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Tuesday 28 January 2014, 11:54 | By Aly Barchi
Fat White Family sell merch to finance trip to the States
Artist News Management & Funding
CMU Artists Of The Year 2013 Fat White Family have appealed to fans to pretty please finance a trip they’d quite like to take to America, if at all feasible, to play a string of live dates and appear at this year’s SXSW.
Petitioning for funds via PledgeMusic, on the grounds that “due to our fiercely independent nature (and total absence of record company support)” – hmmm – they need the money in order to tour, the band’s Lias Saudi writes: “We are turning to you, sisters and brothers, to fund our venture; don’t let those yanks go away thinking that all this country produces is middle of the road, safe as houses homogenised industry crap”.
And: “There is no low to which we shall not comfortably stoop; the future of bad taste is in your hands, don’t let it slide through your fingers and mucky your shoes”.
Amongst those “lows”, Fat Whites are offering signed and limited edition merch, song and cover commissions, one-to-one workshops, private shows, and an erm… ‘special massage’.
Details are here.
READ MORE ABOUT: Fat White Family
Tuesday 28 January 2014, 11:53 | By Aly Barchi
Release round-up: Kylie Minogue, Afghan Whigs, Barbra Streisand, Swans, Lana Del Rey and Todd Terje
Artist News Release Round-Up Releases
Rounding up the latest release news…
Kylie‘s back! OK, you already knew that, but it’s still exciting, right? She’s going to release a new album called ‘Kiss Me Once’ on 17 Mar, through Warner Music (having moved over to the smallest major with its purchase of the Parlophone Label Group). It’s now been announced that the first single from the album, ‘Into The Blue’, will come out a week earlier than previously planned, on 9 Mar.
Says Kylie: “Making this album was quite a journey but I loved it! It was through a time in my life where there were a lot of changes and new beginnings. I’m thrilled with the response to ‘Into The Blue’, and I can’t wait for you to hear the rest of the record!” This here is the single’s lyric video:
Meanwhile, having ‘become one’ in 1986, only to split in 2001, only to reverse the split eleven years later by getting back together again, The Afghan Whigs have pinned details on their first LP since 1998’s ‘1965’. Whilst the band released the latter via Sony’s Columbia Records, they have this year re-signed to their long-time former label Sub Pop, with whom they released 1990’s Up In It’ and a string of EPs/vinyl in the early-mid nineties. Anyway. The new LP is titled ‘Do To The Beast’, and will be available on 14 Apr.
A new duets LP by Barbra Streisand and guests looms, as let slip by its super-producer, a Walter Afanasieff, on his site. In a post he wasn’t supposed to post (and thus one that was taken off the site rather quickly) Afanasieff named Beyonce, Stevie Wonder, Lady Gaga, Bette Midler and Michael Buble amongst Babz’ singing partners, though he later added, with his apologies, that the cast-list had not been “finalised” and was still “in the making”.
In more concrete new-LP-news, prog oracles Swans (pictured) have allowed info on their new LP, ‘To Be Kind’, to filter online. Released via Mute, with whom Swans have just signed, on 13 May, it features St Vincent, Cold Specks, Little Annie, and was mastered by Swans’ own Michael Gira in Texas. With a running time of over two hours, it’ll be in stock digitally, on triple-disc vinyl, as a deluxe and/or non deluxe double CD, and, possibly, muses Gira, as a USB stick, “so that this ultimate, high quality version can be listened to from beginning to end, without interruption”.
Moving on to the next bit of this bulletin, without interruption, sweet baby Lana (Del Rey) has released a slightly nightmarish twist on ‘Once Upon A Dream’, to be used on the soundtrack of Disney’s weird new ‘Sleeping Beauty’ remake ‘Maleficent’. Hear it via the film’s trailer here, (warning: Angelina’s sharp cheekbones), and get it free here at Google Play’s pleasure.
And last of all, it’s album time. Norway’s most high disco-pop DJ, Todd Terje, has given his first LP a name, and it’s ‘It’s Album Time’. Which isn’t the greatest title ever invented, but, what can you do. Carrying Terje’s past hit-tracks ‘Stranbar’ and ‘Inspector Norse’, it’ll be released via Olsen Records on 7 Apr. Hear Terje’s recent single ‘Spiral’, which will be on the LP, here:
READ MORE ABOUT: Barbra Streisand | Kylie Minogue | Swans | The Afghan Whigs
Tuesday 28 January 2014, 11:52 | By Aly Barchi
Arctic Monkeys list Marlay Park date
Artist News Gigs & Festivals Releases
The Arctic Monkeys have gratified Irish fans by listing a big show at Marlay Park, in Dublin that is, on 12 Jul.
It’s similar to the band’s appearances at London’s Finsbury Park on 23 and 24 May in that it’ll feature ancillary sets by Jake Bugg, Miles Kanye, Royal Blood and Tame Impala, and because it’s open air, so… yay for that. And for the weather!
And yay again for the Arctics’ latest ‘AM’ single, ‘Arabella’, which will be released on 10 Mar. Stream it here:
READ MORE ABOUT: Arctic Monkeys
Tuesday 28 January 2014, 11:51 | By Aly Barchi
Steve Mason, King Creosote to support Gastonbury fundraiser
Artist News Gigs & Festivals
Steve Mason, King Creosote, James Yorkston and Ross Fairweather will all play, live and unplugged, at a ‘Gastonbury’ gala/gig at the North Star Bar in Falkirk on 27 Feb.
Acting on behalf of the Concerned Communities Of Falkirk group, the show’s organisers De-Fence Records will give all profits to pay for legal representation in a forthcoming public inquiry into a local planning application to drill for coal bed methane gas on farmland and residential sites in the area.
Writing via Facebook, Steve Mason says: “This will be the test case for the whole rest of the UK. It’s very important. Have a read all about it, and come down for some music”.
Bid for tickets to the show in this silent auction.
READ MORE ABOUT: De-Fence Records | James Yorkston | King Creosote | Ross Fairweather | Steve Mason
Tuesday 28 January 2014, 11:50 | By Aly Barchi
Bring Me The Horizon add Wembley Arena date
Artist News Gigs & Festivals
Hardcore rock populists Bring Me The Horizon have announced what’s to be the largest show they’ve ever played.
A congratulatory badge of honour stuck to the band’s last LP, ‘Sempiturnal’, it’s at Wembley Arena on 5 Dec.
You’re welcome.
READ MORE ABOUT: Bring Me The Horizon
Tuesday 28 January 2014, 11:49 | By Aly Barchi
Festival line-up update: Wireless, Bestival, Liverpool Sound City and more
Artist News Festival Line-Up Update Gigs & Festivals
First thing’s first, Outkast. And it’s a double bookings whammy from Big Boi and Andre 3000, who may or not be releasing a collaborative LP soon (NB: Big Boi has a solo one coming out, for sure), who’ve signed on, weirdly, to play ‘special guest’ to Bruno Mars at the tenth ever Wireless fest and then, less weirdly, to headline Bestival.
LDN and Birmingham-based weekender Wireless, the capital edition of which transfers this year to Finsbury Park, will star both Mars and Outkast, plus additional high-wattage acts in Kanye West, Drake, Pharrell Williams and the like.
Meanwhile Rob Da Bank, boss at Bestival, which this year will fly a Desert Island Disco-themed mainsail, has a statement to make on the event’s best (and only) listed act so far: “Hey ya! By the power invested in me as chief Bestival booker, I’m pretty darn excited to announce that OutKast are headlining Bestival this year! We’ve fought hard to get the recently reunited legendary hip-hop duo onto the ferry… and it’s no ordinary ferry this year as Bestival goes Desert Island Disco for 2014… Palm trees, grass skirts and mirrorballs are the order of the day. It truly is gonna be the Bestival yet!”
Whilst that remains to be seen (not that it’s unlikely or anything), let’s skim ever on to recent goings-on at Liverpool Sound City. The Merseyside ‘beast of a festival’/convention has ticked off the likes of Clean Bandit, Fuck Buttons, Clean Bandit, Gruff Rhys and Jungle amid its initial list of on-site acts for 2014, who’ll play all over the place, in a variety of bars and halls and that, from 1-3 May.
And hey, entry to this year’s Exit fest in Serbia just got a whole lot more covetable, with the news that Skrillex and Rudimental will be ‘in the house’, further and fleshier news on which you’ll find below – alongside bill updates via civilised Richmond picnic Kew The Music, rock lockdown Download and indie-ish one-day bash Stockton Calling…
BESTIVAL, Robin Hill Country Park, Isle Of Wight, 4-7 Sep: Outkast. www.bestival.net
DOWNLOAD, Donington Park, Derbyshire, 13-15 Jun: Killswitch Engage, American Headcharge, Anathema, The Charm, The Fury, Coldrain, Crazytown, Emmure, Heart In Hand, Joe Bonamassa, Kill Devil Hill, King 810, Lyger, Malevolence, New Politics, Polar, Quicksand, Sabaton, Seether, September Mourning, Skindred, The Pretty Reckless, Upon A Burning Body, The Used. www.downloadfestival.co.uk
EXIT, Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia, 10-13 Jul: Skrillex, Rudimental, Dub FX, Koven. www.exitfest.org/en
FIELD DAY, Victoria Park, London, 7-8 Jun: Drenge. www.fielddayfestivals.com
KEW THE MUSIC, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, 16-20 Jul: Simple Minds, Elvis Costello, Bjorn Again, Jools Holland And His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra. www.kew.org/kew-the-music/
LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY, various venues, Liverpool, 1-3 May: Kodaline, Gruff Rhys, Fuck Buttons, Clean Bandit, Jungle, Wolf Alice, Darlia, Circa Waves, Thumpers, Big Ups, Courtney Barnett, Girls Names, Loom, LSA, We The Wild, Fair Ohs, We Were Evergreen, Marika Hackman, Traams, Sons And Lovers, Dolomite Minor, The Minutes, Blaenavon, Lola Colt. www.liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk
STOCKTON CALLING, various venues, Stockton-on-Tees, 19 Apr: Superfood, Lola Colt, Young Rebel Set. www.stocktoncalling.co.uk
WIRELESS, Finsbury Park, London, 4-6 Jul: Kanye West, Drake, Bruno Mars, Outkast, Pharrell Williams, Rudimental, Ellie Goulding, Basement Jaxx, Iggy Azalea, Wiz Khalifa, Azealia Banks, Pretty Lights, Chance the Rapper, Earl Sweatshirt, John Newman, Clean Bandit, Salt N Pepa, Neon Jungle, A$AP Ferg, Ella Eyre. www.wirelessfestival.co.uk
READ MORE ABOUT: Bestival | Download Festival | Exit Festival | Field Day | Kew The Music | Liverpool Sound City | Stockton Calling | Wireless Festival
Tuesday 28 January 2014, 11:48 | By Andy Malt
GIT Award announces new Ones To Watch prize
Artist News Awards
Liverpool’s GIT Award, which annually selects the best release by a Merseyside artist, has announced a new Ones To Watch prize for 2014.
The new award will recognise a new artist who shows potential for future success, giving them free studio time at Parr Street Studios, mentoring from Merseyside Arts Foundation, and a slot on the line-up for the Liverpool International Music Festival.
Peter Shilton (not that one) from Merseyside Arts Foundation told CMU: “We are delighted to support the GIT Award’s 2014 One To Watch prize. As part of our current music development programme we are working with twelve of Merseyside’s best young bands and solo artists with the support of Youth Music, the leading UK charity for providing young people with life changing opportunities in music”.
The winner will be announced alongside the main GIT Award recipient on 11 Apr at the Kazimier venue in Liverpool. The 31 Jan deadline for entries for the main prize is looming, so any artists thinking of entering should send four tracks to [email protected] pretty much right now.
READ MORE ABOUT: GIT Award
Tuesday 28 January 2014, 11:47 | By Chris Cooke
Arctic Monkeys win music prize at South Bank Awards
Artist News Awards
Melvin Bragg’s Sky Arts South Bank Awards show took place yesterday and hurrah, hurrah, the marvellous Bridget Christie took the Best Comedy prize for her show ‘A Bic for Her’. Which is slightly outside our remit I know, but do check out our sister magazine ThreeWeeks’ interview with her at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe.
Meanwhile, we ought to mention that Arctic Monkeys triumphed in the pop music slot, with the judges selecting the band’s 2013 album ‘AM’ over David Bowie’s ‘The Next Day’ and Disclosure’s ‘Settle’ as the best recording of the last twelve months. So that’s all groovy.
Here’s the Bragg man saying some things before the list of winners from this year’s edition of the cross-genre awards event: “The shortlist demonstrated an extraordinary breadth and range of artistic disciplines and the richly-deserving winners all examples of the most exciting and unique talents at work in the UK today. I am delighted to be able to honour and celebrate them as they deserve”.
Comedy: Bridget Christie – A Bic for Her
Theatre: Let The Right One In, National Theatre of Scotland
Visual Art: Katie Paterson, Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge and Tipping Point, Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Breakthrough Award: Nick Helm
Film: The Selfish Giant
Opera: Written on Skin, Royal Opera House
Pop Music: Arctic Monkeys – AM
Dance: Dracula, Mark Bruce Company
Classical: The Rest Is Noise, Various Artists, Southbank Centre
TV Drama: Broadchurch, ITV
Literature: Life After Life, Kate Atkinson
The Outstanding Achievement Award: Tracey Emin
READ MORE ABOUT: Arctic Monkeys | Melvin Bragg | South Bank Awards
Tuesday 28 January 2014, 11:46 | By Chris Cooke
Madonna dons her grill just to piss you off – yes, you
And Finally Artist News
Madonna likes donning some teeth bling because it pisses everyone off, apparently. Or at least that’s what she told Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet at this weekend’s Grammys.
Ask about the ‘golden grills’ she was wearing at the time, Madonna told Seacrest: “Yeah, I’m grillin. It pisses everybody off when I wear my grill, so that’s why I wear it. I wear it when I don’t have to eat. Actually, I’ve learned to eat with my grill in”.
Well, that’s good to know. The singer’s adopted son David, who joined Madonna on the red carpet, added: “She said she’d get me a grill for this birthday”, to which her Madge-ness responded: “We haven’t had the time, you’d have to go to the dentist and get moulds”.
And who said red carpet interviews had to be tediously mundane?
READ MORE ABOUT: Madonna
Monday 27 January 2014, 12:12 | By Aly Barchi
Approved: Yumi Zouma
CMU Approved
New Zealand three-piece Yumi Zouma’s titular first EP will be lifted from London/NYC-based label Cascine, a virtual silver mine of iridescent synth trinkets, on 11 Feb.
Steered in gently last year by its light kiss-off of a lead single ‘A Long Walk Home For Parted Lovers’, the four-track ‘Yumi Zouma’ now has the blog zone all aquiver again thanks to another two songs, too-cute ‘The Brae’ and shady disco sashay ‘Sålka Gets Her Hopes Up’.
Sway and smile sleepily in time to them here:
READ MORE ABOUT: Yumi Zouma
Monday 27 January 2014, 12:11 | By Chris Cooke
SoundCloud confirms $60 million in new investment, so where next?
Business News Digital Management & Funding Top Stories
Audio-sharing platform SoundCloud confirmed last week that it had raised further investment from the likes of Institutional Venture Partners and the Chernin Group.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the digital firm secured $60 million in the latest round of financing, which was actually completed late last year, valuing the company at around $700 million. A spokesman for the business told the Journal that the new loot would “allow SoundCloud to grow more rapidly in product, personnel and expansion in mobile efforts”.
SoundCloud has at times positioned itself as the “YouTube of audio”, and that line seems to have appealed to IVP. The investment firm’s Somesh Dash and Dennis Phelps wrote in a blog post last week: “Our core investment thesis for SoundCloud is centered around our belief that [it] will become the dominant online digital delivery platform for audio in much the same way that YouTube has become the dominant online platform for video”.
But, of course, to date, while SoundCloud has operated akin to YouTube in providing tools via which rights owners can distribute their content for free, it hasn’t taken the next step in helping content firms monetise their output. Its business model is based on upselling premium services to the content owners (more capacity and analytics), rather than selling advertising (or even subscriptions) around its users’ audio and taking a cut of the money.
Given how much the internet advertising space is dominated by a few major major players, and how tricky, therefore, it is to make ad-funded internet businesses work, there is a logic to SoundCloud’s approach to date. Though it is based on the assumption that content owners continue to recognise the promotional value in making their audio available for free via the SoundCloud player on their own sites and social networks, and/or to the SoundCloud community of content consumers.
But, even though SoundCloud remains popular amongst artists, producers, A&Rs, bookers and music journalists, for artists and labels it is arguably sensible to direct fans to tracks on YouTube or Spotify-type platforms, where the content distributor pays a royalty. The per-play pay outs may be tiny, but they are better than zero. And where an artist or label doesn’t own all the rights in a track, their content is much less likely to be blocked on YouTube and Spotify, because the other rights owners will also receive royalty payments.
Which means that every time SoundCloud secures new investment, rumours run rife that the firm is busy negotiating YouTube-style licensing deals with the record companies and music publishers. Though such deals would shift the SoundCloud business into a very different domain, and one where most of the leading players are operating at a much higher loss at the moment. Unless, perhaps, SoundCloud could strike up a Vevo-style arrangement with the majors, whereby the company helps the labels to monetise their SoundCloud content, but puts the ad-selling onus onto the content owners by promising them a bigger cut.
It will be interesting to see how this all develops in 2014.
READ MORE ABOUT: SoundCloud
Monday 27 January 2014, 12:10 | By Chris Cooke
Research questions efficiency of three-strikes
Business News Digital Legal
The effectiveness of graduated-response anti-piracy systems has always been debated, with research both bigging up and doing down just what can be achieved from having internet service providers write to suspected file-sharers, usually threatening some kind of sanction if they don’t stop their evil file-sharing ways.
The most recent report disses such systems, reckoning that the three-strikes process introduced in France – one of the more draconian initiatives on paper, albeit with relatively little bite in practice – achieved approximately nothing. The report, from American and French researchers, is based on a survey of 2000 net users in France.
According to Torrentfreak, the researchers conclude: “Consistent with theoretical predictions, our econometric results indicate that the Hadopi [three-strikes] law has not deterred individuals from engaging in digital piracy and that it did not reduce the intensity of illegal activity of those who did engage in piracy. While several factors affect the perceived probability of detection under the law, our results show that the propensity to engage in illegal file-sharing is independent of these beliefs”.
The researchers also noted that for those net users with closer links to the piracy community – a classification based on the piracy chat in said users’ social networks – the introduction of three-strikes in France, which targeted exclusively P2P file-sharing, pushed file-sharers down other routes to accessing unlicensed content.
Which means that the three-strikes system is more likely to catch less prolific file-sharers who, the researchers noted, were less likely to switch to other sources of content, but still continued to file-sharer despite the high profile launch of the French three-strikes system.
The researchers said: “There is evidence that the law encourages internet users who better understand the law and alternative piracy channels (those with many digital pirates in their social network) to substitute away from the monitored P2P channel and to obtain content through unmonitored illegal channels”.
While the research seems to confirm that the introduction of three-strikes does not act as a deterrent to file-sharing, even when the launch of the anti-piracy measures is high profile, what isn’t clear here is what impact actually receiving a warning letter has. It should also be noted that France’s three-strikes system, as a result of a shift in opinion in the country’s political community, never properly got to the net-suspension stage which, if enacted, might have had more impact in terms of deterrent.
Nevertheless, the report will provide new ammunition to those who argue that three-strikes is an expensive, excessive anti-piracy measure with limited potential for actually combating online infringement.
READ MORE ABOUT: Three-Strikes
Monday 27 January 2014, 12:09 | By Aly Barchi
Nic Tasker confirms Young Turks imprint, Whities
Artist News Business News Labels & Publishers Releases
Nic Tasker, some-time boss of programming at the Boiler Room, has just launched Whities, a new alt-dance imprint under the Young Turks label.
Still in its infancy, Whities’ first release will be a dual-sided single from German/Italian pairing Terron, titled ‘Nº 3 Proportion/Nº 17 Governing’.
Stream A-side ‘Nº 3 Proportion’ here:
READ MORE ABOUT: Boiler Room | Nic Tasker | Whities | Young Turks
Monday 27 January 2014, 12:08 | By Chris Cooke
Live industry needs to improve booking processes for ‘accessible tickets’
Business News Live Business
Live music accessibility charity Attitude Is Everything reckons that the live sector is missing out on 2.5 million ticket sales a year – equal to about £66 million in annual revenue – because while promoters make events accessible to deaf and disabled customers, they are not making it easy for said music fans to buy tickets.
In the group’s latest State Of Access report, Attitude Is Everything says that 83% of the disabled gig-goers it surveyed were put off buying tickets because of inaccessible booking systems. So called ‘accessible tickets’ are often sold via telephone booking lines, rather than online, which make it harder for customers who require such tickets to make a purchase.
AIE is now working with the Society Of Ticket Agents & Retailers to facilitate a working party involving the likes of Ticketmaster, See Tickets, Ticketline and Eventim to tackle this problem.
AIE’s CEO Suzanne Bull told CMU: “The State Of Access Report demonstrates the value of our dedicated team of mystery shoppers, who have identified barriers to overcome in terms of accessible ticketing policies. But our ethos is about working in partnership with the music industry to find solutions, so we’re confident that our findings will lead to an improved live music experience for deaf and disabled music fans in the UK”.
Meanwhile, giving his association’s support for the new working party initiative, STAR’s Jonathan Brown added: “STAR is very pleased to be working with Attitude Is Everything as we look together at how the experience of buying tickets online can be improved for deaf and disabled concert goers. STAR and its members are committed to the highest possible standards of service and information for the ticket buying public and we consider the possibility of these improvements to be a high priority in our work in 2014”.
READ MORE ABOUT: Attitude Is Everything
Monday 27 January 2014, 12:07 | By Chris Cooke
Reading independent to rebrand as Jack FM
Business News Media
Reading-based independent station Reading 107 is the latest UK radio outfit planning to relaunch using the Jack FM name and programming format.
The Jack brand is owned by Canadian company SparkNet, and licensed to radio firms in North America, the UK and Russia. Jack FM Berkshire will be the sixth station using the format in the UK.
Confirming the upcoming format switch, Reading 107 MD Sue Reynolds told CMU: “People want to be entertained when listening to the radio, which Jack will deliver, instead of patronising them. We have a responsibility to our advertisers to deliver an audience, and Jack FM will achieve that quickly”.
Meanwhile SparkNet President Pat Bohn added: “We are really looking forward to working with Reading. Their excitement at bringing Jack to their community is contagious and we can’t wait to help them go live”.
READ MORE ABOUT: Jack FM | Reading 107 | SparkNet
Monday 27 January 2014, 12:06 | By Chris Cooke
Neil Young to launch Pono at SXSW
Business News Digital Education & Events
Neil Young’s long-awaited high-audio-quality digital music service Pono is set to launch at South By Southwest in March. The news was revealed during a speech Young gave at a pre-Grammy event last week staged by the producer wing of the Recording Academy in the singer songwriter’s honour.
According to Hypebot, Young said: “Being impressed by something, and how cool it is, and how sharp it is, and how snappy it is, is one thing, and that translates into almost any media. But when you’re singing something very soulful from your heart, and the echo is perfect and everything’s great and you’re using maybe an acoustic chamber and everything sounds great, and then you listen to it and you love it, but you hear it somewhere else and it’s gone – that’s terrible”.
He went on: “We don’t like that. Not many of us like that, we’re not happy about it. So we’re trying to change that, and we’re trying to make it better. We’re trying to make music sound technically better, and that’s what I want to do. So we have a player that plays whatever the musicians made digitally, and that’s going to come out. We’re announcing that at SXSW, we’re introducing it, it’s called Pono, and that’s my commercial, thank you very much”.
READ MORE ABOUT: Neil Young | Pono
Monday 27 January 2014, 12:05 | By Andy Malt
IMS to move to Hard Rock Hotel
Business News Education & Events
The International Music Summit in Ibiza will take place at the island’s new Hard Rock Hotel this year, moving from the Ibiza Gran Hotel, where it has taken place since 2009. Assuming that the Hard Rock Hotel opens on 18 May as planned, of course. IMS itself takes place from 21-23 May.
Says IMS’s Ben Turner: “This is a major opportunity for us to create a new home as we expand with the genre and with the ambitions of our delegates. We are impressed with the work of the Hard Rock group and feel we are in good hands. The irony of the history and name of the hotel is not lost on us – this is a true reflection of how our music is seeping into mainstream culture worldwide and continuing to break down barriers of entry”.
More info on the event here.
READ MORE ABOUT: Hard Rock Hotel | International Music Summit (IMS)
Monday 27 January 2014, 12:04 | By Aly Barchi
Adele working with Phil Collins
Artist News
Following the hot gossip that a track titled ‘Devil On My Shoulder’ had been registered with US song society ASCAP with Adele as a co-writer, hibernating pop icon Phil Collins has now boasted of a collaboration with the ‘Skyfall’ singer, claiming it was she who sought him out to work on her TBC third LP, and not the other way around, as I’m sure you had all assumed.
Not that he even knew who she was, or anything. It’s as Phil said to Inside South Florida last week, when he went: “I’ve just started to work with Adele. She contacted me to write together”.
Oh, really. What else, Phil? Well, this: “I wasn’t actuality too aware of her. I live in a cave but she’s achieved an incredible amount and I really love her voice, and I love some of that stuff she’s done. So, to me, it’s always an eye-opener. Educational”.
So if nothing else, we’ve learned that Phil Collins is, in fact, a bat, and that it’s never to late to find out who Adele is. Educational.
READ MORE ABOUT: Adele | Phil Collins
Monday 27 January 2014, 12:03 | By Andy Malt
Lamb Of God to screen documentary in UK cinemas
Artist News
Lamb Of God have announced that they will be screening their new documentary, ‘As The Palaces Burn’, in over 70 cinemas in the UK and Ireland on 6 Mar.
Following the 90 minute film, which follows the band on the final date of their most recent US tour, director Don Argott will take part in a Q&A with VH1’s Eddie Trunk.
For details on where you can see the film, and to watch a trailer, go to asthepalacesburn.com
READ MORE ABOUT: Lamb Of God
Monday 27 January 2014, 12:02 | By Aly Barchi
U2 to debut free iTunes single during Super Bowl, giving proceeds to (RED)
Artist News Releases
Bono and his band U2 will premiere a new Danger Mouse-produced single in an ad break during the Super Bowl, aka the big American Football game happening in America on 2 Feb.
The track is ‘Invisible’ (in title if not in form), and will be available for free on iTunes for 24 hours only (otherwise known as a day) after it debuts on the telly. U2’s site states that, for every copy of the song fans download, Bank Of America will donate $1 to the charity (RED) – who’ll give it over to the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis And Malaria – to a total of $2m.
READ MORE ABOUT: Super Bowl | U2
Monday 27 January 2014, 12:01 | By Aly Barchi
Prince staging PJ press meet at Lianne La Havas’s place
Artist News Gigs & Festivals
Prince is going to do a press conference on 3 Feb, where he’ll list a series of London-neighbouring shows to promote ‘Plectrumelectrum’, the first LP with his 3rdeyegirl venture.
He will confirm the gigs – no lie – whilst sitting in Lianne La Havas’s sitting room, she having ‘offered’ out her flat to him as a joke after they had a ‘jam sesh’ at Prince’s Paisley Park Studios. So the moral of this story is; don’t toy with Prince, because he will show up at your house, probably in his PJs, with a convoy of journos and photogs, and eat all your food. Particularly if it’s from Asda. Prince just loves Asda.
Gushing to the Guardian, La Havas said: “It is pretty unbelievable that Prince is coming to my house but it is true! It will be a pleasure to welcome him into my humble home and play some music with some dear friends by candlelight. I couldn’t be more excited”.
READ MORE ABOUT: 3rdeyegirl | Lianne La Havas | Prince
Monday 27 January 2014, 12:00 | By Chris Cooke
Grammys: Daft Punk win most gongs, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis marry most couples
Artist News Awards
Daft Punk may have won the most Grammys this weekend, including the all-important Album and Record Of The Year gongs, though four-prize winners Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Best New Artist amongst others, arguably stole the show with a live set that included the marriage of 33 couples live on stage and a guest appearance from Madonna.
And while the mid-award show nuptials might seem a little gimmicky, it was the conclusion of a performance of the hip hop duo’s hit ‘Same Love’, the pro-gay marriage song that has been very much embraced by those campaigning on the issue. Both straight and gay couples got hitched during the Grammy sequence, overseen by Queen Latifah no less, which was a admirably bold move, especially for Grammy organisers, given that gay marriage remains a contentious issue, not least in the US.
According to reports, the 33 now married couples all responded to a call for engaged couplings interested in taking part in a televised mass wedding, though only found out in recent weeks that the event would take place during the Grammys. Though one of those being wed was Lewis’s sister, who presumably had more of a heads up. According to The Guardian, Lewis said: “You never think you are going to win a Grammy. It is that thing that is so distant, it’s the pinnacle, it’s the apex, to be able to celebrate same love. My sister getting married tonight was so personal, I still have chills now”.
‘Get Lucky’ collaborator Pharrell Williams provided some words for the customarily mute Daft Punk guys as they picked up five prizes in total, joking: “Well, I suppose the robots would like to thank… well, you know honestly, I bet France is really proud of these guys right now”.
As you all know, there are flippin loads of Grammy gongs dished out each year, but here’s a list of the winners of some of the more important ones…
Album Of The Year: Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
Record Of The Year: Daft Punk Feat Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers – Get Lucky
Song Of The Year: Lorde – Royals
Best New Artist: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Best Country Album: Kacey Musgraves – Same Trailer Different Park
Best Pop Vocal Album: Bruno Mars – Unorthodox Jukebox
Best Rock Album: Led Zeppelin – Celebration Day
Best Alternative Album: Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires Of The City,
Best R&B Album: Alicia Keys – Girl On Fire,
Best Rap Album: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – The Heist
Best Dance/Electronica Album: Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
In the unlikely event that you care about any of the other awards, the full list of winners is here.
READ MORE ABOUT: Daft Punk | Grammy Awards | Macklemore & Ryan
Monday 27 January 2014, 11:59 | By Chris Cooke
Trevor Horn to play live at MPG Awards
Awards Business News
Trevor Horn has announced that he will provide a little live performance as part of next month’s Music Producers Guild Awards, where he’ll be in the house to pick up an Outstanding Contribution prize. Horn plans to perform with his previously featured supergroup Producers, plus some “special guests”.
MPG Chairman Steve Levine told CMU: “A live performance by Producers is quite a coup for the MPG and we’re really thrilled that guests attending our 2014 Awards ceremony will have the opportunity to witness this unique performance. The MPG Awards are always a popular event on the music industry calendar because they are such a joyful celebration of the UK’s recording talent, but when you get the chance to see a supergroup play live as well, you just know it’s going to be a brilliant night”.
The MPG Awards take place on 13 Feb.
READ MORE ABOUT: MPG Awards | Trevor Horn
Monday 27 January 2014, 11:58 | By Chris Cooke
Fly Awards noms published
Artist News Awards Media
The nominations are out for the inaugural Fly Awards, which will take place at The Forum in London town on 6 Feb. Also confirmed is that Bombay Bicycle Club and Wild Beasts will both play at the event, alongside The Horrors, Peace and Thurston Moore.
Moore will also receive a Living Legend Award (providing he keeps fulfilling the ‘living’ bit up until 6 Feb presumably), while The Horrors will get an Outstanding Artistry prize and Parquet Courts will be honoured with an Album Of 2013 gong for ‘Light Up Gold’, which is being presented in association with Amazon, which possibly means the award will be presented on stage by a remotely piloted drone, and – good news for the Courts here – will be very tax efficient.
And now the list of noms…
Festival Of The Year: City Sound Project, Glastonbury, Liverpool Psych Fest, The Great Escape, Festival No 6, Reading & Leeds
Venue Of The Year: The Barfly (London), The Deaf Institute (Manchester), The Brudenell Social Club (Leeds), The Leadmill (Sheffield), The Lexington (London), Thekla (Bristol)
Song Of 2013: Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know?, Daft Punk – Get Lucky, Peace – Wraith, Haim – Falling, James Blake – Retrograde, Disclosure – White Noise feat AlunaGeorge
Ones To Watch 2014: Superfood, Wolf Alice, Fat White Family, Childhood, FKA Twigs, Chlöe Howl
Best Live Act: Haim, Arctic Monkeys, The Cribs, Savages, Peace, Swim Deep
Label Of The Year: Matador, Rough Trade, 4AD, Warners, Warp, Domino Recording Co
Local Hero: Sister Ray (London), Crash Records (Leeds), Banquet Records (Kingston-Upon-Thames), Record Collector (Sheffield), Head Records (Leamington Spa), Firebug (Leicester)
Artist Of The Year: Foals, Arctic Monkeys, Haim, Sky Ferreira, Janelle Monáe, King Krule
READ MORE ABOUT: Fly Awards | The Fly
Monday 27 January 2014, 11:57 | By Chris Cooke
Azealia Banks hits out at Universal, begs to be dropped
And Finally Artist News Labels & Publishers
As the world continues to wait for Azealia Banks’ long-promised debut long-player ‘Broke With Expensive Taste’ (you’re all still waiting, right?), the lady herself has been hitting out at her label Universal, seemingly blaming the major for the latest round of delays on that album.
Most recently due to land this month, the release of ‘BWET’ has been pushed back again to March. Seemingly pissed off about all this, Banks took to Twitter yesterday to admit she wished she’d signed to Universal’s main competitor. Tweeting “I REALLY should have signed with Sony”, she added: “Can someone at Sony buy me off of Universal please? I’m really in hell here”.
Referencing back to her original label partner, London indie XL, she tweeted on: “I would literally give anything to be on XL right now”. And then, back to dissing her current label further, she added: “I’m tired of having to consult a group of old white guys about my black girl craft. They don’t even know what they’re listening for or to”.
And finally, admitting she was now “begging” to be let out of her Universal deal, she concluded: “Universal needs to just hand me over to another label who knows what to do with me”.
So that’ll all make for an interesting meeting at Universal HQ later today, in amongst the post-Grammy hangovers.
READ MORE ABOUT: Azealia Banks
Friday 24 January 2014, 12:11 | By Paul Vig
Approved: Tensnake at Village Underground presented by Mixmag Live
Club Tip CMU Approved
A growing name on the house and disco circuit, Tensnake, aka Marco Niemerski, will tonight kick off the Mixmag Live 2014 series.
After a year touring the US and a string of dates in Ibiza, ranging from Le Grand Bazaar alongside Pharrell Williams to headlining with Solomun at Pacha, this UK party precedes the release of the man from Hamburg’s debut album ‘Glow’, which features collaborations with Nile Rodgers and Jacques Lu Cont.
Support comes from funk and disco collective Horse Meat Disco, with Severino and crew serving up a slice of their equine delights. Wolf Music’s finest duo PBR Streetgang will also be contributing to the sonic escapades.
Friday 24 Jan, Village Underground, 54 Holywell Lane, Shoreditch, London, EC2A 3PQ 10pm-4am, £15-£20, more info here.
READ MORE ABOUT: Mixmag | Tensnake
Friday 24 January 2014, 12:10 | By Chris Cooke
Beats responds to sign-up delays, Ek responds to Beats
Business News Digital Top Stories
So, in amongst all the ripe hype online surrounding the US launch of the Beats Music streaming service on Tuesday was the customary flutter of Twitter gripes from some users who were struggling to get into the new digital set up, or having trouble getting the new app-based platform to work.
But that, Beats insists, was simply due to the high level of interest in streaming music’s latest arrival. As some users reported a wobbly service within the app, Beats initiated a stagger system for allowing newcomers into the platform, which was probably behind most of the reports on the social networks of users not being able to get in.
Beats Music boss Ian Rogers told USA Today: “We were able to still register people, so we don’t turn them away at the door. We just don’t put them into the main service so they don’t have a bad experience. And then we can email them after and say ‘All right, come on in'”.
Presumably keen to placate those who’ve had to queue outside the virtual Beats club, the streaming service has confirmed that anyone who signed up for the free seven day trial this week will actually get fourteen days of Beats goodness gratis, before the premium-only streaming set-up demands some quality dollars.
Elsewhere in streaming music, Spotify top geezer Daniel Ek has been asked about the arrival of a high-hype new competitor in the US market and, ultimately, beyond. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Ek was pragmatic, conceding that Beats Music was a significant new competitor, but also suggesting that such a high profile new entrant into the market could be good for streaming music in general, making the majority of consumers yet to embrace such services at all aware of what a fully on-demand online music platform offers. Especially in the US where Pandora-style streaming services still dominate.
Which is all fine, suitably sporting and rather sensible. Though he did manage to get a little dig into his quote too. So well done Dan. Said Ek: “It’s a competitor, for sure, but my way of looking at it is, if it gets people to understand the value of streaming, it is ultimately good. Our way of doing this is not just slapping some celebrity brand on it and hoping it will be good. We are a social service; we are a product company. People have tried to put a brand on it and thought that’s enough, and they have failed: Microsoft, Nokia – many big companies”.
READ MORE ABOUT: Beats | Beats Music | Daniel Ek
Friday 24 January 2014, 12:09 | By Andy Malt
Ian Watkins to appeal length of sentence
Artist News Legal
Former Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins is to appeal the length of his sentence for the attempted rape of a baby and other child abuse offences.
As previously reported, Watkins was sentenced to 29 years in prison, as well as another six on licence upon leaving prison, after he pleaded guilty to charges against him in December. Two women, whose children he abused, were also sentenced to fourteen and seventeen years respectively. The judge told Watkins that he had reached “new depths of depravity” and continued to pose a significant risk to children.
Nonetheless, Watkins thinks that his 35 year sentence is a bit much, and entered an application to appeal the sentence earlier this week, according to BBC News.
READ MORE ABOUT: Ian Watkins
Friday 24 January 2014, 12:08 | By Chris Cooke
Downtown announces Notable alliance
Business News Deals Labels & Publishers
The Downtown music publishing company has announced a worldwide administration deal with another publisher, Notable Music Co, which will see the former administrate the catalogues of the latter. Notable was founded by composer and jazz musician Cy Coleman back in 1962 and counts songs like ‘The Best Is Yet To Come’, ‘Big Spender’ and ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’ amongst its catalogue.
Confirming the new arrangement, Downtown Music Publishing boss Justin Kalifowitz told reporters: “It is with extreme gratitude that we welcome Notable to Downtown Music Publishing. When he wasn’t busy contributing to the Great American Songbook or scoring many iconic, award winning Broadway musicals, Songwriters Hall Of Fame member Cy Coleman built one of the finest song collections of his time. We couldn’t be more delighted to represent this historic catalogue and partner with Damon [Booth] in growing the Notable business for years to come”.
Booth, VP and GM for Notable, added: “I’ve been a big fan of the creativity, passion and commitment Downtown has shown to its roster for many years. It’s an honour to be joining Justin and his team at this exciting and challenging time in our business”.
READ MORE ABOUT: Downtown Music | Notable Music Co
Friday 24 January 2014, 12:07 | By Chris Cooke
Following licensing battles and annual upgrade, Ministry plots party weekend
Business News Live Business
Having fought the planning laws and won its right to party, however much noise that might result in (within reasonable limits, obviously), south London club Ministry Of Sound is kicking into action this weekend with two big club nights, which will also show off some recent refurbs at the uber-venue, including a new larger courtyard, VIP suite and two new balconies. Big up the balconies.
Having resolved long-running issues with the developers behind a new residential set-up due to be built adjacent to the clubbing venue, Ministry boss Lohan Presencer told CMU: “We’re pleased that the situation surrounding the Eileen House site has been resolved and we’re grateful for the support shown by the dance and wider music community. We remain focused on putting on a fantastic programme of events to ensure we continue to be the best club in the world”.
While on the recent refits, he added: “Ministry Of Sound has always been about renewal. Upgrading the venue is an annual project for us and each year we look at improving the experience for the hundreds of thousands of clubbers who come here”.
And as for those aforementioned parties, tonight it’s all about an Anjunabeats showcase featuring Super8 & Tab, Jaytech, Boom Jinx, Prok & Fitch, while the party-athon will carry on tomorrow with one of club’s ‘Saturday Sessions’ events, this featuring Danny Avila, Third Party and in-Ministry DJ, Patrick Hagenaar.
READ MORE ABOUT: Ministry Of Sound
