that he could return to independently promoting tours with certain key artists, even though that would mean going into competition with his former employer.

In late 2010 Live Nation accused Cohl of defaulting on those payments, while a few months later Cohl countersued the live firm, saying they were in breach of contact for interfering in his negotiations to promote a Rolling Stones 50th anniversary tour (a tour, of course, which ultimately never happened).

But that legal battle is now at an end after Live Nation announced it had amicably resolved the dispute. The boss of Live Nation’s global touring division, Arthur Fogel, said yesterday: “We’ve had a long and fruitful history collaborating with Michael Cohl. We’re pleased that we’ve been able to resolve our differences, and can now get back to working together”.

Meanwhile Cohl added: “Live Nation has been a valued partner through the years, and I’m glad that we’ve been able to put this behind us and move forward”.

Pirate Bay founder gets new fine from Swedish authorities

Digital Legal

One of the founders of The Pirate Bay has been fined £45,000 for breaching a court ruling that banned him from involvement in the rogue file-sharing website. Well, sort of.

As a result of one of the Bay’s many and various legal challenges, both Fredrik Neij and Gottfrid Svatholm were previously banned from operating the file-sharing search engine, with the threat of substantial fines if they broke the ban. Though by that point the original three founders of the Bay were already insisting they were no longer involved in the running of the controversial website.

However, it seems Neij has now been fined 500,000 Kroner for breaching the order, though he insists no ban has actually been broken, and the fine is the result of a technicality. The Pirate Bay founder has told Torrentfreak that the fine has really been issued because he refuses to reveal to the authorities who has taken over the running of his former website, and that they basically tried to blackmail him into revealing the names of the new Bay management by saying that, if he didn’t, they would assume he was still personally involved and fine him.

But Neij called their bluff, arguing that, as he’s already liable for $10,000,000+ in damages to be paid to the music and movie industries as a result of the 2009 Pirate Bay trial in Sweden, something he’ll never be able to do, having an extra $70,000 added to his debts isn’t really that big a deal.

Says Neij: “There is no evidence [that I am still involved in TPB], just a lack of evidence that I am not involved. In a previous case I declined to give the details [about] who I transferred the site to. They say if it’s not me, then I could easily say who it is. [It doesn’t matter], I don’t live in Sweden, and it’s not like an extra $71,000 would hurt the $10,606,000 I already owe!”

As previously reported, Neij and his fellow Bay founder Peter Sunde are now trying to get their prison sentences, also dished out at the 2009 trial for the copyright infringement their website enabled, overturned via the European Courts Of Human Rights. Meanwhile Svatholm is still AWOL.

Pete Doherty in Thai drug clinic

Artist News

The list of Pete Doherty’s past CMU appearances makes for dispiriting reading, and appears even more dismal now that the troubled former Libertine has once again entered a Thai rehab facility for his longstanding addiction to crack cocaine and heroin. This has meant that his bookings at T In The Park, the Czech Republic’s Rock For People and Portugal’s Super Bock Super Rock have now been cancelled.

The singer-songwriter has, of course, faced various criminal charges for his prolonged drug use over the years, and was last year jailed over cocaine charges, after being found in possession of the drug following the untimely death of filmmaker Robin Whitehead the previous year.

In 2004, he quit another detox course at Thailand’s famed Thamkrabok Monastery after just three days, and despite also spending time in drug clinics in 2006 and 2007, has continued to relapse. Doherty now resides at The Cabin in Chiang Mai (a facility counting Michael Barrymore amongst its previous patients), and is said to be following a “tailored exercise programme including yoga and pursuits such as elephant trekking”.

A statement written on Doherty’s behalf reads: “Peter has left the building, well not quite, more the country, on his way to rehab in Thailand. He left Heathrow last night and will have arrived in Thailand this morning. We wish him well. He has plans to continue working on his new songs for the album which is eagerly awaited”.

Florence Welch has a “churchy” house project on the go

Artist News

Last seen side-of-stage schmoozing with Beyonce and Jay-Z during Rihanna’s Hackney Weekend set – and no, I’m not at all jealous – popstar and friend-of-Drake Florence Welch has said things about a new side project she’s pursuing.

It’s called er… Side Project, and Welch has classified it thus in a convo with Digital Spy: “We actually have a dance outfit side project called Side Project. We made this weird house track that sounded quite churchy – to be confirmed! As yet it has never seen the light of day”.

And by the sound of it, I doubt it ever should.

Snow Patrol scrap album

Artist News

Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody has told the NME that the band have scrapped what was to be their seventh studio album and started again.

Lightbody says that he’s written some new “mind-boggling stuff” and wants to put that out instead. Though it sounds like he might also have realised that putting out a load of off cuts from the band’s previous album, ‘Fallen Empires’ (released last November), wasn’t that great an idea.

He said: “We recorded a second album during the ‘Fallen Empires’ session. But we’ve scrapped that one now. The songs I’ve been writing recently are light years away from anything I’ve ever done. It’s mind-boggling stuff”.

He added that the band planned to record with a number of different producers on the new album, including regular collaborator Jacknife Lee: “We’ll be working with Jacknife again, he’ll always be in the Snow Patrol camp, but he has suggested we try a few other producers as well”.

A$AP Rocky talks debut LP, stars in Lana Del Rey video

Releases

So rapper A$AP Rocky has been discussing his modestly-titled debut LP, ‘LongLiveA$AP’, to the end that we now know its release date to be 10 Sep.

It may well also feature collaborations with Pharrell Williams, Santigold and Lana Del Rey – with whom A$AP previewed a duet titled ‘Ridin’ back in April – though no rumoured guest artists have yet been made official.

Talking of Del Rey, A$AP can at present be seen starring as president John F Kennedy in Lana’s ridiculous new video for ‘The National Anthem’, as appears on her own first LP ‘Born To Die’.

And here that video is, not taking itself too seriously at all:

Chapel Club have made a “pop record”

Releases

Chapel Club are back, everyone, and they’re better value than ever they were in the days of their debut LP, ‘Palaces’. The band – who say their new album ‘Good Together’ is “bright, playful and surprising” as compared to its darker prequel – have just posted a free download of new single ‘Sleep Alone’, as well as sharing partial previews of tracks entitled ‘Jenny Baby’, ‘Scared’ and ‘Good Together’ via their website.

Writes vocalist Lewis Bowman of the new record: “It has touches of the old romance and melancholia, of course, but much more colour and energy and fizz and sparkle besides (at least, it does to my ears). It also has songs you can dance to: finally some CC songs you can dance to! I’ve been waiting for that since before the band had a name”.

Hear all this manifest in ‘Sleep Alone’ here.

Tame Impala tease new release

Releases

Antipodean psych types Tame Impala are apparently about ready to release a sequel to their 2010 long player ‘Innerspeaker’, which is nice.

It seems the new LP will bear the title ‘Lonerism’, and is “coming soon” (ie out later this year) via Modular.

Here’s a trailer featuring new music from it:

Ducktails enlists all-star guests for new LP

Releases

Hypno-pop artist Ducktails, aka a solo Real Estate guitarist Matthew Mondanille, has convinced lots of alt notables to appear as guest collaborators on his forthcoming third LP.

Though minus a title, the tbc new long player’s cast list includes Madeline Follin of Cults and Oneohtrix Point Never’s Daniel Lopatin (and his studio partner Joel Ford), not to mention ex Test Icicles man Sam Mehran (who’s now doing this kind of thing as Outer Limitz). Oh, and since everyone else is at it, the rest of Real Estate will also feature.

Radiohead reschedule cancelled shows

Gigs & Festivals

Radiohead have rescheduled various European shows, cancelled after their drum tech was killed when a staging construction collapsed ahead of a planned concert in Toronto earlier this month.

As previously reported, the band told fans that a number of shows would have to be postponed, partly so that they and their team could recover from the loss of drum tech Scott Johnson, and partly so lighting equipment destroyed in the stage collapse could be replaced. The band’s summer tour will resume in France on 10 Jul, while cancelled shows have now been rescheduled for late September.

Alongside a note on the band’s website announcing the new dates, Radiohead drummer Phil Selway told fans: “Thanks to all of you who have sent messages of support over these past couple of weeks. Scott has touched many people’s lives and all your sentiments are testament to this. Our thoughts and love remain with Scott’s family”.

Aphex Twin to conduct ‘Remote Orchestra’ at Barbican

Gigs & Festivals

It’s been announced that Aphex Twin will stage one of his ‘Remote Orchestra’ concerts at London’s Barbican Hall on 10 Oct.

As per the show’s premiere in Poland last year, the electronic producer – real name Richard James – will conduct the 40-piece Heritage string orchestra and choir via remote control, creating what The Quietus has christened a “visual score” that can be remixed in real time.

The London performance will also feature ‘Interactive Tuned Feedback Pendulum Array’, also known as James’ interpretation of American maestro Steve Reich’s 1963 piece ‘Pendulum Music’.

Further details on the one-off date are available here.

Fans can dictate Hot Chip live date

Gigs & Festivals

Further to announcing a national tour and a subsequent extra date at London’s Brixton Academy, the ever-popular Hot Chip have also shared details of a one-off and apparently ‘intimate’ show, the location of which is subject to a fan ballot.

Lovers of the band can recommend their city – be it York, Stoke-on-Trent or Folkestone – to host Hot Chip by casting a vote or ‘pledge’ priced at £12.50. Basically, the first city to sell all its tickets – sorry, ‘pledges’ – wins, and will thus have Hot Chip performing their new LP ‘In Our Heads’ right inside it.

Details on all three dates here.

Festival line-up update – 28 Jun 2012

Artist News Festival Line-Up Update Gigs & Festivals

BT LONDON LIVE, Hyde Park, London, 28 Jul – 11 Aug: Newton Faulkner, St Etienne, The Temper Trap, The Overtones and The Beat are the latest acts added to the Hyde Park-based edition of BT’s free Olympic music extravaganza. There are similar events also taking place in London’s Victoria Park and Trafalgar Square, but their line-ups remain as-yet unannounced. www.btlondonlive.com

ELECTRIC PICNIC, Stradbally Hall Estate, Co Laois, Ireland, 31 Aug – 2 Sep: Electric Picnic programmers book Explosions In The Sky, Grimes, Wild Beasts, Dexys and Villagers as extra features of a line-up also housing The Cure, The Killers, Tindersticks, Sigur Rós, Elbow, Grizzly Bear, Orbital, The Killers, Bat For Lashes, Christy Moore, The Roots, Hot Chip, Glen Hansard, The xx, Metronomy and The Horrors. www.electricpicnic.ie

HEINEKEN OPEN’ER, Gdynia, Poland, 4-7 Jul: Open’er tops off its 2012 roster with one last shot of international alt-pop, this time from brand new bookings The Cardigans, who align with Björk, New Order, Justice, Major Lazer, The xx, Mumford & Sons, Janelle Monáe, The Mars Volta and M83. opener.pl/en

STRUMMER OF LOVE, Somerset, 17-19 Aug: Staged in honour of late Clash iconoclast Joe Strummer, this year’s Strummer Of Love festival will now host Mick Jones, Pete Wylie and The Farm’s supergroup-of-sorts The Justice Tonight Band as its closing headliners. Jones et al join Seasick Steve, The Pogues, Badly Drawn Boy, Frank Turner, Roots Manuva, Billy Bragg and Alabama 3 on the event’s line-up a large. www.strummeroflove.com

Lethal Bizzle launches label in partnership with Absolute

Business News Deals Labels & Publishers

Rapper Lethal Bizzle has announced the launch of his own label, Stay Dench Records, which will work in partnership with label services company Absolute Marketing & Distribution.

This follows a number of one-off joint projects between the rapper and Absolute, for a best of compilation and various single releases, including Bizzle’s recent Euro 2012 song, ‘#threelittlewords (Come On England)’.

The rapper told CMU: “Our combined efforts so far for the ‘#threelittlewords (Come On England)’ single between Stay Dench and Absolute has been wicked. To have my own platform where I can release fresh music is a great look for me. DENCH!”

Label Manager Nadia Khan added: “We have been really happy with the overall proactive role that Absolute have played in the creative marketing nature of the ‘#threelittlewords (Come On England)’ campaign, and we’re really excited about this partnership moving forward”.

iTunes launches in Southeast Asia

Digital

Apple’s iTunes launched in twelve new markets in Southeast Asia yesterday, including Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Consumers in each of these countries will have access to both local and international music catalogues, as well as movie content, and also the iCloud digital locker service, though it’s not clear if that will include the full scan-and-match functionality at launch.

The Voice tour cancellation is a good thing, says Jessie J

And Finally

Jessie J has told Radio 1’s Newsbeat that she thinks it’s quite good that the planned post-series tour involving finalists from the UK version of ‘The Voice’ has been cancelled due to no one being interested in it even a little bit. It now gives the contestants a chance to “do gigs around London and really learn their craft”. Or in other words, do the thing they were entering a TV talent show in order to avoid. Presumably Jessie thinks the winner’s single not making the Top 40 is good for the same reasons.

She said: “It’s always disappointing, but you know what, it’s not a bad thing. Personally, maybe I shouldn’t say this but I will, I actually think it’s a good thing. Not that it’s been cancelled but that they’ve now got the opportunity to go out and do their own thing. For me it’s a bit too similar to other TV shows to do that tour thing. I think actually the artists have the opportunity now to do gigs around London and really learn their craft”.

Q&A: Future Of The Left

Artist Interviews

Formed by former Mclusky frontman Andy Falkous and drummer Jack Egglestone with ex-Jarcrew frontman Kelson Mathiasin in 2005, Future Of The Left released their debut album, ‘Curses’, in 2007, followed by the critically acclaimed follow-up ‘Travels With Myself And Another’ in 2009.

In 2010, Mathiasin announced his departure from the band, and later the same year, expanded to a four-piece with the addition of Million Dead bassist Julia Ruzicka and guitarist Jimmy Watkins. There was further change last year when they moved from 4AD to sign with Xtra Mile. The new record deal was christened with the release of the ‘Polymers Are Forever’ EP, the title track of which also features on their third album, ‘The Plot Against Common Sense’, which was released earlier this month.

CMU’s Andy Malt spoke to Andy Falkous to find out more about the album, the Olympics, and the percentage by which his life has changed over the last three years.

AM: There was almost exactly three years between ‘Travels With Myself And Another’ and ‘The Plot Against Common Sense’. How have things changed for you in that time?
AF: Three years older, about 4.7% different. A new collection of songs. I’m still fermenting lyrics on long runs and through the relative tedium of day jobs. Though I’m loving playing and writing more than ever, happily. Still cleaning up after the cat. New jeans. Y’know. The usual-ish.

AM: This is your first album with Julia Ruzicka and Jimmy Watkins. What effect has their addition had on the band?
AF: Julia and Jimmy joined within six months of each other and have brought music, talent and love to the whole process. Effective integration took a while, but we’re there and plus at the moment. Also, administratively, we’re more organised, which sounds dry, but when everyone knows when rehearsals are, it really does help.

AM: When did you begin writing ‘The Plot Against Common Sense’?
AF: Two years ago, although we didn’t really start hitting our stride until the beginning of 2011. Recording began last June and spanned sixteen days over a five month period.

AM: Amongst the subjects covered in the lyrics on the new album are the Olympics, the movie industry and the riots. Which topic has been the most cathartic to write about and is there anything you’ve not taken aim at yet that you want to in the future?
AF: There are jokes, issues and conversational set-pieces that fly around between us, but I make a conscious effort not to just crowbar topical concerns into the lyrics – if they turn up, as if by magic, in the melee of the practice room, then it’s fine, but nobody is setting agendas otherwise.

Writing about the Olympics was great fun, my favourite shower of shit. No future topics are planned as yet, but I’m sure they’re fermenting somewhere in my black soul.

AM: It’s now twelve years since the release of the first Mclusky album. What has the music industry taught you since then?
AF: That ‘difficult to work with’ means ‘doesn’t say yes to any old shit we throw at them’.

AM: What advice would you give to any new band starting out today?
AF: Shut up and play. Play, play, play. More playing. If you want to make money dress like an asexual daytime vampire and suck so hard it’s like you’re doing it for a bet. Or, just play.

AM: Will there be more editions of your podcast?
AF: Time and ideas permitting yes. I have some really bad accents I want to throw around, and Jim is an insane person, so it’s almost an inevitability. Sorry in advance.

Approved: Chris Cohen

CMU Approved

Having stood a varied career in Deerhoof, Haunted Graffiti and Cass McCombs’ band; 37 year old songwriter/instrumentalist Chris Cohen has at last struck out as a solo entity, and will release his new LP, ‘Overgrown Path’, via Captured Tracks on 24 Sep. Taken from that, ‘Caller No 9’ is strewn with finespun traces of Cohen’s restive recording past, its light psych touch and mildly frayed phrasings sounding a lot like Arthur Lee’s Love might, were they led by Ariel Pink.

Glastonbury ends its Festival Republic alliance

Business News Live Business Top Stories

The Glastonbury Festival’s alliance with Melvin Benn’s Festival Republic has ended, according to a statement issued by the latter yesterday.

Glastonbury entered into a partnership with Benn’s company, what was then still Mean Fiddler, in 2002, with the Reading Festival promoter taking on the licensing and operational elements of the Glastonbury Festival, partly to help reassure members of the local council’s licensing committee, who had expressed various concerns about the annual event, particularly regards the number of people gaining access to the festival’s site without tickets. It was a successful alliance, with the festival’s customary licensing challenges each spring becoming a thing of the past.

But ten years on that partnership is coming to an end, and Glastonbury will now appoint its own Operations Director to handle those areas of the event that have been led by Benn and Festival Republic for the last decade. Benn ends his latest period of involvement with Glastonbury on good terms with the festival’s chief, Michael Eavis, and the Festival Republic boss will be involved in appointing and briefing the new Operations Director, as well as helping to oversee the smooth passing of licensing control from his company back to the core Glastonbury enterprise. Benn says the move will enable him to focus more time on Festival Republic’s own events both in the UK and beyond, and on his role as Chairman of Wembley Stadium, which he took on just over a year ago.

Confirming he was stepping back from his Glastonbury involvement, Benn said: “From an operational point of view, myself and my team have taken the festival as far as we can and it is time for a change, I think. It has been a wonderful journey with Michael but Latitude, Berlin, Hove and Electric Picnic, none of which existed in 2002, are my priorities, alongside maintaining Leeds and Reading as the bastions of the festival calendar they are, not to mention my demands at Wembley. That said I am committed to ensuring as smooth a handover as possible to the new team in Pilton and enjoying Glastonbury for many years to come as a festival-goer myself”.

Meanwhile Eavis said: “Melvin definitely earned his stripes running the gates for us during the 80s. That was a difficult time dealing with the closure of Stonehenge, the Battle Of The Beanfield and the travellers, and my attempts to accept them here at Worthy Farm was exciting but very challenging. We both learnt a lot about festivals then, and Melvin and I have managed to put together what is the Glastonbury we have now. I’ll be sorry to see him go, but he has masses of responsibility with all of his shows across the world and now is a good time to part company. I’ve got just about the best team in the business, and Emily and Nick are heading up the next generation to take on more responsibility as well”.

Noting how wet it was last Friday and Saturday – what would have been Glastonbury weekend had the event not taken the year off – Eavis signed off by joking: “Looking across the farm at the moment I think we were very lucky to choose a good wet year to take out – an amazing bit of luck! See you all next year with a very promising line-up”.

As part of the original alliance, Festival Republic has a stake in Glastonbury Festivals 2011 Limited, the festival’s operations company. That stake will now be passed to Festival Republic’s parent company, a subsidiary of Live Nation, so to – says the statement – “secure the future of the festival”. The change will not affect the interest in that business held by The Workers Beer Company, the not-for-profit bars operator that works with Festival Republic at many of its festivals.

OfCom’s three-strikes code: Reactions

Business News Digital Labels & Publishers Legal Top Stories

So, as previously reported, yesterday media regulator OfCom published the latest long-time-coming draft of its Obligations Code stemming from the copyright section of the 2010 Digital Economy Act, the bit that puts in place the first elements of a three-strikes system for combating online file-sharing. The Code sets out the obligations of internet service providers to send letters to suspected file-sharers telling them they are very bad people and really ought to stop.

While the Act itself was rushed through parliament to ensure it was approved before the 2010 General Election, getting the three-strikes elements of it going has been a slow and tedious affair, hindered in part by the so far unsuccessful attempts of BT and TalkTalk to force the DEA’s copyright provisions off the statute book through the courts.

A redraft of a document original put together back in 2010, the latest version of the Code clarifies the ways rights owners will monitor net usage, what information internet service providers will provide accused file-sharers in warning letters, and how net customers can appeal if they believe they have been falsely accused. OfCom will now consult interested parties about the new draft of the Code, before checking the provisions with the European Commission and then presenting it to parliament later this year.

Representatives from various content industry trade bodies, which have lobbied hard for the DEA and a so called ‘graduated response’ system for combating online piracy, and all of which have been getting rather frustrated of late with continued delays in getting three-strikes going, welcomed yesterday’s new draft. And here they are saying so…

Jo Dipple, Chief Executive at cross sector trade body UK Music: “The UK music industry welcomes today’s publication of the Costs SI and Initial Obligations Code. Our aim is to grow the digital market and encourage the use of licensed online music services. The Digital Economy Act will play a significant part in achieving this goal. With its implementation back on track we look forward to working with government, OfCom and other stakeholders in the weeks and months ahead”.

John Smith, General Secretary of the Musicians’ Union: “We now have a great opportunity through the DEA to educate consumers about how to avoid illegal sites, access legitimate content which is widely available, and protect themselves online. We urge ISPs to begin building their systems now and to work constructively with rights holders, OfCom and government to get notice-sending up and running as soon as possible”.

Geoff Taylor, Chief Executive at record label trade body BPI: “It’s time to get down to business and start implementing the law to educate consumers about illegal downloading, so that artists and creators are fairly rewarded for their hard work”.

John McVay, Chief Executive at film industry body PACT: “Much has been said about the DEA which is simply untrue. Like many other countries, we are taking action to turn the tide against the growth in online copyright theft – the single largest threat facing our sector. The DEA is a legal, proportionate and reasonable measure – a fact that has been confirmed by the High Court and the Court of Appeal”.

Richard Mollet, Chief Executive at book industry trade body the Publishers Association (and the former BPI lobbyist who pushed particularly hard for the DEA back in 2010): “Infringing copyright blights the creative industries and threatens investment and jobs. The sooner we get this law into action the better”.

Christine Payne, General Secretary of actors union Equity: “It’s a good day for the UK’s two million workers in the creative sector. Two important steps have been taken, following two years of delay, that bring us closer to notice sending under the Digital Economy Act becoming a reality. These measures are vital to protect the jobs and livelihoods of workers in the creative industries and will help ensure we continue to make high quality creative content in the UK. We will be studying the detail of today’s Costs SI and Code carefully and look forward to working with the government and OfCom to progress them as quickly as possible”.

Needless to say, long-term critics of the DEA’s copyright provisions were less welcoming of the latest draft, even though OfCom would argue that it has introduced measures to protect net users as well as copyright owners. Most opponents have honed in on the appeals process outlined in the code, because the new draft actually narrows the grounds on which an accused file-sharer can dispute allegations made against them (and they will still have to pay £20 for the privilege).

Though, that said, at this stage the only ‘strike-three’ sanction available to rights owners is to sue persistent file-sharers for copyright infringement (as they could already), and if any such cases got to court wider arguments would have to be considered.

Responding negatively to the latest code, Open Rights Group’s Jim Killock said: “Digital revenues are going up, the music and film industry are moving in the right direction, yet this cumbersome policy is still lumbering forward. OfCom are being asked to put lipstick on a pig with this code. The appeals are a joke. The government has decided that ‘I didn’t do it’ is not a defence. Some people will almost certainly end up in court having done nothing wrong”.

Jessie J accused of song theft

Business News Legal

Well, Jessie J, you know you’ve really arrived once you’re accused of copyright infringement through the American courts.

A Californian singer called Will Loomis says that Ms J’s hit ‘Domino’ is very similar to his 2008 song ‘Bright Red Chords’.

Loomis’s legal rep Chris Arledge told reporters: “Mr Loomis never consented to the use of his song and we look forward to obtaining an appropriate remedy from the court for this clear infringement”.

A plethora of people are listed as songwriters on ‘Domino’, including J herself, real name Jessica Cornish. The lawsuit names the singer and various subsidiaries of her label Universal Music as defendants.

Indian court limits web-block injunction

Digital Legal

An appeal court ruling in India last week reduced the impact of an earlier web-block ruling, and might result in a slow down of the number of wide-ranging web-block injunctions being issued in the country, of which there have been quite a number in the last year or so.

Most legal efforts in India to force internet service providers to block websites that host or link to copyright infringing materials have been led by the country’s film industry, particularly when movies arrive online before they have been released in the cinemas.

Back in April, an Indian film company successfully won a web-block injunction, and provided a list of the websites illegally hosting its films to ISPs. However, the ambiguous wording of the injunction meant that many net firms blocked outright the websites that had been hosting the plaintiff’s content without permission. While many of those sites were probably prolific copyright infringers, some were sites that had credible claims to be, in the main, legitimate operations, with Vimeo being amongst those affected.

In last week’s appeal hearing, judges ruled that – while site-wide web block orders have been issued in the Indian courts (such as those recently issued against Newzbin and The Pirate Bay in the UK) – in the case of the April injunction, only specific URLs linking to the plaintiff’s content needed to be blocked, not entire websites.

Or, in the words of the court itself: “The interim injunction is granted only in respect of a particular URL where the infringing movie is kept and not in respect of the entire website. Further, the applicant is directed to inform about the particulars of URL where the interim movie is kept within 48 hours”.

As a result, many of those sites that had been blocked outright by some Indian ISPs last month are now accessible again.

Of course some rights owners have complained of late about takedown or web-block systems where only specific URLs can be targeted, arguing that because infringing content is posted at new locations all the time, it puts an unnecessary burden on the rights owner to have to constantly monitor and report new infringements.

In the US, the Recording Industry Association Of America recently said it wished the Google search engine would accept site-wide takedown requests for websites that prolifically infringe, such as The Pirate Bay. Though, of course, many fear the growth of site-wide web blocking systems, arguing that sites that operate a genuinely legitimate business, but which may inadvertently host or link to infringing content in the process, may be unfairly blocked as a result.

Hundred Reasons find cause to break up

Artist News

Surrey punks Hundred Reasons have said they’ll end their thirteen year career in November. First Swedish House Mafia and now this? What a dark, dark week for music.

Having given word of their imminent split via an official Facebook post, the band will bid a two-part farewell to fans via final shows at Manchester’s Academy 2 (23 Nov) and London’s Forum (24 Nov). It’s not all doom and gloom though, because HR will be joined on both dates by post-hardcore quintet Hell Is For Heroes, who have just reunited after going on indefinite hiatus in 2008 and will play their ‘Neon Handshake’ album in full, and Derby legends Cable, who are reforming especially for these shows.

That statement from Hundred Reasons, who will play their entire first album ‘Ideas Above Their Station’ as part of the London and Manchester gigs, reads: “Dream line-up – bands we love, people we love. Been a while in the planning, this, but we’re seriously bloody excited about it. This is the final outing for everyone involved, so we hope you’ll join us for a properly good send-off”.

Dan Le Sac signs new publishing deal with Touch Tones Music

Business News Deals Labels & Publishers

Touch Tones Music has signed a new publishing deal with Dan Le Sac. The deal covers the producer’s existing catalogue, as well as his forthcoming solo album, ‘Space Between The Words’, which is due out via Sunday Best on 9 Jul.

Dan told CMU: “It’s genuinely exciting for me to be working with Touch Tones Music. I’ve been a fanboy when it comes to their record label, Tummy Touch, and feel like it’ll be a great home for me. It’s also a great feeling to have total faith that Touch Tones can help me make the most of my first solo LP, ‘Space Between The Words’. I’m also hoping they’ll force Tom Vek to do a track with me for the next one, but don’t tell them that”.

You can catch Dan Le Sac live at Bestival’s Wildlife Summer Party at The Bussey Building in London on 14 Jul. More info on that here.

And you can listen to a track from ‘Space Between The Words’, ‘Memorial’, which features guest vocals from Emmy The Great, here:

All Sugababes in the studio

Artist News

Heidi Range has told Digital Spy that she and the rest of the current line-up of Sugababes are writing new songs as we speak, but that they don’t plan to release anything this year.

She said: “We’re all writing in the studio anyway. It’s kind of ongoing. But there’s no plans to bring anything out this year. We’ve all always written, I’ve always done that going into bands when I was eighteen. We’ve written songs that other people have used and vice versa. You don’t worry about that, if the song’s not right for you and it’s right for someone else, that’s a bonus”.

Meanwhile, the reunited original line-up of the group are apparently preparing to release new material later this summer. After she and Keisha Buchanan tweeted various things about being in the studio recently, last week Siobhan Donaghy told a fan via Twitter to expect new songs at any point within the next two to ten weeks.

Gallows name new album

Releases

Gallows have at last given a name to their previously reported third LP, and that name is ‘Gallows’. It’s to be the band’s first full-length release since 2009’s ‘Grey Britain’, and the first ever with new frontman Wade MacNeil, and is out via Gallows’ [PIAS]-partnered new label Venn Records on 10 Sep.

Speaking as one, the five-piece declare: “We made this record self-titled as it musically defines the band known as Gallows as we exist today. This is the first of many releases to come from the house of Venn Records, our imprint, hijacked from PIAS, those long standing backers of independent rock n roll”.

They continue: “This is our statement of intent, our laugh in the face of those who said Gallows were done when in reality we’re just warming up. We couldn’t feel more vindicated and proud”.

Tracklisting:

Victim Culture
Everybody Loves You (When You’re Dead)
Last June
Outsider Art
Vapid Adolescent Blues
Austere
Depravers
Odessa
Nations
Never Enough
Cult Of Mary
Cross Of Lorraine

Universal re-releasing Sex Pistols’ Pretty Vacant (again)

Releases

“This is the ‘Pretty Vacünt’ press release. Thank you”. Thus reads a quote from John Lydon regarding a reissue of The Sex Pistols’ 1977 single, ‘Pretty Vacant’. Lydon, as you may remember, wasn’t at all keen to endorse a timely Golden Jubilee reissue of ‘God Save The Queen’, which might explain the economy of his statement this time. Then again, it might not.

‘Pretty Vacant’ is being re-released – since there must always be a reason for such things – on 2 Jul to mark the original edition’s 35th anniversary, and will be available as a limited edition seven-inch picture disc. Universal Music are only pressing 3500 copies; all, any, one or none of which can be purchased here.

‘Pretty Vacant’ will precede a further 35th anniversary Pistols reissue, this being, ‘Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols’, the little-known LP from whence it came. As previously reported, Universal will release said classic long player in September.

Efterklang detail LP

Releases

Hurrah! Great Danes Efterklang are to release new LP ‘Piramida’ via 4AD, and we need only wait until 24 Sep to hear it! Okay, so that’s a way away yet, but the band have released a trailer featuring audio from the album to tide us all over.

As previously reported, Efterklang will also undertake a collaborative tour with the Northern Sinfonia Orchestra, appearing first at Gateshead’s The Sage on 23 Oct.

And here is that trailer:

Com Truise makes rarities compilation

Releases

Electronic soundsmith Com Truise, real name Seth Haley, is soon to release a collection of demos and rarities entitled ‘In Decay’. Available on vinyl via Ghostly International from 17 Jul, much of the compilation pre-dates Haley’s ‘Cyanide Sisters’ and ‘Fairlight’ EPs and his first full-length suite, ‘Galactic Melt’.

Listen to ‘Open’ now, then scan the LP’s tracklisting:

Open
84 Dreamin
Dreambender
Controlpop
Colorvision
Alfa Beach
Stop
Klymaxx
Yxes
Smily Cyclops
Video Arkade
Data Kiss
Closed

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Wednesday 27 June 2012, 12:04 | By Andy Malt

Formed by former Mclusky frontman Andy Falkous and drummer Jack Egglestone with ex-Jarcrew frontman Kelson Mathiasin in 2005, Future Of The Left released their debut album, ‘Curses’, in 2007, followed by the critically acclaimed follow-up ‘Travels With Myself And Another’ in 2009.

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