Wednesday 27 March 2013, 11:32 | By Aly Barchi

Artists give tracks to Jason Molina charity LP

Releases

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Damien Jurado and Scout Niblett are amongst the artists donating tracks to a new LP commemorating late singer-songwriter Jason Molina, who died earlier this month.

The covers compilation, titled ‘Weary Engine Blues’, will be released via Graveface Records on 23 Apr, with all profits going towards paying off Molina’s outstanding medical bills.

Each of its 525 pressings will carry screen-printed art by William Shaff, who designed the sleeve to Molina’s eponymous LP as Magnolia Electric Co.

It’s available to order in advance via this link.

In the meantime this is Mark Kozelek’s take on Molina’s ‘It’s Easier Now’:

M83 shares new track from Oblivion OST

Artist News Releases

His involvement in the project having been confirmed last July, the title track off M83’s OST to ‘Oblivion’, a new sci fi film starring Tom Cruise, has appeared online.

With vocals by Norwegian alt-pop artist (and CMU interviewee) Susanne Sundfør, ‘Oblivion’ will be released as part of the soundtrack LP on 19 Apr. The film itself, meanwhile, hits cinemas on 10 Apr.

M83’s Anthony Gonzalez, who collaborated on the score with film/theatre composer Joseph Trapanese, says this of the soundtrack project: “It involved lots of stress, lots of sweat, and lots of hard work, but in the end, the soundtrack serves the movie very well. It really is a great Hollywood soundtrack. ‘Oblivion’ is a big film with a big sound and a big orchestra, and while the soundtrack is different from my original idea, in the end I am very proud of it. I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of this journey”.

Beyonce, Florence, Timbaland playing Gucci charity gala

Gigs & Festivals

Beyonce is to headline (and artistically direct) a special charity gala at West London’s Twickenham Stadium in June.

Arranged by fashion label Gucci as part of its Chime For Change initiative, the Sound Of Change show (as Bey et al are calling it) is meant to raise both cash for CFC-supported projects and awareness of global ‘girl power’ and, as Beyonce phrases it: “To call for change for girls and women in the loudest voice possible”. She adds: “I am excited for us to come together on 1 Jun to bring the issues of education, health and justice for girls and women to the world stage”.

Yeah… so bow down, bitches. Oh wait… no, don’t. Anyway. Beyonce will be joined on the night by Florence And The Machine, Ellie Goulding, Iggy Azalea, John Legend, Rita Ora, Laura Pausini and Timbaland, with extra artists still TBA.

‘The night’, by the way, is 1 Jun, and tickets are on sale via www.chimeforchange.org

Pissed Jeans add rare Leeds, London-based live dates

Gigs & Festivals

Hey, so devil-may-care Pennsylvanian band Pissed Jeans have added their first British shows in five years or so, primarily as a way of playing (and promoting) their new LP, ‘Honeys’.

And the dates of the shows are:

4 Jul: Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
5 Jul: London, Dingwalls

Alexandra Burke to sing Holiday’s blues at Royal Albert Hall

Gigs & Festivals

‘X-Factor’ chanteuse (circa 2008) Alexandra Burke is going to pose as Billy Holiday in a live homage to the late jazz singer’s 1972 film, ‘Lady Sings The Blues’.

Burke, who will cover various of Holiday’s jazz and blues classics over five nights (4-8 Jun) at the Royal Albert Hall’s Elgar Room, says: “It is an honour to be able to sing Billie Holiday’s songs”.

Festival line-up update: Pitchfork Music Festival, Secret Garden Party, Roskilde and more

Artist News Festival Line-Up Update Gigs & Festivals

So, as Lou Reed takes his name off the Coachella listings citing “unavoidable complications”, what of contrasting scenarios at festivals who are adding, rather than losing, artists? Well, as we were talking about Lou Reed, it seems we appropriate to start in Berlin, with the Berlin Festival, which now has a third headliner (the others being Blur and Pet Shop Boys) in Björk, who’ll notably be making her first and last German live appearance of the year. DJ Shadow, AlunaGeorge, Tomahawk and Villagers are also new to the MBV and MIA-featuring event.

Secret Garden Party is at the artist additions game, too, and has signed off a new conscript of acts, not least rarely-seen Regina Spektor, Youth Lagoon, Lissie, Shout Out Louds and Willy Mason. They and a lengthy list of DJs – Zane Lowe, John Kennedy and SGP regular and Temple Of Boom sultan Eddy Temple-Morris to name several – align with existing Garden Party guests Soulwax, Django Django, and Bastille.

A pair of pretty large Euro fests, Serbia’s Exit and Denmark’s Roskilde, have increased their billings by but one new artist. Fatboy Slim joins Atoms For Peace, Snoop Lion, Bloc Party and DJ Fresh at Exit, and The National are new to Roskilde’s live programme, whose star attractions are QOTSA, Kendrick Lamar, Sigur Ros and pre-festival player Rihanna.

So, that’s all new in FLUUs. All, that is, apart from an obligatory look at extra add-ons to Deer Shed, Indietracks, Spot, Stop Making Sense, Waveform and the Tate Modern’s contemporary music/arts fest Hyperlink:

BERLIN FESTIVAL, Tempelhof Airport, Berlin, Germany, 6-7 Sep: Björk, Tomahawk, DJ Shadow, AlunaGeorge, Villagers, Die Orsons, Tale Of Us, Ben Pearce, John Talabot. www.berlinfestival.de

DEER SHED, Baldersby Park, Topcliffe, North Yorkshire, 19-21 Jul: Eugene McGuinness, Peggy Sue, Deep Sea Arcade, Death At Sea, Luke Sital-Singh, Park Bench Society, Dancing Years. www.deershedfestival.com

EXIT FESTIVAL, Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia, 10-14 Jul: Fatboy Slim. www.exitfest.org

HYPERLINK, Tate Modern, London, 26-28 Apr: Akala, George The Poet, Lady Leshurr, Angel, Sway, Stooki Sound. www.tate.org.uk/hyperlink

INDIETRACKS, Midland Railway, Ripley, Derbyshire, 26-28 Jul: The Pastels, Still Corners, The Tuts, The Magic Theatre, Big Wave, David Leach, Frozy, Good Grief, Milky Wimpshake, The Beautiful Word, The Fireworks, The French Defence, Fear Of Men, When Nalda Became Punk. www.indietracks.co.uk

PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL, Union Park, Chicago, USA, 19-21 Jul: MIA., Lil B, Solange, Wire, Yo La Tengo, Toro Y Moi, Savages, Phosphorescent, Autre Ne Veut, Mikal Cronin, Woods, Glass Candy, Pissed Jeans, Blood Orange, Andy Stott, Merchandise, Ryan Hemsworth, Metz, Parquet Courts, Julia Holter, Evian Christ, Waxahatchee, Daughn Gibson, White Lung, KEN Mode, DJ Rashad. www.pitchforkmusicfestival.com

ROSKILDE, Denmark, 29 Jun – 7 Jul: The National. roskilde-festival.dk

SECRET GARDEN PARTY, Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, 25-28 Jul: Regina Spektor, Shout Out Louds, Lissie, Youth Lagoon, London Grammar Temples, The Bombay Royale, Willy Mason, Jamie N Commons, Phildel, Parlour Flames, Farao, Z-Star, He’s My Brother She’s My Sister, Keston Cobblers Club, Rumba Do Bodas, Jardares Por Fuera, Backbeat Soundsystem, Mama Nollora, They Say Jump, Babilondon, Solko, More Like Trees, Victoria And Jacob, Magnus Puto, Audio Razor, Modestep, Hadouken!, Goldie, Mistajam, Zane Lowe, Phil Kieran, Bobby Tank, Eddy Temple-Morris, Ayah Marar, Monarchy, Dodge & Fuski, Maribou State And Friends, Dismantle, Subsource, Das Kapital, Le Carousel, Elite Force, Illaman, Sirkus Sirkus, The Good Natured , The Prototypes, Rory Lyons, Pixel Fist, Aloosh, Animal, The Caulfield Beats, John Kennedy, Toni Jarvis, Jo Good, Losers, Phil Clifton, Jacksun Fear, Dpplgngrs, Gaika, Nick Mulvey, Little Axe, Tristan Mckay, Ethan Ash, Mamas Gun, The Willows, Liz Lawrence, John Blood & The Highlys, Joe Innes & The Cavalcade, Jimmy The Brute, JP Cooper, Jamie Lawson, Natalie Ross, Lunatrix, Sam Bradley, Joel Baker, Kit Rice, Emily Burns, Leo Stannard, Dan Clews, Tim Hassall, Robyn Sherwell, Jessica Moncrieffe, Eureka Stockade, Clark & Carter. www.secretgardenparty.com

SPOT, various venues, Aarhus, Denmark, 3-4 May: Marie Key, Turboweekend, NORDLYD, Naked. spotfestival.dk

STOP MAKING SENSE, The Garden, Tisco, Croatia, 1-4 Aug: Sebo K, Session Victim. stopmakingsense.eu

WAVEFORM FESTIVAL, South Somerset, 6-8 Sep: Barry Ashworth, Eddy Temple-Morris, Mechanimal, Neuroplasm The Orb Sound System, Zetan Spore, System 7, Dr Alex Paterson, Mirror System, Re:creation, Crystal Monkey, Peak, Occular, Astralasia, Flutatious, OOOD, Daft Monk, Suns of Arqa, Nova, Colin Dale, CJ Mackintosh, PTE, Paul Von Goulding, Chad Jackson, Sephira, Lunarsonic, Graeme Park, DJ Ruby (Malta), Rodney P, Undercover Hippy, Freshold & Retrix, ill Audio, Captain Flatcap, Sally J, PTE, Disruptive Influence, Choonmaster, Autolump, Ill Audio, Axis Mundi, Infinite Collective, Orangafruup, Orchid Star, Markie B (Erb & Remedy), Lebrosk, Wiggzaro, Pete Ardron, Globular, Cosmosophy, Chillion, Flooting Grooves, Dymons, Toulliche, Bez23, Red Earth, B-Sub-Lime, Buck Fillington vs. Melc, Subajah Family. www.waveformfestival.com

Bertelsmann confirms it is acquisition hungry

Business News Labels & Publishers

BMG owner Bertelsmann plans to make a number of sizable acquisitions in the near future, the media firm’s CEO Thomas Rabe has confirmed. That acquisition spree will likely be funded, in part at least, by a planned flotation of 17% of the group’s television company RTL, which would reduce Bertelsmann’s stake in the business to 75%, and would likely raise in excess of two billion euros. The exact timing of that flotation will be influenced by RTL’s share price.

In a financial briefing, Rabe said that he was particularly interested in growing his company’s interests in digital, education and music rights, the latter via the v2 BMG business, which Bertelsmann took complete control of at the start of the month, bringing to an end its JV with equity group KKR. Rabe added that he would be primarily looking to acquire existing businesses in these areas that were valued between 500 and 750 million euros.

Despite being acquisition hungry, it seems unlikely the Bertelsmann board would advocate a flotation of the media group itself to raise new funds. The Bertelsmann company is owned by the Mohn family and their Foundation, and when asked about any possible IPO of the group Rabe said that would not happen for the “foreseeable future”.

Universal denies liability for K-pop cut off

Business News Digital Labels & Publishers

As if the South Koreans haven’t got enough to be concerning themselves with at the moment, what with increasingly tense relations with the North, YouTube only went and cut off non-domestic access to a chunk of popular K-pop videos last weekend.

The videos that were suddenly unavailable on the video site came from artists signed to South Korean label Cube Entertainment, and included the likes of 4Minute, HyunA, B2ST, and G.Na. While it was K-pop fans outside South Korea that were most hit by move, various conspiracy theories soon emerged that this was a racist attempt to stop the country’s pop stars reaching their international fans.

Universal Music quickly became the enemy of the story, because Cube has a distribution deal with the mega-major’s South Korean division, and it is responsible for distributing the label’s music beyond the country’s borders.

Once Universal had been officially accused of being behind the YouTube cut off of Cube Entertainment content, the major was officially labelled racist by some fans for trying to “keep K-pop restricted to Koreans like it originally was”.

Though later, as some conspiracy theorists questioned why exactly Universal would have any desire to stop music in which it has a commercial interest from being monetised around the world, the allegation switched to a more realistic scenario – Universal had taken Cube content off YouTube to force people onto VEVO.com, the music video platform in which the majors has a stake.

But, insists Universal Music, Cube content stopped being available on YouTube because of a glitch, and as soon as it was aware of the problem it put pressure on Google to fix the problem on its video platform. So keen was Universal to convince K-pop fans it wasn’t responsible for the content cut-off, it too adopted the hashtag being used by those angry at the development, #GiveUsKPop.

The good news is, we hear the “glitch’ has been, erm, unglitched, and the flow of Cube-made K-pop to YouTube users around the world has resumed. Phew. If only that other Korean stand-off could be so easily solved.

Sun and Telegraph planning paywalls

Media

And so it’s begun. Both the Telegraph and Sun newspapers have revealed that they will introduce paywalls this year, for the first time charging people to access their online content.

Like most consumer media in the UK, the Telegraph and Sun currently offer online access to all their content for free. And, like most of their competitors, they are now enjoying online audiences way in excess of the number of readers their print titles ever reached, even in the heyday of print newspapers.

The problem is that the ad revenues to be made from such operations are nowhere near what most newspaper owners hoped when they opted for the free-content-mass-audience approach ten years ago, mainly because of the dominance of Google, Facebook et al in the online advertising space, all of which have much lower overheads, so can sell ads much cheaper.

The Telegraph, which already has a subscription system in place for non-UK readers, will operate a paywall similar to that already employed by FT.com, and many US newspapers, whereby users can access a certain amount of content for free, but must subscribe for unlimited access. £1.99 a month will get users that full access, while a £9.99 premium option will offer other benefits.

The approach differs from The Times, the first consumer-facing newspaper in the UK to introduce a paywall. It blocks access to pretty much all of its site unless users pay to subscribe, though non-subscribers can now see the opening paragraphs of most features, in a bid to entice them in.

Such a severe paywall has an immediate negative impact on online userbase, meaning the title loses the tens of millions of unique users they likely enjoyed as a free title, though some newspaper owners would say a smaller community of paying readers is more attractive then 70 million freeloaders.

Confirming his paper’s paywall plans, Telegraph Editor Tony Gallagher said this week: “We want to develop a closer rapport with our digital audience in the UK, and we intend to unveil a number of compelling digital products for our loyal subscribers in the months ahead”.

Elsewhere, the CEO of Sun and Times publisher News International, Mike Darcey, confirmed his company’s tabloid would be following its broadsheet sister title down the paywall route, though it’s not clear what form the Sun’s subscription system will take. According to The Guardian, he said that he expected the Sun’s paywall to go up in the second half of 2013, adding that the current freemium model was “untenable”.

Absolute to launch new evening show to include live sessions

Media

Absolute Radio is revamping its evening output with a new show to be fronted by Pete Donaldson, replacing Mark Crossley who moves to a weekend slot. The new show will include live sessions and artist interviews plus listener requests and an album of the week.

It’s the first shift in the Absolute schedules since the station’s Content Director Tony Moorey increased his responsibilities on the programming front following the departure of Chief Operating Officer Clive Dickens.

Commenting on the new show, Moorey said: “Musically 2013 is proving to be a very exciting year, with a stronger guitar-driven music scene than we have seen for a number of years. With the space to combine Pete’s passion for upcoming artists and his razor sharp humour, evenings is set to be a great addition to the schedule”.

Donaldson himself added: “I love new music, I love live music and I love being on the wireless. I’ll be reporting live at the Isle Of Wight Festival again this year and I can’t wait to spend time watching and chatting to some of the music acts I admire the most. I can’t believe they pay me to do this stuff”.

Dave Grohl thinks Lee Ryan is “a really cool guy”, says Lee Ryan

And Finally

Lee Ryan has denied reports that Dave Grohl took something of a dislike to him at a party following a performance by the Foo Fighters frontman’s Sound City Players band in London earlier this month. In fact, says the Blue boy, quite the opposite is true.

The Sun reported last week that Grohl had said in an interview: “There was this English singer who was with us [at the after-show party] who was completely wasted. We almost had to throw him out. Have you heard of this band, Blue? The guy kept telling us how many million records he’s sold. I was like, ‘Really? You?'”

But speaking to Digital Spy at the Chortle Awards on Monday night, Ryan said that Grohl had been horrified that their burgeoning friendship might be scuppered by this misrepresentation of the truth. For sure. Explained Ryan: “He messaged me… and he’s like, ‘No, I never said that’. He messaged me through our PA and said, ‘Tell Lee I’m sorry about that, I don’t know where that came from, but Lee’s a really cool guy, I really love him'”.

Elaborating about the night where Grohl fell in love with him, Ryan continued: “Me and him were doing shots with each other at the bar, it was wicked. For me he’s such a rock legend… I didn’t ruin his party, I was just pissed like the rest of them. I think what he said was, ‘Lee was wrecked out of his head’, and I was”.

So, there you go. Are you happy to know the truth now? More to the point, is Lee annoyed that people were spreading scurrilous gossip about him not being able to hold his drink? No, he isn’t. Asked about this, he said: “I was really happy with it, if I’m honest. I’ve been kicked out of a few parties, but it’s fun when you get kicked out. Being told to leave is great. ‘Get out you’re too pissed’, ‘Wicked'”.

Wicked.

Susanne Sundfør working on follow-up to The Silicone Veil

Artist News

Norwegian musician Susanne Sundfør has begun work on her next album, she told CMU in a new interview. Currently in the early stages, she revealed that her new songs are taking a simpler direction to those on her last album, ‘The Silicone Veil’, which was released last year.

Sundfør told CMU: “I’m working on the next album now. I just bought a TR-909, drum machine, which was used a lot in 90s house and techno. It’s very industrial and very cold, and I really like that, so I wanna use that a lot on the next record. I think [my new songs are] gonna be a lot more repetitive. On ‘The Silicone Veil’, you have this theme and then suddenly there’s this other theme, and then suddenly you go back. I think the next one is gonna be… not so busy. I have written some tracks but there’s a lot of work left to do”.

Read the full interview with Susanne Sundfør here.

Q&A: Susanne Sundfør

Artist Interviews

One of CMU’s Artists Of The Year in 2012, Susanne Sundfør released her debut UK album, ‘The Silicone Veil’, through Sonnet Sound last October.

Despite being her first over here, the long player was her second number one in her native Norway, after 2010’s ‘The Brothel’, and her third studio album overall. As well as that, she has two other records to her name, ‘Take One’, a stripped down version of her eponymous debut, and ‘A Night At Salle Pleyel’, a live recording of a specially commissioned piece for the Oslo Jazz Festival’s 25th anniversary in 2011.

Never before available in the UK, Sonnet Sound will release all of Sundfør’s pre-‘The Silicone Veil’ back catalogue on 8 Apr.

Following a sold out show at the Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen in London earlier this month, CMU’s Andy Malt caught up with Susanne to talk through her back catalogue and find out what she’s planning next.

AM: When did you start playing music?
SS: I started when I was six, I would go to these classes where we would just sing and play the tambourine. You know, it wasn’t really serious, but I really liked it so I started playing the violin when I was eight, then taking piano lessons when I was nine, and then singing lessons when I was twelve. So I was playing music at an early stage, but I didn’t really take it that seriously. I wasn’t practising that much or anything. Then I went to a music high school, and I guess that’s what you’d call my education in music.

AM: Is music something you thought could be your career from an early stage?
SS: No, I didn’t really decide for it to be my profession until I was 23. So I started it more as a hobby. I didn’t really see that I could live off making songs.

AM: So, that would actually mean that the realisation music could be your career happened after your first album?
SS: Yeah, I guess so. Actually, I think I only decided that this is something that I wanted to spend my entire life doing after I released ‘The Brothel’, cos that was the first time I really felt like I had ‘found’ a sound.

AM: So you were actually three albums in when you made that decision; well, depending on how you view ‘Take One’. Do you view ‘Take One’ as an album in its own right?
SS: I would say it’s kind of like a remix album. Like if you have an album of just remixes of an earlier record you made, that’s how I see it. So I don’t really see it as an album like the other ones.

AM: The jump, sound wise, from the first album to ‘The Brothel’ was pretty a significant shift. What was the process of ‘finding’ that sound?
SS: The first record was released three years after I’d written the songs that are on it, so I had moved on from that that kind of retro 70s sound even before I released it. I was starting to get into electronica, and just electronic music generally. I really fell in love with that sound, and I wanted to use that kind of a sound to get across what I wanted to say.

AM: It’s quite ambitious electronic music on ‘The Brothel’ too.
SS: Yeah, there’s a lot of info on that album, and on ‘The Silicone Veil’ also. But I guess it was necessary.

AM: There are lots of themes and layers to the music. How do you write like that? Do you start by just sitting down and writing a song in a traditional way and then develop it, or do you have an idea of where you want it to go from the start?
SS: Um, I don’t really have a method. I guess the best songs I feel that I’ve written are the songs where it comes naturally. Or not naturally, but it’s coincidental. When I plan music too much, then I feel like it doesn’t have that kind of extra magic, or whatever.

But as for a process, usually I start with the piano and just write a melody. I might come up with a line, and then I go to the piano and I try to try put it into a wider context. I have a tape recorder, and often I put a line together with another earlier line, so I’m kind of recycling ideas all the time, and I try to write the lyrics concurrent to that.

Then I just work from there and I try to build it into a structure. I like to make very standard pop compositions initially, and then I go to the studio and I arrange them.

AM: So you’re writing the lyrics as you write the music?
SS: Yeah, sometimes I write the lyrics before as well.

AM: Where do your lyrics come from, cos there’s a lot of very strong imagery in there, particularly religious imagery. Where does that come from? Did you have a particularly religious upbringing?
SS: No, I used to study English in Bergen, but then I hung out with a lot of people who studied religion, so I was very inspired by their thoughts. And I think that religious imagery is very interesting because it’s very powerful. It’s the same thing as when people use Greek mythology. I think it uplifts it in a way.

AM: It kind of adds a weight to something that might otherwise be quite a simple idea on its own?
SS: Yeah. I also find all kinds of extremity in society very interesting. I guess I’m really inspired by Sylvia Plath, she’s my biggest hero. But I also find it interesting that, in society today, there are a lot of extremes. People go to the extreme because they need attention, it’s like an attention culture, and I think it’s interesting to put that in lyrics, if that makes sense!

AM: You said you always arrange stuff in the studio, so is it that quite a lot of the final version of a song generally comes together there?
SS: Yeah, on the last two records I worked a lot with [Jaga Jazzist’s] Lars Horntvedt and we’ve made a lot of the arrangements together. So, a lot of the sound has been developed in the studio with him, so he’s been quite influential there.

AM: I think perhaps ‘A Night At Salle Pleyel’ also fed into how your sound developed between ‘The Brothel’ and ‘The Silicone Veil’. How did that project come about?
SS: Yeah, I see what you mean. That was more like a side project from my main project. It was [the Oslo Jazz Festival] in Norway who commissioned it. They just wanted me to write 44 minutes of music, I didn’t have any other restrictions or guidelines or anything. So I decided to make a piece of music for a string quintet. And then, when I started writing, during the process I got more and more convinced that this would sound really cool with just five synths. So at the beginning it sounds more like classical music and then it goes more and more into this synth world.

AM: Have you started writing for the next album?
SS: Yes, I’m working on the next album now. I just bought a TR-909, which is like a 90s drum machine, which was used a lot in house and techno. It’s very industrial and very cold, and I really like that, so I wanna use that a lot on the next record. I think it’s gonna be a lot more repetitive, it’s not going to be as shifting as ‘The Silicone Veil’, because ‘The Silicone Veil’ is very, like, you have this theme and then suddenly there’s this other theme, and then suddenly you go back. It’s like, there’s a lot of stuff to hang onto, in a way. I think the next one is gonna be… not so busy. But you never know, I might just change my mind!

AM: Do you find that it’s quite a challenge to perform live such complicated songs that have been constructed in the studio?
SS: Yeah, it can be quite challenging. Not necessarily getting all the parts there, because you can always put stuff on tape, but I guess the challenge is just that a lot of that parts are quite difficult to play! I use a lot of MIDI programming, so like on ‘White Foxes’ I could never play that synth line that goes up and down, so yeah I guess that’s the biggest challenge. I’m just making it difficult for myself!

AM: You do seem to have quite a lot of stuff on stage…
SS: Yeah, we used to be six people on stage, and everybody was almost always playing something, so it’s quite heavily arranged.

AM: Is it a different live set up when you come here, compared to in Norway?
SS: Unfortunately, a lot of it has to do with money, but I do honestly find it challenging in a fun way to try to rearrange the songs to make it fit to a different set-up. The set-up we use in England, I wouldn’t say it’s poorer than what we do in Norway, it’s just that we’ve made it more electronic – though we do have live drums at the moment. But then we try to trigger a lot of the pre-recorded parts live, just to make it more organic, so we don’t have just a track where we press play and I just sing over it. I like to rearrange the songs, it makes it come alive again.

AM: It’s always interesting to see someone play over here to, say, 150 people, and then see them play in their home country to a much bigger audience. It’s such a different experience. It must be nice to go back and play the small places again and really practice your craft.
SS: Yeah, it becomes more interesting. In Norway people know my music, and I have an audience there, so when I play it feels more safe, in a way, because they know what to expect and I know what to expect from them. But then when I come here, it’s like I present the music to a new audience, and I really like that too. I like to see if people are surprised, or even if people don’t like it, it’s interesting to get new reactions to what you do. Both things are fun.

AM: And what has the reaction over here been like?
SS: I think it’s been positive, so far. I mean, the people who come to the shows say a lot of nice things afterwards and I really like the London audience, they’re quite polite. It’s nice to see people nodding, and to see their reaction to the music.

AM: Now you’re about to release your back catalogue in the UK. How involved have you been with the reissues?
SS: I haven’t done any remixes or anything… actually it’s all been re-recorded on fiddle! No, the records are the same as the original releases. But they haven’t been available in the UK until now, so to me it’s very exciting.

AM: Other than that, what are you doing at the moment?
SS: I’m actually producing this band right now called Bound To Each Other.

AM: Have you produced other artists before?
SS: No, this is my first time. It’s a lot of fun because it’s a different way of working and I don’t have this anxiety when I go to the studio, because when I do my own stuff it’s like, if I don’t do this well, then the rest of the day or even the rest of the week is gonna be shit. But when I work with them, it’s not my main project or responsibility, so that makes it much more fun, cos you can be playful, and just be creative in the studio. So yeah, it’s fun, and they’re really talented. We’re getting close to the end of that now, and then I’ll start focussing on my next record. I have written some tracks but there’s a lot of work left to do.

Approved: Fuzz

CMU Approved

So Ty Segall – garage deviant (in a cool way) and man of 1000 bands – has this new one named Fuzz.

Initially, Segall’s name was kept off details of his, bassist Roland Cosio and guitarist Charles Moothart’s first seven-inch single – a double A-side featuring the tracks ‘This Time I Got A Reason’ and ‘Fuzz’s Fourth Dream’ – but I guess it’s no longer a secret, especially since the single has proven to be so popular, with all pressings selling within days of their release back in January.

Another single, ‘Sleigh Ride’, will precede Ty et al’s first LP via an individual release on 16 Apr. But till that time, and/or till Fuzz play live at the superlative Liverpool Psych Fest (27-28 Sep), Segal admirers can listen agape to the monolithic ‘This Time I Got A Reason’ and its Black Sabbath-esque B-side via the magic of YouTube:

This Time I Got A Reason

Fuzz’s Fourth Dream

Government provides funding for phase one of Copyright Hub

Business News Labels & Publishers Top Stories

The government has put aside £150,000 to help fund stage one of the Copyright Hub initiative, which brings together various creative industry trade bodies and groups in a bid to create some kind of ‘exchange’ that demystifies and simplifies the licensing of copyright materials.

As previously reported, a Copyright Licensing Steering Group and Copyright Hub Launch Group was launched last November in response to a paper written by Richard Hooper called ‘Copyright Works’, which was in turn a response to Ian Hargreaves’ 2011 government-instigated review of the British copyright system. Hargreaves proposed some kind of ‘digital copyright exchange’ to simplify the licensing process for licensees, and Hooper’s report considered in more detail how that might work.

In reality the Copyright Hub will mainly be an online information resource, helping those looking to licence content of any kind to identify what copyrights are involved, who might own them, what kind of licenses are available, and whether any given use will be licensed directly by rights owner or via a collective licensing organisation like PRS or PPL.

The ultimate wish is that that resource could also bring together the various global copyright databases different content industries have or are developing, which make it easier to identify rights owners, ultimately creating a uber-database of copyright. Which is sort of a poor man’s copyright registry when you think about it, but while most people in the rights industries support a Hub, few seem keen to debate the pros and cons of full-on copyright registration.

Phase one of the Hub programme is less ambitious than all that though, basically getting an initial website online, which is what much of the £150,000 will be spent on (given it’s a government-funded website, that’ll probably get us a WordPress site with a sign-up form, but in theory that should be enough to get a decent basic information resource built).

Confirming the investment, the UK’s IP Minister James Younger told CMU: “The Copyright Hub will simplify copyright licensing for consumers and I am delighted to announce this funding to enable industry to begin their work. Databases of copyright works such as those held by collecting societies and publishers already exist. However, government has listened to concerns that consumers are unsure who they should go to if they are looking for information about obtaining a licence, particularly if multiple rights are involved”.

He added: “The funding announced today will help industry to start building the Hub website sooner and engage with schools and Further Education colleges to help streamline educational licensing. Above all, it chimes with the government’s aim to provide a further portal to assist businesses to grow faster and to boost our creative industries”.

Richard Hooper, who is still involved in the venture as Director of Copyright Hub Ltd, added: “The Copyright Hub, linking to a wide array of databases and digital copyright exchanges, has the clear aim of helping consumers, rights users and small businesses find their way through the complexity of copyright and thus allow them to license copyrighted works much more easily and at a lower transaction cost. The Copyright Hub until today has been just an idea. Today it begins to become an exciting reality. We are especially grateful for the speed with which the Department of Business and Intellectual Property Office provided some start-up funding thus giving a real boost to this whole idea that emanated from the Hargreaves Review”.

From the music side, UK Music boss Jo Dipple told CMU: “The copyright hub is very welcome and it is something the music industry has enthusiastically embraced as we try to push for further growth in the global digital marketplace. With this new funding the project has been given a real kickstart and it also demonstrates a further, very welcome commitment from the government, whose continued support – in partnership with our industry – is needed to underpin the Hub’s success”.

Meanwhile Peter Leathem, CEO of the record industry’s collecting society PPL, added: “We are delighted to be involved in the Copyright Hub. PPL’s collective licensing of recorded music and videos is itself an example of existing work by rights holders to aggregate copyright on behalf of 60,000 record companies and performers, manage data and simplify licensing. The Copyright Hub will build on such structures and databases across the creative sector, becoming a valuable tool to further assist copyright users in obtaining licences and finding out more about copyright and licensing. This will hopefully contribute to the further growth of a creative sector that is already culturally and economically crucial for the UK”.

Alleged Joss Stone attacker denies knowledge of singer prior to arrest

Legal

Junior Bradshaw, one of the two men accused of plotting to kidnap and murder Joss Stone, yesterday told Exeter Crown Court that he had never even heard of the singer before he and Kevin Liverpool were arrested in June 2011.

He claimed that, as far as he had been aware, on the day they were arrested he and Liverpool were “just going on a day out”. However, he said he couldn’t remember what they planned to do when they got to wherever he thought they were going.

As previously reported, Liverpool and Bradshaw, having travelled from Manchester to Devon, were stopped by police when local residents reported the two men acting suspiciously. When searched, their car was found to contain various weapons and notes sketching out a plan to murder and decapitate singer Stone at her nearby home.

The two men deny charges of conspiracy to murder, rob and cause grievous bodily harm. The case continues.

Will Cowell have to testify in Cole’s X-USA litigation?

Business News Legal Media

Simon Cowell could be forced to testify in a legal battle between Cheryl Cole and US TV production company Blue Orbit over the Girl Aloud’s short-lived involvement in the American version of ‘X-Factor’.

As previously reported, in 2011 Cole followed Simon Cowell from the UK version of ‘X’ to sit on the judging panel of the American version of the talent franchise, but was axed before ‘X USA’ had even begun airing, reportedly because US producers had concerns about the Geordie’s accent.

Late last year it emerged that Cole was suing Blue Orbit, the main production company behind the US version of the Syco-owned franchise, claiming that she was owed $2.3 million relating to her short time working on the show.

Much of the owed money seemingly stems from an alleged contractual promise to pay Cole a $2 million fee for the second series of the ‘X-USA’ show even if she didn’t appear on it. Blue Orbit seemingly reckons that doesn’t apply because the singer didn’t even appear on the first series of the programme. Some unpaid expenses are also included in the lawsuit.

It remains to be seen if the case actually comes to court. You’d expect a last minute settlement here, though both sides currently seem adamant that their interpretation of the agreement between the TV company and Cole is the correct one.

And, says Metro, if the case does go to court, ‘X’ chief Cowell is at the top of Blue Orbit’s list of witness to testify against Cole. Which would probably be a damn site more interesting than any of the Syco chief’s TV shows.

S Club 7 talking again, “all in the same headspace”

Artist News

Rachel Stevens says S Club 7 have been talking a lot of late, and are each in the “same head space” regarding a potential reunion, so that’s nice.

Says Stevens of the septet, who disbanded in 2003 – but still lives on in Jo O’Meara, Paul Cattermole and Bradley McIntosh’s ‘S Club 3’ act – “[we] met up not long ago and we talked about it and we still are talking about it”.

She adds, in a convo with The Daily Star: “We are all in the same head space, talking about how special it was and we do all want to celebrate what we had. So it’s definitely a possibility”.

Flying Lotus hangs with Herbie Hancock

Artist News

As evidenced in this Vine vid, Flying Lotus has been in the studio with a new pal, jazz man Herbie Hancock. And an old pal, past collaborator Thundercat, which isn’t quite as surprising… but still, they were all three there.

More info on the FlyLo/HerbHan connection as and when it arises.

Daft Punk detail new LP, at last

Releases

After the fairly non-edifying revelation that Daft Punk’s new LP does, in fact, feature thirteen tracks, we at last have info of greater value on said LP; specifically its title and release date.

‘Random Access Memories’ is the title, and the release date is 20 May. Oh and while we’re at it, click over to this fancy new Daft Punk site, as features cover art and a partial play of a new track.

Michael Bublé compiles “yummy” new LP

Releases

Swing king Michael Bublé says he’s releasing his sixth studio LP, ‘To Be Loved’, on 15 Apr. He says it is “about love, happiness, fun and yummy things” none of which I can find it in my heart to oppose in any way.

Bublé will promote the Reese Withersoon-featuring record (she guests, Nicole Kidman-style, on a cover of Frank and Nancy Sinatra’s ‘Something Stupid’) in June via six shows at the O2 Arena. It’s first single ‘It’s A Beautiful Day’ precedes all that on 7 Apr, and goes like this:

Mount Kimbie announce new album

Releases

So, Mount Kimbie – aka Dominic Maker and Kai Campos – have made an LP title from what looks like five miscellaneous words, and that title is ‘Cold Spring Fault Less Youth’.

Due to be released via Warp on 27 May, it features zero guest artists other than the CMU Approved King Krule, who appears on two tracks.

This is its tracklisting, followed by new track ‘Made To Stray’, which is also available for free download via this link.

Home Recording
You Took Your Time (feat King Krule)
Break Well
Blood And Form
Made To Stray
So Many Times, So Many Ways
Lie Near
Meter, Pale, Tone (feat King Krule)
Slow
Sullen Ground
Fall Out

Meek Mill releasing Gangland tome

Artist News

Rapper Meek Mill has ‘written’ (perhaps via ghostwriter, who knows?) a book titled ‘Tony Story’, that’ll be available on May Day. Though he’ll be back at his day job five days hence – that is to say, 6 May – when his new mixtape, ‘Dreamchasers 3’ is released.

Meanwhile the official synopsis to ‘Tony Story’, a fictional narrative of gang life in Mill’s native Philadelphia, reads like this: “After a deadly shooting, the streets of Philly were in an uproar and the lives of many people revolved around revenge. Trust was not an option and revenge was the only thing anyone had in common. It became bigger than the almighty dollar and no one was safe. Philly won’t be the same after you’re a witness to ‘Tony Story'”.

So, if you want Philly to stay the same, don’t look.

Festival line-up update: Download, Hop Farm, Outlook and more

Artist News Festival Line-Up Update Gigs & Festivals

So, the big-name festival shoving all other festivals aside in the FLUU stakes today is Vince Power’s back-from-the-brink Hop Farm extravaganza, whose initial billing features My Bloody Valentine, ‘Sugar Man’ Rodriguez, The Horrors, Martha Wainwright, The Cribs, First Aid Kit and many, many others besides.

Trailing in its wake, but only slightly, is this year’s Download and another late addition to its artist cache. Black Stone Cherry, Satyricon, CTHONIC And The Oriental Orchestra and Rival Sons join headlining titans Slipknot, Iron Maiden and Rammstein.

And with that, it’s straight on to extra add-ons at the above festivals, and the following:

DOWNLOAD, Donington Park, Leicestershire, 14-16 Jun: Black Stone Cherry, CTHONIC And The Oriental Orchestra, Satryicon, DragonForce, Ghost, Masters Of Reality, Red White & Blues, Fearless Vampire Killers, Palm Reader, Rival Sons, Little Caesar, Krokodil, Patent Pending, Idiom, Voodoo Six, Hammer Of The Gods. www.downloadfestival.co.uk

HOP FARM MUSIC FESTIVAL, Paddock Wood, Kent, 5-6 Jul: My Bloody Valentine, Rodriguez, The Horrors, Jimmy Cliff, The Cribs, First Aid Kit, Dinosaur Jr, Presidents Of The United States Of America, Martha Wainwright, Edwyn Collins, The Staves, Little Comets, The Black Angels, Dry The River, Friends, Veronica Falls, Toy, Gaz Coombes, Tall Ships, Marcus Foster, Theme Park, Jack Savoretti, Cass McCombs, Sean Rowe, Wolf People, We Were Evergreen, Public Service Broadcasting, Temples, The Sheepdogs, Post War Years, Jesca Hoop, Concrete Knives, Luke Sital Singh, Ben Caplan, Sweet Baboo, Drenge, Teleman, Sinkane, PAWS, J Roddy Walston & The Business, Pale Seas, Syd Arthur, Washington Irving, Shields, Trevor Moss & Hannah-Lou, The History Of Apple Pie, Acollective, Jess Roberts & the Silver Rays, Pyramids, Ligers, Alba Lua, Sally Archer. hopfarmfestival.com

LIVE AT LEEDS, various venues, Leeds, 3-6 May: The Strypes, Likely Lads, Swiss Lips, London Grammar, Ruen Brothers, Misty Moller, Duologue, Kimberley Anne, Black Moth, Wet Nuns. www.liveatleeds.com

LIVERPOOL PSYCH FEST, Camp & Furnace, Liverpool, 27-28 Sep: Fuzz, Clinic, Psychic Ills, he Holydrug Couple, The Limiñanas, Jacco Gardner, Carlton Melton, The Wands, Plankton Wat, Maston, The Paperhead, Mmoss, Klaus Johann Grobe, The Resonars, Alfa 9. www.liverpoolpsychfest.com

OUTLOOK FESTIVAL, Fort Punta, Pula, Coratia, 29 Aug – 2 Sep: 207, Aaron Lipsett, Acre, Andreya Triana, Anthony B, Applebottom, Artful Dodger, Artwork, AZ & Tor, Barely Legal, Benton, Blackboard Jungle, Bonobo, Breezak, Charlie P, Charlie Snacks, Chronik, Chungo-Bungo, Citizen, Cracker Jon, Darksky, Darq E Freaker, Defenders of Style, Digital, Digitron, Discarda, Dismantle, DJ Madd, DjRUM, Dr Syntax, Dubble, Dusky, Edo Maajka, Egoless, Eton Messy DJs, Evian Christ, Filip Motovunski, Finwa, Firehouse Sound, fLako, Flow Dan, Frankie Stew, Gentleman’s Dub Club, Get Low Cartel, Goth-Trad, Happa, Harvey Gunn, Hatcha, Indigo, Ivy Lab, Jacksun, Jives, Jman, Kandžija, Kenny Knots, Kutmah, L Jay, Livin Proof, London Zoo aka LDZ, Lunar C, Madam X, Maison Sky, Mark XTC, MC Fokus, Mos Def, Mr Garrud, Nymfo, Om Unit, Papa J, Poetic Death, Problem Child, Quest, Rag’n’Bone Man, Rahmanee, Rattus Rattus, Riddim Tuffa, Romare, Ruckspin, Rude Kid, Rustie, S-X, Sabre, Seb Wildblood, Sheco, Shift K3y, Silkie, Sonny Jim, Sparkz, Split Prophets, Stig of the Dump, Stray, Submotion Orchestra, Swindle, T-Man, The Purist, Too Late, Tudor Lion, Tunnidge, Visionobi, Walter Ego, Wayfarer, XXTRAKT, Young Warrior. www.outlookfestival.com

SUMMER SATURNALIA, Funkirk Estate, Skipton, Yorkshire, 19-21 Jul: Akkord, Chris Finke, Pinch, Elijah & Skilliam, Deathmachine, Dub Mechz, Gantz, Compa, Jay Clarke, Facta, Viers, Northern Lights, Spin Doctor & Mo Fingaz, Phatworld, Formless. www.summersaturnalia.com

Universal partners with Bang & Olufsen

Brands & Merch Deals Labels & Publishers

Following the announcement last week that indie band Mew had done a deal with Bang & Olufen’s B&O Play brand, mega-major Universal has now announced a similar partnership. The first project under the deal will be between the audio company and UMG’s Deutsche Grammophon classical label at an event at Fabric in London on 8 Apr.

Bang & Olufsen CEO Tue Mantoni told CMU: “We are extremely proud to join forces with Universal Music, and to make common cause for excellent sound with a global leader in recorded music. Universal Music works with some of the greatest artists and labels of all time, and they share our mission of bringing people musical experiences that are as close to the original as possible”.

Meanwhile Universal Music Group International CEO Max Hole added: “We’re very pleased to be teaming up with Bang & Olufsen. Our artists are driven by excellence in creating their music while Bang & Olufsen stand for excellence in listening to and enjoying music; we’re very excited about what we can achieve by working together”.

More information here.

[PIAS]’s Co-op acquisition approved

Business News Deals EMI Sale Timeline Labels & Publishers

Cooperative Music

European regulators have approved the acquisition of the Co-operative Music distribution and marketing business by rivals [PIAS], according to Music Week.

Co-operative Music was originally the label services business of the V2 label that was, and became part of Universal Music when the major acquired the V2 Europe business in 2007. Universal then committed to sell Co-operative Music as part of its agreement with the EC competition regulator to get the green light for its acquisition of the EMI record company.

[PIAS] was expected to bid for Co-operative Music as soon as Universal’s EMI deal and resulting remedies were confirmed, though it was one of the last of the post-EMI sell-offs to be confirmed last month. All of Universal’s EMI divestments, including the sale of the Parlophone Label Group to Warner, require EC approval.

The [PIAS]/Co-op deal is thought to be worth £500,000, and also gives the independent music firm ownership of what remains of the old V2 label (which isn’t much).

Investment firm acquires Concord Music Group

Business News Deals Labels & Publishers

US-based independent Concord Music Group has new owners in the form of Wood Creek Capital Management.

Concord confirmed it was looking for a buyer late last year, seemingly after existing owner Village Roadshow Entertainment Group agreed with the music company’s management team that a change of ownership was desirable to enable the label’s expansion ambitions, something Village Roadshow wasn’t in a position to fund.

Despite rumours that Simon Fuller might bid for Concord (and merge it with former EMI division Parlophone, which at the time he was also bidding for, ultimately unsuccessfully), it always seemed more likely that a less dramatic private equity deal would be the outcome, not least because the sale was led by the label’s existing management team who planned to stay in place after any deal.

According to a statement, Wood Creek has led the acquisition in part at the instruction of an investor group that includes some members of Concord’s management team. The firm’s President and CEO, Glen Barros, will continue to lead the company, while current Chairman, Norman Lear, will retain an advisory role as Chairman Emeritus.

Confirming the acquisition, Barros told CMU: “While I’m extremely proud of what Concord has accomplished to date, there’s such an incredibly bright future ahead of us. It was vitally important, therefore, that we find the right investors with whom to continue this exciting journey. And I know that we’ve found the right people with Wood Creek. It’s clear to me that we have compatible values and goals. We also have the human and financial resources necessary to excel and we share a deep commitment to making a great contribution to the future of music”.

BMG announces Big Deal alliance

Business News Deals Labels & Publishers

BMG has announced a big (I’m guessing) deal with new US-based independent music publisher Big Deal Music, the new business of industry veterans Kenny MacPherson, Dave Ayers, Jamie Cerreta, Michael McDonald and Pete Robinson, at least three of whom previously worked for the Chrysalis music publishing company, which is, of course, now part of the BMG empire.

BMG will provide “state-of-the-art administration and pro-active exploitation services” for the new publishing independent in North America and various European markets, with the possibility of jointly signing talent down the line too.

Confirming the deal, MacPherson told CMU: “We’re all very happy to be in business with BMG. Several of us have a long history with Chrysalis Music so there’s a comfort level here knowing we’ll be working alongside many of our friends. We look forward to growing our business along with them”.

Meanwhile BMG big cheese Hartwig Masuch said: “I am absolutely excited to be working closely with Kenny again, one of the most credible people in the music industry and somebody I’ve known since our days at Warner/Chappell in the late 80s”.

Meanwhile Laurent Hubert, President Creative & Marketing at BMG Chrysalis US, added: “Kenny, Dave and Jamie at Big Deal are proven A&R aces. We are thrilled to pair our creative visions and administer a company focused on maximising opportunities for exceptional songwriters”.

Amongst the acts already signed to Big Deal are My Morning Jacket, Jim James, The Black Angels, Ethan Johns, Missy Higgins, FIDLAR, The Walkmen and Korey Dane.

Spotify launches TV ad campaign, denies imminent TV-on-demand plans

Digital

While the original dotcom era delivered plenty of expensive-looking and totally undecipherable TV ad campaigns by those early web-based businesses, who usually dabbled in television advertising in the week between securing their first $100 million in investment and going bankrupt, the consensus in the digital domain ever since has often been that the most successful companies build audience in more organic and ‘social’ ways, and without costly above-the-line activity.

But then, sometimes, digital firms find themselves in increasingly competitive marketplaces with a niche product that shareholders insist must go mainstream pronto, and the old fashioned ‘throw a few million at telly advertising’ option starts to look attractive again. And, lo and behold, Spotify launched a seemingly US-focused TV advertising campaign yesterday, with a spot appearing during the American version of talent-show mediocrity ‘The Voice’. Additional spots on the NBC and MTV channels are expected in the coming weeks.

The three ads that will appear as part of the campaign have concurrently emerged online. Promoting music as much as Spotify itself, with slow-mo imagery, ambient sounds and dry male voiceovers (whatever happened to that lovely “Roberta from Spotify”?), the promos do sort of make it look like the streaming service’s users are primarily self-absorbed pretentious wankers. But hey, these ads are primarily aimed at Americans, and they are a crazy, crazy people. Perhaps the crowd surfing tool, partying frat boys and sad old bus wanker will appeal to that lot.

The Spotify ad campaign, thought to be costing in the region of $10 million, launched alongside a fresh round of rumours that the Swedish streaming service had ambitions to be the television as well as be on it, ie that a TV or film-on-demand spin-off set up is in the works. These rumours have done the rounds before of course, and are partly fuelled by the assumption by some experts that only combined movie-music-telly streaming services have truly mainstream potential.

It still seems more likely that would come about through the acquisition of a Spotify by a Netflix, rather than the expansion of a Spotify to compete with a Netflix, but who knows? Though Spotify boss Daniel Ek issued a “never say never, but not now” response to the latest rumours yesterday, telling C-Net: “I won’t rule it out because we’re a company that looks at what we’re doing incredibly long term. But right now, we’re all focused on music”.

So there you have it. And here are the Spotify ads…

NME Radio closes

Media

NME

NME Radio has shut down again after another franchisee decided that it couldn’t make a radio spin-off of the music magazine work. Unlike the radio station equivalents of Bauer-owned magazines, which are run by Bauer’s own radio business, the NME radio service has always been run by a third party which licenses use of the name off publisher IPC.

The station was originally set up by DX Media, led by original Xfm founder Sammy Jacob, in 2008. Although a third party operator, it worked closely with the magazine’s editorial team, with a base at IPC’s London HQ. But two years later DX Media stepped away from the venture, saying it just wasn’t commercially viable.

Welsh radio company Town & Country Broadcasting launched a revamped NME Radio in 2010, and continued to operate it until yesterday lunchtime, though by the end much of the service was back-to-back music with an evening show hosted by Michelle Owen.

It was she who confirmed the station was off the air by tweeting: “To those asking, it’s with sadness I inform you NME Radio is no longer on air”, adding “A massive thanks to the bands and artists who did sessions and chatted, thanks to you for listening to new and real music. [I’m] still on air every day on Nation Radio, weekdays on Bridge FM and Sundays on Q!”

The MD of Town & Country subsequently confirmed that his company had handed back both NME Radio’s OfCom licence and its licence from IPC to operate a service under the music mag’s brand, telling Radio Today: “NME Radio isn’t part of Town and Country’s core media business in Wales and we’ve decided to concentrate in expanding Nation Radio (which is now testing on DAB in Wrexham and Chester) and launching DAB transmissions in Mid and West Wales later during 2013”.

NME Radio was available via various digital platforms over the years as well as online, though the nmeradio.com domain as of today is linking straight through to NME.com.

Wednesday 27 March 2013, 11:32 | By Aly Barchi

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Wednesday 27 March 2013, 11:27 | By Aly Barchi

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Wednesday 27 March 2013, 11:26 | By Chris Cooke

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Wednesday 27 March 2013, 11:24 | By Chris Cooke

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Wednesday 27 March 2013, 11:23 | By Chris Cooke

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Tuesday 26 March 2013, 12:25 | By Andy Malt

READ MORE ABOUT: Susanne Sundfør

Tuesday 26 March 2013, 12:13 | By Andy Malt

One of CMU’s Artists Of The Year in 2012, Susanne Sundfør released her debut UK album, ‘The Silicone Veil’, through Sonnet Sound last October.

READ MORE ABOUT: Susanne Sundfør

Tuesday 26 March 2013, 12:12 | By Aly Barchi

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Tuesday 26 March 2013, 12:10 | By Andy Malt

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Tuesday 26 March 2013, 12:07 | By Aly Barchi

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Tuesday 26 March 2013, 12:01 | By Andy Malt

READ MORE ABOUT: Bang & Olufsen | Deutsche Grammophon | Universal Music

Tuesday 26 March 2013, 12:00 | By Chris Cooke

READ MORE ABOUT: Co-operative Music | [PIAS]

Tuesday 26 March 2013, 11:59 | By Chris Cooke

READ MORE ABOUT: Concord Music | Village Roadshow | Wood Creek Capital Management

Tuesday 26 March 2013, 11:58 | By Chris Cooke

READ MORE ABOUT: Big Deal Music | BMG

Tuesday 26 March 2013, 11:57 | By Chris Cooke

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Tuesday 26 March 2013, 11:56 | By Chris Cooke

READ MORE ABOUT: DX Media | IPC Media | Michelle Owen | NME | NME Radio | Town & Country Broadcasting